Relationships Worth More Than Money Podcast
Conversations about relationships being valuable and worth more than money! its a heartwarming podcast that delves into the profound value of connections, friendships, and love that transcend the monetary realm. Hosted by Tweezy & a diverse range of guests, including athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, engineers and everyday people, each episode explores the immeasurable worth of relationships in our lives. Through compelling stories and thought-provoking discussions, the podcast inspires listeners to cherish the bonds they share with others, reminding us that the wealth of a meaningful relationship is far more precious than any currency. Tune in to "Relationships worth more than money" to discover the true treasure in life.
Relationships Worth More Than Money Podcast
Family Bonds and the Power of Perseverance
Become a Relative & send some love
Growing up on Maxwell and Sheridan in Detroit, my cousin Damone, affectionately known as D-pledge, and I have stories to tell that go beyond the basketball courts of Finney High School. Damone takes us on his journey, from our humble beginnings to scoring 50 points in a game, making the leap from JV to varsity, and even earning a starting spot as a receiver in high school. Our conversation is a celebration of family bonds and shared successes, revisiting memories of Thanksgivings hosted at Damone’s new home and reminiscing about Auntie Jackie’s initial reluctance to let him play football.
Life’s transitions often demand tough choices, and I’ve had my fair share—like leaving college to care for my daughter, Angel. This episode shares personal sacrifices, such as relocating to Tennessee and shifting from the automotive industry to a full-time photography career. With my wife’s unwavering support, I found the strength to adapt and thrive, learning the importance of perseverance and family values along the way. Together, we explore how these transitions reshape our lives and highlight the critical role a supportive partner plays in navigating life’s challenges.
From comedic skits to capturing unforgettable moments, my path into photography was anything but conventional. What started as a side hustle while working at Chrysler has grown into a thriving business, with opportunities that include photographing Tennessee Titans players and celebrities. The journey hasn’t been easy—losses and grief in the family have taught me to cherish every moment. As I share plans for the future, like investing in real estate and giving back to the community, we emphasize the importance of maintaining connections and supporting each other. Join us for an episode rich with personal stories, hard-earned lessons, and aspirations for a prosperous future.
Relationships Worth More Than Money by Tweezy Kennedy & Marcus Alland
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Thank you, mm-hmm, mm-hmm, yo Yo Season two Relationships worth more than money. This one's very special to me Because not only do I got somebody that's really close to me, but this is really family Bloodline Kennedys Not even gonna do too much To my right, who I got. This is really family. Bloodline Kennedy's Not even going to do too much To my right, who I got.
Speaker 2:It's your boy, damon man. D-pledge Boop. No, that's me.
Speaker 1:Bookie. Yeah, yeah man. So we just had a special weekend, man. Thanksgiving at Boop Crib man, it's been a blessing. Thanksgiving at Boot Crib man, it's been a blessing.
Speaker 2:We had a good time.
Speaker 1:Family came through and that wasn't even a third of the family. Yeah, 15 of us, man, 15 of us out of like, and it was just like it's two families, three families, yeah, out of like, honey, you know what I'm saying. But no man, I've watched. You know what I'm saying, but no man, I've watched. You know what I mean. I just look back at the times where we were kids growing up. You, me, ro, k-ken, quest, reese, you know what I'm saying. We all were just being kids, man, and you know we never knew what the future was going to hold for us. You know what I'm saying. And now to see you, man, in a brand new house, you know what I'm saying. You, your wife, your kids, man, the kids playing around, playing together, laying on the steps right now playing yeah, yeah, man.
Speaker 1:It brings back so much memories, man. But first and foremost man, I want to say congratulations to getting the crib. Let's take it back, man. Let's take it back to. I mean, I know where you from.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying, but take it back for the people, for the audience. You know what I mean. Tell them where you from.
Speaker 2:Pretty much same thing as Twine Tweez. Born and raised Detroit, michigan. Yes, sir. Grew up on Maxwell, off of Van Dyke and also off of Mack on Sheridan. Back in the day Went to Finney High School Shout out to the Highlanders Class of 06. But shoot, just coming from humble beginnings, coming from nothing, coming from dirt Not saying that we were poor, you know what I'm saying. But everything that we have now, we got out the mud. I'm grateful for the journey. It's molded us to be the man that we are today and I'm just enjoying the ride right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, yeah, we wasn't poor, poor, it was just like I would say, like it was like lower middle class and then middle class, yeah, and nothing was given to us.
Speaker 2:We had to earn it. We had to earn everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, and the whole thing. Man is just crazy, like how we all are doing great things, uh-huh, and we all different. You know what I mean? You got families now it's like we're the unks and uncles aunties and uncles and all that.
Speaker 2:We the OGs now. We the OGs now.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to take it back to ninth grade. Uh-huh, ninth grade, your ninth grade, but it was my senior year. Yeah, he was about to play basketball. I've been knowing you've been playing basketball all your life, you were the first one out of our family. I think that jumped on a plane at a young age.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:First one to like just travel with AAU, with the Roadrunners. But yeah, man, I had this coach man Shout out to Coach Jordan. I tried to tell him man. I said, coach, you got to watch out. What was your number back then?
