Renowned music producer and DJ Clinton Sparks joins host Jeff Fenster to discuss the importance of relationships and how to level up one's relationship capital game.
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00:00 Other people's opinions are not part of your plan.
00:03 Other people's doubting is not part of your plan.
00:06 So why would it affect your plan?
00:07 Knowing you're dope and thinking you're dope are two different things.
00:11 Overnight success takes 10 years.
00:13 The problem is most people that have overnight success don't last 10 years.
00:18 Stop trying to be other people and become the first you and not the second somebody else.
00:23 When I was a kid I was very lonely.
00:25 I didn't really have any friends, no guidance.
00:27 I was a thief when I was younger.
00:29 So I used to rob houses.
00:30 So I stole turntables.
00:32 So I had a whole set up at my house.
00:34 When I was like 12, the 18 year olds would come over and I'd just be DJing.
00:38 My radio was my best friend.
00:40 And everything I know I learned from my radio when I was a kid.
00:44 I didn't even graduate high school, but I realized my teachers didn't pass me
00:49 because I was accepting the mind that they were trying to develop in my head.
00:55 They passed me because they realized the mind I already have is going to figure it out.
01:24 Welcome to the show, Clinton.
01:25 Thank you very much, Jeffrey.
01:26 So excited to finally have you down here at Unevolved Studios.
01:30 Dude, I'm so pumped because I also didn't know that I was going to be getting bowls of acai while I was here.
01:35 That's right.
01:36 Does every guest get it or did I just get one?
01:38 Just you.
01:39 Thank you.
01:40 Even if you're lying, it just made me feel better.
01:41 It's a Clinton thing.
01:42 All right, thank you very much.
01:43 I'm a big fan of bowls.
01:44 Yes.
01:45 I even had a bowl cut when I was a kid.
01:47 Wasn't a fan of that though.
01:49 That's what happens when you're broke.
01:52 Yeah, fair.
01:53 Your mom takes out the scissors and just gives you a bowl cut.
01:55 Literally with a bowl in the head?
01:56 I don't know if she ever really used a bowl on my head, but I definitely had a bowl cut.
02:01 I'm trying to picture you with a bowl cut.
02:02 Don't.
02:03 Did you have – you probably had –
02:04 It's not fun.
02:05 No.
02:06 No.
02:07 Erase it.
02:08 Just delete the actions even happening.
02:09 I'm excited because you have such an eclectic background.
02:13 We speak to a lot of guests.
02:15 I get to interview a lot of cool people, but very few have accomplished so much and had as difficult of a start,
02:22 I would say, as you did.
02:25 I don't know how much you want to go into your background, but I think it's important because I got to hear you speak.
02:30 We met at VCon.
02:31 Yeah.
02:32 I got to listen to you give one of your presentations, and I learned more about you during that than I learned on the internet.
02:40 Obviously, we had traded in the same friendship circles but hadn't really hung out,
02:43 and listening to you explain where you came from and what you had to overcome
02:46 and how you're not sorry that it happened because you used it as fuel and how you have elevated your life to where you are today,
02:53 I think is something that not only is inspiring, but it's also a roadmap because we all have trials and tribulations,
02:58 but not everyone figures out how to overcome.
03:00 Right.
03:01 What do you think the hardest thing you had to overcome as – in your career coming from your childhood
03:06 and coming from where you started and all those things?
03:09 I don't know if I would categorize anything as being hard to overcome because in the moment, I didn't look at it as,
03:21 "Wow, this is hard and difficult." I just looked at it like it was mandatory and necessary for me to do.
03:27 So there wasn't any option like, "Here's the easy way. Here's the hard way. Damn, this way is hard."
03:32 It was just kind of – I didn't know better.
03:34 I just knew that I didn't want to feel the way that I felt anymore.
03:38 I didn't want to be the reason somebody else ever felt the way I felt.
03:41 I knew that I wanted to have a better life that was happy than the one that I was dealt with being born.
03:50 But I never like wallowed or complained or worried that – look, when you're young, you don't even realize how shitty your life is.
03:57 You have to get older to look back at it unless there's other kids around that you're like, "Oh, look how awesome their life is and mine sucks."
04:04 But when you're all kind of like in the hood, you're all the same and you don't even realize, "Oh, there's a better life than this?
04:11 You're just like, 'This sucks. I guess I'm supposed to be bullied. I guess my dad is supposed to leave us.'"
04:16 Because you don't know, right?
04:18 So then when you get older and you realize the options and the opportunities that life has for you,
04:25 then that's when you have to decide, "Oh, I'd rather go this route than be here anymore."
04:30 And really, it's only up to you to make those decisions and also seek out the opportunities.
04:35 No one's going to be like, "All right, sir. Here's a menu of different life options. Which one do you want? Here, it's yours."
04:41 You have to just figure out, "Well, what the fuck else? This can't be the only thing that life has to offer."
04:46 So it's up to you to kind of go out and venture out and research and get educated and listen and talk to people to find out the options and then see what's best for you.
04:55 And by the way, a lot of times people will say, "Well, I want to do that," but that's not really best for you.
05:00 You're not built to do that. That's not going to work out for you.
05:03 So that's another thing when deciding what you're going to do with your life or who you want to be is,
05:09 is it really the right thing for you to be or do?
05:12 And can you actually persevere and do this?
05:15 And is it the smart thing for you to do?
05:17 Even when you think about someone's like, "I'm going to be an entrepreneur," right?
05:22 "I'm going to be a photographer," right? "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:25 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:26 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:27 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:28 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:29 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:30 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:31 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:32 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:33 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:34 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:35 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:36 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:37 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:38 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:39 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:40 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:41 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:42 "I'm going to be an entrepreneur."
05:44 And what have you been doing that you categorize yourself as a serial entrepreneur?
05:47 So I think shows like The Prophet and Shark Tank and stuff like that have now made everybody
05:52 think that they're an entrepreneur because they have an idea, right?
05:55 And it's like that doesn't make you an entrepreneur.
05:58 And also, an idea doesn't even mean that you're on the path to success because a lot of people
06:04 mistake an idea with a plan, right?
06:07 And a lot of people, when I ask people, "So what do you want to be?"
06:10 or "What is it you're trying to do?"
06:11 And they're quick to say, "I want to make this much money."
06:14 "I want to be this thing."
06:15 "I want to be in this level."
06:16 Great idea.
06:17 What's your plan to get there now?
06:20 And 99% of people don't even know how to put together a solid plan that's based on reality,
06:26 right, to follow that plan to get to that point of success that you're aiming to get at.
06:32 So how did you -- I mean, you penetrated the music industry, which I wanted to be a sports agent.
06:37 Also one of the harder industries to penetrate.
06:39 Sports and music are very tough because kids either want to -- usually want to do one of those two things.
06:44 Right.
06:45 And coming from your background without the resources, without the relationship capital,
06:49 without even the exposure or the education pushed on you that says, "This is the path."
06:53 I mean, if I was Jay-Z's kid, really easy for me to get doors open.
06:57 You not only kicked those doors down, but I mean, you're a Grammy-nominated host of your own shows,
07:04 on every big album from all the big stars, I mean, from Lady Gaga to Snoop and everyone in between.
07:10 That's quite the accomplishment.
07:12 And so to your point of, "Is this right for me?" and having that self-awareness,
07:16 you wanted to enter the music industry coming from your background.
07:19 What made you think that you could execute and how did you develop that plan?
07:24 Well, a lot of people ask me, you know, "How were you able to make it and be so successful in the music industry
07:32 coming from your background?"
07:34 And I think there was a little bit of being naive because while most people would think what it would be like to do that,
07:42 I would think, like, you know, "How could I not do that?"
