Yo yo yo what’s going on everybody it’s your boy sucho AKA coach bird and I’m the host of the bird Cade show cousin Tracy up we are back at it I know I know I know we’ve had a couple weeks off you know what I’m saying um between
Basketball games and cuz had a little surgery had a hand do matter fact s it’s a little sore but I’m good okay um my mom Duke’s had a little little Health scare you know what I’m saying but she’s home now and and and doing much much much much better you know what I’m
Saying but just keep hearing your prayers you know what I’m saying um so so we’ve been missing an action a little bit but we are back I I think that number’s wrong on episode two no that’s cu the last one was my sister 117 youing
Wow it has been a long time to be back on the couch feels great it feel you know what I’m saying it’s like I actually missed this you know what I’m saying when I was when I was setting up uh this morning I’m like ah okay you
Know what I’m saying back in my element yes back in my element well you know what I’m saying we coming back at you strong with a very very special guest you know what I’m saying a very special guest sitting on the couch in the cage my man Usman Johnny is in the building
With us today what’s up bro what’s going on yo pleasure pleasure pleas pleasure definitely appreciate it you know what I’m saying and and you know we going to let you tell your story a little bit but before we get into that I’m going to give my little quick background you know
What I’m saying I became uh was that 15 16 yeah 15 16 season was my first season at uh West Hampton Tech where I’m still at coaching and uh this is my point guard over here you know what I’m saying he was a senior that year I came in uh
Not knowing what we had left you know what I’m saying but after evaluations and all that good stuff my my starting point guard right here and now we fast forwarded to uh 23 24 and uh now he’s on my coaching sty you know what I’m saying
Now he’s on my coaching staff so I say that to say young folk you know what I’m saying you want to make sure you don’t burn Bridges you know what I’m saying you want to make sure you’re always in a position that if you want to do something different in your life that
You have people around you that you can go back to and get that help you know what I’m saying Evolution Evolution facts facts facts facts because if he was I ain’t going to say no names I be like you don’t get out my gym if you don’t get out my gym you know
What I’m saying but but no but oo let’s get right into it let’s uh tell the folk that don’t know you because you know I know a lot of people that’s going to watch this episode is going to tune in because they do know you but they might
Not even know everything about you you know what I’m saying so let some folk know just the beginnings of ooze you know what I’m saying yeah man so I uh was born born in Central Jersey so in Old Bridge New Jersey up in um sarraille uh lived there for about maybe
Six years then my uncle was down in Willingboro so we used to come out during the Summers and visit with my cousins and my mom was like this might be a good place where we can settle at um and then she moved out here that was
Like second or third grade okay so I’ve been living in Willingboro ever since um then after that uh went to BCIT um instead of going to Willingboro cuz you know Mom we’re we’re African right so we from Nigeria so once she seen oh you can test your way
You get a trade look open her eyes so before you I wanted you I thought you was going to leave with that yeah pronounce your name correctly for me Usman tajani and you guys are from Nigeria and when did you actually were you born here in America or yeah I was
Born here my parents are uh were born in Africa okay now I’m going to ask you a question l what does your name mean so I’m the uh the sixth disciple of a prophet nice I thought was going to leave with that there you have it and
Just just know I’m horrible with names anybody that know me know that I’m horrible with names yeah so you’ll just get sweetie every now and you got to call him ooze you all yeah it was this one substitute teacher she had called me salami one time yeah
It was I was it I’m just like all right y salami but I will tell you this I could feel your pain because I’ve had many a teacher uh mispronounced my first name so I can feel your pain you know what I’m saying I a know how to pronounce
Your name until they said on anoun yeah that’s what I’m say listen I think I’ve been pronouncing his name wrong all these years and I think I it might have been like his might have been his mom we were somewhere mom said his name I said oh I like Addie a or
Something it’s all good I know who you was talking about my whole life I’ve been calling you that he should have made the correction yeah that that is true right so finish o you from yeah so uh went to went to BCIT um had my trade was
Culinary um I really only did that so I could eat before games so smart yeah give me give me a nice little good meal before playing um and then I went to uh Delaware State um never knew really about HBCU my Hornets yeah Hornets shout
Out to the Hornets um I did a lot of things there I ended up pledging omegas fire Fraternity Incorporated um I was SGA president president for a couple clubs um still right now I’m the on The Advisory board for a black male initiative out there uh so I’m
Definitely like just still connected as an uh alumnist over there and then now I’m getting my MBA at uh Wilmington University um in Wilmington Delaware so and now I’m back here in Jersey and uh coach coaching with my coach so if you if you haven’t watched US Delaware state
Is close to my heart my daughter was Miss DSU 2009 2010 okay she played AKA there she was also junior class vice president her junior year on SGA so Delaware state is like a home for me to to the point where she she go homecoming like she went the Dum dat I
Know I’m just saying I’m just saying like like you go you go to homecoming like you actually like you actually went there I’m saying that’s all oh that was sh no it was not I was just saying you go like you don’t you don’t have to go with all yeah
With the older people like my age like I’m I mean they they they uh y’all be on both sides the FR and the back but they they invite me like I want you coming down I’m like I’m there I’m there yeah I know I know a couple a couple of my
Friends still come to homecoming and never went to my school like hey that’s what home for you those St is very welcoming very welcoming I know when my daughter was going there which would be 06 M as a parent when you take the tour yeah in the bottom of every dorm at one
Point it changed they had free laundry and a hairdresser and barber shop yeah and they was like you know we kind of want the kids to know if you don’t have the resources or the finances to get those things you still can keep up on your grooming habits and things like
That because boom but by her sophomore year you had to have a a laundry card yeah I’m about to say they Chang Bud budget was not cut was not Bud it wasn’t allow that I’ve been to a couple D State homecomers though always a good time down there can’t even can’t
Even so congratulations what is your degree in uh so my bachelor is in management with a conentration and marketing and then my MBA is in organizational leadership oh you know what I’m saying hey hey intelligence black intelligence what are you currently doing now yeah so I work at
