EVERY SPOKEN WORD
130 min read · 26,468 words- 0:00 – 1:00
The Origin of Ladies Love Cool James
- TNTrevor Noah
[upbeat music] The name Ladies Love Cool James, that- that was-
- LJLL Cool J
Man, that was just wishful thinking, man. I just wanted them to love me, bro.
- TNTrevor Noah
I told you. Is it true that Michael Jackson told you that he was inspired by your bed to make his bed?
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah. Yeah, well, he didn't say that, but, you know, that was the vibe. That was the vibe that we got from Quincy Jones. Yeah. I mean, think about, by the grace of God, you look at my career, imagine if I put the energy in the other way.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
The world would not be New Y- you know, at least New York would've been a very different place.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
Saying, "I need love" in front of a bunch of men who are afraid to say, "I need love"-
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm
- LJLL Cool J
... and you're not afraid to say it is the most-
- EUEugene
Uh, fearless thing
- LJLL Cool J
... fearless and courageous thing, right? [kissing sound] You know, because, like, my thing was I could say I need love because I'm not scared of you.
- TNTrevor Noah
This is What Now? with Trevor Noah. [upbeat music]
- 1:00 – 2:40
Defining a Genre & Defying Age
- TNTrevor Noah
Man, sh- there are few people that have more of an illustrious career than you.
- LJLL Cool J
Oh, wow. Thank you.
- TNTrevor Noah
It ... You- you know what's actually interesting is-
- LJLL Cool J
Hmm
- TNTrevor Noah
... it actually makes it a little intimidating because you as a human being are interesting enough. You know what I'm saying?
- LJLL Cool J
Thank you for that. Okay.
- TNTrevor Noah
Like, that's- that's, like, the biggest reason I'd wanna hang out with you, and we wanna hang with you-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... and talk to you and, and you know, just, like, figure out how you think, why you think, get inspired, just break things down together. But the- the- the body of work that comes with it-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... you're like, man-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm
- TNTrevor Noah
... do not take for granted.
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
It's, like, one of the only artists to have, like, back-to-back multi-platinum selling albums. You, you know, like, you, you have somebody who has defined a genre. That- that to me still, like, blows my mind.
- EUEugene
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
And we'll talk about ... But, like, defined-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... a genre. You know what I mean?
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
Not even a pioneer, not like, oh, yeah, new.
- LJLL Cool J
No.
- TNTrevor Noah
No, no, no, defined something, and then has gone on to redefine every single element of what they do, where they do it, how they do it.
- LJLL Cool J
Thank you, man.
- TNTrevor Noah
It's just like, damn.
- EUEugene
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
LL Cool J.
- EUEugene
The other thing that he's defined very well, you defied it, eh, defied it, was age.
- LJLL Cool J
Oh.
- EUEugene
You were like, "That thing is not coming to my house." [laughs]
- 2:40 – 4:43
Who Gets to Call You Todd?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- EUEugene
You have to call them General forever.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah.
- EUEugene
If they're a president, they're still president forever.
- TNTrevor Noah
They're president forever.
- EUEugene
So with you, is it LL Cool J, or is it Cool, or is it J-
- LJLL Cool J
[laughs]
- EUEugene
... or is it LL? So-
- LJLL Cool J
Well-
- TNTrevor Noah
And, and actually, who gets to call you Todd?
- EUEugene
There we go.
- LJLL Cool J
That's funny. So, um, you know, actually, you know, whenever I'm on set-
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm
- LJLL Cool J
... or, you know, just in, like, around situations like this, I like people to call me Todd because I feel ... Sometimes I feel like when I know people and if they call me LL, I feel like, you know, like I'm pulling out my Wikipedia for them or something. It's like, you know?
- TNTrevor Noah
Right. Right, right, right, right.
- LJLL Cool J
So Todd is like, like, like if we're at a conference or we're hanging out-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... I prefer you call me Todd.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yes. Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
Right?
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
Um, I take the art seriously, but I don't really look at accolades, and I don't walk around with those stripes like that.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right. Right.
- LJLL Cool J
Like, I don't think about that. I don't spend my life thinking about that. I'm thinking about what we could do great, what we can ... where we can have some fun, what we can create, you know, where we could create some magic.
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
You know, what we're doing wrong that we can get better at. You know what I mean?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, I'm with you.
- LJLL Cool J
I think, I think about things that way. I don't really ... Just like you, you're very successful. You know, you just don't go around thinking about your accomplishments. You think about what's next and what you could do. At least for me.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, but I, but I think ... I- I love Eugene's question because there are certain names that, that become more than just how you refer to the person.
- LJLL Cool J
Hmm.
- 4:43 – 7:03
Arrogance Can Be Boring
- LJLL Cool J
You know what I'm saying? Um, but, you know, you know, there comes a time when you gotta let your accomplishments speak for themselves.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
So, so, you know, like, even, like, with my music, when I was making music consistently, I would say the most outlandish, most cocky, most arrogant thing you could think of on the song. But when we press stop on the song-
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm
- LJLL Cool J
... or when we, you know, when we stop it-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah. Right
- LJLL Cool J
... it stays on the song. Y- you know what I mean? Because-
- TNTrevor Noah
You, you didn't let that hype or that-
- LJLL Cool J
No
- TNTrevor Noah
... idea follow you beyond the recording.
- LJLL Cool J
No. Nah, nah, nah. Because it's, um ... You know, arrogance is a little ... it can be boring, not necessarily for the people watching, but for the arrogant person, 'cause they're just running around, just not learning anything, not seeing anything, not really having any true, authentic experiences because they're so arrogant that their, their, their windows are shut. They're not letting ... There's ... The curtains are drawn.
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
They're not letting no sunshine in. They're l- not letting any light in.
- TNTrevor Noah
I don't think I've ever heard anybody say that.