07:47 Like I was a little naive that I could maybe fail, you know what I mean?
07:51 Because I just was like, "This is what I'm going to do."
07:53 And when I made the decision, "This is what I'm going to do," you know, people would question it and doubt it and whatever.
08:00 And it's like, again, going back to when you make a plan, other people's opinions are not part of your plan.
08:06 Other people doubting is not part of your plan.
08:08 So why would it affect your plan?
08:10 The only thing that should matter to your plan is what you have put together to make yourself be successful with that plan.
08:18 So, you know, when I was a kid, I was very lonely.
08:22 I didn't really have any friends, no guidance, no kind of leader to show me how to be a man or do anything.
08:29 I learned from life, you know, school of hard knocks, as they say.
08:33 So my radio was my best friend.
08:37 And like everything I know, I learned from my radio when I was a kid.
08:41 So just kind of making music in my bedroom with my mom's dual cassette deck and like the turntable and stuff.
08:47 I taught myself to hold the audio, the phono button and keep pressing the other button so I can like a crossfader.
08:56 And then, you know, I produced for people around my neighborhood, everybody in Boston.
09:01 I became kind of a popular producer.
09:03 I was a rapper back then and I was a dancer.
09:06 I beatboxed. Anything I had to do with music, I was doing it.
09:08 All the older kids would come over my house because I was a thief when I was younger.
09:12 So I used to rob houses.
09:13 So I stole turntables.
09:15 So I had a whole set up at my house.
09:17 And I was like 12, the 18 year olds would come over and I'd just be DJing while they tried rapping and stuff.
09:23 So I was kind of like honing my skill at that point.
09:26 But when I was young, unlike today, becoming famous or successful was like not even a real thing.
09:32 Like no one thought they could actually really become a star.
09:36 Now everybody thinks they could be a star tomorrow.
09:38 Because of social media.
09:39 Yeah. And it's just like, and it still applies.
09:41 Like they don't understand like what it takes to get there.
09:44 But even like, as you know, you know, overnight success takes 10 years.
09:50 The problem is most people that have overnight success don't last 10 years.
09:55 Because they don't know what it takes to be successful or how to sustain that.
09:59 Because they also didn't go through life boot camp.
10:03 You know what I'm saying?
10:04 To know how to handle certain emotions when they come up.
10:07 To understand patience is a virtue.
10:09 To, you know, how to communicate right.
10:11 How to follow up right.
10:13 How you conduct yourself appropriately around the right people.
10:16 So that comes with living life and fucking up right.
10:20 And paying attention to other people.
10:23 And caring enough about others to know what they need or what they feel.
10:27 Or how you're going to be able to provide value to them.
10:30 So it's a long journey to how I became successful with music.
10:35 Because I never even feel like, even to this day, I still feel like I'm still trying to go another level up.
10:41 So it's never like an end goal.
10:43 Like I made it. And I did it.
10:44 Because people say, "When did you know that you were successful?"
10:47 I'm like, "I'm still like, I'm still. I need another Grammy. I need another."
10:51 And that's also the spirit of an entrepreneur.
10:54 Like, yeah, intellectually you're aware that I'm doing well.
10:58 I did a good job.
11:00 Or I'm pretty good at this thing over here.
11:02 But the passion and the drive in the heart of an entrepreneur is never done.
11:08 Never thinks they're good enough.
11:10 Never thinks that they've accomplished all that they can accomplish.
11:12 And that's the difference from winners and losers.
11:15 And I mean losers in the most respectful way.
11:17 But like a winner just wants to keep winning.
11:20 A winner celebrates other winners.
11:22 A winner supports other winners.
11:24 So when somebody ever hates on you or doubts you like they did when I was young, like they're just not winners.
11:30 Well, people doubt, I think, mostly from a place of insecurity.
11:34 Right?
11:35 They hate and doubt because either you're doing something that they don't.
11:38 If you're successful, you've taken away the excuse.
11:40 Because we grew up in the same neighborhood.
11:42 We have the same resources.
11:43 So if you make it and I don't, I can't use the excuse that this is where I came from.
11:47 Well, yeah.
11:48 Well, people can't, especially to your point, coming from the same place, people can't fathom the idea that you might have a greater mind or a better way of thinking or a better skill than they have.
12:00 Because like, why do you think you're better than me?
12:02 We're from the same fucking place.
12:04 And it's interesting because we all collectively as humans can agree when someone like a Michael Jordan has an incredible physical skill that we don't have.
12:14 And we'll all say, man, he's the GOAT.
12:17 He's a legend.
12:18 He's the greatest.
12:19 And we're all at awe of his incredible skill that we can physically see with our eyes.
12:23 But it's weird to me that we can't equally say that's a fucking dope motherfucker.
12:29 Like he's smart as shit.
12:30 He knows what he's talking about.
12:31 You know what I mean?
12:32 Until like, you know, they're a billionaire or they're in Forbes or somebody else had to tell you, look how brilliant they are.
12:39 But like when you're in the same kind of pool of people, it's hard for people to recognize like, oh, he thinks special.
12:46 Oh, he has a different way of thinking than me or that guy is going to figure it out.
12:51 And even in school, like I didn't even graduate high school, but I know my teachers and I realized this as I got older, I realized my teachers didn't pass me because I was accepting the mind that they were trying to develop in my head.
13:08 They passed me because they realized the mind I already have is going to figure it out.
13:14 So it's like we can't do anything to this mind.
13:18 It's one of those creative minds that just, you know, there's a bunch of people out there have these kind of minds.
13:22 It's just like the traditional way of learning and going through school.
13:26 It's like, ah, that doesn't work for me.
13:28 I need to understand life.
13:30 I need to understand the logic behind this.
13:32 I need to break something apart and see how it works and then put it back together again.
13:36 And that's relationships, business, life, products, like everything.
13:40 So when you're that curious and that eager to fail and that eager to lose and that eager to just like run in the building without knowing if it's safe or not, like you can't really teach that kind of brain.
13:53 You're just kind of born with that.
13:55 Or in your younger years, you lived the kind of life that helped kind of curate that kind of brain.
14:01 And I know a lot of my – the traits that I've developed through my childhood gave me like survival mode because when I was young, I was sexually abused for many years in my house.
14:15 I grew up in rough neighborhoods and I was bullied.
14:18 So I had to learn how to protect myself from my own bed at nighttime to when I'm walking down the street with food stamps in my hand to buy milk when these kids over here are going to jump me.
14:29 So I had to learn or like – because I would always live in black neighborhoods.
14:34 So back then, white kids would talk shit to me because all my friends were black.
14:39 So when I crossed the line into the white neighborhood, then they're like, "Oh, there he goes.
14:43 He hangs with all the blacks just so they want to beat me up."
14:46 So my whole life was like everybody's coming at me to like tear me down.
14:51 And then I've been exposed to dysfunctional love my whole life that I didn't understand what real love was or how I was supposed to actually be treated as a human being until I got like in my 30s.
15:05 It took me a long time to realize it that no, life should be better than this.
15:10 Because I always had this like Peter Pan happiness like kind of personality.
15:16 And I remember one time my ex said to me – because I'd be like, "No, why is this? Why is that?"
15:24 She'd be like, "Oh, the kind of love that you want is only in movies."
15:28 And I was like – and I remember sitting thinking to myself like that can't be true.
15:32 It had to have happened sometime in real life for someone to make a movie about it.
15:36 I'm going to work until I find the happiness and love that I deserve and that I know exists.
15:43 So that moment in your 30s when you – you were saying – so you found that moment when you realized what dysfunctional love wasn't what you wanted.
