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Urban City Podcast Group Audio
Major Takeaways
- Spanky Hayes reveals the Detroit roots behind Wild ’N Out, explaining how the show’s original spirit was built from real relationships, raw comedy, and a street-tested creative circle.
- The interview digs into the business side of fame, including money, contracts, missed opportunities, and how success can get messy behind the scenes.
- Beyond television, Spanky reflects on hardship, loyalty, faith, and survival, offering a blunt look at what happens after the spotlight fades.
Urban City Podcast Group
Spanky Hayes opens up about Wild ’N Out, Nick Cannon, comedy politics, money, loyalty, and the Detroit roots behind one of TV’s biggest comedy brands.
Breakfast at Jabou’s with your man Gerald Jabou. Yeah. Yeah.
It’s another episode. We in here. We got my man Spanky today.
Yes, sir. Spanky Hayes, baby. Spanky Hayes, he is back.
You said you’re retired. Yeah. And I don’t know why, you know, but we’re going to get into that.
You ready for that, bro? Can I say anything? You can say whatever you want to say, my brother.
OK, yeah, all right. Yeah, we can go through that.
Let’s do that. All right. I mean, you ain’t going to hurt nobody’s feelings or nothing, are you? Oh,
I don’t care about that.
I just want you to be able to use it. Oh, we can use whatever. Yeah, I’m Gerald Jabou in case you
ain’t know.
I know. I know. Yeah.
So we can get into it. So let me give you a little back story on how I met Spanky. It was 2011,
2010, 2011 or something like that.
And I don’t even remember. Straight rock star. Yeah, we was on some rock star shit.
Straight rock star. And we were out in LA on Sunset Boulevard. Shouts out to my man Cliff Love.
We was hanging out at the college. Cliff Love, wherever you at in this world, I love you, man.
You know what I’m saying, Cliff Love.
I don’t know where you at, but Cliff Love. Yeah, so we were hanging out with Cliff Love Comedy
Store. And we were there, and Pauly Shore was in there.
We was like, oh shit, Pauly Shore is in there. And he was like, y’all want to meet him? And we
was like, yeah. So we ended up meeting Pauly Shore, but this motherfucker right here was with
Pauly Shore.
That’s my brother. Yeah, so that’s your brother from another mother. That’s my brother, man.
How’d y’all meet, man? Through the world famous Missy Shore, his mother. Man, this is a crazy
story. So shout out to Keith Washington.
That’s my big brother, big cousin, big uncle, whatever. He done been my uncle, my brother, and
my cousin. You know what I’m saying? Yeah, so he helped me out a lot in my career, especially
in the beginning.
But so we come to LA. We just did a play with Keith Washington. So we come to LA to come visit
where we come to live, and he lives out here.
So he’s showing me around, me and Joe Blunt. Shout out Joe Blunt, me and him, and Howie
Bell. And he’s showing us Melrose.
He’s showing us all the Hollywood shit for the first time. So this is September 4, 1996. This is like
before Tupac.
Yeah, this is before Tupac died. So we go to the Comedy Store, and it’s Fat Tuesday. And
everybody, Tupac, and Snoop Dogg, and man, it’s Suge Knight, and Usher, and man, it was
Vivica Fox.
And man, it was so many people in this audience, man. But I still, I wanted to go up, though.
Shit, I want to go up.
And then I remember Keith Washington paying God Torrey, shout out to God Torrey. Shout out
to Joe Torrey, too. Paying God Torrey for me to get on because, rest in peace, Ricky Harris was
on stage annihilating.
And he was to do, I’m Tadow, and this is Tadow. He used to be in front of all the Snoop Dogg
stuff. So he’s no longer with us, OK.
No, no, that was a dear friend of mine. I used to call him Yoda. So yeah, that was my man.
Ricky Harris was a beast. But anyway, so Ricky Harris on stage annihilating them. This is his
crowd.
Like I said, Snoop Dogg, Dogg Pound, Kobe, Brian is in the audience. Everybody, Brand D,
everybody’s in the audience. And I go on stage after him and get a standing ovation.
And it was only probably because they never heard my jokes before. You know how LA is, it’s
kind of repetitive. They know who it is.
They’re looking forward for it. It’s almost like a hit record. Jokes turning to hit records because
it’s jokes that they want to hear you say.
So to me, you don’t get to grow that way. But anyway, so I went and told their ass a new one.
And Missy Shore came out the audience.
And she was like, I want you to be a regular here. And I didn’t know what even what she was
saying. Right.
Right. I was like, OK. And then she was like, I need you to come back tomorrow at eight o’clock
tomorrow.
It sounds like she looks like she sounds like that. Yeah. And then and then I came back the next
day and told their ass up again and again and again and again and again.
I was so physical and nobody was physical at this time. So I came out with all this physical
comedy. And man, it was so man.
I took L.A. by storm. So but to answer your question for meeting Missy, you know, Paulie came
in a comedy store one day and said, I’m shooting a show and I want the first the newest regular
to be on it. Oh, wow.
It was me. Wow. Three days in.
So it was just coming like that. Meanwhile, being being being like ping pong, it was crazy. And
that’s how me and Paulie sure he gave me my first super bad white bitch.
He said, you think she’s hot? And I was like, yeah, he was like, hey, come go suck his cock. He’s
black. You love black guys.
I was like, thank you. It really happened. Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Oh, man. Oh, that’s that’s like, wow, that’s that’s that’s a sandwich without cheese on
it.
Damn. Damn. Yeah, that’s that’s crazy.
Yeah. But that night when we met, when we were hanging out with you, we met you and it was
just kind of like on the fly. And you had a bad chick with you.
You had Nick Cannon’s brother with you. Oh, Gabe Cannon. I don’t know the chick.
But Gabe Cannon, what up? Shout out to my brother. He got a radio show him in a Rubin and in
Rubin and Caleb. So the Cannon brothers, all three of them are Nick Cannon’s brother.
OK. Yeah, they had like a morning show. OK, so you keep up with Gabe Cannon.
