Transcript of From Federal Prison to Celebrity Jeweler | Jimmy Phan

I'm on my way to the airport. I get a call from the electrician. Yo, I need to meet you. I need to meet you. I'm like, bro, I'm about to miss my flight. No, no, I gotta see you. Meet me at the house. So I go back. Next thing you know, it was the big SWAT truck. 30 of them come out. They surround me. Put your hands up. Unlock the door. I'm like, what the fuck y'all want me to do? Motherfucker looked like Sergeant Slaughter. I'll never forget it. Fucking glasses, the fucking beard, and the cigar. I think his goal was to look like him. He walks up and he looks in the window and he's just like, oh, there's that motherfucker. Get him out. And so they threw me out. My daughter's in the backseat. I was like, don't fucking touch my daughter. They grabbed my daughter, bro, and I, I, I just, I snapped.

All right, guys. Welcome back to LeVault Podcast. This is Paul Alex. Right now we are top 25 in business entrepreneurship. Thanks to you guys. Make sure to check us out on Spotify and YouTube right now. I'm here with a special guest. His name is Jimmy Fan. He is a celebrity jeweler. leader, father. I mean, just overall good dude. Jimmy, welcome to the show, brother.

Thank you for having me, Paul.

So Jimmy, this is all about the Level Up, man. It's about inspiring others to go ahead and go out there and, you know, live a life by design, brother. So let's start off with your background, man. Tell us a little bit about yourself for the people that don't know you.

Oh man, born and raised in Houston, Texas. You know, I guess like just every other kid, man, waking up with a dream of just, uh, trying to be the best we could be. And, uh, I just chose a different route that, you know, unlike any other route I guess my family wanted me to join. And, uh, I just, uh, I don't want to call it bad choices, but, you know, I chose what I chose and, um, you know, had to deal with the consequences of it, but it made me who I am and I guess in detail, I chose a life of crime. Totally opposite from what you did. You know what I mean?

Yeah.

Yeah. But you know, yeah. Best way to put it, man, I just had another chance at life and was able to really use what I learned in the streets and turn it into a multimillion-dollar business legitimately.

I love that, brother. Let me ask you, so life of crime, Do you think it was just based on your environment, the people that you were hanging around with? Like, what was it that caused you to live that type of life before the success?

And so like, you know, the crazy thing is I think about that a lot, you know, and I always tell this to my kids and to younger people nowadays is that if I knew what I knew now, I would have never chose a life of crime. I think based on my environment and based off the people I was surrounded, it was just the quickest way to get what I wanted, whether it be money or whatever. And it wasn't— not even the quickest, but it was just what was relatable or more understanding. You know, we didn't have nobody that was telling us like, hey, you know, do this, like, don't get the tattoos. You know, all we would hear is like, oh, tattoos is another form of ID. But you don't explain to me what that is, you know. So I definitely feel it had a lot to do with environment. The people we're around, whether it be our peers that we saw maybe doing their thing, or maybe they were just taking advantage of us as youngsters to, you know, make themselves profitable. And we saw it for what it is too. But, you know, it was just really trying to make a way to get what we wanted, or what we felt that we wanted at the time.

Now, you being a successful entrepreneur, and how old are you right now, Jimmy?

I'm 44.

So 44, at the age of 44, you have decades of life experience now.

Definitely.

Would you say you had a mentor back when you were a kid?

No. I think the best way to put it is that I had a lot of people that I looked up to at the time that I thought were— I idolized. I really did, you know. I always said that I call it the 3 Amigos. In my book, I did a biography. I wrote a biography that I never released yet. But a chapter is called the Three Amigos. And there were 3 people that I looked up to that I idolized, like I would have died for and killed for. But if you look back at it now, those same 3 people, like one screwed me over. The other 2 people owed me lots of money. Actually, one of those 2 people actually snitched on me and set me up, you know, and to try to do less time for himself.

Wow.

So yeah, I think the best way was that I was surrounded by people as I got older, I realized I was surrounded by people I didn't want to become.

And

that's what made me turn and change my life around to where it is today.

Do you think that people have to go through certain seasons in their life in order to learn those types of situations, man?

I feel like life is definitely based on experience. You know, like we meet a lot of people now that are a lot younger making lots of money. And even me at a young age, I made a lot of money. But I realized that the experience is what's going to make you outlast or make you understand what to do with the money to make it last.

Yeah.

So, you know, with your question, it's just like, what was the question again? My mind just went blank.

Yeah, no, no, you're all good, bro. This is good stuff. But, um, my question was, do you believe that you have to go through these seasons in life, whether they're good or bad, in order to have that level of experience?

I truly believe that life has its chapters and seasons, and you have to go through it when you're supposed to go through it. We see a lot of people that don't go through certain things when they're supposed to. And they end up having to go through later. Like even when I say like during my like juvenile times, like all that time I did, it was like, I feel like it helped me avoid doing time now. I see a lot of guys my age that I grew up with, and they're in and out of jail. And they're constantly— I'm just like, yo, I'm glad I got it out of my system, I guess you can call it.

Yeah.

But, um, Yeah, you definitely have to. But I— there's some people that are like, oh, well, you have to go to jail to— no, I don't, I don't believe that though. There's a saying that I learned from 50 Cent, right? And it's 2 things I learned being around him. And the first thing he taught me was, when you give something, give it from your heart. Because if you don't, that means they took it from you.

Hmm.

And the second thing that stuck to me was that a person that learns from their mistakes is considered a smart man. But a person that learns from other people's mistakes is a genius.

Hmm.

And that made me realize because a lot of my knowledge and my wisdom didn't just come from me single-handedly experiencing it. But my surroundings and my people that I was around, you know, I had friends that were doing a lot more crazy things that I wasn't, but I saw where that was doing and I saw what they They might have not even learned from that. But I saw what happened and I learned from it. And I made sure I avoided it. Yeah, I mean, so I definitely feel that life is in seasons. And you have to allow it. Prime example, like even like child actors like Disney and Hollywood.

Facts.

At a young age, they don't get to be the kid that they're supposed to be.

Yeah.

So when they get older, they try to make up for that.

You

know, so I definitely truly believe when you, when you, when you say that.

I mean, it's, it's, uh, it's a good thing you brought that up, man, because you see it time and time after that with, uh, childhood actors, singers. I mean, you see with Justin Bieber, like, he going through all this trauma and, and drama and all these rumors and all this stuff, right? And then you see him going through the ups and downs. But

yeah,

man, it's so true. So let me ask you this, man. At what point in your life, as you're growing up, you had to go through the juvenile system and all that jazz. Did you finally hit like a pinnacle where you were just like, dude, enough is enough? Like, I got to change my life around. How did you get into start building yourself up to be the greater version of who you are right now?

And so when I tell you earlier, right, about, you know, when people say you got to go through, you know, you got to go through like prison, or you got to go to jail to really understand, or go through— like, I'm not gonna lie to you. Me personally, though, for my situation, I truly believe that I became a man when I went to prison. Like, prison made me the man or shaped me into the man I was today. And I say that because before then, especially during my juvenile, I was like in and out, you know what I mean? Like, I was making money, you know, I was able to get in and out. So I kind of like had this— I wouldn't say like bulletproof mentality, but I was just like, it ain't nothing, I'm in and out, in and out.

Because you were used to it.

But when I actually— so I caught a federal case. When I was— this is 1999, right? Was it '99? No, no, it was a week after 9/11. Uh, I caught a fed case, and when they sat me down and I was just like, you know, I'll get a bond, I'll get out, and they're like, no, you ain't got no bond, you got a fed hold. That was kind of like a reminder, like, hold on, what do you mean I can't get out? You know what I'm saying? And then, you know, getting out, fighting the case, and then having to do my time At that moment, it was just like, yo, like, money can't even get me out right now. You know, I'm actually here. And at that time, I was 19 years old, I remember. And at the time, 19-year-olds, they're either rocking and rolling, which is, you know, they, they full blast hardheads in there, you know, bucking the system. Or you see all the old schools, we call, you know, old school dudes, and they in there, you know, playing chess, just doing their time. Inmates are convicts, you know what I mean?

And I think at that time, it was just like, what you gonna do? You're gonna just be rocking and rolling? Are you just gonna make the best of this time that you got and learn what you can? And I truly believe for me, going in there, you're surrounded by people you would never surround yourself with in the real world, you know what I mean? Because you stick to your own little circle, whatever. And so I chose to hang around with the older people, the OGs, the old schools, Just picking up game from them, just the way they talk, learn how to play chess in there. Just really did a lot of time, I guess, reflecting, but even trying to help myself. And like I said, becoming the man. Because before, I always tell people, like, before I went to prison, prison, like, I was living the devil's— like, I was living the devil's deeds. I was doing the devil's deeds, bro. Like, everything I did, I just— I was out trying to find a reason to do wrong, you know? And going in there,

it

was time to sit down.

You were playing the game.

Yeah. And how God worked. You know, I grew, I grew up in a Buddhist family, you know, and I went to temple and everything, but no one ever taught me really the history. So I never understood my religion. And, you know, a lot of people, they go to jail, they become jailhouse Christians, stuff like that. Because there's so much time I was doing as a juvenile, I told myself, I don't want to be one of those jailhouse Christians, you know. where, you know, you just go inside and all of a sudden you're spiritual, you know?

Right.

And it's crazy because I started working out a lot and I had a workout partner and he was like a jailhouse Christian hardcore dude. And he would always try to push the word on me, push the word on me. And I would always tell him, I'm like, I don't want to be one of those. Like, you know, we work out together, we cool, but I respect your religion, just respect mine because that's how I grew up knowing. But, you know, one day it was just He pulled out a chapter, bro, in Ecclesiastes. And I don't know if I pronounced it right or not, but that hooked me. And I started reading more and I just started reading it. Next thing you know, I read the whole Bible front to back. Next thing you know, I read it again front and back. And I can honestly tell you that I felt like there was so much game in there as far as like just self-reflection. ways to just look at things that I never saw how it would look. And it made me really, I guess, become more accountable, you know, when I was reading those things, because I guess I felt relatable, you know, like, like a certain, like, verse, like, as far as, like, you know, stop worrying about tomorrow, because today has enough worries itself.

And it was like, wow, like, I need to practice that. And I started doing that and just picking up the knowledge from the people I was around, the old school people, and it made me just look at life better. It made me just see things at a different angle. I guess instead of looking inside out, I went from the outside looking in. And I feel like that even helped me as far as how I got into business more because before prison, it was just selling drugs. But I had a niche for marketing. Like it was just, I knew how to attract people to whatever product I was trying to sell.

Yeah.

I always try to find the demand. And I would try to supply it. And coming out of prison, I didn't just come out of prison and was like, hey, I'm gonna be a hustler. I'm gonna be a businessman. Never that. Like, I remember before, it's crazy because before prison, I used to play around and rap with my friends on the block. We'd be just joking around. And so when I went to prison, I was like, I'm gonna come out, try to be a rapper, you know?

Yeah.

And it was funny because when I went out and I said it, but I didn't do it, you know what I mean? And, but how God worked. We happened to be at a restaurant one day with this dude that was a really famous local rapper at the time and started playing around. And that kind of like gave me my first kick into legitimate business that went good for me. You know, I started doing music and it did pretty well for me at first, you know. And once again, I use what I learned as far as my marketing, and I call it guerrilla marketing.

Yep.

You know, and I just made it work, bro. And it's crazy, you know, like, even to this day, it's like talking about it and being in the music business at the time. It was, it was crazy because I was just another kid from Houston, you know, growing up with just trying to make it by to next, you know, we on MTV, you know, they fly me places, going on tour, you know, doing things. It was, it was crazy.

I mean, get into a little bit of specifics, man, because we're gonna have people listening to this, they're gonna be like, Okay, wait a minute. So you were able to go through all of this hardship, brother.

Uh-huh.

And then get outta prison and, and, and, and beat a federal case and all that jazz. And then slowly but surely start winning in life.

Literally.

And there's a lot of people right now that listen to this podcast and they're looking for that specific type of game.

Mm-hmm.

So specifically when you say guerrilla marketing, I know what guerrilla marketing is, man. You're, you're actively going into your network and you're going ahead and, you know, you're putting your product or your service out there. But what was the actual service? What, what was the, what was the product that you were doing in the music business that was getting you momentum?

I think one of the craziest things I would say, a part of the guerrilla marketing that I did was, so this is when MySpace had first came out, right?

Yep.

