- 6 months ago
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00:00It's Wild 94.1, wild94.1.com, Joey Franchise here, Babs is in the building, we got a very
00:05special guest with us today who's familiar with the Tampa area, has been, AB in the building,
00:10what's up player?
00:11What's up baby?
00:12How you been man?
00:14Game time, feeling good.
00:15I feel like, I feel like.
00:16Look at the teeth though.
00:18I know man, it's blinding me over here bro.
00:20Came in here shining.
00:22Now how much is a grill like that dog?
00:24Like I mean, what's the price?
00:25Is it priceless or you know what I'm saying?
00:27Like what we doing on that?
00:28It's priceless.
00:29There you go.
00:30I like it, you copper.
00:32I need to go to your guy.
00:34I just need the fangs though.
00:36I just want the fangs.
00:37I don't want to do the whole thing.
00:38We got to get out of radio first.
00:39We got to get a more lucrative career.
00:41Very, very true.
00:42So what's new, hey?
00:43What's going on man?
00:44Man, I just dropped a new album, Hall of Fame.
00:47I'm here in the city with my boy Antoine, Antoine, Albert Roney, a couple of my business
00:53partners in there.
00:54You know it's the championship city.
00:55We just here, show love.
00:57You were a part of that too.
00:58Of course.
00:59And before you came in, Joey, I was like, you know, we got to give my boy his 10s because
01:03you know, a lot of people like to harp on the negative, but he is one of the reasons
01:07why the Bucks won the Super Bowl that year.
01:09I was a little mad that you didn't get to hang out on the Patriots because I'm a huge Patriot
01:13fan.
01:14But you got one with Tom, so I'm good.
01:16That's right.
01:17I'm straight.
01:17I'm good on that.
01:18So, you know, we've been seeing you turning up.
01:21You've been showing mad love to Tampa Bay this week since you've been here.
01:24Now you are here for the car show, or not the car show, but a show going down at Energetic
01:29Exotics this weekend.
01:31Yeah.
01:31Shout out to Energetic Exotics, man.
01:33Big promo with them this weekend with Antoine Ice in the City.
01:37Going to be a couple of performers, myself, Nino Brown, a couple of other temple legends.
01:44Yeah, my boy, Nino Breeze, Tom G, we got Ben Franco, the No Broke Baddies coming through.
01:49It's going to be a movie this weekend.
01:51Yeah, movie on movie.
01:52You know, the movie theater is never closed.
01:54Yeah, thank God, man.
01:55I love going to movie theaters.
01:57Now, let us know about this album that you just dropped.
02:00Yeah, tell us.
02:01Well, as you know, we've been going through a lot and a good way to express yourself and
02:06making music.
02:07Ever since I walked out the field, I know y'all, so getting into the entertainment space, but
02:11you know, I met him due up for the Hall of Fame in 2027, so the album is called Hall
02:16of
02:16Fame.
02:17That's kind of the vision and that's kind of the motivation, so you can listen to it,
02:22follow me, tap in, and join the journey to the Hall of Fame.
02:25Now, how, you know, I know you had some time with Ye and being around Ye for a while.
02:30How pivotal was that?
02:32Like, how, you know, in a sense, did that help you as an artist, like, grow, you know
02:36what I mean, and kind of get situated in that space?
02:40Absolutely.
02:40You know, being around Ye just helped me grow, not only for music, for business, reading
02:45my speech, you know, with canceling culture and being able to, you know, stand up for
02:49ourselves and expressing ourselves, not always getting the right, you know, media attention
02:53for people who's calling you this or saying you crazy, so shout out to Ye for, you know,
02:58always staying true to itself and representing in the time when people was canceling culture
03:02and staying true to who he was.
03:04Now, you seem like you're in a super positive space right now.
03:08Do the comments get to you?
03:10Like, you know, ESPN or somebody posts a story about you.
03:13Do you ever read the comments?
03:15Nah, because I feel like, you know, the newspaper journalists don't got to go to ethics, you
03:20know, they just sell stories and monetize.
03:22And entertainment is all negative.
03:24The news are negative.
03:26So, I think in life when people rather talk good, they're always going to picture as a
03:31picture and me being two people and the person I am and the person who they say I am, you
03:36know, it's always to sell and make money and for them to monetize.
03:39But real people in the world, human beings know who I'm in and what I stand for.
