Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on HOT 97

July 10, 2023

Aston George “Funk Flex” Taylor Jr.: So something that I enjoy ... all right, so I've seen a couple of people hit you with the cannabis talk, and I got to be honest man, just like a glow. There's something comes over you. Cannabis, I noticed that and I was like, we don't talk about that all the time. I'm like, yo, I'm not putting you on the spot.

Mayor Eric Adams: No, no. You don't have to. Back in the day, you'd be able to look at someone's finger and you see those two burned spots on their finger. Mom used to do that check when you come inside. Listen, cannabis is a real economic market. There's healing qualities to it.

I think it was so important to legalize it because I fought when I was with 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement, how they were stopping young people searching their pockets, giving them records. But what is happening, we're undermining the legal aspects of it. Those legacy brothers and sisters who had criminal records and now trying to open it up, we are having these stores that are popping up everywhere.

What I believe, I believe that there is some major money that's behind it and they're circumventing what we fought to get. And we need to be able to close down those illegal spots to allow those legacy brothers and sisters to be able to get this product going and the quality of the product. We don't want stuff laced with fentanyl. We don't want stuff that's damaging to our children.

Funk Flex: Absolutely, for our children.

Mayor Adams: Right. So we have to be really focused on this opportunity and not lose it. And those who were part of fighting for the reform, they lead the way to say we got to do something about these illegal spots that are opening up everywhere.

Funk Flex: There's a lot of them.

Mayor Adams: Yes. Too many.

Funk Flex: There's a lot of them. Not that I personally saw or went in some. I heard.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Okay. Well we know you grow your own. You don't have to go… [inaudible.]

Funk Flex: You're the director of the mission today for music. I need something classic too. We going to show our age a little bit. What you want to play? Some classic.

Mayor Adams: Listen, my favorite, man. Earth, Wind & Fire, man.

Funk Flex: Let's do it.

Mayor Adams: Reason is–

Funk Flex: Oh man. Going to be big tonight.

Mayor Adams: You know, blue lights in the basement. Slow grind.

Funk Flex: Now back up. Whoa. The blue light. My brother is so classic. Wait, but the blue light was for any music. It just set a tone. We going to play some music. Let's play that. We going to play it right now.

Mayor Adams: That Earth, Wind & Fire, they were my thing, man. Those brothers used to ... they would drop some good songs and no matter how many times I hear Reason, always sounds like the same.

Funk Flex: It touches a nerve.

Mayor Adams: Yes it does, man does. It does. Linda, Linda Perkins.

BREAK

Funk Flex: Adams is here. I appreciate you coming by, number one. Number two, I mean, I heard you like the nightlife. I do. I heard. I just heard birdies that you like nightlife. Where are you originally from?

Mayor Adams: South Jamaica, Queens. Alabama, my parents are from Alabama.

Funk Flex: And when did they come here?

Mayor Adams: Came up like a lot of people of color, particularly African Americans. Left the south, went to Harlem, went to Brooklyn, Bay Side. Other parts, South Jamaica, Queens, and St. Albans. That was sort of off limits to many of us, but in Brooklyn. And we stayed with our family. We didn't know what permanency was to have a place. We moved around. Every month we stayed with a new auntie or new uncle. But the family was there for us.

And what's interesting, I talk about all the time, I didn't have this concept of homelessness when I was growing up. There was always a family member. If you came from the Caribbean diaspora, if you came from the South, there was always a family member who was there to hold you down until you were able to get on your own two feet. And I think we need to think about that when we walk past our cousins, our nephews, our family members who are living on the streets. That we need to be, "There, by the grace of God goes I."

But my family came up. Dad was a butcher. I think that's why I got to the attractiveness of the streets from. He was in the streets. Dad loved the ladies, but the ladies loved him.

Funk Flex: When he tried to break down for us. He says, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." There was something happening, but it's not his fault. There was something happening, but it's not his fault.