And so, you know, here I am not computer savvy at all. Um, I bought a computer and which is kind of like spending time. The first time I really got active on a computer was when I caught my fed case. And when they let me out, they put me on house arrest.

Okay.

And I bought a computer, I remember, at Circuit City. HP computers, like $4,000, bro, desktop, right?

I remember, yep.

And at the time, like, I knew a lot of friends that were like stealing cars, selling car parts, stuff like that. And so on the streets, like, you can buy a pair of Acura wheels for like $250, $300 for a whole set. And I remember I'm going online and there was a website called partstrader.com. And I'm going through there, I come across it and I'm watching, they're selling the same Acura wheels for like $650, $700.

Okay.

So I'm like, bro, this is a market for me, right? So I'm going to my friends now and I'm buying it for what they want, $250, $300. And they're just like, wait, I'm buying it and I'm selling right back. I'm making a $400 profit. You know, this is, you know, in 2001, 2002. Um, and, you know, so I kind of started understanding how to do the computer stuff. And so when I get out of prison, and when I started getting into MySpace, I'm looking at it, and I'm watching, now they have MySpace Music. So I'm thinking like, how can I get the attention of people? And so like, you know, at the time, you know, I'm a flashy dude, you know, I wore a lot of jewelry. I know what I can attract. And so what I did was, I made a— and this is before there was mass texting or group emails or nothing. But I made like this, like this, this, this message. And it's just like, hey, I'm an upcoming artist named Jimmy Boy. If you do me a favor, check out my music, let me know what you think. And what I would do is I would go find all the bad bitches on MySpace.

Yep.

And I would copy and paste to all them. Because my way at the time was either she gonna like me and not even care about the music, but she gonna see the jewelry. So she gonna get the attention she want. Or if she got a man, she gonna listen and like it, and she gonna tell her man.

Smart.

And so I literally— and at the time I was, I was, I was with my daughter's mom at the time. I remember I'm, I'm doing it all day, copy and paste, copy and paste. And she's just like, you just trying to holla at these bitches. And I'm like, nah, like, this is bigger. But you know how they think, women. It's just like, yo. And it's funny because I remember I made a goal, I think it was March, and I said by June I wanted to get my music thing to 100,000 plays a day. And so I kept doing that. And of course, some of the girls reached back and, oh, I like your music. And I'll be appreciating, you know, do small talk with them. And you kind of build a relationship. And I just started realizing, it was like, instead of me trying to sleep with these girls, if I just become cool with them like that and build that relationship, I feel like for a woman being so used to men always trying to sleep with them, it's different. When, when you don't, it fucks with them. It really do. It throws them off to where it's like, now it's like, like I said, she was like, this dude don't even like me.

Hey babe, check out this dude. He pretty cool. And he like his music. And the crazy thing was by June, I didn't hit 100,000. I was doing 250,000 plays a day to where I became the second largest artist under Paul Wall in Texas, MySpace music, you know what I mean? It was crazy. And it was just like, not even knowing, you know, and I think that's one thing that anybody that's listening to understand is that you're never going to know what it is that's going to make it pop. And you never know. But the consistency is always going to, like, like, make it work. Like, you just got to keep at it. Like, you're never going to know. Like, I had no idea that shit was gonna do what it did. You know, because that turned me from just a dude selling dope. Because I was still selling dope at the time. Like, I got out of prison, and I tried to, I tried to go straight. I tried really hard, bro, like the first year. And it was like, like I said, right? I said I was gonna do music. But when I got out, I didn't do it.

You know, like we, we say things we want to do. And, you know, my best way to put this, if you ask 10 people right now, What do you want in life? I bet 10 people would be like, I want to be rich or happy, successful, right? Yeah, I want to be a millionaire. And so everybody says that, but then that's when you have to step in and ask yourself, how are you prioritizing that goal or whatever it is you want to reach? And so when I came out, it was like, yeah, I want to be a rapper, I want to be a rapper. But you're facing real day, everyday stuff, and you get pulled different directions. So I remember like, I was just— I was not doing that. And so when it happened the way it happened, and it worked, I just was like, let me just go into it. It wasn't even like, oh, I'm gonna dive into this, and this is going to work and how it is. No one's plan is going to work the way it wants to work. It's just, you just got to be consistent and repetitive, and just keep going at it.

And it might not even work, but it will guide you to a certain thing that's going to work for you.

So Jimmy, real quick, I'm interested to learn more on the timeframe. So the timeframe from like you, you started doing the first post,

Uh-huh.

Uh, to the time that you got the 250,000, uh, listens per month, what was the time frame?

That was like in like, I think, 4 months, 3 to 4 months.

That's remarkable, bro.

It's crazy. Yeah, it was, it was crazy because it was just like I was literally sitting like— I remember like at the time they had like codes so you could try to like design your page,

the HTML codes.

Yeah. And I'm like trying to figure all that out and we're sitting there and I'm talking about He was living with me at the time, and we in a trap house, you know what I mean? And, and literally we selling dope out the house. We got a studio in the front room. We do it. We used to call that house 25 to Life because at any time we got so much stuff going on in there, it's 25 to Life. And a cop lived in front of us too.

That's crazy.

And I'm upstairs in the computer. I'm upstairs, bro. And this is about this little L-shaped computer desk, and I'm sitting just going at it during the day just Copy paste, copy paste. Oh, we'll post this, copy paste. But once again, it was just like the distraction, you know what I mean?

Yeah.

Because the career took off. It blew up, bro. But the mentality, I would always say it wasn't there. I didn't have the right people around me.

Yeah.

And I'm not saying that the people were wrong. They were my brothers. To this day, I love them. But we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. Like, I didn't even know, like, and so when the shit took off, We just knew how to ride the wave. We didn't know, like, how to keep the wave going.

Sustain it.

Yeah, because it was just like, we were young. Like I said, it was the first legitimate thing. So I got out of prison in 2003. This thing started popping off 2005, you know, and so it was just like, honestly, it was overnight, really, you know, because we weren't trying so hard. And so once again, like I said, it was just And I, for some reason, I feel emotional just talking about it. But it was just like, yeah, like, we were just a bunch of young dudes, bro. And like, we're like, yo, our life is changing. Like, you know, for so long my life, I thought I was gonna be a drug dealer for all my life. I'm not gonna lie to you. Yeah. Like, if I would have met you 12 years ago, I used to always say like, I would always be involved in this because I've been so deep into it that I don't even have to be around it, or I don't got to do nothing. And I'll still get paid from it.

Right.

And it's crazy, because now I can look you in your eye and tell you, I would never even think about that. Like, and that's why I always say, like, if I knew what I know now, I would have never even chose that life. Because I feel like you can make so much more money legally by just really finding, you know, your niche, or just really, there's, there's always a way, you I mean, there's a will, there's a way. And, um, as long as people are wanting and as long as people are needing, you can provide that, you know what I mean? And make it in a way to where you can be very lucrative the right way.

Yeah. I mean, I'll be very honest with you, man. You, like you said in the very beginning, I come from a law enforcement background. Never thought I was going to be a cop myself, but when I did it, you know, I'll be honest. I even, I even give some of the people that I used to do business with back in law enforcement and tell them like, hey man, the drug dealers, they're the best businessmen I've ever met, men and women. I mean, that's just what it is. They— you have that very business-minded mentality for sure, right? And to me, it was never about, hey man, you're, you're a bad dude, or you're a bad woman, or whatever, right? It was more like, hey man, you're providing for your family. So to me, it was all business, and that's all it was. And I respected them, they respected me, and that's just the way it is.

So

a lot of the things that you're saying, I respect it, bro. Because you were trying to figure yourself out. And for a lot of people, you started figuring out your truth and you started saying, hey, you know what? This is legit. This is awesome. Let me go ahead and use the skills that I have. Because you had skills. Not everybody thinks outside the box, right? To go ahead and say, hey, I'm going to leverage the posting on a beautiful woman's profile and then one or two things is going to happen. Brother, as common as that might seem to you and me, it's not common to a lot of people.

For sure.

They're probably like, oh, that's not going to work.

Oh, definitely.

That's why it worked.

I got friends that I've grown up with that are still in that, in the streets, you know, and it's like they've, they don't want to, they don't see nothing else, you know what I mean? And it's like, I pray for them. And you know, I get it. You know, it's not easy to think that. I've lost relationships with some of my friends I grew up with.

Yeah,

because I've actually gone legitimate. And I won't, like I say, I won't see myself ever being, you know, doing anything illegal again. I've literally lost relationships where it's like, oh, so you think you're better than me? And I'm like, I've never even said anything or ever made nobody feel that way, you know. So it's hard. It sucks. You know what I mean? But it's reality.

Yeah.

And, you know, it's reality that we have to realize that there's that saying like, not everybody is going to come, you know, and everybody's not gonna meet you at top. And that's why the top is so lonely.

You know, I, I feel that, man, because this is what I tell everybody I do business with. I can always relate to people when they go ahead and they say, dude, I've had to separate myself from family. I have had to separate myself from some certain exes. I had to separate myself from, uh, childhood friends. Because eventually you're gonna start outgrowing people, man.

Yep.

And not everybody's gonna want to see you actually grow and be better than them.

Yeah.

And that's the messed up part about this. Some of the people closest to you might be your worst haters.

Right? It is, you know, like, it's, it's harder for them to reflect on their, like, flaws and their issues, their insecurities. So when they're seeing that you're growing, they're refusing to grow just because of whether it be fear for them of not making that happen. And it gets to the point where your growth becomes them thinking you're rubbing it in their face.

Yeah.

You know, and that's why I had the situation I told you that happened to me. Like, like 2 and a half years ago, you know, where the dude that I was literally took him out of bad situations, helped him change his life. He lived with me for 4 years straight, bro. Like, I'm talking about lived in the room in my house, bro.

Yeah.

And, you know, to wake up and see him, you know, rob my store, you know what I mean, like that, and do that, it's like, it's the ones closest to you. It was so hard for him to just want to do better. with all the help and all the vision I saw in him and, and trying to, you know, help him. But that's not what they wanted, you know. They wanted— they wanted you instead of you making them better. I was trying to help these people be better than me, but instead they just wanted to take me out.

And Jimmy, before we get into that story, brother, let's continue on the path where we're at right now. So you're under Paul Wall's camp, uh, you, you, you got the amount of reach that you got right now. Now, are you going on tour with him? What happens next?

So we're going on tour, definitely. It was crazy, you know, and mainstream music definitely was— I was supposed to be the next thing. But I think, you know, there's— I don't want to say it was like where I messed up. But at the time, you know, we were making good money. But, you know, there's an Asian market. And it's crazy because there was a website called asianraps.com. And it was like a website where they talk about hip-hop, they talk about Asian artists on the up and coming. And I'll never forget, they messaged me on MySpace. And at this time, I was growing a buzz already. I was getting my name out there. And so they go, who the fuck are you? So I'm just like, what? Like, what you mean? You know, that's their first message. And I'm like, what do you mean? They're like, you came out of nowhere. Like, you didn't use Asian people to build your fan base or anything. Like, you just popped out of nowhere. We never heard of you. And now you're just everywhere. And my reply to them was, well, my music doesn't just pertain to Asian people.

Like, I've always, you know, looked at my music as— I call it hustle music.

Mm-hmm.

You know, we created a label at the time. It was called Live 2 Hustle Records. And, um, Lived Hustle Entertainment. And it was just basically a bunch of hustlers that made music to motivate, inspire other hustlers to keep pushing. Um, now it's more like a lifestyle brand and everything else. But, um, yeah, you know, and, and so when that happened, when I came into the Asian market, they were paying me a lot, bro. Like, I started getting bookings all over the US and You know, I was, I was at the time making $3,000 to $5,000 a show mainstream. But with them—

This is what year, bro?

2005, 2006.

So 2005, you're getting booked for multiple shows, $3,000 to $5,000 a show. I mean, it's gonna add up, man.

Yeah. And all of a sudden they're like, yo, we'll pay you $10,000 a show.

Wow.

You know? And so it's like, they were like, for example, like MTV had me, they were filming a reality show that they wanted me to be a part of. And I never forget, we, you know, we drove to St. Louis to film it. They flew me to New York for the MTV Video Awards. And like, we're doing promo runs. And I'll never forget, like, I'm sitting in the hotel, and I'm just like, damn, like, I'm out here for like 2 weeks doing promo. But I'm not getting paid during this time. I got like 3 shows lined up. I make $30,000 right now. And so I'm just like, what you gonna do? And I feel like, you know, you know, the greed, you know, and At the time, I don't think it was greed. To me, it was just like, yo, I'm just trying to— I'm trying to get it, you know. I just had my daughter. I'm just trying to figure out to where I don't got to go back to doing what I did. At the time, I was still kind of one foot in, one foot out, but it wasn't as serious no more.