- LJLL Cool J
You know?
- TNTrevor Noah
That's, that's amazing. Arrogance can be boring.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
I've genuinely never heard anyone say that.
- EUEugene
And to the person who's arrogant.
- TNTrevor Noah
No, no, no, that's what I mean.
- EUEugene
Yeah, yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
Arrogance can be boring because you walk- walking around thinking you've figured it out, so you don't open yourself up to anything that might come in. W- w- when I, when I was trying to think about, like, how we even, like, contextualize you as a human being, so many people know you. Some people know you through only one facet of your life.
- EUEugene
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
I found myself wondering, I was like, for somebody who has been, like, famous, famous from the age of what, 15, 16?
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, 16.
- TNTrevor Noah
16 years old. Like, I mean famous famous. If you were in a world where nobody knew you-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm
- EUEugene
Cape Verde. [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- 7:03 – 9:39
The Software That Programs Us
- TNTrevor Noah
world? Like, how would you give somebody a quick introduction into who you are and how you became that way?
- LJLL Cool J
If I-
- TNTrevor Noah
When you... Yeah, like when you think of your life, when you go like, "Oh, this is what..." 'Cause most people would put it down to your rap career. You know, some people would put it down to your formative life experiences. Some people might put it down to your success. But when you think of your life-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm
- TNTrevor Noah
... where do you look back and go to, like, "Oh, man, that moment there, that's the beginning of this human being that you all meet today"?
- LJLL Cool J
Well, I think at the end of the day, it's the software that we're programmed, right? We, we are all biological hardware. Our mother gives birth to us-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... and we are biological hardware.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
And then the c- the, how we're programmed through our upbringing is when the software and the programs are uploaded, right?
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
And, uh, [laughs] unfortunately, some of us get spammed out early. [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Some of us get viruses.
- EUEugene
Junk mail. [laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
It get nasty work. It give you some nasty work with that programming, Trev. You know what I mean?
- EUEugene
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
But, um, it's that programming. And so the first programming I got from my grandmother and my mother was, "If a task is once begun, never leave it till it's done. Be thy labor great or small, do it well or not at all." And so from day one-
- TNTrevor Noah
Wow
- LJLL Cool J
... I had been thinking about things f- in that context. You know, I never, um... You know, I just, I'm a big believer that you can make your dreams a reality, you know? I, I sincerely believe that.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
And I don't... I, you know, I consistently look to conquer myself, you know what I mean?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah. That makes a lot of sense, actually.
- LJLL Cool J
Y- y- you know?
- TNTrevor Noah
No, no. I know.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
I know exactly what you mean. I like-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
That's a, that's a fascinating way to look at it. 'Cause I, y- you know what I, what I, what I love about anyone who tells a story, uh, like that you say about their software developer, their mom or their dad-
- EUEugene
[laughs]
- 9:39 – 12:37
Grandmother's Ultimatum: School or Music
- EUEugene
Or put your shirt on
- LJLL Cool J
... or you gotta get out."
- EUEugene
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
And that's ... Or you what?
- EUEugene
Or you put your shirt on. [laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. She went there.
- EUEugene
First of all-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- EUEugene
... you got jewelry on.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, yeah.
- EUEugene
Put a shirt on.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, yeah. [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, yeah.
- EUEugene
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Grandma definitely wanted me to put my shirt on.
- EUEugene
She did? [laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah. And whatever you do, don't pierce your nipples.
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- EUEugene
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
You know what I mean? [laughs] Whatever you do, please. Again.
- EUEugene
Again. [laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Don't ever pierce your nipples again. [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
You know what I mean?
- EUEugene
Oh, man. [laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
[laughs] So yeah, that was the thing, right? It's like, that, that was the only moment, you know? That was the only moment when I was like, "Nah, I gotta do this," and I went after my dream. But other than that, I always listened. So, you know, it's, um... Choices are deep. Choices are deep.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
You know? You, um... I mean, what you guys have accomplished, you, you know, you, y- y- globally. You, you know, you went f- came from your country and came all the way around the world, and you came to America, conquered America. Like, that's a big deal. But that had to start somewhere.
- EUEugene
Hm.
- 12:37 – 21:06
Why Hip Hop is Obsessed With Longevity
- TNTrevor Noah
No, that's completely different
- LJLL Cool J
... yeah, yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
That, that island vibe, like the-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm
- TNTrevor Noah
... the way, like Barbados, you know, my friend's from Barbados, Trinidad, et cetera.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
It's just like a different-
- LJLL Cool J
It is
- TNTrevor Noah
... relationship, especially intergenerational, I find.
- LJLL Cool J
Yes.
- TNTrevor Noah
Do you know what I mean?
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
I, I, like, like, depending on where you're from in the world, some cultures I find the relationship between generations is a lot more strict-
- LJLL Cool J
Yes
- TNTrevor Noah
... and closed off.
- LJLL Cool J
Yes.
- TNTrevor Noah
And then with some island cultures, it's a lot more, like, integrated and inclusive.
- LJLL Cool J
Absolutely.
- TNTrevor Noah
It's-
- LJLL Cool J
Absolutely
- TNTrevor Noah
... people spending more time across generations together.
- LJLL Cool J
Definitely.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yes. Do you know what I mean?
- LJLL Cool J
Yes. So I'm, you know, eight years old, and I'm with my grandparents hanging out-
- TNTrevor Noah
Okay
- LJLL Cool J
... like while they're having company.
- TNTrevor Noah
There you go. All right. All right.
- LJLL Cool J
You see what I'm saying?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah. Let's make some other sense.
- LJLL Cool J
So I'm sitting around hearing, like, you know, my grandfather sitting there with the bourbon and the peanuts-
- 21:06 – 25:42
Great Art Stays Great Art
- LJLL Cool J
years later you'd be like, "Wow, America's been here for a while, you know? We've been here."