Yeah, that’s my brother. OK, do you talk every day? But right now, do you still talk to Nick? I
have not talked to Nick, but. Nick will call me if you need me.
OK, I’m pretty sure. And that’s the relationship I had to learn because here’s the thing I
thought, OK, so when I was coming up growing up, I would call a person, my brother, because I
was trying to make them like a brother. Right.
Right. Because I never had a brother. I’m the only child.
OK. So it took me a long time in life to learn in life to live, to understand that brothers don’t
really fuck with each other. Right.
So unless it’s. I mean, I’ll just think I’ll just I’ll just keep it because we got to go to the story,
though, right? Right. So so brothers don’t.
I thought the relationship of a brother was different than what I learned it to be. Right. Or and
seen it to be so.
Wow. So that’s my brother. But Gabe, out of all of Nick, all the Cannon brothers are like Ruben.
I love Ruben. I love Kate. I love all of them.
But Ruben. Well, Ruben was there a lot, too. So so Gabe, but Gabe is like he’s a cement.
He’s probably the reason and Ruben is probably the reason why I don’t just say flat out, say,
man, fuck Nick Cannon, man, a bitch at Nick. That’s wrong. But but we brothers and we and me
and Nick Cannon can’t handle that.
Right. So but the reason why I just don’t fly off the hinges is because I respect Gabe and Ruben
and Caleb and King and the brothers. And so on and so forth.
And and Nick, I love Nick, too, but we just did a lot of business and I was young and the
business didn’t turn out right. So, of course, I’m bitter about, of course, the business. But I still
love the person.
Now, I’m pretty sure on previous podcasts you you’ve told the story. But could you revisit the
story about how you and Nick got together and created the Wildin’ Out? Because was it was it
your baby or was it Nick’s baby or was it both of y’all’s baby? Well. I would say whose idea was it
was, it was my idea, along with three other guys from Detroit, which I will name Howie Bell, Joe
Blunt, and I said both of their names already.
And Thomas Ward. Then we had additional people like like Andre McCoy. And then sometimes
we would have Tony Roberts.
Now, the reason why I named these guys is because we all are from Detroit. Right. All of us.
Yeah, because y’all was ganged up on the on the on Wildin’ Out. Yeah. Y’all was squad.
Yeah. So we couldn’t you couldn’t join the other level if you weren’t in from Detroit. OK, gotcha.
So we all developed this show. And Nick Cannon would come around because he’s my
homeboy. And his manager, his first manager, Sam was from Detroit, a guy from Detroit, a
mechanic.
He did a lot more shit, but that’s what always come to my mind. So so that’s how I even met
Nick through Detroit. OK, so you feel me? So if it wasn’t I’m in San Diego doing a show and the
guy comes up to me after the show and I’m from Detroit, too.
Right. OK, that’s what’s up. So he’s Arabic guy.
Hey, listen, I managed these guys because when I first met Nick Cannon, he was a rapper. Yeah,
yeah, I remember that. So it was him.
Did he already have like the TV series on Nickelodeon? No, he was just a rapper, right? Rapper.
Yeah. He was nowhere near that when I first met him.
OK, so. But he got there fast. OK, got there fast.
But but he wasn’t there then. So Nick Cannon got to be. And I know this ain’t what you asked
me, but Nick Cannon has to be in my timeline of life in show business.
The fastest emerging star that I’ve probably ever seen. OK, it’s safe to say. OK, OK, OK.
He did. The nigga came out on fire. He was hot.
He was. He couldn’t rap or fuck. Well, but that’s the toy.
That’s what brought him in. You know, listen, that’s what brought him in. When you start
winning, you start trying.
I’m not mad. Yeah, I’m not. Definitely not mad.
He started from rapping. Yeah. So that’s why I thought he.
But yeah, like Kanye West writing for him. Yeah. So like that or helping him write or whatever
the case may be.
OK, so I’m not mad. You tell me just to get it. Yeah, we all started this.
Nick Cannon is our friend, you know, saying he came up under us. He really came up under me
because I was the closest to him. But it was three of us.
It was three other of us. It was all teaching them how to fight and do this and do that. Man, I’m
just like that.
Don’t do that, man. Or do this, man. You could be this dog.
If you start doing this, you know, just giving them advice. And then we got on and he got on
with Will Smith company Overbrook. That’s that orange.
Oh, yeah. See, and any, you know, Will Smith production has that Overbrook thing at the end.
So we both had deals with them and ours fell out and his fell out.
Of course, Nick probably had a stronger relationship with because it was just one of him, right?
It was four of us, five of us. So. So I think later, either Will Smith or somebody advised them,
man, that deal, that idea that they had, you should just do it.
And you probably should go get them. Probably somebody advised them. OK, which was I
mean, that makes a lot.
Yeah. Is this when you on the other end of the stick, you’ll never really understand it. Time got
to heal you.
OK, time got to show you why it happened. So when it was happening, I hated it. But now I
understand it was just business.
And then he didn’t even own Wildin out. So once he got it a couple of seasons later, he didn’t
even own it no more. I know I keep jumping.
But yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s just so much shit in this. So basically.
So he got advised to do the show. He did it. It worked.
He came and got me first. All right. Now, that’s what I will commit him for.
He knew that to do that, he would have to come get me, which wasn’t a problem because I’m
his boy. Right, right. And especially out of all of the group, I’m the one that he talks to the most.
OK. Makes sense. OK, so I’m on the show.
Other people were mad. The other four were kind of upset. But I did it.
We are starving artists. Yeah, I got it. Here’s a check.
The first check. To be honest, the first big check. Right.
So. Yeah. So what was that like for you when you when you got the first big check? Wow.
Yeah. I threw a party. I threw I gave all the drug dealers that I knew back their money that I
owed them because I was trying to.
Oh, OK. Yeah. So, you know, sending stuff back, you know, trying to get my issue.
OK. OK. Yeah.
The hustle. That’s what you do. You either grow it or you sell it.
Yeah. Some type of way. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So that’s marijuana, guys.
