- 11 hours ago
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:03What up, though?
00:04It is Leisha B. from the all-new Morning Rollout.
00:06And we are back with another Detroit Culture Shifters.
00:10And this one was nominated by our girl, Khadijah.
00:13And we got to say hello to Lauren McGreer.
00:16How you doing?
00:17I'm good.
00:17How are you?
00:18We're going to be talking about a lot,
00:19because you're a woman who does a lot of things.
00:22Not only are you a content creator, you're a mom.
00:25You're also the general manager of Elle Club.
00:27You've got a busy weekend coming up.
00:28And you are also one of the co-founders for Girls in Sports.
00:32So we've got a lot of things to talk about.
00:33First of all, how are you doing?
00:35Do you feel like you are prepared for what you've got going on this weekend?
00:39How are you feeling?
00:41Well, we've got an event Saturday, this Saturday.
00:46Today, we have Friday or Saturday.
00:49I can't remember.
00:50I live for every seven days.
00:53So I don't know anything past Saturday.
00:55I will reboot on a Sunday.
00:57I know that's right.
00:58I feel like you can only do so much.
01:01And that's probably a lot better for your mental sanity to just compartmentalize.
01:05Okay.
01:05I know what I'm doing for the week.
01:07After that, don't ask me what I'm doing.
01:09I only plan for the week ahead.
01:11Anything two months down, a couple of little things sprinkled in, like I know.
01:16But for the most part, because I have 200 events a year, week to week.
01:22Exactly.
01:23Okay.
01:23So for people who don't understand the role of a GM, specifically for the club scene,
01:30what does that entail for you?
01:32We make sure the business make money.
01:34I know that's right.
01:34At the end of the day.
01:35But we're making sure that all parts move accordingly.
01:39So handling your accounting, handling your beverage, handling your production, security,
01:50and all of the people in between.
01:52We lead people that assist in leading the business.
01:56And then we're that middle man between the employees and the owners.
02:03Right.
02:04So we're that voice on both ends.
02:06And then outside of that, one of my biggest responsibilities as a general manager at a nightclub
02:12is making sure that everybody is safe.
02:14Mm-hmm.
02:15So that is, again, the employees as well as the guests that are coming in to have a good time
02:21that night,
02:21that morning, whatever time they come in, I got to make sure that they are safe.
02:25So that's following city and state guidelines.
02:29That's making sure that my alarms are up to code.
02:32That's making sure the building is not falling apart because there are, I want to say, annual inspections.
02:38And they just make sure they come around and make sure that nothing is broken.
02:42Right.
02:42And that we are following things up to code.
02:44So I'm just that person that just, you balance a lot.
02:48Mm-hmm.
02:50But that's just the number one priority and making sure that people can have fun.
02:56Right.
02:57Is...
02:57But it's safe fun.
02:58Yeah.
02:59100%.
03:00Just with the amount that you just shared for one job that you have, girl, I give you nothing but
03:05props.
03:05I understand why sometimes you're just like, a week is all I got mentally right now.
03:10A week is all I got.
03:11Keep up with all these building standards while having an event every day.
03:14Right.
03:15Making sure you have inventory and making sure that you got marketing and making sure you...
03:19Your hand's in a lot of pots.
03:21And it has to be top tier.
03:24Yeah.
03:25Essentially.
03:25Because if one thing fails, that's a lot of other things that go down too.
03:30And I think a lot of times when people go to L Club or any nightclub, they're not really understanding
03:35what goes into how they can essentially not think about what they're going through.
03:41And a lot of times people have those, dare I say, interesting moments when they're like, why are they telling
03:49me this?
03:50Or why can't I smoke?
03:52Why can't I do all this?
03:53And I feel like there is a reason why.
03:56There are laws.
03:57There are laws that mandate your fun.
04:00Yeah.
04:00There are laws that mandate your fun.
04:02You cannot smoke in any public, you cannot smoke weed or tobacco in any public establishment because it's illegal.
04:11Primarily weed, you can't smoke in an establishment unless the establishment has a license that allows you to smoke marijuana.
04:19But if a place has a liquor license, you cannot commingle the two.
04:22So when a police officer comes in and they smell weed or they see somebody passing the blunt, which people,
04:29any who.
04:29Right.
04:30They try to get away with it, you cannot.
04:32They will shut my event down.
04:34They will shut the club down.
04:36And that falls on your head.
04:37That falls.
04:38I'll get the ticket.
04:39I get the ticket.
04:40I got to pay it.
04:41I got to go to court.
04:43We ain't got time for that.
04:44I understand you want to have fun, but there are rules and regulations that we have to abide by.
04:48There are rules that mandate your fun.
04:49And then another one, a big one that I get complaints about is like reentry.
04:54And people are like, oh, well, this ain't no Little Caesars Arena.
04:56This ain't no.
04:57Well, you can't reenter because it's a liability.
05:00I cannot allow you to go to your car and grab a smoke.
05:04I can't allow you to, or not to say you might be doing these things, but it's just a liability.
05:08Once I let you out of the building and come back in.
05:11Anything can happen.
05:12So say you go to your car and you get high.
05:14Say you go to your car and you get drunk.
05:15If, if something happens, once you leave my club, they coming back for me, they coming back for me.
05:21Why was this person drunk?
05:22Leave me your establishment.
