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Jan. 12, 2024 - Fresh & Fit
47:31
Antonio Brown Meets FreshandFit
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Time Text
Thank you.
And we are live.
What's up, guys?
We're here with the legendary AB, man.
Let's get into it.
it.
Let's go.
But without further ado, man, we got a special guest in the house.
In the building, the legend himself.
Hey!
Welcome to the podcast, my friend.
Fresh and fit.
Your lifestyle.
Yes, sir.
Listen, man.
This goes way back to when we went to his house with Academics.
Legend himself, bro.
Showed us around his house.
Very humble.
Awesome dude.
So, long thing coming.
I'm glad he's here.
And shout out to Jake for making this happen as well.
Jake Infamous here on the couch, too.
So, AB, what's new with you, bro?
Everything.
Even the shoes, man.
We here in Miami, we got the AB Fest right at Jake's spot.
Electric Lady this weekend.
We want to give back to the couple kids.
Bring out a couple of my friends.
You know, it's like the end of the year, fresh of the year, you know, the end of the year parties.
And now we want to raise some awareness and touch the people.
We're going to be there too.
Yeah.
A lot of people don't know this about you.
You do a lot of charity work here in Miami for the kids and give back.
Can you tell us a little bit about that?
I mean, every day I'm out, it's an opportunity to give back, you know, not only if it's physical, but it's just taking a picture.
You know, each time you meet people that look up to you, you know, I take it as an opportunity to give them, you know, what they're looking for, if any inspiration and encouragement.
And that's what life's about, you know, being that example for people that find you to be that example based on the position you're in.
And you came from the hood, bro.
You came from humble beginnings.
Liberty City.
You always give back, right?
So today, I want to give back to you as well.
So my boy and myself have a gift for you.
And actually, it's one of one piece, my boy.
His brand is called No, and it's one of one.
And if you open it, there's a diamond inside as well.
So you can check it out.
One-on-one gift.
Shut up and no.
Yeah, open it this way.
What's your name on it too?
AB. Oh, damn.
You know AB's that...
AB's that nigga, bro.
You gotta give him a special gift, bro.
A one of one.
Little toolbox.
Yes, sir.
It's called Nox?
It's called No.
So that's the certificate for the diamond as well.
It's real.
My jeweler certified.
And the shirt is one of one.
Nox t-shirt, one of one.
Yes, sir.
Oh, okay.
Thank you, man.
Fresh and fit.
Shout out to No.
Hey, that's what's up, man.
My boy, Boo.
You dig!
Yes, sir.
Thank you, brother.
First number comes empty handed, man.
Nah, never, bro.
Yo, I need some merch, AB. Thank you, thank you, man.
I need some merch, AB. I got you, man.
I'm going to take care of that for you.
Thank you, bro.
It's love.
100%.
Alright.
No, no, but so you actually did something crazy, bro, that I didn't think it was actually you were going to do.
You graduated from Central Michigan.
And tell us about why you did that, actually, because that was pretty shocking.
Well, I got kids and you always want to bring things to complete.
You know, anything you start, you want to finish.
I was able to leave college early as a junior, so I never was able to finish with playing ball.
So I made a time when I wasn't playing, you know, to finish up.
And I encourage anyone, you know, to get their college degree if they start or whatever you start, finish.
So we know your beginnings from academics, podcasts, and, you know, just us talking.
But I guess I know where you started from, how hard it was coming up.
I mean, being the way you're at right now.
Well, I'm from Liberty City.
I grew up right on 58 Terrors in 17.
You know, it was a big John Doe gang, if you guys are familiar with Miami.
You know, a lot of drug violence.
But that didn't really deteriorate me and make excuses to want to be a great football player.
So I graduated elementary out of Linda Elementary right there on 54th and 17th.
I played for Gwen Cherry Park nine years.
And, you know, I didn't let those circumstances deter me for what my vision was for myself.
So...
Yeah, I'm from Liberty City, you know, familiar with the John Doe game.
But Trav, Bubba, some of the guys from my neighborhood, that's probably in a bad situation.
But for me, as always, it was about, you know, dream chasing, having a vision, and knowing what I wanted out of life.
And thank God I was able to do it.
You know, being able to become the player I wanted to be.
And now I get to see my kids now.
My son played basketball at university school.
I saw that actually in the video.
He's like 16, like 6'3", so I'm just excited about the future, A.B., the legacy, and what's to come behind.
You know, my dad was a football player.
Touchdown Eddie Brown, if you guys wasn't familiar.
He's the greatest wide receiver in the arena league ever over Kurt Warner.
So, you know, my DNA is just baller.
You know?
And an artist too, by the way.
No, I'm working on it.
Put that shit on?
Put that shit on, no days off.
So let me ask you this, AB. Real quick, so obviously speaking, you came from humble beginnings.
