All language subtitles for Hart to Heart s03e05 Issa Rae.eng

**

-You know somebody's successful
in this business

when they've got
a lot of job titles.

My guest today,
well, they're one of them.

She's a writer, producer, actor,

business mentor,
content creator,

and is on her way to becoming --
can I say it?

I feel like I should -- a mogul.

Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome Issa Rae.

Holy shit.
-Wow. One take.

-Holy -- I mean...
-You are a professional.

-Is it not amazing?
-Wow. Hello.

-Hurry up and sit down
'cause you taller than me.

-Okay.
-Hurry up and sit down.

Welcome.
I'm excited about this one.

-I'm very excited.

Thank you so much
for having me on.

-I'm, like, really excited
about this one.

-This is an impressive set.
I just got to say that.

-You like the set?
-Yeah, I do.

-What do you like about it?
-It just has so much depth.

-Yeah. Yeah.
-It's just like...

-Yeah.
-...wow.

I'm really in a wine cellar.

-Well, I'mma to take you there.
-Okay.

-That's the thing
about being on this show.

I'm gonna take you
on a full experience, right?

-I'm here.
-By the way,

your level of comfort
has to come

from the environment
that you're in.

That's what this
is based off of.

-Okay.
-You do know that?

-I'm always comfortable
around bottles of wine.

-Okay. Well, then we're
about to have a good time.

Issa, I want to welcome you
to "Hart to Heart."

-Thank you.

-I hope you know what we do
on this show.

If you do not, I'll give you
a brief description.

We have real conversations,
great conversations.

But these conversations happen
over an amazing glass of wine.

Right?
I think over a glass of wine,

amazing conversations happen.

And that's what I can only
hope that'll happen today.

That being said,
let me get my somm out here.

Look at this.
-Hi!

-Hello, hello.
-Oh, snap.

-Mm-hmm.
-Mr. Hart, Mrs. Rae.

So from the cellar today --

Central Otago, South Island,
New Zealand, Pinot Noir.

For Mrs. Rae, we've got
a beautiful champagne,

Champagne France, rosé,

Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier,
as well as Chardonnay.

-And it's Black-owned.
-Yes it is.

-I love it.
-Both. Both.

-Let's go. Come on.
-Absolutely.

Mr. Hart, may I pour her first?
-Absolutely. Absolutely.

-And would you care for some
of the Pinot Noir, as well?

-You know what?
Fuck it. Yeah.

Let's go bold.
-Ain't nothing better

than somebody with a problem
that's okay with it.

That's the best --
Somebody's that's got a problem

and looks you dead in the eye
and says, "Fuck it.

It's gonna be
what it's gonna be."

I'm gonna do --
I'm gonna do me."

-Okay.
-Give me a chance.

-Please enjoy both --
once again, Pinot Chardonnay

and Pinot Meunier,
but 100% Pinot Noir,

elegant, lifted, bright, floral.
-Get in there.

-And look for a little bit
of toasted brioche on this.

-Not toasted brioche.
-Absolutely.

Please enjoy.
-I will.

-Which one do you want?

Which one you want
to go with first?

-I want to go with this first,
a little bubbly.

He's so articulate.

That's what you have to do
in sommelier school.

You have to be articulate.

-Well, you have to know
not only the meaning

of all the things
they're talking about,

but you got to be able
to pronounce it.

-Well, I failed.
-Cheers.

-Cheers.
-To you being on the show.

Issa, I'm gonna take a sip, man,
and then I'mma start.

I got a lot of questions
for you, a lot of questions.

-Okay.
-Alright?

That's good.
I don't even drink champagne.

-It's very good. I'm sorry.
I forgot to mention that.

I was already --
I love it.

-No, I don't even drink
champagne, but that's good.

Alright, my biggest thing
for you

is the understanding
that I have of you.

And I feel like today
I get to walk away

with a much different
understanding,

because this is our first time
having, like,

an in-depth conversation, right?
-Yeah.

-From Los Angeles.
-Yep.

-Inglewood?
-From L.A.

I'm from View Park,
but, you know,

I was born
in Inglewood Hospital.

-Okay.

-And my grandparents
live in Inglewood.

A lot of people think
I'm from Inglewood,

but I'm from South L.A.

-Here's what I love the most
about you

that I've seen from afar
and I'm starting to see more of.

It's not just about
where you're from,

it's about the changes
that you are very adamant

about making from the places
you grew up in.

You're very serious
about your culture.

