How I became The Greatest Hustler Alive! From Rap Hustling To Helping People In Africa! | Tone Trump | The Hustleman Show Episode 9

In this episode of the Hustle Man Podcast, Mohammed Easmel talked with the great hustler arrive, Tone Trump! He has been a hustler since day one, working to get off from his rough neighborhood to making it in the music industry. Using rap as his delivery method, he uses it to make a name of himself. Later in his career, he would face a new challenge where he would visit Africa, and help patients with cataracts. Through this podcast, Tone Trump would discuss his long hustle journey, and facing numerous challenges!

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Transcript

0:00

I got somebody very very interesting with me today. Being a hustler, I embody the whole hustler mantra, and mentality at a very young. I was raised by single mothers. At the time, I was born in a very rough neighborhood, drugs, violence You don't consider yourself a rapper. You can sell your business No I don't, I don't like to put myself in a box.(Right) Doctors take a lot of pride, they want to make sure you say doc.(Right) Because they take pride in their type, and for me becoming rappers seems so easy was like you know especially now, guys, record themselves in their cell phones and their laptops, and "I'm a rapper now" So for me, I've sacrificed so much. I work so hard. You're tuned in to another episode of The Hustleman Show. I got somebody very very interesting with me today. I got. I've got a great. Brother, you know, somebody I looked up to for a while, you know doing his thing. We met a long time ago, I got my man Pretty Tony, aka Tone Trump, In the building, in the building an honor to be here. Thank you for having me, congrats on your show and hearing some great things seeing some great things so I'm glad to be able to be a part of this. I appreciate you bro, I appreciate you. You know you can't have The Hustleman Show without the greatest hustle alive. That's very true (You can't do that.) When I saw the name of the show is only appropriate, you know what I mean? You got to have the greatest hustle alive when I was on The Hustleman Show I appreciate you bro, I hit you you're one of the first people I wanted to jump on. And I just want to tell you I appreciate you for that, for sure. Absolutely. I'm here bro. Yeah, so, you've, you've, I don't know if you got an opportunity to check out any of the episodes or not, but you understand the premise of the show? The show is really about highlighting people's stories, highlighting their, their struggle, how they started you know how they got to where they got, there's a lot of people looking at people like you for inspiration- inspiration. I'm sure you're dealing with them every day on Instagram. So, (mmhmm) I really want to peel back those layers and really learn who you are as a person. Right, (absolutely.) And I think that that that that's that's a show that people will tune in for. That's a show that they want to listen to. Right, (absolutely) So before, before you were the greatest hustler alive. I say that and I'm, you know I say that with a smile, but the reality of it is if you if you Google the greatest hustler alive. This man shows up. So, if you convince Google that you can do it, you know you know it has to be pretty damn accurate right? That's one, that's one things I tell everybody I say y'all believe everything else on Google don't stop believing it now, (absolutely) you know, to be able to you know to be Googleable for such a you know an honor you know when you say greatest hustler alive and, you know, the first things that come up is Tone Trump. You know I like to believe I earned that you know blood, sweat and prayers so I take a lot of pride in that. Absolutely. So let me, let me start- let me start right here. You're- you decide to go into the music industry, right? Yes sir. how did how did how does that transpire like take me through, who you are and how old are you and where do you like, when do you become somebody that really prides themselves on their hustle? At what point in your life, does that start? You know when when does that transition in your life start. Honestly, um. For me, being a hustler I embodied the whole hustler mantra and mentality at a very very young age. I was raised by a single mother. And at the time I was you know I was born in a very rough neighborhood, you know, drugs, violence, a lot of different things going on in my neighborhood. I'm gonna tell you my neighborhood was so wicked that I;ll never forget in fifth grade over the loudspeaker to teach- the principal whoever had announced, you know you know they will have like- the like the outro for the day you know kids have a good day you know follow instructions get your work done. And they had a special announcement to not walk from 49th and Hoopes Street, which was the block I lived on. So imagine you know psychologically what you know you don't think about it much when you're that young but when I look back at it now I mean, think about psychologically, you know, being from an area where to the talent you don't walk through that block. You know I lived at 4933 Hoopes Street and I basically was like don't walk through Hoopes Street. So at about- you know at that young age and fourth fifth grade, my mother had said to me and I don't even know how serious she was, but she told me you know I was a man of the house, you know she was a single mother, you know I was the oldest boy so it was like that was my job and I took it very serious so I literally have been hustling, you know, with a purpose, you know hustling for a reason not for a season since, you know, I'm talking 9, 10 years old, and I still hustling very very serious as somebody I take pride in, and you know even recreating the word is where I come from the word hustling was seen as something, you know, negative.(Right.) Right. And, you know, taking taking a negative, and turn into something positive is a skill within itself.(Absolutely) And that's, that's something that I take a whole lot of pride in bro so I've been hustling since day one before I ever thought about doing music before I ever thought about doing rap. I was hustling I was trying to figure it out I was trying to put plays together, you know from the neighborhood- I don't care if it was shoveling snow. You know I would always take everything to an extreme, you know what I'm saying? So I was like that was my thing. And always trying to think outside the box I think that's something that's very, very important, That's dope, I know, I know just based on our conversations, even even me you talking, you don't consider yourself a rapper? You don't you consider your business man No I don't, I don't like, I don't like to put myself in a box. Right right right and you know certain things you know it's like doctors take a lot of pride you know when somebody gets their doctor they want to make sure you say doc, (right) because they take pride in their title so for me becoming a rapper started to seem so easy it was like you know especially now guys can just literally record themselves from their cell phones and laptops and you know I'm a rapper now. So for me, I've sacrificed so much I've worked so hard. I don't want to be called the same thing as somebody who just decides on the one Friday, Friday, something they want to do when they put it together so I've never consider myself a rapper I'm the definition of a hustler and then I hustle, anything I'm involved in so at the moment when I'm doing my music, I'm rap hustling!(Yeah) but but I can you know I do so many different things I have so many different businesses I have so many things that I'm invested in, whether it's sweat equity, whether it's money, different things that I've built from the ground up like I said by the permission of Allah only because where I come from, I mean when we start talking about numbers and eyes and different things like that. You know I've done things, you know, I didn't have an example to go by nobody from my neighborhood nobody from my block ever attempted to really do some of the things I'm doing so I didn't really have a blueprint. To do this, so you know you know experiences the best teacher you know you you can't Google experience, you know what I'm saying? So, for me, was about learning this and I've been hustling man like people have no clue like we talked about hustling bro the sacrifices I look at some of the things these guys call hustling now and I'm like y'all call it hustling? Like they've made it where you can really run your label your business from the comfort of your phone.