Balancing Life: The Art of Social Media Breaks | Mario Canon DSH #676

Be quite honest with you, man.

I think right now with rap music,

I think I hope it would take a better turn right now.

I feel like it's in a dark place.

I think a lot of times we're chasing numbers now.

And

I think the rap that's being pushed,

it lacks a sense of purpose and morality, right?

Now it's more strictly for entertainment and number and shock value.

All right, guys, he's back.

We got Mario Cannon.

Thanks for coming on, man.

Thanks for having me, Sean.

You've been taking a little social media break, right?

Yeah, just a little bit.

Just a little bit.

A little spiritual journey.

Yeah, man.

You know,

sometimes too much of anything can be bad, right?

So you got to have

balance in life, man.

That's what life's about, balance.

And sometimes, man, I see a lot of stuff coming through the timeline.

I'm like, oh, man, let me take a break.

Let me re-plug back into reality.

Yeah.

So, and let's get that real love, you know, and sometimes it's not attached to the phone or any of these social media programs.

Right.

Because you're playing in the celebrity space, the acting space yes you kind of got to be on top of it but at the same time it gets too overwhelming sometimes it can be especially being in hollywood now a lot you know and being around and and seeing things that a lot of people might not see on the outside you know especially you know where i'm from in the midwest region they don't get to see what i see you know so that's

it can be a bit overwhelming right yeah now you mentioned you came from some auditions so when you're auditioning for these roles what's kind of the feeling you get do you feel like a lot of the roles are predetermined yeah because um a lot of times uh they're gonna typecast you if you don't have a household name as of yet, right?

And I've done some great things in the music industry, and I've had some nice runs in the acting realm.

But until I get that Denzel Washington, you know, that Michael B.

Jordan stakeholder,

I'm going to be typecasted a lot of times, but it doesn't bother me.

What's typecasted mean?

So

I'm going to be casted for what I look like.

Okay.

So when they're going to give me a role, I'm going to play the role of

the swole guy, sometimes, a lot of times the thug guy, the handsome guy.

Not to say I'm all bad.

I'm just saying that I get typecasted.

Yeah, I just had, I don't know if you know Dane DeLegro, but he's like 6'11.

He played Predator.

Wow.

And he always gets casted villain roles because of that.

He's so tall and like scary looking, I guess.

Yeah, I get the rapper.

Well, you are a rapper.

I am a rapper.

So that's, yeah.

So that was one of my first roles as a rapper on Empire.

You still rapping a lot right now?

Yeah, yeah.

Actually, I'm doing rock.

I got some rock coming out, like a rock-rap mixture.

So a lot of live instrumentation.

I've been experimenting a lot with the different sounds.

So, I'm at a great run.

I had some tracks.

I dropped videos like Innalee Choppa, Montana, Busy Bone.

I even got some music with some other actors too, like Horace Hawk and some Chicago PD and all that stuff.

That's cool.

What do you think of the current state of rap music?

It's gone through a lot of evolutions.

I'll be quite honest with you, man.

I think right now with rap music,

I hope it would take a better turn right now.

I feel like it's in a dark place.

I think a lot of times we're chasing numbers now.

And

I think the rap that's being pushed, it lacks a sense of purpose and morality, right?

Now it's more strictly for entertainment and number and shock value.

And as before, I feel like the music industry and the rap genre had more of a cause.

You know, you're talking about like Public Enemy and KRS-1.

You know, back in those days, the Tupac, those guys had messages behind.

Even though they had their gangster sign, there was a balance, right?

Where they had

a statement and a mission of what they were trying to deliver right right now there's so many diss tracks going on i mean you know it's like wwe right now right

i just saw chris brown had one on quavo man chris brown hey i ain't no chris brown had it in there like that that dude was spitting some fire i don't know man i don't know man quavo will have to come with something uh come back with something for real because chris brown was spitting and he was spitting spitting bro he got violated he got violated bro i ain't gonna hold you yeah he might have to switch genres to route man because he was nice he was nice he was nice the chris brown is an incredible talent.

So he could hoop, too.

Yeah.

Yeah, I seen him hoop.

I seen him in hoop highlights.

Y'all need to hoop together.

Oh, wait, yeah.

I saw him in the celebrity basketball league, the crew league.

Yeah, I think he'd be dunking.

Yeah.

You need to hoop with him.

Yeah, I'm down.

I need to hoop with you, too.

You need to hoop with.

I'm ready.

You still be balling?

I still be balling, man.

Even though I'm kind of bigger now, you know, I still got the crossover.

All right.

Yeah, I still can, you know.

You played college?

I played at University of Illinois at Springfield, and then I redshirted

because I was a knucklehead.

But I played all my life.

Did you get in in a lot of trouble in college?

At the beginning, yeah, I did, man.

I was just trying to find myself, man.

I had one foot in college and one foot in the street.

Got it.

So, you know,

where I'm from,

it's really easy to get off track and get derailed

from your goals.

Yeah.

And I didn't realize my potential and talent because I didn't have that influence around me.

to show me that, dude, you're great.

You can, you know, just stay the core, stay the path.

I wanted to be successful.

I emulated the guys in the local neighborhoods.

I wanted to be like them.

That's all you knew.

That's all I knew, man.

After high school, it was like, man,

I want to be respected and loved in my neighborhood.