Speaker 2:In high school, yeah, in my grade For basketball.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I had dang. That's a good question. I don't know what number I had On JV. Yeah, jv was different Because I played JV for a few months and then, after like five games, they put me on varsity and that fifth game happened to be against Osborne, my school, and I told the coach.
Speaker 1:I said, coach, gave him a good 30.
Speaker 2:Watch out for him.
Speaker 1:And he was like why? And I was like you know him. I said yeah, that's my cousin. He was like I ain't worried about him. I said, all right, he ain't drop no 30. He dropped 50 on him Easy.
Speaker 2:And ever since then Boop was in, Boop was in varsity.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So you did basketball and I remember Auntie Jackie wouldn't let you play football with us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she didn't let me play football. I didn't play football.
Speaker 1:At all.
Speaker 2:None.
Speaker 1:We played for the.
Speaker 2:Eastside Raiders Yep, I was going to see y'all go to practice all the time You're the only one out of the family that didn't play. I didn't play. She didn't want me getting hurt. She didn't let me play basketball. Yep, I made JV and I ain't getting no burn.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:I ain't getting no burn. Then that summer I just worked my butt off and shoot. I went to like a training camp, like tryouts and then, like the summer workouts, it was killing them. I was ready, Shoot. I was on varsity Starting that receiver Tim Grade, I was the big boy.
Speaker 1:so what you think? May auntie, auntie change her mind on that football, cause you didn't play none, no C team, b team or A team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, at that point I was in high school. So I mean, I just had to, I just played, I just tried out. It wasn't no cause, I wasn't a little baby, no more, you know what I'm saying like I'm 12, 11, so she was afraid of me getting hurt. But going to high school, I'm 14, you know. So it was a different ball game. Plus, I made the team. So she was like, oh, you're going to try it. And when she came out there, you know I was showing out. So she kind of laid off of it a little bit and just wasn't scared no more. And let me play ball. Because I played basketball and football in high school for all four years. So that's kind of like how that happened. When she saw I was good, I'm like okay, okay, then she just started, she just took it, and then I started getting offers and everything. So she was with it, she started traveling, coming to all my. She was my biggest, became my biggest fan, right right.
Speaker 1:And what for the youngins out there, man, what you think you can give back to the, to the youngest that's been playing sports, that's playing sports right now in high school.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the biggest thing I would say, man, the biggest priority is school, school, school, school. Like sports is going to be there. It's cool, but you just got to think about it as it's. It's not a forever thing. You know what I'm saying. So getting them grades and just make sure you're hitting them books, that's the most important part, because, at the end of the day, your career can end at any moment, any second. You can break an ankle Because, like me personally, I broke my ankle and I broke my foot my junior and senior year. So just say that was my career if I was professional.
Speaker 2:You got to have something to fall back on. You got to have your education. So that's one thing that I I would really push like I was to give. I'm giving back to the kids. Yeah, grades come first, because at the end of the day you're a student athlete right, you know. Athlete come second. You're a student first. So I would say always keep your education first, then sport, yeah, because that that's gonna come, because if you got god-given talent, that's gonna be there. Right, just hit them books first. That that's the biggest thing, because when it's all said and done, when the sports is over, when you get older, you're going to have something to fall back on, which is your education. So that's the most important.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, okay. You got to your senior year, you balling out at Finney, playing receiver. And then was Kyle the quarterback, then Kyle Gaskin yeah, shout out to Kyle.
Speaker 2:Kyle was a freshman Kyle was a sophomore. That was my senior year, yeah and he got injured.
Speaker 1:Right yeah, he got hurt.
Speaker 2:No, he didn't get hurt my year Nope.
Speaker 1:What made you play quarterback then?
Speaker 2:So our quarterback was Vincent Phillips. That was my quarterback. He was a junior, I was a senior, he was our quarterback. He, he got hurt, he had a tore shoulder and then they ain't had nobody to throw me the ball. So I ended up playing quarterback three games. We won all three. Then Kyle came in so he ended up playing because I needed to be back at receiver. But that was actually I'm sorry, that was my junior year because my senior year I didn't play football until to the state, to the playoffs, to the city championship. So to the playoffs, to the city championship. So I broke my foot. So I had broke my ankle. My junior year for basketball I was the lead scorer in the state. We played Southeastern. I came down and broke my ankle so I was out for the rest of the basketball season. Then I'm getting ready for football season, but I was playing basketball in the gym and broke my foot. So I didn't play no senior year for football until the city championship.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's, mumford right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we played Mumford but they didn't really throw me the ball. I was pissed. I was playing, I was out there, I'm like man throw me the ball, yeah. But then I ended up playing at the state championship, I mean the state playoffs. I ended up scoring and stuff like that. I was still banged up a little bit but that was my senior year. If I was healthy it would have been a different story, but I did play basketball my senior year and you had Michigan man, you had Michigan on you tough.
Speaker 2:I had big schools Michigan, iowa, nebraska, georgia Tech, all the Big Ten teams, the SEC teams, pretty much all the big schools, wisconsin, and of them you know they was sending me and my mom, my dad, out, so we was going taking them different states and different stadiums and stuff, just getting them out and seeing what other schools had to offer so it was a good, I had a good run.