05:24Why did you over pour them?
05:25Why did you over serve them?
05:27They got into an accident.
05:28They killed somebody.
05:29Yeah, that's right.
05:30Now it's your fault.
05:32No.
05:32Where'd you come from?
05:33That's why you can't reenter.
05:34You can't reenter because it's a liability.
05:36So those are the two things that like we get mess about.
05:39And it's just like, at the end of the day, I have to mandate, I have to mandate the fund.
05:45Like we just have to so that one, I have a place of employment and the 20, 30 people behind
05:51me also have a place of employment.
05:53If we don't follow those rules, they can close my business.
05:55I just wanted you to share that real quick because I feel like a lot of people just don't understand
05:59that.
05:59No, they don't.
06:00But let's take it further back into who Lauren is.
06:02What got you into the entertainment music industry as a whole?
06:07Because I know that you've done more than just obviously the GM because twerks and tequila has been a thing
06:12that people definitely have been talking about.
06:14But I know that you've done other things within the industry.
06:16So how did you get into entertainment in general?
06:20Well, ooh, that's a long, that's a long one.
06:24That's a windy one.
06:25We got time.
06:25Yeah, we got time.
06:26Okay.
06:26So I actually just talked about this on my YouTube, okay.
06:30I talked about why I work in music, why I work in entertainment.
06:34It's really because throughout my adolescence, my mom and my parents in general just kept me around the arts.
06:40My mom took me to this festival and I can't tell you what festival it was, but they were doing
06:47like this
06:48presentation about how everything is sound and you can make music out of anything.
06:51They called my little, I don't know, four or five-year-old tell up there to help make music with
06:56them.
06:56And I was up there having a ball.
06:58I can vividly remember this.
07:00I was having a ball.
07:01Once I got home that day, I'm still at home.
07:04Like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:06And a year or two later, my mom put me in a performing arts school.
07:10I went from a Catholic school to a performing arts school.
07:13That's a crazy shift.
07:13So yeah, so I went to performing arts school and there they taught us
07:17violin, cello, um, vocal, um, visual art, drama, all of the good stuff.
07:25And all of our teachers were the cream of the crop people.
07:28Like they were people that toured, that had these awards, that went to
07:32find schools to learn their craft.
07:34And they came back to an inner city school and taught this stuff to children.
07:37That's amazing.
07:38So from second to 12th grade, I'm amongst these people who are teaching
07:43us the way about their life and entertainment and the arts and all this good stuff.
07:49And I just so naturally had a draw to, um, orchestra.
07:54And so I went from playing the violin for a couple of years to playing the cello.
07:57I played the cello from middle school to high school.
08:01And by high school, I was getting paid.
08:03I was getting paid to, I was teaching at Wayne state in high school.
08:08I was teaching at Wayne state, little kids, how to play the violin.
08:11And I would get paid for like weddings and church gigs and whatever.
08:16I was making money, I was making money off music.
08:20So when it was time to graduate, for whatever reason, I decided to,
08:25uh, I wanted to become a doctor.
08:31And, and when I went to Michigan state and I walked past the blood bank, I was like,
08:36Oh no, this is not for me.
08:37So I had a phone call with a friend who, um, parents were big, big, big gospel people.
08:43And so they knew the industry since they were a child.
08:45And they were able to kind of tell me like, yeah, you kind of,
08:48it sounds like you want to go into management.
08:49Um, but you can also explore all these other things.
08:51Like once you get entertainment, you can kind of move around.
08:54Yeah.
08:55You can move and shake how you want to.
08:56So I was like, yo, like, okay, I'm in college.
08:58What do I study?
08:59And he was like, you don't really have to study anything.
09:01Cause nobody in the music industry or entertainment industry really has degrees.
09:05Not really.
09:06So I was like, okay, well, Ooh, I'll be an advantage for me.
09:09I have a degree.
09:11So, um, eventually I settled on, settled on advertisement.
09:17And from there, I don't know, I just, my senior year of college,
09:20I started managing an artist named early Mac with a team of other people.
09:23And then we did that.
09:25I did that.
09:28I worked with Earl and Joe from, I don't know, from my senior year of college.
09:36It was a nice little minute.
09:39And then Earl decided to kind of go the writer route.
09:43And I don't know, there was no room for me there.
09:46Right.
09:46And I took a second to, I was like, okay, I'm ready to make some real money.
09:53And so I worked a little job here and there.
09:55I managed a hair company for five seconds.
09:58And I was like, I want to get back into entertainment.
10:00So I quit the hair company.
10:02I was working at target.
10:04That wasn't nothing for me.
10:05So I was, I started to take odd jobs and I started to kind of like help people with their
10:11events.
10:12And it kind of became like me managing their events.
10:15And then I was like, I could do this better.
10:18And I started twerking tequila.
10:20Oh, that's right.
10:20And you did it better.
10:22And I did.
10:22I did.
10:23Twerking tequila was, I thought I was going to be one and done.
10:26And for those who don't know, twerking tequila is my spin at a women's empowerment event.
10:30It's just a party where women shake ass, where they're allowed to shake ass freely.
10:35And my goal is for it to be fun and not in a sexual way because twerking isn't sexual,
10:40but because black women do it, it's a sexual thing.
10:43Right.
10:44That's another topic for another day.