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
You know what I mean?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
Like, you're like-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. Okay.
- EUEugene
Since you were born at inception.
- LJLL Cool J
But it's like, so it's a new genre.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
I think because the genre itself is so young, it's only 50-some years old itself as a genre.
- TNTrevor Noah
Hm. I, okay.
- LJLL Cool J
So, so I think people-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, I've never thought of it that way
- LJLL Cool J
... the people kinda ... That has a lot to do with it, and also we've never went through the cycle. See, a lot of jazz, rock and roll, they've went through the cycle of seeing artists be young and grow older in the music, within it, and then-
- TNTrevor Noah
Whereas with hip hop, this is the first time
- LJLL Cool J
... yeah, this is the first time that this is happening, so it's new for everybody.
- TNTrevor Noah
George Washington is still alive.
- EUEugene
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
In that ... Yes.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yes.
- LJLL Cool J
Exactly. Though, in that sense, yes.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
Or, or, or you name the, the, the, the ancient person or person in history-
- TNTrevor Noah
I've never thought of that
- LJLL Cool J
... Yeah, yeah, so-
- TNTrevor Noah
I've never thought of that. Yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... so you're walking around and it's like, "Oh, there's Grandmaster Flash. Oh, there's Cool- DJ Cool Herc. Oh, you know, there's the Fearless Four. Oh, there's Run-DMC. Oh, there's LL Cool J."
- TNTrevor Noah
Fab 5 Freddy.
- LJLL Cool J
It's like we're here. There's Fab 5 Freddy. We here, you see what I'm saying? So it, it's a little different I think because of that. Now, some people kinda obsess over, like, appropriate age to make hip hop and all that, but I think the majority of the time when you hear people obsessing over that-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- 25:42 – 29:56
Relearning How to Rap
- EUEugene
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
I mean, you, you talked about this, uh, you know, with Q-Tip, for instance, is like y- you said something that I've only heard one other, like, great, and I mean, like, a GOAT say, and that was Tiger Woods when he said he had to relearn his swing. And I remember hearing that going, "What do you mean you have to relea- you can't learn, you're Tiger Woods." And he talked about having to relearn-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... his, his swing.
- LJLL Cool J
He's right. Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
You're the, you're one of the only other people-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... I've heard talk about that. You said you had to relearn how to rap.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah. Yeah. Because, you know, language change, changes, um, technique. People get more proficient in certain techniques.
- EUEugene
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
Things evolve.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right.
- LJLL Cool J
Right? So, like, I'll put it to you like this. If, if a young basketball player can see, be inspired by an older basketball player-
- TNTrevor Noah
Right
- LJLL Cool J
... or a current basketball player, and add some of those, those moves to their repertoire, right?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- EUEugene
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
Which is what they all do.
- LJLL Cool J
Which is what they all do, then why can't a current basketball player go to the playground or go to the videotape and see something and incorporate some of, some of those new things into his repertoire?
- TNTrevor Noah
Arrogance and fear.
- LJLL Cool J
There you go. There you go. You see what I'm saying?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
So-
- TNTrevor Noah
Arrogance and fear
- LJLL Cool J
... yeah. And, and see, the thing is, see, people con-
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm
- LJLL Cool J
... you can't confuse a desire to improve with a lack of confidence. Don't conflate-
- EUEugene
Hmm
- LJLL Cool J
... those two ideas. You can't conflate those two ideas. You know what I mean?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- 29:56 – 32:26
Discipline: Do It When No One's Watching
- TNTrevor Noah
It's so she-
- LJLL Cool J
What you hear
- TNTrevor Noah
... she, she would walk in and find me cleaning something.
- EUEugene
Hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
Like, she would tell me to do, you know, wash the dishes, you know, clean the fl- the floor, whatever. You, you have your chores for the day.
- EUEugene
Wow, that's deep.
- TNTrevor Noah
And then, you know, as soon as she'd leave the room, I would just be-
- EUEugene
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Right.
- TNTrevor Noah
I would be that kid, I'm like-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah. Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... And then-
- EUEugene
Yeah, yeah, yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... she would, like-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... catch me, and then I'd, you know, all of a sudden go into, like, oh, mopping mode-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... and I'm washing mode. And then she'd say to me, she'd say, "Yazam, Thanam," uh, my child. She'd say, "I hope that you, you don't think that you should do it well because I'm seeing you."
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
She says, "I want you to take pride in doing it because you know you did it." She says-
- EUEugene
Sh-
- TNTrevor Noah
... "When you finish washing those dishes, I want you to walk past them just every now and again seeing them in the, the rack-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm
- TNTrevor Noah
... and go, 'I washed those dishes.'"
- LJLL Cool J
That's right.
- TNTrevor Noah
No one else.
- LJLL Cool J
Pride.
- TNTrevor Noah
She said, "Just for you."
- LJLL Cool J
That's dope. That's dope.
- TNTrevor Noah
Just go like, "I washed those dishes."
- 32:26 – 34:29
LL Cool J Is an Introvert
- LJLL Cool J
when you, you know.
- TNTrevor Noah
With yourself is the important thing.
- LJLL Cool J
100%.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. Not, not with anything external.
- LJLL Cool J
Not when somebody's watching.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. Just with yourself.
- LJLL Cool J
Just with yourself.
- TNTrevor Noah
Just you one-on-one in the mirror. A- And sometimes the person watching is LL. [laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
[laughs] No question, I'm watching.
- TNTrevor Noah
And he's grinning over there.
- LJLL Cool J
He's under duress.
- TNTrevor Noah
He's like, "I'm not shy just because no one's watching." [laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Under duress. Under duress. Just Crocs on with a pebble in the front.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yo, what if-
- LJLL Cool J
Just under duress.