Mayor Adams: And so we moved, the most powerful story for me was with mom. We lived on 1218 Gates Avenue. Rat-infested tenement. Mom said she's going to move her children out. It was six of us. And she used to clean, iron clothes, clean houses, and mommy saved up enough money. It was my job to test the iron on the stove. Lick your finger to see, because we didn't have electric back then. She saved up enough money, moved us out.

She did a closing. She went, brother, to do the closing. The guy that she was doing the closing for was the lawyer for the bank. And when she walked in, he was like, "What are you doing here?" She says, "This is my house." My mother was a very, very humble woman. And when she did the closing, she went to his house, cleaned his house. After she cleaned his house, he fired her. Who do you think you want buying the house?

She said she went to 179th Street train station and just cried and yelled out and said, "You know what? This is my house. I got six children. I need to find a way to keep it." She kept it.

Funk Flex: Get it cracking.

Mayor Adams: That's right.

Funk Flex: So growing up in Queens, rap's happening. Give me a favorite rap group of when you were younger, because we going to play it now.

Mayor Adams: Oh, the poet man. KRS-One.

Funk Flex: KRS-One.

Mayor Adams: Yeah. KRS-One.

Funk Flex: Now you're from Queens. I'm from the Bronx. It's weird that we would like that together considering Queens/Bronx history.

Mayor Adams: And my man–

Funk Flex: KRS-One.

Mayor Adams: Man, that's right.

Funk Flex: So you're not a Shan fan.

Mayor Adams: It was always hard on the Bronx because the Bronx brother never got over the fact that when Queens went to the Bronx, we took their shorties. I never get over that.

Funk Flex: Oh right. I agree with you, there. I'll give you that. You see, Queens guys were a little smoother than us. They were. They were smoother. They had better game. They had better game, yes.

Mayor Adams: And then I saw the other day, it was good saying Kurtis Blow, he's still doing his thing.

Funk Flex: Kurtis Blow, absolutely. Looking young, breakdancing and dressed in all white.

Mayor Adams: Look his thing.

Funk Flex: He had some heart issues that are taken care of right now, so that's great. So listen, this is what we going to play. We're going to play some KRS-One, sorry MC Shan, but he's from Queens and he wants to hear KRS-One. I'm sorry. Where should we play? South Bronx.

Mayor Adams: Yes. All here.

Funk Flex: And then we're go to the Bridge too. I going to please everybody. We want Queens to get tight. So we'll go a little South Bronx and then we'll play a little bit of the Bridge, shout out Marley Marl. We here, the mayor's here. Hot 97, let's go.

BREAK

Funk Flex: We're here. Mayor Eric Adams is here. You saw a Red Alert right across the—

Mayor Adams: Good to see that brother, you know?

Funk Flex: Right across the hall.

Mayor Adams: Kast One, who has rolled with me for years, saw me say, "Wait a minute, this is my generation."

Funk Flex: Be clear?

Mayor Adams: Yeah. Yeah. Red Alert. A legend. When you think about laying down the foundation and think about it. I remember the first time I heard rap, I was at Bayside High School. They were playing that tune that came from, I forgot the name. I think it was GQ. One of those tunes, I heard somebody do it on the mic.

Funk Flex: Was it GQ. You talking about—

Mayor Adams: Sugarhill Gang.

Funk Flex: Sugarhill Gang.

Mayor Adams: Right. Yeah, you got it, yeah.

Funk Flex: We're going to play that after this. That is a classic.

Mayor Adams: And if you follow the narrative of Black-developed music was always demonized. Same with jazz. Miles, Coltrane, all those cats. It was like it was illegal to play. And so when brothers came out with rap, it was demonized.

Funk Flex: From the door.

Mayor Adams: Exactly. And now you see, I mean, brothers that are original pioneers should be proud of the moment.

Funk Flex: 50 years.

Mayor Adams: That's what we celebrating right here. It's something that the origin, people still argue if it's Brooklyn, the Bronx, we'll give it up to the BX. But the fact is created an entire genre of music. Now it's important this 50 years later that brothers and sisters make sure they're able to profit from this industry and how do we use it in so many ways.