(Sure.) I'm a guy who will get you know coming up in this game I was you know I didn't, you know, long trips long drives just to chase my dream sometimes break even, sometimes you don't make any profit. And I've ever taken those trips and still coming back with a smile because I knew I was building brick by brick I was building the foundations of my business, (That's dope) being being the only artist from Philly who was, you know, willing to get up and you know getting a rental and drive to Minnesota for a show, you know drive the Wisconsin I'm talking about, you know, putting it into GPS in a week when I say how far are we away? And we look up and we got a 22 hour drive,(crazy) you know, it wasn't about it wasn't a go make a whole bunch of money but it was about building the brand building the brand and being able to go back and go back and go back. I did a show years and years ago and Martinsburg, West Virginia took a shot. This was a coal miners town that nobody went out there, I went out there one day did a show about 100 people showed up, which was a lot for that area, you know, and they love me and and and they burst the relationship and I wind up doing probably 50 shows in a city from that one show (that dope) and every time. And every time it got bigger and bigger and bigger and that I would bring other artists you know Freeway and BEANZ and different people and I opened up and made that market mine, and I made them feel a part of what I was doing in my movement. And that's one of the things I've always done you know i mean like I grow with my fans I go with my supporters, and the people that support Tone Trump no i don't even really call them fans like they've really become a family, (Yeah) you know, whatever, you know whatever I try, they support it all around the board you know now and I'm honored and I'm grateful for that. So, these are these are things that you talk about, and I've actually seen them in practice. I've seen him in practice when me and you first really got to know each other, and (right) and we were doing, we were doing your merch.(Right) And I remember just you know asking you a question I remember sitting in a, in a conference area just asking you a question I said, you know, do you think that people are really going to bang with this on the level? And you were like, man, I don't got the biggest fans. I don't get the most amount of fans I got the best fans. I got the best (That's right) family, and.(That's right) And at the time, I really didn't understand the, the complexity of what you were saying. Yo, I tell this story all the time, to (Yeah) Like I said, but my business partner said to me, man. Are you sure? Yeah, I didn't ask you are you sure after that ever again. And no, and not only that, not only that, I'll never forget one of the best calls you ever gave me is you called me about like an hour after we did our first drop, and we're like, yo, you know your stuff, you know your people, they're going crazy.(Yeah.) And that's so great about that. It, it takes, it takes somebody that really understands it to respect somebody else that does right?(Absolutely) so when you know you're, when you know your your market when you know your people, you know, it don't take it- don't cost me anything to give you yours. You know what I'm saying?(That's right) So, I want to take about a step back a little bit further than that, because I know, I know that you're I've seen you hustle. You hustle beard to oil, you've got- I seen you with bottles of water bro like what your label on it. I've (Right) seen merchandise. I mean, (Right) books. I mean, you've been in a film you've been in the movie Creed, you got (Right) major label deals with, you know, record labels, not just right independent stuff you've done right, you've done albums with people like Ceelo. You know what I'm saying.(Absolutely absolutely) We're gonna name drop we got a name drop the correct people right so (that's right) I feel like that's not- there's no question about that for me. That's why I wanted to have you on here, it wasn't just like getting another person on the mic and bringing them on the show. I want you I want you I want to have you on here because you're one of the people that embodies that hustler mentality, so (I appreciate that) yeah, for sure, for sure. So you're five six years old, you grow up in a household. You're, where your mom is really, she's taking care of you. And she's telling you.(Absolutely) She tells you, you got to be listening, you got to be the man of the house.(Right.) That just the way you even speak that the tone in your voice. You know that that hit different. I can see that hit different. So (Absolutely). So, what do you like, take me through the next few years of your life and what are like defining moment- like that's a defining moment for you. I can tell you what is the next defining moment for you, growing up? You know what, what was the next milestone for you in life. If you could think about time. I think when I think back to that time, one of the things I knew early on in my life is, um, for lack of a better term is I knew I didn't want to live regular. I didn't want to be regular. I wanted to be a star. You know, I wanted to be a boss, even though I pride and know the words that to equate with that. I just knew I wanted to be a boss I knew everybody that I admired. What I thought the definition of being like what a man was the examples I had in my immediate neighborhood, the people that I thought like Yo, he's the man, yo he's fly yo yo he's this. These dudes were all bosses and leaders. And to be perfectly honest in the neighborhood I grew up in a lot of those examples were people who were doing things that weren't legal (right) so I went through a stage in my life where, you know, I had to make a decision. I just didn't see. I didn't have any examples of anybody that was like a dentists.(Sure) are or, you know, like the teacher or a firefighter that just wasn't in my neighborhood, so it was like it was a thin line, it was like you had the dope boys who looked like they were doing great things you know when I think about the cars they were driving the type of women they had. and then you had the people that you know like we kind of looked at like, you know, sad to say, but we were we were brainwashed into believing like that the working man was a sucker or that you know having a regular job- now of course now I know that that's all myths.(Absolutely) and, and those are all recipes for disasters but you talked about a child at the time, who was looking I'm seeing guys you know you know growing up the different people I've seen you know with the you know with the dope jewelry with the Gucci sneakers on you know going Atlantic City getting the Gucci sneakers back in the day or dues getting custom fits you know I'm saying? So it's like when I was seeing it. I wanted all of that stuff, and I really felt like the only way to get it was how they got it. Sure, you know you want it to, not to cut you up but you want to emulate what you saw, and that was your environment, bro. It was, it wasn't it wasn't Middle America suburbia where you have people that own plumbing businesses that were multimillion dollar plumbing business, you have people in their environment that were that what you viewed. Growing up in a you know a single parent household. These people were the, they were, they were the bosses of the neighborhood. They were the ones that were getting it. And they and they appeared to be super successful(Absolutely) think about when you're a child, you don't you're not thinking about people owning homes and properties and stuff like that you're looking at, you know, growing up in any city like certain things or just you deal with face value like a lot of people, a lot of people that's not from the hood, don't understand a significant a song like the Air Jordan sneakers, like that that didn't. It wasn't just about Michael Jordan and it was that that was equated with success because the price point was so high that if you had those Jordans on like we was coming up, it wasn't like sneaker heads now we didn't know the number of it and all that stuff like that, it was just it wasn't like yo I gotta get the elevens or I gotta get the nobody knew we had our own names for each Jordans like we call it different, like the three's would be the Spike Lee's because the scene in Do The Right Thing. You know what I mean? Elevens was just called the Pattern Elevens(yeah) we had different you know we had different names, but um we equated that with success and when as you get older now and you learn and different things like that you realize once again like a lot of things and I don't want to sound like the old guy who's looking down now but it'd be like a lot of that stuff was just whack, and we just did no no better you know I'm saying like?