- TNTrevor Noah
What if you ... [upbeat music] Don't go anywhere, 'cause we got more What Now? after this.
- LJLL Cool J
There was this, this phase when, when music was going through, like ex- r- rappers were becoming executives and this and that. And there was this big debate that people had about me, about, you know, why isn't he, you know, the president of the company.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
Why isn't he gonna be the pre- It's like, in the deepest [laughs] recesses of my soul, I had no desire to do that, man.
- TNTrevor Noah
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- 34:29 – 37:17
The Art of People Watching
- TNTrevor Noah
thinks ahead for you. It automatically downloads recommended videos based on what you like to watch, so even when you forget to prepare, YouTube Premium didn't. I love it. It's like packing for a trip and discovering somebody already remembered the thing you always leave at home. It's always the underwear. If you like YouTube, you'll love YouTube Premium. Sign up now for your free trial at youtube.com/premium. Terms apply. Cancel anytime. [upbeat music] [laughs] What did your, um, what did your grandfather think about hip-hop? 'Cause jazz musicians, like, y- you know-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... you read all these stories. What did he think about hip-hop?
- LJLL Cool J
I mean, the reality is that I was so crazy, my grandfather was just happy to keep me in the house.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah?
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, 'cause I had, you know, I was riding mini bikes and getting hit on them. My man E-Love had a mini bike. I got hit on it and all this, so.
- TNTrevor Noah
Wait, you one of those kids wheeling around?
- LJLL Cool J
I wasn't wheeling. I, I was, I wish I was wheeling.
- TNTrevor Noah
Okay, okay.
- LJLL Cool J
And I wanted to, but I was really just, you know-
- TNTrevor Noah
I see those kids in New York all the time.
- LJLL Cool J
Yo, yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
I'm like, "I wish I was them."
- LJLL Cool J
Yo, yo, yo, we, we had a-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yo I love those videos
- LJLL Cool J
... we didn't have a mob of them, but, like, my man E-Love, he had-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... a mini bike, and he had-
- TNTrevor Noah
How did E-Love come to have a mini bike? Yeah, how did he get a mini bike?
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, I, you know, Earl was always, like, a bit of a hustler.
- TNTrevor Noah
Oh, there you go.
- LJLL Cool J
Always had a little something going on, and just, he had enough to get him a mini bike.
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
And so he's riding around and, you know, he has the string tied to the throttle. He says, "Yo," you know. I said, "Can I ride?" He said, "Yeah, yeah, go ahead. But, you know, don't stop at the stop signs. It'll, it'll stall."
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs] Why?
- LJLL Cool J
Great instruction.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yo, yo, yo, I love that.
- LJLL Cool J
It's great advice.
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Great advice. I got an idea. Don't stop at the stop signs, 'cause the bike will stall.
- 37:17 – 39:39
Grandfather, Turntables & the Album Radio
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
So she convinced him to get me some equipment because she f- it would keep me in the house.
- TNTrevor Noah
Hm.
- LJLL Cool J
So he went, he bought me two turntables and a mixer, and I was able to lean more into hip hop, 'cause he knew I loved it already.
- TNTrevor Noah
Okay.
- LJLL Cool J
And then to answer your question about how he felt about it, he was a very open-minded person. He would take me in the basement and cr- do these reel-to-reels and have me, like, talking and singing on the microphone where he would play and ... So he would encourage it. So I grew up, you know, listening to, like, you know, all of the big bands, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, you know, you know, all, it, just anything, Brubeck, just anything you could think of. Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith at the Penthouse Live-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... and all this stuff. And so he was very comfortable with it, so he was ... He loved music.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
So he was fine with me getting involved with that. So you know, that's what it was, and I ended up, you know ... And you know, what was really crazy is, um, I turned professional after he passed away, but before he passed away, he was in the VA hospital because he was in the Med Corps, um, in the Army. Um, and, uh, so he was at the VA. He, uh-
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
He, you know, when he, he wasn't well in his latter years.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right, right, right.
- LJLL Cool J
And he used to stare at the, he used to have a radio on the, on the, on the s- on the s- counter there, you know, on the shelf near the window.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
On the window sill.
- TNTrevor Noah
Oh, yeah, right on the window sill.
- LJLL Cool J
On the window sill.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, right.
- LJLL Cool J
And he would, he would just say, "That's Todd on the radio."
- TNTrevor Noah
No.
- LJLL Cool J
I promise you. That's Todd. And my grandmother would say, "Gene, that's not Todd." He'd say, "You don't believe me. That's Todd on the radio." And it was really crazy, and I used to just sit there, and I really believed him. So I ended up naming my first album Radio.
- TNTrevor Noah
Oh, man.
- LJLL Cool J
And you know.
- TNTrevor Noah
That's so beautiful.
- LJLL Cool J
You know? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
It w- w- do you think it was just him-
- LJLL Cool J
I don't know
- TNTrevor Noah
... believing in something? It's almost like he-
- LJLL Cool J
Spirit.
- 39:39 – 45:34
Trevor's Grandmother Knew He Was Coming
- TNTrevor Noah
Todd, that's Todd," and some people would be like, "Oh, he was losing it. It was the end. It was the ..." But, but sometimes, man, there's, there's ... And I, I fight this. I won't lie. He knows this.
- LJLL Cool J
[laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
He knows this. I fight this on at, at every turn.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah. [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
Right? But I can't deny, man. Sometimes there are moments and occurrences that make me feel like there's a, there's a level or, or a spiritual plane that connects people to something that we can't fully understand-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, a thread
- TNTrevor Noah
... that might be prophetic, that might be ... Even in that, like, my, my grandmother, when she was 96 years old, the last year of her life she lived with my mom. They never really had a great relationship when they were growing up. Tumultuous, you know, love and hate, love and hate here and there. But the final year my mom always says was the greatest gift that God could have given her.