Capital One I do a program management there so I pretty much work on early careers for hpcu and HSI student so uh focused on uh black and latinx talent M there we go there we go might be something he can connect with uh the daylight Foundation somehow you know
What I’m saying abely little Branch you know what I mean um so you played all four years yeah so basketball at West well Varsity I started my started playing my sophomore year so freshman year uh so let me go back to Middle School actually so my middle school team
Um we had probably one of the best middle school teams in the state of New Jersey we in this in from Seventh to e8th GR grade we probably won like or six to e8th grade probably won like 60 something games and lost four wow um and
Then after it was time to go to high school you know everybody was like yo where we going to go so a couple of us had moved and then a couple of us went to mettech went to willbo so it was like now it’s kind of like we trying to
Branch off and do our own thing so ended up at West Tech freshman year triout out for the freshman team and then um some guys was talking to the coach like you got to bring him up got to bring him up so I went to go practice with JV like
The following day of tryouts and that’s when I realized y I’m like this gu kind of big yo like you you playing with JB andity and like at the time like what we was doing for like the like the practice day was so in my in my opinion it was
Kind of stupid like it was like oh you got to get the ball up without dribbling and mind you it’s like it was it was so you can only you got three seconds to get a ball up it was just mad weird stuff it was like it wasn’t really
Testing what I could do on the floor so freshman year went by injured my wrist but I played hair in there then as soon as that summer hit I was I was on Varsity so we going to the summer leagues and everything um started a couple games uh sophomore year but then
Like I was like doing doing a lot from from from home so like I would had to go to work right after practice and like uh I a’t even have my own pair of basketball shoes my sophomore year like crazy enough like like the day of the
Prep rally like I a’t even know what I was goingon to wear and then we had a game that same day so like some my shout out to my uh my my old friend AER man he gave me his shoes right off his feet right he’s like you can hoop with these
And I was hooping with them for the rest of the season but never gave him back yeah never gave him back but the crazy thing is I ain’t wear his SI so shoes is mad big so every day I’m like I’m dribbling dribbling off my feet I’m like
Damn yo so like sophomore year shut shut me down and then junior year it was like it was so many guards I was like back and forth back and forth and like you know coach B always tell you like you know I was kind of slacking on the
Workout so like and then see year um like that’s why I really like that summer before I almost was going to stop playing basketball cuz like the whole culture situation and then there was like yo we getting a new coach my eyes lit up so I was like all right back in
The gym we we was going to the wide like every five like five days a week and then um fall league summer league I’m like all right yo like I think I think I got this low key um yeah and then Senior Year man it was it
Was it was a cool ride yo I felt I had like the most confidence I ever had in my three year four years playing there like I I just knew it was my team right right we we pretty much handed him the te saying was like our point guard right
There you know what I’m saying like here you go you know what I’m saying now uh did you want to play when you went to Dell state or you yeah cuz I remember me and you was talking like um we was trying to
I was so I was trying to walk on and I remember you had put put some stuff together cuz he um had ped up to pensan and um I uh met with him during the open house told me what I had to do and everything so I got my all my NCA
Eligibility stuff clearance uh physical and everything and I was talking to one of the dudes is on the team cuz he was close to one of my one of my uh middle school teammates okay he he used he played at cam Catholic and he was the
Center there okay so I was like yeah bro like he so I was working out with him before tryouts and like I I guess it didn’t really promote when tryouts was so like a week later like I’m posting like workout workout videos and he’s like yo bro like why you a slide the
Triy outs oh I was like why you a’t tell me so after that I was like yeah it’s probably it’s probably AAP I was like it is what it is but um yeah I think like that after our season was over like um I was like trying to contact coaches D3
And everything like and I and at point I was like do I really want to do this I got too late like I was just thinking about like the trajectory of my life and I was like is basketball going to fit that like so I was like and a crazy
Thing is I was looking at uh the some of the stats from from my senior year I was like y I could have I like it was crazy because it took four years but it’s like I could have I really could have been doing this for a
Little minute if I would have just tooken a little bit more serious um I was looking at uh Willen bro’s team and they had won either their first round of playoffs or their second round and I remember there was this new school and the college saying Elizabeth they a have
No basketball team so literally the coach took like half of Willam bro’s roster and I think a couple guys from like Northern Burton and brought him brought him through and I’m just like damn if we would have won a playoff game probably could been us us right yeah
Facts that’s what’s up uh so we get to Dell State you know what I’m saying you doing your thing in the classroom and all that good stuff and you mentioned earlier about being a what made you want to want to pledge that cuz like did you
Have anybody in your family that was in frat black fraternities anything like that when I probated my mom thought I join the cult wait hold on I was getting ready to say that because my my daughter has a girl on her line has a girl on her
Line who is African I don’t know if she’s Nigerian whatever she is but her family was living they was like you know this is against what we believe like you’re it’s like cultish they like they really I’m like her parents was were in on her and she still did it and they
Were like angry with her for a while n it’s it’s it it was really my mom she came to my prob she like what what is going on right now like I’m so confused but um n like none of my family was into Greek life like uh I had seen I was on
Like Twitter one day like our senior year in high school and I was just like I seen like these purple dudes yeah I’m like like like what is this and then like somebody this Greek life y y y and when I got to Dell State I just kept seeing like uh there there
Was there wasn’t any qes on the yard at the time it was like mad sigas and and kappas and the sigas is like no shade to them but it’s like I I didn’t feel like I was going to be shaking my legs like that like the kappas I’m like yall too y
Mind you I’m cool with a lot of kaas but I’m like y’all too pretty for me bro no homo but it’s like y’all too y doing a little bit to extra stuff so um funny enough my uh my ra at at the time which like you know the residential assistant
And um one of my best friends like they ended up uh pledging this a year before me and I was like what like and then and then um I was talking to a wall from from Willingboro uh rest in peace to a wall he became a que at um I think West