03:44And they know how to persevere through adversity.
03:47You know, it's part of life.
03:47You know, adversity builds character.
03:50And before you get honored, you got to get humiliated.
03:53So, you know, I'm familiar with that process.
03:56I like that.
03:57Before you get honored, you got to be humbled and humiliated.
04:01Now, you're not new to this.
04:02I mean, remember, you know, we were on FaceTime, like, when you were playing here.
04:07And we, you know, we were just kind of getting situated because you told me you had a bunch
04:10of music and you were showing me kind of like, he was getting some, he was showing me like
04:15the numbers, like he wasn't playing around when it came to the music stuff.
04:18You were definitely doing numbers stream wise and whatnot.
04:21Like you, this guy turned the phone around, showed me the numbers.
04:23It was nuts.
04:24I'm collecting on distribution, man.
04:25I got a distribution deal with video.
04:27I just got the back end.
04:29Like I said, I dropped the album.
04:30You know, I'm a good screamer.
04:33When it comes to the music, I did the rolling louds.
04:35My Spotify, like 75,000 plays.
04:39So, you know, I'm always inspired, always motivated.
04:42No matter what's going on, you know, stay true to yourself, stay pushing, stay moving
04:46forward and do what you like to do.
04:49So have you always wanted to do music even while playing football or was that something
04:54that you picked up afterwards?
04:55I feel like, you know, playing football always requires just your focus for football.
04:59You know, I think when football came to an end to be able to transition, you know, I was
05:02able to turn music to expression and be able to turn it into a business with Cal Records
05:08and getting a distribution deal with video.
05:11So to me, it's a great way to express yourself.
05:14And, you know, time go on.
05:15You know, kids know I play football.
05:17But, you know, little kids coming up right now, I want to know what you're doing now.
05:20So I'm always wanting to have something that can be inspired by and start to get back in
05:25that department.
05:27Now, how hard was the transition from football?
05:30Because, you know, a lot of the greats in sports like yourself and others, football is
05:33like all you know, you know, you know, since five Pop Warner days.
05:37So what was that moment like when you just left the game alone?
05:41Well, you know, as a player, you always know the game won't come to an end, you know, nothing
05:45lasts forever.
05:45So you always think like when it does end, what are you going to do?
05:49And being that you done football, you know, I've been playing since I was six years old.
05:54You know, I stopped playing when I was 33 years old.
05:56So 27 years of straight football, you know, pushing yourself as hard as you can to be the
06:04best physical, you know, spiritual to be able to take care of yourself and stay motivated
06:08amidst the criticism of people talking about you.
06:12So to me, you know, as always, it was a challenge and I'm just grateful I got to walk off
06:17on
06:17my own too and not somebody get rid of me.
06:21And, you know, a lot of players feel different emotions depending on how their career finished.
06:26You know, you got to understand everything will come to an end.
06:28And I was grateful I was able to walk off on my own too because some players, they get
06:33hurt.
06:33Some players get cut.
06:35Some players, no team, don't want them.
06:36So, you know, obviously I didn't experience those emotions, but, you know, being a football
06:41player and transitioning to real life could be tough sometimes too because sometimes I
06:46think life in football field, you know, you play with me, I want to hurt you, hit you,
06:50but I'm not in the football field, so you got to understand the real life.
06:54So I think coming to balance with that, you know, understanding that I don't play football
06:59every day and being able to keep the PTSD down with people running up to you saying whatever
07:05on your name.
07:07So, you know, it's a couple of challenges that came with walking off the field, but,
07:11you know, to any good thing, you know, it's going to be over.
07:14Now, even, you know, with the critics and everything, whoever had to say what they had
07:18to say, you know, after you, you know, you left on your own too, like, I mean, still,
07:24you still was able to have presence in the league.
07:26I mean, when, you know, put that shit on, came out, I mean, everybody in the end zone
07:30doing the dancing, so you still, you know, had cats really rocking with you.
07:33I know, I was grateful for that, you know, man, the feeling of betrayal,
07:38walking off the field and people calling you crazy and people turning their back on you,
07:42you know, to get around Ye right after that situation and make a hit song that,
07:46you know, brought people back to, you know, feeling AB motivated and giving love,
07:51you know, always be inspired by that, you know, and that's what life's about,
07:55you know, turning negative situation to positive and being able to overcome adversity.
