Chance Humphrey of Keep Pittsburgh Dope

Count money, man.

Money that grits is fine.

I told trying to told him I'm a beast.

What's up, gang?

Welcome back to another episode of the grind cast.

Get ready.

It's a new day.

And we got the man chancellor going by chance, Humphrey

from another great from Aliquipa.

I've been in Pittsburgh for 15 years.

And I noticed just a ton of talent coming out of Aliquipa.

A lot of times you think sports, you

think athletics, football, stuff like that.

But chance is doing it on another level.

The man behind the creative initiative, Keith Pittsburgh

don't.

I love it.

I love it.

I love it.

Former on air radio host at 100.7 star in WAMO,

Pittsburgh magazine, 40 under 40.

I got a couple more months for that.

And then voted best lifestyle influencer

by Pittsburgh City Paper.

So tell us first about Keith Pittsburgh dope.

I love the title already.

Seems like what about nine years ago,

you started up Pittsburgh, Keith Pittsburgh dope?

Yes.

And thank you for the intro, man.

When you list out stuff like this,

you realize like, yeah, you kind of did some great

to the places.

Thank you.

And again, thank you for having me.

Yeah, Keith Pittsburgh dope, almost 10 years old.

Yeah, it's been a crazy journey with this social media sphere

and just trying to keep up with how things are moving.

First, it was pictures.

Now it's just all reels and TikToks.

But it's just all about adapting.

So it started as street photography.

Right.

So first, when I started to hear about it,

learn about I had to go in and try to grasp

what is street photography, first of all.

So let's explain to the listeners,

to the viewers, street photography.

For sure.

So street photography, I was really inspired

by a photographer named Scott Schumann.

He's called a satore list.

He was kind of the first street photographer

of the digital age where he would capture your everyday person

in great style or fashion on the streets.

So someone coming out of the office,

someone going to work or coming out of coffee shop,

he would stop them and capture a moment

and put it on his website, and it would turn into social media.

And I kind of took his formula.

No one was doing that here in Pittsburgh at the time.

This is 2014.

And no one was doing that here on the streets.

I was like, I was just two years in the photography

and I was kind of getting more confident.

So I was just saying, let me see what I can do with this.

And it felt right.

And here we are nine years.

So you grabbed a camera.

Yes.

And said, I'm gonna hit the streets of Pittsburgh.

And I'ma just start taking pictures of random people.

Yeah, random people that...

Inaction.

Well random people that caught my eye in a style sense.

So it started as me catching unique style downtown

and other places around the city.

And it gradually grew into more...

You know, still focused on style,

but also like more personalities too on this street

outside of just what they're wearing.

Gotta take guts to run up on somebody

and just say, hey, can I take a picture of you?

Yeah.

You gotta have a special gut for that.

Probably comes natural to you,

but to try to talk somebody else,

say, hey, grab the camera.

Just today, just start running up to people

and telling them, you gotta take...

You gotta have a special heart and personality.

For sure.

You could just run up on people and say,

hey, explain who I am.

What was your explanation?

You know what I mean?

Oh, yeah.

So like, yeah, you're exactly right.

That was just...

That's just always been in me just to be able

to just talk to anybody.

Talk to people.

Yeah, there's always been that way.

I don't talk a lot, but like when it's like

I can, like for a podcast or I mean,

I can just be can talk.

But yeah, my field, my field was always at first

because hey, I've run this page, keep this worked out.

I'm not creepy.

You got the million dollar smile too.

You got that big smile.

Warm welcoming.

Smile.

I'm not creepy.

Yo, and I think that...

Because I'm wondering what's the script.

That plays a part into it.

So like, you know, but my thing was

just always telling them what I recognized about.

Like, hey, I saw your interview.

Compliment them.

Yeah, or just really like telling them what I saw.

Like, hey, I love your sweater.

I don't know if I can get a picture.

And it was just that compliment,

just kind of let the guard down and like,

oh, hey, like, you know, it gives them...

It just pups them up, makes people feel good.

So, yeah, that was my field kind of.

Loving.

So you start putting them up on Instagram?

Yes, Instagram.

Okay.

How long ago?

2014 is when the page started.

Okay, so nine years.

Nine years.

In the making.

