Join Reggie Rocco and his diverse group of guests as they explore significant social and political issues that affect us all. From the hustle and bustling streets of Atlanta to the ever-evolving music scene, this episode provides a thought-provoking look at the complexities of identity, independence, and creativity. Engage in discussions about global affairs and hear firsthand accounts of striving for success amidst adversity. Whether you’re here for the music or the meaningful dialogue, this episode promises insight and entertainment.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, yeah. Yeah. What’s up? What’s up? What’s up? You tuned in to 560 KLZ. KLZ. I’m a Uniter. I’m a Uniter. I’m your host, Reggie Rocco. Yeah. Yeah. KLZ. Yeah. Yeah. So right about now, we want everybody, I mean everybody, stand up. Stand up. Hold your hands up high. arms this is about america baby yeah we bringing people together i’m a united
SPEAKER 05 :
to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty.
SPEAKER 03 :
Woo! 560 KLZ. Of course, this is Reggie Rocco. And of course, my super producer, Lukey Luke.
SPEAKER 06 :
How you doing, man? I’m doing good. I’m more floored that you said, when you see that, we’re live to people who are blind in the studio. Oh, my God. Reggie, they can’t see when the light’s on.
SPEAKER 03 :
He’s starting off with jokes. So check this out, people. To all my listeners and followers, you know what we do and how we do it up here. We have fun, we tell the truth, and we are almost never wrong. Especially me, dog. I’m almost never, ever wrong. But there’s a familiar voice up here that usually calls in, like, religiously, but they’re in the studio. Who’s that person?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, it’s Johnny J. Better known as Johnny J. To my DJ friends.
SPEAKER 03 :
And you brought some people with you, man.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, yeah. I brought Tony Vegas.
SPEAKER 03 :
Forever Diesel.
SPEAKER 10 :
And then… Forever Diesel.
SPEAKER 03 :
Forever Diesel? So what is this, man? Is this like a music crew, a gang that they locked the doors?
SPEAKER 12 :
Because it ain’t been that many black people up here in a long, long time. Let me say, let me say. So I’ve met Forever Diesel when I was in middle school. And ever since then, we’ve just been making music, being creative, and trying our best to display expression through music. And that’s what brought me out here to Colorado, meeting Johnny J. And just, you know, going from there. What brought you out here to Colorado? So there’s this Colorado Center for the Blind. And they, you know, I’ve lost my vision probably like two or three years ago. And I came into this blindness experience with having to transition and find ways to get support. And CCB was that for me. And came through and just kind of really explored my independence through them and gaining confidence to be able to sit here and talk to you guys as a man.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay. Not just a blind man. And you see, Luke started off with a joke. But listen, because we have fun in this show and be prepared for that. But I’m asking you, what happened to… you in reference to losing your vision. Why? What happened?
SPEAKER 12 :
I would just say a serious life, you know, health problem happened to where I ended up losing my vision. I will not say because it could happen to anybody. So I would just say, you know, just stay healthy and keep your body, you know, fit and eat healthy things so that you won’t have to experience the dramatics of a life that
SPEAKER 03 :
issue or a health issue but blindness can affect anyone but yeah and it has affected me so i i tell johnny all the time like you know i look up to him like he’s like a superhero to me because i’m just gonna be real if it was me i couldn’t i couldn’t do it you know i’m saying what you do what you’re describing what you got to go through i’m just not that tough i don’t have that and i’m very But I would say don’t limit yourself, man. I’m limited. I’m telling you, I can’t. You guys are superheroes. What not me is I couldn’t do it.
SPEAKER 12 :
No, we’re just regular people just like me and you, bro. You’re sitting here. I’m feeling your energy. You’re feeling mine. You can do anything, man, that you put your mind to. Wow.
SPEAKER 03 :
How did you meet Mr. Diesel here?
SPEAKER 11 :
So I’m a traveler in CNA. I’m coming out from Iowa. And I was out here just coming out here to visit my homeboy, Tony. And we’ve just been chilling. I’m only here for a couple of weeks and stuff. It’s my first time in Colorado. Very beautiful out here. Very diverse. and he said he had a friend that’s inviting him to the radio station, so I’m just here with him. Wow. So CNA, what is that?
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s in the nursing field, right? Certified nurse assistant. Wow. That’s a tough job, too. You’ve got to be strong and have a heart. Man, these are some real men you brought up here, Johnny. Oh, yeah. I’m feeling a little intimidated, buddy. So, Johnny, with your situation… Politics, nonprofits, music, very bright. And I know your story. What’s your next move concerning these guys and what you’re doing?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, really, I’m just kind of like book Tony to as many events as I can. He’s booked himself. I’m talking to some people like in London and stuff like that to say if we can get up to 250 fans that can pay $100, we’ll book a venue and invite VIP $250, we’ll fly Tony out there. I’m just kind of like… see whatever connections I get, either here, there, and just have fun with it. Because at one point, before I was married to my wife, I used to have musicians live with me, and I almost got kicked out of my apartment building because every Friday, 30 young people would come up to my apartment building, get ready, then they would all carpool to the place.
SPEAKER 12 :
Can’t do that. Yeah. I can’t do that.
SPEAKER 10 :
And I had fun with it. Were you visually impaired then? Oh, yeah. This was 2011 before I met my wife. Oh, my goodness, man.