Speaker 2:You know, the only regret I have is just my school work. If I would have went to class and stuff took my education series, it would have been a different story. But you know it is what it is. I'm grateful for my journey and I'm just hopefully I can give back to the younger generation.
Speaker 1:Now, after the transition from high school, you then had a grade to go to Michigan. You know Braylon and all of them yeah, right in the Edwards Michigan guy, all of them loved you, man.
Speaker 2:Lloyd Carr was still there too. Yeah, lloyd Carr, that was my guy.
Speaker 1:I talked to Lloyd Carr yeah, lloyd Carr was still there. But after high school, what was your? What was your next thing like? What did you do after high?
Speaker 2:school. Actually, I still had an offer on the table which was Eastern Michigan. They still offered me, but they was going to give me a partial if I wanted to come to that school and I would have the red shirt and stuff like that, get my grades which is cool, but I'm just like nah. So I ended up going to actually to play basketball at Port Huron. I went to Port Huron to play. They paid for my school and stuff. I had a full scholarship. I ended up going there for a year, balled out, won MVP.
Speaker 2:My other college team went to the All-Star game and that's pretty much all the top players in the state of Michigan, like Juco, go to the games like the East and the West. So I went to that and that was pretty cool and I got offers from like Houston University and a few other D1s and the other one was D2. So I did that for a year. Then I sat out for two years because I ended up having my daughter. So I went home and worked for those two years and I'm like I got to get I was 20. I'm like I got to get back playing ball.
Speaker 2:So I drove up to Central State and just tried out Like I stayed with a friend and I tried out when the team got back from a away game, talked to the coaches. They worked me out for about 30, 40 minutes. It was like shoot man, we love you, we're trying to get you here, we're trying to get you here. And they offered me a scholarship right then and there, and shout out to Pastor Gray at our church she actually funded the money for me to go there because my old school was trying to. You know, like if you leave the school they be wanting you to pay all these fees and stuff. But they wanted me to pay five grand for my transcript. But my old pastor, she paid for me to get my transcript so I can be able to go to college. So shout out to her and my mom for putting that together. So that's why I finished at Central Michigan I mean Central State and I played basketball and football there.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, what do you feel like in your time from becoming a dad? From becoming a dad Like when? Did you feel like the transition of, you know, prioritizing school sports and then, yeah, fatherhood?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so pretty much, I think. Like my junior year at Central I had Angel, like I always used to come because I had a car, so I used to drive back to Michigan and pick her up so she would stay at my dorm with me sometime on the weekends. I'd have her for four or five days. But I just reached a point, you know, like I was getting hurt. I was missing my daughter. Like my daughter was just everywhere and I didn't want that responsibility to be my parents. So it was a tough decision. I could have stayed at school, but I'm like I got to get my daughter because at the end of the day it's not my parents' responsibility. So I ended up leaving school. My junior year came back home, started working, take care of my baby, so that's kind of like what ended my career. I still could ball, but it just wasn't fun for me no more.
Speaker 2:I just left school, man, and came home just started taking care of my baby.
Speaker 1:So, taking care of Angel. Shout out to the baby cuz yeah, Taking care of Angel. Shout out to Baby Cuz yeah, Taking care of Angel. Man. What was the next thing Like, what were the next steps that you did to transition to here in Tennessee, Because you know, coming from Detroit and making that. When did you decide to make that jump From Tennessee?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Yep, so pretty much. So I moved back to Michigan from Central State in 2011, 2012, down there, but then I met my twin's mom in 2012. Yep, we started dating. I sent her to the club. Shout out to Lash, yeah. Shout out to the wife.
Speaker 1:Shout out to the wife yeah, I met her in 2012.
Speaker 2:Like, I went to school with her. I never talked to her, I just knew of her. I saw her in the club in 2012 and we started kicking it and shoot, not even two months later, she was pregnant with the twins. So that was another situation. So I went from coming home to taking care of one baby and then got two more on the way in a few more months. So more months. So it was pretty quick, but, um, pretty much. To answer your question how I transitioned here, um, that was 2018 november. Uh, we was married. Um, me and the wife had separated. She moved here in 2017. I was still in detroit. I was in detroit for a whole another year, but we just decided to try to make it work, um, make our marriage work, and you know what's best for our kids too. So I came down here in 2018 to Thanksgiving and shoot, I've been down here ever since. Man.
Speaker 1:How important is it to have a partner that's with you through thick and thin?
Speaker 2:Man. It's very important, especially in today's society. A lot of people it's very, very quick to leave with something not going right. I think the younger generation they give up too easy. I just think about our parents and stuff. They stuck to stuff. Whatever Our grandparents, no matter what they did, they always stayed together. And I think our generation, the ones after that you do a little thing, they're ready to break up. It's over, we done. Nobody's willing to fight for the marriage and relationships anymore. I don't think so. But it was important for us, because it was mainly important for me too, because I come from family Like my mom and dad. Marriage was never perfect, but no matter. At the end of the day they always try to make it work and stick it out.