And then over time, how fast did it blow up?

Like, how long did it take for it to, you know,

you're never really arrived, right?

We're always working on the next thing.

But when you're like, man, we turned the corner.

I can't believe.

Yeah, I would say 10K, when I hit 10K,

I think it was maybe a year.

I think it was maybe a year, maybe a year and a half.

So I want to say a year.

Because my friends do like a little surprise party for me.

That's my like, staple to remember it.

But yeah, I would say 10K.

And then I think once 10K hit, it was like,

you know, some little brands started reaching out

and they were just like, okay, all right, this is,

this is, this is something that I'm doing.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, exactly.

So I heard, I read somewhere,

said that you were somewhat inspired from,

was it a fashion week, New York fashion week

or style week or something like that?

Yeah, so like what I was seeing,

I was seeing what the tutorialist was doing.

I got to chant my best friend who still lives in New York.

You seen who was doing?

Scott Schumann, I'm sorry.

This is a tutorialist.

Okay, I'm from Youngstown, Ohio.

Yeah, okay.

So you got to dumb it down for me.

I'm still working on my education.

I still can't spell.

I still can't spell some tutorials.

But yeah, so I was inspired by him,

but when I went to fashion week,

that's what really got me inspired to go in.

Because it was, not only was I inspired by Scott Schumann,

but once I got there, it was so many other street photographers.

And like everyone knew who they were.

Like they more than, they knew them more than like the models

coming out of the shows.

It was just like crazy.

The wildest thing.

Yeah, I was like, oh my god,

like these guys were like low key celebrities from their craft.

So like just from taking dope pictures.

And I was like, man, this is crazy.

So that's what really got the engines revving of like,

all right, I can kind of create this brand off of my craft

than what I like to do and everything like that.

So that's what really opened up, you know, the business time.

Vision.

Yeah, the vision to see that vision, after being exposed to it,

said I'm gonna come home, bring that to Pittsburgh.

Exactly.

I've been at fashion week in New York.

It's wild.

It's a good time.

So my daughter was in a thing.

She's, she's seven now.

Okay.

This was a couple of years ago,

but she did a modeling thing in New York.

And there's thousands of people.

So I can't believe, I mean, it was later.

That tickets was three grand, you know,

to get close to the stage, like a club,

like 11,000 for the tables up in the thing,

like middle of the afternoon, I mean, it was crazy.

You just see the soft hook, it'll blow your mind.

Celebrities in between stuff, like just regular.

Yeah, that's so, so, so, so, so,

who has been your favorite person,

anybody stick out roaming the streets of Pittsburgh,

taking shots of people, anything stand out,

people that you bumped into.

Man, stories.

I'll say, I'll say the most random,

like I'm not the, I love movies that I like him as an actor.

I'm not like the biggest fan,

but I ran into a human McGregor,

like downtown, just randomly.

What does he play in Star Wars?

I think, Hansel, he,

I forget who he plays in the Star Wars,

but I ran into him randomly downtown one day.

He was counting for a movie

and he let me get a picture.

And in the same, in the next day, I caught Frodo.

I forget what his name is, who is Frodo?

So he must have been rolling with him.

Yeah, I think they were doing a movie together.

I forget what I was doing.

Pittsburgh's been bringing more movie stuff.

It seems like over the last few years.

Yeah, I think she's been here.

Yeah, yeah.

What a nice scene.

Yeah, but yeah, yeah, yeah.

You're helping to make known.

Yeah, thank you.

Yeah, and just to be,

and just to catch Joe's moments

while those bigger celebrities are here,

it's just like,

it, I don't know, it brings a full circle

to what I'm trying to do

and just get more people to look at

inside Pittsburgh and see it as well.

How about your family background?

You got brother sisters,

all that in there.

You're only child?

You too.

Yeah, yeah.

That's like, I don't know about you,

but I like, like I said,

I'm a people person,

but I still like my long time,

just being alone,

like,

turning a phone on silent.

It's just like,

Anybody see you doing this?

Like mom, dad, friends,

anybody like, yeah, I can see them doing this.

This is no surprise.

Yeah, and even with that funny backstory,

when I was about three or four,

the Arsenio Hall Show was real big at the time.