Oh, it was hard. So what we are is legal. Yeah.
Fuck you. So, you know, so I would try to, you know, do my one, two with that. Right.
And then. So I bought like a car, like my first Benz. And then they kind of saw it and was like,
you want a car? I was like, yeah.
All right. They kind of got a fucking big ass warehouse full of cars. Now, I ain’t even
exaggerating.
All kind of shit. And he was like this. On the floor, third floor, go pick something just like that.
So the keys are in your car. Damn. Damn.
Ashton Martin. Here we go. Wow.
So yeah. And I was cutting down from Nick. Yeah.
And that’s why I was rapping about it. Right. I just got it because it was foreign.
I never heard about it. I had to Google and this is good. That’s ironic that Google kind of just
came out there.
Right. And that’s when they forced everybody to use Google’s on your phone. Yeah.
No matter what kind of phone you got. Yeah. Google.
Yeah. So Google, what kind of car is this? I was like, damn. Ashton Martin.
Yeah. So again, they can is always giving me stuff. So I’m not mad at him.
I just hated how business went. So where do you think? Because I got to get to to the other
questions. How at what point did the business just start getting shaky or flimsy in your point of
view? At from the beginning.
But you still rock with. I was blinded by the money. I’m poor.
Hmm. So I see it. Fuck that.
Twenty thousand dollars. Twenty seven thousand. Forty four thousand.
Fifty six thousand dollars. That’s my for one episode. Oh, shit.
Let’s rock. Let’s go. It wasn’t always like that the whole time.
But we had a we had a few changes in the show where they had changed it to be like right after
school. So they wanted to clean it up. So they had to pay us more because we’re fucking grown
men.
Yeah, we’re comedians. So then that didn’t work. So then they tried another scheme that we
had to change.
And then it was another part. If you remember, it was more white people than ever. So they
were trying to put white people on it.
And then that kind of didn’t work. But the best one stayed. Well, the best ones never left.
So, you know, said they kept trying to put girls on their girls, different girls, different girls. But
Naima Funk was is the illest, funniest motherfucker ever, dog. I don’t give a fuck when nobody
say whoever you think is funny as a girl.
You need to look at Naima Funk. She’s the illest one ever. She was on Wild N Out with all men.
And she was the only girl. She was killing it. Killed it.
That’s all. That’s all I got to say. Well, what did it look like? Like, take us to what it looked like
filming Wild N Out.
Like, what were the takes like in the back and forth? Like, how many times did they cut in? You
know, because the way they had it put together, it was just like y’all look like y’all were going
nonstop. It kind of was like that. Oh, yeah.
Yeah. We didn’t have a lot of cuts. The cuts were uh, the tape running out or the light, you
know, blowing out or really.
And it was nonstop. Like half of this stuff, the best stuff wasn’t even shown. Hmm.
Hmm. The best stuff. It might have been more raunchier.
You know, you know what I mean? Yeah. Because because we on TV and we’re on MTV. Right,
right.
We’re the only black show on this. MTV was the was the network that was pushing the envelope
with a lot of stuff. And y’all got a chance to do that.
Yeah. And we were the only black. So we were the third black show in history, MTV history.
And that was your MTV raps. Then it was a show called Lyricist’s Lounge where they were
rapping. Yeah, I remember everything.
Shout out to Beretta. My cousin Beretta was on that show. And then and then Wild N Out.
OK, yeah. So that would they were the third black show ever. So you did was that six seasons of
Wild N Out? Twelve.
Twelve seasons of Wild N Out. Yeah, really, really. 18 with all the other ones.
How many times I went on there and guest starred for four episode five on this episode this
season, I did eight this year. But so I stopped being on the roster. So I kind of was coming off
the bench after like season 13, 14, 15.
But then I was still be on there a lot. And that was my own choice because I didn’t like. And then
I want to go back to the question you asked me when it started.
OK, so so we get we get money. We get money this season. And it’s then we stop when Nick
gets married to Mariah stops.
Everything gets stops. We just kind of stop. And then when we come back, we’re in New York,
which is MTV two, which is a lesser budget.
Nick don’t own it at this point. You know, so it was different. We was getting paid way less.
We had to negotiate like hell. Like what? I got to negotiate this shit. But it’s crazy.
It just everything was different. And then we had to teach the people that was like filming. Oh,
don’t film it like that.
We got film like this. So now we’re the directors. Right.
But we ain’t getting paid to get a check for that. No, we get out of that. So it’s like I was doing
more work for less money.
At that point of MTV two, I’m saying so. And then it got off MTV two and then went back to MTV
with the invite. Come start like using a vehicle jumpstart because around that time, that’s when
Viacom was buying up everything.
Right. But it started with Viacom. But everything MTV, VH1, all of those are all Viacom.
Yeah, I know. Yeah, I know. You know.
Yeah. But yeah, I’m just telling you, I definitely know. Yeah, I’m just telling you.
I always tell people Viacom is the devil. But yeah, hey. OK, so when everything completely.
Ends with Wylan out for you. What happens at that point? Like what does Spanky go and do?
Like, is it just dead? Is it dormant? Are you writing for people? You ghost writing for people?
What? What? Tell us about that. All of that.
I’ve got I’ve written for everybody that you see as. Yeah, I’ve touched everybody. And that’s I
mean, and it’s great because I learned something very valuable after I left the show.
Is that relationships go a long way? How many people did I didn’t piss off while I’m up flashing
money and driving Ferraris and driving shit and going to MMA class? I learned I did that for 12
years so I can beat your ass, too. So it’s like, yeah, like, you know, whatever. And I’m still fat and
all that because I don’t want to lose weight.
I want to look like you want to look like Sonny Chiba. Yeah. You know, I’m a fat nigga that can
beat your ass.
Yeah, that’s one of my favorites. Yeah. So so, you know, so it’s like, you know, so my
relationships kicked in strong, but I started growing weed.
Man, I kind of got off the whole thing. And the funny thing is, while I’m out, never left me, even
when I didn’t want it. I didn’t want that shit at all.