There's a lot of opportunities to use it in education so that young people can learn not only how to be on the stage, but how to be behind the scene. And being the producers, the lawyers, the production of how to do the distribution. The game has changed a lot. It's going to change even more. I was at Republic Record and they were talking about how AI is going to be infused into some of these remakes. The game is really changing a lot.

Funk Flex: So mayor, Kool DJ Red Alert and Chuck Chillout gave me my start.

Mayor Adams: Mm, love it.

Funk Flex: So I used to carry Chuck Chillout's records. This was eighties.

Mayor Adams: Love it. Love it.

Funk Flex: Eighties. And then I used to work for WBLS. I've always loved them and they fired me. But I understood it. Kid Capri and Clark Kent and those guys, they were really big at the time, so there was no room for me. And I had to go and make my bones and get better. So after getting fired, my career should have ended there. You know, don't get a second chance to get back to the radio.

Mayor Adams: I love that.

Funk Flex: And Red Alert allowed me to fill in for him when he was out of town, so this was '91, '92. So it gave me a resurgence that I never thought that I would get.

Mayor Adams: Love it.

Funk Flex: And from filling in for Red Alert and Red Alert connected me with a few nightclubs, Hot 97 heard me and gave me a job.

Mayor Adams: Love it. Love it.

Funk Flex: So I always, every chance that I get 30 years later to thank him all the time. And Chillout.

Mayor Adams: Love it. Love it.

Funk Flex: For them giving me a start.

Mayor Adams: And that's what it's about, man, but there's a narrative there that you just shared. I hope people heard it. The bend in the road is not the end of the road. You just got to make the turn. You got to believe in yourself, man. When you think about, and I'm hoping people look at the imperfection of my life, man. You have a person that's the mayor of the most powerful city on the globe. I'm dyslexic, arrested, rejected. Now I'm elected.

Funk Flex: To be clear.

Mayor Adams: You know what I'm saying? And so people need to look at that. If you sitting in Rikers, I've been on Rikers Island more than any man in history of this city talking to inmates and correction officers who are predominantly people of color. So those brothers at Rikers say, "Wait a minute, my mayor was arrested. I got an opportunity."

If you're on the verge of homelessness, if you live in a domestic violence situation, if you have a learning disability, there's an opportunity. People should hear what you just said. They look and see you being prominent now they don't know carrying those damn heavy, heavy-ass crates and records up the stairs.

Funk Flex: I'll do it again.

Mayor Adams: Right. That's real.

Funk Flex: In my high school, I cleaned the toilets, buffed the floors, and painted the gym. And I was inches away from all the star basketball players of my time. And no disrespect, they laughed at me times 10.

Mayor Adams: Think about that.

Funk Flex: I've kept in touch with them and I love them though because we were young, so I get it. It's still the toilet I'm cleaning, I get it.

Mayor Adams: But you did what you had to do to do what you wanted to do.

Funk Flex: I'm Jamaican, and I'm built on 10 jobs at all times, bruh. All times.

Mayor Adams: Love it.

Funk Flex: You know what you said earlier, Rapper's Delight, Sugarhill Gang. Let's play. Listen PO, I know we falling a little bit off format, but these is classics right here that we going to play. Let's get to it.
You know what it is? Funk Flex Hot 97.

BREAK

Funk Flex: You know what it is. Funk Flex. Of course, Mayor Eric Adams is here. I appreciate you stopping by.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Thank you, you know?

Funk Flex: So you, de Blasio, am I saying that right? Do you guys still conversate, interact, bump into each other anywhere?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, and I speak with all of the previous mayors. It gives me an opportunity to hear lessons learned. What do they think about something? I bounce it off of them. Michael Bloomberg has been very helpful in many ways. I speak with Bill also.

Funk Flex: You skipped over with de Blasio, though.

Mayor Adams: I speak to him.

Funk Flex: Oh, you're going to get back to him.

Mayor Adams: Yeah.