SPEAKER 03 :
I don’t know how you even pulled that off.
SPEAKER 10 :
She wouldn’t have put up with that. But the girlfriend I was with at that time, you know. She listened to me and what I said went. That’s just the way I rode. And it was fun. It was fun. But like I said, I can’t do that now, but I can do other things now.
SPEAKER 03 :
I can tell you a couple of stories in Atlanta. On that pro level, I’m talking about big dog level, kind of the same similar thing that I did. And, yeah, man, it was crazy. You know, you had – we had – We had strippers coming to my home in the middle of the night. I bought this mansion, dude. When I say mansion, I don’t want you to think of no super huge mansion. Just say a very big, very nice, expensive house. And that was a little dog in the neighborhood, you know? And I said, I’m going to put all this stuff in here. I had a swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room, studio A, studio B, pool table, theater room, bar, jacuzzi. I mean, everything in there. Right. And so I had artists come into instead of going to like when they fly in, they would go to a hotel and then go from the hotel to the studio. It was a one stop shop. So they came, they were booking, and they came here. And so a lot of the stories that I have is from, you know, people, Universal. I’m a vendor for Universal Records. Like, they were sending artists and clients in there to artist development, to record hit after hit with, who had Fabo, Crime Mob. Nope, if you book, all of them, all of them. I know them all. I’ve worked with them all. So I’m just telling you, it was that situation that was set up. And all of a sudden, man, it just got ridiculous because the subdivision wasn’t gated off. It was open. Atlanta does a lot of stuff. They like room and stuff. And people were just coming up, man, showing up. Boom, boom, boom. All the time. Everywhere. Girls, everybody. The hustle was big, man. I was like, oh, man, I can’t.
SPEAKER 12 :
That part. Atlanta is all about the hustle.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, man. You don’t know. What you really know about the dirt is out.
SPEAKER 12 :
Don’t stop, man. I’m from Atlanta.
SPEAKER 03 :
What? What?
SPEAKER 13 :
What part? What part?
SPEAKER 12 :
I’m from Clayton County, Georgia.
SPEAKER 03 :
Clayton? You in Clayton? Them cops are a little different over there.
SPEAKER 12 :
They’re definitely different. Wow. It’s definitely a grind mode when you’re in Atlanta. Completely. Completely. Anything under the sun can take place in Atlanta. And it’s sometimes suffocating. But you kind of like know what Atlanta is for, you know, when you get there. It’s a nice community of people in the sense of you’re around your people. And it’s just nice to see familiar faces and people that are of your experience, you know.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, what I learned being in Atlanta, yeah, you’re around your people. You know, I went to an Applebee’s. I’ve never seen security guards checking your ID to go into an Applebee’s, and it was like a party off up in there. Get real. All black. I was like, oh, my God. So there’s a lot of great things about that, but there are some serious other things that, yeah. Hey, I used to leave Atlanta because I had to get away. come back home to Denver and have to take a three-month break to get away from all the hustle and all the things going on in there.
SPEAKER 12 :
And that’s okay because you’ve got to save some time for yourself to refocus. I’m the same way. I kind of have to take time to recharge from certain situations or places that I’m in because you can get too focused and drown out a lot of important things about life. Okay, so with that in mind,
SPEAKER 03 :
With what you guys have been through, what you’re doing, I want to know how and what you view the state of the world the state of our country right now what do you know what you what don’t you know uh what can you learn what can you teach tell me uh where your mind is in reference to um the the community the neighborhoods the states people getting along the the you know the presidents all this stuff just tell me what’s on your mind
SPEAKER 12 :
Me personally, I think there’s a lack of support for people of diverse backgrounds. I think that things are transitioning from, you know, like certain safety nets are being lost. And that’s alarming as somebody who is blind, because a lot of the safety nets that are in my community, they’re being threatened to be removed. So in a sense, a lot of people are feeling the pressure of having to adjust again through a process of, you know, just having to be patient with the process and understand that no one is trying to take away anything. you’re, you know, you’re right or anything like that. But it’s, it’s kind of scary right now. I think in my experience with everyone else and people that I talk to, they kind of are sharing the same sentiment. Like it’s just nerve wracking. It’s a sense of anxiety.
SPEAKER 10 :
Now you have to let me know because it’s always mysterious. Someone is, is threatening. Who’s bringing the news that they’re being threatened and how liable is that news from that person? Has that person said this and then that happened for real? Or is that person just throwing something out? Consider the source. Yeah, consider the source.
SPEAKER 12 :
Right. And I think that’s another alarming thing is what do you know is true and what you don’t know is true? Like, for example, like with technology, it’s so many things that can be altered and everyone lives in their own bubble of understanding and knowing what is true and what isn’t. So you take you take what you get from social media or you take what you get from whatever sources you go to and you spread that information as truth. It’s the same thing for the other person. And now there’s a confliction of what’s true and what isn’t. And people are, you know, based in their positioning, based off of their perspective and their experiences. So let’s say I’m somebody that is blind and I’ve experienced nothing but, you know, obstacles in my way that make me feel like somebody is taking my resources away or they’re not giving me resources that could support me. You know, there’s so many other, you know, implications that could exist within that realm of understanding of someone’s experience that would make them believe that if they were to see something on the news that said, hey, this person is going to take this away from you, they would identify with that. And now it’s their truth. So everybody’s just spewing their truth.