Woo, woo, woo, and I was like religiously

loved Arsenio Hall Show every night,

woo, woo, with the fist.

But my mom kind of knew I took a liking

and to do an interview,

just being a personality and things like that.

So early on, my mom kind of had an inkling.

Okay.

Yeah, so it all comes full circle,

stuff like that, okay.

It's crazy when you think about stuff.

What was the transition from the street photography

into Keith Pittsburgh dope?

How did that all exactly transition

and what in your mind got it to start evolving?

Because you created that.

Nobody created it for you.

That was something that,

I heard a quote before,

said, all things in life are created twice.

First they're created in your mind.

And then somebody has to put it into action.

Even if you rob a bank, it's like,

somebody thought about that first.

I was created twice.

He put it in action.

So that had to get created in your mind,

somewhat first that evolution.

What was that process?

Yeah, for sure, I feel like the process,

it was always just like taking a little bit

from people I admire.

So like again, so like Scott Schumann,

I was like, all right,

I can capture people on the Pittsburgh streets

and I can post it on my Instagram.

All right, got that.

Now where I guess where social media was going,

I was watching different celebrities.

I can't remember who,

but it was just I knew along with me capturing the pictures,

I would have to show quality photos of myself too,

if I was talking about branding.

So I was like, all right,

you got the people of Pittsburgh,

which the people are coming there for.

They're not coming there for me,

but for me to brand myself,

I knew I had to just all cool pictures of myself

in between these street photos,

just so they could see who I am,

if they run into me at a party,

but yo, you know, you to birthday.

So it was just like,

I don't know, that was just always.

Did they call you,

is that what, when they see you,

they say that's the keep Pittsburgh dope?

Yeah, they even say chance.

That's keep Pittsburgh dope,

which is awesome.

But yeah, and it was just me watching different celebrities

and kinda seeing how they branded themselves on Instagram

when it was in those early stages.

But yeah, just taking a little bit

from people I admire.

I love it.

I think that's how we evolved.

That's how a lot of the world evolves in medicine,

cell phones, you know, whatever's just,

why not?

Just keep building on.

Still from something that's already there.

And to me to the right people, it should be an honor.

It's exactly right.

Should be an honor.

And I think that's what, I wanna say,

but I guess life,

like I read this, that's what life is about.

I read this book called Still Like An Artist.

And it was basically talking about that.

You know, taking what you like from art as you admire

and just kinda making it, you know,

put your spin on it and like elevate what they're doing

or whatever.

But it's just, yeah, that's the part of life.

That's the point.

What does it take, you know, to create that

from turning your vision into a reality

that maybe most people wouldn't see

or wouldn't understand?

You know, it's like, oh, must be nice.

You know, everybody wants 30, 40,000 followers

and people to know them on the streets

and have something that they like to do

turning to actually something that they get to do,

you know, consistently.

And it looks like fun and games, you know,

but there gotta be some moments in there

that were like, man, most people might not have made it

through this point.

Or I see, you know, how some people can have an idea

and not come to fruition because there's some tough things

that happen between point A and point B that nobody would know.

They just think I'm out here having fun with a camera.

Right.

But what other things has it taken?

Yeah.

To get there.

Of course, I feel like it's the common thing with discipline

because you're not always going to see like that return

as fast as you want or as you expect.

So I would say number one is discipline.

Not so with everything.

But discipline and delay gratification.

Yeah, it's just like working and now

for the result to come back down the road.

Exactly.

How did you do that?

So it was just clearly, it was one no fear.

It was like getting over the fear of starting something.

I think that's the one thing everybody is just like,

whatever the fear is, you know, the fear

of what people are going to think or the fear

that you might be lazy or the fear

that you won't be able to get to work.

Whatever the fear is, I think getting over that fear first

is the biggest hurdle.

But then once getting over that fear,

it's just to stay consistent and to...

Consistency.

Yeah, consistency and to have your vision clear as possible.

But yeah, consistency.

And for me, it was quality.

So it was consistency and quality.

It's when it came to the picture.

So it was like, all right, I got to be...

It's not, I don't do it every day now.

But back then, it was like, I'm posting every single day.

Every day I'm posting this tree shot.

And it's going to be from my DSLR.

Like, it's going to be quality.