How many people actually get out of the hood and make it to where you're at?
What keeps you going just knowing that you've made it?
I feel like it's hard because sometimes you get into this position and you don't know how to handle it.
How did you overcome those things where you're making money, you're successful, there's a lot of things that happen to you like drugs or whatever to push you back down.
How did you overcome that?
Well, you got to stay driven, you know, having a goal, setting a goal, you know, writing it down, seeing the goal and doing the things that's going to prepare you towards the vision.
You know, I didn't have a lot of great support growing up, so I know if you don't have a lot of support, you got to make your own self, your own support.
Being that you got to be driven, you can't let circumstances you win affect where you're trying to go.
No matter where you're at right now, you know, you always could Get in a better position by your execution.
You know, I would advise people to have a plan, a realistic plan.
Stick to it, you know, work towards it.
And don't let your circumstances deteriorate your vision for where you see yourself.
You know, lifestyle within yourself.
So if you believe and you got a goal and you're driven and you want to make it happen to change your situation and better your life, commit to doing it.
And that's what I did.
You know, I just...
I've seen Liberty City and a lot of things and how I go in those areas.
Me and my brothers just wanted to put ourselves in a different position.
We come from a football culture.
My granddad, Walt Brown, played at Northwestern.
For us, my dad grew up in the 40s.
For me, it was just about going further.
Going further than where my dad went and leaving a legacy for my kids.
You've got to have those beliefs within yourself.
Did your dad have a big impact in your career and you think he's proud of you at this point?
I feel like my dad is proud of me, you know, to be able to see me, you know, live my dreams and kind of live his dream as well.
So I think he's definitely excited.
And shout out to my dad, Touchdown Eddie Brown.
Shout out to him.
You have a number of records in the NFL. Broke a bunch of records.
To this day, you still have some records that haven't been broken.
And you've played with some greats, right?
Tom Brady being one of them.
What's your relationship like with him now, if there is any?
And what was it like playing alongside him?
Well, you know, Tom is a great player, you know, one of the greatest quarterbacks all the time in the NFL. And the NFL, you know, the NFL is a business, like this podcast, like any job, you know, you have a stint with a person, work with a person.
But that doesn't always entail having a long-term relationship.
And that's life, you know.
There's no bad blood or no energy towards no way.
He was a great football player.
Helped me in my career.
Got me back to win the Super Bowl.
And shout-out to Tom Brady.
What was it like catching a touchdown in the Super Bowl?
Like, what was that like?
Because very few people get to experience that.
I mean, that's what you dream about as a kid, you know, those moments, you know what I'm saying?
The biggest game, you know, that's what you dream about, you know, as a kid, a player.
And that was one of the most exciting moments in my career that was pretty good.
I mean, I can't even begin.
I mean, I can only ask and hope that you can somehow describe it.
What's it like holding a trophy?
Like, culmination of, like, 20 years of hard work, practicing from high school all the way to, you know, Division I, then you're in the NFL, and then holding that trophy, getting the ring, you know, standing alongside your teammates.
I mean, try to describe it the best you can.
I mean, it's just like that moment you always waited for or dreamed about, and you're in that position.
Confetti fall, you're a winner, you're there with your family, and it's just you're soaking in agony of just, you know, all the pain and sweat, everything you persevered through.
You know, I done been on both sides of the offense of losing the Super Bowl with Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010 and being able to win in 2020, so I know what it's like to feel like from both sides, but...
I can tell you, man, winning is everything.
It's the only thing.
No matter what you do in life, you know, try to win.
What's more memorable?
The loss or the win?
I feel like everything's memorable.
You know, life's about moments.
You know, you can't define which one is better than the other.
You know, I think you learn more from losses than wins.
I think you critique yourself harder after a loss.
So, for me, I was just fortunate to be in both situations and take the most from both.
And either way I went, you know, it's always a blessing, good or bad.
We had a girl on recently, right?
With the After Hours show.
And she said in a nutshell that she had a more important job, a harder job than her ex-husband who was an athlete.
And the topic was basically, who works harder?
The athlete going into the NFL? Or, you know, into the league?
Or the mom with the kids?
What do you think, bro?
Because this is an actual athlete here.
Tell us what it is.
Super Bowl champion.
Yeah.
I feel like everyone does a job that requires a lot from each other.
We all built for it.
I don't think no job is smaller or better than another.
Each job requires a lot of attention and a lot of awareness for whatever you do.
If you're the garbage man, shit.
You know what I'm saying?
It's a lot.
If you're a mom with your kids, it's a lot.
The world requires a lot.
And no job is better than another.
If you got a job, you know what I mean?
Just work together.
I feel like human beings are emotional people, so they always try to, and most part, they unsatisfied.
So it's like, they never satisfied.
So it's like, anytime a woman making a comparable over a man, you know what I'm saying?
Big facts.
Yeah, he's being humble and nice about it.