(Yeah) You know, we literally were risking our life and our freedom, you know for pair of sneaks man you know I mean or for some____, or some some wavy outfits and it's crazy when you think about it and that's why now. I try to use my platform not to be preachy, but they kind of just you know guide these guys even with interviews like this, showing the intellect, showing the different ways showing the ways to flip, showing the ways where you can you know do these things in a positive way without risking your life and freedom and, you know, achievement and strive and you know because I'm somebody that used to hustle for sneaks I went from hustling for snakes to having my own sneaker.(That's dope.) You know what I'm saying so it's like you know, a lot of the things I do everything I do is for the purpose as well thought out and. That's just a fact bro. So you move to the rest, you know, a few years of your life. Were you trying to get it whichever way you're trying to get it out what0 I was getting, I was getting how I live. Yeah, exactly. So at what point do you do you think to yourself, I gotta I gotta move on with my life man I gotta move into something that's gonna make me the type of person that I can see that there's gonna have longevity in life? Well, one of the things was is I was I'm a perfectionist. I strive for greatness and I realized I wasn't great. At the things in the streets I realized I wasn't gonna never be a great drug dealer you know I mean? In a way, you know my heart My compassion and different things you know that, you know, the different things that goes into that, you know, I'm saying? Because it's like, in order to be a successful drug dealer you can't have compassion.(Absolutely) You can't have a heart You got to be heartless. And that's not who I was, you know, that's not how I was raised that's not who I was never who I was. So, in realizing that I was just coming up with different things so it's like you know like just any kid you know you got the Hoop Dreams and all that stuff. And then you realize that's not it. So a lot of it was trial and error. And the thing that attracted me to music, the most was seeing people from where I'm from, make it, quote on quote and have success is nothing like you know, seeing my bro in a magazine, it's like wait a minute is the same magazine we've been really in and cut pictures out of the _____ writing about my brother's somebody I know you know and it goes, you know, that inspiration is priceless because it's nothing like you know like when you've seen somebody make it from what you from hearing somebody rap about things you know about a rap about you, rap about your life, rap about the the streets you know, so it's like when I'm listening growing up when you listen to Wu Tang, Shaolin was like another planets to me, (sure) it's like I don't know that. But when I'm hearing you know Freeway, and these got from Philly read about blocks I know, events I know about restaurants I know about stuff like that, it becomes real, and it urged me to want to tell my story and my lifestyle and I felt like I could do it and do my thing and when I first came into it I was, I didn't know anything I couldn't rap it all, (How old were you) I wasn't I wasn't good. Um, I really started to pursue it pursue it pursue it. I want to see like early 20s probably like, you know, early 20s like I wasn't like no lifer I wasn't battling at the lunch table when I stopped like that's why I said I'm such a hustler I adapt (Yeah) to everything I do, and like, I literally one day was like, oh man, I'mma rap!(Yeah) and it's crazy like it's like literally two weeks later I got to a full page article on the Philadelphia daily news about how dope of a rapper I am and it all goes back to my hustle bro I was writing. I was taking handwritten letters to the Philadelphia daily news I had one day I, I, craziest story ever is I was reading a source magazine. And I would always see was written by I was big on credit so it said written by Damon C. Williams, I realized that was the same Damon C. Williams who was writing for the Philadelphia Daily News entertainment section. So I was going down every day. Write handwritten letters like yo you got it yo y'all know about Tone Trump? Yo this dude is so dope, are you Oh Tone Trump! Tone Trump! Tone Trump! Never forget it one day I get a call I was leaving my number, Damon C. Williams calls my phone.(Wow) You know, me not know when the game trying be a big shot. I'm like yeah this is manager, you know whoop whoop, yeah I'm a top song. Yo man we want to talk so I'm bringing music. Ooh, at this time, I'm going to be hitting like two freestyles recorded (Right). You know I'm saying?(Right) so I go down here I do the interview I've always been a great talker, Damon loved the interview, he literally didn't hear one bar from me and wrote up this article about any hot mixtapes in Philadelphia, you have to include Tone- I didn't even his title (That's crazy) to I called it the best of Tone Trump, I have four, I have two to four songs done. And that made it real was so funny because like when the paper came out everyone's like yo you rap? And I'm like yeah I rap now you know what I mean (yeah) these my close people they didn't know I was like even playing with it but seeing myself in the daily news my mom being proud, it was like yo this is what I'm going to do now. And I just kept striving striving striving and, you know, years later, you know the accomplishments. I mean, mashallah I just think Allah, I've been blessed man like you know I mean? To be, you know, the build a globally, you know, respected brand, you know worldwide, you know i mean like, I've done shows out the country. And all from just starting with a dream, you know I mean? So it's like I'm living proof of what we're praying or hustle can obviously you know you know leads you to. Absolutely, absolutely. So your, your you said something pretty interesting. You felt like rap was a delivery mechanism mechanism for you? To shift into different view. I felt like it was, it was some I can do that I could be myself like I seem like I was seeing dudes around me you know different dudes in Philly was getting deals and stuff like that and I was just like, Yo man I feel like I learned how to rap, I got all the other stuff figured out if I learn how to read, put these reps together man I, I could do this! And just kept build and build and build and man up. I was talking you know I got a reaction right away because I was noticing around the time where DVD rap, DVDs are real big, so I basically any camera that will come on. I was flamboyant, I was controversial I was dissing people that people would never think about this and I was just saying the most radical things, and it was bringing me a lot of attention. But the music wasn't there the music was in good, the music wasn't ready. But what happened is I got better and better and better and better and I was you know I'm a real dude so our relationships and different things like that and it's just, I'm telling you, bro. Nobody story is like mine nobody has done it from the muscle to the, to the level I've done it when people really understand, you know, each relationship I've brokered, you know, it's never been done like this, especially coming from where I come from being from Philadelphia you know you hear people all the time say man you can make it from here you can make it anywhere but in Philadelphia. That is so true that nobody can even imagine. Philadelphia is a rough spot bro like in any way you could think of. So I take even an extra sense of pride knowing that you know making it up out of this jungle. You know, it's an honor, it's a complete honor and I don't take it for granted. Absolutely. So you get this, you basically you talk your way into a write up? You (Yup) hustle your way into a write up this guy, (Absolutely) this guy writes you up. And now you're on your, you're in the papers you get notoriety, and the people (Right) around you are seen and you're seeing it, and being the guy that you are because I got to know you. I know that that sparks, a new avenue of thought for you, what's- I went, yeah I went, I went crazy.