10:46So I started twerking tequila.
10:48It was supposed to be this one and done thing.
10:51And after the first twerking tequila, one, it sold out.
10:55It was crazy.
10:56They had to shut Verner down.
10:58And I just remember like that next day, like having this very euphoric feeling within myself.
11:05And I was like, oh, I have to do this again.
11:08And here we are eight years.
11:12I know that's right.
11:13We took a break last year because mommying and trying to keep up with all the things was definitely taking
11:18a toll on me.
11:20And like I said, people got a problem with black women shaking their ass.
11:24So it's very, very hard for me to garner sponsorships and stuff like that because,
11:30you know, they don't want black women to have a good time.
11:32Which is ridiculous.
11:32So I just got tired of the rejection and I just had to just focus on myself for a second.
11:40But twerking tequila is coming back.
11:41But all in all, that's that's how me working in entertainment came about.
11:46Like it just was one thing after another.
11:48I tried PR.
11:50I tried artist management.
11:51I landed on event production and curation for a nice little minute.
11:56And then my relationships with venues got me to the point where somebody was like, hey,
12:01L Club needs a general manager.
12:03I know you don't do this, but like, can you do it?
12:05And this was 2020.
12:06And I was like, okay, why not?
12:10And then like when they called me, they was just like, here's what the job entails.
12:14Can you do it?
12:15And I'm like, well, you don't even know anything about me.
12:19But they gave me the job and here I am five years later, still managing the place.
12:24And getting it done.
12:26Getting it done.
12:26I feel like that just your story in general is just a reminder that you can dibble and dabble
12:32in a lot of things and end up in a job that kind of film relates everything into one.
12:36Because I think that throughout your journey, like you just said, PR from managing an artist,
12:40you know how to communicate with artists when you need to bring them into the club.
12:44You know how to publicize the club and how to make the marketing work.
12:48And then also just your ability to talk to different people through different spaces.
12:53You're able to not only, you know, use that for your employees, but also again,
12:57the outside world and how to communicate with them.
13:00So what does it take to really cultivate and create the experience that you do?
13:06And I know that that's mostly your team.
13:08But like, how do you facilitate making sure that L Club is authentically Detroit,
13:12but also, you know, branching off to other things?
13:14Because I think that what makes L Club so special is that you guys talk about the,
13:19I don't want to say underground, but the people who are just about to blow.
13:23So what's that experience and how do you create that?
13:26You got to have a team of people that keep their ear to the street.
13:29And it's a lot of music venues that are just so corporate.
13:31Like it's being, it's being bought out by these corporate entities.
13:35And it's like, y'all are only caring about corporate shit.
13:39And it's like that fostered to a decent community, but it doesn't foster to every community.
13:45Yeah.
13:45And fun is one of those things that needs to be offered to every demographic.
13:50And not every demographic is into the corporate ass shit.
13:54Yeah.
13:55Sorry.
13:55So again, I just have a team of people that outside of me just have their ear to the street.
14:00They want to bring stuff to the club and we don't have a problem.
14:04As long as you follow, you know, there are rules, right?
14:07There are rules.
14:07If you follow these rules, you know, if you are honest about the work that you do,
14:11then we can make it work.
14:12So, and then again, it's definitely a risk.
14:15Like not every local show or regional person that we might have in the club is going to be,
14:22I guess, um, profitable or successful, but that's not always the point.
14:29The point of us is making sure that we get the things in there to influence you,
14:32that this is, this is cool.
14:34It's about to be cooler.
14:35Right.
14:36You, you was on the bandwagon before everybody else.
14:38Right.
14:38Like I'm working with somebody now who I want to bring here and there is,
14:41they're based out of New York.
14:42And I'm like, I don't know, we got to figure it out.
14:44You expensive.
14:45I don't know.
14:47But it's, I have my ear to the street.
14:49Right.
14:49Because people got stuff going on in New York.
14:51I want to bring it to Detroit, stuff going on in Ohio.
14:54You just got to keep your ear to the street.
14:55And then I just, when you, when you work in events in this magnitude where it's
15:00primarily concerts, you have to understand that not everything is going to be a win.
15:05Not everything is going to be a win.
15:07So we have to, again, we're people that influence the masses.
15:12Our little small stage will influence the masses.
15:14Right.
15:14So we have to make sure that we're doing things that are influential.
15:17And so we have to take those risks.
15:19Right.
15:20We have to put in a stuff that may not be the big win for the night, but we did
15:25it.
15:26Exactly.
15:26And a year later, they come back and they sold out.
15:29That happened with Skillababy.
15:31For real?
15:31That happened with Skillababy.
15:362021.
15:37Oh, I wouldn't have thought about that.
15:392021, Skillababy had a show at L Club.
15:43Maybe 50 people.
15:44Oh, wow.
15:45I'm going to pull up the numbers.
15:48Skillababy had a show at L Club, maybe 50 people.
15:51A year later, in 2022, I was pregnant.
15:54I remember he sold out.
15:56Wow.
15:57You got to be on the bandwagon before everybody else.
16:00That's the point.
16:00And they may not get it, but you see it.
16:03Yeah, that's the point.
16:04So that's the point of L Club.
16:07That's the point of our room.
16:09We're here to influence people, influence the arts.
16:11So not everything is going to be a hit the first year.
16:18Right.