But it just never left me. If we go outside right now, if it’s six people, one of them goes point.
And if they ain’t pointing, they’re going to be.
Yeah, because it happened last night when we were riding to the every note to the situation.
Everywhere I go, I can’t escape it. Yeah.
Never been something. Yeah. The security guard in the neighborhood.
He was like pulled up in the back into the neighborhood. He was just like, hey, you, you know,
like, yeah, he was just gassed up. He say nothing else.
He get nothing else. He just let us in. Yeah, he knew it.
Yeah. So you but what was it like? I mean, did you ever have a dormant spell like where where
the money wasn’t coming in this and that and the other way? Was it like that for you? OK, of
course. Get expound on it.
Man, I’ll tell you what, that was like one of the deepest parts of my life, man, because that’s
when I got closer to God. But I knew God. I already knew him.
Right. I knew that’s how I was doing what I was doing. But it was a deeper level, man.
And I could have went one way or I could have went the other way. Right. And I decided to go
to God, you know, and I it’s been times where I didn’t have nothing, but I’ve never been worried
about it.
Right. Because I’ll just be like, I pray every day and every night. And I mean, God, please, I just
just give it to me.
You know what I need. I don’t want to ask for that. I got to ask God.
So but he know what I want. So. OK.
So so yeah. So it’s been a lot of hardship. Yeah.
Crazy hardship. And then it’s a lot of it is because I retired. So it wasn’t because I wasn’t
working.
It was because I didn’t want to work. Right. That way anymore.
But I didn’t know what else what I wanted to do. I didn’t know what to do. So you never like
took like a like a nine to five or anything like that? I tried, man.
But people would be like, you swanky ass, man. I can’t hire you, man. Right.
It was like, well, I will hire you. But I can’t hire you, Spanky. Yeah, Spanky.
I noticed like wherever we go and when we hanging out, it’s just like it’s always a everybody’s
like rocking with you. And it’s almost like a vibe like where a two pockets in the building. You
know what I’m saying? Like because I’ve been you know, we kicked it sometimes and like every
time people see you, it’s like, hey, that’s Spanky.
Let him through. And I’m just blessed to be a part of it. You know what I’m saying? It’s all love.
Yeah. But yeah, I structure a lot of my thing. I study Tupac.
My wife is pregnant right now. We have a baby in three months and I’m going to name him
Tupac. Word.
Oh, that’s good, man. Congratulations on that. Nobody’s named Tupac.
I googled it. I looked it up. Nobody.
Everybody love him, but nobody ever named the kid Tupac. Right. So that’s that’s my job.
If you see Nick Cannon, if you have you have you seen him in the last three to five years? Yeah.
OK. Yeah.
What’s the what’s the what’s the energy like when you when you guys are next to each other?
Like, are you as close as we are or as close as where the producer is right now? And do you talk
to him? Or is it just when we see each other? We are brothers. Right. So we are going to hug
each other.
He might squeeze my hand hard. Yeah. You know, he’s going to show me love.
Right. And he also go walk away fast as he can to talk. It’s like, all right, you got me right here.
Say what you’re going to say. All right, I miss you, man. Come on, let’s go back to work.
Every all conversations are fast until people are relaxed. Right. You know what I’m saying? I
make people uneasy with my words and how I feel and how I’m expressing myself like a Tupac,
I guess you would say.
Yeah. Uh, so even as Takachi 69, I think he told me, Nigga, if you fuck my baby mama and raped
her and kidnapped me, I’m telling on your ass. I’m telling.
Right. So I fuck with Takachi. Now, I can’t say I’m a fan of his music.
Right. Or none of that. But what he’s mostly famous for is for being a rat in his situation.
I don’t think he was really a rat. He definitely told. But I don’t think that was like no rat.
You know, I don’t think he’s a rat. I think he got he got tormented. Yeah, he did.
He did. I would have told to me. Yeah, I don’t give a fuck.
I got you. Call me. I got you up.
Heroes in the comedy world from from that’s not here to that’s here right now. Give me your
top, your top five. Like who is on Mount Rushmore for you? Dead or alive? Yeah, because I only
realize there is there a dead and alive Mount Rushmore in comedy for you.
Not really, because I only really watch and pay attention to dead comedians. Hmm. Anybody
alive? I rather not hear what they say if I’m doing comedy.
But I listen to De Chappelle, but De Chappelle, well, he might be in my top five. I’m going to say
my top five. But let’s see if this fails there.
But I definitely love De Chappelle and I definitely respect De Chappelle. And whenever we see
each other, it’s always love. So I watch him because I look at him as like a friend.
Now, we’re not best of friends. I’m not like that. What I’m saying is we friends enough for me to
consider because I don’t watch comedians.
Maybe I should have said that. OK. I don’t watch any comedians.
I don’t want to hear nothing you’re saying. Nothing. I don’t watch comedy.
I don’t go to comedy shows. None of that, unless I’m on it. I don’t want to hear what I’m not
interested in what they say, because I don’t want to hear what they say.
And they say, man, that’s better than what I thought. Right. And I take your shit.
Right. Because I’m so freestyle. It don’t seem like I took your shit.
But I know I took your shit. So I don’t. That’s why I avoid that.
I don’t want to see no comedians because I don’t want to hear what you’re saying. Because if I
like it, I am going to steal your shit. That’s what this is about.
This is what comedy is about. Right. Ain’t nothing you ever heard.
Original. So. So.
Cat Williams was really telling the truth in that interview. Did you get a chance to watch the
interview with him and Shannon Sharpe? Of course. Yeah.
What did you think about that? I think Cat said what he felt. And child to Cat. Cat is my brother.
OK. Cat has saved my life in many ways. And 98 percent of it is financially.
Wow. I mean. I said this before.
Cat Williams, if he is a real cat, he definitely have nine personalities to along with his nine lives.
He got nine personalities. That’s real language.
And six of those personalities. Are a motherfucker, who? Three of them are very pleasant and
loving and darling. And however else you want to word it.