So in my mind, I'm like, you know, this can be a way out. So I go heavy into the Asian market, like doing the shows, doing the tours. But once again, like I said, we riding the wave. You know, thinking of it now, it's like, I wish somebody was there to be like, hey, we still got to focus on the mainstream. Like, we're taking this money, we're doing these shows, but we still got to focus on that. We got to go back in the studio, make more music. We got to be consistent, you know, like the delivery, you know, making sure we deliver when we supposed to, you know, I wasn't doing that. And so

fulfillment,

like, as in, like, dropping the mixtape once a month or once every 3 months becomes, oh, we got to push the date back. There's an issue. And once I realized, especially with social media at the time, and even now, your followers follow you because they want to feel engaged. They want to feel a part of you.

Facts.

You know what I mean? I might have never met Paul, but I want to feel that I know Paul's life through what he posts, what he gives me access to.

Yep.

more access Paul gives me online, whether I know there's a million other people having the same access, I'm not thinking about them people. I'm thinking about me. Wow, Paul made this post for me.

Yep.

And so at the time, I didn't know that. I didn't realize that. So the following is so big, but we kept delaying drops. We kept, you know, doing things like that to where they make it— it disappoints them. It makes them feel that you're not in tune with them. And so they'll go somewhere else, you know, and that's what really happened.

Hmm.

To where next thing you know, the show started dying out. Now I'm heavier back in the streets because I got to make things work because, oh, I'm gonna drop a mixtape now. But once again, with social media or entertainment, if you're not consistent, and you start dying out, you can't just pop out and they're gonna come right back. No, you gotta— that's why there's marketing campaigns. That's why there's so much they got to put behind budgets as far as marketing, because they got to get you right back to where you were.

Yep.

Because there's so many other people trying to get to that spot too. You

know what I mean?

So yeah.

And you started at a good time, man. I mean, around MySpace, there wasn't such thing as people calling themselves influencers, or content creators or nothing like that. So, you know, at that time, that was gold. That's like the gold rush right there. Right? That's what actually when I left social media, man, when I actually like 2014, I want to go be a cop. And I was just like, man, social media is just— it's all bad for what I'm trying to do. So I didn't jump back until 2020.

See, so for me, it was crazy because so me not knowing what I know, right, and understanding social media or even the internet. So you remember MySpace started dying out?

Yep.

And so this is probably like 2009, 2008, 2009. This is when Facebook starts popping. YouTube starts coming in.

Yep.

And I'm watching other artists like releasing things on YouTube, doing things on Facebook. But because of my street mentality, I'm thinking like, I'm gonna stick with MySpace, I'm gonna ride it out with them. You know what I mean? Like, I didn't— I didn't blow up with them. Like, but that's not how the internet works.

Yeah.

So I got— I missed that wave of YouTube. I missed the Facebook wave. So literally, I, like I told you, I started getting deeper in the streets. And so I'll never forget 2009, 2010. I ended up moving to LA because I had a friend of mine that was like, I'm going to help you with the music stuff, get things popping. And actually, you know, I moved out there and was getting things buzzing again. You know, shout out to Ben Baller. And I had some things going on in Houston. I flew back with my daughter and caught a case.

Wow.

You know what I mean? Yeah. And this is the crazy part was that throughout my whole, you know, I got out of prison in 2003. The week after I got out of prison, I'm walking outside the townhouse I was living at, and they had an unmarked car outside.

Wow.

And so I'm looking, and I realized it was the dudes that caught me in my fed case. And, uh, you know, I come up to them like, yo, what's up? And they're just like, you know, oh, we're just seeing how you doing. We just want you to know, like, the offer still stands. Like, if you want to work for us,

we can

pay you good money, you know, and things like that. And I told him, I said, look, I'm— I've been gone almost 2 years now. Ain't nobody messing with me. Everybody know I'm hot, so I can't help y'all. Okay, well, it still stands. So, you know, when I start doing the music and I'm popping now again, I'm, I'm out there, you know, I'm wearing the nice jewelry, and I'm rapping about the life that I lived. So literally, like, we used to have situations at least once a year where randomly I would just get pulled over, or like they'll just pop up on me. I'm talking about literally, bro, like DEA. And they just like— there was the one officer, I forgot his name, that caught— that busted me on my fake case. He was just like, until I retire, like, I know you still doing shit.

Hmm.

And until I retire, I'm gonna, I'm gonna catch you. And so like, I bring that up because I was having these issues. So once again, I was still fucking around, but not too crazy. But my cousin, like I told you, the one of the people for the Three Amigos in my book.

Yep.

He had got caught up doing some, uh, house flipping back in them days in '08, you know, the whole flipping houses stuff. And he had got caught up and he had set them up telling them that I was still connected with the cartel and I'm doing all this shit and I fucking got houses all over the city, that I'm growing marijuana and I'm pressing kilos and everything. So I'll never forget, he had introduced me to his friend that was a master electrician. And so I used him for one of our houses to redo the electricity so we can grow weed in there. And it was just funny because it was just like, hey, you know, I know you got other houses too, just make sure you let him know so he can do the rest of them. And I'm just like, I'll let you know, you know, I would always say that. And, um, I'm on my way to the airport, literally, bro. And I get a call from the electrician. Yo, I need to meet you. I need to meet you. I'm like, yo, what's up? You can meet with my partner. Like, I'm leaving right now.

No, no, I gotta see you. I need to talk to you. I'm like, bro, I'm about to miss my flight. And he's like, no, I need to— meet me at the house. So I go back and meet him at the house, bro, and he ain't even there. So I walk in the house. My daughter and my girl at the time is in the car. And I walk in the house to meet my partner. And all of a sudden we hear a car like screech. Like outside. And so we come out and it's him, and he's like jittery, you know what I mean? So I'm like, yo, what's up? So he's like talking about stuff, and I'm like, this is what you needed to talk to me about? Like, you could have just told my partner this. Like, I gotta go, bro. Like, I got a flight to catch. He's like, yeah, you know what. So I get in the car and I'm about to roll out, bro, and it was in his cul-de-sac. And bro, next thing you know, I just see like— I'll never forget, it was a silver Dodge Ram. It was like another, I think, a Durango, and then it was the big SWAT truck.

And, you know, they stand out on the sides, and I get a little emotional when I think about this because, uh, when, when they pull out, I'm driving off, and, um, you know, they pass me, the truck passes me, but then the other pickups and stuff— so the SWAT truck, they pass me, and, um, the rest of them, they surround me. And, uh, my daughter's in the back seat, and, uh, Bro, like 30 of them come out, 20 of them really, like guns out, you know what I'm saying? And they're just like, half of them is like, you know, put your hands up. Oh, I have to like unlock the door. And I'm like, bro, I'm like this, and I'm like, what the fuck y'all want me to do? Like one or the other, because I ain't trying to get shot and my daughter's screaming. Yeah. You know, this dude comes out of the truck, bro, a motherfucker look like Sergeant Slaughter. Exactly like him. I'll never forget it. The fucking— those fucking glasses and the fucking beard and the cigar and everything, like the whole look. Like, I think his goal was to look like him.

And he walks up and he looks in the window and he's just like, oh, there's that motherfucker. And so they're like, that's Jimmy Boy, get him out. And so they threw me out. And I'm emotional because, um, they grabbed my daughter, bro, and I, I, I just— Oh, man. I snapped and I was just like, I was like, don't fucking touch my daughter. And they threw me on the floor and I was just like, I don't want her to see me like this.

Yeah.

And I'll never forget, the cop was like, you made her see you like this, you know what I mean? Not because of us. That shit, it fucked me up, bro, because I wanted to make sure like my daughter and my kids never knew the life I lived, you know what I mean? Like I never wanted them to have to live through that or even, you know, my daughter been going to private school all her life. So it was just like, I always wanted her to just have a normal life, bro. Like, I never wanted to understand because my daughter, like, I had to raise her since she was 3 by myself. So she had to see a lot of shit, bro. She's seen things that she should have never saw growing up.

Yeah.

And so like, when that happened, bro, it's crazy, you know what I mean? But it was like, it was funny because, you know, after the, the lady, the agent grabbed her, and so they had us separated. And so like, they're like, yo, before we kick down the door, we know what's up, just tell us. I don't know what y'all talking about. They're like, we know you got bricks in there. We know, no, no, no. And so I kind of like laughed. They're like, you think this shit's funny? And I'm like, bro, you— I— the thing that makes me laugh is that y'all really think— y'all really think that I really got all that stuff. Like, it's crazy.

Yeah.

So, you know, they run in the house, and so they're all up in there, and I see them walk up, they're like, ain't nothing in here, it's just some fucking weed plants. And so there was this one SWAT— there's this one SWAT, uh, officer, bro, and this dude's fucking 5'4, probably a buck 20 wet. I'm talking about scrawny, bro.

Yeah.

With the blonde beard. And he's just like, hey, I just want you to know I love your music, man. Like, I got your CD. And I was just like, this is not happening right now, right? But then like, I'm looking at my daughter over there, she's like, she's like so fucking shocked.

Yeah.

And so I was like, yo, I need you to do me a favor real quick. He's like, what's up? I was like, I just need to talk to my daughter, like, please, like, just let me talk to her real quick. He's like, all right, let me see what I can do. You know, he brought it over to me. Like, she grabbed me, you know, she's like, look, we're playing a game, okay? Like, don't worry. Like, we're just playing the game right now, and, uh, I'm gonna have Grandpa come pick you up, but everything's okay. Like, don't worry. And she was just like worried, bro. Like, she was sad. And I think I'm so emotional because it made her— from years later on, you know, like, it made her like lose trust in law enforcement.

Yeah.

And you know, I grew up around law enforcement. I have family that are. So it's like, I'm not like, fuck all police, you know. They're still good. Everything you do is good and bad people.

There's good and bad, bro.

But it hurt me because just seeing what my daughter had to go through. I remember like months later, I'm out on bond and we just got pulled over and I look back, bro, and she got out the car seat and she dug herself under the fucking back seat because she's scared. Like, it got to the point where every time she thought— saw a cop, she thought someone was going to jail, you know what I mean?

You know?

Yeah, yeah.

And that's hard, bro. I mean, even with myself, you know, I've always— I, when I was a kid, I feared the police, man. That's why I told you, you know, in the very beginning, I was like, I never thought I was gonna be the police. Yeah, you know, it was one of, one of those epiphany things where I was just like, man, I just want to do something different. And that was it, right? So I feel for you, man. It's, it's traumatizing, man. And I can only imagine me being a new dad this year, you know, my son's 11 months, and just seeing how cute he is. And how old was your daughter

at the time? She was, uh, 3.

Yeah, she's a little baby. A little baby. So a little baby, they're, they're emotional. They, they see you as, as her hero, you know, at that time. And, and man, for, for her to go through all that, dude, of course who wouldn't hate the police, right? So at the end of the day, man, I mean, it is what it is. But, you know, I'm glad that you rose above it, brother, because that's what it's about.

And so I bring that up, right? So, you know, because of that, I ended up getting on bond and I ended up having to do 6 months. And this is just how, like, just— it's funny because before I went in, that's when they, you know, you remember Twitter?

Yep.

They started coming out with TwitPic. And so I was always a person that I never really liked to, like, type what I'm doing or everyday life. And you know, that's what Twitter really is, like speaking your opinion, whatever. So when TwitPic came out, it was like I could post a picture. And so like, you know, I'm like, okay, I love doing that. So I'm posting pictures, posting jewelry, posting in the club. So I go do my time. And, um, let me also add, at the time I'm a BlackBerry guy. I only fuck with BlackBerry. I hated iPhone. This is 2011. 2011. And, um, you met my friend Tony in Arizona.

Yep.

So he always been in the nightlife entertainment business. And I remember calling him from in there. You know, we, we did like a little campaign while I was gone where we— I shot like 10 music videos. So we're dropping videos like every— like once every couple weeks. We're doing a thing. So I'm checking up with him and he's like, bro, I got something to tell you. Like, I just seen this app and I thought about you.

Yeah.