Virginia wesing okay and I was like bro like you was never the type to do stuff like this and then I started realizing like a lot of like the people like like some of the refs I used to hang out with during high school and middle school
Like um and then some of like the uh old older older gentleman that was at my my school they were all cued but they didn’t really show it and I was like oh they like they was exhibiting features that I that I like so at a point I’m
Just like yeah I kind of want to join this because I feel like it’s going to uh help me in a networking aspect of lining me up with with with some guys who like get to it um and that’s that’s really what happened like and and then
That’s all she wrote so but the divine nine is more so of a about service right yeah and it’s about uh Brotherhood Sisterhood it’s about um uplifting each other yeah the whole I think I think it’s um a good a a good thing for for communities who are seeking like I I
Look at it like this right for for young for young gentlemen who who are trying to join gangs like there’s no there there’s no sense there’s no purpose in that right like when you’re joining this is essentially a group an organization same thing what a gang is it’s just it has
Negative connotations and it’s negative attributes but I I feel like if if individual are looking for space to feel welcomed like Divine n or just general organizations that’s where you should lead to joining instead of joining like the other the other stuff um and I ain’t
The perfect Soul either like I had a crazy crazy crazy upbringing myself from from a kid perspective but you know I figured out how to cut cut it right so like the D like Greek life is definitely like a good sense of uh giving you a chance to join a community where at
Least you know individuals are on a positive route so it it was it’s been a dope experience um so I crossed in 2019 so it’s about to be five years this year okay so such there’s a grad chapter looking for you I know I know I know I
Always wanted to do I said if I cuz I I wanted to play Q as well you know what I’m saying um they didn’t have a line at leehi when I got there cuz I went there first then um we had a little underground situation that Ruckers can that that that fell through
Um I still I ow I owe some some people some lick backs and I know you watch the show I’m talk yeah I’m talking to you don’t say that now guess yeah right yeah you’re right you’re right that’s why y on the yard yes still time yeah true I thought
About it but you Ain think hard enough you got listen we trying to get you whole whole right yeah um for for for those that might be watching this that’s about to go to college or in college things like that like just I mean I know
You can’t talk about it in depth but what’s that process like I know it’s probably changed a little bit since you did it you know what I’m saying but yeah you know it’s uh it’s the same thing like trying to join a basketball team like you got to go to an interest
Meeting you got to go to an interest meeting you know you got to uh learn about the learn about the organization you know try to connect with individuals um and then you go through a membership selection process feel like application and do what you got to do and then God
Willing if if it’s for you it’s going to be for you how many on your line five five y yeah also to young people that are interested in going to college any college and has nothing to do with joining a a Greek s or Greek fraternity of sority y’all need to do community
Service yeah everything’s required start now with the community services cuz the amount of hours they require by time you’re a sophomore and want to go to the interest men or want to go to rush y’all can’t stock stockpile those Community hours in a matter of a week or
Two exactly true true true plus I mean and even just that’s just a good point though because even if you’re not like planning on joining organization like that community service like to have on your resume College you know what I mean when you put your college applications in so there’s nothing wrong with
Community service yeah you know what I’m saying now let’s uh get into this coaching thing a little bit when did you uh realize that you wanted to start coaching like when when did the coaching bug hit you yeah so I I came back home uh during my I think my winter or summer
And my sophomore year and I was helping out coaching that this uh this a team called team SAU Elite in Willingboro um and I was like this is interesting like cuz it’s like you’re trying to First you kind of like you missed the game so it’s
Like you can’t really play it like that anymore unless you join the doll leagues and stuff so it’s like what’s the next best thing is like it’s coaching and I feel like everyone can’t coach so that’s that’s where I had to figure out like can I actually coach so it’s like can I
Be can the students or or the um the young gents be receptive to me can I be receptive to them like am I do I have the patience cuz you need patience like like b b got a lot of patience like a lot of patience and he been doing this
For a minute so it’s like do you have patience and it’s like can you can you be sort of empathetic at times cuz you know especially generation they soft oh man I ain’t saying it to n of our Squad you know we got some dogs we got some
Dogs but yeah generation this generation s definitely I haven’t been to a West Tech game this year I thought you was you wasn’t there yet I I thought you came to will BR thought say you oh that’s right you could that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right
That’s right that’s right so last year though I was doing a whole heap of yelling was only there one game I don’t know about the dogs maybe the dogs left or maybe some of them came in but what I do know is and I ain’t even on a
Coaching and I’m listen I felt like I was that day know I’m saying came took a seat you know what I’m saying you should have but Tracy you know you you just what two years ago you were still coaching yeah little but I told Coach little but I’m
Still though Starts day I’m sure you can had a group of girls that showed up in the gym didn’t even know how to dribble of basketball lack of fundamental didn’t even know the nor of the nor of the floor right so I’m trying to build it build it they’re doing great this
Year yeah and the parents was yelling at me like I’m like well outside of the hour a week what El they Middle School we only get two hours a week two and a half three hours a week to practice and um he supposed to turn them into
Sheryl does that work when they I one practice I was dribbling we was dribbling so long forgot we ain’t do nothing else cuz if you can’t dribble drible do and then they out of shape everybody eating dingdong yeah Hot Takis y’all coming in the gym with Hot Takis
In your stomach right you know what I’m saying nut wonder why your stomach hurting when we doing these Sprints you know what I’m saying so after you got done with uh that team yeah so then um I went I tried to start my own aou team
And I was like damn I don’t got enough time for this it’s kind I was trying to look at it from a director perspective I’m still not going to have enough time for it so after I graduated um the the first time I came home and uh I started
Coaching at will Bros rec league okay so I started coaching their uh it’s like a middle school was like I think sixth to eth grade and that was a dope experience like we we we uh made it to a championship we was on like a 10 game