SPEAKER 03 :
OK, so we have a caller on the line. It looks like Donna. Go ahead, Luke. You look better. Donna, you there?
SPEAKER 07 :
Hi.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hey, how are you?
SPEAKER 07 :
I’m fine. I was wondering if this topic is going to be all right to put on the air. It’s about Hamas and the Israelis having a peace fire.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, we talk about everything on this show. You know that. So what’s on your mind? Go ahead. Go ahead. Spit it out.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, if this is a ceasefire, it gives Hamas a chance to regroup. There are people from Iran and Qatar and Kuwait joining up and adding to the numbers for Hamas. I don’t think it’s a good idea. But on the other hand, we have Assad who has been sabotaging pagers that are bombs and that way they got rid of a great deal of so I don’t think that the war is going to be so much guns and rockets I think it’s going to be more like technical it’s going to be technology now let me tell you let me comment on that okay I don’t know
SPEAKER 03 :
This whole Israeli thing, Hamas, Iran, it goes way back before me. But I can tell you this. When Trump said those hostages better be released before I get in office or it’s going to be hell to pay. Everybody knows he means it. So I just put my trust in God and in him. Already, the whole world’s changing. Trump’s got an amazing team to actually do something and make a difference and bring America back. Now, I don’t know how you’re going to solve that over there. It’s above my pay schedule. We’re going to go to commercial, and we’ll be right back. You’re listening to Plastic to KLZ. I’m your nighter. Nighter. Nighter.
SPEAKER 09 :
You’re listening to KLZ 560, your home station.
SPEAKER 02 :
Freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Ultimately, these are the questions that we should ask when looking at policy decisions facing our communities, our state, and our country today. Kim Munson here. Join me every weekday morning, 6 to 7 a.m., as we look at important issues and how they affect you and your life. Encore broadcasts air from 10 to 11 p.m. every weeknight. Tune in to the conversation with The Kim Munson Show right here on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 03 :
You’re listening to 560 KLZ. I’m the Uniter’s Ricky Rocco. The studio’s full and it’s all black. People that look like me. What I said I was going to do is grow our party, bring people in that look like me to at least have a conversation of why they voted one way or the other. I learned one thing, a couple of things, but one very important thing about power, about the entertainment, business, sports, business, that Hollywood thing, no one can tell me. Now, Luke, you know I’ve been telling you guys for years, and every single thing I’ve said, I’ve been telling you about Puffy, I’ve been telling you about Jay-Z, I’ve been telling you about so many people in this industry, and it’s all coming to light. You know, I’m talking years and years I’ve been teaching people that want to get into the industry, and they say, hey, how is it, how is it? And like I tell everybody, Trump… knows because he was a big star. Trump was not only a multi-billionaire, but he had television shows and everything. He was a big star, and he does things, and he knows about fake media because it’s true. How many sets have I been on where, what is it, Atlanta? What’s the show? Hip-hop, loving hip-hop, Atlanta. You know, you’ll be watching it, and for TV, and you guys are saying, oh, man, this major fight scene breaks out. But, you know, it was really take 26 when they fight. Fight scene, take 22. It’s all fake, man. The industry is fake. Understand that. It’s programmed and edited for your visuals to believe. So, like I said, Trump has been on like 200 rap songs. You know, everybody loved Trump. All you got to do is just do your research. Don’t pay attention to the mainstream media. Find out. Dig deeper. He was beloved. He’s given money to so many people, so many black people, so many people do. And I’m telling you, Johnny, when you when you get when you find out the truth and you see this and you like you wonder like, OK, well, why does everybody now switch? You know, I lost a lot of money, relationships, family, but they have no idea because they didn’t live on my level. They don’t live on what they I’m not a sheep. I’m a sheep herder. You know what I’m saying? So I’m just telling you, learn what don’t believe everything you hear, everything you see, you know, saying no pun intended. I’m just telling you, bottom line is that the reason why people. Pretend like they don’t like Trump or Trump some crazy dude. That’s not it. What it is is he got tired. He understood that America was sinking and not going to exist if he didn’t step up and stop all the wrong that was going on. Now, you guys are in the music industry. Have you heard of Intellectual Properties? You have? You have?
SPEAKER 11 :
A little bit.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay. Intellectual properties is when you create something and you copyright it, trademark it, or whatever. That’s your property. In our constitution, we abide by those laws. But I found out the hard way that the rest of the country don’t give a crap. Out of the country. China, all these other countries, they don’t care about America’s laws. So we had a big artist that was with the label come down in the studio from Europe. We had some heavyweights in there. Tony Mercedes, Navigator, a bunch of people. Father MC, all these people in the studio. Myself and Kaz and Rob was in there. And so everybody said, yeah, so what project are you working on? We’re working on this project right now with Tony Mercedes. And then all of a sudden, this guy from Europe we’ve never seen before, that’s a major artist over there, we told him about a song. He said, hmm, I know that song. We’re like, no way you possibly know that song because one, we just pressed it up and we’re getting the promos, we haven’t released anything, nothing. Then he starts singing the song. And we were like, oh my God, in shock, instantly getting on the phone to the lawyer. He said, man, your song you got is like number two on the dance charts. Well, how’d they get it? And we traced it down to China. paying all this stuff to get our stuff. That’s why you have to have stuff made in America where people who abide by your rules and your intellectual properties that care, where you can do something about it. They don’t care. That’s why you see Nike, Gucci, Versace, everything’s bootleg. And if they can’t stop them, who am I? I’m nothing. Zero compared to that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Can I ask you a question? Go ahead. What is your biggest worry in America? What do you feel like the problem is in America?