15:53 That what you really needed and wanted in your 30s.
15:55 What was that triggering event?
15:57 I don't know if there was – I think it was a process.
16:01 And I think it was – well, I know the moment.
16:05 But I don't want to put somebody on blast and I'd have to tell the story that I'd rather not.
16:11 But out of respect for my son.
16:14 Sure.
16:15 But yeah, so there was a moment that I was like, "Dude, I can't do this anymore, man.
16:22 I'm better than this."
16:24 And now a lot of people feel cocky or it's conceited when you say a line like, "I'm better than this."
16:33 And what will enable you to be able to say that with confidence and not being conceited is knowing that you put in the work.
16:43 Is knowing that all the effort that you put in always yielded positive results because of your work and your effort.
16:52 So at some point, it's okay to say, "Yeah, I'm pretty fucking dope."
16:57 Because I personally built my life and myself by design, not by circumstance.
17:05 And most people live their life by circumstances.
17:08 Like I can't excel because this happened to me or because I don't have money or because my mom left me or because it's like –
17:16 So for the rest of your life, your life is dictated by the circumstances that were presented to you.
17:21 You weren't strong enough to say, "Well, that's not the life I want and I'm not going to let that dictate my life.
17:29 I'm going to build it by design."
17:31 And how I built it by design was pay attention to the world and what people like, care about, and don't like.
17:38 And also take into consideration how I felt and how I knew I didn't want anyone to ever feel this way because of me.
17:45 So –
17:46 Hey guys, I just want to take a second and thank you so much for listening and supporting our show.
17:52 If it has brought you any value at all, please leave us a review and give us some feedback.
17:57 We would love to hear about it.
17:58 Now, back to the show.
18:00 When I was – since I was – I can remember, I think it was around 11 or 12.
18:06 I remember thinking to myself, "All I care about when I become an adult is two things.
18:12 Making people happy and being an awesome dad."
18:15 Like that's all I cared about because they were the things that I didn't have.
18:19 So I knew that that's what I wanted to present and convey to the world and I wanted to be that kind of person for other people.
18:26 And it's crazy, man.
18:28 People go through their whole life looking for answers that either don't exist or they'll never find.
18:36 Especially when you're looking from them from certain people that don't have the ability to give you these answers.
18:42 So they then carry this backpack full of pain around like, "If only my dad would give me clarity.
18:50 If only my mom would do this or if this bully –" whatever it is, right?
18:55 And it's like you're holding yourself back by looking for these answers.
18:59 And I hear people say – like I'll talk to people and I may say something that resonates and they'll say, "Man, thank you so much for this.
19:07 I got to begin my long journey of healing."
19:11 And I'm like, "Why do you think it's a long journey?"
19:14 Like it's not a long journey. It's a decision.
19:17 That's all it is and it's a decision that only you can make and you can make it right now.
19:22 And the journey's over. There's no more journey.
19:25 You just decided, "This won't bother me anymore."
19:28 Like I know that I seek answers from my mom for a long time of like – and I don't mean to say this in a negative way, but I'm just being factual about it.
19:38 It's like this happened on your watch. You know what I mean?
19:42 For years in our house, there's some answers that I need for this so I can get closure.
19:49 And there was a time in my life where I did need that.
19:52 Now I was never someone that had to go to therapy or it bothered me or clearly it didn't hold me back from being successful because one, it wasn't my fault.
20:02 I didn't do anything wrong.
20:03 And then two, I'm not going to let something wrong that somebody else did now affect the rest of my life.
20:09 That guy should be fucked up over this, not me, for doing that to a young boy.
20:15 But when I realized my mom didn't have the ability to give me any of these answers, whether she mentally didn't know how to or just refused to, I'm not going to sit there and be like, "Whoa, my mom just won't give me clarity."
20:31 It's like, all right, it is what it is.
20:33 If there's a fucking piece of shit on your floor, are you going to sit there in your house, let it smell and rot and say, "What the fuck, man? Someone put shit on my floor."
20:43 You're going to fucking clean it and move the fuck on.
20:46 Next week, you're not going to be like, "That shit that was on my floor last week."
20:50 It's fucking gone.
20:52 Clean it up and move on.
20:54 And for some people, they may be offended by that because they're like, "It's easier for you."
20:59 No, it's not.
21:00 It's the same easy for everybody if you just go into yourself and realize what's holding you back.
21:06 First, there's a whole bunch of levels to this, right?
21:08 Sure.
21:09 One, they don't even know what's holding them back.
21:11 Two, they don't know how to stop it from holding them back.
21:13 Three, they don't know how to let go of it.
21:15 So we could have a whole podcast just on that topic.
21:17 But the highlights of it is you're never going to have a fucking awesome life if you're always worrying or complaining about something that wasn't your fault.
21:27 Or even if it was your fault, it's in the fucking past and it's over.
21:31 My dad, I asked him one day, he was going to therapy for like 40 years.
21:36 And I'm like, "What is your end goal here with therapy?
21:41 What is your objective?
21:43 When has mission been accomplished at going to therapy?"
21:47 And he's like, "I don't know."
21:49 And he was complaining about different therapists.
21:51 And I'm like, "The things that you go to therapy for is fucked.
21:55 Your mom and dad are both dead.
21:57 So why are you even worrying or talking about them anymore?
22:00 There's nothing you can do about it.
22:02 There's nothing a therapist is going to say that's going to make anything from the past change or bring them back to you can talk.
22:07 It's fucking over."
22:09 Do you know what I'm saying?
22:10 And now it sounds harsh, but the only reason why I can be a little harsh is because I went through it and I understand.
22:16 And I'm just kind of being a little tough about it more like a coach.
22:20 Like you can fucking figure this out, not more like you're a loser that can't figure it out.
22:24 Right?
22:25 So like, yeah, man, I can keep going on about this, but.
22:27 No, I think it's important because part of the theme of my show is about success formulas because I think success is formulaic.
22:34 One of my biggest pet peeves when I'm talking to young adults or people trying to be successful and they always ask me, "Hey, how can I be successful?"
22:43 And they're chasing the wrong thing.
22:45 Right.
22:46 And I think one of the things you just hit on, and I actually had never thought of it this way, is it's a decision.
22:50 It's not, like you said, it's not a journey to get closure.
22:54 It's not a journey to do.
22:55 We all have pasts.
22:57 I mean, I remember the moment.
22:58 The moment I decided I will never not have enough money for my family was the day I had to borrow money from my father-in-law.
23:05 And we were a young family and I went and I had to ask him, like, which was, it took a lot from my ego.
23:10 Yeah.
23:11 And he wasn't a wealthy guy, but I went to him and I said, "Can I please borrow $500?"
23:14 Because I had to make a payment and I didn't want to ask my parents again.
23:17 And I remember driving home and I was like, "This is the last time in my life I'm asking another human being to help me support my kids," who at the time I had one kid, "my kid and my wife."
23:27 Right.
23:28 And that was that moment.
23:29 And I made a decision on that drive home that that was never happening again.
23:31 Now, what do you say to someone that says, "That's a great decision, but what if next month I'm in trouble and I do need that again?
23:40 What do I do then?"
23:42 When I made the decision, I made a plan that was clear, which was I'll work a second job if I have to.
23:48 CIT'd you up?
23:49 You did.
23:50 That was very well done.
23:51 You are a producer.
23:52 And I love pickleball, so it's back and forth.
23:54 But ultimately, I think that I never thought about it as making that decision, that the pain stops now.
24:01 That it's not like, "Hey, how do you put the past in the past?"
24:04 You decide to put the past in the past.
24:06 And that's what a lot of successful people do.