But I’m his brother, so I don’t get a lot of it. But I see it. Right.
But I don’t get it. Right. But yeah.
So Cat is a genius, man. Is he a Mount Rushmore? Is he on your Mount Rushmore? Is Cat on my
Mount? No, Cat is a fan. OK, let me see.
Let me see. I’m going to start with Eddie Murphy. OK.
What I really should have
It’s another episode. We in here. We got my man Spanky today.
Yes, sir. Spanky Hayes, baby. Spanky Hayes, he is back.
You said you’re retired. Yeah. And I don’t know why, you know, but we’re going to get into that.
You ready for that, bro? Can I say anything? You can say whatever you want to say, my brother.
OK, yeah, all right. Yeah, we can go through that.
Let’s do that. All right. I mean, you ain’t going to hurt nobody’s feelings or nothing, are you? Oh,
I don’t care about that.
I just want you to be able to use it. Oh, we can use whatever. Yeah, I’m Gerald Jabou in case you
ain’t know.
I know. I know. Yeah.
So we can get into it. So let me give you a little back story on how I met Spanky. It was 2011,
2010, 2011 or something like that.
And I don’t even remember. Straight rock star. Yeah, we was on some rock star shit.
Straight rock star. And we were out in LA on Sunset Boulevard. Shouts out to my man Cliff Love.
We was hanging out at the college. Cliff Love, wherever you at in this world, I love you, man.
You know what I’m saying, Cliff Love.
I don’t know where you at, but Cliff Love. Yeah, so we were hanging out with Cliff Love Comedy
Store. And we were there, and Pauly Shore was in there.
We was like, oh shit, Pauly Shore is in there. And he was like, y’all want to meet him? And we
was like, yeah. So we ended up meeting Pauly Shore, but this motherfucker right here was with
Pauly Shore.
That’s my brother. Yeah, so that’s your brother from another mother. That’s my brother, man.
How’d y’all meet, man? Through the world famous Missy Shore, his mother. Man, this is a crazy
story. So shout out to Keith Washington.
That’s my big brother, big cousin, big uncle, whatever. He done been my uncle, my brother, and
my cousin. You know what I’m saying? Yeah, so he helped me out a lot in my career, especially
in the beginning.
But so we come to LA. We just did a play with Keith Washington. So we come to LA to come visit
where we come to live, and he lives out here.
So he’s showing me around, me and Joe Blunt. Shout out Joe Blunt, me and him, and Howie
Bell. And he’s showing us Melrose.
He’s showing us all the Hollywood shit for the first time. So this is September 4, 1996. This is like
before Tupac.
Yeah, this is before Tupac died. So we go to the Comedy Store, and it’s Fat Tuesday. And
everybody, Tupac, and Snoop Dogg, and man, it’s Suge Knight, and Usher, and man, it was
Vivica Fox.
And man, it was so many people in this audience, man. But I still, I wanted to go up, though.
Shit, I want to go up.
And then I remember Keith Washington paying God Torrey, shout out to God Torrey. Shout out
to Joe Torrey, too. Paying God Torrey for me to get on because, rest in peace, Ricky Harris was
on stage annihilating.
And he was to do, I’m Tadow, and this is Tadow. He used to be in front of all the Snoop Dogg
stuff. So he’s no longer with us, OK.
No, no, that was a dear friend of mine. I used to call him Yoda. So yeah, that was my man.
Ricky Harris was a beast. But anyway, so Ricky Harris on stage annihilating them. This is his
crowd.
Like I said, Snoop Dogg, Dogg Pound, Kobe, Brian is in the audience. Everybody, Brand D,
everybody’s in the audience. And I go on stage after him and get a standing ovation.
And it was only probably because they never heard my jokes before. You know how LA is, it’s
kind of repetitive. They know who it is.
They’re looking forward for it. It’s almost like a hit record. Jokes turning to hit records because
it’s jokes that they want to hear you say.
So to me, you don’t get to grow that way. But anyway, so I went and told their ass a new one.
And Missy Shore came out the audience.
And she was like, I want you to be a regular here. And I didn’t know what even what she was
saying. Right.
Right. I was like, OK. And then she was like, I need you to come back tomorrow at eight o’clock
tomorrow.
It sounds like she looks like she sounds like that. Yeah. And then and then I came back the next
day and told their ass up again and again and again and again and again.
I was so physical and nobody was physical at this time. So I came out with all this physical
comedy. And man, it was so man.
I took L.A. by storm. So but to answer your question for meeting Missy, you know, Paulie came
in a comedy store one day and said, I’m shooting a show and I want the first the newest regular
to be on it. Oh, wow.
It was me. Wow. Three days in.
So it was just coming like that. Meanwhile, being being being like ping pong, it was crazy. And
that’s how me and Paulie sure he gave me my first super bad white bitch.
He said, you think she’s hot? And I was like, yeah, he was like, hey, come go suck his cock. He’s
black. You love black guys.
I was like, thank you. It really happened. Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Oh, man. Oh, that’s that’s like, wow, that’s that’s that’s a sandwich without cheese on
it.
Damn. Damn. Yeah, that’s that’s crazy.
Yeah. But that night when we met, when we were hanging out with you, we met you and it was
just kind of like on the fly. And you had a bad chick with you.
You had Nick Cannon’s brother with you. Oh, Gabe Cannon. I don’t know the chick.
But Gabe Cannon, what up? Shout out to my brother. He got a radio show him in a Rubin and in
Rubin and Caleb. So the Cannon brothers, all three of them are Nick Cannon’s brother.
OK. Yeah, they had like a morning show. OK, so you keep up with Gabe Cannon.
Yeah, that’s my brother. OK, do you talk every day? But right now, do you still talk to Nick? I
have not talked to Nick, but. Nick will call me if you need me.
OK, I’m pretty sure. And that’s the relationship I had to learn because here’s the thing I
thought, OK, so when I was coming up growing up, I would call a person, my brother, because I
was trying to make them like a brother. Right.