You're very serious
about uplifting

and creating opportunities
for your people,

especially in the places
you come from, right?

"I want to see change here."

Was that a thing
that was always there?

-The "I want to see change here"

was a thing
that was always there.

For me initially, because
I didn't know any better,

it came from
in front of the camera.

It came from, like, the images
that I wanted to see

just because I had --
I had seen them.

I had grown up on them,
so I knew it was possible.

And so then when it was taken
away when I was watching TV

in, like, high school
and college, movies,

I was like, "Where's all
this stuff that I grew up on?"

Like, you know,
"Where are these stories,

and why is it just kind of

the same narrative
that's being shown?

I know we're more than this."

And so, like, even creating
was born out of a frustration.

And then when I did that online
and started making the content,

I was like, "Oh, there are
all these other jobs."

And initially it just came
from my circle.

Like, these are
the people I know,

and so they're helping me
to make this.

They happened to be Black

because most of my friends
are Black.

And then, you know,
then by extension,

we're bringing on,
you know, more diverse crew.

And then it wasn't until
I would work on

smaller things, other sets,

and I'd be like,
"Damn, this is like..."

I didn't realize
how rare this is

to work with other
people of color.

Like, Hollywood is very,
very white behind the camera.

And so then it became like,
"Well, if I get my own show,

like, I still want
to replicate this,

'cause I see that it's a rarity.

And why not?
'Cause I can."

-How did you figure it out,
though?

How did you figure out
the development space

of "Awkward Black Girl"?
Right?

Like you said, you came up,
you wanted to act.

You knew that that's what
you wanted to do.

But a lot of people
struggle with the,

"Well, what's my entry?"

You were a hot commodity

just in the next version
of a thing.

"This girl is a star.

Like, oh, my God,
you got to watch this girl."

Like, creating that
and then developing that,

like, where did
that understanding come from?

Was that college that gave you
that knowledge?

-Yeah, a little bit.

I mean, not for myself,
in particular.

But, like, people don't know
that "Awkward Black Girl"

was, like, the third
web series that I made.

It was the third attempt.

And it's the only one
that I was in.

The first two that I made,
you know,

I wrote and directed them,
edited them,

all those things, you know,
that you're doing

when you're making
online content yourself.

And, you know, the first one
I did do in college,

and that was starring
my friends,

and I loved the response

that that got just
from college to college.

And, you know, it was about
being Black at Stanford,

called "Dorm Diaries."

And that was like, "Oh, okay.

I made something
that people like,

and it's spreading
beyond my friend group.

This is dope."

And I just made it online,

and then I still wanted
to sell it to TV.

So I was trying to, like, reach
into my network to be like,

"Hey, I made this show.

People really like it online.

It's only like 500
to 1,000 people,

but, you know, it's something."

And they didn't want it.

So then I created
my second show after that,

and it was starring my brother
and his friend group.

And that was something
I took more seriously online

where I was like,
"I'm gonna release it every week

and build a following there."

And I started to learn
the tools of, like, you know,

you can't make content
that's too long online.

You have to catch
people's attention.

You have to be consistent.

So I started developing
those skills

so by the time
I did "Awkward Black Girl"

and put myself in it,

even though I was scared
as hell to put myself in it --

-Why? Why didn't you put
yourself in the other ones?

-Well, by that time,
I was just like,

"I like to write and direct."
-Okay.

-'Cause I had gone
to a school that --

You know, like, the plays
and stuff where I had been --

I went to a predominantly
Black and Latino high school,

so, like, the plays were for us.

I was in all of those.

Well, by the time
I got to college,

it was a predominantly
white college.

Like, there were no roles.

They weren't making stuff
for us,

so I had no interest
in the same way.

And so it came -- like, my
directing and writing came from,

like, "Oh, I'm gonna make it.

I will create, like, a play that
features us," or whatever it is.

And so by the time "Awkward
Black Girl" came around,

I didn't want to feature myself

because I didn't have
the same confidence anymore.

I'd been working with actors,

and also, you know,
I had someone else in mind.

Like, I wrote it
with somebody else in mind.

And then that person
couldn't do it

'cause she was in law school.

I was in L.A.
She was in D.C.

And so I just felt like
I was running out of time,

so I was like,
"Let me just be in it."

-"Fuck it. I'm gonna do it."
-Yeah, exactly.

-That's crazy that
you didn't have the want

for the in-front-of-the-camera
success stuff.

Like, your -- your wishes were,

"I want to be a creative,
write, direct.