Speaker 2:You know, so and I'm big on family. So no matter what we went through, you know I was always going to try to make it work, if I can you know, not just for my kids, because you don't want to just do stuff for your kids, but just to save our marriage, because we made vows at the end of the day and that's important. You know I take those vows very serious, so it was a part, but I'm just like we got to try to make this work.
Speaker 1:We did. You know what I mean generation of pleasures. You know what I'm saying. I mean Kennedy's pleasures, you know. I know you, your dad and your name Pleasure, but you were.
Speaker 2:Kennedy, sure Mama Kennedy yeah.
Speaker 1:Auntie Jackie Kennedy. But what do you feel is like part where people think that everything is easy transitioning. Transition as far as what? Transition as far as getting here and you got the kids and you got married. You know what I'm saying, and what job was you doing at that time?
Speaker 2:When we first moved here? Yeah, so when I first moved here, I was working for this company called WWL it's pretty much connected with Nissan and what we did was load. So once the cars come off the line, we load them inside the trains to be transported out the country in different states, and I was outside freezing. So I mean, at that time in 2018, I was making like $21 an hour. That was decent back then, 2018, then I was working 10, 11 hours a day. So get paid every week. So that was pretty straight. So that's what I was doing during that time in 2018.
Speaker 2:Then, after the pandemic, I started doing photography full-time, you know. But it was important, like, as far as like just to go back on what you were saying like how important it is to have a partner Like, honestly, I wouldn't be the man I am today without my partner, because she invested in me, you know, like I was doing photography, like I was editing on my phone and stuff, and she took her little bonus money and bought me a laptop, you know, so I can start editing, and that took my business to a whole other level. A whole other level. Yeah, so I'm forever grateful. And level oh, another level, yeah, so I'm forever grateful, and that's why you have to have that balance in a relationship as well.
Speaker 2:And then you want to make sure that the person that you're with is down for you. You know what I'm saying, because a lot of us they say they down, but when stuff get tough and hard, things hit the fan, they gone. You know, complaining and talking about you broken is instead of supporting you and building you and molding you to be. You know what I'm saying. So that's what it's about.
Speaker 2:It's about building each other up, you know what I'm saying Like she's made me the man I am today, like she helped build me, like even the woman she is today, like I'm molding her and building her to be the woman that I need her to be. For me that's what it's about. Like a lot of herself, not for just for herself, but for me as well.
Speaker 1:You know and vice versa yeah, she did.
Speaker 2:She did the same, like I know what I wanted, and I try to mold her and make her, you know, to my best ability to mold her to the woman I need her to be and she's been that vice versa, you know.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, and it's great man, you, daylon, dallas, lash Angel, all of y'all together, right, yeah, and then now that's what made me. When you started talking about the photography, I was going to transition into that. We, we come from a hustling family, like whatever. Yeah, well, they'll sell you anything. You know what I'm saying, for sure, whatever we come from a hustling family, like whatever Boy, they'll sell you anything. You know what I'm saying, for sure. Whatever. And it's always been grind. How did you get into photography?
Speaker 2:Man, that's crazy. So I wasn't even thinking about photography. Like I said, I was an athlete. So I got a camera because I would start. Everybody was saying you funny because I was just joking and stuff like that. So I actually bought a camera because I was doing skits before Skits was out, before that was like known. I was doing skits in 2014, 2015,. Like on my phone and loading them on Facebook yeah, you know what I'm saying Before they came hot, and so I'm like I'm going to invest in this.
Speaker 2:So I got a camera. I was just going to record myself growing my jokes. I was going to do stand-up too, so that's why I got the camera, but I never shot. I never did nothing with it. So I just started like just taking it around my family and friends and taking pictures. So I just became the man with the camera. I started making money on the side at work. I used to work for Chrysler back in Detroit, so on the weekends I do people, parties and events, make my little money and then. So it just became a little hustle. But when I moved here, my wife got me a little gig, like with the sorority girls, and I did one shoot and then everybody started booking me for that, for like portraits and stuff like that. So I learned I had to learn quick on the go. What sorority is that? So my wife?
Speaker 1:she's an AKA, so Neck Crazy, neck yeah, aka, yeah, shout out to the AKAs man.
Speaker 2:Shout out to my baby Pinky green, to the pervs yeah, man, that's dope.
Speaker 1:So you just, I remember you doing the skits, but I didn't know. That's what started it. Yeah, that's what I started from.
Speaker 2:Because I used to do the little church skits, the church skits, the choir director.
Speaker 1:I was doing all that with my phone.
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm about to get me some high quality, because nobody really had no high quality videos back then. They just had like from their phone. Like I'm about to change the game. I was doing like a few little skits with like other people in Detroit yeah, they doing real good right now too. I just kind of like just let it die, because you know, when you have a family, you work, you're trying to take care of your family and everything. Yeah, put food on the table, yeah. So everything else just kind of like die out like things that you enjoy doing so.
Speaker 1:You went from skits to starting to be a photographer, doing the side gigs on the weekends, a small weekend to full time. How did it go from on the weekends to full time? What did you do to invest more?