SPEAKER 03 :
It’s a couple things. Number one is we got to seal that border. Number one. That is number one. Number two is we have to get all these people that’s in this country out of this country that are here illegally. That’s number one and one A. When you get that situation set up and that started to engage in the process, then the next thing is you have to bring… Awareness, you got to get people together to understand common sense, because the very next thing under that for me and it should be for everybody is get males out of female sports, get males out of the females bathrooms. You know, that thing right there to understand that there’s only two genders, you know, not 532, you know, that whole thing. system and how that they they put that whole thing together is is insane it’s insane and america’s been more concentrating on that especially the last four years than the things that we need to like your job like your housing you know like your your properties your food all those things that you need to survive like you guys are going to get in the music industry and all of that you you want to have an avenue to do something but how do you how can you do it If none of the stuff is made here in America, we have no protection.
SPEAKER 12 :
So how do you feel about, you know, Elon Musk coming out in support of H-1B visas? Okay.
SPEAKER 03 :
Elon is a different animal. Oh, yeah. You know, I… I trust Trump. I like Elon. I trust Trump, and I think he’s smart and brave. And whatever way they’re going to take this country, I’m going to 100% support it. Because what I do know is that our people don’t know enough about the Democratic Party. It’s history, what it’s founded on, and where it is now. But you can’t tell me that now… Even if you are a Democrat, that you see the truth like I can’t stand it when I see something that I know is a lie or something I know of manipulation or something that’s suppressing and oppressing our people. I can’t stand it. So do you feel, would you say that you’re oppressed as a black American? In certain ways. I’m not African. Oh, okay. If you want to know the truth, African Americans don’t even like black Americans. They look at us in a whole different thing, and we’ll get into that on another day, but that’s the truth. But oppression, I wouldn’t say oppressed. I would say more suppressed on certain things. But no, no doubt about it, this is the greatest country on the planet. I haven’t been to every country, but I know a lot of people. See, that’s why I’ve got to give Atlanta and the music industry so much credit. credit for what I learned behind the scenes. You can’t tell me nothing. I already know, and it’s firsthand. So when you look at, my major problem is with our people, like you’ll say, when they did the Black Lives Matter stuff, bull, Black Lives Matter was founded by lesbians. They don’t believe in the nuclear family. This is facts. You have the mothers right now suing Black Lives Matter because they made all this money and didn’t give the victims nothing. Do you know the name of the lesbian? Nah, just look it up. They used to have a website and they had to take down certain stuff and all that. It’s all out there.
SPEAKER 10 :
I don’t remember their names either, but I just remember they were like, their philosophy was based on Marxism. And, I mean, they were just totally opposite. And then the one lesbian leader, she went and bought a really nice house in an expensive white area. If black lives matter so much, she could have went to a black area, developed it, and moved in there. But yet, you know, black lives didn’t matter when it came to, you know, buying her house.
SPEAKER 03 :
Trust me. All you have to do is not pay attention to the hype and all the bull crap and dig deeper. You will see that you’re being manipulated, period. And when it comes to America, like I’m a conservative and you better believe I believe in reparations. I don’t I say it all the time. No, no. Keep the same energy. We were enslaved for 400 years. On your marks, get set, go. Now you got a 400-year head start. We’re in chains. And we don’t know the language. We’re getting beat, killed, abused, murdered, all that kind of stuff. There has to be consequences for that. So I don’t know how to be done, but it needs to be something. But in reference to your question directly, Now, let me counter your question. What do you think is the biggest thing stopping you as a black man in America?
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s a myriad of things. I think it’s what you spoke towards, you know, 400 years of oppression and not really any type of acknowledgement of our setback. When it comes down to, you know, equity or, you know, just… Trademarks, copyrights, intellectual property. Yeah, intellectual property or just in the creative space. I think we’re more so looked at as a niche rather than actual like an artist or people. And I do think as a black artist, it is a responsibility to put the truth in the music so that people are engaged in something tangible rather than something that’s not going to feed them. Even with your radio show here, you’re providing a sense of… of conversation, whether people believe that is true or not is not the concern for me, just more so you’re giving people a different perspective. And I think that is also another issue in America is that no one is allowed to have a different perspective. And when you are or also you end up becoming what you don’t like. So let’s say, you know, you feel suppressed. Now you end up suppressing someone else’s voice because you believe that your truth is more honest than the other person’s truth. OK, so. You want to go? Yeah.
SPEAKER 10 :
And I remember like on KS-107, I was trying to get a show like yours on that station. And Johnny, I forgot his last name. But anyway, he says, oh, no, that would confuse my audience. I said, someone expressing their view other than what the hip hop is saying, like, you know, let’s do drugs. Let’s, you know, have sex with anybody. Let’s call them, you know, different names.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 10 :
And that is going to confuse your audience to have a real conversation.
SPEAKER 03 :
I can’t sit up here and have a conversation with a male that believes that a man can have a menstrual cycle or a man can give birth.