16:18But that second year, they come back, sold out.
16:21That's the risk you take.
16:22I know that's right.
16:22And speaking of risk, I think that even outside of the entertainment industry, I think that just the idea of
16:27taking a risk and what you're saying is very poignant.
16:30So when those moments happen and you're like, oh, OK, that wasn't exactly the response or the hit that I
16:38want.
16:39How do you what do you do or how what do you take on so that you're not, you know,
16:44still stuck in that place?
16:45You're obviously accepting what happened, but you're not dwelling in what happened, if that makes sense.
16:50I think because I've been around for so long, you just get it.
16:53Yeah, it's like I'm not I got to move on to the next show.
16:56Yeah, I do 200 shows a year for the club.
16:59Right.
16:59And then I might have 50 side gigs outside of that.
17:03Like that's 250 shows out of 365 days a year.
17:07I got time.
17:08I'm a look at them numbers and say, OK, maybe not again.
17:13I got to move on.
17:14Like I don't have a heartfelt attachment to everything that doesn't do well.
17:19But again, everything for the most part, most of the stuff I do does well, you know, so.
17:25But speaking of the other side hustles that you have inside things that you do,
17:30I wouldn't consider this a side, but girls in sports is you and Khadijah's baby.
17:36It is.
17:36So can you explain what girls in sports is?
17:38Because I think that the girls, especially right now with the way that you as hockey came in and swole.
17:43Yeah.
17:44And the fact that we're getting and we had a black woman on that team.
17:48Exactly.
17:48And that the fact that she's the first to ever play and then to medal.
17:52Yeah.
17:53So I just feel like we're in a renaissance or an insurgence, if you will.
17:57So can you explain what you and Khadijah are doing with girls?
18:00So girls in sports is basically a community for women who either like sports or women
18:05who are interested in getting into sports.
18:06As I say all the time, Khadijah is the sports and I am the girls.
18:11Khadijah knows all these teams, their points, the technical disc.
18:16I can't tell you any of that.
18:18I can tell you who Stephon Diggs is because he dated Cardi B.
18:23I know that's right.
18:24I'm just a girl.
18:25Again.
18:26Okay.
18:27But we host watch nights.
18:29We will occasionally go to some games.
18:31For the most part, most of our events have been free because funds should be affordable.
18:36Mm hmm.
18:37So even in community building funds should be affordable.
18:40So we just make it as affordable as possible.
18:43Now, yeah, when we get to this restaurant, you can go get your own food.
18:46Right.
18:47Okay.
18:47Or if we get a sponsor, we get a sponsor.
18:49We have had some situations where food has been sponsored, drink has been sponsored,
18:52or the full experience has been sponsored.
18:55So, and it's only been a year.
18:57We've only been doing girls in sports for a year, year and a half, maybe.
19:02But we've hosted boxing watch nights.
19:05And one of our first ones, we had a suite at LCA to see Clarissa Shields fight.
19:09We just hosted another one at Salt & Co, which was in Southfield.
19:14And she won again.
19:15Okay.
19:16I don't know why people was doubting her.
19:18I don't know.
19:19She, she's two time gold medal.
19:21Has she ever lost?
19:23No.
19:23I don't think she has.
19:24She hasn't lost any of her matches.
19:26Right.
19:26No.
19:27Okay.
19:28Clarissa is a beast.
19:29And people be talking about how she crazy.
19:31She crazy and she keep it.
19:32Did y'all watch that game?
19:34Did you see that game?
19:35She did all 10 rounds.
19:37Now the lady she was fighting was, was putting them up too, but TT got tired.
19:42The one thing I took away from watching that, that match.
19:45I'm not supposed to say game.
19:46I'm going to say game.
19:48The one thing I took away from watching that, that match is Clarissa every round.
19:53She is, she is ready.
19:56She's ready.
19:56She's ready.
19:57She's ready.
19:57Whatever she does before.
19:59You are getting punched in your face, punched in your body.
20:02You boothering around the ring and you got energy?
20:06An hour later?
20:09What kind of endurance training do I got to do?
20:11Okay.
20:12Because, and I'm not saying this to be rude.
20:15So don't take this out of context, but you have to be delusional.
20:18And she kind of gives me that.
20:19She might be a little bit.
20:20You know, you got to be a little crazy.
20:22Yeah.
20:22Make it work because you're telling, like you said.
20:24But like she said, I can fight.
20:25Okay.
20:26She can fight.
20:26And if you want to say something about it, let's get into the ring and let's handle business.
20:30She said, I can fight and she can.
20:34I see it.
20:35I see it.
20:36But I was, that really motivated.
20:38I don't know why seeing her like not tired, motivating me so much because I'm doing events
20:43every other day.
20:45I got to get up.
20:46I got to come home at midnight, be up at five, get a kid ready for school.
20:51Then I go straight to the gym.
20:53Wow.
20:53And I'm on for a couple of hours, but I want to, I want to, I want to look that
20:57delusional.
20:58Okay.
20:58When I'm running around in the event, people, you, you good.
21:01You need, no, I got it.
21:03That's why I got the endurance.
21:05That's why I, and so I'm like, well, let me get more endurance.
21:08Okay.
21:08Whatever she's on, I want some.
21:10Okay.
21:11She be working out and eating good.
21:13Okay.
21:13So yeah.