I wanted to, I wanted the gold teeth and the big rims and stuff.

That was my, that was my end game.

Did you find a mentor during that time that kind of believed in you?

Yes.

I found multiple mentors from, you know, from my coaches to just elder men around in my life that kind of like, you know, showed me the way.

And

it was crazy going to school.

I had transferred schools and started going to school like in Bloomington Normal at like an ISU in Heartland.

And what I learned, I got to see like households, you know,

in my culture, like black households.

I had the mother and the father and they were successful.

I wasn't used to seeing that on that scale like that, you know?

And I was learning that it would.

I had to switch my whole style, bro.

Like it was like, it was crazy.

I went from wearing like the street clothes to wearing more fitted stuff.

And they were teaching me, the alphas were teaching me, the fraternities were teaching me how to carry myself as a gentleman.

So one of my best friends to this day is DeAndre Tillman.

He was an alpha that took me in.

He's a lawyer.

And I was rough, bro.

Like, you know,

I was going to the parties, you know, the college parties I had, you know, I was ready for beef.

And they're like, nah, dude, we're ready for chicks.

But I was like, I was so used to like people like trying to try me, you know, at this complex, man, coming from where I'm from.

But I didn't realize, man, there was so much more to life.

Wow.

Yeah, there's two types of drunk.

Some people throw hands when they're drunk.

I had a couple of high school friends do that.

Yeah.

I had to leave them behind, man, because that's too much of a liability for me.

Yeah, yeah.

I don't even drink, man.

I haven't had a drink of alcohol in three years.

Wow.

Yep.

Good for you, man.

For sure.

That's a big change.

Yeah, big change for me, man.

Was that because of a health reason or anything specific?

I was

getting booked for a lot of shows.

And a couple of the shows, I had major openings like for Fat Joe and 50 Cent.

But I wasn't focused.

And the alcohol allowed me to miss some of my set times because I was so intoxicated.

And I broke down after one show and sat in my car.

And I was sitting with my bro, Ruben, and I sat in the car.

And I said, man, I quit.

I don't want to do this no more.

He's like, bro,

you're doing great, man.

You just, he said, man, you got to stop drinking so much.

And I was like, I'm just going to quit.

And I just quit.

I cold-turkeyed alcohol.

They were paying me an alcohol, you know, like they were just giving me bottles and the attention and the sparklers and the women around.

And I found myself just really, man, just being just a shallow, empty shell, man.

Wow.

And

once I quit, I got way better at health.

You know, everything started flowing better for me in life.

And you were living out of your car for a bit, right?

Well, so what I was sleeping in my car just to be on set when I was going on Empire, when I first started acting, I would, if I couldn't sleep on my boy Lewis's floor or something, I would just sleep in my car to make sure I made it to set on time.

Wow.

Just to be a background extra at first.

That's crazy.

Yeah, yeah.

So that's how I even got my start just doing background work.

And I would like pull up the set because I'm driving like two hours away.

So I was trying to time it.

And sometimes you just don't want to, they might change the call time to make it earlier.

So to avoid that, well, I would just go on set early and you go into like the secure parking lot to sleep in my car.

Crazy, dude.

Yeah.

You were willing to do that to get to the next level in life.

Just to make 80 bucks for the day.

Oh, they only paid you 80?

Yeah, and some food.

Damn.

You were a big deal on Empire, though, right?

But after that, yeah, I got, so I had got promoted promoted after a while.

I went from like being a stand-in to actually getting a guest star role on there

as well.

So I ended up playing a character called Charlie Dupree on the final season.

So I played like a Lucius lion lookalike.

Yeah.

That's dope, man.

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

And did the business just start booming after that?

It allowed me to do like guest appearances.

The music picked up.

People see me.

I was on national TV.

So I started to get a lot of recognition.

And I actually appeared in one of the, they had me in one of the commercials for the new upcoming episode.

So I used that to my advantage to generate more business.

Nice.

Yeah.

That's cool.

Definitely picked up after that for sure.

That's when I got a couple of famous features after that on music.

That's when I collaborated at NLE Chiapa.

I had a busy bum.

Me and Montana was working more.

It was crazy, man.

It was good.

Were you able to control your ego during that time?

Yes or no?

Because I come from humble beginnings.

I had that.

But then I also had that chip on my shoulder, like, look, you don't know what I've been through.

I'm the man.

I deserve this.

But I was just getting started.

I hadn't even scratched the surface yet.

I didn't even know there's so much more.

I got so much more work to do.

So there's always more work to be done.

So when you think you got it, man, God can take that away from you like that.

Wow.

So.

Yeah, that's an important mindset to have because I think some people get comfortable and it doesn't last forever.

Man, you get comfortable, you get broke.

Bars.

Facts.

Real talk, man.

Real talk.

Yeah.

So, are you mainly focused on music or acting, or do you kind of 50-50 it?

Honestly, man, I 50-50 it a little bit, but I'm leaning more towards, I just love creating, right?

And

the music, it gets because I have more control over that.

And then also, too, man, I'm getting into coaching and speaking spaces.

So I go to schools and tell them my story.

I'm speaking to universities and high schools right now.

And so I'm really working on my coaching program, which I'll be answering people's DMs and Instagram.

And I'm starting to formulate and build that and help people progress forward in life.