I was not as nice as you.
I told her, I was like, you're out your goddamn fucking mind if you think that being a mom is as hard as being a fucking NFL player, man.
Get the hell out of here.
Moms don't get no critique.
If you're a bad mom, no one's going to put you on his face.
It's true.
No one's going to embarrass you.
There's lots of them.
We appreciate moms, by the way.
But that was crazy, though.
Yeah, that was wild.
A.B., real quick as well, man.
So, listen, I've been around Miami for a little bit.
I see you all the time, living life, always happy, showing love.
But there's one thing I need help with myself that I think people can learn from.
How do you deal with girls in Miami?
It's crazy, bro.
How do you navigate between the hoes, the regular girls, the good girls?
How do you get to the good girl at any day?
What's the path you gotta take and how do you filter between bad girls and good girls for your career?
I feel like this day and age, you know, it's hard to find a companion for women, especially in Miami.
You know, most girls in Miami are here for the hustle.
You know, they're here to be more successful.
You know, I meet somebody to be that guy, so for me, you know, pimpin' ain't easy.
I won't encourage you to pimp it, but, you know, whatever, you know, however you can manage, you know?
If you got high testosterone like me, you know, you probably can manage a lot.
But if you don't got this type of testosterone or pimpin' in your blood, then I won't advise you to, you know, come to Miami, because it costs, you know?
It's like my balls cost, like, every time I nut, it's a car.
It should cost more than gas.
That's funny.
I had to ask.
We talked about Tom Brady earlier.
Who was your favorite teammate and what was your favorite organization to play under?
That's a good question.
The favorite organization, I would say for sure, Pittsburgh Steelers.
I feel like I got there as a 22-year-old kid and was able to transition from playing until I was about 39 years with them.
And my favorite teammate is myself.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm like three niggas.
Me, myself, and I. You know what I'm saying?
Because teammates are getting confused, you know what I'm saying?
They tell you to be humble and shit, but it's like...
Nobody...
You're going to be the only one to tell yourself you're great.
You know what I'm saying?
So at the end of the day, if you're going to be the only one...
If I'm the only person that tells myself I'm great, no one else is going to tell me.
So why should I listen to someone and tell you to be humble?
So I will advise you as a player for me, you know, I'm my best teammate because you got to...
You gotta be a teammate to yourself.
You know what I'm saying?
Navigating yourself.
You know, teammates switch teams and go trade teams left and right.
You know what I'm saying?
You gotta have a teammate and he could be your competitor next year.
Damn.
It's always a business and it's all about taking care of your business.
I gotta ask, because I know the people watching are probably gonna have this question.
What ended up happening with the Raiders?
Yeah.
I just felt like, you know, for me at that point, I had left the Steelers and I was like, you know, I really wanted to get my value for football, you know?
Mm-hmm.
I was never a free agent player.
You know, every year I get extension.
2012 extension, 2016.
Usually when you're a good player for a team, they don't ever let you hit the free agent to get the big goals.
Of course not.
Yeah.
So, you know, it was like 2018, and I'm going to cover a Madden helmet off.
You know, football is an individual sport, but it's a team.
You know what I'm saying?
It's a team sport, but it's an individual.
You know, it's individuals collectively.
Doing their jobs that make it all suit together.
So for me, you know, 2018 at the end of the season with the Steelers, I wanted to, you know, test the market.
I felt like we wasn't going to win the Super Bowl from this point.
And I wanted to put myself in a better position as a player to be able to accomplish that in my career.
And it's not easy to get on a Madden cover, by the way.
Very difficult to get on a Madden cover, on a 2K cover.
So yeah, you just wanted, I guess, to take your talents elsewhere.
In 2018, had they already transitioned to Vegas yet at this point, or were they still in Oakland?
No, I got there like 2019 after the season.
I think they were still in Oakland.
They were still in Oakland, right?
Yeah.
Okay.
Go ahead, Fresh.
Yo, AB, so listen.
I love the person you are because to me it's more like you walk to the one beat of your drum, you don't give a fuck, you do what you want to do, right?
And it's kind of like you don't conform to nothing.
You believe in yourself, that's motivating.
You went from football to music.
Tell us how that happened, bro, and why you did that.
Yeah, well, I was always working on music, and shout out to Roy LaManna.
I got a distribution deal with Vidya.
Vidya is now called Guma.
It was brought out by Larry Jackson.
But, you know, I always had music, working on it all the time.
In 2019, I dropped my first single when I was suspended out of the league.
A whole lot of money, I think it came out 2020.
And then when I walked out the field in like 20, whatever that was, 20 ever...
2022.
January 22nd, 2022.
I'll ask you about that one after.
Yeah, I'll ask you about that after.
So when I walked out the field, my distribution guy, Roy Lamont, said, he thought, yo, AB, I'm putting up, putting out the pallets.