Win streak then I had to go to work and then I let somebody else coaching he lost me two games I mean but then but then we uh we know we we did our thing and then we got to the chip and like ah it was just it was just painful cuz like
We had the game plan everything was set up it was like just as simple things missing layups not not rebounding and then you know we tried to come back when it was too late so we end up losing by three but it was such a dope experience
And then um like a lot of parents like wanted me to start training their kids so I started training like a couple like uh like middle schoolers here and there um and then after that I’m like yo like I’m trying to get on the high high
School staff that’s when I hit you up like like I remember I hit you up like probably the year before but I didn’t think I have enough time because of work then this time like kind of just just getting my feet wet into my new role I
Was able to like make my uh schedule a little bit more flexible so look at you now you on understand you know what I’m saying say so so so how’s uh how’s how how you’re liking the the the the high school level compared to your middle school level experiences like
So I’m not going to lie I feel like my middle school team was AIT took took more was a bit more receptive to like uh pressure than the than the high school team uh I I used to I used to give them a a air full
He’s like these like 11 and 12 year olds like we doing boot camp workouts after after after not beating a team by 15 like like I was one of those coaches like and I had and I had open practices for parents to come in cuz like I’m not
Going to you’re not going to your kid ain’t going lie and say now you going to see what we what we doing and you know some parents had their concerns they text me you know you might have been a little bit too hard I said no I’m
Setting them up for for Success they’ll be all right they’ll be all right and um yeah just at the high school level it’s like it’s it’s they’re a little bit more grown so it’s like you get a chance to like be a little bit more uh transparent because they’re they’re about they’re
Young men they about to be out in this real world in two three years and I could I remember like like when I was their age it was like my coaches were the ones that was giving me that life advice so it’s like we got to pay pay
The same thing forward uh so from the high school level it’s been like really interesting um you know guys just it’s just it’s just like an interesting mix of guys so and then we you know our season been been a little bit little bit roller coaster so that that in itself
Has been a has been an experience in itself too So roller coaster he being nice he was being real eloquent with the description we we do got a chance to do some things here these last couple games try to get into the playoffs and see if we can surprise a couple folk but like I told you um you know we no returning
Starters you know what I’m saying um the starters we got now they’re all coming back they’re all Juniors and sophomores In the Mix soens A Lot this is good experience for them you know what I’m saying for y for us no definitely no definitely and you know what’s funny like I was thinking
About it during our year like I wish we were Juniors right cuz that team coming back our team our team was really good like I I used to look at our games like we I think we was 10 and 13 but like if you look at all of our losses it was
Like between like one and Five Points like it was just like all the guys that was on the team didn’t really play Varsity like that so it was like this it’s cly like the same thing but these guys have a year now to actually develop
With each other where like for us it was just like this this was it cuz I got hir late you know what I’m saying you know what I’m saying so we just kind of had to jump in it and go so how was it working coaching with this guy yo it’s
It’s been it’s been great yo I’m not going to lie like I I I would say especially from a staff perspective like we really mesh all together it’s like we all coaching at one Accord and he’s very receptive to things that we say like and he he doesn’t shy away from getting us
All involved like everybody that sits on that bench as a coach is involved so do you see the difference as being a under him as a staff member um versus playing for him as a player and also too do you see him being able to develop you enough
So you can go do your own thing yeah n for sure like from a player perspective like I was I was cool with bird and Miller like I treated them like big Bros so like on the floor like I used to talk to him like literally the stuff that I’m
Telling the point guards to do now was the same thing that I was doing with bird and it helped out so much like simple things like yo they got to do this we got to run this or yo this play work let’s run it back like things like
That and it’s like sometime sometimes like me and here would communicate so much when I was on the court he like yo like you might have to play the whole game yeah y like yo like if you need a break I’m just call time out like and
And look at that the [ __ ] like yeah bro time out like it was it was one of those was really built from the coaching sta perspective it’s like the same thing it’s like yo like we got to do XYZ with the guys and like or we got to we got to
Um we got to work on this specifically on practice like it be times where they they’ll go watch film and I’ll take care like some of the younger guys and um like we like we really like messed together from together so it’s been pretty cool and then like I just help
Out I help out especially like on the stats like I’m like the number to numbers guy so like looking at things live yeah looking at things live during halftime um even like just just taking analysis after the games like looking at stretches like how we did F five games
In looking at different different like uh different uh metrics and and just see trying to see like what can we do that’s different like this is what this is what we looking at right now like what can we do so it’s been really cool it’s been really cool and then like getting
Getting getting draw draw out plays like it’s been really cool like and then like seeing them work too is is good cuz like he trusted you and then like you you actually providing that that product it’s it’s been dope dope cuz it’s like you know cuz you played the game you
Coach the game yeah this was like a 30 second timeout by the time you tell me what to tell them the time out’s over there they go tell them got it definitely definitely definitely love love having you on the staff bro you know what I’m saying and
Then he’s right with the he used this game changer app cuz it’s all right there we look at it at half sign so we know what the tell we need to do better at because you know before he got there we uh whoever was keeping stats had a little pencil but different than
Everything like technology one assist black shot no pencil paper cuz I was going to get a paper and pencil for high school so now I know I need a app for that called gameer IP yeah super clean I need that I me on going and invest in it over the
Summer so I can be ready for high school you can do it right on your phone too you do on your phone too yeah actually like the um when I was coaching at a my assistant coach was the one that put me on so I was I was this this J tough so
During the fall and the summer that’s what we was using B was like oh he said he said we got some we got something new you know saying got something cuz then like after the game he uh you know we in our coaches group Tech he send send it out