Right. Because I never had a brother. I’m the only child.
OK. So it took me a long time in life to learn in life to live, to understand that brothers don’t
really fuck with each other. Right.
So unless it’s. I mean, I’ll just think I’ll just I’ll just keep it because we got to go to the story,
though, right? Right. So so brothers don’t.
I thought the relationship of a brother was different than what I learned it to be. Right. Or and
seen it to be so.
Wow. So that’s my brother. But Gabe, out of all of Nick, all the Cannon brothers are like Ruben.
I love Ruben. I love Kate. I love all of them.
But Ruben. Well, Ruben was there a lot, too. So so Gabe, but Gabe is like he’s a cement.
He’s probably the reason and Ruben is probably the reason why I don’t just say flat out, say,
man, fuck Nick Cannon, man, a bitch at Nick. That’s wrong. But but we brothers and we and me
and Nick Cannon can’t handle that.
Right. So but the reason why I just don’t fly off the hinges is because I respect Gabe and Ruben
and Caleb and King and the brothers. And so on and so forth.
And and Nick, I love Nick, too, but we just did a lot of business and I was young and the
business didn’t turn out right. So, of course, I’m bitter about, of course, the business. But I still
love the person.
Now, I’m pretty sure on previous podcasts you you’ve told the story. But could you revisit the
story about how you and Nick got together and created the Wildin’ Out? Because was it was it
your baby or was it Nick’s baby or was it both of y’all’s baby? Well. I would say whose idea was it
was, it was my idea, along with three other guys from Detroit, which I will name Howie Bell, Joe
Blunt, and I said both of their names already.
And Thomas Ward. Then we had additional people like like Andre McCoy. And then sometimes
we would have Tony Roberts.
Now, the reason why I named these guys is because we all are from Detroit. Right. All of us.
Yeah, because y’all was ganged up on the on the on Wildin’ Out. Yeah. Y’all was squad.
Yeah. So we couldn’t you couldn’t join the other level if you weren’t in from Detroit. OK, gotcha.
So we all developed this show. And Nick Cannon would come around because he’s my
homeboy. And his manager, his first manager, Sam was from Detroit, a guy from Detroit, a
mechanic.
He did a lot more shit, but that’s what always come to my mind. So so that’s how I even met
Nick through Detroit. OK, so you feel me? So if it wasn’t I’m in San Diego doing a show and the
guy comes up to me after the show and I’m from Detroit, too.
Right. OK, that’s what’s up. So he’s Arabic guy.
Hey, listen, I managed these guys because when I first met Nick Cannon, he was a rapper. Yeah,
yeah, I remember that. So it was him.
Did he already have like the TV series on Nickelodeon? No, he was just a rapper, right? Rapper.
Yeah. He was nowhere near that when I first met him.
OK, so. But he got there fast. OK, got there fast.
But but he wasn’t there then. So Nick Cannon got to be. And I know this ain’t what you asked
me, but Nick Cannon has to be in my timeline of life in show business.
The fastest emerging star that I’ve probably ever seen. OK, it’s safe to say. OK, OK, OK.
He did. The nigga came out on fire. He was hot.
He was. He couldn’t rap or fuck. Well, but that’s the toy.
That’s what brought him in. You know, listen, that’s what brought him in. When you start
winning, you start trying.
I’m not mad. Yeah, I’m not. Definitely not mad.
He started from rapping. Yeah. So that’s why I thought he.
But yeah, like Kanye West writing for him. Yeah. So like that or helping him write or whatever
the case may be.
OK, so I’m not mad. You tell me just to get it. Yeah, we all started this.
Nick Cannon is our friend, you know, saying he came up under us. He really came up under me
because I was the closest to him. But it was three of us.
It was three other of us. It was all teaching them how to fight and do this and do that. Man, I’m
just like that.
Don’t do that, man. Or do this, man. You could be this dog.
If you start doing this, you know, just giving them advice. And then we got on and he got on
with Will Smith company Overbrook. That’s that orange.
Oh, yeah. See, and any, you know, Will Smith production has that Overbrook thing at the end.
So we both had deals with them and ours fell out and his fell out.
Of course, Nick probably had a stronger relationship with because it was just one of him, right?
It was four of us, five of us. So. So I think later, either Will Smith or somebody advised them,
man, that deal, that idea that they had, you should just do it.
And you probably should go get them. Probably somebody advised them. OK, which was I
mean, that makes a lot.
Yeah. Is this when you on the other end of the stick, you’ll never really understand it. Time got
to heal you.
OK, time got to show you why it happened. So when it was happening, I hated it. But now I
understand it was just business.
And then he didn’t even own Wildin out. So once he got it a couple of seasons later, he didn’t
even own it no more. I know I keep jumping.
But yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s just so much shit in this. So basically.
So he got advised to do the show. He did it. It worked.
He came and got me first. All right. Now, that’s what I will commit him for.
He knew that to do that, he would have to come get me, which wasn’t a problem because I’m
his boy. Right, right. And especially out of all of the group, I’m the one that he talks to the most.
OK. Makes sense. OK, so I’m on the show.
Other people were mad. The other four were kind of upset. But I did it.
We are starving artists. Yeah, I got it. Here’s a check.
The first check. To be honest, the first big check. Right.
So. Yeah. So what was that like for you when you when you got the first big check? Wow.
Yeah. I threw a party. I threw I gave all the drug dealers that I knew back their money that I
owed them because I was trying to.
Oh, OK. Yeah. So, you know, sending stuff back, you know, trying to get my issue.
OK. OK. Yeah.
The hustle. That’s what you do. You either grow it or you sell it.
Yeah. Some type of way. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So that’s marijuana, guys.
Oh, it was hard. So what we are is legal. Yeah.
Fuck you. So, you know, so I would try to, you know, do my one, two with that. Right.
And then. So I bought like a car, like my first Benz. And then they kind of saw it and was like,
you want a car? I was like, yeah.
All right. They kind of got a fucking big ass warehouse full of cars. Now, I ain’t even
exaggerating.