(Absolutely, absolutely.) Because now I got a little bit of something,(You gotta a little burn) yeah like, oh, y'all know who I am. This is a big deal this is Philadelphia Daily News. This is pre like everybody getting everything off their phone. This is when like street dudes everybody work the paper in the morning, That's where you went to go get the content! Right, that's where you have to go. So it's like I've just always, I don't I don't believe in the word luck so I don't ever say nothing is luck so I just always been blessed man like a highly favored that these situations will come, but that that that grew like an addiction for me to want, you know, write ups and don't want you know celebratory and fame and different things. And what I tell you to look just started to come and come and come and just, and people wanted to know they were stressing me, who's the guy with the tattoos?, Who's talking all heavy and. It's like no I never even heard one song but this guy's everywhere He's in the paper, you know, I go from being in the middle of the paper to being you know now getting cover stories!(Wow) You know I mean? You know i mean that just different things about my life and my image and everything was just intriguing to these writers that and then I will broken relationships even somebody like that guy Jamison Williams who didn't know me at first we wind up having a relationship to this day. You know I'm saying like so you know now this is a guy who like I said was writing for all these different publications different magazines websites and this is all beneficial to me because he's writing about Tone Trump because you know when he realized I was telling him the story he was like, wow, he's like you know, he was blown away (Yeah) you know I'm like no that was me writing them letters and even. It was so funny I used to always pretend like I was his manager. And I would meet people and they would be like always want, where's T at? because I would always say his name was T, (Yeah) I won't forget, man good dude man I'm like, sometimes I'll be like, T. I'll never forget but that was the person I had in places since my manager that's another thing that's another thing I like to always let people know, um, when people talk about being self made like I've never had a manager, throughout my whole career. So when you think about from music to film to, you know, me get in modeling to all these different things these different avenues and to me being a self published author all these different moves that's been made. Like I said strictly with the power of prayer and hustling because I didn't have, you know, the connections I wasn't cool with nobody. I'm not good at kissing ass I'm not good at fake befriending people so, you know, it was straight up hard work, it was straight up hustling bro. So- So what's the next milestone for you? What's the point, you get you get you get that write up, you start getting a little bit of notoriety you're leveraging that you're leveraging that into attention. What's the next milestone for you where it's like, Yo, this thing's about to take off like when when when does that happen? I think, I think it was just a ray of like, press, and I shot like a little, a little video and they had like a channel too in Philly um, it was like a public access channel but the video show was real popular.(Yeah) so like cuz cuz like even like in jail like in jails, it was like the, because they didn't have cable so Saturday is at like 11 at night to like one in the morning. Everybody will watch this one show, and it was like all like industry stuff and in between all the industry stuff was just Tone Trump video called gangsters and this videos playing every Saturday so now I'm looking even more bigger than life and like I said I wanted to do on a cover story with the city paper. The Philadelphia Weekly. They asked their writers they asked the writers to all pick your favorite Philadelphia for Valentine's Day. Brian McMahon is one of the writers who I didn't even know who he was, he chose Tone Trump so I'm in this. They have picked like the favorite Philadelphian so I'm in there with Chase Utley a World Series Champion. I'm in there with a veterans from you know wars, all these, I was the only musical artists chosen. And then the positive press kept going. Philadelphia Weekly wind up doing their music addition I was the first rapper ever to get the cover that. They also had it where everybody had to write each artist had to write about their favorite artists from that genre. I was the only artists that picked himself. So I wrote a whole article my first article was written by me on me so you can imagine how flattering, that article was (right right) on my video being on MTV Jams I walked into MTV by myself, which was unheard of to the point where the guy from MTV was like he knew some power players in Philly. He basically was like man Why don't you got so and so and so and so and I just was like that's not my path. And I will I walked up in there until we make some changes to this to that next week I did it. Now my videos on MTV Jams. So, while it was just an array of different things and just big looks and touring on my own, like I said, having the ____. I was the first person selling music on MySpace and everybody was giving music away. I was selling digital downloads when it was unheard of. Everybody was bragging about that pith, and I got all these views and all these downloads but they weren't making any money from the show.(Sure) So early on in my career I was conditioned in my supporters to support me by spending money, condition them to buy. I wasn't giving it away I wasn't saying the word free was never in any of my captions. So um, it was just an array of different things man and just building relationships and you know Kate Slay reaches out to me Kate Slay gives me to cover on street style magazine first unsigned artist to get that after you know he had 50 Cent busting rhymes, all these big artists and boom Tone Trump Funk Flex, Funk Flex goes on Twitter looking for me one day my phone blowing up out of this world, like yo Flex has tweeted, somebody so Tone Trump I'm looking for him so now I'm getting Hot 97 Spins. Probably the first artists in Philly they got Flex dropping bombs where I was blackballed from Philly radio, because the different street beefs and rap beefs where they won't even play my music, and then I got the biggest DJ in the world, the biggest station in the world got me in rotation. So it puts the pressure on affiliate where- where I wind up having a meeting with one of the bigwigs from Philly radio where they're like, yo, we want to start fresh. now I'm on Philly radio I'm on satellite radio, and I'm just working with big artists getting on records for artists, you know artists I used to listen to you know little C's and Junior Mafia reached out to me. I shoot a video with him on Biggie's block you know I'm a dude who grew up you know I'm saying like, you know, my first major situation you know I wanted to make him a Young Jeezy who I'ma do who used to trapped his music and now I'm with him