So people, at the same time, I also recognized

I wasn't that good yet either.

So it was like, I want to take these people on a journey.

I don't know how I knew all of this.

But it was like, I want people going to say,

chance wasn't that good at first,

but now we see where he's at now.

And it's just like, I knew that played a part into it

for some reason, but consistency and discipline.

Not people don't see that in everybody's process.

Man, he's not that good right now,

but look at how far they've come.

That could be anybody that people admire

in any art, any form, every sport, whatever.

At some point, that person wasn't that good.

Exactly.

You know what I mean?

and they kept going with consistency and discipline.

And then people oftentimes they catch them at 40,000 followers

and they don't catch them at 1,000 followers.

And they get frustrated in their process

of whatever their process represents.

We're measuring yours just by followers real quick.

Just so people have something they could understand.

But somebody else's process may be something else.

And they get frustrated between 1 and 40

because they look at your 40

and they think that you never had a one.

Right.

You know what I'm saying?

And so that's what we got to remind people of

and talk to people about is like, man, what was your process

like on the come up?

Yeah.

Was there times that you didn't feel like doing it

that you had to get yourself to do it anyway?

Was there times that you had to invest

the money and the stuff where you wasn't getting

quick returns back from it?

What were some of those things like?

Yeah.

I've literally all those things you just stated.

Like just putting money in the merch

and putting only five people in my body.

You know, just like little things

that you're not going to see any return.

But it's, I don't know how it is for you.

But I kind of, it's worth it to me.

It's just like I know I believe in my vision.

I believe in my dream.

I haven't.

I'm having fun doing it.

But at times, yeah, it was not getting paid on time.

And your mom said, I think you should get a job.

Yeah, do something out exactly.

So how did you get over that?

Mom saying people saying, man, get a real job.

Right?

You a year into this.

Yeah.

It's literally taking pictures every day,

putting money into this.

What are you doing, man?

Yeah.

And literally it's just, I don't want to,

it's just figuring it out, just consistency.

Like, you know, of course, your parent,

my mom just cares about me.

You know, she wants me to like, you know, that's all I was.

But it's just, you know, 100% believing in your vision

and know that these tough times are temporary.

Like it sucks in the moment, but if you know

that you're going to get to the other side,

it's like literally nothing can stop you.

I know it sounds so clear, but it's just like,

if you know what I believe, like, you're going to,

you know, it might be a week without,

it might be a week of ramen noodles or a month, whatever,

but you know that this process is going to work itself out.

And not to stay too long,

but I love sports, right?

I love sports, but I go back to the,

I don't know if you remember the Kobe Bryant game.

I think he might have his second year in the league,

maybe a rookie, but he shot like four airballs.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah, he talks about it.

Yeah, and like, yes, yes, I love Kobe Bryant, man.

But he talks about falling in love with that process

after that, like just every day, like,

that's not going to happen again.

That's never going to happen again.

Said his legs, he realized at that point,

he had to get in better conditioning.

Yeah.

So he hired a trainer that was going to push him.

So you got the greatest in the world,

one of the greatest in the world that says,

most people would think they was good enough

if they had half a Kobe's talent to give.

This dude says, I'm not good enough.

I'm going to hire another dude to chase my grown ass around

at a sport that I could smash him in and push me

to get stronger.

So next year, I got the legs.

Yep.

Because he said it came from legs.

I know exactly because I'm a Kobe Bryant fan too.

I'm a 4.30 AM cat.

So he's a get in the gym, 4.35 o'clock in the morning

to stretch the day out and get more reps than everybody else.

Type cat.

Yeah.

I can't do 4.30 AM.

4.30 AM.

I don't know if you saw that documentary with Carmelo

in the dream team.

No.

And they were talking about Kobe.

They were coming back from the club.

And Kobe was going to the gym.

And Carmelo was like, I mean, I work hard, but I ain't doing all that.

It was funny.

But people call that crazy.

4.30 AM, and Kobe was doing was crazy.

And it might be extreme like the sun.

But it takes extreme to get extreme results.

Right.

And it's like, I'm not to that Kobe level yet.

But I don't feel that's crazy.

I feel like you're just giving all of your God-given whatever it is.

I just feel like Kobe did that.

I just feel like it looks crazy to people.