And that's my wheelhouse.
That's what I'm gonna be."

The discovery now comes in
your talent in your own series.

When did that snap in, like --
when did you tap into

the understanding
that you were good?

-I don't know that
that's ever set in.

I know that I've had moments
where I was like,

"Oh, I did that."

But there's never been,
like, a --

as far as, like, the acting
as the forefront, like,

even I don't identify
as an actress first.

I identify as a writer,
producer, creator,

and then the acting --
-But you are.

-I enjoy it.
Yeah, sure, yes.

-It's not "sure."
You are.

-I -- And I enjoy it.

-I just want you to know
that you are.

You can't just bypass that
and act as if you're not

when you have several things
under your umbrella that --

-I am an actress and I act,

but that's not, like,
what drives me.

What drives me is,
like, creating.

And I have fun, for sure.
-Got it.

-But, like, there's nothing
more satisfying to me

than having an idea and then
making that shit happen.

-Alright, on that note,

we are going to take
a quick commercial break.

Guys, we'll be right back with
more "Hart to Heart" after this.

**

**

-Welcome back
to "Hart to Heart."

I'm sitting here with Issa Rae.

I think that's the dopest thing
about what you're talking about.

It's like the not knowing how
to do it and the figuring it out

and the completion
of figuring it out

and then seeing it move on
and grow to be something else.

So even though
you're talking about

just the first couple
of web series

and then
the "Awkward Black Girl" came,

alright, shit, this comes
and now progresses

and now has a following.

Wow. You're --
You're being sought after.

There's another conversation
to be had now.

It looks as if this thing
is going to propel you

to the next stage
of entertainment.

-Yeah.
-What was that moment?

-When I found out
that I was gonna --

that I was gonna go
to this next level?

Oh, my God.
It came in --

You know, you have --
You know.

You have so many moments
where it's like,

"Oh, this about to be it,"
and then it's not.

So I had a couple of those
moments just by interactions.

Sometime -- You know, when I had
the opportunity with Pharrell

and he picked up
our second season,

I was like, "Oh,
this is opening me up

to so many other people
to watch the show,

to watch our little web series."

And then through that, because
he funded the second season,

we got reviewed
in "Rolling Stone."

And then "Rolling Stone"
was seen by Shonda Rhimes.

And then, you know,
they saw that --

her company, Shondaland,
saw that review,

and then I got the opportunity
to create, like,

one of their first
comedy pilots.

And that was like, "Wow,
this is my television hero."

There's no Black women --
-I was gonna say, like,

what is the Shonda Rhimes of it
all for you at that moment?

Like, you are --

-She really --

In the same way
that I didn't know that,

oh, like, when I shoot
"Awkward Black Girl,"

there's hella people,
there's so many jobs,

I didn't really know
what a showrunner was.

I knew that people wrote
for television.

I knew that there were
writers' rooms to an extent.

But to see a successful
Black woman running a show,

having a successful series
like "Grey's Anatomy," then --

-But, like, really...
-Like, really successful...

-...like, running the shit.
-...running the shit.

And, like, I didn't know
even what that entailed

until, you know, I did it.

And then I was like,
"Oh, my God.

She is really killing it."

But that was just, like,
sometimes you don't know

what you want to achieve
until you see it.

And I felt like she was
very much that for me.

And so by the time
they called me in,

she had "Scandal"
and "Grey's Anatomy" on the air.

And they were both hit shows.

And so for me seeing her,

immediately after
our first meeting,

I did that thing
where I was like,

"Can I get a picture with you?"
Like...

And it was all the things
you shouldn't do,

but, you know,
that's how I felt about her.

-What's your relationship
with Shonda now?

-She's, like, just a mentor,
in a way.

And she's just -- she shows
love, and I'm still a fan.

And she's always
been supportive.

-Have you been able to sit down,
pick her brain?

Like, I mean, after that stage,
later on,

I mean,
you get to where you are now,

have you ever tried
to double back

and have the conversations,
of course, and say,

"Wow, that moment was for me"?

-In group settings.
But you know what I've realized?

And this is --
I forget who I have access to.

Even talking to you sometimes,
I'm like...

-I've gotten mad at you before.

-I know, because I don't like
to ask people for help.

And everybody's busy.
You're doing 70 million things.

Ava's doing 70 million things.

Shonda's doing
70 million things.

Recently, like, just on some --
whatever stuff, like,

I hit up Diddy, like, 'cause
I was going through something,

and it just popped in my head.