- LJLL Cool J
Wow.
- TNTrevor Noah
Because my grandmother had to be with, you know, my mom, and they stayed together, and so they bickered and they ... But, but she says, like, they, they, they got to mend everything together.
- LJLL Cool J
Right.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right?
- LJLL Cool J
Mm.
- TNTrevor Noah
And I used to watch them. They were really like a comedy duo. It was literally like watching a sitcom when they'd be there together. And one of the days I'll, I'll never forget is I flew back home to South Africa. I didn't tell anybody I was coming home, and I thought I'll just surprise them, you know, and just, you know. And I, I phoned, or I messaged my mom and I said, "What are you doing on Saturday?" She was like, "What, what?" Now, I don't talk like this to my mom, so already she was like, you know. I was like, "What are you doing on Saturday?" She's like, "What? I don't know. Why?" I was like, "Well, what are you doing?" She's like, "What? What do you mean, what am I doing?"
- LJLL Cool J
[laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
She's like, "I'm, I'm doing what I'm doing. I'll-
- LJLL Cool J
[laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
"I'm gonna be with the animals, and then I'm gonna do the garden, and then I'm gonna ... What, what's happening? What's wrong? What are you asking me?" I was like, "No, nothing. I'm, I just, I just wanna know what are you doing? Like, what are you up to in your life?" And my mom was like, "Hey, well, now, Trevor, what's, what's, what's happening?"
- LJLL Cool J
What's going on? [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
"What's wrong?"
- LJLL Cool J
What do you want? [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
No, but what's wrong?
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah. [laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
It was more like, "What, what's wrong, Lena? What's happening?"
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
And then she paused and she went, "Wait, are you here?" And I was like, "Where's here?" She's like, "Hey, well, now, stop playing with me. Are you here? Are you, are you in South Africa?"
- LJLL Cool J
Mm.
- TNTrevor Noah
And I was like, "Yeah, I was gonna surprise you. I'm in South Africa." And then she went, "Oh, tik," uh, which means, oh, God.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
Like, she went, "Oh, tik. I can't believe it."
- LJLL Cool J
Ooh, tik.
- 45:34 – 47:41
Cynicism Is Cowardice
- LJLL Cool J
Because you're afraid to, like, see the possibilities in a situation. It's so easy to be cynical.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
It's very, it's, it's, it's a much-
- TNTrevor Noah
It's cheap
- LJLL Cool J
... safer ... It's che- it's safe, it's cheap.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
It's safe.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
You know? It's safe to just, "No, cynicism. I'm cynical. No."
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
Because it, you know, even a broken clock is right twice a day, right?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
A garbage can get a steak once in a while. So every now and then you get proven to be right.
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
And then you think your cynicism-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yes
- LJLL Cool J
... or you being cynical is the way to go.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yes.
- LJLL Cool J
You know what I mean?
- TNTrevor Noah
Yep.
- LJLL Cool J
I just, I don't, I don't like living my life like that.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
You know?
- TNTrevor Noah
I, I think what happens with people is, we, we'll talk about this in different ways.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
But it's also, it's, it's, it's safe because ... It's externally safe, but it's not internally safe.
- LJLL Cool J
Oh, without a doubt.
- TNTrevor Noah
Because what you're-
- LJLL Cool J
Wow
- TNTrevor Noah
... what, what you're doing is-
- 47:41 – 54:24
Knowing When You're Between Storms
- TNTrevor Noah
I asked a monk in Bhutan, I said to him, "Give me one, just one nugget that's hard to apply but easy to understand." And he said, "Life is going to be full of storms. A happy life is knowing when you are between storms."
- LJLL Cool J
Hm. Yeah. Yeah. That's deep. Yeah. Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
That one, that one like-
- LJLL Cool J
Just know when you're in between.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yo, let me tell you something.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
You know, you know where you see it in real life? You talk about watching people. Whenever it's raining, I love to see which people keep their umbrellas up after the rain has stopped. I'm always fascinated by them.
- LJLL Cool J
Hm. [laughs] The just in casers?
- TNTrevor Noah
No, or even the-
- LJLL Cool J
It's over
- TNTrevor Noah
... or even the ones who haven't noticed that it's stopped raining.
- LJLL Cool J
Oh. Oh, clueless. Wow.
- TNTrevor Noah
They put the umbrella up.
- LJLL Cool J
That's some quiet rain-
- TNTrevor Noah
It's raining
- LJLL Cool J
... up there. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
It's raining.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
And the rain stops, and they keep the umbrella up.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, but that's how p- that's defense mechanisms, right? People do that in general.
- TNTrevor Noah
But I'm saying imagine if you live like that in your life.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah. Exactly.
- TNTrevor Noah
The storm comes. It is a real storm. You've lost loved ones. You've suffered abuse. You've, you, you've been swindled of your money. You've been fired. You, whatever the things are, they are real. They're 100% real. It is a storm. But then when the storm is not happening, you can still live in that storm.
- LJLL Cool J
Hm.
- TNTrevor Noah
And it's like-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm
- TNTrevor Noah
... what happened? Stole my money. When was it? 20 years ago. You know your uncle stole that money from... Yeah, but I'm not saying that didn't happen.
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
But are you still living in that storm?
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah. They let their past hold their future hostage. Oof. You know what I'm saying? It's like, you know, it's funny, you know, the, the one that the, the nugget that I always think is great is, um, you know, there's two pieces to it. First of all, just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy.
- 54:24 – 1:08:11
I Need Love & Redefining Masculinity
- TNTrevor Noah
And then one of the biggest ones that I, I still, I can't think of it not existing because in my head it's always existed.