SPEAKER 12 :
I would challenge you to do so. I do it all the time. Yeah, I would say keep doing it because that’s the only way you are able to acknowledge what is actually true is by conflicting ideas. But how much common sense do you have to have? So I’m going to ask you guys a question. Common sense just isn’t common.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s right about that, bro. So I’m going to ask you guys this question. have you been discriminated against or even hated upon more by your own race or by the white race? Yeah, look at him. Look at his face. We all know what the answer is. It ain’t the white man.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think it’s different levels.
SPEAKER 03 :
No, no, it’s one level.
SPEAKER 12 :
No, for sure. Because you have to go into the psychology of why a group of people would hate themselves. So it’s it’s for us to have common sense. That’s common is to go into the psychology of why a group of people would hate themselves. And what does that mean? Where does that come from? And I think when you are engaged in that conversation, honestly and truthfully and with facts, you will see that it’s due to the oppression of these people for four months and decades. I mean, not months, but years, years and years of feeling like they are nothing and having to step up in a society where they are told they are nothing. You know, whether that’s true or not is not the case.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s hard.
SPEAKER 12 :
Breaking through that is very is a diverse. I mean, so can you walk down?
SPEAKER 03 :
OK, let’s use cops. OK, do cops kill black people or do black people kill black people?
SPEAKER 12 :
Both of them kill each other. It’s a whole different level, though. I agree, but I think for us to point out one.
SPEAKER 03 :
I’m not pointing out one. I’m talking about here’s the fact that I know for sure. Right. I can’t rock down certain neighborhoods that are black if I’m wearing a certain color. I have to dodge bullets in different areas of the black community. But I’ve never been me. I’ve never been in a white community and had anything happen to me. Never. Now, I went to an all white school as a little kid. So when I’m telling you this is history here and knowledge, I was the only black person in the school. from third grade all the way to six until my brother came. And then from there through junior high, it was one of five out of a thousand plus. You was the only one. Oh, yeah. I fought every day, scared every day, you know, the whole nine. And I wonder why people hate. But, you know, racism is taught. If you put a black baby and a white baby in the same room, they’re gonna play and get along like it’s nothing. But I can tell you in my experiences as a regular individual and as someone that has made it to a certain level in the entertainment business and behind the scenes,
SPEAKER 12 :
Nah, man. I’ve had a similar experience to yours being that I was in all the way up to like fourth grade. I was in Virginia, which is a predominantly mixed race, more majority white, Newport News, Virginia. Shout out Newport News. Yeah. But, yeah, I moved from there when I was in third grade all the way to Clayton County, Georgia. And it was nothing but beautiful black people everywhere. Right. And I look at it from a sense of it was a culture shock because I’m from Virginia. Right. I talk a certain way. I conversate a certain way. So a lot of the conversation around my presence was, okay, why does he talk like a white boy? White boy.
SPEAKER 03 :
I was going to say, they didn’t say you talk white boy or corporate or commercial. Yeah, they tell me that all the time too.
SPEAKER 12 :
But check me out real quick. So even with that conversation, There is no level of racism that I experienced in Deep South that I will say was as brash and as offensive as what I experienced when I moved back to Virginia at 19 years old. where I was being called an N-word by a white man who was my coworker at the time.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay, so when you say N-word, here’s hypocrisy. Now, I like to keep the energy the same. Let’s go. I like to keep it the same. Now, if that’s such a bad word… Why do we call each other that? If that’s such a bad word, why do we call it that?
SPEAKER 12 :
So this is what goes into the epitomology of words, right? And how culture can change a word over time. So there’s lots of words that are derogatory definitions in, let’s say, the Roman century, right? And then as time goes on, it becomes common language. As for the N-word, it is not the N-I-G-E-R that we are saying to each other. It is N-I-G-G-A.
SPEAKER 03 :
I knew that was coming.
SPEAKER 12 :
Which is also a term to break black people down. And as black people, our power would be to take the power of the word back by using it. And now it’s a term of endearment. And we have taken the power and the sting out of that word. So in that, it’s like you have to pick and choose. Do you want to be offended by the word as a black person? Or do you want to be empowered by the word?
SPEAKER 03 :
Let me tell you exactly. And I feel you because some of the things you just said, I say all the time. We’ve made it. We’ve normalized it. We’ve changed that word into a term of endearment. And all you got to do, you guys want to be in the industry. Who the heck do you think is going to buy your records? Who do you think is out there buying your records? Do you think it’s more black people or more white people buying your rap music? More white people. More white people. So can you get upset if they’re listening to your song and you pull up next to them in the car, the system’s banging, and they’re rapping and they say the N-word? What are you going to say?
SPEAKER 12 :
I say it like this.
SPEAKER 03 :
Don’t be hypocritical. I’m not being hypocritical.
SPEAKER 12 :
I say whatever you do in the presence of your own space and with your own people and in the community that you exist in, if they allow you to say that word and you, you know, are in that space to say it, that’s fine. But don’t assume that everyone who is around you is going to be respectable of that word. Right. And that’s just that. Like, I don’t think that I have to set a statement of no one can say the word because let’s be honest, like you can say whatever you want to say. There is reactionary, you know, there is reactionary, you know, things for things that you might say.
SPEAKER 10 :
J-Lo learned that the hard way. J-Lo. You’ve heard of promotion, right?