But I just feel like he did everything with his power to utilize the gifts.

He made himself good.

Yeah, yeah.

He had some gifts, but he made himself great.

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

If you follow the whole journey, have you had any, you know, it seems like, you know,

your personality, I get it, you know, which is the, I think a personality for your, to

be able to enjoy your success and have peace of yourself and trust the Lord or trust whatever

you want to trust with the process and not engage in things below the line or, you know,

you just stay up here with the Eagles and let the pigeons stay down there and fight with

each other.

But you give me the vibe that you would, you know, be cool with rolling with the punches

anyway.

But have you had the opportunity yet to have any haters or anything like that on the

come up?

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

And it's, it's so, oh, for sure.

Yeah.

And it's, damn, and it's wild to see.

It's like, I mean, not everybody's going to like you or whatever, but it's, it's something

to witness.

I don't know.

It's something to witness.

People not like you for any reason.

Like, yo, like, I didn't, like, you don't do nothing to them.

You might not even know them.

It's just like, and I hate to say, but even just that hatred of what you do or how you

do it or they might want to do that.

But, um, yeah.

I've, uh, I've seen it all on the social media thing.

And it's like, and the thing, and the crazy thing is like trolls for sure.

But like, and like, you, and I've seen people in person, like, I've seen people who've,

like, a visceral, like talking about me, and I've seen it in person.

And it's just like, you know, nothing.

So I feel like people get caught up behind that screen and get caught up on the laptop.

And they just feel like they can, they can say stuff.

And I'm not like, I'm not no tough guy, but it's just like, I feel like you have to

keep that energy when you see someone in person.

Right.

I don't know.

It's just, I, I just feel like the, the screen is kind of mess everyone's no doubt.

Yeah.

I think it's part of the game.

Part of the process.

It's a part of the game, man.

That was so hard for me, um, in the transition, you know, I was born to single mom, you

know, young sound.

We sold our house for $11,000 when I went into high school, uh, only child.

Yeah.

And, um, I, I took it personal on the come up because, you know, in youngstown, most of

those things would never happen, right, throwing up.

Like we would just fight.

Right.

You know, the main thing was like, never, never like this.

Right.

I mean, I've never felt that I've had to go through a business and then I'm like, I

can't even do that.

You know what I mean?

What I want to do, you know what I mean?

And, and, and, but that was a hard process and then I went to a place where I don't even

want to engage.

It does it.

I'm okay.

I'm smiling at it.

Yeah.

Because I realized that a Kobe Bryant has to go to he's in L.A., but he's playing in New York

and you're going to have somebody up there with a sign and somebody, you know, you're

screaming, you know, they're screaming out of talking about your mama.

Yeah.

All right.

So, you know, I mean, I'm going to be on a metal world peace and jump in and start choking.

People as a professional.

Exactly.

So, if you want to be a professional, you got to deal with professional hate because it's

professional haters out there.

You got to let them do their job.

You know what?

And, and I kind of looked at it like I did roll because it reminded me of, you made it.

Congratulations.

You ever see the cat Williams where he, where he was talking about.

If you ain't got no haters, feel free to hate on me.

Right.

And it's, yeah.

Congratulations.

Yeah.

Because you, you, you didn't really make it yet.

And that you got some people starting to hate on you.

I thought it wants to like once, once that 10k hit and it was like, is it was nothing

but love?

And then I thought like once, I don't know, I don't know what it is.

Why don't you start making it?

Yeah.

And I looked at it.

It's like, because it was blatant like, oh my God.

Like, it was like blatant like, and it was just like, oh, this is what like, so let

really be talking about.

So it was like, okay.

I can deal with this.

I'm cool.

Like so.

But I feel you're not every like, yeah.

In Alacrupa or Youngstown, it's just like, does it motivate you?

Fight or whatever.

It does.

I mean, not necessarily anymore.

It's just like you say.

It's just like, it wasn't really happened anymore.

I haven't seen it.

Yeah.

But, yeah, I guess it has motivated me in the past for sure.

Because I went through a situation when the George Floyd protests were going on downtown.

And I went down the shoot with a whole bunch of other photographers and, you know, each

person I'm asking them, can I take their picture?

It's just like, what do I do?