every day, (crazy) you know i mean i'm in a studio with him now me and dinner with him every day traveling the world, touring the world. So it's just an accumulation of different things to, you know, about (how did you) about, because seven years ago was really a big change in my life. Um, my wife wasn't my wife at the time gave birth to my son Aalim and I had an epiphany to really just change my life changed my way of life my way of thinking. And um, it's been great man it's, it took me to a level four I was just looking like a boss and sounding like a boss to really being a boss really being an owner, really being a CEO organizing my company, you know, Bossing up in a way that you know that people see it now and see me and able to make an impact all around the world. You know whether I drop music or whether I'm in a movie or not. I'm able to be on a front line in the streets helping my people, feeding my people support my people many different ways. And it all stems from the Tone Trump brand as a rapper so Mashallah Mashallah, so your your your your spiritual kind of journey, it really starts like about seven years ago? Absolutely I was already, I was already, you know, I was already Muslim. But one thing people have to understand man is the difference between a Muslim and a praying Muslim (Sure) So you know to be a _____ and say those words Lea Lea Allah is the most beautiful words you can say, as they're referred to as Islam. I don't like to, I don't like people say convert because I feel like everybody's revert because Allah creates us all, so so I feel like everybody's you know people say your convert no will reverts because we revert back to the truth and knowing that Allah is the one and only God, but um for me. Absolutely. That's why I get, if you ask my son's, you know, my youngest boys they'll tell you my youngest I tell him he's the golden child. And then my middle boy Aalim tell him He's my lifesaver because he saved my life. And that's a true story. So, and having him, and you know his mother gave me a talk one day just the importance of me you know getting it together get my life together. And it hit me in a way where I was like yo man I really got to figure this out I got to beat it you know I have to take care of the shout at the be here for this baby, you know, and um, it all started with my spirituality start with the praying. And that just organized everything else and, don't know why it that made me better in every way, it made me a better artists and made me a better man and made me you know obviously a better Muslim and the blessings man they just start pouring down man we, we believe that you know each trial is followed by release you know you know when, when you think things are going so so bad, but you have that true man that true faith to believe. And God and have that patient, you know, we believe that God is with the patient, Allah is with the patient so me learning ahead at patients is times when you know you look up and you got the weight of the road on your shoulders and you'll know how you won't get things done but God finds that way we, I plan you plan but the Allah is the best of all planners so just I just watched my life just start going in a path that was just you know more fulfilling More, more, more powerful, more inspiring and a lot of it wasn't like I said, it wouldn't even be my plan it was just God taking me in different directions and me accepting those directions and me embracing it, and it has me traveling the world. It has been an impact in weight and ways and my community and outside my community that I never even imagined. So, I'm just enjoying this ride man I'm, you know, in about two weeks Inshallah I'll be going back to Kenya Africa.(Crazy) So, if you would have told me you know, When I was dreaming it's all up on 54th street that we will be going back to Africa for second time during the pandemic doing all the different things going on in this world. I would have been like really you not me but it's really happening and it's all about permission of Allah. I want to I want to get into that a little bit more. I remember one day you call me said listen we're gonna we're gonna pray together all the brothers gonna be out in Philly. And we're gonna come pray together. You had a bunch of brothers out there.(Absolutely) And I remember one of the brothers saying I don't want Tone Trump to- I don't want Tone Trump's followers, he's gonna have, he's gonna have the Oma, mad at me online,(That's right) and he was laughing. But, you know, you got such a pull in the Muslim community.(Right) on, on online is crazy man people really, really, you know, they follow but they also, they also see you do a lot so it's not like they see you out there bro, they see you out there, feeding people, clothing people. And, you know, we respect that. I think it's hard not to. In on the front line for my people, with my people, and by people like me What better- You know, and it ain't about what you got man is about what you give back.(Absolutely.) You don't have that one misconception. A lot of people think you got to have so much to give back. You really don't (You give your time) and, and one of the blessings right one of the blessings of me being able to travel with me really understanding how blessed I am when I was in, you know, February I went to the motherland Africa for the first time, and being in Africa, being in Wajir, I went to a place called Wajir, which, you know, there's suffering in a lot of ways out there and I and I heard the stories and testimonies of people you know and it just made me just realize how truly blessed not only that I am but what we all are, you know, things that we take for granted like I met, I met people who've never had a cell phone. We go crazy when our phone dies, and these people have never had a cell phone. How did you how did you even, how did you even get into a position where you flying, were you flying to Kenya, what is the what is the significance for you being over there? I have a general idea but I want you to talk on that a little bit. I'm working hand in hand with a great organization, Muslims in the world. Working with UMR, representing them right now UMR, United Mission Relief, working with these great organizations as an influencer because of the brand I built up being Tone Trump.(Right.) And one of the things they had a lot of different missions they were working on for me being somebody who's from African descent, being a black man in America. I wanted to go to the Motherland, and I wanted to go to Africa and be of help in any way I could be. And the project I went out there for a mission was for cataract surgeries. It was something that's very simple to get if you're in America. But like I said that's something we take for granted because if you're not in America if you're in somewhere like Wajir, in Kenya where you know the hospital when he goes to the hospital. They're waiting areas outside these people were outside waiting in blazing heat, you know, 105 degrees heat. You see, elderly women out there, you know, laying on the ground. You know one lady I remember when I pull it up it was, it was like close to noon. And, and the one of the brothers was like my mom has been out here since like 4am just trying to, you know, it's almost like first come first serve you know and we went out there to duty, surgeries for cataract. We're going back to do cataract surgeries as well and Inshallah, and also a hearing aid project but just let you know how beautiful this cataract surgery was there's literally people that I met who, who were blinded in their eyes. Since you know it's a flim that goes over your eyes and covers your total eyeball, for lack of a better way to explain it. It's almost like having a glob of like slime it's snot, just covering your eyeball (crazy) you can't you can't see it, and it becomes very very painful. So literally people I literally watch people that I've met you know I met a brother named Sulaman I was talking to this brother he talked about how hard it was the difficulties of it. He can't work you can't make a living out because he can't see. And we were able to with the donations and the help of of all of our supporters. I was able to watch him get the surgery bros I'm literally watching this brother, take this bandage off. And we can see man like I mean like the feeling you get man like I mean we, we, it wasn't a dry eyein the building like we we were crying more than the actual patients man you know us, you know, the Americans that was there to do the work. It was just amazing bro like literally we're watching people get their vision back man I'm getting chills just reminiscing and thinking about it. And a lot of these people were like I said very very poor you know meeting people who, you know, literally eat the same thing every day, not not not because they want to but because there's no other choice. And I'm talking about like you know like eat, goat milk and rice every day. goat milk and rice every day. You know to get a vegetable or meat it's like literally like.