To everybody so everybody got it we can send it out to the kids I’m saying so they could watch it and and it’s and it’s it’s like is details you know what I’m saying like it’s real n n no it’s definitely definitely help but yeah I
Just want to let you know that since I got you here man you definitely uh I appreciate what you’re doing um definitely definitely uh intrical part of the staff and like you said we mesh well like even like age wise we got the me and Jeff for the the elders you know
What I’m saying you got like him and him and then you got Li and I you know what I’m saying so we we got a nice age you know what I’m saying so we can you know touch on every thing there you know what I’m saying so now we just got to handle
Our business we got a tough one on Tuesday you know what I’m saying well this will be out after Tuesday so uh uh episode 119 let you know how we uh how we made out with these couple games see if we can back door our way into this
Postseason and and try to make some noise you know what I’m saying try to make some noise couple more questions before we get out of here number one let’s talk about Lil ooze what is Lil oo’s name cuz I just call him Lil ooze so his name is Akim everybody call him
AK for short okay okay okay I you talking about you call him sweetie that’s what they used to call me little bird say they could say such what’s up little bird I do pronounce your name right yeah okay you know what I’m saying how did you how’s he just turned seven on the
23rd oh you got a big something yeah he be in the gym all the time you know say he involved in any sports yeah he played basketball um soccer and football flag football right now okay so I’m I’m just trying to get his feet wet in the scene
And try to see what what he wants to do eventually you know baseball is always a good sport too baseball expensive though it’s great sport it’s expensive though now you going to be the uh I got to make sure our budget right for that soccer’s expensive all you got to do is buy
Cleats well right now they young so it’s like they not really what they working on right now is all development so they really haven’t touched the and when they do play they they really ain’t really too aggressive I got you got eventually you know now you going to be that Dad
That’s going to want to coaching all the way up through he yo it’s funny cuz he’s the one that be mentioning it all the time he like he like yo like when like when you going to coach me you coaching all these dudes when you going to coach
Me I’m like I don’t know if I want to coach you yo like I I don’t I don’t want to be that Dad that’s uh that’s always everywhere like sometimes like the kids need to get off their leash and I feel like when once your dad is coaching you he’s training you it’s
Like you always going to look to him like heang did I do it right cuz like you don’t want you don’t want the post game talk like I just want to train him I’m like yo this what your Co say you need to do get in the gym we’ll work on
That and I’m going come to your games I’m going watch at the end I’m be like Y what you think you did right right got you got you got you got you um I ain’t really have uh like nobody really tell me that it’s just like the coaches so it was just
Like whatever y’all said bet I’m G work on that the next game like I remember Milly say he’s said yo bro like I know you lock up but maybe we we kind of need like a couple points some days like cuz like it I either have like maybe nine or
I’ll just score like three points but I didn’t care cuz I just wanted to win like I was worried about shutting down whoever was playing and running the damn so and we had guys who could put the ball in the basket so like I wasn’t really obligated to score so be like
It’ll be good to get 10 a game for you though like I’m all right so couple games I’m like I’m G do this like get some buckets yeah let me go get some buckets real quick but um but yeah so I think for him it’s like I just want him
To grow and I’mma I don’t want to I don’t want to put him on a leash with me I got you that’s what’s up now how important do you feel you know what I’m saying uh uh uh for you as a to be a good role model for him yeah like yo
It’s crazy cuz his mom had just texted me the other day it was like he always said he wants to be like you and I’m I was sitting there like he always say that I was I was like who you want to be when you grow up he like you I said I
Said I mean that’s cool and all I want you to be better than me got got but it’s like conversation that I had later on the line when he grow up but uh I think overall like it’s it’s always great when your kids love you for you um
And he looks up to me like I take him everywhere with me like the businesses I run like he’ll go with me to go run them like anytime I had to go to something at school like he’ll come out there with me um I bring him around basketball as much
As possible like definitely it’s crazy cuz like you know certain certain certain programs no shade but like you know we get a chance to like create a big family you and it’s like so many rules and regulations that we got so it’s like one day I bring in a practice
They like a you can’t bring him to practice like it’s he ain’t doing no hard saying it’s uh a lot he comes to if not most of the games all of them um the guys love him coaches players everybody the managers I look up he up there with the
Managers eating chips whatever yeah so he um just being a just being I just not even just being a good role just being a good person got um cuz C certain things like you know these kids nowadays they don’t realize like he’s spoiled right and it’s
Not from me it’s from his Grand mom his mom like I have to be bad cop I have to be bad cop sometimes but I’m teaching him like life values like but I’m going just say this and and this isn’t a testament to who you are um
There’s a lot of young men who can’t say I want to be like my dad so to hear him say that and to know you’re his superhero yeah got to get Applause for that and in him wanting to be like you he’s definitely going to be better and
And and and that’s that’s the the again the word Evolution that’s what happens when you’re in their lives and they see you and they adore you and they look up to you they want to be you but they know they want to do better because they know
You’ll be proud of them if they do so I’m just saying that from experience as a mother raising girls and um I guess as a grandmother too you know and as a somebody in the community that people look up to you know I think is if they
Can honestly say that if he says that and he’s coming from a place of love right cuz you got to leave with love embrace it and just know like you one one of them one of the many out here know I appreciate that proud of proud definitely proud you know what I’m say
It’s always it’s always good when you see your former players and former students doing well doing great it’s like I would like to think I had just a little bit to do with that you know so me a little bit I think you want know so
So funny though like he he was like one of the first people I had told I was about to have a kid that early and he was like sh I already knew I already knew I just wait for you to tell me got got my post on everything you know what I’m
Saying what’s up um clothing line you know what I’m saying I know uh cuz you know I follow you on your social media and all that I know even when you was at D State you know what I’m saying I see the ads and the promos and all of that