All kind of shit. And he was like this. On the floor, third floor, go pick something just like that.
So the keys are in your car. Damn. Damn.
Ashton Martin. Here we go. Wow.
So yeah. And I was cutting down from Nick. Yeah.
And that’s why I was rapping about it. Right. I just got it because it was foreign.
I never heard about it. I had to Google and this is good. That’s ironic that Google kind of just
came out there.
Right. And that’s when they forced everybody to use Google’s on your phone. Yeah.
No matter what kind of phone you got. Yeah. Google.
Yeah. So Google, what kind of car is this? I was like, damn. Ashton Martin.
Yeah. So again, they can is always giving me stuff. So I’m not mad at him.
I just hated how business went. So where do you think? Because I got to get to to the other
questions. How at what point did the business just start getting shaky or flimsy in your point of
view? At from the beginning.
But you still rock with. I was blinded by the money. I’m poor.
Hmm. So I see it. Fuck that.
Twenty thousand dollars. Twenty seven thousand. Forty four thousand.
Fifty six thousand dollars. That’s my for one episode. Oh, shit.
Let’s rock. Let’s go. It wasn’t always like that the whole time.
But we had a we had a few changes in the show where they had changed it to be like right after
school. So they wanted to clean it up. So they had to pay us more because we’re fucking grown
men.
Yeah, we’re comedians. So then that didn’t work. So then they tried another scheme that we
had to change.
And then it was another part. If you remember, it was more white people than ever. So they
were trying to put white people on it.
And then that kind of didn’t work. But the best one stayed. Well, the best ones never left.
So, you know, said they kept trying to put girls on their girls, different girls, different girls. But
Naima Funk was is the illest, funniest motherfucker ever, dog. I don’t give a fuck when nobody
say whoever you think is funny as a girl.
You need to look at Naima Funk. She’s the illest one ever. She was on Wild N Out with all men.
And she was the only girl. She was killing it. Killed it.
That’s all. That’s all I got to say. Well, what did it look like? Like, take us to what it looked like
filming Wild N Out.
Like, what were the takes like in the back and forth? Like, how many times did they cut in? You
know, because the way they had it put together, it was just like y’all look like y’all were going
nonstop. It kind of was like that. Oh, yeah.
Yeah. We didn’t have a lot of cuts. The cuts were uh, the tape running out or the light, you
know, blowing out or really.
And it was nonstop. Like half of this stuff, the best stuff wasn’t even shown. Hmm.
Hmm. The best stuff. It might have been more raunchier.
You know, you know what I mean? Yeah. Because because we on TV and we’re on MTV. Right,
right.
We’re the only black show on this. MTV was the was the network that was pushing the envelope
with a lot of stuff. And y’all got a chance to do that.
Yeah. And we were the only black. So we were the third black show in history, MTV history.
And that was your MTV raps. Then it was a show called Lyricist’s Lounge where they were
rapping. Yeah, I remember everything.
Shout out to Beretta. My cousin Beretta was on that show. And then and then Wild N Out.
OK, yeah. So that would they were the third black show ever. So you did was that six seasons of
Wild N Out? Twelve.
Twelve seasons of Wild N Out. Yeah, really, really. 18 with all the other ones.
How many times I went on there and guest starred for four episode five on this episode this
season, I did eight this year. But so I stopped being on the roster. So I kind of was coming off
the bench after like season 13, 14, 15.
But then I was still be on there a lot. And that was my own choice because I didn’t like. And then
I want to go back to the question you asked me when it started.
OK, so so we get we get money. We get money this season. And it’s then we stop when Nick
gets married to Mariah stops.
Everything gets stops. We just kind of stop. And then when we come back, we’re in New York,
which is MTV two, which is a lesser budget.
Nick don’t own it at this point. You know, so it was different. We was getting paid way less.
We had to negotiate like hell. Like what? I got to negotiate this shit. But it’s crazy.
It just everything was different. And then we had to teach the people that was like filming. Oh,
don’t film it like that.
We got film like this. So now we’re the directors. Right.
But we ain’t getting paid to get a check for that. No, we get out of that. So it’s like I was doing
more work for less money.
At that point of MTV two, I’m saying so. And then it got off MTV two and then went back to MTV
with the invite. Come start like using a vehicle jumpstart because around that time, that’s when
Viacom was buying up everything.
Right. But it started with Viacom. But everything MTV, VH1, all of those are all Viacom.
Yeah, I know. Yeah, I know. You know.
Yeah. But yeah, I’m just telling you, I definitely know. Yeah, I’m just telling you.
I always tell people Viacom is the devil. But yeah, hey. OK, so when everything completely.
Ends with Wylan out for you. What happens at that point? Like what does Spanky go and do?
Like, is it just dead? Is it dormant? Are you writing for people? You ghost writing for people?
What? What? Tell us about that. All of that.
I’ve got I’ve written for everybody that you see as. Yeah, I’ve touched everybody. And that’s I
mean, and it’s great because I learned something very valuable after I left the show.
Is that relationships go a long way? How many people did I didn’t piss off while I’m up flashing
money and driving Ferraris and driving shit and going to MMA class? I learned I did that for 12
years so I can beat your ass, too. So it’s like, yeah, like, you know, whatever. And I’m still fat and
all that because I don’t want to lose weight.
I want to look like you want to look like Sonny Chiba. Yeah. You know, I’m a fat nigga that can
beat your ass.
Yeah, that’s one of my favorites. Yeah. So so, you know, so it’s like, you know, so my
relationships kicked in strong, but I started growing weed.
Man, I kind of got off the whole thing. And the funny thing is, while I’m out, never left me, even
when I didn’t want it. I didn’t want that shit at all.
But it just never left me. If we go outside right now, if it’s six people, one of them goes point.
And if they ain’t pointing, they’re going to be.
Yeah, because it happened last night when we were riding to the every note to the situation.
Everywhere I go, I can’t escape it. Yeah.
Never been something. Yeah. The security guard in the neighborhood.