I'm like, nigga, I'm trying to get a ride back to Manhattan.
He like...
He put out the song, and yeah, man, I always worked on music, been creative, and I'm excited about the process.
I don't know if you heard my first album, Paradigm.
I'm uploading it back on Spotify.
Okay.
I got some new tracks coming in.
If you guys want to hear them, man, come out to the AB Fest this weekend.
I'm coming.
I'm there.
Electric Lady.
We're going to do some positive things early in the day, community service with the kids before we get into the night festivities, so it's game time.
When you were playing in the league, were you writing music back then?
Yes.
So it's always been something that you've been passionate about that you wanted to do.
Does the NFL have, I mean in the contracts, do they have clauses in there that keep you from doing music professionally?
Just anything that don't get you hurt.
So you could have made music, but it would have been probably difficult to make music and play.
No, I'm saying, like, they probably wouldn't have liked it if you do two things at once.
It's like when Denzel played, like, 50 roles, and no one ever tell him, like, yeah, you got to stick to this role.
Yeah.
So anytime you're playing in a marginalized, monopoly-type business, the NFL, obviously, there's a lot of criticism.
Of course.
You got to do the right things and make the thing that's important, important.
Yeah.
When I play ball, you know, it's all ball.
Things I do on the off the field, which is the music and other businesses, we just keep them on the low and make what's important, important.
Yeah, because ESPN will run with it.
They'll talk shit, and they'll say that he's causing a distraction in the locker room, because they're looking for a story.
Yeah, exactly.
My top two favorite AB songs.
What's your top two?
Put That Shit On, Champions of Popular Foreign.
Listen, AB, I'm good at networking, right?
Many celebrities, you see me outside doing stuff, but you're a master because you came from football, To music, you met all these rappers, but out of all the rappers that you've met, who is the one that you haven't worked with yet, that you want to work with now, you would say.
Like a Drake, maybe, I don't know, Lil Wayne, wink wink.
I got Lil Wayne on the track as well.
That's why it was my biggest work done, Lil Wayne.
Shout out to Louisiana for the Lil Wayne feature.
What was it like working with Wayne, man?
Because obviously he's a legend.
I mean, we're a bit older, so we remember when he was going crazy.
Come on, man.
That was hard.
Come on, man.
Lollipop.
Of all the...
You know, because I know you're 35, I'm 33, so obviously we were adults when Wayne was going crazy from, I want to say, from 2005 to like 20.
I mean, even now he's still fucking, I think, one of the best rappers of all time.
But, you know, the Drought 3, all that, you know, the Carter.
What was it like working with him?
Lil Wayne the legend, you know, anytime you work with a musician of that stature who been around culture decades of pioneer and just giving us inspiration after inspiration, you know, that was a movie theater.
Did he go off the top?
Like you just know he didn't write shit, right?
You hear him go on a verse, you're like, nah, say that again.
So what, he hears the beat one time and just goes in there and starts rapping?
Yeah, it's like a movie theater.
Wow.
Not many rappers.
Him, Hove, those are two rappers on top of my head that I know that don't write anything.
Who else did you work with in music?
I got a song, Get In My Bad with Young Thug.
That was hard too.
Okay.
Keisha Cole.
I got some Jacquees.
I got one with Trippi.
I got a couple in the archives.
Shout out Trippi.
What was it like working with Fabio?
Oh, Fabio, Hot Energy.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's my brother.
I think we got the same pussy.
Shit.
Okay.
Okay.
Damn!
Do you go to New York to record with him or does he come down to Miami or how do y'all do it?
I've been both.
I've been both.
I'm always in New York.
I think we did Miami Rolling Loud together this year.
I saw.
How'd you meet Fabio in the first place?
But me and this manager are really close, so I'm blessed.
So they've been like home team.
You know, I'm familiar with New York.
I got a spot in New York.
So I remember my brother's from like 2019 with the big drip.
So I told you, man, that's my brother.
We from the same pussy.
Keisha Cole, right?
You did a song with her.
Yeah.
Let me ask you this, brother.
What was it like working with Keisha Cole?
And is there anything more to that?
Or is it finished now?
Nah, shout out to Keisha Cole, man.
She's extremely talented.
She only drink the most expensive liquor.
She want Louis XIII every night.
You gotta have at least $4,000 a night for the Louis XIII. Damn!
She only can sing off that, so...
She expensive.
Nah, she's expensive.
She's a queen.
Keisha Cole hit my phone, you know.
I still, you know...
I see what you did there.
So, what is it like meeting these artists?
How do you connect with them?
Is it from managers or, for example, meet them in person?
How do you get people to come, maybe to you or you go to them to make music?
It's usually a general connection, you know.
I'm a 12-year football player, man, that's been around.
You know, with people seeing on TV, done things.
So it's usually a mutual admiration for, you know, the people I work with.