Funk Flex: Okay. No, no, no. How does—

Mayor Adams: I speak with them. I don't give him any marriage advice, but I speak with them. So…

Funk Flex: You're giving him a second?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, yeah.

Funk Flex: Yeah. Okay. All right. That was a shot. You healthy?

Mayor Adams: I've never been married, so I can't give any advice.

Funk Flex: Okay, so you're single.

Mayor Adams: Yes. Yes. I'm in a in a—

Funk Flex: Congrats.

Mayor Adams: I'm in a real relationship, you know?

Funk Flex: Oh, you're in a relationship? Okay. All right. All right. So single but in a relationship. No, not married, but in a relationship.

Mayor Adams: That's a new thing according to what I was reading. Living together, divorced, but living together. I think like we're in a whole new way of living now.

Funk Flex: Maria, let me make sure, these are the words of the mayor. We are conversating. Mr. Spazio, love you, Maria. You know what? Yeah, I'm learning. These are the words of the mayor. I'm sorry. I wanted to make sure I was okay tonight.

Mayor Adams: Know what it is? No one is willing to trade off on their happiness.

Funk Flex: Okay. Yes.

Mayor Adams: And if you're not happy, no document can keep you.

Funk Flex: [Inaudible] listen. Those is good words. Let's try that out for a minute. I like that. I like that. Okay, I need your top five.

Mayor Adams: I love music.

Funk Flex: Yeah. I need your top five. I need rappers. It can be classic, it can be ... or, your favorite. Just growing up, right, what was your car of choice when you were growing up? What did you like to drive?

Mayor Adams: White Corvette, man. I love that. I had a white Corvette. Original. Everything is original. Red interior.

Funk Flex: You're out here making a mark.

Mayor Adams: T-roof. That was my car. I switched off to a beamer.

Funk Flex: This guy's not getting married. You're not getting married with white Corvettes and red interior, T-top.

Mayor Adams: I'm going to try to find one and remake it.

Funk Flex: What year? You know I'm into the classics.

Mayor Adams: Yeah. I had the '76.

Funk Flex: Let me tell you something, I got about 30 muscle cars. I never even told this, though. Chevelle's my favorite. I've got a couple of '66s, '67s, '69. I've got two '70s, one convertible. I got a bunch of Mopars. Charger '69, GTX-

Mayor Adams: Now, where do you keep them?

Funk Flex: I've got a little garage up in the Bronx. I've never shared this with people, but I own a couple body shops, so I'm into ... this is the first time I've ever even told somebody. So, I'm into ... I'll find something, I'll keep it for like ... It takes me five years to build a car. I study VINs. So, I know a lot of the older ladies, they'll say, "You know, my son left something. I know you're into cars." And I can have the tow truck ... I got a little tow truck company too—

Mayor Adams: You do a complete renovation? You do a complete?

Funk Flex: A complete renovation. So, here's what I do. Me, I know I keep a car at my house. First off, I'll strip it down, I'll take it apart, then I'll bring it to my house. I don't wrench, but I order all the parts. I know what I want, how I need it to look. I can tell when it comes, if it fits or if it doesn't. I send it back, so by the time I give it to my guys, everything's in the car—

Mayor Adams: Love it. Love it.

Funk Flex: …ready to go, so I know that there's no guesswork. I know that fits. You make it fit.

Mayor Adams: You're talking my talk. You know I was a mechanic?

Funk Flex: Oh, you were?

Mayor Adams: Briston Motors.

Funk Flex: Where was that?

Mayor Adams: In Manhattan. I fixed everything from Porsches to Volkswagens, to Audis. People did realize that was all the same company.

Funk Flex: Back then, of course not.

Mayor Adams: Yeah, and I loved it. I loved it and I always was into cars.

Funk Flex: I love cars. For me, as a kid, it was also freedom. Like a bicycle, in the very beginning. It was like, you get to express yourself and go out, and be places and go and see things. I'm an old-school bike collector too.

Mayor Adams: What kind of bikes?

Funk Flex: Apollo 5-speeds, I've got Schwinns.