- EUEugene
Hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
You were, like, the first and only rapper to think of women as an active audience who are human beings-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... and not just an object or a subject.
- LJLL Cool J
Oh, yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
W-
- LJLL Cool J
Oh, yeah.
- EUEugene
Hardway.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, but we-
- LJLL Cool J
Hardway.
- TNTrevor Noah
But, but, like, how do you-
- EUEugene
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
L- let's go through all of those elements.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
So okay. Where do you think the brain side, you know, the brainiac side of your world was developed? W- who, who nourished that? Who encouraged, who encouraged that in your family?
- LJLL Cool J
So, um, I grew up, you know, with a, a family f- like, first of all, my house was full of books, but on top of it being full of books, my aunts were teachers and s- social work, like all kinds-
- TNTrevor Noah
Oh, that's okay. Yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... of different, like... So there was a l- there was a big emphasis on- Not necessarily formal education, but learning in general.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
There was just this, there was just a unsaid thing that we're gonna learn something. Like, my grandfather, back then, there was no internet, right? So they had this thing called the, The World Book of Knowledge.
- TNTrevor Noah
I remember those.
- LJLL Cool J
You remember The World-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yes. Yeah, I remember those
- LJLL Cool J
... and I would get, so my grandfather would get those every year.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- EUEugene
Encylopedias, yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
I would be reading them, and, you know, like, that was, so my life was, I was curious.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right.
- LJLL Cool J
And I'm, that was, like, how we lived. So that part of it... But here's the, the funny thing with me is, like, I was like, you know, when I was in school, 'cause I didn't stay long, but when I was in school I was in classes for advanced kids, but I had terrible behavior.
- 1:08:11 – 1:09:04
Rock the Bells: Preserving Hip Hop's Legacy
- LJLL Cool J
Oh
- TNTrevor Noah
... what they gave to the game. Like, w- where did that, when, when did that shift happen? What, what, what made you think, "I need to make sure that every single hip-hop artist that deserves to be remembered gets remembered-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm
- TNTrevor Noah
... otherwise they will be forgotten"?
- LJLL Cool J
So Rock the Bells is the company that I do that with.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right.
- LJLL Cool J
And where it came from is that I saw the shift where hip-hop c- became more about... And, and mind you, this is coming from the guy who's, like, the commercial king, right? Like, you know, in terms of being a commercial rapper-
- TNTrevor Noah
Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... and, right? Like, I'm one of the first guys, like, a commercial rapper, not just underground.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
Right? So, but what I noticed is that-
- TNTrevor Noah
You're one of the first crossover, uh, hip-hop artists. Yeah, for sure
- LJLL Cool J
... crossover, right. But what I noticed is that it became more about what people have acquired than what they contributed.
- TNTrevor Noah
Hm. Oh, that's interesting.
- LJLL Cool J
Right? So-
- TNTrevor Noah
Taking instead of
- 1:09:04 – 1:13:34
Measuring Success Beyond Money
- TNTrevor Noah
what they're giving
- LJLL Cool J
... so your value-
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm
- LJLL Cool J
... like, I've never ever heard anybody even speculate or wonder about Bob Marley's bank account.
- TNTrevor Noah
Hm.
- LJLL Cool J
I've never heard anybody use that as a way, a, a, a metric for Bob Marley's success-
- TNTrevor Noah
For how successful he was
- LJLL Cool J
... or his impact.
- TNTrevor Noah
Success, yeah. That-
- LJLL Cool J
Ever. Yeah, we never-
- TNTrevor Noah
Have, have you seen that, have you seen that interview?
- LJLL Cool J
Which one?
- TNTrevor Noah
It's funny that you say that, there w- there's, there's a clip of an old interview of his that I saw a few months ago.
- LJLL Cool J
Oh, that British interview.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, the British interviewer who asked him, he says, "Uh, Mr. Bob Marley, you've, you've done quite well for yourself and, uh-
- LJLL Cool J
[laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
... you've really, you've been sung all over, people sing your songs all over the world. You've done... You must have a lot of money."
- LJLL Cool J
[laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
Y- and, and then he's like, "Are you rich?" He says something like that.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
And then, like, Bob Marley replies-
- LJLL Cool J
How they find you
- TNTrevor Noah
... "Yeah," and it's the most beautiful response ever. I'll butcher it if I even try and say, but he basically goes like, he's like, he's like, "What do you mean by rich?"
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
He's like, "Rich as the money in my bank account, or rich..." He says, "Yo, man, my experiences, my people, my country, what I'm doing, what I'm experiencing." He's like, "Yo-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... your rich is not my rich." It's so interesting that you just said that.
- LJLL Cool J
Yep. Yeah, and, and so, and, and see-
- TNTrevor Noah
Hm
- LJLL Cool J
... my thing is this. Look, d- don't take this wrong. I like to make money. I want everybody, I'd like all the artists to have money, but that's... Being able to capitalize and monetize a situation, like the Wright brothers did not get rich from airplanes.
- 1:13:34 – 1:23:02
The Peter Principle
- EUEugene
never been this quiet. I, I feel like I'm-
- TNTrevor Noah
We, you're recapping our conversations and I'm learning something new. It's just amazing. Carry on. No, so what I, what I ... We literally had this conversation. Yeah. We were talking about the billionaire thing the other day. Yep. And I was saying to Eugene, I said, "You know, I really, really do wish that we lived in less of a flattened world." Mm-hmm. And I, I do believe, it's not the only reason, but I do believe social media has rewarded flattening- Mm-hmm ... because it's, it's an easier message to get across quickly, and so, you know- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm ... it, it, it, it's much faster than nuance. Mm-hmm. Right? We've even seen it online. Mm-hmm. A clip will travel way further than an interview. Hmm. Yeah. Right? Oh, my God. What? Clips are way more powerful. Hmm. Right? Absolutely. Clip farming. That's exactly, that's what, and that's what society has become. But I go, like, if you, if you really think of it, you go like, "No, I don't think you hate a billionaire. You, you hate it in relation to yourself." Right. Do you get what I'm saying? Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
Absolutely.