Speaker 2:into that, Yep. So, like when I was in Detroit, I was just doing weekends because I was working Monday through Friday, but when I moved here, I was still working for WWL and I was just doing stuff on the weekends still, yeah, but actually I ended up getting fired because they was working us too you know these jobs be working us crazy. They wanted they had mandatory days too, like I work my regular 40. But then they'd tell me on my last day of work oh yeah, we got mandatory tomorrow and the rest of the week. So it was messing up my bookings like people that have books. So I had to cancel the shoots and it was kind of like bad for business, like I'm telling people I've got to be there tomorrow. And I got to, but I came in late, but it was not within a certain amount of time. So at the end of the day they let me work and then fired me. So after that I was just like I really got to go hard with this photography, Damn Craig. Yep.
Speaker 2:So they let me get my money. They gave me all my money and then shoot. I just bought a brand new camera and two lenses and shoot. I just went to work, just started hustling, I started grinding because I'm like I had to pay these bills. What was your first camera? My first camera was so the first one I bought was a Canon T6S Rebel and I had it up until I moved here. Then, when I lost my job, I just took money and just bought the first mirrorless we had. The first mirrorless that came out was a Canon RP and I just went crazy with it. I bought like two lenses and went crazy and I never looked back since.
Speaker 1:So, just taking that leap of faith, after you know what I mean deciding on if you was going to be at WWL or being an entrepreneur, starting your entrepreneurship you just went straight into the entrepreneurship.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I'm like in my head I'm like I can always get a job. If it don't work out, I can come get back and get me a job. So I'm like I'm going to just try this photography thing and if it don't do nothing then I'll get me another job. But shoot I was making more money than I ever seen Good, fast money, and I enjoy what I do. It didn't feel like work. So I'm like shoot.
Speaker 1:I'm going to stick with this. Your wife's AKA shoot turned into a network of Tennessee.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I did that one shoot. Then you know Murfreesboro, like I'm in Murfreesboro, I was in Murfreesboro, so it's small. So all the black people stuck together, and then somebody reached out for a fashion show like, hey, I seen the pictures you did for such and such and I wonder if you could do my fashion show that had some celebrities. So I'm like, yeah, I'm going to do that. I'm just going to get my foot in it, though, and I did that shoot and boom, everybody started booking me. After that I was doing everybody's pictures and business pictures, so that's kind of like where I started at. They kept me busy.
Speaker 1:So how did you get linked to the Titans players?
Speaker 2:So actually, this was actually what 24? So in 21,. I talked to him. His name Trell, he played for the Titans. But his girl at the time she reached out to me. She's like, hey, my boyfriend, he's such-and-such playing for the Titans and we want to do like a couple shoot and a birthday shoot for me. I'm like, okay, cool. So I did that shoot and then they posted it and got a lot of likes. And then another player reached out to me, which is Bud. He called you pre, yeah, bud, pre, yep. So I think he with the Chargers now shout out to Bud yeah, he is with the Chargers. So his wife reached out to me and I did a shoot at his crib dope crib, yeah, shout out his family. And he's still following. We still follow each other to this day.
Speaker 2:And then Big Dog, jeffrey Simmons, shout out to Jeff. His girl always booked me for all her shoots, so I do all her stuff. Then I started shooting Jeff. He came along, I shot him. He came to my crib, shot him. Then I shoot all their baby photos. And then I got to the crib. He called me if he needs something for the surprise birthday party. He called me yeah, that he needs something or he'd like to surprise a birthday party. He'd call me. So yeah, that's how I kind of like, got a LinkedIn with the Titan players, so it's been a good, a wonderful journey. And then I do stuff.
Speaker 1:I've done stuff for Monica the singer, quite a few celebrities man, so it's been an honor and doing a shoot with one of your, you said your loyal clients, yep, and you were saying how, like you had dead shoots or dead events with senators.
Speaker 2:I done senators.
Speaker 1:How did that work?
Speaker 2:Man. So actually, shout out to Kaniece, she's a creative director, like a big-time creative director in Nashville and Memphis. She's from Connecticut yeah, and I do. We do a lot of projects together. And she had a client actually, which was Lamar London.
Speaker 2:Shout out to Miss London. She's a senator from Memphis. So she reached out to me, wanted me to hey, can you come shoot this Because you're going to be fired? You can pose and do all this stuff. So Lauren London, that's her name, Lauren London. I said Lamar London, yeah, Miss Lauren London. So I went to the senator that checked in and went to check my bag and stuff. So I did a shoot with her and her family in her new office downtown Nashville. Then we went to the chambers or whatever where they do all the voting and stuff. So she had to get sworn in. So I'm taking pictures. I'm the only black guy in there, All these older white folk in there, but it was cool. So just to be in these rooms is a blessing man, and then also just to get these connections and you just never know who you might need and when you might need them. So it's been a blessing man Like this. Photography has taken me to many different rooms and, you know, networked with great people, yeah, and look, man, you said something dope too.