Mayor Adams: What you know about 5-speed, man stop.

Funk Flex: I'm nice, bruh. My bike game's nice. Let me tell you something, I've got a few ... what you call those crates? What do they call them? I've got a few Schwinn Choppers. I'm a 5-speed, because you know, that was the bike. If you had the five as a kid, that was the street energy. It was the street energy. So, I got the Apollo, I got a Riley Chopper, 5-Speed.

Mayor Adams: Nice.

Funk Flex: I've got a yellow, I've got an orange. I've got a few Schwinns. I wrench ... I put them together. I mess with the bikes.

Mayor Adams: Yes, yes. Listen, we used to build it from scratch.

Funk Flex: Of course.

Mayor Adams: [Inaudible] pieces for each other.

Funk Flex: We're going to keep it 1000 today. We used to ride through the White neighborhoods, wait until the bikes get thrown out, the expensive bikes, right? Then we take it, we wrench, because them bikes was still new, and then we'd put the double [inaudible], and we'd make it the way, we'd move the handlebars out a little bit, and we'd keep it nice and clean, and do our thing. I am ... Let me tell you something—

Mayor Adams: It was old to others. It was spanking new to us.

Funk Flex: And then, if you knew your [inaudible] game right, they didn't have those in the hood. Those are Schwinn bikes, so people like, "Yo, where you get that Schwinn?" A Schwinn, New York, was like a Bentley in the hood. "You got a Schwinn? Where you get that Schwinn from?" You've got to chain that bitch, everything, because they're trying to steal it. Oh my ... I'm an old-school ... I collect AFX cars. Anything vintage is what I love.

Mayor Adams: And you know, they sell well online now, man.

Funk Flex: Yes.

Mayor Adams: I wish I would've held on to a lot of that stuff back then.

Funk Flex: But you know, too, you can get it cheap online. You know what it is? It's appreciating ... nothing wrong with today's kid.

Mayor Adams: Without a doubt.

Funk Flex: Which I love. You want to be into social and the internet, no problem, but those are the things that entertained us when we were younger.

Mayor Adams: And they're going to have what's going to entertain them.

Funk Flex: Yes.

Mayor Adams: I watch my son and some of the collections that he's doing now—

Funk Flex: How old's your son?

Mayor Adams: 27.

Funk Flex: Oh, he's that age, giving you all the energy.

Mayor Adams: Yeah. Without a doubt. He's doing his music thing.

Funk Flex: Okay. I think I saw him ... I don't know, you referred to him in a press conference when you were talking about Drill.

Mayor Adams: Right. And he's going to join me when I start doing something, podcasts, whatever, because he gives a whole new perspective.

Funk Flex: You're going to do a podcast?

Mayor Adams: Yeah. I do one now, but he gives a whole new perspective, a whole new view. He's had a good education and now he's using it to do documentaries, film, music and he seems to enjoy himself.

Funk Flex: Did your son also grow up in Queens?

Mayor Adams: No, he grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey, with his mom. He would come over to see me, hang out with me. And, we did a 21-day tour overseas, to Sri Lanka, Turkey, China, Myanmar, all these different areas, because I wanted to get that real exposure–

Funk Flex: That's a child's dream.

Mayor Adams: He just came back with a new insight of global ... I don't know if you have children, but—

Funk Flex: Yes. They put a lot of pressure on me, sir. 16.

Mayor Adams: Ooh.

Funk Flex: 21, 22. They beat me up. Absolutely. I'm fighting it all.

Mayor Adams: They reflect later. They reflect late.

Funk Flex: I'm waiting for that, though. It hasn't come.

Mayor Adams: And being mayor, this level of violence ... and sometimes people will see how I'm just so focused on it, because we're losing so many young soldiers to this violence.

Funk Flex: Absolutely.

Mayor Adams: Think about Juneteenth—

Funk Flex: You know what, the violence ... what you want to play? Because, I super want to touch on that with you. What would you like to play? Something classic.

Mayor Adams: What's Going On?