21:15What has been like your favorite part about making these experiences for girls, whether they
21:21know sports or not just building community.
21:25Like, like I said, I don't know nothing about this stuff, but I get them on a whole bunch
21:30of girls that do.
21:31And sometimes when you go to like sporting events and it's all this, yeah, it can be intimidating
21:37because I don't know what's going on.
21:39I don't know what's happening.
21:40You can't ask questions.
21:40Yeah.
21:41You get to ask the girls questions.
21:42I be, I be, people be saying all these technical words and right in front of Khadija or right
21:46in front of everybody, Khadija, what that mean?
21:48I don't know.
21:49Oops, sorry.
21:49I don't know what that mean.
21:50Like, and she'll tell me and now I got a better understanding of this stuff or like,
21:56that's it.
21:56Like, um, you said what was the most beneficial?
22:00What else?
22:02And just bringing people, I don't, I like bringing people together.
22:05So if that's for sports, if that's for dancing, if that's for concerts, then I'm just,
22:10I think I'm just fulfilling part of my life's purpose.
22:13Yeah.
22:13So as long as I got, you're a connector of fun.
22:17Yeah.
22:17I like that.
22:18I help build positive memories.
22:21That's what I feel like I miss it.
22:23I got people who have met us working to Khadija that have been together for years,
22:27ready to marry.
22:28You know, I help somebody meet, meet their wife.
22:32I help somebody need a business partner because the girls that come to the
22:35turk and tequila got shit going on.
22:37Okay.
22:37And it's girls that are interested in figuring out how to get shit going on.
22:41And then they meet this business woman that got shit going on.
22:44Now here's a new work relationship, you know?
22:47I love that.
22:48So it's just my responsibility.
22:49It's my, it's my, what's that word people be saying?
22:53You're calling.
22:54It's just the role that God gave me.
22:56God gave me again.
22:58He wanted me to bring people or he or she wanted me to bring people together,
23:01I wanted it to be positive, I wanted it to be, um, memorable and I'm doing the work.
23:09And it don't like, I can't, I can't like, of course I want to make $50 million off the work
23:14that I do, but I can't.
23:17And I'm so happy where I'm at.
23:20That is so hard for me to go anywhere else.
23:23That's offering more or it's like, no, like I get to help emerge artists.
23:30I get to bring people in a room who have never performed before before.
23:33And they got this hit out now.
23:35And, you know, or I get to bring a person to bring a person out who's been sitting at home
23:40for a couple months depressed.
23:41And they came to a party and they had the best time of their life.
23:44They for maybe only five people came to a party that I had.
23:47But again, they still had the time of their life.
23:49Like those, that's important because everything is so serious and fun is supposed to be light,
23:56heart, lighthearted and joyful.
23:59And there is not enough of that in the world.
24:01So if I can assist in that some kind of way, amazing.
24:04I feel like that's what Detroit needs right now.
24:06I feel like we're so serious right now.
24:08And I understand that, like, we need to be.
24:10Yeah, there's a lot of things that need to get handled for sure.
24:14But where is those places where we could just like, okay, breathe.
24:17Like, let me have fun for at least a few hours.
24:19My goodness.
24:19Like, it can't just all be work, work, work, work, work, business, business, business all day.
24:24I mean, but they're not wrong.
24:25You got an economy where all of us were so, oh, go to college and life will be fruitful for
24:29you.
24:30And then we get out of college and can't get no job because the wealthy is hoarding the wealth.
24:35And it's like, well, what happened?
24:37Like, I went and got these degrees.
24:39I went and got all these credentials and I can't get a job.
24:42That's why people is just kind of like, not good.
24:45Right.
24:45Y'all said that this was the path and this is clearly not the path.
24:48And we followed the path and this is not right.
24:50And then hell, you got a majority of black women are the highest educated demographic of people.
24:56And we're the ones getting fired.
24:58And the ones getting fired and let go.
25:02We're overqualified and underpaid.
25:04Okay.
25:05Are you one of the few GMs?
25:07Do you know that is a black woman?
25:09Like, do you happen to know that?
25:10In a concert space?
25:12Yeah.
25:12I've never met one.
25:13Don't know of any.
25:14I know that's right.
25:15If there are ones, we respect you for sure.
25:17But we just don't know you at this point.
25:19And I even try to like Google it, but I don't know.
25:23I can only imagine that you sitting in the positions that you're sitting are inspiring
25:28other people, not only in the entertainment business, but just as black women and people.
25:33So how do you move throughout your life knowing that people are looking towards you, not only
25:40as a leader, but as someone who they admire?
25:43Well, that's, I'm very thankful that they admire me.
25:46But I mean, I want you to admire yourself.
25:49Admiring yourself is what's going to help get you to the next step.
25:52If that person don't want to give you the job, admire yourself to put the energy into yourself.
25:57And that's honestly what I did.
25:58I kept putting the energy into myself.
26:00Okay.
26:00This didn't work out.
26:01I'm a go.
26:02Okay.
26:02I believe in myself.
26:03I'm a throw a party.
26:04Yeah.
26:04Never had thrown a party in my life.
26:08And that's just what keeps happening.
26:10I keep believing in myself and I keep doing these things.
26:12So you already got that Clarissa delusion in you, girl.
26:15Yeah.
26:15That's why I just need the endurance.