I'm like, what? He's like, you know how you love posting pictures and shit? This app, you just post a picture, you write a little caption. So I'm like, what is it? It's called Instagram. Um, so I'm like, okay, that's what's up. He's like, but there's only one problem. I'm like, what? It's like, it's only for iPhone. So I was like, well, fuck it then. I'll— I— it wouldn't matter to me, right? I'm like, that ain't gonna help me none,

right?

And so fast forward, I get out, bro. And so like I get out November 2011 and I'm like, I'm seeing it, you know what I mean? But I don't have it because I got a BlackBerry. 2 months later, bro, I'm like, you know what, fuck it, I'll buy iPhone. The only reason why I bought an iPhone was for Instagram,

bro.

Yeah. And at this time already my music has faded out, you know, like people don't even know where to find me or nothing like that. So I started the Instagram, started posting. And so like people started finding me again. And it was just crazy because at the time it was just me just posting my life doing the— I was still trying to do the music. But then that's when I started like this hashtag called Done Right, which is like I'll go places, I see jewelry that's nice the way I like it and the execution of it. And I would just hashtag Done Right. That's a nice jewelry. And, uh, one thing that I was doing when I was on tour back then, you know, back then there wasn't social media like Instagram, it was just Facebook or MySpace. So I would go to like freaking, you know, the Midwest, or I go to Minnesota, I go to these small towns, I'm doing these shows. All these guys got money but they have no access to the jewelers. So they'll just be like, yo, like, we love your jewelry, it looks good, like, where you get it from?

So at the time, you know, I'm like, I'm buying it from Johnny Dang or King Johnny and stuff like that. And they're like, yo, like, we have no way to get to them. And I know if I call him, he gonna tax me. So why don't I just go through you? And so that what got me in, that is what got me into like middleman in jewelry. Hmm. And so, bro, there were times I used to do a show in Minnesota. And I would come home looking like I got robbed. They buy all the jewelry on my body, my own jewelry. And they're buying it for like double what I paid. So I'll just go back home and buy more jewelry, just doing it as a middleman thing, bro, never thinking none of it. And literally, you know, when I started the Instagram, I would just like be posting the jewelry, posting things I got. Sometimes I'll get some, I'll just post it to sell it. And it was just, you know, it would just work, you know what I mean? And, and I mean it when I say— I tell people this— I built a multi-million dollar jewelry business on social media, on Instagram, like I became known as the Instagram jeweler.

I changed the way people sold jewelry. I made it less transactional and more relatable to where me and a client can sit down or I can fly to them and really have them in the comfort of their own place or where they feel comfortable at and give them what they need, you know, and I can't forget, of course, like in 2015, I don't know if you remember, but Before, like when Vine first came out, there was a little Asian girl that became very popular for holding a bunch of money and rapping to where like, you know, now Drake's posting it, fucking everybody. It became— it went crazy, bro. And that's my daughter.

Wait, wait, wait, you're talking about it was a little Asian girl, she got a bundle of money, she's like this

rapping? Not the one— so there was 2. So the original was— they call her Ling Ling, which is the one that raps. Then there was Lil Tay, the one that goes on there and talks shit to people.

Okay, okay.

My daughter was Ling Ling.

Okay.

So it was— oh shit, my bad.

You're fine, you're

fine. So, um, it's funny, right? Because when we were living in LA, my daughter was like, I want to be a superstar, I want to be a superstar. And I would always tell her like, yeah, we'll do it, don't worry. And I took her to one or two, um, like, uh, auditions, but it was just whatever. So like I said, me and my daughter, she's been with me since she was 3, bro. So Everything I listened to, she listened to. I was very transparent with my daughter as far as like, I let her— a lot of people told me like, you expose her too much. But I'm just like, it's my daughter, this is my life. Like, I'm here with her. It's what it is. So my daughter used to love listening to what I listened to. And I'll never forget, it was never even a plan, bro. Like, I picked her up from school. And I had a bunch of cash in the cup holder. And at the song— at the time, the— this song by Young Thug came named Check. Check. It was like one of my favorite songs. And my daughter used to always make fun of the way I danced.

So we're driving, bro. And she grabs a stack of cash and he starts like, she starts dancing and she's in her school uniform. And I'm playing around, I just record her. And I posted it just like a regular post that we would always post and play around. She do dances, whatever. And it didn't do nothing, bro. Like it just do what it usually does. It was whatever. And then I'll never forget, like 3 months down the line, I'm in Vegas, right? I'm at a pool party, Encore, and this girl I used to date sends me a link from Twitter. I'm like, what's this? She's like, look at it. And I click on that and it's a video of my daughter. And I think it was like a blogger that posted it. I was like, that's cool, you know, whatever, you know what I mean? That's tight. Then like, I think the next day, like, someone tags me. Next thing you know, someone sends it more. Next thing you know, Jermaine Dupri posted it.

Wow.

Next thing you know, like Toni Braxton posted it, like, it caught fire. It was, it was crazy because it was like an overnight thing that happened, right? And I don't want to, I don't want to go back too much. But so around 2015, '14, I started questioning whether, because I started doing jewelry January 1st, 2015. And it was doing good. It was, that was when I was like, okay, I'm actually going to be a jeweler. I'm gonna like put my time into this. Before then, it was just like middleman. And, um, at the time I had, you know, a big label that was trying to sign me in the music. And, um, they were talking, we were talking in talks back and forth for like 3 to 6 months, bro. And something was like dragging me, like something was causing me to drag it out with them to sign. And it was just like, I think It was just the thought of like, you know, everything going through my daughter with that shit. Like, when I had to do that 6 months of time, I had to lie to my daughter. I told her I was going to China to go on tour because I didn't want her to know I was going to jail.

And that was the first time we were ever separated, you know. And I'm not gonna lie to you, bro, the way I broke down to you here, I was breaking down like that in jail during those 6 months.

Of course.

Because at the time though, that was the easiest time I ever did because Every week they had a TV show called Street Flavor in Houston. They playing my music. So they treat me like a king in there. From the guards to the freaking chief, everybody, the captain. I'm living the best life. I'm getting free food, like outside world food, free world food, everything. But I was away from my daughter.

Yeah.

I was down the street from her, but I couldn't see her. And there were times, bro, like she'll be on the phone with me and she'll be crying. She's just like, I want you to come home. I want things to be like they used to be. I don't want you to make money. I don't care. And bro, I would go into my cell and I'd just be bawling, bro. And so I was thinking about all those things when I started doing the jewelry because I'm like, okay, things are going good right now. I'm making money, you know, I'm still— I got my shit lined up. And, uh, it was crazy because I, I grew up in a family of musicians. Like, my family, that's all they know too. So growing up, it was all music. It was funny because I, I finally realized at one point I had to tell them like, you know what, I appreciate everything, guys. I appreciate everything you you've done. But I'm just gonna take a stop on the music right now. And it's crazy, because at that time when I did that, it was just like, damn, I'm closing the chapter of music in my bloodline.

Like, my whole family, that's all they know is music. So even at one time, they wanted me to be a musician. And so when that happened, it was just like, wow, like, I'm ending it. And I was like, this is it. And I bring that up because literally, bro, a week later was when that girl I dated sent me that link of my daughter. And I bring that up because it was like, even though I thought I was done with that, God was like, you might be done with it, but you're not fully done with it.

Right.

And that's when my daughter came into the spotlight. And when I say that thing got so big, we were getting phone calls from Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, even Drake. Like, it was, it was, it was out of this world, bro, you know. And we had deals with Nickelodeon on the table. We had deals with Disney. You know, we ended up doing some shows. She has a couple shows that are on Netflix. But I say all that because we brought up the thing about the kids is that I was in a situation where someone very big and powerful flew us to LA and sat us down and was like, yo, we want to, we want to, you know, we want to sign her and we want to change her life. But it was a 20-year deal.

Damn.

Straight up, they told us 20 years, like basically, she was going to go straight into her own Nickelodeon show. From there, we'll blow it up. And then we'll bring her into pop, get her pop music going. They were the same people that were behind Gwen Stefani and everybody. And it was like, from there, we just keep pushing through. And, you know, I was stuck in a situation of, what do I do? And a lot of people told me I was tripping, but I turned it down, bro, because I looked at it like, if I was to sign my daughter's life away for 20 years, all those chances I took of my freedom, all the time I did, all the shit that I was doing in my mind to do for her, it would have been down the drain. What was it for then? You know, because she'll never have that life. Or she'll be 30 years old trying to live like a 15-year-old, you know. And, you know, and you hear about it, you know, and I just didn't want that for her. I just wanted her to have a normal life. And I feel like any parent, that's what we want, to give our children a life to where they can just avoid at least one thing that we had to face.

And you know, how I look at it and how it worked out, you know, it's like, I gave that music part up, she took it in, I turned that down. Everybody told me I was stupid, I was tripping. But God made it work somehow to where the jewelry business took off for me to where I was able to give my daughter that normal life. that American dream life to me, you know, and everybody has their own definition of the American dream. But for me, my definition of the American dream is opportunity.

Yep.

You know, my family group didn't have opportunity.

Yep.

Me, I didn't have a lot of opportunity because of my choices, whether it be how I chose to tattoo myself or choosing the situations I chose.

Yep.

So, you know, all we can do for our children in my eyes is to give them opportunity, let them know that, hey, You live in a place where anything you want to do, I can support you and we can try it and we can do it.

Provider mindset, brother.

Yes, sir.

You know, going ahead and have options because that's what I tell my wife all the time. You know, this is my second year going into my third year now being married.

And

I tell my wife all the time, I will provide, you take care of the home, you focus 100% on our son. That's it. We don't want no one to take care of him.

Exactly.

Because we can't trust people. That's just the way it is. Small group of friends, that's all we need. We don't need no friends, right?

There's a saying in Vietnamese, it's, uh, and basically it's like, no one's gonna care for your child like you gonna care for your own child.

Facts.

You know what I mean?

Facts.

Like, literally, I have my 2 youngest and my daughter, they've been with me and no babysitters, no nothing. Like, I, I did it. I made it work. Because, you know, I truly believe, and you know, like we've been talking about 20 years ago, I was doing all these different things in life, that in the future when people talk about, oh, Paul or Jimmy, oh, you remember Paul? You know, he did all this. He was a cop and he came up and did it. Or, oh, Jimmy, he did it. They don't really look at it like, oh, where are they now? It's like, oh, they got kids? Where are their kids at? How are they? Like, where did their kids become?

100%.

And I truly believe that's all that matters right there.

100%. It's your bloodline, brother.

Exactly, bro. Like what you— like how you helped to shape them into, you know, and that's why earlier when I was talking to you about my other son, like, it devastates me and it hurts me because it's like, I take accountability whether I was able to be there or not or what. I still take accountability because I feel like I could have did more. I feel like any man, that's what we do. Like, we ask ourselves every day, what more could you have done to maybe make this different or change this? You know what I mean?

Damn, love that, bro. I mean, it's just accountability, knowing your truth. And at the end of the day, man, I mean, not all is lost. There's still things that could be changed, especially if you weren't in, uh, one of your children's lives or whatnot. You could still go ahead and pour into them now because you're a great man. So, all right, 2014.

Yep.

The, the, the whole music, uh, portion with your daughter blows up. Um, you got all these great opportunities with celebrities and the media and all that jazz. Okay. And then you're starting this great career of building your jewelry legacy. So tell us a little bit about how you learned how to become a jeweler. Who'd you learn from? And then how did you take it to the next level?

So I think the jewelry was always since I was a kid, whether I see my dad or even my best friend, we were just always infatuated with jewelry. It was something about And you know, it wasn't like back then in the 2000s, it wasn't a lot of diamonds. It was just thick gold chains. It was just something about wearing that piece of jewelry that made you feel, you know, it's a way of— I guess when you come from— and I hate using this word— but when you come from nothing, that's your way of showing your success, you know. Like, especially where I'm from in Houston, it was like, you, you'll meet motherfuckers that got $100,000 worth of jewelry on that live in an apartment driving a brand new Escalade. And that was just the way, like, we, we show by what we have. And so we used to wear chains and jewelry. So since I can remember in my teenage years, it was always an infatuation and watching even my dad too, because he loved jewelry. And so when I started getting money to where I can buy jewelry, I'm the type of person, when I like something, I just want to learn it, whether I'm even purposely trying to learn it or not.