Um what’s up with that is it still rolling or you bringing it back I got it on right now so um at first it started off with uh my uh roommate my freshman year and one of my one of my best friends from Baltimore it was we was
Just like trying to figure out ways to make money at in school honestly cuz like it was man it was some some of them nights was rough Cal Co at 800 p.m he’s starving for the next four hours like and you know you try you try to go to
Party on the weekends everybody got split $5 to go get some like we was tired so it started off uh slum city worldwide made like two designs pushed that out everybody’s like oh this on cool and then um I started try to take it serious so I try to get the guys like
Uh to you know start start uh formulating things right so you know talking about business and getting our organization right and once I so for me it’s like once I see you’re not on the same mindset I’mma just retract gotta but I’m I’m I’mma make sure that you get
Your flowers got so after a while just like things wasn’t clicking I guess like people weren’t really as engaged as I was cuz I seen the vision I guess they didn’t really see it but I guess or they didn’t really want to like help improve the situation I guess I don’t know what
Happened but shout out shout out to Mike and tius because like without them the brand really really wouldn’t that started and I always give them their flowers um and then I came home was pushing some stuff out did like a little photo shoot and uh Philly at this
Graffiti pier and like I just started seeing like the I’m like this kind of it’s kind of getting a little bit bigger so my senior year is when things really started to click cuz like I was just like I I was getting in touch with designers um I was getting my clothes
Done from scratch um then like I took advantage of some of the stuff I was doing on campus so like being SGA president being an RA like you know people are coming to my room I’m sitting down with people so I uh homecoming you know we always get like artists that
Come in for the homecoming concert so I had I I had got a couple artists in the clothes took some pictures with them like Meg the stallion money Bago stunning for Vegas the baby um and then after that things just started to Skyrocket and I was like yo it’s show
It’s moving real smooth so what is the name of it so it’s called slum slum apparel so right now it’s called slum apparel so slum stands for succeed lead unify motivate um I’m about to and the reason why like it doesn’t seem like it’s not being being ran no more it’s CU
Like I’m I’m on this like whole rebranding journey and I’m not really trying to rush it so like uh I still sell clothes but it’s not really like I don’t really Market like the business is still getting done but not as much as I used to like show
Visibly um and then once happened that really messed me up cuz uh the in-person interactions I was having shut down and then you had to go to this digital marketing space and I was not ready for that I was not ready so trying to push out a brand on just strictly social
Media was difficult because you can’t go to pop-up shops no more everybody was scared to come outside thought was the end of the world um and shipping was slower yep shipping was slower manufacturers are trying to charge you arm and a leg now cuz supply chain was
Messed up I’m like dang man like this hit me at the worst time I just graduated I’m trying to get to my RO like y y try to tax me more money I’m supposed to like but um then after that uh rebranded the logo so this the logo
That we use now um and then the the last thing I ever dropped was these sweatsuits that I got so like these I be pushing them drones like people just be buying off my website I y still checking it out what’s up um yeah I brought I
Brought you some stuff uh yeah yeah yeah we like yeah yeah so I got I got uh I brought the sweatsuits Jesus um yeah I I ain’t know what sizes y y’all wor we like gifts yeah so we just was talking about sizes here before you came my size
Ain’t right yeah so what size what size do you do you think you wear I’m a large okay okay no I’m a real life large so so I got we got a couple colors we got like tan um this n this Olive this Olive one
That we got um got pink for the ladies okay uh I think I got like gray and black in here but uh but yeah I brought yall some stuff you wear uh how how they run I wear like this is extra large right here it’s like a slim fit so it’s
Like you got twox yeah I might if you got 2x I go a 2X yeah give him a 2X and that’s a pretty color for him yeah yeah it’s a ex nice and we large okay okay yeah we like gifts all right see what I got here I
Got the black large you got another color in large what what color what color you you know what cuz I got these mint green Blazers that somebody bought me for Christmas them things did you see the picture last week everybody was like yo them feet pieces as hot
Black I do the black all right all right cool cuz I can rock them with the black thank you yeah of course of course just make sure yall wash and cold water and delicate dry oh yeah definitely I know you got washing cold and stuff like that right so the
Thing about um I’m washing cold anywh was yeah me too yeah the thing about clothing sometimes um when you when you’re building it from scratch uh is the manufacturers okay um and this last one like they’ll tell you they understand what you’re saying right but they really don’t um and you send out
Measurement sizes and you get the clothes and you measure it yourself it’s like that’s not what I what were yall doing this not but you already paid like five six grand yeah to get all and when you when you when you when you get your sample so it’s my always always my suggestion
Always get a sample but even when you get the sample they may do the sample right then and then mess up the other 100 that you ordered so so yeah so these ones were like it’s great for the whole entire year like my mom wears this during the winter without no coat that’s
How warm it is so okay yeah it’s been cool though it’s been cool uh definitely appreciate that so I just uh what I decided to do was I expanded my business outside of clothing so okay I do I have like uh DBA so doing business ads under underneath
So I I do Event Rentals and then uh so I own two photo booths that I that I utilize and then um I do I open up another company that does Consulting for uh minority owned businesses and fter for Industries okay so cool like what’s kind of Industries like so it’s uh
Pretty much all the ones that we utilize so travel higher red um wealth health and uh and food gotta yeah so the five that we that us as minorities end up spending the most on so so helping out with businesses understanding like their processes so we have like a team of like
Different uh HBCU grads um we work on like finances personal and business so understand like your tax laws understanding like your personal finances budgeting the whole nine and then looking into like your day-to-day like how you scheduling right are you promoting properly like and sometimes it
Would do like a secret type of Sho or thing so I had went into this shop uh in Delaware one time and their food was jumping but like the scenery I looked up their Instagram I said it’s a couple things you can clean up that could Skyrock at your business like even
Something as simple as having lights in front of the uh the storefront okay like after 8:00 p.m. if you open nobody really going to know right cuz it’s dark cuz it’s dark but um but yeah so that’s that’s been cool like just uh being able to be an entrepreneur but also have a