26:17I need the same kind of endurance as her.
26:19But I just, I don't know.
26:21Did I answer your question?
26:23No, you did.
26:24You did.
26:24Okay.
26:24And with all of that, you're still doing even more things.
26:27Yeah.
26:27Because we haven't even talked about the YouTube that you just nicely just threw in there real quick.
26:31Yes, we YouTube.
26:31Because connect with Lo is a whole thing.
26:34Yeah, she's her.
26:34I'm glad that you got that video out, girl.
26:36So does that mean we back your business?
26:39We are, we're trying to be, I'm vlogging right now.
26:42The goal is to do once a week, as long as I can, if that endurance is there.
26:47Right.
26:48I'm really doing my best because I believe that I have a unique story to share.
26:54And I'm sharing all parts of it.
26:55When it's good, when it's bad, when I get baby mama, when I have a baby in the midst of
27:00trying
27:00to figure out a career and I'm still doing that career with that baby.
27:03I know that's right.
27:04And yeah, like I think that so many of us or so we have influence that like life is this
27:10linear path and that is perfect and it's not.
27:14And I really hope that the people, the 573 people that are subscribed to my YouTube channel
27:23are really picking up that I'm showing you the good, the bad, the ugly and my, and my journey
27:31to this $50 million income that I want to have.
27:36I feel like that's essentially what people did with Doshi.
27:39Like before Doshi was popping, she did that entire documentation of her artist's way.
27:44Yep.
27:45And like that made her really popular.
27:47So, but she, what is she, she admired herself.
27:50Correct.
27:50Correct.
27:51She admired her.
27:51You, you gotta be delusional about you.
27:54And as an only child, I do have siblings, but in my household, I was the only child.
27:59And so that it's just a little natural that I'm self-absorbed.
28:02Yeah.
28:02Okay.
28:03So you gotta be a little bit.
28:04Yeah.
28:05But you gotta believe in yourself.
28:06Even when people say it's not, it's not doable.
28:09When people are winning the statistics, they, this and that, blah, blah, blah.
28:12I believe in yourself because the world will move mountains for you.
28:18Literally.
28:18I've seen crazy stuff work for me.
28:20I went to college and I had a horrible ACT score and I graduated.
28:24Like you can't, I was self-absorbed.
28:27I believed in myself.
28:28I didn't care about no, no exam.
28:30So.
28:30Because you have to, because who else is going to believe in you?
28:33If not yourself, no one is going to invest in you.
28:36If you are not investing in yourself, like that doesn't make any sense.
28:39You're asking for other people to believe in you and you don't believe in yourself.
28:42That's crazy.
28:44Be delusional about you.
28:46So you have your hands in a lot of different pockets.
28:49And I feel like there's probably some other things you want to dibble and dabble in.
28:52Is there any other like ventures or goals or things that you just
28:57would love to see happen in Detroit, whether you are the one to do them or not?
29:01I think our music scene is in a really, really good space right now.
29:05Coming from what it used to be to now, it's amazing.
29:08Like we have so many people that are blowing up, that are signed.
29:11And so that's amazing to see when that wasn't, nobody even cared about Detroit music.
29:17I'd say six years ago, nobody cared.
29:20And now it's like that thing.
29:22So that's, that's beautiful to see.
29:24Um, I would love to see even more community.
29:27I would love to see it's very, we're still Detroiters are, especially if you're in the, in,
29:35in the entertainment scene, it's very dog eat dog.
29:40Like nobody is trying to share the wealth.
29:43Yeah.
29:44And it's like, you got to, that's what wealth is.
29:48Cause if you're sharing the wealth, there'd be more wealth for you and additional wealth for
29:51that person.
29:52So share it.
29:54So I would like to see more of that.
29:57More collaboration with more collaboration, more, um, just community, more fun.
30:06We ain't gotta be so serious.
30:07We are.
30:08I mean, our life do depend on this.
30:10Right.
30:10And that's, that's serious, but you can still have fun at the same time.
30:14Two things can be true.
30:15Yep.
30:16So just bigger community, bigger resources, and people need to get to Detroit.
30:21When I say people, I mean large corporations because we are the influencers.
30:26Okay.
30:26I was literally just talking to Jalen Rose about this the other day where he was talking
30:30about how Detroit has like influenced fashion and talk and, and how the industry moves.
30:37And they don't get the recognition of it.
30:40Do you see black women in Detroit?
30:42Everybody is calling them cash dial curls.
30:45Oh my God.
30:45There's literally a wig on TikTok that is cash dial or Detroit curls.
30:51The Detroit layer wigs.
30:52Be effing for real.
30:53We are the beauty capital.
30:54We was a beauty capital before the internet.
30:56Right.
30:58Come on.
30:59Then you got, nobody don't want to call us a fashion hub.
31:02Nobody want, we, we invented the soulful music.
31:05We are, we are, we are the culture sifters.
31:08And it's like a RMB record or nothing.
31:10Don't pop until we say so.
31:12Okay.
31:12Until we put our little two step on it.
31:14So what's the little hustle we be doing?
31:15And now everybody lit.
31:17Everybody turns up.
31:18Like we really do.
31:19We really the ones.
31:20And I just think that the money needs to follow the way it should.
31:25It's like, they give us, they sprinkle in a little money here and there.