08:00Now, I have a question about the Hall of Fame.
08:02So, you said you're up for it in 2027.
08:04Yeah, I'm in it in 2027.
08:05Oh, you in it in 2027.
08:06Okay, period.
08:07You're getting some more.
08:08You're one of the best in the position.
08:09Yeah.
08:10You know my body will work.
08:11Like, no matter what you say or what they say, because they're going to sell a lot of things.
08:15One thing they can say is AB always brought his best game.
08:18I never ran out of gas.
08:20Always was a high-level player.
08:21No one never stopped me, et cetera, et cetera.
08:26So, yeah, I was going to ask.
08:28So, is it specifically based off, like, you know, your skill, or is there some politics with it?
08:35No, it's just based about you being number one in the organization history.
08:39And for me, you know, I play with the Steelers.
08:41My career status is number one for the history and my time and my era.
08:46So, to be able to go back and retire in 2027, you know, that's what it's about.
08:51To cement your Hall of Fame legacy of being a great player, you know.
08:55No matter who they talk about me in the media, when you cut on your TVs on Sunday, I came
09:00through for you on your fantasy team.
09:02Hey, hey, hey, that's for damn sure.
09:04I came through.
09:05That's for damn sure.
09:06I probably owe you, like, 50 bucks or something.
09:09I owe you lunch or something.
09:09Don't even worry.
09:10I owe you lunch.
09:11We're going to figure that out.
09:12That's my job.
09:12You're going to come through for the fantasy league supporters, you know.
09:15No, because I don't want to, like, Belichick, Robert Kraft's situation to happen where, like, you know, I feel like
09:20it was politics involved.
09:22Somebody was being weird with the votes, you know what I'm saying?
09:25And then they're basing off other stuff outside of the skill, you know what I mean?
09:28And the wins.
09:29Belichick really cheated.
09:31So, you know, you can't just bypass like he didn't have the sickness.
09:35But you know you're a Patriot guy.
09:36You know it's true, right?
09:38Hey, listen, man.
09:39I love Belichick.
09:40He's an amazing coach.
09:41But, you know, he took shortcuts just like Julian Edelman.
09:44He took steroids.
09:45So, like, you know, you can't cheat the game, you know.
09:48You got to really be a professional when it comes to doing the right things for the, you know, the
09:54camaraderie and the professionalism of the game.
09:57That don't take away from him being great.
09:59But he did, you know, you know what he did.
10:03Amen.
10:04Now, who is your favorite team to play with throughout your career?
10:07I feel like just to have a job professionally playing football is a blessing, you know.
10:12But obviously for me, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers, you know, to be drafted by them as a 21-year
10:17-old kid and be able to come live out his dreams.
10:22And coming to a league where people don't believe in your talent and then you make them believe in your
10:27talent, you know, the journey of that as well, you know, because that's a story in itself.
10:31You know, I was a six-round job pick that had to work for my spot.
10:34You know, I wasn't a first-round pick that you walk in the league and they just let you go
10:39with every opportunity.
10:40So, you know, just a journey of knowing who I was as a player, showing people who I was, earning
10:47their respect, the journey of growing up, you know, having an organization depend on me and the high level.
10:53So, obviously, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
10:55Now, we had Nas up here earlier.
10:57He's like a big YouTube basketball star.
11:00And we asked him about NIL.
11:02So, do you ever get jealous that it wasn't like this NIL thing back when you were coming up?
11:07No, I'm actually glad it wasn't NIL, you know, because I feel like the players, you know, they're getting paid
11:12now.
11:13You could get, you know, a lot of lackadaisical or you could think it's all about money, you know.
11:18I think football is a game that, based on skill, if you be the best player you could be, the
11:23money's going to come.
11:24So, I'm glad players get paid.
11:26You know, they should get what they deserve because this is a lot of work, time that go into it.
11:30To be able to have money, you know, can add a little recovery and peace to take care of a
11:34few things.
11:35But, for me, you got to remember NIL is good, but the NFL is lost the gold if that's the
11:40real money.
11:42I like that.
11:44So, you're in the city.
11:45Everybody is excited to see AV.
11:47Remember, make sure you are at the show this Saturday.
11:50Energetic Exotics.
11:51Now, there's rumors that you live here.
11:54Would you tell us?
11:56No, you don't.