24:08 Right.
24:09 Tomorrow is a new day.
24:10 Today is a new day.
24:11 Bro, if you break your leg at 16 riding a bike, right, and like, are you going to complain 10 years later about that time you had a broken fucking leg?
24:21 It happened.
24:22 It's over.
24:23 So why are you letting something else that's not your fault?
24:26 And by the way, this is the way--this is another reason why, because a lot of people, like, for the rest of their life, they're like, "But why?
24:32 Why?
24:33 Why?"
24:34 Right?
24:35 And, "Why did my father leave me?
24:37 Why did this happen?
24:38 Why were we broke?
24:39 Why didn't this happen?"
24:40 And it's like you're going to be chasing why for the rest of your life.
24:45 You have to let why fucking fly away because you're not going to get the answers to the whys that you think that you need to move on.
24:54 You can get them.
24:55 What are you going to do with them?
24:56 Yeah, and then what?
24:57 Then you're going to still complain about it.
24:59 Then you're going to be like, "Well, I left because, you know, I thought you sucked and I didn't want to be a dad.
25:03 Now what?
25:04 Why did I suck?"
25:05 Like, it's just like it just fucking happened.
25:08 It is what it is.
25:09 It's just not your life.
25:10 And like I don't even look at my life as I overcame trauma or adversity or it was tough because, look, everyone has a fucking past.
25:18 Everyone has shit they went through, right?
25:20 Even people that we think had a good life and their parents had money, maybe they were neglected from their parent or maybe they didn't get the love that they wanted or maybe they had too much money so they never got experience of real world shit.
25:31 So then when they become an adult, they were fucking helicopter parents.
25:34 I don't even know how to be myself.
25:35 So everybody has problems or issues or things that they have to overcome.
25:40 The thing that everyone has to realize is these aren't problems.
25:44 This is just the course of your life and everyone has their own unique customized version of their life.
25:53 And when you have your own customized version, guess what you have?
25:56 Experience that somebody else doesn't have, which is a power and an angle for you to be able to have different types of conversations, different types of perspectives.
26:05 If we all had the same perfect life, two parents, good school, good clothes, da da da, this, this and that, it would fucking suck.
26:13 The world would suck because we all wouldn't have different perspectives.
26:16 We'd all think exactly the same.
26:17 We'd have social issues.
26:19 100%.
26:20 I mean, at that point now, it's basically communism.
26:22 We're all exactly the same, right?
26:24 But I mean, it's just, look at my being molested, my father leaving, and I could go on a gang of other things I could tell you about that I went through that, you know, some people say, holy shit.
26:36 But it's like, dude, I'm actually happy these things happened to me because it made me who I am today.
26:42 And I think I'm pretty fucking dope today.
26:44 You're right.
26:45 I think you're right.
26:46 No, but you know what I'm saying?
26:47 Like, you know, and that's another thing too, knowing you're dope and thinking you're dope are two different things.
26:54 Like, if I say I'm dope at this, it's because it's analytics, it's metrics, it's win repeat, win repeat, win repeat by using the formula that I figured out.
27:04 It's not my formula.
27:05 It's the formula.
27:06 I just happened to figure it out and learn how to master it.
27:10 So I know that I'm a good dude.
27:11 I know I'm a good husband.
27:13 I know I'm a good dad.
27:14 I know that I'm a good team player.
27:16 I know that I'm a good leader.
27:17 Why?
27:18 Because I intentionally built myself to be that.
27:20 And when I say that, that's just not my personal opinion about myself that I think I'm great.
27:24 And you can go ask five other people, like, yeah, he's kind of a dick.
27:27 Like, I mean, in the short amount of time that you've known me, you could ask anyone that we know together.
27:31 Like, yeah, Clinton's a good dude.
27:32 Everyone asked about you.
27:33 Jeff's a good dude.
27:34 Right?
27:35 And you can tell from how they treat their family, how they treat their kids, how they run their business, even how you greeted me here.
27:42 You know what I mean?
27:43 You can tell when we -- I didn't know anything about you, just for anyone watching this.
27:47 I didn't even know what Jeff did for a living.
27:49 I didn't know that he was the king of the Everett Bull world.
27:53 I had no clue that this dude was cracking and was as successful as he was.
27:57 I met him at a dinner.
27:58 I said, "Let's order more mashed potatoes."
28:01 You ordered a lot of mashed potatoes.
28:02 I kept scamming the waitress, like, "Yeah, we didn't get our mashed potatoes yet."
28:06 Holding the other bowl down.
28:07 Anyways, we all just got along.
28:09 My son was there.
28:10 Jeff Hoffman was there.
28:12 A bunch of other people.
28:13 Austin Eckler was sitting with us.
28:14 And, like, you were just cool.
28:16 And you're like, "Yo, you should come on my podcast."
28:17 I was like, "Yeah, dope.
28:18 Of course I will."
28:19 Because you were cool.
28:21 Then I come in here and I see all the stuff that you own, which is super impressive.
28:24 Congratulations, by the way.
28:25 Thank you.
28:26 I'm proud of you.
28:27 And, like -- but the point is, I didn't come to just try to be next to somebody else that's successful.
28:32 I didn't come because you are successful.
28:35 The success that you were to me was a decent human being.
28:39 And those are the kind of people I want to be around.
28:41 And I thought you were a cool dude.
28:42 Even me and my son left.
28:43 Like, "Oh, that guy Jeff across was -- he was cool."
28:45 Even when I said I'm going to go do his podcast, my son on the call today, I was like, "He was cool."
28:50 When I tell him you own this Everball stuff, he's like, "Holy shit, that's awesome."
28:53 Tell him in Paris.
28:54 We'll have to get something open in Paris for him.
28:57 Right.
28:58 But the point is, you know -- and I know we've all heard this thing, but, like, a lot of people talk shit.
29:03 And they, like, say things that they don't even practice what they preach, right?
29:06 I genuinely treat everybody the same.
29:09 Like, I don't care if you're the CEO of a company and I don't care if you're a guy that's just trying.
29:14 To me, we're all humans and we all want the same thing.
29:17 We want a chance.
29:18 We want to be heard.
29:19 We want to be loved.
29:20 It's all the same.
29:21 And we're all connected in that same way.
29:23 Some might figure things out better than other people.
29:25 Some might excel more than other people.
29:28 But we're all the same person.
29:30 So if you treat everybody the same, then the world would be a better place.
29:33 Wouldn't you agree?
29:34 I agree.
29:35 I mean, my non-negotiable is make friends and have fun.
29:37 You know how many people, like, I didn't know were successful.
29:41 I just based off if I was going to associate with them or go hang out with them because they were cool.
29:44 And then I find out they're, like, they own Louis Vuitton.
29:47 Or, like, this is the guy that created bridge loans at JPMorgan.
29:51 Like, no, seriously, that actually happened.
29:52 I believe it.
29:53 I didn't know that.
29:54 And then he gives me IPO on Facebook and stuff.
29:56 I've sat next to people that are worth close to or over a billion dollars.
30:01 And you would never know about it unless you Google.
30:04 Right.
30:05 And I've sat next to people that might live paycheck to paycheck but drive Lamborghinis and have watches that are worth more than a lot of people's homes.
30:12 Yeah.
30:13 It's not the outward appearance.
30:15 Right.
30:16 It's the person.
30:17 The moral of this rant is don't be a dick.
30:21 Lesson number two, don't be a dick.
30:24 Make decisions, decide, and don't be a dick.
30:27 But what are your non-negotiables?
30:29 What are the things that Clinton doesn't negotiate with about himself?
30:32 What are the things either you do for your health, your mindset, your daily habits?