Because what I'm noticing now is a lot of people lack structure and discipline and they need a plan because they're just out here and they're just watching all the stuff on Instagram, but they don't have a plan.

And so I'm here to provide that.

I love that.

And you met one of the top coaches in the world, Andy Frisello, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I met, so not only as a first-form athlete, but I actually got to work with him and Brad Lee as well.

And so I met Bill Walsh.

Like, I get to meet all the big guys.

It's been really, really cool to work alongside.

these folks.

That's massive.

Yeah.

These are nine-figure guys.

Yeah.

And that's the proximity I want to be around.

There's power and proximity.

And I always tell people that like man get uncomfortable man I want to be the brokest in the room not the biggest in the room get out of your comfort zone man.

Let's go.

I love that.

Let's go.

Yeah, I think your story is so relatable right because growing up you didn't have money and a lot of people are like that growing up You turned it into something big.

Yeah, for sure man.

My mom did what she could.

I'm not saying we were just dirt poor.

I'm just saying I grew up in a rough neighborhood

didn't have a whole lot.

I thought we had it all, but once I realized on the grand scheme of things, like, man, we was,

it was tough.

I lost a lot of people

coming up in this game man i seen a lot seen a lot of death man um and and i carry that with me man and i use my i use my family that i've lost as a motivation and a reminder that i'm still here for a reason you understand so that's that's where i'm at that's scary man yeah yeah were you really fearful of death growing up yes um especially after high school um because i was i was leading a double life you know and um so i had one foot in school one foot in the streets yeah and so um because i was trying to find myself, man, you know, just being accepted.

I was, I'm not a gangster.

I wasn't a thug, but I'm in these positions and I mean, in these environments where I have to portray a certain image to not be taken advantage of.

Wow.

You see what I'm saying?

Yeah.

So a lot of people are in positions because they're in that position because that's where they're at.

That's not who they are.

You see what I'm saying?

Yeah.

But they got to survive.

Right.

You know what I mean?

And so you'll see that.

in a lot of guys.

And I see a lot of men who just, they just want an opportunity to be in a different environment so they can truly be themselves.

and once i escape that environment i got to actually get break that ceiling and actually start to become the man who i'm becoming right now right that's good to get your perspective on things because you rarely see that right yeah you don't see it man and i i can't tell you how many funerals i've been to i can't tell you how many people i lost wow you know how many names i got on tattooed on me man um and i think about them every day every day and i i don't know i just i thank god like man

He loved me.

Every time I wake up, I think God loves me.

Wow.

So your religion's played a big role in your life?

My faith.

Faith?

My faith, man.

I don't like the word religion to me because religion,

I feel like a religion in America is more of a business now.

Right, right.

But my faith, yes, for sure.

Strong, bro.

Strong.

I think it's important to have something you believe in.

Yeah, for sure, man.

Got to believe in a higher power for sure to keep you going.

100%.

I went through a weird atheist phase growing up.

I did too.

You did too?

Yeah, I went through that, man.

Because

if everybody around you dying that you love and everything

you touch dies, you start you stop believing after a while you get numb you get numb man how many times you're going to hear the good die young

what that doesn't make sense to me yeah i don't like that quote i hate it i hate that quote yeah nice guys finish last yes yes yes and that's i find that to be you know pretty accurate right yeah i mean you do yeah oh yeah you know you know for me it's it's more about just having discipline Everybody's getting motivated, right?

You're motivated.

But motivation is temporary.

You're not always motivated.

You don't want to get up every morning, do you?

Some mornings, you're like, man, I'm tired.

Sleep in a bit.

Don't sleep in, bro.

I'm not feeling this today.

But you got the discipline to go.

So I like discipline as a constant more than motivation.

I feel that.

Yeah.

You work on seven days a week right now?

Seven days, bro.

Seven days, man.

Plane to plane, city to city, where I got to be.

Let's go.

You're locked in.

Let's make it happen.

So you're sacrificing a bit of your personal life right now?

All the time.

You know, I don't, look, I miss out on holidays and all types of things because I'm, you know, I try not to be a consumer.

I try to be a provider more because I feel like, you know, God has me here as a sacrifice to give to everybody, to give to you all

and to be motivational.

Yeah, because you're going to be able to inspire millions.

Millions.

With your story.

Yes, for sure.

Especially you having me, man.

Absolutely.

This is the first step.

Yeah, this is the first step right here.

I can't wait to see where you go from here, dude.

Yeah, man.

Listen, man, this is all about this, keeping, staying consistent, persistent, and being accountable.

You know, that's what it's about.

Yeah, that's the sacrifice uh i had to take too yeah five years straight seven days a week how long you been doing this well the pot a year but i've been grinding for you know non-stop since college yeah and uh i mean i got gray hairs i'm 27.

where you from i'm from jersey you from jersey bro yeah what part uh northern i went to ruckers bro i went to newark new jersey for a basketball camp one time oh yeah uh seton hall yeah wasn't that's where my girl went where so i i hooped there uh back in the day man and i was i was in high school and i got to play against like J.R.

Smith out there.

Nice.

I had my best hoop times out there.

I heard he was filthy in high school.

Bro, he was ridiculous, bro.

This dude was coming across half court shooting threes, and he was a beast, man.

But yeah, I like Jersey.