(It's a luxury) Yeah, it's like unheard of. It's like a delicate see and, um, I grew up a fondness and a love for these people over there that you can't even imagine. And I'm, I look forward to, you know, continuing to work with them, um, by the permission of Allah we've raised over a million dollars. Throughout this year for him so even during a pandemic. You know, we still grind and we still work and we still praying, we still, you know funding and making things happen not just for our own families but for families in need, far more than ours. Let me just get some perspective for those of you that are watching for somebody to be able to get a cataract surgery. What is the actual cost of that? What's the cost in dollars to provide somebody with the gift of sight. When I say that it was something like $100(Crazy.) Think about it. Think about a So for for less money than it would cost to buy a pair of sneakers, you could give somebody the ability to see. Get their sight back, you have people you have people who never saw their grandchildren. That's crazy. They've been blind since they have it. So, you know yet people you know man like I like i said i get emotional every time I talk about this and think about it, you know, it was it was something that she just said that she won't believe and the work and seeing these people you know like their personalities, you know, smile, seeing it and one thing man cuz um Wajir is predominantly Muslim. So a lot of people lay down and speak any English they spoke a lot of them spoke Somalian and I'm in different languages but one thing we all had in common is different, you know Arab terminologies and different things of praising our Lord. And these people has so much faith, even before the surgery like I never forget this one, elderly lady who. Her name was on, we call her Antsee Serea, her name was Sereaa, sister Serea Queen. She. She was she had cataracts in both eyes so she learned because because some of them had only one eye (sure) kind of see but she literally was just fully blind. So to see her get her vision back. But one thing that stuck out to me, she said the day before because we would do like a like a, like a little meeting, meet with them. She said if the surgery goes great ____ all praises to god! She said if it doesn't work ____ all praises be to God. And I believe her (right) you know I'm saying her faith was so strong that either way. She's thanking her Lord.(Yeah) she's felt she's found a way to be grateful. Despite so many things that we would think is just like, man, which you got to smile about she felt things to smile about. Bro what- what- what is that? What is that that, I feel like I see that a lot overseas bro people are just they're just content with life. I feel (Well is truth) like we have (Is true faith, we have we have such an abundance in the United States and people still unhappy What is that about bro? Well, it's true faith is true faith and we're very spoiled like I've realized, you know I was embarrassed to how spoiled I was when I was in Africa like when I thought about, you know, you know, I take so much pride and being from the hood and stuff like that and I was out there and I was like, Like I was from Beverly Hills or something at certain points man I was like you know I'm a hotel all freaked out you know I mean? like, I'm hearing crews at night you handle it takes a wild animals (right) being hunted you know it was an experience to me man you know I'm from I'm a city boy, (right.) So, so it's like. You learn a lot man but their true faith is with what separates them from us they have true true faith like he's like- In America, stuff become so cliche you just say stuff like you know it's like somebody saying good morning, like I really wish you a good morning or it's just somebody say?(yeah) you know, even something as simple as the Islamic greetings like when we give each other salams, you know you know we're taught that if somebody give you salams you greet them back the same or better.(Yeah) that's the ____ for that. But we become so accustomed it's just like everything Hi, Bye is by Hey, but you know when you go into these other countries like you said overseas and stuff like that. They have grown to appreciate and have true faith, and that gratefulness becomes the Prophet, peace and bless be upon him till if you are grateful I will give you more. So when I says all go back to their faith, they truly truly believe in it, because we'll say we believe that, but by the way you live your life shows if you truly believe that Why- (That's just a fact) Why, why do you feel like that they that their belief system like they, they believe it more? What is it, is it because of their circumstances they have to believe it more? Like what why does it. Why is that the case? Um, Why do you think that's the case? That's a great question. I just feel like we were born with we feel almost like so entitled we have a certain entitlement I feel like in America that this doesn't exist other places.(Sure) You know what I mean I just feel like you know like there's certain things I could do for my children now that not really a big deal to them anymore you know I mean it's like you know that you get them some more Monday that that toy years old by Wednesday(sure) where you got these kids these other countries where man they may have a toy that they played with for six years and value it and it could be like a little doll baby it looks, beat down but that kid doesn't know when he's gonna get another toy or she'll ever get another toy. So their appreciation love was a lot difference the same thing, like I said about somebody who's telling me the one person who told me that they. Every day they just eat rice every day, rice every day, rice every day. So somebody put some salmon or something in front of them they not, they're gonna be they're gonna appreciate it in a whole different way than I would because, I eat whatever I want every single day. Yeah, so I just feel like that entitlement that we have here, even like our- It's almost like you got people on Philly who homeless, and you know they asked me for money and, you know, they might look at somebody like me who you know they see him in a nice car and flashy, if I hand him a dollarthey almost look at me like, you only giving me a dollar?(Yeah.) So just think if they feel inside, imagine people in positions and just always like so. It's just an entitlement that's the biggest difference, not even just about the circumstances because even people who are born here and stuff circumstances is like when we given out free food and somebody would say is there any lamb here? Yeah, yeah You would think man whatever is in there man just take it and be greatful!(Absolutely.) It's just different you know I mean entitlement is definitely the key. So I told you mean you've had conversations before, where I told you I was born in Africa, I was born in North Africa, Morocco specifically. And when I when I left I was like four years old. And when we left, Morocco. I never told you this, I don't know if I did or not I don't actually remember, but we left on the back of a horse and buggy. We didn't. We never we've never even had a car.