30:37 What are the non-negotiables for you?
30:43 I don't know if I have any non-negotiables because I'm pretty agile and nimble.
30:49 So you don't have a routine of any kind?
30:51 Yeah.
30:52 I mean, I wake up and have a smoothie every morning and I work out.
30:54 Powered by Everbol?
30:55 Hopefully.
30:56 One day?
30:57 I want to get Everbol in my house now with a whole station.
30:59 Yes.
31:01 But yeah, I have -- that's probably the common thing I do every day is make my kids breakfast,
31:08 make a smoothie, and yeah, I do a lot.
31:15 So it's -- one morning I might wake up and send out a bunch of emails, make a few calls.
31:19 One morning I might have a breakfast meeting.
31:21 One morning -- but yeah, I'm very family-oriented in the sense that I do any and everything
31:27 for my family.
31:29 So you have two young kids, four in 20 months?
31:32 In 20 months and a 19-year-old.
31:34 Yeah, well, I know the 19-year-old, but my question is now that you have the two young
31:38 kids and it's kind of a second go because you've raised one.
31:43 He's a badass.
31:44 I got to hang out with him.
31:45 I haven't met your two little ones yet.
31:46 Shout out to Jack Sparks.
31:47 Get familiar.
31:48 Yeah.
31:49 And the two little ones are at Legoland?
31:50 Yes, they are.
31:51 Down the street.
31:52 Down the street.
31:53 Getting to do it a second time, are there things that you are consciously and intentionally
31:58 doing this time that maybe you wish you did the first time?
32:03 There isn't anything I wished I did the first time because I was pretty conscious of myself
32:13 and self-aware of what I may be doing wrong.
32:16 The only thing I did learn from my first marriage after it was over is that -- and maybe this
32:23 can help another entrepreneur that feels like, "But the business is everything.
32:26 I'm working hard for our future.
32:28 You got to just give me time."
32:29 As entrepreneurs, we all feel like as much as we love our family, as much as we're there
32:35 for them, we feel like our time and focus on building the business is building their
32:41 future.
32:42 So sometimes we may neglect or push them off a little bit because we got to focus on this
32:46 thing that we think is the thing that's most important for their future.
32:50 Most modern day hunting.
32:51 Right.
32:52 So we think that's what they're going to need.
32:55 Sometimes neglecting the fact that what they need right now is you.
32:59 Right?
33:00 So you have to find the balance between building a future that you want to build for them and
33:05 building the present that they want of you right now.
33:08 So that's one thing I learned.
33:10 Another thing I learned was my wife, my past wife was so quiet and I thought all of my
33:18 traveling -- I was gone like 80% of the time.
33:20 I thought she was just cool with it.
33:22 I used to brag about it.
33:23 I'd be like, "Man, my wife's so cool.
33:25 She doesn't even check up on me.
33:26 I could literally have girlfriends all over the world and she wouldn't even know because
33:29 she just lets me do my thing."
33:31 And she had said, "Who am I to come in your life and stop you from living your dream?"
33:35 And I thought that was a pretty noble thing to say.
33:37 So I thought she was okay.
33:39 As our marriage started to fall apart, I realized she just didn't have the courage or the ability
33:47 to tell me it wasn't okay.
33:50 And I didn't get married to be abandoned.
33:53 So I think if there's any entrepreneurs out here that are paying attention to this and
33:57 they're so focused in their family's future and I'm trying to provide and this is my goal,
34:01 I can't let people down, check in.
34:05 Check in with your wife, check in with your husband, check in with your kids.
34:09 Make sure that they're actually really okay with what you're doing.
34:13 Let them be open and free to tell you their feelings because honestly, you can go five,
34:19 ten years and build all these businesses and yeah, you're great.
34:22 The world thinks you're great.
34:23 You're on awesome podcasts and you're in magazines and stuff.
34:26 Meanwhile, they're broken.
34:28 You're building a different kind of broken in them that you've been running from that
34:32 you were broken when you were a kid.
34:34 And you're thinking that you're trying to build a great life for them so they don't
34:37 have to go through what you went through but they actually are just in a different way
34:41 and you're the reason.
34:43 So I would say just be conscious of your family and your kids and your wife and check in and
34:48 ask them, talk to them.
34:49 - No, that's great.
34:50 I mean, those are balanced to one of the hardest things for entrepreneurs.
34:53 It's hard to be in-
34:55 - And for trapeze artists.
34:56 - And for trapeze artists.
34:57 - Yeah.
34:58 - And for trapeze artists.
34:59 - Yeah.
35:00 - Yeah.
35:01 - High rope.
35:02 - High rope.
35:03 Entrepreneurs on high rope.
35:04 That's true.
35:05 - I seen a great quote that they had up there from me.
35:07 - Yeah, there is.
35:08 - Yeah.
35:09 "When you compete with yourself, you can only get better.
35:13 When you compete with others, you're only aiming to be their best, which may never be
35:19 your best."
35:21 And the reason, so that's a quote of mine from my book.
35:24 And the reason I wrote that is because I constantly see, especially younger people, like trying
35:30 to emulate other people, trying to do what they've done, trying to be who they are.
35:36 And there's such a lack, there's such a gap between people that are successful, people
35:42 that want to be successful, and then this area right here where they don't understand
35:47 what it took for this side to become successful.
35:50 And they think they can watch a podcast, go to a conference, read a book, listen to those
35:55 that have been successful.
35:56 Those are great tips and guidelines to help you understand some of the things you wouldn't
36:01 know, but you don't know what it's like to get knocked down until you get knocked down.
36:08 I can tell you, but it's a different feeling.
36:10 We're built different.
36:11 Everyone's built different.
36:12 So, you know, one of the things I don't subscribe to is if I can do it, so can you.
36:17 I think that's bullshit because we all have different operating systems.
36:21 We all have different paths.
36:23 We all have, as you can see, shit that happened to me, it doesn't bother me.
36:27 There's someone else that's in therapy for the same thing.
36:29 There's someone else that became a drug addict or an alcoholic because they went through
36:32 those things.
36:33 So everyone's built different just because we're from the same hood, same economic background,
36:38 same race, same religion, whatever it is.
36:40 And I did well.
36:41 It doesn't fucking mean you will too.
36:43 No, but I think the premise isn't that you will necessarily be able to do the same specific
36:48 thing that you did, but you can still overcome those same hardships.
36:51 Right.
36:52 You can still be successful.
36:53 But differently.
36:54 But differently.
36:55 And that's the space right here that people leave out.
36:59 They're like, "Oh man, if he did it, I can too."
37:01 But you don't know all of this stuff right here to know what I did, how I did it, what
37:07 you shouldn't do that I did, and things that won't work for you the same way they work
37:11 for me.
37:12 I may be a better talker than you.
37:14 You may be better at finance than me.
37:16 I may be better organized than you.
37:18 You may have more connections than me.
37:20 So there's different tools that we have that can play a role.
37:24 I think I rap better than you.
37:25 You probably do.
37:27 I heard you can't even rap a gift.
37:29 That's a fact.
37:31 That's a fact.
37:33 Yeah, man.
37:35 So that's the point of what I was saying about stop trying to be other people and become
37:40 the first you and not the second somebody else.
37:43 No, I mean, listen, it's a great, great quote.
37:46 It's a great piece of advice because success, while I say success is formulaic, what I mean
37:51 is there are specific habits of successful people that if you apply them in your life,
37:56 you will find success.
37:57 It doesn't mean you'll find the same success that Clinton Sparks had or Jeff Fenster had
38:01 or someone else had.
38:03 You'll have your own name and that'll be success in whatever you're aiming for.