I was gonna hit him
for something else,

something, like, social related.

And I was going through
something business-wise,

and I was like,
"This man literally does

so many of the things
that I do and aspire to do.

I'm having this dilemma.
Let me just ask him."

And then it, like --
And then the advice

that he gave me
and the wheelhouse

was, like, exactly
what I needed at the time.

And I was like,
"Why don't I do this more?"

So short answer, no,
but I will, and I want to.

-"Long story short, Kevin,
no, I haven't."

-No, I have not.

-That's like
the most important thing

that I feel people
don't tap into enough.

-But who do you tap into?
-Everybody.

-No.
No, I don't believe it.

-I'm 1,000% telling you
the truth. Everybody.

-That you literally ask someone,
"Hey, what do I do for advice?"

-Everybody.

-But not everybody.

For people who you know
are very, very busy.

-Everybody.

-Alright, fine.
I hear you.

-There is not one person

that will not take your call
when you're looking for --

-That's not true.
-No, it's not.

You think that,
and that's what the problem is.

Like, people are in their
own way because they're --

You have the assumption
that you're gonna think,

and I don't want you to think.

It's all based off of a thought.

Like, you're creating a reaction

that hasn't even been had.

So 9 times out of 10,
if you really do reach out,

you'll be surprised
how many people will go, "Hey!

Oh, my God. Yo, it's crazy
that you called me.

I'm a big fan,
and I just want to say

I love the work
that you're doing.

What's up?
What's going on?"

Like, there's a synergy
that's lost

because so many people
stopped networking.

So many people stopped --

-Because you don't know
if people are genuine, either.

I mean, you've extended that,
like, credit to you.

Like, even in talking to you,
you've just been like,

"Hit me, hit me," and I'm like,
"This nigga busy. He lying."

-You told me one time,
"No, Kev."

You told me one time, you said,

"I hit you,
and you ain't hit me back."

I was like, "Alright,
that's one time."

I was like, "Damn!"

I was like, "So it's over?
What do you mean?"

I said, "It was one time.

I was shooting.
I was out the country."

You were like "Alright, nah,
Kev, you be saying that shit,

but I hit you one time."

I was like,
"It was one time, Issa."

-That sounds like me.

I was saying, I respect these
people so much, and that's why.

-But there's also in return
a high level of respect.

I mean, I'm sitting here
talking to you now.

I'm more of a fan.

I'm more of a guy that's like,
"Yo, I want to talk to her

because I want to fucking know
what's going on.

I want to hear her talk
about her journey," et cetera.

But it's more of a fan.

You'd be surprised,
like, how much --

how much people forget
that that exists.

Right now, you're talking
about "Awkward Black Girl."

I love the story.
I like that it started here.

And that's how you got
to "Insecure."

But I don't know
what happened in between.

So I'm here as a fan,
how the fuck --

How did you jump from "Awkward
Black Girl" to "Insecure"?

I want to know.

This is me looking
for information.

-It was a hobble.
It wasn't a jump.

You know, it was like --

You know, even the Shonda stuff,

that was like
a big embarrassment

when that didn't go through.

-Why was that an embarrassment?

-Because...

You know what it is.
You --

First of all,
the announcement is everything.

When people are like, "Oh!

'Awkward Black Girl'
working with Shonda Rhimes!

Oh, shit!"

And that's on "Deadline."
You're posting it.

And then -- then you
have to do the work.

Then it has to be good.
-Mm-hmm.

-And for that, I just --
I was so scared.

And there was so much pressure,
and I wanted to get it right.

And I loved them so much,
and it just --

You know, the show that I
ended up making wasn't right.

And so then -- Thank God
there's no announcement

that's like, "Ah,
this bitch didn't do it."

You know, but you
still know that.

And so...then even
with the opportunity with HBO,

like, that was like another,
"Oh, my God,

I get another shot?"

And then stuff comes out
about that like,

"Oh, she's about to do
a show with HBO."

And that was my, like,
dream network.

And that took a long time to do.

And it was just like draft
after draft, and it just --

it wasn't right for them,
and so I was --

-What I'm hearing
is something different, right?

-What are you hearing?
-I'm hearing, like,

it didn't work because
you needed the experience

of understanding what not to do.

-But you don't know that
at the time.

-But that's the beauty
of that moment.

That's the beauty of that stage
in the business.

Like, we don't get
a cheat sheet.

We don't get a handbook.
We're thrown in it.