(Wow) my father actually had a motorcycle it was a red motorcycle. And we used to- we used to drive that one motorcycle to only two of us could go on there. So, if we had to go somewhere together as a group. We couldn't go on that motorcycle. So when we found when we finally left, Morocco. It was just me and my mom. And when we got to America I only had one toy. It was a red cat plastic cat. Mm... Yeah, so I feel like I feel like remember it. You remember that- That's the only toy I had. Right You understand, so I was like, I remember, I remember getting coming to America with this one plastic red cat. And that thing meant the world to me bro. We finally got it we finally got a place to say, and I remember walking by, in Brooklyn. These toy shops and they had like all these toys outside like they had a little army joints that used to crawl, and they had like little- little you know the little dogs that do flips and stuff, you know, (right) I'm like damn they got a lot of toys in here, this is nice! Perspective is crazy bro. It's crazy. It's something that you really, you know, that's what I got, I had went through that and Africa was like, oh man I was like I said I was, I was literally embarrassed about how spoiled I was (yeah) I had the check myself and as my Lord for forgiveness and just be grateful for everything that I had, you know me like I said it now. My wife is cooking this amazing meal and you know, I just don't take anything for granted man I'm just, I'm truly grateful and like I said, the prophet Mohammed would always have these salams said that if you're grateful I give you more. So I try to show my gratefulness for every single thing I don't- I don't take anything for granted. How important was that I remember when I went back to Morocco when I went back to Morocco about seven, eight years ago, and I got after I came back it was just like game on for me, it was completely different perspective, whatever we thought poverty was here in the United States. When you, when you really see poverty back because poverty exists in the United States, but the different- it's a different level of poverty overseas just keep it 100. Right? this (is a totally different level.) Is totally, yeah, I visited a school in Kenya, and I never forget when I got out the vehicle. It was so hot. You know, the ground like it was like a mixture of like red clay-ish dirt and sand was the ground or wasn't like no sidewalk or no street literally was like that. And it was so hot and it felt like it was burnt it felt like somebody's head matches to the bottom of my feet. And I'm sitting there like literally like I'm like patting my feet that keep you know from just feeling on fire these kids are here. And I looked down and some of these kids were totally barefoot (crazy) feet inplanted in it. And they weren't budging, and they were smiling and we had the language barrier. But I can see to join these kids and just seeing somebody to show them love, it was it was it was it was over it was over 200, it was over 200 students there. They didn't even have any teachers, the teachers were, you know, actually killed by a terrorist group out there, (crazy) so, yeah. And that is the craziest part as we're talking to the kids. Because of you know the staff going through what they went through the kids actually go home for lunch they literally walk home for lunch and walk back some of these kids got super long walks I'm talking miles away to go. Not only that, but on their walk. They have have dogs- they have to worry about lions like real, real stuff that like, wild Boars, (Crazy!) There's different things but it is a big like(Like real predators) real animals yeah like literally like yo. One of the things we were doing we're building a wall. So, it can keep out, you know like, the wild animals, and it was just like when I was hearing it. and seeing these kids man it was just like, it was different bro and I've been everywhere I've been to every hoods you could think of from from from from the hardest hoods in Philly to Compton to Chicago to Flint, Michigan, I've been to all those places you can imagine. And I've never seen despair and poverty like that, and they weren't in there complaining they were begging him and he's people were still smiling and still pushing on and still thanking God. And I some that I will never forget about those people my people I loved them and, like I said, God willing, you know a lot of stuff is going on now with coal void and restriction so you know we're going through some things so we tried to make it happen to go back, like I said, early next month and if given an opportunity I can't wait to get back out there, continue this work this is some of the most fulfilling and rewarding work. I've ever been a part of and I'm excited. I'm honored to be a part of. Absolutely, and we're proud of you that you're that you're a part of it. By the way, (thank you) very proud of you. So if you guys are you guys are watching this right now I got my man Tone Trump on here. He's talking about UMR correct? UMR (yeah) Muslims of the world, (Muslims of the World) Muslim of the world MOCW and MOTW, Muslim to the world. Shout out the Sujata, everybody from Muslim To The World. And of course always you know my movement the Muslim Don family in India. The Muslim Don as you know we represent like I said, globally respected, you know, I mean? Um, and I'm honored to be, you know, you know, the founder and, you know, always still you know like I said I'm on the front while my people I'm not pushing buttons from my office, I'm outside with my people. And I'm, and I love it and I enjoy it. If you guys want to support UMR, you want to support Tone Trump, what the work that he's doing, we're gonna drop- a drop a link in the description section of this of the stream, whether you're streaming it on Spotify, whether you're streaming on YouTube you can be able to click the link, it'll take you over there. You can give whatever support that you want to give.(Appreciate that brother.) Absolutely, absolutely. That's big man, you've gone through a lot of transitions in your life, bro. You know, (Absolutely) you went from hustler to musical hustler to, you know, just just helping, helping humanity bro like that's pretty dope. So (Absolutely) what's, (Absolutely) where are you at right now? What do you, what's your. Where are you at mentally right now? Are you in your life where you heading next? Mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm in a better shape of my life, I'm gearing up the religious gameplan everything. Um, I'm not going warn them, bro I'm not gonna give no hints, but just know that um, every move I'm about to make now so like my next move is my best move. And I'm going into the fourth quarter, I'm about to launch new music. I got a new record coming with Ceelo Green called Testimony. I don't know if we'll call the testimonial testify I'm still going back and forth with those two titles. Um, so I got a new record with Ceelo come in you know I want my music to match the times or what's going on (Absolutely) on real soulful song real good. So we got that going on. I'm executive producing a new TV show called Aces High. I went out to Atlanta recently and filmed some scenes for Episode Three. I'm also doing like I said executive producer on that, the merch take the merch to a whole nother level with my own denim line- denim line Dock & Dock jeans. Don't a big launch for that and Sha Allah, 2021, (That's dope) lot, a lot of different things. I'm, you know, developing my son Aalim dream. He's on a six year old boxxing. So right now we're about to get together his merch and his brand and building it up and recording and film his journey of, you know, everything he's doing support and my other Susan Sally and Abdul, Jalem, and whatever they want to do. Um, me and my queen we we come up just organizing everything is a family business so you know, religious, organizing everything we got our hands and everything bro from from things you wouldn't even imagine to, you know, the nutrition, you know, award winning stuff like medical marijuana, we know we uh we put our hands in that field and out in Canada and had some great success so we just non stop working, non stop grinding non stop building. Like I said I co-wrote and published my first book this