So my jeweler at the time, I was, I was messing with Iceman Nick, Johnny Dang. I would always just go there every day almost, you know, if I'm not doing nothing. I remember carrying my daughter in a car seat and just go there and just talk to them or, you know, think about what I want to do or looking at their stuff. And it wasn't even trying to learn to do the business, bro. It was just trying to learn more as far as knowing what I'm buying and what I'm doing. And, um, So as that time went, that's when I started middlemanning. And, you know, making $1,000 here, $500 here off each one. And I never, I never, I promise you, I never thought of it like this can be a business. It was just like, hey, I'm a middleman and make a little money and keep it going. I think when 2010, after 2008, jewelry became more artistic than it was just a piece of gold and a piece of diamond. And, uh, like, for example, I think it was 2012 when the Jesus piece came back, you know, it was, it was everybody wanted a Jesus piece, you know, in New York, they had created the, the Jacob Jesus or the Kufi Jesus like that.

And, um, all the jewelers down south, like Houston mainly, like they could not replicate the piece. Like it was— Bro, like they tried so many ways. And this is before, uh, 3D printers, CAD design stuff. It's literally by hand, or you have to be, you know, you, you really have to have the vision of it in your face to make the, the mold. And, um, I'll never forget at the time, like, they, they couldn't do it. And, you know, I've always drawn all my life. I was artistic, and I was able to help Iceman Nick make the Jesus piece that to this day that they use down south. You know, and I designed that and I helped him create it to where it made him so much money. I think he made like a million dollars the first year off the design that he made me my own piece for free.

Nice.

Like a $20,000 piece, you know what I mean? And even at that time, it wasn't even like me being a jeweler. It was just like, yo, I could just help design. But at the time I was also bringing him so much business. I think it was early 2014 when he was just like, You ever thought about being a jeweler? And I'm just like, no, like, why, you know? And he was just like, bro, like, you bring me so much business as it is. And like, you know so much from it. Because I was around so much to where I guess he just would forget I'm around. And so he'll like tell me how to break down like gold percentage-wise, things like that, how much labor costs for things like that. And I'll never forget, there was one time I was like, I asked him for a piece I wanted to get made. And he gave me a price. And I'm like, bro, that's too much. And he's like, what do you mean? So I started telling him like, well, bro, like, it's this many stones, and that many stones for labor, and this amount of gold, and that amount of gold.

And he laughed. And I'm like, what's so funny? He's like, if you know already, why are you asking me? And so like, I thought about it. I was just like, there's no way I could be a jeweler because the way I look at it is like, either you have to have family in this shit. Or you got to be connected all the way in. Like, it's like, like the drug trade, right? I could buy a kilo from you here, but how many hands has it touched? And what was the price before? So how many points have been on top? So I can't come out and say, hey, I'm a jeweler, buy from me. But then when I give you a price, a jeweler can beat my price because I'm not getting the price. And so he was just like, look, I'll make a deal with you. I'll show you everything, like the pricing, costs, everything. But you just— what we do, we'll split the profit 50/50. So I'm like, for real? He's like, yeah, like, I just think this will work. Let's just try it. And, um, I thought about it and I finally was like, you know, let's give it a try.

Fuck it. And at this time, I was kind of like going through that thought of like, what am I going to do now? You know what I mean? Because at this time now, it's 2014, '15. I'm like 32, 33 years old. I'm like, am I going to sell drugs forever? I need to find other avenues. You know, I, I didn't have rocky situations that happened back up and down. And so it's just like, let's try something new. Let's try to, let's try to do something. It wasn't even trying to go legit. It was just trying something new. And, um, like I said, January 1st, 2015, I officially went on Instagram, was like, I'm a jeweler. Um, June, July was when my daughter went viral. And I will bring this up to say, her going viral catapulted my jewelry career to a place where money can't even buy— like, you can't even buy marketing for that.

Because it's network.

Yeah, it, it, it was so crazy because I started getting so many customers that were coming to buy jewelry from me. It was like, once again, back to MySpace. Yo, I know of you because of my girl. 'Cause my girl follows your daughter.

Yeah.

Or she's a fan of your daughter, you see? And it's like, like full circle moment, right? It was like, I was thinking about doing it for the women and it's like my daughter ends up bringing it back that way. But it really, it really, it really took my career to a totally different level, bro, to where I was able to get away from selling dope, get away from illegal stuff. And that's why I always tell people, it's like my daughter, owns as much of this empire that I built as much as I own it, you know what I mean? Because I truly believe like, when that happened, it took me to another place, you know what I mean? And that's when the bigger names started coming. That's when all the other things and that's when all eyes were on me. And I was able to design very good jewelry to make people latch on and keep following me that they weren't just following me for my daughter no more. Now it was like my daughter gave me that push for the world to truly see me and really buy into what— and follow me and what I'm doing.

And that's how it attracted my relationship with 6ix9ine.

So to go back, before we, we, we continue on, before the relationship with 6ix9ine, which is freaking interesting, dude, um, I want to talk about your first mentor who put you on to becoming a jeweler.

Yeah.

How were you able to trust him?

I think the relationship with me and Nick started with him. So I'll never forget, right? At the time, I, I was real close to Johnny Dang. You know, we had like family members that knew each other and a lot of stuff like that. But there was just always situations that I just felt like he was like overcharging me, like overcharging me. And I would always bring it up. Like—

You're talking about Johnny?

Yep. Okay, the jeweler. So Because at this time, before I was a jeweler, I was messing with everybody. I'm talking about whoever gave me the best price, you know, I'm buying. So, and everybody knew that if Jimmy comes, he got clients that come too. He bringing business.

You had the network.

Uh-huh. And so for me, it was just like, I would always tell every jeweler I work with, like, look, I know you got to make your money. But I know what I can bring to the table. So all I'm asking you is just don't make me find out that I could get it cheaper somewhere else. Like, I don't want that. I've always been since I was young, I believe in working with people and don't try to fix it if it ain't broke, you know what I mean? So loyalty is very big for me. And there were just a lot of situations where I seen it with my own eyes that I was getting done wrong, you know? And so I remember some of my friends were like, yo, and back in the day, the beef was crazy. I'm talking about the beef between King Johnny and Johnny Dang. It was like It seemed like it was on street shit. Like these dudes would like fight if they saw each other. And, you know, everybody knew that I was always with Johnny Dang and I'm Vietnamese too. So it was kind of like automatically, you know, that's my boy.

Mm-hmm.

But I forgot how it happened, but I had some friends who were like, yo, you should come check them out. They want to holla at you. And I'm just like, I'm not trying to hear it. Ain't nothing, you know, I'm loyal to what I'm loyal to. But there was a situation where I was looking for this Jacob& Co watch. And at the time, I think Johnny was trying to charge me like $12,000 for it. And it got to them that I was looking for that. And they were like, yo, we got one for $7,500. It's like $5,000 difference. How are you able to do that?

That's huge.

Yes. And I end up going to see him, check out the watch, is exactly what it is. I buy it. And that was kind of like, I guess the surface got scratched from there. From there, it was like he was always doing things to make me feel very comfortable as far as my relationship to where I remember at the time gold was selling at like $10 a gram, $12 a gram. And so I'd ask him like, yo, I'm gonna buy this. If I need to sell it, how much will you sell it back to me for? He goes, I'll give you back what you paid for it. I'm like, for real? And, you know, talking about it now, whether he knew gold was going to go up or not, his money's going to be good. The fact that he was willing to do that for me is sometimes all that really matters, you know, relationships. Yeah. in business, it's like, it's the little things, bro, you know what I mean? Right. Stuff like that. So that's what kept our relationship going. And then also, when I was middlemanning, there were situations where there might be a calculation that's wrong, you know, and I've instilled the same business for me learning from him.

And if the calculation gets wrong on my end, I got to hold myself accountable, right? There were situations when I was dealing with Johnny and the numbers be wrong and they'll make me be accountable for their actions. It's like, that's not cool. Yeah. So it's just a little stuff like that. And I'll never forget when Johnny found out I first went over there to them. He's like, how you gonna do me like that? That's fucked up. You know, you over there. And so I told her straight, I go, nah, Johnny, like, why did you have to get me to have to go over there? You know what I

mean? Wow.

Like, you made me go over there. Like, why did you do that? Because I kept telling you, I didn't want to do that. But you keep doing me like this, you know. And it hindered our relationship. But it was just, it was what it was. And, you know, I started just building my relationship. And that's what I said, like, I would literally carry my daughter in the car seat over there to just go sit down and talk to them, chop it up with them, buy jewelry, whatever it kind of be. And that built our relationship from there. And every time I brought a customer, Whatever I was supposed to get, he would always make sure I get. It was just that relationship. And when I designed the Jesus piece for him, and he was able to look out for me like that, it became more of a relationship to where it's like, it's not just business with this, you know, and I feel that, you know what I mean? Like, and it's crazy because the way you put it now has brought it even a bigger perspective to me. I never even thought of it like that.

But yeah, Nick was my mentor, bro. Like— He and I both— he and I both didn't even know this would do what it did, because it literally changed both of our lives.

So would you say because Nick did good business with you from, from the beginning that you guys were able to make millions together?

Yes. Nick's, you know, Nick is solid. And that's why I've told him to his face, you can never do me wrong. He's my youngest son's godfather. You know, my youngest son's middle name is his name. Like, what he did for me, and I tell him this, even though he didn't realize it, and I didn't realize at the time, but giving me that opportunity and going into the jewelry business and doing what I did, it changed my life and my kids' future forever. Yeah. My legacy. Like, I'll never forget when me and my daughter talked, and I was just like, like, how does it feel? You know, like, because we've seen life change. Like, We went from, yeah, I got money and we living like good, but to where now like we living in places where y'all going to the best schools, y'all around not the people, you know? And my daughter, I'll never forget, she was like, I'm just glad that I don't have to tell my friends that you're a YouTube rapper anymore. You know what I mean?

Damn.

And bro, like

that

shit right there was, was, was, was, was, was a good feeling, man. Like to make my children proud, to make my, my dad proud, to really turn my life around is, you know, it's, you know what I mean? And, and Nick, Nick made that happen, bro. You know what I mean? And it made us millions and millions. I'm talking about, you know, we, we good for life. You know what I mean?

Yeah. Yeah.

You know,

so, so for anyone listening right now to Jimmy's story, I mean, do good business.

Do good business. And I'll tell you, like, There were times I know that Nick took losses. I'll never forget. And I admitted this now, but before, I was drunk one night. I had an iced out AP watch, bro. I was drunk. I used to be real sloppy when I'm drunk. Not sloppy as a person, but I get cocky. So I took my watch, I'll be talking shit. I threw my watch in the ice bucket. I'm like, yes, nothing. You know what I mean? I do dumb shit. And I wake up the next day and my whole watch is fogged up.

Ah. And

I'm like, Fuck, bro. So I'm calling, I'm like, hey bro, what's up with this? Like, the watch fogged up. But I ain't tell him I threw it in the ice bucket, bro. I sent him the watch, it was fully rusted inside. He fixed it for me, bro. It cost him 10 grand. He fixed it, he did everything right, bro, and never tripped about it, you know what I'm saying? There were times where we'd talk about business, you know, and he know he take less and he do that. And until this day, I've learned that business trait from him. And I think like Part of the reason why I'm successful is because of that. Like, I've had situations where I calculated a custom job for somebody, and I remember, uh, what's his name, um, rest in peace to one of our friends. But I, I, I, I, bro, I underpriced him $4,000. And I know I underpriced him $4,000. So I told him, you know what, take it. Like, it is what it is, you know. Like, I literally thought that I calculated it right. And so that's just what it is. And it comes back, you know what I mean?

In different ways.

No, it does, man. Because you got to consider your network is really your net worth. You might be underpricing somebody at $4,000, but you don't know the potential referrals they might be bringing to you.

Exactly.

That's why I'm always big on good business, right?

Oh,

it's huge. That's why when earlier we were talking about, you know, your son, I'm like, bro, like, I'll take time to go ahead and just add value. Because if I could go to him and have him move the needle in his life, what is that going to show you? You're going to be like, oh bro, Paul, man, he poured into my son, made it happen for him, dude. This dude is a good dude. And that might bring more business to me. That's how I always think, man. Your network is really your net worth, right?

For sure.

So love the story, dude. Let's get into the portion now that you got involved with 6ix9ine. Tell me about that.

I say it was like end of 2017, bro. I'm going on WorldStar. I'm just seeing this colorful-haired dude, you know, like everywhere. And I'm just like, whatever. I don't pay no mind to it. But one day I go on WorldStar and it's like the first video and he's smiling and I see him with his grill and it's just like rainbow colored, but it's like painted, right?