31:27Now give us the big dogs.
31:28Like you give LA, like you give Chicago to do these massive experiences.
31:33It's people here that can do the same shit.
31:36If not better.
31:37Give it to us.
31:37We want it.
31:38We want it now.
31:40Okay.
31:41Y'all, y'all want it.
31:42Everybody come here and they want to do this cool stuff.
31:44But it's like, they, they do this cool stuff and then they be gone.
31:48Like, no, they didn't never come back.
31:49Give that curator that it, give that curator that or that person who helps you and give them
31:54a spot at your, in your offices.
31:57Right.
31:57So they can do that worldwide.
31:59Exactly.
32:00So little stuff like that.
32:02No, I completely agree.
32:03And I feel like other people who are watching this agree too, but are you ready to play
32:06a little quick rapid fire, a little this or that?
32:09Okay.
32:10Okay.
32:11Are you more behind the scenes or are you in the front of the house?
32:14Where are you most comfortable?
32:15I love to be behind the scenes, but God tells me that I have to be in front of the
32:19scenes.
32:19No, I have to do what God said.
32:21Yeah, but I love it.
32:23I'm, I'm, at my core, I'm kind of shy and that's why I never pursued music the way I
32:28should have because I didn't want to get on stage.
32:31No, that's real though.
32:32I didn't want to.
32:33I was shy and I'm, I still be shy.
32:35Like, I don't want to public speak like this.
32:38But you're doing great.
32:38This is nice.
32:39You know, it's one-on-one, but like a whole bunch of people.
32:41Oh my God, my heart like will make me shut up.
32:45So I'm, I'm very much a preferred behind the scenes, but God is like, get, get out there.
32:49So challenging you to push yourself.
32:51I like that.
32:52Okay.
32:53This might be hard, but twerk or tequila or a packed out night at Elk Club?
32:56Twerking tequila.
32:57Period.
32:58She said it wasn't hard at all, actually.
32:59No.
33:00I mean, Elk Club is nice.
33:01That's, that's both are my babies.
33:03Right.
33:04Twerking tequila is, Twerking tequila is born at Elk Club.
33:07Right.
33:07So, but Twerking tequila is first.
33:10And even when I got my job, I said, Hey, I have a business.
33:12Okay.
33:13And y'all need to understand that.
33:14And they said, okay, and I'm not, and we need more people to understand that because
33:19I can still have my own thing while still accommodating for you.
33:23I shouldn't have to give up one for the other.
33:25And they said, okay.
33:26Cause I said I wasn't stopping.
33:28I know that's right.
33:29What's your favorite night out of the week in Detroit?
33:34Maybe a Friday night.
33:36Cause on Saturday I want to be very slow.
33:39If I don't got nothing to do, I want it to be a very, very slow day.
33:41I want to like get up without an alarm and go make me a Nakia breakfast or go out for
33:47breakfast.
33:48I love me a little breakfast date.
33:49I love a brunch.
33:50I need the DC experience brunch to come up here.
33:52That's what I really need.
33:53And you know, every time I go to DC, I always leave on a Sunday and I miss it.
33:57But I hear that.
33:58It's like, why are you leaving on Sunday?
33:59Well, how are you, how are you going to miss brunch?
34:00Like when I go back home, come back with me.
34:02You from DC?
34:03Yes, girl.
34:04Oh my God.
34:04I'll take you to the spot.
34:06And then we need to bring it here.
34:07We need to infuse it.
34:08No, I tried, I tried to do a brunch, but brunch is here.
34:11To do them, they kind of expensive.
34:13And again, I don't want to give me no money.
34:15And I'll be working out of pocket.
34:17My pocket is only so big.
34:18They don't want us to have fun.
34:19I promise you.
34:20It'd be a time.
34:21Yeah.
34:22Oh, we'll figure it out.
34:23Okay.
34:24Mom life or night life?
34:26Mom life.
34:27I really, I go, I go out.
34:30I'm not a go out just to go out person.
34:32I go out to study.
34:34I'll go out to understand.
34:35I don't, I'm not fun out.
34:37If you take me out for a night out, I'm going to be the most boringest friend you,
34:41you can ever experience.
34:43Like, and I know that about myself.
34:45It is my truth.
34:46Like I'm, I, I do the fun, but I am not the fun.
34:50Coaches don't play.
34:51Okay.
34:51So I'm, I'm there to observe the DJ, observe the, the space deserve, uh, observe the sound,
35:01uh, the ingress, how they taking people in.
35:03I'm, I'm here to study all of that and to take that back in my mind and to figure how
35:07to make sure
35:08that I'm just seeing what you're doing.
35:10Mm-hmm .
35:11Maybe make what I got going on better, but I'm not, I'm not a night out girl.
35:16I feel like I'm the same way.
35:17Obviously I'm not running L club or anything, but I feel like whenever I go to concerts or
35:22I go to like different events, I'm always looking at the host and the artists thinking,
35:27okay, okay, well, that sound isn't all the way there.
35:31Oh, that DJ, uh, transition was not heat, but like, okay, cool.
35:34Like, I feel like I'm so critical when everyone else is trying to be fun, but it's like, it's
35:39just what I do.
35:40It's my job.
35:40Look, if I go out of turn with people and they be wanting to go to the club,
35:43I'd be like, I will, I I'm, I'm here for the vacation, but when y'all go out,
35:46I would be at, I would be in the room.