I like New York.

I didn't know how close they were.

I just had a summer out there.

I did a few shows out there in Brooklyn and stuff.

And I was like, man, they like right across the street from each other.

Yeah, Jersey's close.

Jersey is a family state.

It's a good state.

What got you?

What brought you here?

Business, dude.

Jersey is a good state, but not for entrepreneurs.

Yeah.

So it's if you have a nine to five want to raise a family great state but if you want to grind and pursue entrepreneurship you need to be in cali or a major city that's how the midwest is too right like where i'm from i'm originally from springfield illinois and right now i'm in i'm in a small small town lincoln right now i want to own a couple of um properties and the companies but you know in order to to really

be successful if you're not trying to live you know have settle down with a family then you got to you know you got to venture out here yeah out west or bigger metropolitan areas i feel that so yeah Is family like starting one, something you put to the side for the business?

Well, I have two kids right now that, you know, along the way.

But

as far as me, you know, settling down, yeah, I mean, I'm pretty much sacrificing.

You know, my kids are great.

You know, they're in great positions.

You know, I have great relationships with my kids.

But at the same time,

yeah, I don't live a sedentary lifestyle.

I don't.

I'm on the road.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And you like that?

I love it.

I love it.

It's not for everyone.

You know, and I have my days, but I love the challenge of not knowing.

I like it.

There's no selling.

You know, there's no selling to what you can do.

So for sure, man.

Dude, I'm going to see you in some big movies one day, aren't I?

Yeah, man.

I'm actually working.

Like, I'm currently working right now.

I'm writing my own script, too.

Like, you know, I'm doing it.

I have my hands in a lot of things, man.

And the main thing for me right now is I'm finishing up an album.

Like I said, my first rock album.

So it's got like a rock-rap twist to it.

And then also, man, just getting into the staying in that motivational speaking realm and actually helping people.

Because my biggest return of what I do is inspiring people.

It just gets my blood going.

Like when I'm able to help somebody change their lives and change

their trajectory, it really inspires me to do more.

I love that.

Yeah.

Project Block Party.

What's going on with that?

Block Party.

So what I'm doing with Block Party right now is I'm bringing the black and Latino communities together through music and celebration.

And so

I connected with an artist and a producer out of LA, F.A.

and Mario, and me and Mo kind of put together this block party situation where we can bring all cultures together to education in less fortunate communities through music and celebration.

So, you know, like when they have

city events or they have acts come out, we'll provide different opportunities for people for learning, for job placement,

you know, health, and not only make it educational, but then make it fun with the music and games and stuff for the kids and things like that.

So we're having a real block party, like bringing that family back together through music.

That's why you see the block party music video.

You see kids, you see people of all ages, all races and ethnicities and backgrounds, you know, and different social classes all together under one roof, celebrating and dancing.

I love that.

Yeah.

Community is important.

Community is very important, bro.

Yeah.

That's how I decide where I live, actually.

Really?

Yeah.

I like that.

That's very community integration is one thing I learned when I was starting my first business.

Yeah.

Yeah.

When I house shop, I look at the neighbors.

I look at the vibe.

I look at the type of people living there.

And if I think it's a good community, like that's a major plus.

Got to have community.

And I really, I had a hard time finding that in Hollywood, honestly, like the community, like being in a Los Angeles, Hollywood area.

And I'm not saying they don't have a community, but I just seem like in that space, I didn't really feel the community.

I feel like everybody's like in a rush to try to be famous.

Yeah.

LA is very much what can I gain out of you type of thing.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Especially I would talk to somebody and then, you know, it would be kind of cool.

But then then if I'm wearing my jewelry or something, or it'd be more amphibious.

Like, oh, this dude's got ice on.

Or they'll look me up.

Like, oh, you are important.

You got, yeah.

You've been on this show.

And, you know, oh, man, what's up?

Dude, that's happened to me so many times.

The first is like,

I look like this, you know, another swole rapper dude or something.

Whatever.

And then you get to talk to me if I have a certain persona or jewelry or you get to look me up online.

Now you really want to be my friend.

Super weird.

Yeah, I talk to everyone the same way.

But yeah, as soon as they asked for the IG, they talk to me completely different.

Really?

It's really weird.

Yeah.

I can see that happening with you, Sean.

I mean, you should just talk to everyone the same.

It doesn't matter if it's the plumber or like your boss.

Like, it should be the same.

That's not how people talk anymore, man.

They're constantly on social media.

This stuff's always been pumped in their face, man.

And I don't fault them for it, man.

You know, I just

feel like if they're just misled, they're misguided.

And that's really why.

I love the coaching aspect and the motivational speaking and

helping people with fitness.

Like, I want to work with you and help you with the fitness as well.

Cause I know you say you want to be dunking a lot more.

Yeah, yeah.

You're dunking like 40% of the time.

I want you dunking 80% of the time.

I want to be windmilling.

Windmilling on people's heads, bro.

You know what I mean?

For real.

That'd be cause.

Yeah.

You could get me there?

Huh?

You could get me there?

I can get you there, bro, easily.

Let's do it, bro.

I'm locked in.

I'm going to get you.

You know, you're going to be looking like, you know,

your lady can be like, man, shine.

I love it.

Are you dunking?

Well, I don't want to lie and stay in cap.