Funk Flex: Let's do that.

Mayor Adams: What's Going On?

Funk Flex: What's Going On?

Mayor Adams: You know. Listen to the lyrics.

Funk Flex: Marvin Gaye?

Mayor Adams: Yes. You listen to the lyrics of What's Going On and tell me it's not the same thing right now.

Funk Flex: Let's play it right now. PO, it's going to be short. We're going to play a little bit. The mayor's here, what do you want me to do. [Inaudible].

BREAK

Funk Flex: Mayor Adams is here, and we talked briefly about it, and I do agree with you, the violence, it's high for the youth at this present moment, and has been for a while. Why do you think that is?

Mayor Adams: I think it's a combination. Red Alert kind of sort of alluded to it when we were off-mic, it's the, any and everything goes. And social media's destroying our children. You look at like, we're using these young people to subway surfing. You go to their phones, they got 30 million views. And Jordan and I were talking about Drill rap. Good music. I listen to it sometimes, when I'm exercising, but you can take something good and destroy it. You can't have music that has millions of views, that talks about retaliatory actions. Urinate on someone's grave, doing these different things, that really causes retaliatory action. So, when we look at what social media has done, it has really distorted the reality of many of our young people. They've got to hijack and regain their lives because they're losing too many ... young people are taking out young people.

Funk Flex: Yes. Before social media, when I was in school in New York City ... I'm old ... you didn't know what your neighbor had in his house, you didn't know what his family had. You didn't know what they were ... All you knew was we'd come to school, we have on the same thing, we're friends. I didn't really know what level or where your family fit in, and you didn't know mine. It seems like I, personally, would not have been able to handle social media when I was young.

Mayor Adams: No, I don't think I would either.

Funk Flex: Because you would feel embarrassment if it was just the two of you, two people in the room. I don't know what it's like if 30,000 on a video sees it. So, I can't imagine.

Mayor Adams: Right. Something goes wrong. Something goes wrong, you're now on Broadway. Man, you have children committing suicide because of something that happens on social media. So, when we did something dumb, it stayed on the block. Now—

Funk Flex: ... call me a goody-good or whatever it is I am. I don't want to say problem, but when it... And I can speak on this, because I feel like it's affected my household. I feel like I had to step in when it came to school and a couple of other things. The Adderall and it's push, or I'm going to say some time with the school, some time with the parents. It's just like a go-to grab. I never knew of such, even medications or things when I was a kid. It was like an aspirin, a ginger ale, brah. And we just wrapped this up, and we figure this out. Now it's—

Mayor Adams: It's all sorts of drugs.

Funk Flex: It's all sorts of drugs. I'm going to tell a real story, and I'm going to say the town I live in and I'm going to keep it a buck today, because I'm here with the man. I'm really worried if I'm going to get any retaliation. I live in [inaudible], New York. I sat in a meeting with my son and to listen to a teacher keep telling me how active and energetic he is. And I'm listening, and I was with it for a second. And then I said, "Oh."

Mayor Adams: Yeah, that's a code.

Funk Flex: You're trying to convince me that my son needs... I said, "Guess what, guys? You guys are going to work harder. I don't care how much he disrupts the class."

Mayor Adams: That's right.

Funk Flex: Two years later he was onto the next. Smooth. And I hate to harp, but I'll tell you why it bothers me. Because there's something that our children can go into a doctor. You put on a little, I can't remember. I don't know, I'm a little confused. You get a prescription, and then you need our children to then decide at the end of testing time. You take it away And I'm like, well who does that? What do you? What's happening out here? And if it's not that, it is like the aspiring to be in a gang or in or... I hope I'm not going to overstep talking to the kids, man. Being an individual, ain't nothing wrong with that man. That's still cool.

Mayor Adams: That's right brother. That's right.

Funk Flex: That's still cool. It's still cool to be an individual, man. It's still cool to not be what you call it—

Mayor Adams: To be yourself. To be unique.

Funk Flex: Yeah. It's so cool.