Job too like I always tell people like everybody wants to be self-employed but they don’t understand the self-employed risk you need to drop the bomb on that like uh in the reality of things um like I think it’s like 96 businesses failing like their first three years small
Business failing the first three years so everybody who’s saying they’re entrepreneurs capping or pretty much lying to people well well not let me not say that you are entrepreneur but your business isn’t being ran successful but I’m I’m trying to figure out why cuz I
Heard a lot of like on cuz I’m not a really Tik Tock person but like this guy’s on Tik Tok entrepreneurs that speak and guy this guy’s like a millionaire and he was like but I got a N9 to5 and he’s like my N9 to-5 pumps
Funds my my dream and my dream is making a meal but my 9 to5 is he said and also too my 9 to5 gives me the health benefits and it gives me the pion1 he was like so like anybody that tells you don’t have a 9et to5 because
You’re just going to strictly be an entrepreneur it’s a real big life risk that you might not want to take right I always tell people I always tell them like whatever you make a year at your job you have to make anywhere between 5x or 10x that to solely quit your job
Right right in your business and a lot of people are doing that so true the reality of things is is like find a business that creates a nice little extra income per month and keep your job but the thing is it’s about what you do with your money right now money
Allocation and how you distribute it within your your finan is really what’s key like how do you invest your money like how do you save that is a conversation for a whole another day getting ready break it down for the people we to have part two we got part two
Good all the stuff I need to that’s a good point I hope hope y listening out there you know what I’m saying I hope y’all listening first of all for my young folk do you see the hustle in the drive you know what I’m saying he’s doing things you know what I’m saying
And being successful at those things so that part you can’t be lazy out there and and then sit around and ask yourself why you know what I’m saying why I don’t have this why I can’t get why I can’t do you got to do it and the biggest thing
Get out there and do some things for help I wasn’t scared to ask for help and I wasn’t scared to say I didn’t know like I think that’s the biggest thing nowadays people are scared not to know something and then they scared to ask for help but you know what what I find
And then I’m not going to go off on the tangent but what I find that and even in my age bracket I’m embarking put new things that I don’t know so when you go to people and be like hey listen I have this question sometimes we don’t want to
Give out information especially when Gat yeah yeah gatekeeper and they look like us and I go to you because number one I’m not prideful if I don’t if I’m confused or I have questions I always ask I’m a person to ask I’m never too old to learn once you feel like you
Sto learning guess what your life may be over right cuz you every day is a day of learning but when you go to people like listen I got a question I need to can you kind of guide me can I get help I don’t you know we’re systematically brainwashed M our culture
The reason why is because of our predecessors right absolutely we’re systematically brainwashed and that’s why only a few of of us end up making it out every periodically because we’re systematically brainwashed and that’s and the reality of it is we’re not going to be able to unb brainwash people so
That that first person you may have went to for that advice may not worked out but I’ll guarantee you there’s 100 people that look like us in the same space and maybe five may end up giving you the information you want but you got
You got to keep trying I mean I know I agree but it’s just so crazy because you know when you you let your guard down because I’m willing to ask questions you be vulnerable people be like look at you crazy right yeah yeah yeah and and that’s a yeah
Going con for another day we going bring back yeah he’s definitely coming back we going to talk about this after basketball season and maybe when this spring hits yeah we definitely going to bring him back you know what I’m saying cuz as you see he has a wealth of
Knowledge you know what I’m saying a wealth I got a question for you though so like what was your thoughts on our our senior year your first year coming in I I never really got the chance to ask you and then in addition to that like how yall really feel about me I
Know we we talk about it a couple times I practi that like they had some guy over me coming in they had some point guard that they thought was going to be the the new lead and I and I was I was oh my God I was giving him the works the
Works I said oh all right yes inde did yes inde did so first of all first of all I’m GNA make this quick but first of all I knew nothing of West Tech I got the call from uh shouts out to Jeff hadock you know what I’m saying the old
Willing bro coach um he hit me up you know I wasn’t coaching on the whole cam to high situation that just went down that following year I think I was helping out at pensan or something but he knew I wasn’t coaching and whatnot and um the the spot opened up it was
Kind of late and he was like yo uh West Tech needs a coach and I’m like what’s what’s West Tech like what is that you know what I’m saying so you know what I’m saying I appli they brought me in for an interview um they was like all right
We’ll let you know I was like all right cool they call like the next day or so like can you come back for the second interview like okay I’ll be there you know what I’m saying and and I got the gig so now you know I had already told
Told Antoine you know once I got another gig you know what I’m saying I’m going to bring you on staff as well um uh Mike was still there the Freshman coach you know I’m saying shouts out to him doing this thing as a VP now but um you know
Now it was late in the game you know what I mean but um they were in the fall league um Jeff my assistant coach who had on the show had him in the fall league and whatnot so me and Antoine was like uh uh let’s let’s go check out see
What we working with and whatnot you know what I’m saying so you know they out there playing we saw some things I ain’t going to say no names you know what I’m saying but he’s right we had one particular guy we was like oh he yeah we good we gonna just start with
Him you know what I’m saying and we’ll work around that and whatnot well I guess must have got o must have got worded that or something because come tryy outs and practice and all that type stuff it was like all right well this is what we’re going to do now we had to
Adjust as coaches you know what I’m saying so now I tell you from me though and and you know and Miller maybe he’ll get you on his show you can ask that same question but um you was one of the hardest working you know what I’m saying
Um you had everybody’s ear you know what I’m saying all them guys loved you you know what I’m saying and you had point guard skills and abilities you know what I’m saying so it was a no-brainer after you know I mean you right clearly and
You can kind of see now with the things that he’s doing now how those leadership skills were even back then you know what I’m saying he was a coach on the court I mean he’s right plenty of times me and Miller like yo what you say do it you