I was dunking.

I was doing the regular dunk.

I didn't do nothing fancy.

Throw me an OOB, I'll throw it down, right?

Throw me a one-hander.

I probably can dunk pretty well right now because I'm really strong, but you probably only get one out of me because I'm built for running.

And

I train a little boxing and things like that, but I'm pretty explosive.

Like I still run.

I do sprints and things like that.

So, yeah, I love training.

I love it.

That's a rare quote right there.

Fitness is one of the first key steps to having a better quality of life is health.

Because I don't care how much money you make if your health sucks, you'll trade anything for your health, right?

If I told you I'll give you $20 million today, but you won't make it, but you're going to die tomorrow, what would you take?

I wouldn't take it.

You wouldn't take it, right?

So you want to make sure that your health is first because you can't help anybody if your health's not good.

Yeah.

No, I'm big on health and I think it should be a, I think people assume they don't need to look at it when they're young, but it's important to start early.

Very important, man.

Health and health is very important.

I mean, dude, when I got my blood tested, I mean, this is a low thing in general in America right now, but testosterone, mine was pretty low.

Yeah.

And I was 25.

Yep.

And a lot of that has to do with, you know, what's being programmed into food.

There's so much,

so much, so much, so many additives into food.

And it really, really hurts our testosterone right now for men.

Yeah.

Seriously.

I think it's probably at an all-time low right now.

It is by far.

So we have the same, our grandfathers had higher testosterone than us.

Yep.

Basically, which is crazy.

I mean, but you can understand why.

You know, our food's more processed.

They're pumping so much garbage out.

Yeah.

And we're just inhaling it.

It's like, I know where I live, it's like people want to get full cheap.

So the cheaper and fastest way they can get their high from their food, they're going to take it.

Fast food.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

I don't eat any fast food anymore.

Oh, yeah.

I won't say I don't eat fast food.

I don't eat the fast food that the typical American fast food.

Like I don't eat eat a salad and go, things like that.

You know, things of that sort.

I meant the drive-thrus, like all those fast food, like Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's.

Oh, no, no, that's done.

Done deal.

You can't eat that stuff.

We know better than that.

But there's this notion that you need money to eat nice, you know?

So they go to these places spending five, ten bucks.

Yeah.

You need discipline to eat nice.

That's it.

Yeah.

You need discipline, not money, discipline.

You know,

you're sleeping in too long.

You're spending too much time on TikTok.

You're watching too much Netflix.

spending too much time lallygagging man let's get it you know you can do more you know you can do better let's be let's have a better grasp on time and let's utilize that time better so you can have a better quality life so you have more time to do things that you want to do and things that you thought you never could do but because a lot of times people have confidence that's why they don't that's why they spend so much on different things to outshine that you know to try to it's like a cloak you know yeah so i went through that growing up did you have some confidence issues growing up?

All the time, man.

I mean, I got beat down.

You know, I was,

I, I had it definitely a confidence issue, right?

And I would try to overcompensate with

whatever it was,

whether it was my gold teeth, whether it was the rims on the car, whereas it was a tough bravado.

acting macho, you know, or, you know, the women, you know, whatever I could do, the alcohol, the mask it, I would do that instead of just attacking the problem.

So it was much easier to make an excuse to, oh, I'm that way because I drink, you know, and stuff like that.

Instead of just owning it, right?

Yeah, I think me not having that father figure growing up, I think played a role into my issues.

But I was so shy growing up, dude.

I was so scared to speak out.

Really?

Yeah, for real.

Even in sports, like I was always one of the most talented kids, but I just was scared to speak up and be a captain, be a leader.

So you grew up without a father as well.

They got divorced when I was like 10.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I saw him a little bit, but.

You still talked to him?

He passed away.

I'm sorry to hear that.

But yeah, that definitely played a role.

And a lot of people are growing up without fathers.

Yep.

Yep.

And, you know,

you need that structure, right?

So I had that same issue, right?

I had men in my life, but

I didn't have a father.

I met my father kind of later in life.

If me and him were cool, like, you know,

he's a cool dude, man.

But, you know, we don't talk every day.

But, you know.

My father's cool, man.

He's got his family and stuff.

Yeah.

You seeked him out or he seeked you out?

I don't want to lie.

It's kind of like mutual.

I always had a relationship with a sister, my aunt Sherry.

She's a pastor.

And I didn't know why this lady was always wanting me to come over to her house.

It was weird.

I know it sounds crazy.

Because my mom was like, oh man, you know, my mom was kind of like, kind of protect me and shield me from the situation.

Yeah.

And she always would tell me, like, no, that's just, you know, that lady loves you.

But she didn't tell me, like, well, that's my father's sister.

Whoa.

You see what I'm saying?

And you didn't know.

I really didn't know.

Wow.

And then she would tell me, like, well, your dad's my brother.

And we look, I mean, we're like twins, bro.

Like, it's crazy.

And I'd be like, no, my dad's dead.

My mom told me my biological father passed away.

You know, this is, you know, but she was protecting me.

You know, she was, it was a protective mechanism.

She was trying to protect me from the situation.

But yeah, I never knew until like later.

And I was like, finally got to start to talk to him.

I'm like, man, this guy's like the same as me.

Like,

this is my dad.

Wow.

And then

I got sisters and things like that on my dad's side.