You know, just the respect from that crowd, man.
I've been grateful, man.
Most of a lot of my brothers in entertainment, and they embrace me and understand where I'm from.
And shout out to all my brothers who work with me, who are in the industry.
Sisters and everyone, you know.
Been in boom, man.
There's one person, I think, kind of like, emulates your persona in the industry.
You probably know how I'm going to say it.
Into fashion, right?
Does what he wants.
Doesn't give a fuck.
Kanye West.
What was it like, I guess, talking to him, meeting him?
I mean, yeah, he's a legend, man.
Anytime you meet a guy with that creativity and that passion for everything he do, you know, that's what it's about, man.
Shout out to Ye, this is the Donna Chain.
Sheesh.
President.
We need that song, bro.
It's coming.
What's it dropping?
It's coming.
It's on the way.
You dig?
I got a question for you.
Yes.
What are some of the challenges you deal with in the music industry that the NFL helped you prepare?
The NFL helped me prepare for the music industry.
Yeah, because it's a whole other world, right?
You go from being one of the best receivers of all time to now you're making music.
Obviously you have to have a certain mindset to be a professional athlete at that level, but then you're transitioning into the music industry.
What are some of the things that playing in the NFL helped you with transitioning over to music?
I mean, you got to have that work ethic.
You know, sometimes, you know, guys be up in the studio at 6 a.m.
Most of the guys that really create in the late night hour, you know, you got to be able to just have that drive, you know, have that patient, you know, have that plan.
Just like if you're making a play or running a route, you know what I'm saying, football.
The same details you'll take with that is...
Same details you take with recording.
You know what I mean?
Being able to take the time with the beat, you know, get in the zone of what you want to write.
And just having that consistency with always taking a rep.
You're only as good as your last rep.
So, you know, anything you want to be good at, take work ethic, you know, take a good team, and then take dedication and having a vision.
So, I use the football analogy of being a great player to be able to work towards anything you want to do.
Do you have the Kanye mindset with it where you're listening to it a thousand times and if it doesn't sound perfect, you're like, nah, we gotta do it again.
What's your mindset when you're recording?
Are you recording it over a million times?
Will you just rewrite an entire verse?
Will you scrap it if you don't like it?
What's your approach?
Well, I just like to, you know, as long as I feel good by it, you know, you feel good by it.
Got a good engineer at the team I work with to be able to know that sound you need and, you know what I'm saying, we always trying to make the next one.
Okay.
It's not about this one.
Do you have, like, your team listen to it and then if they give you the green, you're like, okay, this is good?
Or do you listen to it yourself and you're like, I don't like it and no one else can hear it?
Nah, I let everyone hear everything I drop.
You know, I always love the opinion, even if it's good or bad.
And I'm always listening to what I feel in regards to creativity and what zones I'm trying to get in and give off.
Okay.
So we met a while back, AB. Went to your crib.
You're a gracious host.
Awesome guy, by the way.
And we heard your music before it even came out, right?
It was fire.
But you had another room for meditation.
Yes.
I was like, what is this room?
You had stage in it, you know, carpet.
It was a very, like, I want to say, holistic room.
But I was wondering, why do you have this?
But then when you spoke to academics, you told him, listen...
I've been through a lot, you know, making this money.
It changed a lot of things for me, and no one told me how to deal with this.
But you say, you know what, I'm going to take a step back and learn how to manage it.
What's it been like having the money and then having to deal with all the issues that come up having money?
Well, man, when you have money, it'll make you a target.
You know, everyone's trying to get something out of you or find a way to put you in a deal or ruin this or take away.
So you just got to know out of it.
Take yourself and be able to control your breathing, you know.
Breathing is important.
and stretching to be able to navigate your attitude when people constantly writing about you negative, people constantly saying things that maybe deteriorate on how people look at you.
So for me, you know, meditation and yoga is a good way, you know, to be soothing within because it always starts within with your peace.
So, you know?
That's deep.
And for example, you do what you want to do as well.
So I know you did that by yourself, but let's say someone has haters in their life.
How should they deal with haters, you would say?
I feel like haters is just like, you know, haters, we all need haters because, you know, haters bring out the best in us.
If you ain't had nobody to hate on you or tell you what you can't do, you probably wouldn't push to the next level.
So I love my haters.
I love the people that motivate me because, you know, they usually bring the best out of me.
I'm usually my best when a lot on the line.
They told me, Fresh, you can't make a rap song.
All my haters, right?
Then I went to LA, talked to my boy Mr.
Organic, my boy 80 from No Jumper, well he's a community now, I made a song.
Dropped it, high volume man.
So AB, question is bro, when are we going to make a song?
We can go to House of Hit tonight.
There you go!
You mentioned that haters help you with pushing.
When you were in the league, did you ever watch ESPN and watch Skip Bayless or any of these other guys talk shit?