year. A Big Hala Steppas, Seven Steps In Principles To Shine and, you know, just different things that I've been implementing in my life and my career. I'm also giving you a Quranic explanation on these different things as well (Crazy.) Um, so I'm excited about that. The book has done very, very well. And um, I'm gonna be doing courses on that, you know, on my books as well so just in a nutshell bro just taking everything to a higher level. And, and just grinding, and I'm excited I feel like you know I feel like I'm just touching the surface of what I can do. And we're about to really take it to even higher levels now so I'm excited just the Tone Trump brand from music to films to fashion, you know I did New York Fashion Week. This year I walked, you know right before the pandemic. The last big fashion week before they shut everything down. I walked in there for for in line of really dope line. Um, I was in GQ Middle East, which I was excited about, you know, here's my GQ one, there's just been a lot and this is all during, like I said dur- don't during the pandemic when most people had to shut down. We just redirected our energy. We've Mashallah we've helped raise, like I said, close to $3 million. You know, all going to the people we've raised money for Lebanon, for Yemen, for Syria. We just fed over 1000 families in Philadelphia, by the permission of Allah. With help from our partners Jamar Muslims of the world, my support is worldwide. We've been feeding people weekly Philadelphia, providing blankets. We provide a brand new socks for over 50,000 pairs of brand new socks. At the final stops, we at least donated items to homeless shelters. It's so much more so much more man. We just going keep growing and keep going- doing we doing it bro I'm excited for the future. So, for those of you that are watching this is again Tone Trump is IG is going to be in the description section of this, of this stream. I just want to share one more story with anybody that's watching this right now I just want give a testament to, you know, just our friendship and who you are as a person. Right. Um, I remember you texted me while you were out in Mecca Right?(Right.) So, the brother was out in Mecca and it was you out there for for for Omara? What were you out there for? I was out there for Omara, Mashallah.(Mashallah) man well that was the greatest trip of my life, visiting the Holy Land, breathing the air, praying and Mecca and Medina, is, I pray that everybody watching this who hasn't been is invited. And everybody who has been is pray that you're invited and again as well as myself and Mashallah(Mashallah), this is the most amazing journey and the most amazing trip that you can ever see. So part of the visit, is that you you you know you make the Dua, right? And making Due, is basically like at- is praying and asking God for assistance. Correct?(Absolutely.) So I get a text, while the brother was out there. He goes, I just made Due for you. Absolutely. Yeah, that that that was something bro. Absolutely, absolutely.(I appreciate it, man.) And I salute you man you um you know I pray that my lord rewards you man because you put me in a position and I'm as we partnered up going on. Doing my merch together. You, you really showed me a way to really make an earn halal money, which is permissible money and you show me that it was no limit show it and obviously you know I'm so close before I met you, but you definitely upped my game and add on just operational and manufacturing and just you know the way of thinking and being creative, being non stop having patience. You know, and the different things, you know, working with you, working with you on the team was great. So much love for you your father, your family, your staff, you know that. But um, I say it in private. There's only way I say it in public you played a big part (I appreciate of that bro) you played a big part in me and my team and my family. We're extremely grateful man we appreciate you. I appreciate that bro. Um, before I let you go. Do you have any questions for me before I let you go? I know you want to get to dinner Your wife is cooking dinner right now don't take up too much time This smells amazing. Aileem here real quick! Come here y'all That's even better actually bring him on! Let my boys give some shout outs. Absolutely. Absolutely. Hi! What's up man, what's going on man? Let him know who you are. I'm Aileen! Aileen the dream! 6- 6 year old. Aileen, let me get it let me- get a let's win. Let me get a let's win! Mashallah, beautiful bro! What's going on man? What's up! I know who you are man. We met my office bro you ran the show I remember that. That's right. I remember that. Yeah man, big part of my motivation I got my business partners and like they keep me young they keep me fresh, and like I said one of my next projects is really building up by Aileen's brand, and not just for him like it doesn't mean like it his mom was to my left right now. She don't want them to box you don't want to mess up, you don't want to by hitting her baby so for me, (yeah) not just about boxing is about just teaching him the structure, teaching him business. We're going to do as little merch. We're going to let them run this little website and stuff.(Absolutely.) Just like when I have more influence in a meeting. I tell people all the time one of my goals was for him to be able to say, hey, I've been in meetings since I was a baby (yeah) you know I mean, I'm really mean and he really has done it so just as an important part of my brand right here the Muslim Don brand these are- These are the CO-owners right here. And I'm proud of them and (Mashallah bless bro) them so much (you bless bro, allah) support my dad! Support me daddy! Yeah, you got to bring him down next time we have another meeting.(Most definentely) Listen, I appreciate you bro I want to let you get down to dinner. Enjoy the rest of your night with your family. Thanks for having me, man.(Absolutely) I just want I just want to thank you, man. I look forward to building more with you man and I got an interview you one day man I want(Absolutely) to, I got some I'm working on now maybe got some stuff from the live bringing different people on different perspectives, we may want to do like a nice roundtable of bosses, and you'll definitely be invited, we got a lot of stuff we got we got a lot more work we won't do a mashallah (Mashallah) you got, you know you got my support I'm not even doing press right now, because we work and we cooking everything up, and everything up so we can have everything for a big layout. So I want to come back and do the show, but there's no way I could tell you no because like I said, One hand washed up the both wash their face, and you're my brother so (I appreciate that bro) what you're doing, send me the links when everything is edited I must support it on my side and just keep doing what you're doing man get a family my salams and love, and for everybody listening support everything my bro Moe is doing, (I appreciate that bro) store support his site, this brother does great business and make sure y'all support me, the prettiest the fliest the dime! The greatest hustler alive 247Trump.com and number 247Trump.com my website don't ever change, social media, all my pages are verified if you, if you don't see the blue check it's not me Tone Trump. I love y'all. Much love to everybody that's gonna listen to this man if you listen to this I'm gonna tell you. Being grateful. And having patience are two of the keys and hustling man be grateful and patience man, fair Allah and nothing else man support who support you, nothing but love, Moe the whole Capswag the whole family the whole team and it's the greatest hustler live signing off. Love. Appreciate you bro. Appreciate you more bro, keep me in the loop man I (I will) want you back no matter what.(I will) I will, I love, take care. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the hustle man show make sure you click that subscribe button tap that bell for the audio experience to Spotify and SoundCloud. Links are below to follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It's at CapswagUSA. Remember, Business is always personal!