Oh, so you had no idea you had a whole other family.

Yeah, I had whole, I got a whole family.

Like, I, you know,

they do, they're pretty well-to-do as well, actually.

Like, you know, I could have probably benefited from that growing up, but, you know,

but now I'm benefiting from it.

So, did that cause some issues with your mother, like some arguments, stuff?

No,

I'm a pretty level-headed guy, man.

I understand, right?

Everybody has their reasons.

And I'm still here, and I'm healthy, and I'm thriving, and she's doing well.

And so we get an understanding and we move forward.

I don't really dwell on what happened, what could have happened.

Let's focus on mending the situation.

Let's build together now.

That's a great mindset, man.

Because a lot of people get stuck in the past.

Yeah, you know, I'm not one of those rappers or one of those guys, you know, groove, but I'm a daddy.

I'm not dissing this.

I'm not dissing my dad, and I'm not going to diss my mother.

We're going to work on building right now what we got and move forward.

Living in the present, right?

Yeah, I'm living in the present and the future, man.

I'm trying to prepare.

And so, and so I have a son and daughter, and I'm trying to show them

how to be logical, methodical in their approach, and their thinking so they can continue to grow.

I love that.

You set goals, set goals, man.

Every time, man, you got, you know, you got your 90-day goal, you got your year goal, you know, you got your 10-year goal, five-year goal.

There's, I have so many goals, and I'm not saying I reach them all, but at least

I might crush it.

Yeah.

but at least I have something I'm working towards.

I do vision boards every year.

Yeah.

So I'll put it like I'll do a physical one where I do the magazines and stuff.

And then I'll have one on my desktop, on my lap, on my computer.

And dude, every time I make it, everything on there comes true.

Really?

Because you're just looking at it every day, like subconsciously.

You're picking up on it.

And that's strong, the subconscious.

Like you're just, you're visualizing that.

You're making it happen.

That is super, super powerful, man.

Yeah.

I really believe in manifesting

your reality.

100%.

I'm huge on energy, man.

Yes, for sure.

For sure.

I used to doubt it.

Like, I used to not even think there was a spiritual side to life, but, dude, there is.

There is, man.

And I thought about, I was in the, dude, I'm telling you, Sean, man, I lost my brothers, man,

to the streets at an early age.

I'm watching everybody around me die, bro.

Like, seriously, like, and people getting killed left and right.

And I really lost my faith

in God for a minute.

I just thought like, God,

why are you letting this happen?

Why am I around so much death and murder?

What is going on?

But I really have to reel myself back in.

I was being selfish and I had to really understand, like, man, you know, I'm blessed every day I wake up.

What am I going to do about it?

How am I going to make a difference?

Not poor me.

There's other people who are experiencing way worse.

What am I going to do to help and contribute to society in a way?

that can turn the trajectory and change the trajectory of children that come from homes like me that are in in my position or even worse positions.

Right.

So, I love that.

What kind of difference am I making?

Do you believe everything happens for you, not to you?

Everything happens for you.

Everything.

Nothing.

I'm not a victim.

I'm a victor.

I know that sounds cliche, but you have to really embody that.

You have to really feel that in your soul, your heart, in order to win.

Man, I've been through a lot being in Hollywood.

You know,

I had my beefs and I had people.

I've been blackballed plenty of times, man, for just being confident and knowing my purpose, man.

man but i don't you don't see me crying about it i keep it moving

i'll check you a little bit but i'm gonna keep it moving yeah how many of the beefs did you start

i like to say i didn't start any of them okay you know i wasn't powerful enough to start any of the beef you know i was in the position of trying to grow

so a lot of times and you know how dark the industry is, man.

If you even appear to be a threat to someone in their position, they're going to make sure you ain't getting to the next level because there's a lot of gatekeeping, man, that goes on in Hollywood, man, in the entertainment industry.

And I experienced it on so many different levels, man.

And as just a background extra, I experienced gatekeeping.

Right.

For sure.

And I'm also frustrating because you know you have the talent, you want awards for acting, and you're not getting the roles because of these gatekeepers.

Yeah, or I'll get the role and they'll take it from me because one of the gatekeepers is like, how to get in here?

Because I'll see through the cracks because talent is talent, right?

And so, you know, when you're booked by an agent, sometimes you get booked for something, and then somebody else that doesn't particularly want you to be in a position like hey

get him out of here you know i don't want him here yeah how'd he get in i thought i had i thought i got rid of him i'm that i'm that little pesty flea fly that keeps finding a way to get into the room yeah you know because no matter what you do you can put my food in the dark i'm gonna find it baby i'm gonna find it do you think they're scared of you because you speak your mind most actors i would say kind of just follow the script and they don't really have a personal brand no i think they're scared of my heart because i'm genuine And they know that

I got

to this position by genuinely grinding and having a good heart.

I'm not saying I'm perfect, bro, but I know that the fear comes to the guilt too.

If I know I did something wrong to you and I know I've wronged you, maybe indirectly, and you keep coming through the cracks, I don't want you coming on no

Sean Kelly podcast talking about it.