- TNTrevor Noah
So my issue is not a billionaire. My issue is the fact that a billionaire is still living in the same society as somebody who can work two jobs and still be homeless. Yeah. That's where I go. So I go, and I also go-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm
- TNTrevor Noah
... it's not the billionaire's fault. I go, "Yo, you're also part of the system. You're participating in the system." Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
Mm.
- TNTrevor Noah
"So let's fix the system." I see you talk about things like that all the time, the, just like the way you think about AI, the way you think about the world we're living in, the ... You pulled out of a concert because the workers were striking. I think this was in Philadelphia.
- LJLL Cool J
Mm.
- TNTrevor Noah
And I remember you pulled out and you said, "Yo, I can't go there and cross a picket line to make money- Hmm
- LJLL Cool J
... damn right
- TNTrevor Noah
... when these people on the ground- Hmm
- LJLL Cool J
... yeah, man
- TNTrevor Noah
... are not gonna get the money that they're supposed to get."
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
To me, that was a moment where I was like, "Damn."
- LJLL Cool J
Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something, man.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
My grandfather shined shoes. My grandfather shined shoes. My grandfather was a baggage handler. He worked his way, he, but he then, then he worked at the post office, then he went back to school to study engineering to try to-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... get better in his life. Like, like, at the end of the day, what people should really look at, I think the question you should ask, or at least one good question, is, "Am I maximizing my own personal potential?"
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
That's really the question, a good, a one good question to ask.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm. Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
Am I maximizing my personal potential in life? Because if, if your, your, l- let's go back to climbing Mount Everest. If your goal has always been to climb Mount Everest, and every day you're doing the training, you're going in the altitude rooms, you're doing your rock climbing exercises, you're going through all your process, you're learning all about the equipment, the weather, all of that, you're, all of that, right? When you walk into a room with a billionaire, you will not feel less than.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
I've met o- like even when we go to the conferences-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... we meet all kinds of adventurers and-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
- 1:23:02 – 1:32:37
Surreal Moments With Ali, MJ & Quincy Jones
- TNTrevor Noah
this is happening"?
- LJLL Cool J
Oh, yeah. I ... Yo, the one that always pops in my head, and I've said it before, it's funny. I, I saw Muhammad Ali slap boxing Berry Gordy while Diana Ross was in the corner going, "Oh, Berry. Oh, Berry."
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
And I'm just sitting there like, "Yo, this is wild right now." I said, "I can't even believe what I'm witnessing right now." [laughs] Muhammad Ali, Berry Gordy is boxing, slap boxing Diana Ross. Yo, it was crazy. Crazy. I walk in ... You know, I would walk in Quincy Jones' house and Marlon Brando would be sitting there.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
You know? It was crazy, man. I've seen some ... Yeah, it's, it's crazy. Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, you-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
I mean, that's, like, famous f- like-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
I know people use the term fame-
- EUEugene
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... but, like, th- there was a time when it was, um, almost like, um, Olympus and the gods-
- EUEugene
Yes
- LJLL Cool J
Oh, yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... where there was this space in the clouds where they existed.
- EUEugene
The kind of fame that will never exist again.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
It can't exist again.
- EUEugene
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
It can't exist.
- EUEugene
It cannot.
- TNTrevor Noah
People were inaccessible. There's no social media. There was ... Y- you, you were in that. Is it true that Michael Jackson told you that he was inspired by your Bad to make his Bad?
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah, yeah. Well, he didn't say that, but you know, that was the vibe. That was the vibe that we got from Quincy Jones. Yeah. Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
Because Michael was notorious for-
- LJLL Cool J
Being inspired
- TNTrevor Noah
... like you said-
- LJLL Cool J
Well, he called me-
- TNTrevor Noah
He would look at the world
- LJLL Cool J
... we gonna sort of in the studio with him and all that.
- 1:32:37 – 1:37:10
Luck, Faith & Surviving the Streets
- LJLL Cool J
luck. I think we put a, we put more emphasis on intellect. We over-rotate on intellect and, you know, underweight-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... luck.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
And chance and blessings.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
Like, I got lucky with a lot of stuff, right? Like, you know.
- TNTrevor Noah
Is, is that, is that why you're, you're so strong in your faith?
- LJLL Cool J
Absolutely. Absolutely, because I know that it didn't have to be this way. You know, I, you know, I could have been a lot of things. I could have been, I could have went to the Marines and, and because I wanted to be a general, or I could have been, like, one of the, the most notorious menaces to society that's ever existed.
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
You know what I'm saying? So it's like it's a good thing that it went this way.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right, right, right.
- LJLL Cool J
You know? Like, 'cause it could have been, you know ... I mean, think about by the grace of God, you look at my career, imagine if I put the energy in the other way.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
The world would not be New Y- you know, at least New York would've been a very different place.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. We take that for granted.
- LJLL Cool J
You know what I mean? Like, so it's, it's kinda like that show It's a Wonderful Life, the movie.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
It's a Wonderful Life, you know. It's, uh, one man can make a huge difference. You know what I mean? One man can make a huge difference. So-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. What's your-
- LJLL Cool J
I have a lot of faith in God because I, I, I, I know, like, I know what it's like to, you know, when the, when bullets whiz by and you're hiding behind a snow mound like an idiot. You're hiding behind a snow mound.
- TNTrevor Noah
From a bullet.
- LJLL Cool J
From bullets. Like, ducking behind a snow mound and the dude's in the car. [imitates gunfire] You know, like that kinda-
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
So I know, you know.
- TNTrevor Noah
Damn.