And man, when I tell you, like, when I posted those pictures, it was just like, you know,

something I got, it was a lot of anger, it was a lot of heat at the moment.

But like, everyone was just so mad that I posted these pictures thinking I didn't ask

their permission, thinking that, you know, they might get in trouble with law enforcement

that it out.

And they didn't even know that all these people were willing participants in my photography.

So, and that was just seeing the comments and people like, people literally lying.

And it was just like, I never blocked you.

It was just like all of this stuff.

Crazy.

It was crazy.

But that just showed me it was like, I stuck to my guns, like, throw it up.

But I feel like as leaders and creators, you just, you know, you're doing right.

Just stick to it.

Don't let nobody, don't let so many people let that stop them.

Yeah.

And you stop them.

And it's scary.

And it's scary.

And it's scary.

Especially in the, you know, the cancel and all that stuff.

This is a scary time.

So I get it.

But I heard a dude say one time, man, people will forgive you for almost anything at all.

Other than being successful.

Yeah.

Straight up.

You know what I'm saying?

You could get forgiven for a lot of things, but people I hate on you, a lot of people

would never forgive you for having a little bit of success, man.

What advice would you have to young people on networking, maximizing opportunity in their

field, you know, kind of how to gain an edge amongst other people in a creative sense?

Yeah.

That's a, that's a, that's a great question because I'm, I'm still like, like for me, like

all, my work is alone.

I'm, I do photography alone when I have to do a real, like what a partnership is like,

I'm myself and as I get, you know, broaden in my business, I have to work with people a

lot more.

So like, I'm getting better with my like patients and everything is at all my time.

I'm better.

But, um, but as far as networking, it's, it's literally just as, um, it's just that.

I feel like just swap, if you are not a social person or whatever, I feel like you do have

to shed some of that a little bit depending on what you're trying to get into.

Um, so yeah, I just get out of your comfort zone.

Yeah, get out of your comfort zone a little bit.

If it is a networking event, um, I say go to it.

If you're, if you're early and if it's a networking event in your field or something,

or if it's just a networking event in general, just to meet people, um, I say do it.

I mean, don't go along.

Maybe go with a homie, but like, uh, definitely shed that shed that layer of fear of just having

even awkward conversations.

It will be awkward moments in networking.

Like it will be like, oh, we have nothing to talk about.

Like even that is, is a fear, but you know, it happens.

So, uh, we just shed that level of fear and just kind of, kind of stuff out.

You'll be better than you think.

Love it.

Yeah.

Now, you know, coming up on mid, mid 30s, early 30s, what, what would the chance of, of

now tell the chance of, of 21 years of age or 18 years of age go back, you know, 10

years, 15 years?

What would you say?

Man, it's, it's so, man, I hope this is it.

It's like, uh, let it rip.

Don't worry how it comes off.

Yeah.

Like, man, I kind of, I knew it, man.

It was just like, yo, we, I would tell my younger, I was like, yo, we, you called it.

We did it or we're still doing it.

Because like, I just, I remember like, just conversations on my home, like, yo, we buy,

I'm about to take over this.

You know, and I haven't, I didn't do anything yet.

And it was just like, but I, I just knew speaking it, speaking into existence.

Speaking it, yeah, thinking it, believing it, facts, working it.

And that's all that.

And consistent with it.

And that's all I was doing.

And it was just like, I don't know, I just believed in it.

I believed in my vision so much that I knew that I would, I would be here.

I knew that, you know, people want to talk to me about how I got here.

You know what I'm saying?

It was just like even dope sets like this.

And you it's just like, I knew this was all going to come in fruition.

And yeah, to three people that stand out to you in your life that impacted you and what

you got out of them.

My mom number one, just work ethic.

She had me at 20.

And you know, I just look, moms have me at 19.

Yeah.

And I think about like, they had dreams, like they had stuff they, they wanted to do and

they had to kind of shift it, you know, for us.

So it's like, I'm happy to see my mom do more, that I'm like a adult.

She's stepping out, you know, more stuff she wants to do.

But it's like my mom, just that sacrifice and just, you know, 10 toes down.

I got to work a job.

I don't want to work.

But I'm going to eat, you know, it's like that work ethic and just, I don't know, that's

what I took from my mom.