Mayor Adams: And that's what we are leaning into, man. That's why for years people were trying to get Summer Youth Employment. We have 100,000. No one has ever done that before. We have our Summer Rising Program, over 100,000 young people are in our schools every day. And this city is recovering, man. No one wants to acknowledge the fact we got 99 percent of the jobs we lost in pre-pandemic. Crime is going down. The background service system, 56 million tourists are here. And then we put money in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers. We sign our contracts with our teachers. We sign our contracts with our DC 37. Our police officers, our unions are getting real good salaries now, so they can afford to live in this city. And then we want to be there for folks. I know you doing your... You're going to be at the concert, the Rise Up concert.

Funk Flex: Yes.

Mayor Adams: Hip Hop is 50, September 15th.

Funk Flex: Yeah. [inaudible]

Mayor Adams: Right. And we also doing a great concert on July 19th. I believe that's at Wingate.

Funk Flex: I'm there as well.

Mayor Adams: Okay. So we are excited about that.

Funk Flex: Shout out to Dan.

Mayor Adams: So it's a real coordination effort. But this is... You are hitting it out the park. You can be yourself and be a part of something.

Funk Flex: Correct.

Mayor Adams: And this is a real way that I think we need to start allowing that empowerment while young people can find their individuality but also create these groups to respond to what they want this globe to look like.

Funk Flex: Correct. You know what, we're going to play something else that the mayor would like to hear. Or can I... Maybe we do a little [inaudible] for president. Because I know you're a big fan. I'm going to take this time since you're here, and I know my boss won't yell at me to throw on something classic. Time 97. I just need the whole show. I appreciate you.

Mayor Adams: Thank you, brother.

Funk Flex: Very much so. Shout out to Kool DJ Red Alert. Shout out to Dan. Shout out to Joe Jackson. So I know you're going to have something happening here. Is it once a month you're going to be doing a show, correct?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, it's going to be after Reverend Sharpton's show.

Funk Flex: Okay.

Mayor Adams: Once a week actually.

Funk Flex: Oh. Once a week?

Mayor Adams: Yes. And we are looking forward to it, so we can communicate directly.

Funk Flex: This is on now is going to be WBLS, Hot 97 or...

Mayor Adams: WBLS.

Funk Flex: WBLS. You're more than welcome to shoot over here too.

Mayor Adams: I'm going to pop in all the time.

Funk Flex: Yeah, yeah. And since you just mentioned that, mayor, I'm going to put you on the spot.

Mayor Adams: I love being on the spot.

Funk Flex: So your show's going to be on WBLS and Hot 97. So I guess there's no question of what your stations are when you ride around in that car.

Mayor Adams: WBLS, Hot 97.

Funk Flex: Oh. Listen, wait, wait. I'm going to get, because I'm going to make something out of this. So we're going to edit that part. So there's no question in me saying what are your two stations that you love.

Mayor Adams: I love WBLS and Hot 97.

Funk Flex: You know how long I've been waiting for this? Because I listen to all the radio stations. I'm a radio junkie, so I always listen to you when you touch down in other places. And I'm like, man, look at him bobbing and weaving. He's bobbing and weaving. He ain't committing. I'm like, when I get him, he going to commit. Nah, I'm going to put him on the spot. Well, congratulations for the show.

Mayor Adams: Thank you, brother. Thank you.

Funk Flex: I used to come to your events and play at your events. Was it Wingate Park?

Mayor Adams: Yes, yes, yes. Wingate is back.

Funk Flex: And at that time you were, was it borough president?

Mayor Adams: Brooklyn Borough president.

Funk Flex: I didn't understand how a Brooklyn Borough president got so many people out to a space. I remember Joe [inaudible] saying, "You're not playing this event." So I was like... He said, "No, that's the Brooklyn Borough President." And I didn't know you at the time.

Mayor Adams: Right, right.

Funk Flex: So I get to the event. I'm looking around like, well, who is this? Who is this guy? Like what's happening? It was a zoo, and I had such a good time playing.