Or did you say, nah, I'm good on you and listen to them?
I mean, that's his job.
His job is to talk shit.
So did you ever watch it or did you stay away from watching it?
No, you got to stay away from the talk shit channels, the blogs.
Yeah, of course.
You got to have blinders on when you're in the game.
You got to just see your success and pay your energy off to things that don't matter.
It'll take a lot out of you.
Yeah, because I can imagine, you know, you're probably going to get, because you're going to listen to people talking shit no matter what, whether you watch ESPN or not, you know, you're going to walk by and see a newspaper, someone's going to say something, a reporter's going to come in and ask you a question to try to jerk you and get a reaction.
What was it like just dealing with that all the time, like constantly being scrutinized, constantly being criticized, constantly being, oh, well, he's doing this and he's doing that, oh, look, he walked off the field, oh, look, now he's trying to be a musician.
What is that like, man?
Because it's one thing to watch someone go through it, but it's another thing to hear their perspective on what it's like to deal with that every single day.
I mean, criticism comes with achievement.
So anytime you're achieving a lot of stuff in life, it's going to come with people hating and talking down or trying to deteriorate others from your purpose.
So you got to have a high belief in yourself in regards of knowing who you are and what you stand for.
Because people are going to always talk, you know, Jesus walked the world and was perfect.
And you see what they did to him.
You know what I'm saying?
I need the haters.
I like when people talk.
I like when people be confusing because they just bring out the best.
AB, you like to party.
You like to work hard.
Keep it a bean.
You been to one of Diddy's parties?
Nah, I don't do no Diddy parties.
I don't do no Diddy parties.
Never.
What do you think about Diddy though and what he's going through right now?
I don't know what to think, you know, I wouldn't...
I wouldn't wish I don't know one, but, you know, to each his own, you know?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I seen you at them Diddy parties, man.
Man, let me say you were there.
Let me say you were there.
Nah, I ain't at them Diddy parties.
No, sir.
I got a question for you, AB. So, we kind of alluded to it earlier, but I got to ask because I know people are going to want this.
You famously walked out the field on January 22nd, 2022, almost two years ago, in Tampa Bay, Week 17.
What prompted that?
And would you do it again if given the chance?
Yeah.
Yeah, I did the right thing.
You know, I did what was best for me.
You know, and it's like, in life, it's always, you know, important where you do what's best for yourself.
You know, some people are in situations where they can't do what's best for themselves.
Some people are in situations where they wish they could do something for themselves.
And for me, at that point, when you're playing in the NFL, you're on a team, and you're working hard to be in such position, you realize that The team's not working with you to be in that position.
It's like, yo, you either suck it up in that position and be stuck there or you do what's best for yourself.
And me, I feel like that was one of the moments where I do what's best for myself.
And as a man, as a black man, you know, I always feel good when you do what's best for yourself because most of the time in the position we're in, we're just doing what we need to do out of survival of making something.
So, yeah, I do it again.
You know, I always do what's right for myself.
You had mentioned earlier that you think players in the NFL are marginalized and obviously it's a business and it's for profit and they don't necessarily...
Their bottom line is to make money.
Was that you kind of like a way to take a stand and take the power back?
Nah, I just did what's best for me.
You know, I wouldn't advise no one to do what I did.
You know, I would advise people to do what's best for themselves.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, not a lot of people in my position would be able to make the money or had the career or being able to achieve what they wanted to achieve, so I wouldn't advise no one leaving their jobs unless they got it like that.
I wouldn't advise no one to quit a walk-off.
You know, this is just something I did.
Did the NFL, like, try to rain down on you with some penalties or some other type of crap, or what ended up happening from that?
I mean, they just do what they normally do.
Write articles, talk shit, penalties, fines, all that?
All that.
Etc, etc.
Fair enough.
Let's do some chats real quick.
Yeah, we can, we can.
What do we got here, Bills?
You got them ready, or you need a second?
Everything's under 50.
You want the Rumble?
We told them 50.
Anyone of my number one fans out there, you know I usually fuck my number one fan in every city or every chat.
So, if you out there...
Hey, A.B., I got a question for you.
Your favorite touchdown celebration?
The favorite one?
Yeah.
Damn, I had a lot of them, but...
Probably the favorite one, probably the Benny Wiggle.
Benny Wiggle.
And then also, Fresh had alluded to this before.
But obviously, you're responsible for a dance going viral.
What are your thoughts on that?
Put that shit on.
Yo, I saw Burner Boy do that.
A bunch of other athletes, celebrities, put that shit on, put that shit on.
What's that like, bro?
Worldwide.
No, it's always amazing when you have a vision, and people don't believe in your vision, and then you see your vision take off.
You know, it's just an amazing feeling, you know, that you get from within, knowing that you had a goal.