38:06 But everyone also has a different definition of success.
38:08 Right, that's true too.
38:09 And what is your definition of success?
38:11 Happiness.
38:13 Making other people happy.
38:15 So the reason why I give away my products for free is because if I want the world to
38:23 be a better place, it starts with helping to make people better.
38:28 And if I can give them the tools or information that help them make their life better, the
38:33 hope is that now that they have a better life and they're happier, they can now convey that
38:40 or radiate that and help other people be happy and then it just starts spreading and then
38:44 the world becomes a better place.
38:46 So if I can, my contribution to helping the world be happier and better is one, being
38:52 a good human being, but two, trying to show and teach other people how they can better
38:57 their lives too.
38:58 Because maybe everyone can't get through shit like I did.
39:00 Because like I said, we're all not built the same.
39:02 So if you give them different paths and different lanes that may work for them, the way I raised
39:07 my son, for instance, I never told him what to do.
39:11 I never yelled at him and I never talked at him.
39:14 I talked with him.
39:16 So if he did something that I wasn't pleased with, I talked about it.
39:19 I talked about why it bothered me, how it could bother somebody else, how it could negatively
39:23 affect you, and I just give him the information for him to do with what he should do with
39:29 it, that he decides to do with it.
39:31 When people say to me all the time, "Man, you raised a great kid," or "What a great
39:36 dad," it's like, sure, I can take some credit for the environment and the way I taught him,
39:41 but ultimately at the end of the day, the kid can decide what he's going to do.
39:46 Is he going to listen to me?
39:47 Is he going to take this advice?
39:49 Is he going to be a shithead?
39:50 Is he going to start drinking and driving?
39:52 Is he going to disrespect women?
39:53 Is he going to be a...
39:54 I don't know.
39:55 I taught him the right things, but I think a lot of times why kids don't do what parents
40:00 teach them is because the parents are telling them what to do, and then the kid will defy
40:05 that because, one, the kid might not respect them, or the kid will say, "Oh, it's a different
40:11 time.
40:12 It's a different age.
40:13 You don't understand my generation.
40:14 You don't understand me.
40:15 You never went through what I went through."
40:18 So, that's the reason why most kids don't even listen to their parents because they
40:22 don't respect where they're coming from or their past or where they are in life professionally,
40:27 successfully.
40:28 But if you don't have that, you're going to erase all that stuff.
40:32 If you talk with respect and care, there's a way different relationship going on between
40:39 you guys now because they know that you're not trying to mold them to be another you.
40:44 You're not telling them, like, "This is what you should do," because this is my fucking
40:47 life, man.
40:48 Don't tell me how to live my life.
40:50 And that's the other thing, too.
40:51 A parent shouldn't tell a kid how to live their life because that's their life.
40:55 Why do you not want to sit there and watch a flower bloom and become a beautiful flower
41:00 and do what it's going to do by itself and let it decide?
41:03 And when I say all these things, it sounds like I'm just talking, giving my parent advice,
41:08 but all of these traits and the way that I practice everything I do all relates back
41:14 to what this whole show is about.
41:16 Right?
41:17 The traits and the things that people do to become successful in entrepreneur.
41:21 And you can't just be a successful entrepreneur and say, "Oh, here's how I do my business,"
41:26 but then you're a shitty dad.
41:28 You know what I mean?
41:29 Or you're a shitty husband or a shitty person.
41:32 And people praise you because you drove a company to success, but really you're just
41:36 an asshole.
41:37 You know what I mean?
41:38 I got lucky.
41:39 And I personally, again, since I was young, even when I started getting successes in the
41:43 music career, I was like, "One day I want to build a big company off of decency and
41:50 being a good human being."
41:52 And I'm like, "Why can't people just build a company based off good?"
41:55 Right?
41:56 And I'm sure there are a bunch of companies out there like that, but this is what I was
41:59 thinking as a kid.
42:00 And to this day, I've been practicing and building the me that when it came time for
42:05 me to be the leader, I already know everything that people don't like, what they do like,
42:10 how to not make mistakes, not that I'll never make mistakes, because we all will, but I'll
42:13 know how to recover from them.
42:14 I'll know how to own up to them, be accountable for them, and then fix them so I don't do
42:18 them again.
42:19 So that's a constant working on yourself because you care enough to be great for everyone else
42:27 so that they can be great.
42:29 As an entrepreneur, I know how meaningful it is to invest in the people and causes that
42:35 are close to me.
42:36 And on GoFundMe, it's easy, safe, and powerful to do just that, whether you're supporting
42:41 a family member, friend, local business, or charity.
42:45 And whenever you make a donation, you're protected by the GoFundMe giving guarantee.
42:50 Visit GoFundMe.com today to help make a positive difference in your community.
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43:27 It's beautiful.
43:30 It's beautiful.
43:31 Are you talking about my shirt again?
43:32 Company built off good.
43:34 And your shirt.
43:35 It's a beautiful shirt.
43:36 Thank you very much.
43:37 So, the next question I have for you-
43:38 Dude, when do you find time to fucking build those guns?
43:41 Every morning.
43:42 Do you?
43:43 It's non-negotiable for me.
43:44 Is that what you do?
43:45 That's your non-negotiable, the gym?
43:46 I think, you talk about success, and the worst thing I see from a lot of my friends who are
43:50 successful in business is they've neglected their health.
43:53 Right.
43:54 They're going to die young.
43:55 They're overweight.
43:56 Their cardiovascular system's terrible.
43:58 And what they fail to realize is success is a three- I believe success is 360 degrees.
44:02 I don't want to be successful in business and suck as a dad and a spouse and a friend
44:06 and health.
44:07 I don't want to be the healthiest guy in the world and be broke.
44:10 I want to be successful at everything I do.
44:12 And I got to lead by example.
44:14 And this is where I think as a parent, my number one job is to teach my children how
44:18 to be successful.
44:19 And I have to demonstrate it because when you look at a family, a kid that grows up
44:23 in a house with drinkers, they're more likely to drink.
44:26 In a house full of smokers, they're more likely to smoke.
44:28 Right.
44:29 If a guy watches his dad beat his wife, that kid is more likely to beat his wife.
44:33 It's proven.
44:34 Right.
44:35 So I want to show my children, hey, I take my health seriously.
44:38 I take my business seriously.
44:39 I take my relationships seriously.
44:40 I take my education seriously.
44:42 Focused.
44:43 Everything I do, I strive for success.
44:45 So I work out every day.
44:46 You know, I got another answer for your question when you asked me, what is success to me?
44:53 Success to me is when people speak highly of you when you're not around.
45:02 And they have good stories to share.
45:05 And they have good memories to share, whether it's with your family or with other people.
45:11 I think that's success because that means you've built such a sound, stellar you that
45:21 wherever you go and whatever you do with whoever you do it with, you leave a positive stamp.
45:28 So when people can go and talk about, oh, my boy Clinton, he's such a great guy.
45:33 Oh man, Clinton made me die laughing last week.
45:36 Or, dude, you know what Clinton did to me?
45:38 It was unbelievable.
45:39 That to me is a mark of success.
45:44 It's not a bad answer at all.
45:46 It's the true answer.
45:48 So what one song, if I can only listen to one Clinton Sparks either produced or you sang on,
45:55 rapped on or were involved with, what is your favorite song that you were a part of?
46:00 I know I'm asking which child's your favorite, but I'm asking.
46:04 No, no, it's not the same.
46:06 I would say because of its success, because of how it was done, because of the meaning behind it.
46:15 I wrote a song, I wrote and produced a record called Sorry, Blame It On Me by Akon.
46:22 Are you familiar with that?
46:23 I am.