SPEAKER 03 :
We got to go to that break. Here we go. You’re listening to 560 KLZ. I’m your night.
SPEAKER 08 :
This is AM 560 KLZ, your home station.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hi, this is Annette Bybee. I am a single mom, a conservative slash libertarian, a lawyer, don’t hold that against me, and a college professor. And every Sunday night at 9 o’clock, I talk of the Constitution, politics, current events, and American culture. I invite you to join me every Sunday night at 9 o’clock right here on KLZ 560 AM.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you for listening. Thank you for calling and visiting our advertisers. Thank you for telling them you heard them on KLZ. We appreciate you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Woo! 560 KLZ on the Unita. We got the heavyweights in here today. So we talking about, like we usually do, very important things because these things have to be discussed before we can bring communities together. And we talk about intellectual properties. And that’s how I got into Trump is intellectual properties. I found out when we found out that our song was took. And it was making all that is I will say it was a male plus that was stolen from us. So understand that there are certain countries and certain like I tell everybody all the time. And I have Asian friends and I mean real Asian friends that I talk to that I’ve never met. And I’m just one lady I know for seven years. I know her kids. And she’s been telling me the real deal about China for the longest. And so when I tell you about racism. It’s not the white dude. It’s not the white man. The race that hates you the most is the Asian race. So I’m just telling you straight out, you know, Google it. We’ll go through what you need to, but that’s what it is. You’re dealing with a country, and I won’t say it’s more or less most of the people, but you’re dealing with a dictatorship. Yeah. That’s a whole different ball game. And I can tell you, their kids, there’s video of three-year-olds doing backflips like they’re in the Olympics. Their kids study neuroscience and geometry and astronomics and all kind of stuff at a young age. And they support their country. Everything they do, they’re supporting and saluting their country. And they’re very smart, very hard workers. And that part of being a dictatorship I like. See, to me, America is kind of too free. You know, I don’t think you should be able to go burn the flag and different things that you shouldn’t do. Try that in those other countries. My friend called me in COVID when they were locking her inside of the apartment. My friend called me and their big production company she works with. The government came in and shut them down and said, hey, you’re now making bulletproof vests and helmets. China don’t do things for fun. Understand what you’re dealing with. Like America does not want to face China right now. We don’t. And our mentality, like our Navy, our Air Force, everything, have you ever seen their infrastructure? And I mean, just get with somebody that can look it up for you and describe it to you. Their trains, their planes, their automobiles, their technology is far superior than ours, far. Like they do incredible, incredible stuff. We’re so behind as a country and it’s scary. When they say Taiwan is theirs, oh, you better believe it. America needs to stay out of, they spread this up too thin, the things that they shouldn’t be. But you don’t want to mess with China. And I’m telling you, remember you heard it from me. Because I get a lot of stuff, man. I’m not a conspiracy theorist or nothing. I’m truly about my people. I know in my experience and the things that I’ve seen, I was going to the Grammys. I went to get my hair braided. I had long hair. I was getting my hair braided, and I wasn’t paying attention to what I was wearing. And I’m in there in the chair, and I’m getting my hair braided. And I’m like, yeah, I’m VIP at the Grammys, you know, that, blah, blah, blah. And the lady tells me. uh you’re in town for the for the music stuff yeah yeah yeah uh do you know where you are i’m like yeah i was i was i in compton it was one of them i don’t remember and she said what you got on can get you killed here this is my first time yo i’m like what are you talking about I’m looking on, depending on what colors I have, blah, blah, blah, blah. And she said, you got the wrong colors to be on this side of town. And so me being arrogant, I’m like, oh, please, I don’t care about that, blah, blah, blah. We get our hair done and we’re heading and we decide to stop by the liquor store. All these people and different, you know, hanging out at the liquor store. I get out and people are looking at me like they’re getting ready to kill me. And that’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’ve never had these horrific experiences on this level. It’s always been black on black crime. You should have said, what’s up, man? Yeah, I’m here because I didn’t say what’s up. She’s like, what’s going on? But I’m telling you, it’s real.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s real. It’s stupid. It’s real stupid, but it is actually real. I understand there’s certain communities where in our subsection of being a… black in America, I think one thing that people have to understand is there’s culture everywhere. And some places in other countries, you can’t go everywhere. It’s the same thing. It’s not just in black communities. It’s not just in, you know, even in America, there’s certain places that I feel like white people won’t go. Like, In Aurora, for example, Colorado, it’s like there is a clear line drawn in the sand of places not to go. And Aurora is one of those places. And as somebody who lives in Aurora, as a blind man, I walk comfortably every day in Aurora, and I have no issue. Why do you think that is? Maybe because I’m a confident black man. I don’t have any fear in my heart when I’m walking around, so people don’t feel the need to want to challenge me.
SPEAKER 03 :
No, that ain’t it. It’s more compassion. It’s more compassion. It’s more, he is not a threat, or blah, blah, blah. But some people might look at you as an easy target.
SPEAKER 12 :
I’m a black man in America. That’s equally looked at as a threat.