It was different. Yeah.

And at the time I had some people in New York. So I was just like, yo, y'all know, y'all know dude or what? They're like, we know some of his people. I said, yo, holla at him, man. Tell him like, let me do a grill for him. Like he needs something better than that. And so me and my daughter actually spent Christmas Eve, like Christmas time, like December in New York. And it was actually New Year's Eve. His team reaches out, we get together, we go to the studio. They're playing music, you know, we chopping it up. And he's like, yo, I want to do a grill. So I'm like, cool. So I molded them up. And it's funny because we— I mold them up. He's like, how long you think it'll take? So I was like, it'll take like about a couple weeks. He's all right, cool. And, um, I make the grill for him, then he calls me, he's like, yo bro, like I want to get a piece made, what should I do? So I had an idea, I was like, yo, like we should do like a spinning 6ix9ine piece. He's like, for real?

I go, yeah, that should be clean. He's like, all right, how long will it take? And I was like, shit, I was like, it might take me like 2 weeks, 3 weeks. He's like, can you do it like 10 days or a week? I go I could try. He was like, all right, I'm gonna stay here until it's done. And I'm like, in my mind I'm like, bro, it's gonna take 2 weeks. But I'm like, fuck, I'm like, you wanna just come back? He's like, nah, I'm gonna just chill out here. And bro, like, um, you know, it's crazy because we, you know, late years later he admits to me is that at the time when he got that piece made, bro, like, I charged him the piece and whatever he paid, he had no more money left in his account. He spent all the money he had from his, his bonus left on that necklace, right? He said, but that necklace changed his life. You know, it shot him up so high, he made back so much money. But it's just funny because it was just like, in the video though, that went viral, he comes and he has all this money stuffed in his pants and his drawers and everything.

But that actually was my money. You know what I mean? Like I brought from the house, like to make it look the video we did, you know what I mean? Yeah. It was crazy. You know, it built a relationship to this day where it's like, yo, I still consider him a friend, man. And like, it was definitely amazing. Like, he's still one of my top 5, top 3 clients that I love working with because he let me freestyle. Like, he was just like, I trust you.

Mm-hmm.

Run with it. And it let me really use my creativity. And that's why to this day, like the pieces that him and I have done are still some of the most talked about pieces, you know, in the world, literally. You know what I mean? Yeah. From the Billy the Puppet from Saw. And literally when I made that piece, the producers of Saw reached out. The whole company wanted me to make pieces for them, you know, to the Bruce the Shark Finding Nemo piece I did for him. Like, it was, it was, it was a fun time, man. It was a fun time.

That's crazy how that works, man. How people could just reach out based on, you know, your ideas that you put on paper and just make it happen.

It's a blessing, man. It was a— it's a blessing. Like, I, I remember when, when they first called me, the producers that saw, I thought they were gonna like send me a cease and desist or something, bro. And they're just like, hey, we love what you did. We want to make 20 of them for the cast and the producers. And I'm just like, yo, crazy. This is crazy, man. Yeah, definitely. Bro, it was, it was definitely, it was, it was, it was a time, man.

So Jimmy, let's now transition into what we talked about before. Um, you know, in entrepreneurship and in life, we all go through our seasons, right? We're winning, we go down, we go up, we go down. Uh, as much as you had a phenomenal mentor who put you up and you guys made millions together, there was also some friendships and partnerships that possibly uh, caused betrayal, right? And hardship on your end. So let's, let's shift into that season now. Um, let's talk about what had happened with, I guess, one of your close associates and, uh, the tragedy that happened with like the robbery that you ended up experiencing.

Definitely. You know, to, to, to get like a little bit more history on it, bro. Yeah. I think the best way is like When I got with Nick, it really took me to a place and I don't know if it's whether I was lonely or whatever it was, but I was just like, yo, how can I find some of the people that I've known for so long and take them with me? And I had people that, you know, whether I was close to them or not, I looked at them like family. And I was just like, yo, I think this person, because they're a hustler too, or were a hustler in the streets. if I bring them with me, we could probably be unstoppable together, you know? And that's how it started, you know what I mean? I had a person that I looked at like a sister, and it was just like she had— from, from what she made me believe is that she just had the short end of the stick in the situations.

Hmm.

And so for me, being the person I am with a big heart, it was just like, man, I know she a hustler, even though me and her never did no business together. just from what I know of her, if I bring her in and she do what I think she knows, we'll be unstoppable, you know. And so we basically, you know, she got out, I moved her to Houston, paid for everything, put her son in private school. Like, I just want to show you what I can do, you know what I mean. And we did it. It was working well, bro. But things were going good. And she was amazing because I, I literally threw her in the dungeon when she got here, you know what I mean?

Well, Jimmy, let's, let's take a step back, brother. So, um, she had an expertise, obviously, because in business, you know, I don't like dealing with business partners unless they have a special unique talent that I don't have.

Yeah,

right. So I like to delegate. So was that the case with her? Like, she had like, uh, she was an artist? What was she doing for you as far as on the business side?

Like, so before, we were just really close. Like, we were just like I was in the music business, she was always supportive of it. She was getting her own money, you know, she was from Dallas. So me knowing her, meeting her, she was a hustler.

Okay.

From what I saw, we never did no business together, so I never really knew how she did business, but I knew she was doing something right because she was well off and good in her position.

Okay.

We never mixed. Like, that's one thing I was like in the streets, right? Just because we cool don't mean we don't work together.

Got you.

I just always like was like that for some reason. So When she came home, I was just like, you know what, like, I really feel confident that we can work together well because she never really liked to be the front person. It was like, you be the front person, I'll handle the back work.

Hmm.

So when she came, it was like I threw her in the dungeon. Like, she literally learned from scratch and she picked it up fast, you know what I mean? And we— it worked together. But you know how sometimes, like, you're close to somebody and you might see them doing something that you don't like, but you're just like, oh well, that's just them, you know what I mean? Like, that's just what he does or she does, it's whatever, you know what I mean? A bad habit they have, maybe like they like to talk bad about people or do whatever, that's just maybe how they feel, you know? But as long as they don't get to me, because I know who they're talking about is not bad, it's all right. But like with anything in life, if you don't shut it down or stop it right there, it just keeps growing.

Well, it's a cancer, bro.

Yep. And so looking back now, I first realized it was just like, oh, why are you working with Nick? We could do our own shit. You know what I mean? Like, and, you know, I remember having these conversations with Nick. Hey, why you never branched off on your own? And he would tell me, you don't want to do it. It's a headache. Like, just stay down. And I'd be like, you're right, you're right. But then once again, in your ear. We can do this without them. We can do— you don't got to do this. And so I think it was, um, COVID time was when I decided to branch off.

So around 2019, 2020?

2020.

So there was, there was really like— and I mean, it's up to you how much you want to say, how much, how much you don't want to say, but was there anything else between you and Nick that was just like, oh, I'm going to branch off Nick, or was it just like Let's be honest, was it greed?

I'm gonna be totally honest with you. It wasn't Nick, but it was the other partners that we had on top of Nick.

They were in your ear?

Not in my ear. So basically the, the system they had, it was Nick and 3, 4 other partners. It was like 5 of them total, right? And when I came in at first, when Nick was like, I'm bringing him in, like half of them were like, no, like he a street dude, like we can't trust him. But Nick was like, I vouch for him. Whatever he does, I'll back him up. And I single-handedly earned all of their respect. When I went in, I started at the bottom, I built it up, and I built their brand, same as building my brand. We became— they— everybody got rich, you know what I mean? But some of them, one of them, two of them was always— you know how like when you so used to being that dude, that you don't know what else of being that dude, you start to get mad when you see the dude next to you, even though we're on the same team and we all making the same money, it's going to the same pot. But it's like, oh, I don't want him to shine. I want to be shining. He take away my light.

It's pride.

So, it was situations like that. But then also, the girl that was like my sister would kind of like highlight it too. Oh, you see that? You see they doing that? And like I said, I was going through this phase where it was just like, Who can I help? You know, like, oh, you know, this person, you know, and then there was the one guy that I took in, you know what I mean? I looked at him and I felt like relatable. I'm like, man, he looks like a— he reminds me of a younger version of me. Maybe if like, I can help him and mentor him, he'll be better in life. And so he was from Dallas too. And It was to the point where he got so strung out on drugs and his life was so bad that his own people, of his own people that he grew up with, wanted nothing to do with him.

Wow.

And I was just like, I'll take him, you know what I mean? Because I had the call with, with his like OG. His OG's like, I can't deal with him no more, bro. Like, why don't we just set him down with you? You just, you know what I mean? Like, just get his ass right, you know what I mean? Like, he'll be next to you. At least, you know, you got somebody watch your back, whatever. So I was just like, all right, fuck it. You know what I mean? I brought him down, put him in the house with me, like curfew every day. He always with me, everything. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. And so like I'm having these people around and I'm thinking, what can I do? So let's open a store. If I open the store and we do everything in-house, everybody will have a job. Everybody gets paid their salary.

Mm-hmm.

You know, whether we do well or not, everybody get paid. We do well, everybody get more money. And I'm doing this with the thought of this, but this business right here will be a part of, you know, my sisters, theirs, you know, 'cause by this time now, I'm gonna be real with you, like by 2020, bro, mid-end of 2020, I'm seeing, I never liked to calculate what I was worth or my value or my net worth. And I decided to do it. And I'm like, yo, I'm damn near $10 million right now.

Mm-hmm.

Never even imagined to be a millionaire, you know. So I'm just like, well, shit, let me, let me set up this store, you know, let's open this store because I'm planning my way out now. I'm like, yo, I want to retire. I want to basically be in a place where I could just spend more time with my kids because at this time now I'm separating with my kid, my 2 youngest kid mom. So it was a real ugly separation. It got real bad, lawyers involved to where now they're with me damn near every day now too. So it's just like, okay, if I could set this up, open the store, they run it, I just work when I wanna work. I can just spend all the time with my kids.

Yeah.

They're gonna be straight. I'm straight. Everything's cool. So, you know, we, we, we focused on opening the first store and it was just like, uh, the best way to put it was just like every time, like we're touching back on it, yo, what's going on with the status? there's this and that. And me, it's like, okay, well, I trust you. That's what you're saying. All right, let me go off and do whatever I do. And that's where I was, where I fucked up, I believe. It's just like, in 2020, I was just like, since I'm thinking I'm trying to retire, I'm like, okay, well, let me invest in other things too. Let me put some money in different places. You know, let me get into like construction business. Let me do different things. So because I think my sister and my brother got the jewelry business, had no— if they need, they call me.

because you're delegating it to them because you trust them. You have history with them. You, you mentored them essentially. You showed them a better light and you're like, you know what? They got me.

And my mentality is like, for example, of like, I'm like, Paul, I need A and B done. And you're like, yo, I got A. So you handle B. Yep. The way I think is that I don't even think about A no more. Like, if anything, you'll call me. I'm gonna go focus on B.

Yes.

And when we get back together, I'm done with B, you're done with A, right? But I guess it doesn't work like that, or however you want to put it, it didn't work like that, you know. And long story short, it was just like, I just kept doing what I was doing, thinking that would get done. And it wasn't, it wasn't to where, you know, once again, the cancer, it keeps growing. And when the cancer grows to the point where the people that believed in you and look up to you start questioning you, I think that's what was happening. Because I started kind of like distancing myself because I wasn't, you know, before I used to— my lifestyle was very active. I'm always on trips, on yachts. We taking trips, 20, 30 of us. We go to Vegas, we spending $50,000 a weekend. We go to Miami. You know, that's how I like to live. You know, it was how we were living it. And I wanted to make sure everybody had a good time. Around 2022, it kind of like started slowing down, 2023, because I'm like, where's my life at right now? What am I doing?

Like, for my children, how do I want to be? I want to retire. Like, the party's got to slow down.

Jimmy, let me ask you, man. So 2022, 2023, how old were you?

Uh, 40, 41.

So 40, 41. What happened in 2022, 2023 for you to start thinking that way?

I think it was just the separation. I'm not gonna lie. Like, I really didn't think that me and my youngest kid's mom was really gonna separate. And we were together like 10 years, off and on, but more on than off.

So that hit you?

It was a hard hit because I had left everything in her name.

Got you.

And when the separation happened, we weren't married. But because everything was in her name, I almost lost everything.

Oh, shit.

And, you know, by the grace of God, I had found some good lawyers, and we found some loopholes, and I was able to get most of it, not most of it, like half of it back. But it was like, money was coming in good, business was going good. So I'm just like, what do I need to do to not let the same things happen again?