I don't want you coming out because then you're going to expose my true character right you see what I'm saying yeah yeah I don't I got to keep this dude away keep him at he need to do something else because if he reaches the light and I'm not the type of guy that wants to do that but I know controversy sells but I'm not the type of dude that wants to put people in blast but also I'm going to speak my truth as well like I'm not going to because these kids need to know and people need to know what really goes on right so they so they can prepare themselves yeah because a lot of these kids want to become actors and they think if they have the talent they could do it but there's a lot of politics behind the scenes Yeah,

you never want to meet your idols.

Sometimes meeting your idols will, it's heartbreaking.

Did that happen to you?

Yeah, it did.

Damn.

It did.

I could see that because you paint this persona from what you see online and you think they're just on another level and then you kind of get let down, right?

You meet a man and

you're like, damn, man.

I don't even want to listen to you.

I don't want to watch your movies no more.

I don't want to listen to your songs no more.

Because now it hurts me to even look.

And I'm like, man,

you're not a nice person bro

yeah for me it's like just being genuine like you said like just be yourself I hate when people put on a mask or a persona I'm not saying you got to be perfect man I'm I'll probably maybe pissed off a few people who have done some things but you can come to me as a man or I'll admit when I'm wrong when I've done something wrong because I don't plan to be perfect I plan to mess up even after this show yeah I'm gonna make some mistakes That's what makes me human.

It's important to own up to it.

That's the difference.

Most people won't admit.

I'm rocking with it, baby.

Yeah.

I'm rocking with it all day.

I love the, I'll hold it.

I'll wear it with a smile.

That's why I can't stand politics because they'll never be like,

I made a mistake.

Yeah.

Politics is crazy, man.

Man, I try to get it.

That stuff is tricky.

And

where I live at, in the Midwest, man, they're really big on politics and going back and forth.

And

they don't know.

A lot of people don't really know what's going on because in Hollywood, I see the politics, but I see a lot of it's all about money.

And a lot of people think it's about policy and doing the right thing.

And like, a lot of times I see it's about money and control.

That's it.

100%.

Money.

Can you buy your way into a role?

I think you can.

I think you can, you know, I think, I feel like if you have the right situation,

the right backing, the right financial sponsor, for sure,

you can get put in position easily.

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

It's about who you know and who knows you.

Right.

If you got the right talent agency representing you, you're paying them that monthly check.

They're going to get you some roles.

Man, if you got the right bag, anything can happen.

Yeah.

You know, that goes for any industry, I feel like anything in the entertainment.

Yeah, definitely entertainment.

Anything in entertainment.

Money talks.

Yeah.

Like rap right now is pay to play.

You know, you can see like the hip-hop industry, you know, is pay to play.

I'm not saying these artists aren't good.

I'm saying there's so much talent out there that will never get the chance to display their skills because they don't have the financials or resources to reach the masses.

And

then if the labels can't make money off them, they're not going to push that stuff.

They're going to push what's going to generate, move the needle.

That's why I like Russ because he's going against labels.

Russ is a beast, man.

Yeah, he was the first guy to really pave his own way in the hip-hop space for you, like independently.

Yeah,

Russ is a monster, man.

You got like a favorite rapper?

A favorite rapper, man, is always going to be Tupac Shakur, man.

Like Tupac is going to be my favorite rapper.

As far as rap, I listen to right now, man.

I really, I'm all over the place.

Like, I'll be listening to some rock, some shine down, and then I'll just go and listen to some old Tupac.

I might listen to some Future,

some Outcast.

I listen to everything, man.

Like, literally everything.

I like Outcast.

I even like Torrey Lane.

I think Torrey Lanes is super, super, super, super underrated.

He's talented.

I think that guy is so talented, man.

And it's unfortunate in his situation, man.

But I think he's a talented guy, man.

I really do.

I love his 80s, 10th wave albums.

He's got some bangers.

I really enjoy that 80s vibe, man.

I'm an 80s guy.

I I listen to 80s music, too.

What, man?

Come on.

Yeah, the Gatsby, the Spotify playlist.

The cameo, all that disco, man.

That's when music was smooth, man.

You could feel it.

You could feel it.

The frequency is just higher, I feel like.

Yeah, and they had a, you know, they had a message.

Like, you know, I just learned about the message behind the Gap Band, how they were actually named after the Black Wall Street.

They were actually had a political message and how they were trying to call out

the impurities of the people in power through through song, but you dropped the bomb on me.

I just learned that you dropped the bomb on me was about how Black Wall Street was destroyed.

And I thought you dropped the bomb on me was about a lady, about a chick, like, oh, girl, you know, you dropped the bomb on me.

And it's actually a political song.

I didn't even know that.

I had no idea.

But here I am, you know,

music is like

a soundtrack to what's going on in a particular time.

So if you look at music and you look at what's being pushed and then you look at what's going on in the communities and the cultures, that's that's actually what's going on right now.

So whatever they're putting out is kind of a reflection of what you're going to see in reality a lot of the times, right?

Yeah, now they're rapping about drugs and

mental health and stuff.

Yeah, that makes sense.

You see what I'm saying?

Look at IQ levels.

Like if you're going to simply dumb down a rap, then

a lot of the, you know, the communities, a lot of the kids are going to dumb down

what they're doing.

Yeah.

Right.

Because they're going to emulate, because music raises our children most of the times, like social media raises the children right now.

IQ levels got to be at an all-time low.

Like it's crazy because I speak to kids who will listen to me over their own parents.