SPEAKER 10 :
Can I tell you a story? Go ahead. I was 21 in L.A., and because I had a cane, it was at night, one guy ran off the bus, and it was like 20 guys ran after him. He took it back around, got on the bus. This other guy, he took off his belt and started whipping the bus. You know, whatever that guy did, you know, I don’t know if he’s going to survive if he ever goes back to the neighborhood. But they sat down, and the OGs and the young guys were talking, and I was invisible, I think, because I had that cane. And that was like in the 80s. So I knew where I was invisible and where I wasn’t. But I still paid attention to the rules of the game because They can mistakenly mistake you for that other person if you’re wearing the right color because they only see that color. So I paid attention to that. But I knew that in a certain situation, because I had that cane, I was invisible.
SPEAKER 12 :
But can I introduce another perspective? Go ahead. The opposite side of it. So when I moved to Colorado, I moved to Littleton, which is a predominantly white area.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
From somebody who’s lived in both, I have experienced more regression and aggression towards me in Littleton than I have in Aurora as a blind man. Before you were blind or after? I’ve only existed in Colorado as a blind man.
SPEAKER 03 :
Really?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, so that’s my experience. Littleton, even on the subway, there’s this woman who literally waits at the bus station to basically… not to harass you verbally harass you and tell you that you’re not blind and you’re faking I’ve never experienced that in Aurora ever I can tell you and I understand I’m not saying that there isn’t racism that’s portrayed on us But I wouldn’t even say racism. It’s just just harassment. Like that’s just little just little microaggressions that you experience in different places. Like when we’re talking about Aurora or, you know, in Colorado and certain places you can’t go. It’s just to me, it’s just energy that you’re going to experience wherever you go.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now, see, that’s that’s amazing coming from you. Now, my boy over here, good-looking brother, you’re going out, you’re going down. If you go through a white neighborhood in Littleton, Parker, or wherever, do you think you’re going to receive racism if you’re dressed a certain way and you look a certain way? And dressing exactly like that, going to Chicago or the deep hoods here, what do you think will happen? Same clothes, same person, same energy.
SPEAKER 11 :
Tell me. I’m going through Chicago and stuff. I’m wearing a nice, luxurious leather jacket. Looking good.
SPEAKER 03 :
You just said that word, man. You just said the word. And see, it’s a term. Have you ever seen that it’s a mob movie when they’re explaining They’re explaining their language, and one word means 20 different things, depending on how you say it. That’s the situation we’re in. But to finish what you’re saying is that they’re going to hate on you. They might look at you, see what this is, and might look at trying to rob you and take a sub, right? Now, you do that same person, and you’re the same person in another area, like…
SPEAKER 11 :
littleton like parker what are they gonna they’re gonna treat me with respect and um look at me as a different black dude because it’s two different types of black people it’s people that’s like hood and his people that’s okay he’s corporate enough for me to like at least talk to him have a conversation with him and stuff and maybe introduce him to some things that i know you know i said as a white man yeah true from their perspective
SPEAKER 06 :
I got a question, if you don’t mind. I feel like there’s a very common argument that gets posed. You see it a lot sort of in popular discourse where the argument’s framed as, you know, what do you experience today? as a black man in America, you know, what, what disadvantages do you have in today’s day and age, right? Where the argument is everyone’s equal, all the same laws apply to all the same people. Uh, so, you know, how are you in any way, you know, lower now in America is I think what I hear. And I’d love to hear sort of your response to that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Go ahead. Who, mine? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Um, I got a triple threat, man. I’m a tall, black, blind man. So it’s like me walking around at any time could be looked at as intimidating. And I’ve heard that. Even just as a blind man, people don’t want to approach because… I just a lot that my energy comes with a lot. It’s you have to be respectful, but then you also have to, you know, you’re you’re one you’re trying to be caring. You’re wanting to figure out if you should help this person or, you know, you see as you experience as you see, but you experience this. experience it and what I’m talking about just in my avenues of gaining support through avenues that are supposed to be for support like you know certain I guess like systems that have been created for blind people it’s really hard to to express what it is that you need help with in those spaces because they are not known you know they don’t understand your experience and And this is why I say spaces like this are important so that you’re able to have honest conversation about difference of experience. So what happens is everyone, you know, who thinks a certain way, they will hive together and create things in their own mindset while limiting the limited experience. Okay. So with that, I’m all about truth. Okay. Who would you vote for? I don’t have to say. I know you don’t have to. I don’t have to say who I voted for. But I will say this. I will say this. My vote is my expression of who my experience. Same way for you. Okay.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s not the question. The question is, who did you vote for? I don’t even know why. I vote for God. But God ain’t on the ballot. God is always on the ballot. He’s in your heart. He’s in the restaurant. But I’m saying actually pen the paper. You talk about truth. You talk about justice. You talk about being brave and all this stuff. I did not vote this year. Okay. You. Who’d you vote for?
SPEAKER 11 :
I didn’t vote for anybody. Why? I felt like there wasn’t going to be much done because it’s been a whole bunch of lies been told history through history through history. A lot of things are the same. It’s a bunch of chaos. The world is off its balance.
SPEAKER 03 :
You got it. And I agree with that. I don’t care who you voted for in reference to. I’m not going to treat you one way or another. But I love sitting down with conversations and I like to say, hey, K, who? Because the music industry taught me this, man. I’m telling you, that is who I owe a lot of eye opening. It makes you question everything. So when I got into politics, it was only because of the intellectual properties. And I seen who was saying it. And I’m like, oh, yeah. And then I seen all the crap that was coming. I’m like, that’s not true. Trump does this. That’s not true. We all love that. All these lies. And you have to say, why? Why? Then you have to start digging.