He was like pulled up in the back into the neighborhood. He was just like, hey, you, you know,
like, yeah, he was just gassed up. He say nothing else.
He get nothing else. He just let us in. Yeah, he knew it.
Yeah. So you but what was it like? I mean, did you ever have a dormant spell like where where
the money wasn’t coming in this and that and the other way? Was it like that for you? OK, of
course. Get expound on it.
Man, I’ll tell you what, that was like one of the deepest parts of my life, man, because that’s
when I got closer to God. But I knew God. I already knew him.
Right. I knew that’s how I was doing what I was doing. But it was a deeper level, man.
And I could have went one way or I could have went the other way. Right. And I decided to go
to God, you know, and I it’s been times where I didn’t have nothing, but I’ve never been worried
about it.
Right. Because I’ll just be like, I pray every day and every night. And I mean, God, please, I just
just give it to me.
You know what I need. I don’t want to ask for that. I got to ask God.
So but he know what I want. So. OK.
So so yeah. So it’s been a lot of hardship. Yeah.
Crazy hardship. And then it’s a lot of it is because I retired. So it wasn’t because I wasn’t
working.
It was because I didn’t want to work. Right. That way anymore.
But I didn’t know what else what I wanted to do. I didn’t know what to do. So you never like
took like a like a nine to five or anything like that? I tried, man.
But people would be like, you swanky ass, man. I can’t hire you, man. Right.
It was like, well, I will hire you. But I can’t hire you, Spanky. Yeah, Spanky.
I noticed like wherever we go and when we hanging out, it’s just like it’s always a everybody’s
like rocking with you. And it’s almost like a vibe like where a two pockets in the building. You
know what I’m saying? Like because I’ve been you know, we kicked it sometimes and like every
time people see you, it’s like, hey, that’s Spanky.
Let him through. And I’m just blessed to be a part of it. You know what I’m saying? It’s all love.
Yeah. But yeah, I structure a lot of my thing. I study Tupac.
My wife is pregnant right now. We have a baby in three months and I’m going to name him
Tupac. Word.
Oh, that’s good, man. Congratulations on that. Nobody’s named Tupac.
I googled it. I looked it up. Nobody.
Everybody love him, but nobody ever named the kid Tupac. Right. So that’s that’s my job.
If you see Nick Cannon, if you have you have you seen him in the last three to five years? Yeah.
OK. Yeah.
What’s the what’s the what’s the energy like when you when you guys are next to each other?
Like, are you as close as we are or as close as where the producer is right now? And do you talk
to him? Or is it just when we see each other? We are brothers. Right. So we are going to hug
each other.
He might squeeze my hand hard. Yeah. You know, he’s going to show me love.
Right. And he also go walk away fast as he can to talk. It’s like, all right, you got me right here.
Say what you’re going to say. All right, I miss you, man. Come on, let’s go back to work.
Every all conversations are fast until people are relaxed. Right. You know what I’m saying? I
make people uneasy with my words and how I feel and how I’m expressing myself like a Tupac,
I guess you would say.
Yeah. Uh, so even as Takachi 69, I think he told me, Nigga, if you fuck my baby mama and raped
her and kidnapped me, I’m telling on your ass. I’m telling.
Right. So I fuck with Takachi. Now, I can’t say I’m a fan of his music.
Right. Or none of that. But what he’s mostly famous for is for being a rat in his situation.
I don’t think he was really a rat. He definitely told. But I don’t think that was like no rat.
You know, I don’t think he’s a rat. I think he got he got tormented. Yeah, he did.
He did. I would have told to me. Yeah, I don’t give a fuck.
I got you. Call me. I got you up.
Heroes in the comedy world from from that’s not here to that’s here right now. Give me your
top, your top five. Like who is on Mount Rushmore for you? Dead or alive? Yeah, because I only
realize there is there a dead and alive Mount Rushmore in comedy for you.
Not really, because I only really watch and pay attention to dead comedians. Hmm. Anybody
alive? I rather not hear what they say if I’m doing comedy.
But I listen to De Chappelle, but De Chappelle, well, he might be in my top five. I’m going to say
my top five. But let’s see if this fails there.
But I definitely love De Chappelle and I definitely respect De Chappelle. And whenever we see
each other, it’s always love. So I watch him because I look at him as like a friend.
Now, we’re not best of friends. I’m not like that. What I’m saying is we friends enough for me to
consider because I don’t watch comedians.
Maybe I should have said that. OK. I don’t watch any comedians.
I don’t want to hear nothing you’re saying. Nothing. I don’t watch comedy.
I don’t go to comedy shows. None of that, unless I’m on it. I don’t want to hear what I’m not
interested in what they say, because I don’t want to hear what they say.
And they say, man, that’s better than what I thought. Right. And I take your shit.
Right. Because I’m so freestyle. It don’t seem like I took your shit.
But I know I took your shit. So I don’t. That’s why I avoid that.
I don’t want to see no comedians because I don’t want to hear what you’re saying. Because if I
like it, I am going to steal your shit. That’s what this is about.
This is what comedy is about. Right. Ain’t nothing you ever heard.
Original. So. So.
Cat Williams was really telling the truth in that interview. Did you get a chance to watch the
interview with him and Shannon Sharpe? Of course. Yeah.
What did you think about that? I think Cat said what he felt. And child to Cat. Cat is my brother.
OK. Cat has saved my life in many ways. And 98 percent of it is financially.
Wow. I mean. I said this before.
Cat Williams, if he is a real cat, he definitely have nine personalities to along with his nine lives.
He got nine personalities. That’s real language.
And six of those personalities. Are a motherfucker, who? Three of them are very pleasant and
loving and darling. And however else you want to word it.
But I’m his brother, so I don’t get a lot of it. But I see it. Right.
But I don’t get it. Right. But yeah.
So Cat is a genius, man. Is he a Mount Rushmore? Is he on your Mount Rushmore? Is Cat on my
Mount? No, Cat is a fan. OK, let me see.
Let me see. I’m going to start with Eddie Murphy. OK.
What I really should have