- LJLL Cool J
And being in s- you know, hanging out with guys and they're, you know, dropping 9 millimeters on purpose just to see how you react. You know, load a gun. [laughs] Just to see, you know, where we at with it. You know what I mean?
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
So it's like having all of that exposure too-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- 1:37:10 – 1:44:07
Gratitude, Empathy & Wasted Potential
- LJLL Cool J
this whole process, man, like, I think we just have to learn to be a little more grateful.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah. Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
And, um, a little bit more comfortable with the idea that things kinda worked out for some of us.
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
You know what I mean?
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
'Cause we get real, like-
- TNTrevor Noah
Complacent.
- LJLL Cool J
You know, y- you can start living in a bubble and start taking things for granted. There's real people out here with real lives and real problems, and it's not the highlight reel that the internet is showing you.
- TNTrevor Noah
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
It's not what TikTok and, and, and Reels is showing you.
- TNTrevor Noah
Mm-hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
It's like there's a real world out here. And, um, people are going through it. And so if you were blessed enough to escape that, you should be thankful. If you weren't born into that, you should be thankful. But you should always At a minimum, have some sort of empathy-
- EUEugene
Yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... for what's going on in the world.
- EUEugene
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
Now, now, that empathy doesn't have to ruin your life. I'm not asking you to sacrisi- sacrifice yourself on the altar of martyrdom for everything that goes wrong-
- EUEugene
For the greater good
- LJLL Cool J
... in the world-
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah
- LJLL Cool J
... because you'll never be able to live.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah.
- LJLL Cool J
Right? But at the same time, you should recognize that. You know what I mean?
- TNTrevor Noah
I 100% agree.
- LJLL Cool J
Like, and I, and I just, you know, like, it's so funny, like now we're shooting, I'm shooting NCIS: New York in New York.
- TNTrevor Noah
Right.
- LJLL Cool J
It's real different. Different edge, different vibe, different-
- EUEugene
Mm.
- LJLL Cool J
It's, like, people will probably, like, most people will think, "Oh, it'll probably be the same thing." It's the universe, but it's so different.
- EUEugene
Yeah.
- 1:44:07 – 1:51:51
Trevor's Mother Was Shot: A Story of Forgiveness
- TNTrevor Noah
Even though it's a real thing-
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah
- TNTrevor Noah
... they still think of it as a metaphor from your life, but it's like, like it's a literal, literal, literal thing. Like-
- LJLL Cool J
100%.
- TNTrevor Noah
You know, I remember, like, reading your story, and I was like, I actually wanted to ask you this on a personal level. I was like... 'Cause my, my mom was, was similar in that, you know, my, my stepfather shot my mom. Right?
- LJLL Cool J
Okay.
- TNTrevor Noah
She survived.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
Thank God.
- LJLL Cool J
My mother was shot. She, she-
- TNTrevor Noah
Right
- LJLL Cool J
... she survived.
- TNTrevor Noah
And the craziest thing was my mom said to me, "You have to learn how to forgive him. Uh-
- LJLL Cool J
[laughs]
- TNTrevor Noah
... don't hate him." And I was like, "That's the cra-" I was like, "Yo, you need to..." You know?
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah. Wow, I didn't know that about you.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it, it-
- LJLL Cool J
So you can relate to that.
- TNTrevor Noah
More than relate.
- LJLL Cool J
Yeah.
- TNTrevor Noah
It, it, it, I, oh, I, I remember, like, reading your story and the, the parallels, and I was just like ... I would say it has taken me at least the good part of a decade to understand-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm
- TNTrevor Noah
... why she was doing what she was doing, why she was saying what she was saying.
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
But at the time, I just, you, it, because it was like this, you, you talk about you bump into somebody or something bumps into you that moves you in a different direction.
- LJLL Cool J
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
My mom, like, knew in that moment, this thing could bump me and-
- EUEugene
trajectory could be changed forever
- TNTrevor Noah
... in a direction where my mind and my perception in life will completely... Y- y- do you get what I'm saying?
- EUEugene
Yeah, absolutely.
- 1:51:51 – 2:00:04
Power, Ingratitude & Closing Thoughts
- TNTrevor Noah
[laughs]
- LJLL Cool J
Yo, it's, it-
- EUEugene
They become yours
- LJLL Cool J
... power takes as ingratitude the writhing of its victims.
- EUEugene
Wait, wait, say that again.
- LJLL Cool J
Power-
- TNTrevor Noah
Power
- LJLL Cool J
... takes as ingratitude the writhing of its victims. So in other words, like-
- EUEugene
That's actually, that's-
- LJLL Cool J
If, if I, if I step on your throat-
- EUEugene
Mm-hmm
- LJLL Cool J
... and you s- you, you struggle, you're disrespecting me.
- EUEugene
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
And so that's what we're dealing with a lot of times.
- EUEugene
Hmm.
- LJLL Cool J
People don't realize that.
- EUEugene
That's a, that's-
- LJLL Cool J
I step on your mouth, you bleed on my shoe, and you're disrespecting me.
- TNTrevor Noah
And you're disrespecting me.
- LJLL Cool J
You're disrespecting me.
- TNTrevor Noah
Yo, that applies to so many things in society.
- EUEugene
Yes.
- LJLL Cool J
Yo, that-
- TNTrevor Noah
That, uh, that, uh-
- LJLL Cool J
Mm
- TNTrevor Noah
... I can think of that in, like, abusive households.
- EUEugene
Mm-hmm.
- TNTrevor Noah
I can think of that in abusive systems. I can think of that in, like, oppressive sy- like, that's a-
- EUEugene
People go on strike
- TNTrevor Noah
... that's a crazy, cra-
Episode duration: 2:00:05
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Transcript of episode D8d-Ja7Os0Q