Speaker 1:Man, before I go to the next little slide or whatever what I want to talk about, you said something about having a membership.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm Yep, so pretty much what I do, too, is have clients on retainers Retainers, yeah, or subscriptions. So pretty much what I do is I have 10 slots. So what I wanted to do was fill those 10 slots with clients that need, like YouTubers or people just always need content. Lot of you like content creators and stuff like that. You know just business people. They just always need images. So what I did was put them on retainers.
Speaker 2:Every month like $300 per each person, you get three shoes and you get like 10 edits per month, right, so I got 10 people on that. So it is like guaranteed money. So I know, every month I got these 10, I got these subscriptions coming out, so that's residual income for me, yeah, so that's perfect. So I like that. So that's kind of like what I wanted to go to anyway. Just have like more like people under-retained, you know, because it's guaranteed money. You just never know, like with business, because I may have five shoots or seven shoots, but I know like I got those subscriptions so, yeah, then they got to cancel. Like the way I got it set up, you got to do it within like 35 days or something like that. You just can't like cancel and not pay, like if your payment due tomorrow.
Speaker 1:You can't cancel before you pay, so it's in the contract, so yeah some people will do that, okay, so, yeah, so you, you, you got like residual set up. You know I mean reoccurring, yeah, you know I mean got payments coming to you. Yeah, um, a lot of people uh do different businesses. And you know, for me and what I've noticed in the black community, um, it's always like negative or something Like we trying to one-up each other. But in photography, what I've seen from you, what I've seen from Kadeem, like it ain't that, it's money.
Speaker 2:It's enough for everybody? Yeah, but it is some gatekeepers. Yeah, it's a few of those. Like I remember, when I first started off, like trying to figure out how to edit certain gear, People wouldn't say nothing. It was making me or they wanted me to pay for certain stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm like man, I can get the game free for YouTube, right, you know what I'm saying. But some people be gatekeepers, like especially if you're up and coming, because they don't they be. You know they be trying to make something like you, ain't nothing you know when you're first starting off and they just be like whatever, whatever, right.
Speaker 2:So I've seen people read my message and respond, but when I started booming I was too man, because when I reached out to certain models and when I first started, oh, you got to pay me. You know what I'm saying. But now they want to work with you and want to do it for free. It ain't nothing free. I don't do nothing free.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So a lot of people don't know, but you also, you know Kadeem Mm-hmm and where you know Kadeem from Through you, yeah, okay, yeah. And the thing that I loved about it too man is like you, you and Kadeem, you. Whatever you knew, you gave him the game.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying. Like you shared the game. Yeah, it's been plenty of times he'd reach out for advice. I'd give it to him or we'd get on the FaceTime and I'd show him how to do certain stuff, like when he was first starting, where certain lights and stuff to get Right and shoot free game and then shoot, just blew up, yep, yep.
Speaker 1:And that's the thing, man Kadeem doing his thing, shout out to him. Yep, yep, shout out to my bro Kadeem. Everybody doing their thing, man, and it's like it's not taking away from what you got going on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's enough out here for everybody.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's what I love to see about it, because everybody, and they in their own lane, seem to like feel like they got to one up or be be the holder of all the news. But nah, like just spread the word you spread the word. It's going to come back to you Ten times. Yeah, I mean, or tenfold, Like you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:So and it's not for everything either. For me, like photography, like I love, I enjoy doing them, but I'm 36. I'm not trying to be doing this when I'm 50, you know so because I want to pass this down to the younger cats. But the goal is to, you know, just have, have a bigger brand and have people working under me. So it'll still be under my name, but, like if it's events or something like under my name, my business name.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, that's dope. What you feel like is next like for you, like outside of the photography, Because you yeah, more so.
Speaker 2:Real estate I do want to get some properties Me and my wife invest in some properties and stuff like that. Get a few Airbnbs, just start getting, just add more income to our household, like for our kids, so they'd be set and things like that. But we, our main goal is to get some property in Detroit, own a few homes and flip a few homes as well. Just that's pretty much what we're working to next and just own it, flip the property, yeah we gotta get, we gotta.
Speaker 1:We gotta get 5755 back. We get that back, we good. We gotta get 57, 55 back and all of us me, you, keisha, tanisha, all of us, we all, dietrich, we all can get, get together and figure out something, man to where we can have that, turn that into Airbnb, whatever you know, what I mean. Extend it out whatever to Airbnb, whatever, yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Extended out whatever you got to take care of where you come from Got to man.
Speaker 1:That's like a landmark for us. So it's very prominent to attack that issue at hand. But other than that, because we lost one of our cousins first in piece to Quest yes sir, how did you handle that?
Speaker 2:Man, it was tough. It's still tough to this day. You know, I kind of like I mean I don't know how real dreams are but I knew he was gone before I got the call. It was like that night I got the call, my mom called like at 4 or 5 the next morning and like before she called me, I had a dream Like I was coming in the door and Quez was going out. He had like a suit on, he had a hanger. It was like a suit. I was like Quez going out. He had like a suit on, he had a hanger. It was like a suit. I was like Quez, I'm like you ready. He was smiling, like yeah, man, I'm ready. I was like man, I love you, like I love you too. And I woke up from a dream and like not even like a minute later, my he was gone.