Know what I’m saying like like he didn’t have to wait like now like seems I got to coach every possession right you know what I’m saying with him it was like like I got to coach I know what we need to do here you know what I’m saying so
Now I mean like you said I wish a couple of y’all were Juniors cuz we senior heavy but a couple of y’all I wish y’all was coming back cuz like you and a couple other folk came back with uh uh uh Lawrence and Isaiah and we would have
Been nasty cuz you figure think about it that that second year there we went to the uh uh sectional semi-finals you know what I’m saying so we had a couple more pieces you know what I’m saying it have been something special but oh yeah nah
Nah nah you was our guy I wish I wish you could have reclassed to West Tech I would have did it I I would did it yeah N N I like that squad though I mean cuz y’all y’all y’ y’all made it easy for us you know what
I’m saying cuz you know how you go into a new situation especially when you got a team full of seniors they might be like these jok yeah what you talking about you know what I’m saying but nah they was all they like what we was doing
And you know what I’m saying they was receptive and um even though we was like he said 10 and 13 that year if you look at those 13 losses we is in every game about you know what I’m saying we in just about every game you know what I’m
Saying so yeah yeah you was our guy apprciate and I definitely appreciate you and I appreciate you being on staff now um before we get out of here real quick any future plans just I guess keep doing what you’re doing and and being great I guess just just uh
Continue to try to scale uh scale the businesses and then continue to try to figure way figure out ways to really get um in tune in the Jersey Community like I think being at Delaware for so long I always try to go back there because that’s where I built like where I really
Started growing up as a young man um but now it’s like really trying to get into the weeds and needs of like what’s going on in Bron County right like who’s who like where can I where can I be of assistance who can I leverage who can
Leverage me uh and then yeah just just trying to figure out how to be a young black man in this world like true and paying it forward to the to the to the new generation fact facts facts facts um let these folk know where they can get
You where they can uh your websites social medias all that good stuff for sure so uh website is slum SLU M apparel uh a p p a l.com uh Instagram is black Bill Gates BLX ck. Bill Gates um and yeah uh all my businesses will be underneath that that uh bio so that’s
What’s up that’s what’s up and we’ll post them here too so you facts facts facts facts facts my producer does a really good job he seems like a great guy the verdict still out on that any shout outs anything you want to give is uh shout out shout out to West Tech uh
Shout out to coach bird shout out to the the bird cage um man shout out to to everybody just get into it man let’s just continue to be great uh man appreciate y for having me man facts facts facts yeah my boy appreciate you coming through you
Know what I’m saying definitely this was and we bringing you back cuz like Tracy said yeah we was about to we about to go into a whole this is about to be our first 2our episode what not you know what I’m saying we up there with drink
Cham two hours in this piece you know I’m saying so yeah we definitely going to bring you back so you can talk that talk too cuz you know they need especially young folk yeah I mean young old whoever you know what I’m saying now definitely somebody that’s actually
Doing it and you know has that cuz everybody need a little guys the finances Trust and Believe facts facts facts facts so we’ll definitely talk about that um just again uh just just keeping my mom in prayers you know what I’m saying she’s home you know what I’m
Saying doing much much much much better getting stronger by the day but you know we want to we want to pray her up to that 100% level you know what I’m saying um just shouts out to to everybody that continues to watch you know what I’m
Saying I mean you know I had people with our little you know our unscheduled Hiatus for the last couple weeks you know people reaching out like yo what’s up like where y’all at what you doing when’s the next one coming out like we got it don’t worry we still We Still
Rocking and rolling just was some some life happened real quick for a couple weeks you know what I’m saying but we are back at it don’t forget these are going to drop every Wednesday now we Chang from Monday nights to Wednesday Wednesday nights so uh you know Wednesday nights tune in please cousin
Tracy you know I love you there is no bird cage without you you know what I’m saying and um like you said earlier yeah I I I I missed uh not doing this the last couple weeks so I’m glad you know I mean we’re back at it you know what I’m
Saying so uh real quick um I’m not going to go on no uh real high thing um but for those that watch um the mothers the the young women the older women we lost the queen of the Arts um Sydney King uh B dance to Camden um she board it to
Camden in 1946 I believe it was she opened up the first dance to school um she was here for a mighty long time I said her last year in actual the building e and pine I believe was 1999 um and she groomed all of us um I
Danced from the time I was three to the time I was 43 wow um she was there her daughters her the the staff they helped us build strength they helped us learn about self-esteem they helped us build character they helped us build friends I have friends that I’ve went to dancer
School with that I’m from we’re now family you know and it was just something that we needed something every Saturday I used to go to dancing school on Saturday um I used to get there first class was 10 I was a student teacher by
The time I was 9 10 years old and I would be there at 8 9:00 at night and it was um Jazz ballet and I I’m I’m I’m a Tapper anybody know me know I’m Tapper I I’m an amazing Tapper but she geared me to learn how to do ballet and dance on
Point she she built me myself I mean just all of she was an amazing woman she was 104 years old when she passed away and she ironically passed away on a Saturday and that was the day of Dance For Us in the city and um it’s just just
Just the think about her makes my heart smile it makes my look back on my life and make me understand and appreciate we had people that helped us develop and to all my dance family um we will give her we’ve always given her flowers but we will continue to pay homage to her
Through the art um I’m now back tapping again it will be posted there’s a recital May 26th I will be performing it’s been a long time I’m trying to get back in syn with my feet in my mind but you know it’s it’s amazing and again
Shout out to Miss Sydney Sydney king um the dance Queen rest in peace um our prayers go out to her and her family and God it was a great it was a great great run for her 104 104 yeah yeah and you said and you said she got called home on
Saturday on a Saturday God was like yo I need to teach this class I got this class for you I need to be got clean this up of here you know what I’m saying I need your expertise that’s what’s up well another one down cuz episode8 once again thank you bro over
Here lovely cuz Tracy and I am such AKA coach bird I’m the host of the bird K show and I’ll talk to you soon yes indeed it was a stone Groove my man
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