So, what I'm hearing is like,
"Okay, at that moment, damn,

I now have to --
I got to fucking make it happen.

I've got to create the show

that they're looking
for me to create."

But in doing that,
the road to --

the road to victory there
isn't an easy one,

and there's a lot of opinions.

Everybody's got a note
and this and that.

"I got to get my draft,
and it was right, wasn't.

And I ended up
turning in something,

but we didn't make the show,
and I look at it as I failed."

I look at it as like,
"Damn. Fuck."

But that's not the fail
because then you figure out,

"Well, I'mma do something else."

-Yeah, but, you know,
that still fucks me up now.

But what fucked me up back then

was feeling like I had to do it
in a certain time.

I don't know why --

-What do you mean when you say
"a certain time"?

You're saying like
a certain timeline?

-Yeah, a certain timeframe.

Like, for me,
I've always been inhibited

or propelled by the fact
that I feel like

I don't have many times
or many chances.

Like, I don't have enough time
and enough chances.

-I can relate to that.
-So it feels like -- yeah --

I didn't get this done.

When you're inundated
by images of,

"So-and-so did this by 19.

They got an Oscar by 23."

And you're like, "Damn, I'm 27,

and I have not done
any of those things."

And that's intimidating.

-It's the window, right?
-Yes.

-When does my window close?

-Yes, that is
my frequent question.

-When does my window close,
and is my window open,

and are the same opportunities

the ones that I'm
watching others get?

And if so, you know,
I don't feel like mine are here,

and that means
that it could be over soon.

But, like, it's a learned trait
to understand, like, that --

that isn't necessarily true.

-Mm.
-It's what we think is true.

-Yeah, you don't believe --
You still operate that way.

I feel like I still
operate that way.

-But you don't have to.

Like, it's a thing that
we got to get out --

Okay, I'm gonna
be honest with you.

We're talking and we're being
transparent and authentic.

-Mm-hmm.

-It took probably over the
course of the last two years

I got out of the stage of,

"Man, this shit
could all go away today."

-Okay.
-Right?

And the reason
why I was rushing so much to,

like, build these companies,
build all this other stuff,

because, like,
"If y'all try to take this shit,

it's gonna go away.

Man, you motherfuckers.

I'm gonna have this other shit."

But my want for the other shit
was out of panic.

Because y'all gonna come --
What?

I ain't gonna go -- Hey!

They're trying to say that if
this movie don't goddamn hit,

these motherfu-- Hey, you ain't
gonna goddamn do it to me!

It was a --
It was a panic, right?

It was a pure panic.

It was like the last two
to three years,

I got to a place
where I'm like, "Yo, man.

You're doing what you love."

The panic has to --
It has to settle down,

because if I'm panicking
while doing what I love,

well, am I giving
the best version

of the thing that I love, like,

if it's done
with a shared, like,

reason and attachment to panic?

So to your point that you're
making, you don't have a window,

because you're creating
your window.

Like, you're the anomaly.

You're on this side, Issa.

You're writing, developing,
creating,

and going,
"This is what I want to do."

Whereas the other side
is waiting

to be told what opportunities
they have so they can do.

-But I'm still --
-You're the engine.

-Okay, I'm the engine,
but I still need a car,

if I'm going with that.

I don't even know if that's
the right analogy.

Because people still have to,
like, buy my shit.

I still don't -- and that's kind
of what I'm building towards.

I realize that.
I'm like, "Okay.

Yeah, I make stuff
all the time."

And sometimes I wish I could
revert back to those online days

where it was like, "I'm just
putting that shit out there.

I'm putting this out

for the audience that I want
and that I want to claim."

And now, you know, I'm obviously
within a system, in a way,

an entertainment system.

And I realize, to your point,
like, part of me is just, like,

with seeing
all these changes, like,

"Okay, I can make all I want,
but what if they're not buying?

What if they're not buying
what I'm selling?"

So then what?
What am I left with?

-I think that this is a great
moment to take a beat, right?

I mean, look the conversations
on "Hart to Heart,"

they not only get deep,
but they get real.

-Mm.
-That's why we do this show.

Not only will we continue
when we get back,

we're gonna get some more wine,
'cause I want some,

'cause I got more
deep shit to say.

Don't go nowhere.

We got more "Hart to Heart"
when we get back after this.

How do I do it?

-[ Laughs ]

**

**

-Welcome back
to "Hart to Heart."

We are still here
with the amazing Issa Rae.