Speaker 2:I already knew, but dealing with it it's been tough, man, because when I go to certain places I be like dang. This is the place I was at when I taught the quiz or one of the lights I got. Every time I turn that light on I think of quiz, because I got that light that same day, just even some of the stuff we did together. We both played ball. We related a lot. I had his ID coming up. I was always with him. We always went to the same high school, you know. So it was yeah, that ID man, yeah, I had his ID for a long time.
Speaker 1:So this is when I tell people like.
Speaker 1:I'm done with the clubbing. It's because we had Quest making Reese IDs at 14, 15, 16 years old, getting into St Andrews and all the other clubs with ease, so it's like it's old to us, so like when you said that, man, that definitely brought back some crazy memories, man. But we stuck together, man, we stuck together. We was thick as thieves, especially on Wade. We used to have them three-on-three tournaments, three in the backyard. We were smaller. Have them three-on-three tournaments, three-on-three in the backyard. We were smaller. The big three was Chris Reese and Mank Mank and me, you and Ro, yeah Then.
Speaker 2:Tone ain't never play.
Speaker 1:Tone ain't hoop, little Tone ain't never hoop man. No, just us six. Yeah, us six most of the time, but yeah, man, man, it's definitely it's been tough it's definitely been tough, but I don't how I deal with it.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's like how I feel. It's like a pain that will never go away. It's like a piece of your heart that can never be. It would never feel the same, but I just I think they're just part of life, because you're going to lose people you're going to use, and that hurt.
Speaker 2:It would never go away, because Quez was like the toughest death for me like ever, like I was young, like I miss my grandparents and stuff. But I was young, I was 11. I was 9 and 12, you know, I mean I didn't fully understand it like how I do. Now you know what I'm saying, but like someone that was closest Quez to me and all of us, you know it kind of hurt, did it, because it was like a real brother.
Speaker 2:you know what I'm saying? Because we were more than cousins, yeah, we were brothers. So that really, really hurt, and it still hurts to this day. I just learned how to just excuse me, like just how to deal with it, man, in this life, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hopefully man we can get. We can see baby Qued so we can yeah around and show them.
Speaker 2:Look, just like them.
Speaker 1:Look just like them, man. Yeah, well, yeah, we hopefully, hopefully, that that pan out well too, man.
Speaker 2:But you just got to be grateful for the times you have with people, man. Yeah, because you never know. Yeah, that's why, like I don't have no regrets for nobody, I enjoy, like, all my relationships with my cousin, my family. I'm no bad blood with nobody. I try to enjoy him while I can. You just never, know, like they gone, like he gone, it was hurt, it hurt, but we had a great relationship. You know what I'm saying Like a lot of great memories. That's how it should be, you know so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, remember the State Fair.
Speaker 2:State Fair. That was the spot.
Speaker 1:Man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, state Classic, have your paper and your pen.
Speaker 1:Have your pen and paper ready. Who going to get the most numbers? That was the man I think we was in that trippity and Quez just say Quez, just say what's the worst thing they're going to say to you.
Speaker 2:Right, no, that's it Okay. Go to the next person. Had the jabots on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, had, or Jabot James, whatever time it was, man Durack Definitely. Oh, he always had Durack on that was early 2000s 2001, 2002. Yeah, and with that man I always like we talked about it early, like I just feel like me being in the military, you going, you know, to school and all those things. Yeah, like I didn't realize other people have PTSD outside of the military until after my doctor told me, hey, you had trauma before you joined the military.
Speaker 2:Like just coming from where you come from. Yeah, just coming from where you come from.
Speaker 1:Yeah, then you get into the military and boom you're in Iraq.
Speaker 2:It's getting worse. Yeah, it done got worse. You know what I'm? Saying Now you double triggered. So how do you let me ask you that like, how do you process that? Like, do you like have I mean, I know you ain't really supposed to ask people, you know what I'm saying like what they experience, but like, how is your mental state, you know, after saying um?
Speaker 1:man. It took a while, man. It took a while for me to like communicate. I think that's what really happened with me and Benita Like I just shut down, she'd be talking or whatever. I just shut down and I didn't care about nothing.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:It's good that we still got a great friendship now afterwards and we co-parent. Therapy definitely helped. I, we co-parent, but therapy definitely helped me. I ain't even gonna lie Therapy, therapy is the, the great cause of how I am now man, because because trying to trying to like handle Iraq, marital issues, previous issues before I joined yeah, all the issues all that stuff, yeah, yeah, all of that stuff.
Speaker 2:It was hard Piling up on you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's piling up on me, man. And then you know we raised to like be tough. Oh yeah, don't show emotions, don't cry, don't do this. And then it's like all this stuff hurt us too. Yeah, you know, like that tough man have that tough mentality, just being tough all the time, like you ain't gotta be tough, like you only need to be tough when you need to be tough yeah, and it kind of like hurt a lot of relationships too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like people we may have been with Yup, because we never had like that soft side, we only hurting ourselves and the people that you know that we care for. So I had to thanks thanks for my wife, cause I had to fix myself you know and be softer. You know, sometimes always tough.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the girls man. I ain't know a lot of girls made me. That's what helped to having the girls man. The girls Cause I was so strong out on having a boy, having a boy. I think me personally, if I had sons, I'd still be the same way. I wouldn't be healed, I wouldn't be able to communicate.