And, like, people may have been like, I don't know, and then they see it, and it's like, oh!
So, you know, that was a great opportunity and a great splash into music, the show, you know what I mean?
I gotta ask.
You get the respect, you know what I mean?
When you recorded that song, And you came up with that dance.
At that point, did you think, yo, this is going to go viral?
Or were you like, you know what?
We're going to do it.
I don't go fuck with anybody who thinks I like it.
That's what matters.
Or did you know, no, this is going to go viral.
We're going to be all over.
Yeah, I knew it was going to go viral, man.
It was like January in 2022 when I walked out the field.
I actually flew to LA. I met with Kanye.
So Ye usually have meetings like 8 in the morning in LA. So we was in the meeting.
He's like, AB, you been working on some music?
He's like, I play a track.
I played the Fabio song.
He's like, yeah, I like it.
You sounded good on it.
But get with my guy.
He got some beats.
I want to hear you on this beat right here.
So I got with Fat Money.
He had a beat from Chase Daniels.
And you know, Ye had me at the SoHo.
He was like, he had rented out the whole flow right in LA, right downtown.
So he was just giving me Balenciaga just like, he kept like, if you don't know, Ye trademarked the word, put that shit on.
Oh shit.
So he kept, you know, a lot of people don't know that.
So he's like, yeah, AB, whatever you need in the dressing room, you know, put that shit on.
So I'm like, damn, put that shit on.
And I was like, all right.
And then I made the song, and then when he heard it, he's like, yeah, that's what I'm talking about right there.
Wow.
And then I just got to dance, and then once I did the Rolling Loud, I met Tariq at the Soho when he was out there to see Kanye in L.A. And I was like, Tariq, like, yo, you do music?
I'm like, yo.
He's like, no, I ain't no AB you do, so he...
He's like, yo, I'm going to bring you to Rolling Loud.
And then that's when I did the dance and there was a rap from there.
Carl went crazy, by the way.
Went crazy.
What's it like?
Because I've heard stories from people that have worked with Kanye or been in the room with him.
What's it like talking with him, picking his brain, getting the mentorship, the experience from someone like that that's been in the music industry for so long?
Because a lot of people don't know.
He was a producer before.
He was writing lyrics.
He wrote a lot of stuff beforehand.
What's it like being around him?
Man, he's multi-talented, man.
Really hot energy, passionate.
The fashion, the music, the creativity, the organization, the meetings.
I mean, he's really into it, man.
Really a genius.
And shout out to Ye, man.
He's getting back good mental health space.
So hopefully he rolling out the things he's been working on creatively.
Baby, keep it a bean.
Yeah.
Who folks about it, bitches?
You are calling it.
Kanye be trying to size some of my vibes, but Kanye like whores, but I got more quality.
Okay, that makes sense.
I mean, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right, I don't know.
I've been told that he'll have a meeting, and he'll be working on music here, then he'll be working on clothes here, then he'll be working on setting up shows, and he goes back and forth between everything.
He's doing five things at once.
Yeah, he loves that.
He loves to set up.
Multifacet about things.
Wow.
Every room he loved.
Game planning on it.
He like called it like, yo, AB, we leaders of our own gang.
So he loved to organize, you know, fellowship with people working together towards the goal if it's fashionally, music related, you know, culturally related.
He's working on a lot of farms now to get his own city and just do some philanthropy, priest things.
So, Shah De Ye, man, that's my guy.
Yeah, he is a creator.
I think Igor Artui AB as well, a big creator.
But I want to say this off while she's on camera as well.
The biggest creation you guys have made, I think, in my opinion, is kids, you know?
For sure.
As a man, you have success, you make money, you know, you've done the most, I want to say, amazing things in life.
But having a kid is different.
What's it like being a dad, you would say?
I feel like the dad is the most important thing.
You could be as a man, you know, a father figure.
And it brings a different joy in your life to, you know, see your kids, go through things, grow from things, and you helping them, you know, be their best self.
So shout out to all my kids.
Tune in there and shout out to their mom.
Shout out to everybody a part of the AB clan and family, you know?
AB, how much kids you got, man?
Don't cap.
How much kids you got?
I got six right now, but, you know, I think I'm working on one another.
One other way?
Yeah.
Congratulations, man.
Oh, shit.
Four sons, two daughters?
Five sons, one daughter.
Five sons, one daughter.
Damn.
Okay.
You got blessed, bro, because karma should have said six daughters.
You got blessed, bro.
I got a question here.
You switched your number to 17, and then you also switched it to 81.
Was there a reason for that?
Because I know typically with numbers with athletes, there's a reason behind it, there's a story behind it.
Was there a particular reason why you switched it to 17 and then 81?
Well, my dad usually wore number 17 when he played for the Albany Firebirds, so I think I played one game for the Patriots, and I wore number 17.