46:24 And it goes back to what I was talking about my ex.
46:27 So that song was really a very real song to me because the first verse I was singing to my ex about
46:35 I'm sorry that I'm gone and I travel a lot of time.
46:37 I'm not there as much as I should be.
46:39 The second verse I wrote to my mom apologizing on behalf of men and my dad.
46:45 Sorry that he wasn't the man that you needed him to be to be there for us as a family.
46:50 In the third verse I'm singing to my dad who's like, you know, I know you think because you're around now
46:57 that everything is cool, but it's not, bro.
46:59 And like all this fucked up shit is like it's your fault and the blame's on you.
47:03 So like it was a very real song for real things going on in my life at that time.
47:08 And I think the story and the message was really profound that could stand the test of time for anybody that was in that in these spaces.
47:17 And then Akon went and changed like six lines in it and made it so it's not as timeless as it was when I wrote it.
47:24 But because he was going through a controversy at the time.
47:27 So he like added Verizon and Gwen Stefani and things in there.
47:30 Like one day you might be like, what's he talking about?
47:33 But I still have the original version that I wrote that he sang.
47:36 That's exactly how I wrote it.
47:38 So I'm most proud of that record.
47:40 It debuted number seven on Billboard.
47:41 It was my first hit record, top 10.
47:44 That was your first one?
47:45 That was the first record I ever wrote.
47:47 Really?
47:48 And it went straight to Billboard top 10.
47:50 And it went to one of the biggest pop artists in the world, Akon.
47:53 And the second record I ever wrote went to Beyonce and she recorded it.
47:57 Wow.
47:58 How did you get the first record you ever wrote to Akon?
48:01 Well, because I was a DJ on the radio at the time.
48:03 The one in Boston?
48:05 I was in Boston.
48:06 At this time I was in Boston, in Connecticut.
48:09 Yeah, I was just in Boston and Connecticut.
48:11 And I built my syndicated radio show on 22 Markets.
48:16 But this was early on and I was the first person to play his record called Locked Up when he came out.
48:21 And he used to tell me back then, he was very appreciative.
48:24 He's like, if you ever need anything from me, let me know.
48:26 I was like, I don't need anything.
48:28 And so fast forward, you know, whatever, however many years that is, four or five years later,
48:34 maybe four years later, I was getting offered record deals from Puff, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris, T.I.
48:44 Everybody was offering me record deals, Eminem.
48:47 And I was thinking to myself, because I was a poppin' DJ at the time.
48:51 So I was like, man, who should I get down with?
48:54 Who would be the most valuable to be associated with?
48:58 And as I was thinking, I was like, everybody associates me with all of them anyways.
49:02 So why do I need to sign to one?
49:04 So I was like, I'm just going to go make an album the way that I think a dope album should be.
49:10 And then I'm going to just go figure out how to do this on my own.
49:13 So I hit Akon, I text him and I said, hey, I got a record I need you to cut for me.
49:19 Remember when nobody would listen to you and I did?
49:22 And he goes, yeah. And I go, well, now I have a picture I need to paint.
49:25 I need you to help me paint it.
49:27 And he was like, cool, whatever you need.
49:29 And I was like, cool, I'll look at your tour schedule and I'll just show it backstage one place.
49:33 So I looked at his tour schedule, I showed it backstage.
49:36 He got off stage, he seen me, comes over, we hug.
49:38 And I was like, all right, bro, I'm here to get this record done.
49:40 He's like, all right, whatever you, I go, no, I don't think you understand.
49:43 I'm not going to leave this tour bus until you record this record.
49:48 And he was just laughing. He's like, yeah, whatever you want.
49:50 So we were on Timberland's tour bus and like six hours into the drive, he's like, all right, play the beat.
49:56 And I played it. And now like I'm not a singer. Right.
49:59 So he's like, all right, sing it to me.
50:01 And I'm like, oh, my God, Acorn's like one of the biggest pop artists in the world at this time.
50:05 So I'm just like, sorry for the times I left you home.
50:09 And then he goes, go in the booth and do it. I'm like, oh, fuck me.
50:13 So he puts me in the booth and there's like glass there.
50:16 So I see him on the other side.
50:17 So they're playing the record and I'm singing the song and I see him making faces like.
50:22 And so, you know, when like you're nervous, you're short of breath.
50:25 So then I see like his face doing that.
50:27 So now like I'm feeling like cold and yellow and like I'm failing right now.
50:32 So then I open the booth and I go, you know, that's kind of how the song goes.
50:35 Obviously, you'd sing it better. And he's like, son, you just made me a hit record.
50:40 Instantly, my confidence came. I go, yeah, dude, I know.
50:42 That's what I was trying to tell you.
50:44 So then he goes, what are you doing with this?
50:47 And I told him the story I just told you.
50:49 And he goes, let me sign you. So now Akon wants to sign me.
50:52 He goes, let me sign you to Interscope.
50:54 And he called Jimmy Iovine right there on the phone.
50:56 And then like, I don't know what happened with that.
50:58 But then what coincidentally, a few weeks later, I'm in the studio in L.A.
51:03 And another guy named Young Steph comes by the studio and listen to what I'm doing.
51:07 And he was like, dude, this is you?
51:09 And I was like, yeah.
51:10 And I literally wrote to another guy named DJ, who's Jimmy Iovine's nephew,
51:14 I'll put my job on the line to sign Clinton Sparks as an artist.
51:18 Because I was a DJ. So no one's going to take me serious as an artist.
51:21 So he was putting his neck on the line.
51:23 Because this was before DJ Khaled and all the--
51:25 Well, Khaled was around, but this was 2012.
51:28 And no one wants to hear-- if Khaled said I'm singing now, would you be like,
51:32 dude, I got to hear this? You know what I'm saying?
51:34 So it's the same with me.
51:35 So it's hard. No one wants to see Michael play baseball.
51:38 Just get back on the basketball court, bro.
51:40 You know what I mean?
51:41 And like Kanye, no one would listen to him rap.
51:44 They're like, no, just keep making beats.
51:46 And he was so determined.
51:49 But trust me, nobody wanted to hear Kanye rap.
51:53 I was there.
51:54 Nobody wanted to hear Pharrell sing.
51:56 Jay-Z was literally like, yeah, I just want a "Love You" beat,
51:59 but tell him to get off the hook singing.
52:02 When you're this, nobody wants to look at you as something else.
52:06 So yeah, I got signed to Interscope.
52:09 They gave me a record deal, a production deal, a marketing deal,
52:12 an A&R deal.
52:13 And then when I started making my records,
52:16 it sounded like a hip-hop kid that listens to Weezer,
52:19 which is what I am.
52:21 So I bring my album in, and they were like, where's your urban record?
52:24 And I was like, wait, you guys are shopping me as an urban artist?
52:27 And they kind of froze.
52:28 And I was like, dude, it's not going to work that way.
52:30 I go, drama has more street credibility than me,
52:33 and he can't compete with Khaled.
52:35 I go, the play for me is I bring all my rap friends to the pop world.
52:40 And now that's normal, but at that time it wasn't.
52:44 Everything I say isn't normal when I say it.
52:46 It always takes two or three years for everyone else to catch up to me.
52:49 And everything I've done, I'm the first person with EDM and hip-hop together.
52:53 Just so many things that I could tell you that, like, fuck, you did that first?
52:57 And look, I discovered and signed DJ Snake in '07 when he was a guy in Paris
53:00 that didn't even speak English.
53:02 And then I introduced him to Lil Jon.
53:04 And six years later we made "Turn Down for What."
53:06 Who the fuck was thinking about signing that guy?
53:08 You know what I mean?