Speaker 2:I'd just be shutting down.
Speaker 1:So, having the girls, it made me fall all the way back and slow down and then take care of what I need to take care of as far as being a great dad and listening, listening with a purpose. You know what I need to take care of as far as, like, being a great dad and listening, listening with a purpose. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Listening, to understand, not to react.
Speaker 1:Not to react, listening to build trust and listening for facts and feelings. So when I did all of those things, shout out to Marine Corps Recruiting. That's how I learned all of those four things from, even though I hated it. I hated recruiting man, but it really helped me be a better person when I got out, because I listened more than I talked. Yeah, and when you start listening more than you talk, you start understanding these people feelings. They're valid feelings, yeah, and you're like damn, I need to check myself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure, yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:So that's why sometimes, like with the girls, man, I let them they're not really talking back, I let them talk to like express themselves. Because, remember, we couldn't do that.
Speaker 2:You shut up, you hit your in the mouth and knock you out as soon as you say something you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 1:Nah, I let them explain themselves and get their thoughts across before we shut them down, because if you shut them down especially for girls they're going to shut all the way down. They might not talk to you for like a week or two, and then every time, someone.
Speaker 2:I think that's kind of like what affected us too, while we shut down because we wasn't allowed to talk. Yeah, we weren't allowed to talk or express ourselves.
Speaker 1:We're always talking back or being disrespectful. We just grew, just trying to explain. We were really just trying to explain ourselves and that's what I learned, man, when you just sit back and listen, you just be like damn okay, you right. I see where you coming from. I understand that like, and then it. You know what I'm saying. I think that's the. The relationship gets better with your kids you know what I'm saying and with relationships you create a safe space?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you create that safe space man, when you got that safe space?
Speaker 1:they can come to you about anything. And today we out doing family at a family event, you know, bowling and playing arcade stuff. We playing basketball, we're hooping. We see Daylon and Melaina playing connect for shooting a hoop. Yeah, and some boy come up to her.
Speaker 1:I'm watching it and I'm like dang the buddy trying Mm-hmm Elena just kept shooing him away. He finally caught the picture, yeah. But yeah, it's just crazy when you see those things. It's like you sit back and you watch and you're like, okay, and even if she came and talked to me you know what I mean it would have been like all right. Yeah, because you know, a lot of times too, our parents thought they knew all the answers, so they was going to answer you before you even said what you was about to say. Oh, I already know what you're talking about and like nah, like, give them the opportunity to talk and everything will be all right. But yeah, man, you got the therapy.
Speaker 1:It's important you got, you know, before we get out of here, because what's something you think you can give to the community I used to call? I call it gym class. It's called gym class G-E-M. You know what I mean. It's the first episode for the second season? Yeah, so we got to start this one off with a bang. What's a gym you can give to everybody in a toolbox that can keep you know what I mean, a quote or whatever. You feel that you know what I'm saying. I can help them out in whatever journey they're trying to get to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would say well, first I'm going to speak to married people. Okay, my advice would be to pretty much just be on the same page, be equally yoked, pray together, whatever you believe in, that's very important. Prayer is very important. Um, pray, prayer is very important in your marriage. Uh, communication, um then like half like was maybe helped, me and my wife. It just like half like goes like weekly, goes like um, just sit down with each other and just talk about your plans for the month or the week, what's going on. It just make everything more smoother and that way you be on the same page.
Speaker 2:But that would be my advice for for marriage and just keep whatever you're going through between you and your spouse because can't nobody fix it between you and your spouse and God, you know what I'm saying like no outsider, because we have we tend to do that a lot like talk to your boy, your girl on the side, let them know what's going on in your household, and especially the single friends, yeah, they can't help at all. Yeah, so always just keep that whatever's going on in your household between y'all and then just like for it's like younger, younger kids, um, I would say, because I got three girls. Um man, like I was when I go back to talking about earlier, like we were talking about the student athletes and just get your education. Like therapy we talked about therapy. You need to see therapists. That's important to do it young, you know, don't be afraid to because people would think you know. Like we were talking about.
Speaker 2:like the black community and therapy people think they're just like oh, we don't do that which we, we struggle with that, like with the black community. Yeah, just get therapy. If you're younger kids, Reach out to your parents, tell them you need a little help, because we all have been through some things and seen some things. Yeah, man, that's what I would say.
Speaker 1:Man, yeah, all right, all right, cuz, before we get out of here, I want to shout out to Pilar man for this dope custom hoodie man. And if y'all not subscribed, please subscribe, like comment and share. Make sure y'all following. Deep Pleasure Photography.
Speaker 2:For sure y'all Deep Pleasure Photography, yeah, Deep.
Speaker 1:Pleasure Photography, let For sure, yeah, deep Plays Photography, yeah, deep Plays Photography. Let me know if you need to shoot Anywhere, he'll come to you. But you gotta pay. Gotta pay that travel fee. Gotta pay that travel fee. And yeah, man, relationships worth more than money. Season two, first episode, sir, appreciate you.