Right? Right.

I got to sit down and think about that. And it was just like, I've always had gout. I've had gout since 1990, no, 2008.

Hmm.

I was considered the youngest person to have gout at the time. But my gout became very chronic to where the lifestyle I was living was causing it very bad. So by 2022, I'll never forget, I was in bed, both my knees swollen, I couldn't move. I go to the doctor, they drain my knee, and they pulled out 5.5 ounces of like liquid, like, it looked like, like just pus, but it was uric acid.

Yeah.

And it was because of me not thinking about taking care of myself, me not, you know, really, you know, being on top of my health to make sure I needed to do that. And so I started focusing on my health more. 2023, I started going on this diet, like getting right. And I always been messing with working out, but it would always— it'd be crazy, bro. Like I would get fit. And then my people around me is like, party, drink. And that's all it was. So maybe I was wrong for not having a sit down and telling them, hey guys, I don't want to do this anymore. But they were around me every day. They see what I'm trying to do. But I guess to them, it's like, what is going on here? He don't want to hang out with us. He don't want to drink. And I'm just like, I'm just trying to be at the house more and do things and trying to figure out. So I started traveling more too, you know, like, just getting away by myself or, you know, with a friend just to chill. being distant from them. And the distance caused them to start feeling some type of way, I guess.

Start thinking that probably you think you're better, or you're—

Not fucking with them no more.

They're beneath you.

And I just, I'll never forget because, you know, when the robbery happened, I found out like a couple days before, there was a lot of speaking going on around me in the circle, but not directly towards me. And like, the guy that was like my brother called one of my close friends and he would like kind of like, you know, vent to him about what he felt like I was doing or what I wasn't doing. And he would always tell him like, yo, just call bro and talk to him. Like, if you call bro, we can figure it out. That's one thing we know. Just call bro, call Jimmy. And it'll be all good. And he would just be like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll do it. But he would never call me. And he said this to my friend that my friend told me that he said, he goes, if sis ain't okay— oh no, if sis ain't safe, ain't nobody safe.

Wow.

And that was 2 nights before he decided to wake up. So basically, when I brought him in, you know, got him cleaned up, we— I'm like, we work out every day. We did everything every day, bro. I'm talking about every day we're together. And, um, 5 months before, he had like a family, had children that he wasn't taking care of, nothing like that. I was helping him take care of them. I was paying for lawyers for him. I was like, he was on the run when I first brought him back to Houston. I paid for his lawyers to get all his stuff reinstated, let him finish his courses. I was sending money for his family. He owed people money, lawyers, everything. I was doing all that for him because I was just like, you know what? I'm trying to help him get through this. He even ended up jacking one of my friends, you know, on some business.

Yeah.

When my friends came and tried to collect, I was like, look, he wasn't at the right place. Let me just work it out with you. I'm gonna pay you in installments, and he'll just pay me back. I was doing all this for him, you know what I mean? And never thinking of it as in him owing me or never throwing it in his face or nothing. But, um, you know, 5 months before, he moved his— So he was always talking bad about his child's mom. doing all this stuff. And so that's why I kind of understood why he was distant from his children, because he's like, she don't let me be with him, she don't know that. But then I had to find out he get her pregnant again.

Wow.

So I go, all these years I've been letting you be distant from your children because you tell her, but if you getting her pregnant again, you need to be a father. So you need to figure out what you got to do and you need to take care of your family, because one thing we're not going to do is, is just do that. So, you know, he moved her back into Houston were living together. And that 5 months is when we weren't, you know, living together. But before then, for 4 years, we were together every day. And, you know, there was just— it was funny because a day before he did this— so, so basically, you know, I got him cleaned up. I gave him a job working for me basically as just security. I call him security because in my store, we were by appointment. We never got fully open because our permits weren't coming through because my sister was telling me there were certain problems that we couldn't get the permit yet. So I just told him that, you know, all my employees were girls. So I was like, I just need a male there, like just a security in case a client comes, drops off money, whatever, you get it for me.

And I was paying $3,500 a month just to do that. That's all you gotta do. There are times he's in the place sleeping all day, or he goes whatever. It's all good. I'm not complaining because you're just doing the job I pay you to do.

Mm-hmm.

So he had access to the safe. He had a key to the safe. Every morning he'll come, unlock, turn the alarm off, whatever. Um, so one morning he just decides to go very early, and it's smart because he knows I take my kids to school 7:45, 8 o'clock.

Yeah,

so 7:45 he goes to the store, goes in there, unlocks it, cleans out one of the safes, and just leaves. And the night before, he loaded— he rented a U-Haul, loaded the whole truck up from his house he rented, and like I said, from Dallas.

Yeah, this is everything.

He planned this. Yeah, he, he, he like he pulled up to the store with the U-Haul truck. There was someone driving it, I couldn't see. But then he drove his car, got out, went in, did that, and burnt off.

That's crazy.

You know what I mean? And, um, it's crazy because I didn't even know yet. And then I get a call around 12 o'clock. I'm at the house and I'm talking to my sister about some stuff. And then my other employee is like, hey, uh, did you grab some stuff from the safe? And I was like, Nah, I ain't been in the store in like 3 days. She's like, there's a bunch of stuff missing. And I'm like, what do you mean it's missing? She's like, it's not there. And automatically, bro, I was just like, where's he at? And they're like, he's not here. I'm like, call him. I try to call him, he don't answer. Nobody call. That's when we looked at the cameras and then we saw that he did that.

So he had burglarized you guys that day. And, um, so from there What ends up happening? I mean, you, you guys call the police, you guys do police report, they start investigating.

The crazy part, bro, so like, you know, as soon as the, the video call, my bookkeeper calls the police right away. I text him, I call him, he don't answer. I text him, hey bro, hit me back. 2 hours later, he don't hit me. I text him again, hey bro, like, holla at me, whatever you're going through, we can figure this out. Let's just talk about it, you know. He don't hit me. I remember my bookkeeper calling me like, yo, the police wants to meet, want to talk. And I'm like, look, just, just stall them for a second. Let me just figure this out. Because they came to the store already, you know, they see the cameras, they're doing all that stuff. And I remember, I think it was like 6, 7 o'clock by this time, and I texted him. I said, Lay, bro, like, it's my last time reaching out. Just call me, bro. We can figure this out.

Yeah.

But after this, if you don't hear me, it's not in my hands anymore. And, you know, basically I waited till literally like 9:45, bro, and I had to go to the store because they were waiting. talked to them, like, in the situation with what it was, you know, he walked in, burglarized it, he left, you know, and that's just that. And, you know, he burnt off back to Dallas. And the moment I knew that he was getting the calls was that I had a family member had, like, reached out just to text him about something. And he replied to them right away the next morning.

Oh, wow.

So it's just like, you know, like, fuck me. You know what I mean?

Yeah.

And I noticed it was funny because it was just like the person I was on— my sister, she didn't want to talk to the cops about nothing. And it's just like, you're the manager, like you're the partner. And so I remember telling her, I'm like, yo, like, you just got to talk to them, whatever they got to ask you. You're not— you know, I don't need you to lie about nothing. Like, it's the end of the day. And she was just like, wow, I'm not trying to deal with that. I'm like, bro, he didn't just rob me, he robbed you. You know, the store is our store.

So it's your guys' business.

Yeah, literally. You know, he took literally $1.8 million in jury, you know what I mean? That's my cost at the time. And this is not what inflation would go— going up or none, you know? And I'm just like, I'm not understanding why you don't need to talk to him and figure out this here, because it's like, this ain't no street shit, bro. This is a legitimate business, and this is what it is. Whatever info we need, we need to figure this out, you know? And it was just funny, like, the, the way she was acting. And then once again, how God works, you know what I mean, bro? Like After the robbery, like, things started coming out, like the light started shining different things. And you know, when you know 3 different people and they tell you the same story but they don't know each other, Mm-hmm. It's probably true, you know what I mean? And that started coming to light. Things like that started going on, bro. And, um, I just— it was just like, damn, you know, I realized it was like she had to do as much as this, like She didn't plan it.

But she put that machine in his back. She put the negativity in his ear. You know what I mean? And that's why I say it was like, that was a cancer, like the way you say it, you know, and I should have seen it right there. And I should have like nipped it in the bud. But I was just like, you know, that's just how she is. Fuck it, you know, let her be whatever. And, you know, I ended up having to cut ties with her.

And,

you know, I cut ties with her. try to keep it cordial, never talked about it. This is actually the first time I'm talking about all this since this happened.

Yeah,

like this detail. And you know, like, I left it like, you know, I didn't want to talk about it in public to people. But then it's like, she started like trying to make lies, started doing things,

right?

And it's just like, you showing your true color, you know what I mean?

Yeah.

Because to me, it's like, I even say to this day, you know, as much as what he did to me and what she did to me, I can't talk that bad about them because for so long I loved them and I still love them to this day.

Yeah.

I don't, I don't, I don't— do I regret it? No, I can't say I regret it. Do I— I don't have no negative way to say about it, you know. Everything that I had with them, the memories we had, it was real. And so that's why I can't sit here and talk bad about them or creative shit about them. But I just know that The best way I put it, because even insurance didn't cover my shit, you know what I mean? So for me, it was like, I paid $1.8 million to get rid of those people out of my life. Because I will admit that since, like, that happened, I let go of so many people that I realized was a strain to me. Like, every day I woke up trying to—

Yes.

Think of how I could help them. I'll never forget, me and my therapist talk about this every time we talked about her was that a few weeks before this happening, I'm sitting there crying to my therapist. And she asked me, why do you feel so responsible for this person?

Yeah.

Why do you feel like her future or career is in your hands? Like, she's a grown woman.

Yeah.

And I'm sitting there like, man, you know, like, she, she left Dallas and came down to Houston and took a chance on me. And she, you know, she, she— I want to— don't want to let her down. I want to make sure she's good. I'm not gonna be good till she good. But it's like, she didn't take a chance on me. I paid her twice as much as what she was getting paid. I gave her free home housing when she came. I put her son in private school. Like, you ain't do me no fucking favor, you know what I'm saying? So it's like, I don't owe you shit, you know what I mean? And I feel like that's what my problem was, is that I'm like— I guess the best way, bro, like, I was undervaluing myself. I wasn't looking at myself and holding my value of who I am. So I was sitting there feeling like, oh, these people have done this for me. I need to do more for them. But nah, like, I helped you more than you helped me.

Yeah.

And that's just what it is. You know, it's not even trying to cap or showboat or nothing.

Right.

The facts are the facts. Like, one of my best— one of my other friends that knew us said it best, bro. He's like, yeah, I've been hearing her talking all this bad about you. I see her like saying shit about you. But I was here talking about all the good shit that I see you do for her that I've seen myself. Every piece of designer bag, every piece of jewelry you have on, your whole life was from me. Like I did, I took care of her so well that people thought we had a romantic relationship together. But we didn't. Like this was a person that I saw like, you're my sister. And you, you believed in me, you took a chance on me. And so as long as I'm good, you have nothing to worry about. You know what I mean? But for you to badmouth me and even like try to destroy my character, it just shows you who your character of a person is, you know what I mean? And it's like, I feel like, like I said, she didn't tell him to do it. And she didn't like plan it, but I truly believe that she was the reason why he did it.

Like, he wasn't strong-minded enough to even think about something like that. You know what I mean? And so like, that's just what it is, you know what I mean? And it's just like, they're always gonna hold on to just the life they had with me, because that's gonna be the best time of their lives ever.

Yeah.

You know, and I'm gonna just— I'm gonna keep doing what I do. And I'm, you know, I'm gonna turn that 1.8 to 18 one day, you know what I mean?

Easily, man. You know how to do it already, man. And this is what I I always tell people, I mean, this is what I preach to like even my newest employees, my newest, I like to call them teammates, right? Because everybody's an adult, bro. There's so much opportunity over there, especially with the online space. Look at what you created. And you were on the online space before it even got huge, right? MySpace, man. I always tell people, man, I wish, I wish I would've taken more advantage of it back then.

Yeah.