53:09 But I can see talent in people.
53:12 And when I went there, I told them, no, we should do it this way,
53:16 and they didn't understand that.
53:17 So I was like, can you guys just let me go?
53:19 And then for like three months I kept begging for them to drop me.
53:22 And then who begs to get dropped from a major label, right?
53:25 And then they finally hit me three months later like,
53:27 dude, we got news to share with you.
53:29 We're going to have to let you go.
53:31 I literally went, yes!
53:32 And they laughed.
53:33 They're like, yeah, we knew you were going to be excited.
53:35 And the great part about that is DJ, who I fucking love forever,
53:40 was like-- because I delivered like 30 records.
53:43 And when you deliver records, they own it now.
53:45 He was like, yeah, I never heard any records except "Favorite DJ,"
53:48 which was the single they put out.
53:49 And I was like, ah, this dude.
53:51 I'll tell you the best part of that whole experience
53:54 is the day I got to sit in Jimmy Iovine's office
53:58 when it was just me and him, when I just got signed
54:01 to Scope Records, and we're sitting next to each other.
54:04 He's right here, and we're listening to my music.
54:07 And he's breaking down my lyrics.
54:09 And he's like, oh, I love the way you said that.
54:12 Oh, interesting choice of words.
54:14 And then he's like, I love your songwriting.
54:17 I'd love to put you in the room with Marshall or Bono.
54:20 And I'm like, he didn't just fucking say I'm going to be in the studio
54:25 with Bono from U2 writing music.
54:28 And then obviously I'm keeping it cool.
54:30 I'm like, that'd be great.
54:31 And inside, I'm like, what?
54:33 And then he's just like, man, you're a really interesting artist.
54:36 You're really unique, and your songwriting is really impeccable.
54:39 I'm so glad that we signed you here.
54:41 Now, who knows?
54:42 He could say that to everybody they sign and romanticize them.
54:45 But all I know is in that moment-- and the reason why I know he fucked me
54:49 that hard, because every time I seen him for the next decade,
54:54 every time I see him, he's like, Clint Sparks.
54:57 So it was never just like I was an artist signed to his label.
54:59 He doesn't remember me.
55:00 It was always like, Clint, I--
55:02 He seems like a cool guy.
55:03 Super cool.
55:04 I've been to his house--
55:05 He's real even when he's not on TV.
55:07 I've been to his house multiple times.
55:08 I'm friends with his son, Jamie, who owns Network.
55:11 You know, interesting, funny story.
55:13 I don't know if this show takes stories.
55:15 Please.
55:16 But--
55:17 It's my show.
55:18 We do whatever we want.
55:19 All right.
55:20 You can always edit the shit out, too.
55:21 Here's an extra clip.
55:22 Right?
55:23 So Jimmy Iovine asked me to DJ a party at his house one day.
55:28 I didn't know what kind of party this was going to be.
55:30 I just thought, this is awesome, Jimmy Iovine.
55:32 And I'm signed to his label, Interscope.
55:34 And I'm a Beats by Dre ambassador.
55:38 So I go there, and like, everybody's at this party,
55:41 from Mary J. Blige to Casey Affleck.
55:43 Like, you name it.
55:44 I'm DJing in his living room.
55:46 Everyone's there.
55:47 So I had a legit camera, not a phone camera, because this is 2012, right?
55:54 And I had a really good camera.
55:56 So I'm taking pictures with everybody.
55:57 In fact, Dr. Dre came to hang out with me in the DJ booth,
56:01 because we were cool.
56:02 And plus, he's a DJ, so he just felt comfortable hanging out with me.
56:06 I literally have pictures of me, like, having Dre in a headlock,
56:08 giving him a newgi, like, all types of pictures like that.
56:11 Then there's one picture that we took on my camera with me, Jimmy Iovine,
56:17 Diddy, Akon, Dr. Dre, and Em.
56:22 All of that.
56:23 That's like being with, like, John Lennon, Paul McCartney,
56:25 Jimi Hendrix, Frank Sinatra, like, all in one picture.
56:29 When I took that picture, I was like, "Holy shit.
56:31 This picture forever is going to be the biggest picture in my living room."
56:35 So then I go back to DJing.
56:37 I put my camera under the turntables.
56:39 Nikki Hilton and, like, three of her friends keep asking to hang in the booth
56:43 with me.
56:44 Now, I get super irked when, like, just, like, random girls are in the booth
56:47 and, like, trying to be cute and stuff.
56:49 So I'm always just like, "Watch out. Watch out."
56:51 So they're in there putting their stuff underneath the turntables.
56:55 And Nikki's in there hanging, dancing with her two friends,
56:57 who I don't even know.
56:59 And then at the end of the night, when we're all done, insane party,
57:03 good time, crushed it, my fucking camera's gone.
57:07 And I'm like, "Where the fuck is Nikki Hilton?"
57:11 So I'm, like, walking around for Nikki Hilton.
57:13 They're like, "She just left."
57:14 I'm like, "Fuck Nikki Hilton."
57:16 So I'm, like, I'm so mad.
57:18 I'm like, "Who the fuck are her friends?
57:19 Who took my camera?"
57:20 And, like, all those incredible legendary pictures of Dr. Dre and a noogie,
57:26 like, in a headlock.
57:27 Who has that picture? Right?
57:29 And that iconic picture with all these legends, I'll never see them.
57:32 You know what's funny?
57:33 I was upset about that, but you know the thing that I was even more upset about?
57:36 In that role, it was my son's first year of playing Little League baseball,
57:40 and I took a whole bunch of pictures of him playing,
57:43 and he never played again after that.
57:45 So, like, I lost all the pictures of my son playing baseball.
57:47 You never got the camera back.
57:48 I never got the camera back.
57:49 Nikki.
57:50 Fuck Nikki Hilton, man.
57:51 Send Clinton Sparks his camera back.
57:52 Fuck Nikki Hilton and her friends, man.
57:55 But kind of, it's all good, but fuck you anyways.
57:58 Yeah, or just send the camera back.
58:00 Yeah, or fuck your friends.
58:01 Whoever took my camera, fuck that person who took that camera.
58:04 Or send it back.
58:05 It probably wasn't Nikki, but I'm just going to blame Nikki forever.
58:09 How cool would it be if one day she brought the camera back to you?
58:11 Dude, I would do anything she asked me to do.
58:14 Yeah?
58:15 Yeah.
58:16 All right.
58:17 I'm going to send it back.
58:18 I'm going to send it back.
58:19 I'm going to send it back.
58:20 I'm going to send it back.
58:21 I'm going to send it back.
58:22 I'm going to send it back.
58:23 I'm going to send it back.
58:24 I'm going to send it back.
58:25 I'm going to send it back.
58:26 I'm going to send it back.
58:27 I'm going to send it back.
58:28 I'm going to send it back.
58:29 I'm going to send it back.
58:30 I'm going to send it back.
58:31 I'm going to send it back.
58:32 I'm going to send it back.
58:33 I'm going to send it back.
58:34 I'm going to send it back.
58:35 I'm going to send it back.
58:36 I'm going to send it back.
58:37 I'm going to send it back.
58:38 I'm going to send it back.
58:40 Everbol is the best you could ever, ever, ever put in your body.
58:43 9.9.
58:44 Let's go!
58:45 Let's go guys!
58:46 It's Jeff Fenster!
58:49 Show!
58:50 Thank you so much for listening.
58:53 If you're looking to level up your relationship capital game, then take a minute and text
58:56 the word JEFF to 33777 for a free copy of my Network to Millions playbook.
59:03 The link will also be provided in the show notes below.
59:06 See you guys next time.
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