I felt like when I got back on the Patriots, it wasn't going to be a long run, being they didn't want me to win the Super Bowl probably in 2019 with Tom, so I wore my dad number the one game, and when I came back in 2020 after the suspension, I wear number 81.
It was like I took the stick off the 4.
You know, have you ever seen a 4 drawn?
I just took the half of the bar off the 4 because I knew it was going to be something special.
So 8 plus 1 is 9, you know.
What was it like playing for the Patriots?
I mean, obviously they have a reputation for being extremely strict and they're a very clean cut organization and they get things done by the book.
What was it like playing for the Patriots?
It was amazing, man.
Anytime you go to organizations that's a championship organization with them, with the culture, Bill Belichick and the great coach.
I was going to ask you that next.
Great quarterback, man.
That's the type of organization you want to be a part of as a winner, as a exciting player, you know?
Yeah.
The only thing that sucks is the cold weather.
I fly any weather.
I fly any weather.
It's my last, I want to say, controversial question for you.
Yes, sir.
Did you do it?
Did you actually do it?
Do what?
Tom Brady.
What?
Did I do what to Tom Brady?
Wife.
Which wife?
His wife.
He said, which one?
Did you do it?
Did you do it?
Nah, yeah.
You can tell me.
Damn, dawg.
You feel me?
This is what I'm still gonna say.
You feel me?
Alright, got it.
Yo, A.B., what's coming up next for you, bro?
You gotta chill, man.
Tell us about A.B. Fest.
Tell us about A.B. Fest, man.
A.B. Fest.
AB Fest, man.
Shout out to my boy Jake Infamous.
We're going to be at the AB Fest tomorrow, 7 to 10 p.m.
We got a community event for the kids.
We just want to anthropoply meet the kids and motivate them, give them a chance to tap in at a great location.
We're giving out footballs.
I got the AB trainer shoes we're giving out.
We got some AB Fest shirts.
And we just want to develop this fest to bring the community out, bring the kids together, inspire them.
And bring us a couple of my friends out to come perform, Le'Veon Bell, Favio Foran, some local artists.
So we just excited about this to get a start here right in Miami, MLK Weekend, right in Wynwood.
So if you ain't doing none, make sure you pull up, pop out.
If you can, make the late night show, make the kids show.
Each one, reach one.
We excited about the fest and make sure you put that shit on.
Big facts.
I'll be there.
Come support us.
Support AB. Shout out to Jake, man.
And then, last but not least, AB. Music coming.
Who do you want to work with in the future for music?
And then, where can they find you?
You can find me on Twitter, AB84. You can find me on the gram, at AB. There's a lot of updates coming to Stoic.
Richard Mill edition gonna be out soon.
I got a Puma collab coming with Puma.
Shout out to Puma.
That's hard.
Shout out to my fashion manager, Matt.
If you're watching this, shout out to Matt.
Shout out to everybody tuning in.
Fresh and fit.
That's the lifestyle.
That's the culture.
Make sure you be fresh and make sure you keep your health fit.
Let's go!
That's hard.
I gotta ask something.
You're really into fashion.
What prompted that interest and what got you into it?
I mean, fashion is art.
Everything we do, how we get our hair cut, how we look, how we dress, how I make my plays, how I play the game.
It's all high fashion.
Has it been something that you've always been interested in or something that you took a more particular interest in after you got into the music?
Or has it been something you always did that was just kind of off the field stuff?
I'm from Liberty City, man.
Every Saturday before the game, my mom would take me to get a fade.
You know, we had them Jordans in the high school.
Saturday mornings, yeah.
You know that, man.
And you went in line for them?
My mom used to shout out to my mom.
I remember those days.
What are your favorite days?
The next one that came out.
You feel me?
Alright, man.
This was a fire interview.
Shout out to AB for coming through.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And we're going to do a little girl show with AB as well.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Y'all usually let me smash them here too, right?
Hey, man, if you want to.
Whatever you want, bro.
If you want to, bro.
I love a happy ending, you know?
3Niggler says, AB, any tips to boost my testosterone?
I'm trying to be a beast.
Yeah, man.
Wake up early.
Be in the bed by 10.
Wake up early.
Make sure you work out and have sex six times a week.
Simple.
Six times a week.
Simple.
Free Truman Show goes, good shit, brother, on everything you do.
When you got time, check out UG Wave, Vavy?
When you get a chance, man, got some beats.
That's fire as hell.
Send me those.
Okay.
You dig.
Anything else on YouTube or no?
If someone wants to send you beats, where should I send the beats to?
Email cabrecords84 at gmail.
All right.
Send your beat, Pat.
Alright guys, so we'll be back with some lovely ladies in AB. Right away.
And yeah, it'll be a quick turnaround, guys.
But yeah, guys, hope you guys enjoyed this interview.
We'll catch you guys.
Peace.
Peace.
I ran, I ran so far away.
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