35:48Okay.
35:48Cause that, cause it, it feel like work to me.
35:51Like, uh, if I'm in the mood to study what they got going on in Brazil that night.
35:57All right.
35:57But like, that doesn't sound like fun vacation to me.
36:00No, that's more work.
36:01It's going to feel like work no matter.
36:03No.
36:04I don't think people understand that, but I'm glad that you and I understand.
36:07Cause I always feel like people don't get me when I'm like, I don't want to go outside
36:11with y'all like that.
36:12Y'all know that's my job, right?
36:13Like I'd be outside from nine to five during my work day.
36:18That feels like work.
36:19I'm not going to the club with you unless I'm just here to see what's going on.
36:23But I don't, I don't really want to go to the club sister.
36:25Exactly.
36:26And you have to be okay with that because regardless it's not going down.
36:29Yep.
36:30And last one I got for you.
36:31One rule every guest should follow at any good event.
36:35Have a good time.
36:37Just have a good time.
36:38Don't have all these thoughts about what's going on.
36:41Like focus on what you got going on.
36:43People be going to the club, looking at, stop looking.
36:47Hear that music, shake your ass, bob your head, get a drink, mind your business.
36:53Cause I'm sick of the wallflowers because what are you there standing and looking for?
36:57But listen, at this point, we can say we're sick of the wallflowers, but it's not,
37:01I'm not going to say it's a DJ's fault, but it's the, it's the music's fault.
37:05That music has not evolved to make people dance.
37:09We think about it right now.
37:11We go into the club, they playing the shit that we played in 2005, 2006.
37:17Yeah.
37:17To turn people up because that's the only music.
37:20That's the only music.
37:20The music that's coming out now is fucking depressing.
37:24Yeah.
37:24It's not fun.
37:26It does not.
37:26And this is not to be shade.
37:28It's just like, it's, it's music for what it is, but it is not music created to,
37:32to get people moving.
37:33And it's not for everyone to move.
37:36Yeah.
37:36Maybe it's for a small pocket, but not generational.
37:38We talking about blixing.
37:40Yeah.
37:41Like, bro, I don't want to like move.
37:43Your granny not going to turn up to that.
37:44Yeah, I want to move.
37:45Your mama not going to turn up to that.
37:46And so when you go to the club right now, all the music is old.
37:50Yeah.
37:51And it's not, it's not a DJ.
37:52And like, we can go to places where they play world music
37:55and blend that with hip hop sounds and all that good stuff.
37:58And that is nice.
37:59Right.
38:00But hip hop and rap has not evolved to a place that makes people want to dance.
38:06Unfortunately.
38:07And if you're not going to those world musics or those house musics
38:09or where they're blending that, you're not going to experience that.
38:12You're not going to experience it.
38:12You're going to, you're going to, you're going to go to a club where it's the new,
38:17the ghetto gospels and it's going to be a whole bunch of people standing around
38:20because it's just not music created to make people dance.
38:24We need music to move to.
38:26It's music to make people stunt.
38:28Yeah.
38:29And like, I can, I can stunt, but I want to, I want to move.
38:32Right.
38:33And I'm not a dancer, but I want to.
38:35There are just songs that everyone will immediately be like, oh,
38:39and that's what I need again.
38:41Back that thing up.
38:42Came out in the nineties.
38:43Still running the streets.
38:45Still.
38:46Still to this day.
38:47Like Juvie is always in somebody household or somebody event being played.
38:53That's what I'm saying.
38:54So music just has to evolve in a different way.
38:58And now is the time.
39:00Please.
39:00Make people dance.
39:01Please, please.
39:03Well, Lauren, I appreciate you for being here, but we can't end off without you
39:07nominating the next Detroit culture shifter.
39:10So clearly you are shifting the culture so much so that you got nominated yourself.
39:14So who is someone that you think is changing the culture and shifting it in the right direction
39:18here in Detroit, my best friend, Giovanni Foster.
39:22She is not a public person, but she is from Detroit.
39:25But she is a assistant assistant principal in the Allen Park school districts for like
39:31high school students and the only black woman in the district.
39:34I know.
39:35That's right.
39:35And she needs to share her story more.
39:37We going to be talking to her soon.
39:39Giovanni, I'm going to call you.
39:40She needs to make a wire.
39:42I'm going to figure it out for her.
39:44And then share your social so that we can follow you and stay up to date with what you've
39:48got going on.
39:48And of course, what Elle Club's got going on too.
39:51So my socials are connect with Elle, C-O-E-N-E-T, W-I-T-H-L-O.
39:55That's on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
39:59They might have some underscores up in there, but this search, this search connect with Elle
40:04and then there's twerk x tequila, T-W-E-R-K, x tequila, however you spell that,
40:09um, on also Instagram and TikTok.
40:14And yeah, Elle Club, that's my, my baby too, Elle Club, Instagram, TikTok.
40:22Yeah.
40:22And our website is ElleClubDetroit.com so you can check out all of our shows.
40:27Um, girls and sports is G-R-L-S dot sports.
40:31And yeah, that's all of the things.
40:34The Jane of all trades, give it up for Lauren McGrealm.
40:39Thank you, Lauren.
40:40Thank you, Lauren.
Comments