SPEAKER 12 :
Can I ask a deeper question? Go ahead. So your experience is your experience, yeah? That is where you draw your perspectives, your outlook on life.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 12 :
I will never sit here and tell you that your experience is not true.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 12 :
Never. whatever you felt from trump is what you felt which is why you voted for him so in the sense when we’re talking about the left it’s the same thing their truth their experience is their experience and we are not to question their existence because it is almost giving them the right to question yours
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I don’t look at it that way because I look at it with much more of a truth. If you jump out of an airplane without a parachute, I don’t need to know that experience. I know what’s going to happen to you. That is what is called an absolute truth. Yes, and so let’s be absolutely truthful. My thing is experiences build who you are. But just because your experience happened over here, Doesn’t mean that that’s absolutely right. Whatever that truth may be in your experience and come in there, you bring it to the table because that people can learn from that. And then also people can fact check you and say, OK, there’s not a minority and there’s a majority.
SPEAKER 12 :
How do you fact check someone’s experience? Easy. How do you do that?
SPEAKER 03 :
How do I do it?
SPEAKER 12 :
Where is the where is the understanding to fact check someone’s experience? If you have not lived the life, you have not experienced it. You can see you just said earlier that you you couldn’t imagine what it is to be blind. So you have to have the.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I don’t need to have that experience to be able to sit here and know what you go through. Right. But you do have.
SPEAKER 12 :
But you do have to listen to the person who’s experienced it to understand what it is that they’re going through. Exactly. So what I think when this goes back to your question is what I think is affecting people the most is the lack of empathy for other people’s experience. Whether it’s true, whether it isn’t, that is not us to judge. It is the lack of understanding and empathy for others that creates the divisions.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay, so when it comes to empathy, I’m your dude. When you guys first walked in, what’s the first thing I said? You guys are my heroes. And this is not even just about you, but just bringing it back to that question. No, in general. But I appreciate that. But I’m telling you, as soon as you walk through the door, I say, you guys are my heroes. Because I don’t have to live your life to know that it’s difficult. It’s difficult what you go through. It’s a disadvantage in so many ways what you go through. And I’m saying, I don’t have the strength. That’s why I tell Johnny all the time, do I? Do I not? I say, Johnny, you’re my hero, dude, because I don’t know your everyday life. I can imagine it, but common sense tells me that it is much harder for everyday stuff than you and I. You see what I’m saying?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, it is. But I think for me, as a blind man, I will never diminish your experience either i don’t know what you have going up there’s just there’s a saying right where it’s like if you if god was to be like everybody throw their problems up in the air right just everybody throw whatever it is that you’re experiencing you you don’t like you your your emotional weight throw it all up in the air give it give it up in the air and god asks you I’m going to switch your problems with someone else’s problems. You make the decision. Do you want to keep your own problems or do you want someone else’s?
SPEAKER 03 :
It depends. If I have a multiple choice and being blind is on that choice, I guarantee you that won’t be one. Right.
SPEAKER 12 :
So in a sense, it’s the same for me. I don’t want your problems either. Yeah, but you do. I don’t. I am of a different perspective of my blindness is not my weakness.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay, no, I understand where you take it from a strength. Yeah. But, so are you telling me that if you had that choice to switch that experience that you’re in now with something else, you wouldn’t do it? No, because my experience is my experience.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, hey, brother, I got you.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s why you’re my hero. Right.
SPEAKER 12 :
I’ve lived my experience. I am happy in my experience. There’s no way to diminish what I’m experiencing by your own fear of what it is that I’m experiencing. And that is the conversation that I think people have a hard time understanding when it comes to empathy. It’s understanding that no one else is hard. No one’s life is harder than yours. So how do you get…
SPEAKER 03 :
I know a lot of people’s life is much harder than mine. I’m saying, how do you as a person, and I mean this wholeheartedly, how do you find faith besides God and to know what you’ve got to deal with every day? You know, like Johnny was telling me, he was at the grocery store and somebody came and knocked him down or hit him and ran or something. I mean, how do you…
SPEAKER 12 :
prepare yourself every day and have the encourage and the positive outlook that you do so as somebody who has lived both blind in a sighted world I’ve only been blind for like three years I’m just now coming into the terms of like what it is to actually be blind but it’s and for me looking back at it I personally feel like my experience and my outlook at life has grown because I didn’t know anything about the blind experience before. I didn’t think about it. I was just telling Diesel this the other day. I didn’t think about it. I didn’t look at it in a way. It was never something that I…
SPEAKER 03 :
wanted or thought i would ever experience hey i hate i hate to interrupt you man this conversation was going so great but we are running out of time and uh actually we are out of time so you know how we count we counted off man everybody say three two one and we out of here and then there we go i’m gonna invite you guys back because we’re gonna continue this conversation this is nice thank you three two one
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah. All right, y’all. It’s that time. We out of here. But you’ve been listening to KLC 560 AM. I’m a united Reggie Bravo. Yeah, it’s fun. We will tackle the issues. We will unite the country every week, every Friday morning from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. It’s about love, y’all. Have a wonderful morning and a great day.
Johnny J vs. The Machine: Racism, Radio, and Resilience