I tell, I tell some of the boss ladies that work for me now that have children.

I say, man, I remember my mom, and us living in the house on the east side of Youngstown,

my mom would go to work and she would work two jobs.

And then some days she would go part time to night school at Youngstown State.

So sometimes as a kid, when she pulled out, I'm with my grandmother and I'm like, I know

I ain't going to see her for a minute.

But I'm crying.

You know what I mean?

I remember, you know what I mean?

By six years old crying.

And I'm like, man, if it were up to me, I would have told my mom, like, look, just stay

home and play Nintendo with me.

Well for a thing ain't that bad.

We can just hang out together.

We don't need you going to work.

I don't need nothing.

I'd rather you stay with me.

And mom sometimes need to hear that.

They like, man, if you're a single mom or you're the mom that has to do it for your family,

and you work, and there's a guilt that comes with, man, I got to go to work, but my son

is here.

What do I do?

Yeah.

And I told those young ladies that, man, I can tell you when people ask me.

asked me about where do I get my work ethic from?

It's only so much you could talk to somebody

about, which is why I tell people, no matter what the Lord

blesses me with or whatever my situation is,

I'm not hanging them up anytime soon because my kids are so young.

I don't want them to think that they just woke up in a house

like this just popped up.

I want you to see me grind.

I want you to see me up at 430.

I want you to see me come home late sometimes.

I'm not going to neglect you, but I want you to see me grind

if this don't just happen because you got born here.

Because my witness to work ethic wasn't by what somebody told me,

it was by what I saw my mother do.

That was my first example of motivation,

because when I hit hard times in working

in sacrificing weekends, evenings, whatever,

I'm like, what being soft, bro.

You watch your mom do it.

Would a kid and she went to school and she went to night school

and she worked weekends at the Malta at 9 o'clock,

Saturday, Sundays, the whole deal.

You 20 years old, you ain't got no kid,

you ain't got no but opportunity, you just being soft.

You know what I mean?

Those are the conversations I would have in my mind

from being a witness to the work ethic of my mom.

So I know exactly what you're talking about.

And those are the conversations.

Like I still had those conversations.

I feel guilty sometimes.

I'm like, are you going to be a horror or something?

I don't know, it's just like, but to hear you say that

it's like, I'm not.

Like it's just like, yeah, you have conversations

which is like, you know, like, just the fuck up.

Come on, bro.

So I relate 100%.

But second, you know, it's gonna sound crazy.

I've mentioned Kobe a lot, but LeBron James,

like I'm a big LeBron James fan.

Just as him as a man, yeah.

To make all that money, have all that success,

do all that good, have all those haters,

and they still can't come up with nothing.

Nothing.

Because you know they want to come up with something.

Right?

You know they want to nail him to the cross.

You got nothing on this man.

And it's just like three, oh, hi, oh boy, shout out.

Oh, you're so hot.

Played against LeBron.

Get out.

High school, thank God, not in hoops.

Oh, football.

Football.

He was a beast and football.

Yeah, they always see them.

He was a stud.

All state wide out.

Yeah.

We took a tomb though.

Yeah, it's not.

He was an animal.

Yeah, it's not what you can do with six.

He's probably six, seven, six, eight at the time,

but yeah, it's nothing.

You can't really do much for that.

But lucky.

Lucky.

Yeah, just like you said, him is just as a man, family,

the expectations going above the expectations.

Like I just look at him like, God, Lee, like I, I,

that's my, that's my perfect picture.

Like that's what I want to, that's what I want, you know.

Love it.

And I'd love to hear him tell us this is what you want

and what you think you want and you do want.

But let me tell you what it cost to me to get here.

Yeah.

And we wouldn't see.

Yeah, pain, the struggle.

You know what I'm saying?

I'm taking care of hate.

Yeah.

And you know, yeah, he get it all.

But who else?

You got one more?

Who's my, my, my, my mom and LeBron?

Those are two.

I mean, how do you beat that?

Yeah.

Oh, and I'll say it, man, he ain't my best friend.

My best friend Justin, we met in college freshman year.

We played basketball.

Our coaches, my coach knew we were going to be best friend.

Beaver Penn State.

He's from, Penn State Beaver.

Yeah, he's from Jersey, though.