Mayor Adams: They loved you, man.

Funk Flex: I had a good time. And congratulations on your success.

Mayor Adams: Thank you, brother. Thank you.

Funk Flex: I watched when you... And I am not, mayor... Because I know there's going to be people saying, "Why didn't you ask this, and why didn't you ask that?" I'm not overly political, mayor.

Mayor Adams: Right. It's all right.

Funk Flex: I just go to things that maybe I see. And I don't know if you were at a courthouse or something, but I know it was right after Covid. You had just gotten the position, and they had you backed up against this wall or something. I'm watching you speak. How hard was it to take over after Covid? That has to be difficult.

Mayor Adams: Remember what it was like January 1st, 2022? We were unsure if we were going to open, close. Our economy was in free fall. People thought we were going to fall on our face. And now look at us now. We navigated through Covid. We navigated through 81,000 asylum seekers. Where people are back on our subway system. Those who stated we should invest in cities, the bond raters, they raised our bond rated. Here we are managing this city, not to just survive but to thrive. And folks should be really looking. Here you have this man of color that's the mayor of the largest city in America. The most important city. People argue about number two and number three. No one argues about number one.

Funk Flex: And I'm glad the subway systems are getting a little more crowded, because we need to get some of these bad drivers off the road that came out after Covid. Now Tat Wza brought to my attention... Listen, I mean we're drivers.

Mayor Adams: Yes.

Funk Flex: You're my answer. We're hearing there's a lot of hidden cameras out there giving out the tickets. You ain't got answer. The first I told Tat is the mayor's coming. [Inaudible] I'm a driver, and I have a Challenger like the Red Eye, the fast one. I'm getting a lot of those things in the mail.

Mayor Adams: I love that.

Funk Flex: You know, the 25 speed limit... No one's doing that. I'm 35 and above. I'm taking it on the chin. I understand we have to take care of the city. So I'm paying my dues in.

Mayor Adams: We get a lot of traffic fatalities, man. We are losing a lot of people.

Funk Flex: You're right. We're slowing it down.

Mayor Adams: We're going to slow it down a bit. You can enjoy the luxury of that beautiful car. You got to let me ride with you. I love [inaudible] That's my favorite car.

Funk Flex: Man, we're going to get a ticket. I don't want to get pulled over with the mayor. I don't want to get pulled over. You talk to him. Matter of fact, it's his car. Now listen, I mean, I hate this. Listen fellas, I'm going to share a couple things with the mayor. We go by the Hutchinson Expressway now and then. And what's the other one? The Jackie Robinson. We wiggle it out.

Mayor Adams: You like the curve.

Funk Flex: You're not supposed to know about that.

Mayor Adams: You like the curves, don't you?

Funk Flex: Yeah, we like the curves. We do the West Side Highways One of the places of choice for some faster driving.

Mayor Adams: We got to find a place like—

Funk Flex: The mayor's not smiling by the way. This is a serious subject.

Mayor Adams: We got to find a place like Floyd Bennett Field, you know where we can have the track where people can go and just... You want to drive fast, there's an organized place.

Funk Flex: I heard the one in Jersey's up for sale. What was that? Raceway Park? I heard that. We get some action. And I'm going to look for you for that corvette. Is it '63 split window? Which one you like?

Mayor Adams: 1976.

Funk Flex: The '76? Short nose.

Mayor Adams: Yes. One hell of a car, man.

Funk Flex: Expensive. I got to find... I appreciate you coming by.

Mayor Adams: Thank you brother. Thank you so much.

Funk Flex: Thank you man for your time. I'm here for you. You coming back to the WBLS?

Mayor Adams: Yes.

Funk Flex: Once a week, after Al Sharpton, the mayor has a show that's going to be great. So this is officially his station. Hot 97 and WBLS. I don't mind saying it. iHeart and CBS, y'all can't do that. Because y'all ain't giving my man shows and letting them speak. Y'all just taking a lot of pictures and autographs. Now we giving him shows over here, brah. All right. You know my tickets. 

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