But it is what it is. But to go back to that, man, it's deep and it really resonates with me. Why? Because Whenever I go ahead and I mentor anybody, whenever I meet anybody new, level of expectations, my man. You know the reason why me and my wife, I could truly say she's my best friend? Because before we started dating, I sat her down. I was like, look, 36 years old at that time. I was like, this is what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a traditional woman. I'm looking for someone who is more of a homebody. I'm looking for somebody who's gonna respect the fact that my business comes number one right now. and then you. And she's like, okay, I respect that. Boom. All right, now we're together. Before we got married, then what? I expect you're gonna be a stay-at-home mom. I'll be a provider. But guess what? You're taking care of the entire house. Boom. We're good to go. Yeah. Same thing with employees. Same thing with partnerships, bro. This is why I always tell people, man, I think— I'm not gonna say you made a mistake because at the end of the day, you have a good heart, bro.

And you've learned everything through experience, just like me. I'm hardheaded, bro. I am hardheaded. So I gotta learn things the hard way.

Yeah.

Right? That's why I always say I live 3 different lives, corporate, cop, and now entrepreneur. But I think with you, it's because people have given you opportunities like your mentor, Nick. He gave you an opportunity and you were like, wow, I never thought I was gonna be a jeweler. Boom. Look how it happens. One person changed your life.

Yep.

So you probably thought that you were going to change their life, bro. But see, they didn't take the opportunity that you gave them. They didn't see the bigger vision. And that's what it comes down to, is being able to go ahead and show somebody the vision, bro, and then take them through that journey together. And that's what it takes, man. It's a lot of emotional distress, bro. But I'm gonna tell you something right now, you're probably at the stage of life where, bro, you're probably not stressing about much as you used to because you got rid of all the negative people around you.

Definitely, bro. Definitely.

Yeah,

I see, you know, because I went through a funk, bro. I think the biggest thing was even the money. But it was the fact that even my whole years of life in crime, no one ever did me like that.

Yeah.

Like the level of trust to where even my closest friends, like the guys in this room.

Yep.

30 years I've known them. And even they were like, we didn't even expect that. Because of, you know, it, it came out of like left field, bro, you know what I mean? And it's just like, it fucked me up, bro. It fucked me up to where, you know, until this day I still deal with it, you know what I mean? Of course. It's just like, it's, it's, it's hard every day. But slowly, I'm, I feel like I'm at like 80% back to my mentality and who I was. And, you know, like I said, you know, you just got to shake it off, bro, you know what I mean? And Yeah, that's what we got to do as hustlers, you know, like, it is what it is. And like I told you, it's funny because how I come across those old videos that I never released. And I'm just watching myself talk. And I'm like, bro, I know these things already. And it's like, I should have been watching the videos.

Yeah,

it would have got myself out the funk sooner, you know, of

course.

And so sometimes, like, or not sometimes, I truly believe this for so long now is we are our worst enemies. We are our worst critics.

Yeah.

And if that is the case for every person, they can succeed, and they can really surpass anything they do if they fight themselves. You know, I always say, like, at an early age, I learned this is like, everything that happens around me, whether good or bad, is some way, somehow my fault.

Yeah.

So I take the accountability. And my therapist tends to tell me that sometimes I do too much. She says, you, you always try to take the blood and put it on your hands. for everybody. But sometimes you have to let people carry the blood on their hands for their stuff. But to me, it was like, it's easier for me to do that because I can just be like, okay, this happened. How is it your fault, Jimmy? And how you can avoid that same problem from happening?

Facts. Moving facts.

Because, you know, there's so many people now that will sit there and they'll have you twisted and turning in the same place by their excuses or the way they want to justify the way they justify.

100%.

when it's just like, and once again, I don't mean to say this, but my therapist tells me like, your problem sometimes is you're too logical. But me being logical has gotten me where I need to go. And you know, that's just how it works. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, that's how it's got to be sometimes.

Well, that's all right, man. I mean, I think your logic and what you have done all these years have led you through the right path, because look what you have built. look at the daughter that you raised. Um, is she looking to be, uh, take over the family business? What, what is her vision for the future?

Right now, like, um, I don't think she is, bro. And, and, um, I'm happy with that. I never wanted her to. Um, uh, we had just recently talked, and I think she wants to go into business law, you know, either that or finance. She enjoys finance. She loves financing, she says. So for me, it's like I think the best blessing I had— I said this to her the other day, you know, and I don't want to— I, you know, I told her, I said, you know, you got— you're a junior now. You know, I remember when she was about to graduate high school and I was just like, you want to just take a break? You know, you've been going to school since she was 2 years old. You want to take a break for a year before you go to college? She's like, nah, let me just knock this out. So I told her recently when we had brought up the business law, I said, look, you know, right now your tuition's costing me almost $100,000 a year. I go, you're a junior now. Once you get your bachelor's degree, whatever you choose to get it— right now it's in business administration with a minor in business law— I said, once you get that, your trust fund actually kicks in and you get $5,000 a month for the rest of your life.

Now you can just do that and not even go to school, you know. Is that what you're trying to do? And she's like, are you serious? I'm like, what? She's like, like, you, you think that's what I'm in this for? Like, no, like, I'm not gonna— like I'm gonna take it all the way, the way you need it, you know? And I say that to say, it's like, as hard as I am on myself, which I am very hard, things like that or times like that, it tells me I'm doing something right. You know what I mean?

Absolutely.

When I watch these other kids that like are like spoiled rotten or entitled or things like that, like, let's be real, I probably would have been like, yeah, let me just get the 60 for the rest of my life because shit, it's gonna save me money. I ain't gotta pay 100. But the fact that she's like, nah, I'm not in it for that. I'm gonna just go for it. It's, it's like, you know, I wish I had that growing up. You know, I didn't have the, the right role model to stay in school. You know, my highest grade I completed was 8th grade. Like, I just, you know, you know, like, and I think about that, you know, like when I was going through my rough times of thinking about all the time I invested in this sister or brother of mine. I could have spent more time with my daughter, you know, certain bad habits she has of mine, like how she's so hard on herself. Maybe I could have like helped her earlier stages to where she don't got to be so hard on herself now. You know, I think about that, like, you invested so much time in these people that ain't even your blood, these people that come from whatever situation they came from, that is not your responsibility.

You could use that time towards your own blood and your own children. Because I always truly believe like, Children are born like a blank canvas. And how you choose to raise them and the environment you put them in, bro, is going to be their art.

Yep.

And when you meet a stranger, or you meet a person that's been through that, you can't fix that piece of painting. So why be so focused on that when you can focus on your own to give them what it is they need to succeed?

But you know what, you're doing a goddamn good job, brother. I mean, she's hard on herself. But look, she's like, nah, I'm gonna take it all the way.

Yeah,

you know what I'm saying? So at the end of the day, you should be very proud as a dad. And you're a bloodline breaker. I'm the first bloodline breaker in my family, brother. And it's not gonna stop. It's not gonna stop with you. It's not gonna stop with me, man. I mean, I got my son. We're— we want to have another kid next year, God willing, bro. And just keep it going, right?

For sure.

So what's the— what's the future hold for you, brother? I know you're trying to go more into like different investments and all that jazz, but I know you're working on a couple big things that you cannot speak about right now. But what, what can you tell the audience right now? What's in the future for Jimmy Phan?

You know, I will say, like, you know, like I said, like 2000s, I was a rapper, you know, in 2010s, I became a jeweler. You know, I've always been an entrepreneur, you know, I've always been involved in business. I've been involved in real estate. So I have a lot of projects in the back end that I'm actually putting more thought into now as far as like, my real estate portfolio. Due to like the projects I can't talk about, the jewelry, it's actually given me a lot of flexibility to be able to focus on other things now, which is definitely a blessing. And I can't wait for the world to find out what, you know, I'm doing with these jewelry projects. But right now, just more focusing on being, you know, the present father that I can be. And just really focus on diversifying my portfolio as in putting more focus into it. instead of, you know, allowing others to be, you know, others be handling it. Because like, you know, like they say, you know, like, no one's gonna handle your stuff like you gonna handle it, you know. Facts. And I had to learn that the hard way.

And thankfully, I'm still in a place where I can fix it and clean up for it, you know. So just be an all-around, you know, entrepreneur that I've always tried to be, man. And honestly, I don't, I don't know what's next, you know. I wrote a book in 2020 called 48 Laws of Hustle. It became a bestselling book. And I had wrote my biography then, but I didn't release it because I felt at that time I didn't have like the final, like, ending.

I think you might got it now, bro.

No, I definitely, I definitely feel that.

I think you should launch book 2.

Yeah,

I got, I got some great people in my network that helped me publish my book, made it number 1 on Amazon and all that jazz. So I mean, I'll connect you with them.

Definitely.

And see what they could do for you. Now, now they can expedite things fast, man. All they need you to do is speak in the mic. And they got the, the copywriter.

Honestly, bro, like, because I also wrote a book that I never released called Dealing with My Daughter. And basically, it's a memoir of during the time when me and her mom separated, and I was raising her, dealing with her as in being a father, but also dealing drugs with her.

Wow.

And have her being around that. And it was just like, kind of like a letter to her at the same time, for her to maybe understand now what my mind was going through, or what demons I was fighting, trying to balance everything. And try to just, you know, every father's tried to do, whether it be, you know, working hard or going through the hard times, you know what I mean? Because I feel like our situations are very similar. in different ways. It's also not, but overall we all have the same goal.

It is.

And it's the same, same struggle. You know what I

mean? No, 100%, man. It's like, where do you find the balance, right? Being an entrepreneur, being a leader, raising your kids. I mean, people, it's hard, bro. It's hard. You're, you're, you're never going to stop working. I tell people I don't stop working whether I'm in the office, at home, at my marriage and my son, everybody, bro. Everything is work, right? Your body, your health, your mindset. I mean, Uh, therapy. I mean, it's a lot of work, bro.

Yeah, man. Like, I remember one time I asked somebody, and I was chilling with somebody, and I'm like, what's going through your mind right now? And they're like, nothing. And I'm like,

there's

no way.

Yeah, there's no way.

There's no way. There's no— it's physically impossible. How are you not thinking about nothing? Because my mind, bro, is—

it's like

this, running. There's always, bro, like always, literally.

Yeah, man. So that's good, man. So where can the people find you, brother?

So right now you can find me, uh, on my social media, Instagram, which is, uh, Jimmy XBOI. Um, really mainly it's just Instagram right now, you know what I mean? Like, we working on new stuff. Um, you know, I got my private showroom in Houston, and, uh, you know, I plan to get into YouTube more. You know, we have Live the Hustle TV, your YouTube channel, and also Done Right. Um, but like I said, these last couple years was like kind of like the fuck I was going through, so we're Getting things back in motion, really, uh, getting back to all the people that have been supporting me, following me. You know, like I said before, like, it's important. And I want them to know, if they're watching, that the people that do know me from back then, you know, without y'all, I wouldn't be able to be here, like, truthfully. And I appreciate the support and everything. And, um, I'm gonna show you why y'all still riding with me to this day.

And then for everyone that's listening right now, Jimmy, if you were to give the old you some advice back when you were still in the streets, back when you were in and out of juvenile hall and jail and all that jazz, what would you tell the old you as you right now to level up?

I think the best thing I would tell myself during that time is that believe in yourself. And when I say believe in myself, it's just, I feel like a lot of the times, or, you know, because it can be a bad thing, but a lot of times I was going through, I was trying to prove something. And it worked out that I was able to prove, you know, but I feel like being in more tune to understanding, because like I said, a lot of people around me didn't get to be blessed to be able to change their lives. And I think it's because they ain't believing themselves.

Hmm.

And so like, I got very blessed that when I went and tried to prove, it worked. But it's not easy, you know. And so believing in yourself and just, just believing in yourself, bro, I think that's the top thing. Because if you can't see it, it's not going to happen. And like, there's that saying like, It doesn't start in your brain. It starts in your hair. And it doesn't go in there until you really are able to see it. You know what I mean?

Yeah, yeah. No, absolutely, man. It's so true. You got to be able to see, you got to be able to write it, you got to be able to speak into existence. And then you got to lead by example. And I think that's the biggest thing, the biggest key takeaway throughout your entire story, bro, that like I was listening to the entire time that I was just like, man, I can relate to you so much, bro. Even though I know that You know, I was in law enforcement. People don't like the police and all that jazz, but still, it's very relatable, your story, man. And I think

definitely,

I think you need to focus on putting your words out there, man, and preaching and giving out more people, especially on YouTube. You'll blow up on YouTube for sure, bro.

Definitely.

So with that being said, guys, my name is Paul Alex. Jimmy Fan here. And, uh, guys, make sure to check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Leave a 5-star review. We're currently top 25 in business. We'll catch you on the next one. Peace.