He's from Jersey, Trent.

And we met and we're best friends to this day.

But I learned, because his dad was in business.

His dad's a prominent businessman in Jersey.

And Justin was really disciplined as a freshman.

Oh, you know, I was, you know, lucky, you know, having fun.

And still to this day, I do.

But Justin showed me like discipline

in a young person like in college.

OK.

He showed me how to like really work hard.

Someone who's the same age as me.

But he really impacted my life as a 18 year old until now.

But I'll tell him all the time, because he makes the most money

out of all of our friends.

Like, it's just like he discipline.

Yeah.

Like, we, he just had it.

So like he's one of my role models.

Love it.

Yeah, for sure.

Justin, yeah, it's an interesting.

Discipline, I tell, you know, sometimes

to like to bring a picture to people of like,

what do you mean by discipline?

You know, I heard Nick Saban say one time.

He said, discipline is there's something

that I want to do that I know I shouldn't do.

Can I get myself to not do it?

Yeah.

And then there's there's something that I don't feel like doing

that I know I need to do to get to the next level.

Can I force myself?

Can I get myself to do it?

Yeah.

And that's that's how he defines discipline.

I think that's a great way to understand discipline.

I think exactly.

I know it took a bunch of discipline and sacrifice

and ignore and naysayers and all that

to get to where you are coming up on a decade, you know,

in your vision, man, which is so cool and so unique.

What's cool is business, there's other business people

that have come and been successful.

And there's other football players

that have come through and been successful.

I'll equip, I've got a bunch of, a couple of hall of

famous that come through there in sports

and it's been successful.

But in Pittsburgh, you know, not a ton of people

that have done what you've done making the mark

that you've done it over here as a pioneer.

I know you've looked up to others outside the area,

but what you've brought out of yourself,

what you've done in the city,

with your vision and the creative spirit and the work

I think and everything is something that I admire

and super cool, which is why I caught the eye of our team,

you know, of finding, hunting down, you know,

somebody like you, you know, we had James Harrison

on, you know, racing.

So we went from James to you.

I'm on.

So I know, I know, you know, I told him, I'm like,

man, I'm trying to keep it together, you know,

to mean with James in the house, but I was so excited.

I'm saying, like, man, I wanted a goats of all time.

Yeah.

The only person that sat there before you was James Harrison,

bro, you know what I'm saying?

Me and you, we got a long way to go,

but we come a long way for sure.

You know, to mean and congratulations to you, you know,

for all of your success and what you're bringing to the city

and you're so young still, there's no doubt

if you don't stop, nothing's going to stop you.

You know, you got to keep on keep it up, man,

but I'm super excited for you and impressive what you've done

and definitely I'm a fan of what you got going on.

So how can our followers listeners get in contact with you

or follow you?

You got anything, anything we can point them

in a direction to follow?

On Instagram at keep Pittsburgh dope,

same on Facebook at keep Pittsburgh dope.

And keep Pittsburgh dope.com.

Easy to remember.

Yeah, everything.

Keep Pittsburgh dope everything.

I love it.

But also I was going to say,

I think people in Pittsburgh not get behind that.

How?

Keep Pittsburgh dope.

You know, what you what you are doing,

that's what I wanted to say, like,

I came because I was like, I looked at,

I saw the set, everything looked so locked in

and professional and quality.

I was like, yeah, I got to be apart

because I saw the vision.

I see what you're doing.

So like, congrats to you because I know how hard it is

like to, to, to, to, to,

well, not even a conversation,

but to get guests and line everything up and stuff like that

because I'm, I'm, I'm getting into, you know,

my podcast realm and it's a lot, man.

Like I said, working with a staff and stuff like that

is a kudos to you.

It's a lot.

We appreciate you, man.

Definitely.

We appreciate you.

So keep, keep, keep, keep in Pittsburgh dope.

Yes.

And also, uh, KPD network.com,

uh, Chanson counters podcast episode one

with Mikey and Big Bob is out now.

I like it.

Check it out.

I like it.

My dog.

Well, thanks for joining us on the Grandcast, brother.

We appreciate having you.

Thank you.

But for the following your journey.

And thanks to all of you out there.

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Grandcast.

Get ready.

It's a new day.