11:57I got a couple of cribs here.
11:58Okay, okay.
11:59Kevin Gates lives here, too, but he wouldn't tell me exactly where he lives.
12:02Like, if you want to come over, you can just say that.
12:14Hey, yo.
12:15Hey, put that shit up.
12:18Now, Amy, this is the guy to talk to because he is the music director here at Wild 94.1.
12:23I know, he got to put me in the mix.
12:24Like, I don't be getting no love.
12:26Like, you got to put me in the game, you know?
12:28Yo, you got to tap me in, bro.
12:29My gosh, you haven't seen it.
12:30We need to drop, bro.
12:34Now, before we close this thing out, I love how you're free to be yourself.
12:39Freedom of speech.
12:39You don't give a damn.
12:41Like, what do you say to that person that isn't living to be their true selves?
12:47Give them some advice.
12:49I feel like life is all about becoming your true self, you know?
12:53And I feel like as an adult, as a kid, we are developing.
12:56Every day, we develop, and we never finish product until we leave the earth.
13:01So, every day is a day to get better and work on yourself.
13:05And if you're not growing, you're going backwards.
13:07So, I can commit anyone who's trying to grow, have a vision, have a plan,
13:13and just, you know, work towards being your best self.
13:17I like that.
13:18And they told us you were going to be mean.
13:19You're a nice guy.
13:21I'm like two different people, you know, the guy.
13:27I'm like two niggas.
13:30Like, really, me, myself, but nah.
13:31Really, that's four niggas.
13:33So, what's next for you in 2026?
13:35What's coming up for AB?
13:37Well, I just really want to continue to be motivation.
13:39I think I want to, you know, start a little youth league with the 7-on-7 flag league,
13:44be able to help, you know, continue to raise my kids,
13:48to continue to overcome adversity,
13:50and enjoy the journey on the way to the Hall of Fame
13:54to solidify my football career.
13:562027.
13:57Football legacy, yeah.
13:58That's what's up.
13:59Now, one of my listeners texted me this because they told me I had to ask you this.
14:03Give us your favorite thing about Tampa.
14:06Tampa, I feel like Tampa's just a championship city, you know.
14:09You never know what's going on.
14:11It could be real quiet.
14:12It could be real loud.
14:13It's pretty much what you make it.
14:15It's a great area, you know, great people.
14:17You know, I'm grateful to have a lot of great fans here.
14:20My guy Aberroney, obviously Antoine here.
14:24So, I've had a lot of great things in the city, you know.
14:27This is the city that revived my career,
14:29the city that gave me the opportunity to play when everybody counted me out.
14:33So, you know, I won the Super Bowl here.
14:35Tampa will always be special for me.
14:36You know, I'm a kid.
14:37I was born in Miami, Florida.
14:39So, you know, growing up as a little kid,
14:41winning the championship in Orlando for Pop Warner,
14:44coming back home in the NFL, winning the Super Bowl in Florida.
14:48You know, that's what life's about, you know, living your dreams,
14:51accomplishing your vision, and, you know, enjoying your life.
14:55So, Tampa is always a special place for me, you know,
14:58a place where we did some amazing things,
15:00and a place that let me respond to adversity.
15:04You know, you know, Mike Evans went down last game,
15:07last year, the season, 2020, AB, making highlights.
15:10Make sure y'all, like, replay those.
15:12I think in my two years in Tampa, I probably was over 1,000 yards,
15:15and I was, like, being the third receiver coming off the bench.
15:18So, I'm always grateful for Tampa, man.
15:20They embraced me, my family, my kids here in Tampa.
15:24So, shout-out to Tampa.
15:25Respect.
15:25That's what's up.
15:27Shout-out to AB.
15:28Again, check him out this Saturday.
15:30Energetic Exotics.
15:32It's...
15:32Ice in the city.
15:33Man, city on ice.
15:35Nino Breeze, Tom G, Ben Franco.
15:38We got the No Broke Baddies.
15:39Everybody is going to be in the building,
15:41including me and Joey Franchise.
15:42We're going to slide through.
15:43Yeah, meet me there.
15:43Beat me there.
15:44Already.
15:45Already.
15:46Thanks for coming through to Wild 94.1.
15:48Shout-out to Wild 94.1, you dig?
15:50Yes, sir.
15:51Yes, sir.
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