I'm like, dude, these people are providing food and shelter for you.

Yeah.

But they want to hear what I got to say because

they feel me.

They want to be like Mario Cannon.

Mario Cannon's got the chains.

Mario Cannon's got the fame.

Mario Cannon's been on TV.

But, you know, but your parents are there for you.

They're right now.

They're in your household providing for you.

Clothing, love.

Yeah.

You know, they're protecting you.

They love you.

But we have a responsibility as entertainers to make sure.

I feel like we do.

We have a responsibility to make sure that we give the youth something

to take with them to help them further and have better quality life.

100%.

Yeah.

I think it's important to listen to your parents, but I think you should also have a mentor like yourself or someone else to get another opinion because your parents are going to give you advice based off their life.

Yeah, for sure.

For sure.

And I agree with that wholeheartedly, Sean, for sure.

And they mean well, obviously, but my parents were immigrants.

They thought going to school was like the answer because that's what worked for them.

You know what I mean?

But that's not the answer these days.

No, the craziest part about it is, you know, speaking of parents, my mom,

before I bought Anytime Fitness, when my first business I bought,

I had a chance to work at this factory.

And she's like, you need to check the factory job because you're guaranteed this much pay, you know, and you're going to get benefits, all this crap, you know what I'm saying?

And I was like, man, mom, I just want to become a trainer.

And eventually, you know, I ain't going to have no schedule.

I know I'm not guaranteed no pay, but I get my freedom.

And she's like, how are you going to pay your bills?

And I'm like, I'm going to figure it out.

And then like a year later, I bought the gym.

Wow.

That's crazy.

Isn't that crazy?

Yeah.

Isn't that crazy?

I took a chance, a gamble on myself.

And so, not that my mom didn't have my best interest because she loves me.

My mom's thinking about my security and a constant paycheck because that's what she was taught.

That's what she knew.

Work hard, pay your bills.

That's it.

I'm like, no, I want to work hard, pay my bills, help people, motivate.

I want to make a change.

I want to change the generational curse of us not owning anything.

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, it's a new era.

It's a new era, bro.

I'm on my freedom.

Yeah.

I think purpose-based businesses are going to be the next big thing.

Purpose.

I like that.

Purpose.

Yes.

I agree.

I agree.

I mean, just think about our lifestyle and how much we love it.

I mean, it took us some time to get here, but the money's decent and we feel so good because we're inspiring people.

And I tell people all the time, man, you know, a lot of times because they see me in L.A.

and Hollywood, like, what is rich to you?

Like, you think that a lot of these people are rich?

They're not.

You know,

it's better to be wealthy in health and life because

you can buy all the stuff you want, man.

But it's not going to change how you feel inside.

Like, you got to really, really have a purpose.

Once you got your purpose, and all the other stuff are going to come.

100%.

It's going to come.

Yeah.

That materialistic stuff, it's a phase, but it's not here to last.

I've had it all, man, lost it all.

You know, I've been on top of the game.

I've been at the bottom of the the game too you know i've lost like three businesses in one year one time i was like all right i'm gonna fail everyone wow yeah man you know i was like this is it i'm done what i'm gonna do i came back up fighting

peaks and valleys man higher highs lower lows it's never just like this

boom oh you know what i'm saying always yeah man i mean is it the trajectory is crazy but you got it one thing that's constant is you keep fighting yeah it's a constant yeah people don't talk about the lows but it happens to everyone dude every single person Every person.

Yeah.

People that say that it doesn't happen, I just don't believe it.

Nope.

I've been there.

Yeah.

It's never just smooth sailing.

Sean, I had a show one time.

My car got repoed at my show.

Damn.

I'm on stage rapping about all this money I got.

Now I'm big pimping.

And, you know, I'm rocking the stage.

And I come outside.

My car is gone.

I had some ladies with me at the time.

So I had to tell them my car got stolen.

I go, somebody just stole my car, man.

What's going on?

They stole my car.

Now they repoed it.

Damn.

That's crazy man

i love the honesty though i love it most people would take that one to the grave no

i haven't it was crazy man i remember it was i remember like yesterday man downtown just doing a show and then

come outside car gone wow i was like man somebody stole my car

i had to finesse that one i love it yeah for sure dude what you got going on next and where can people find you man um right now next man i'm getting ready to launch i'm in an incredible program um

coaching and motivation speaking.

I'm going to have a program put together.

I'm going to answer all DMs to help people

reach their next level of life and goals

financially, their love life, and fitness.

I want to help people out with their health, you know.

So that's what I got next.

And plus a rock album coming alongside of that, too.

I got a whole band with me now.

Your boy spitting over rock beats.

All right.

But

people can find me on Instagram at thisisCanon.

So T-H-I-S-I-S-C-A-N-O-N.

And I'm answering the DMs.

Um, so hit me up.

If it goes to the spam, I will comb through that spam because you know how it is.

Yeah, yeah, I get so many messages, but they go to spam because Instagram is protecting me, yeah, um, so to speak.

So, but yeah, that's what I got going on next, Sean.

Cool.

Link below.

Thanks for coming on, man.

Can't wait to do it with you.

Man, you know, we're gonna get buckets.

You know what I'm saying?

We're getting buckets.

Oh, yeah.

All right, guys.

Thanks for watching.

Peace.