You know, we're talking about

where's your big happy
come from.

Does it come after
you have created,

written what you deem to be
an amazing story, front to back?

Is that your happy,
or does your happy come

from people watching
the amazing story and going,

"That was an amazing story"?

Which one makes you happier?

-It's periods of happy.
It's both.

Both is the high of just,
"Wow, we finished that.

Like, it was hard to make,

and, like,
I don't care what people say.

We did it how
we wanted to do it."

That's amazing in and of itself.
-Okay.

-And then the second high is,
like, "People saw what we saw.

They thought it was as good
as we thought it."

-That's the bonus to me.
-It is a bonus, for sure.

-That's the bonus. Like,
I think the big happy comes --

I'm happy with putting my mind
to something and finishing it.

-That's for sure.
-That's the happy for me, right?

-It is, but I feel like
I have that balance

because I'm very clear.

Like, I create for an audience
since I have been young.

Like, do my parents like it?
Do my siblings like it?

Does it make them laugh?
Does it make my friends laugh?

Do they -- Like, I create
with people in mind.

So, if they like it,
I'm over the moon.

If they don't, then I'm like,
"Okay, I got to come harder."

Like, it's devastating
initially.

Like, "Oh, my God.
Y'all didn't like that?

And I put so much energy
and time into it,

and I actually thought
it was good.

Is there something wrong?

Okay, you know what?"

And then it's just, like,
living in that devastation

and allowing myself
to live in that for a minute

and then the resolution that,

"Oh, I'm about to come
so much harder next time."

But it's still for me,
at the end of the day,

but I know that I'm still
creating for an audience.

-Have you had that?
-Oh, what are you talking about?

Yes, how I live.

-What gave you that?
What gave you the "Oh, fuck"?

-Um...
-What gave you that?

"You've got to be kidding me.

Did you read this shit?
Did you see what they saying?"

What gave you that?
-Man.

I mean, there was for sure
some episodes --

I mean, it went back --

I remember the first time
I cried.

[ Laughs ]
I cried over some shit.

But that was like
"Awkward Black Girl" days,

and I was like, "Oh, I know --"

We did this one episode that was
like a Halloween special,

making fun of Greeks.

-Gamma, gamma ray, gamma ray.

Gamma, gamma ray, gamma ray.
Gamma, gamma ray, gamma ray.

Gamma, gamma ray, gamma ray.
Gamma...

-And it was funny as fuck to me

because it was, like, very,
you know, inside baseball.

And I remember people
were not fucking with it online.

And they were like,
"What the fuck?

This shit fell off.
Unh-unh.

'Awkward Black Girl'?
'Awkward Whack Girl.'"

Like, probably nobody said that,
but it was, like, in my head.

And so -- [ Laughs ]

"It was you.
You wrote it. Okay.

Now I know who wrote it."

But, like, that was --
I remember --

'Cause I used to
read everything.

Like, when you
have access to it,

you're just like,
"Oh, I'm reading everything."

Like, they fuck with it.

So, like, that was
the first time

where I was, like,
closing the computer.

-Close it. Fuck this shit!
-Yeah.

What the fuck?
Oh, yeah.

Y'all was just fucking
with the last episode.

-Last week, you liked it.

-They don't know where
we're going, that's why.

-@Kathy212, let me see.
Where's she at?

Let me see her page.

You start searching them down.

-So, I remember that, and
that shit hurt me to my core.

And I was like,
"I'm crying over comments.

Like, girl, get it together."
-Get it together.

-So by the time "Insecure"
came around,

it was on a higher scale,
but I was --

like, I wasn't as devastated.

But I remember there was one
episode in the second season

where people, like,
just turned on us.

And, like, that hurt in a way
and that made me realize, like,

"Oh, people really care
about this."

And now, we're --
It's not only that, but now --

now we're under a different
scrutiny, and it --

I just became hyper aware in
a new way of just, like, "Oh."

-Well, they became invested.

-They became invested, and then
there was a tide of just, like,

"Oh, now people are kind of
rooting for us to fail."

You see people coming out
the woodwork where they're like,

"I told y'all
that show wasn't shit."

And I was like, oh, my God,
people were just --

people were waiting to hate.
-Yeah.

-And that was, like,
a new realization for me.

-I mean, I think now --

I would assume
that you're in a place now

where you realize, like,
that doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

Like, you went through
your wave of, like,

"Oh, my God, this matters.
This means something."

But now I think you clearly see
that that doesn't mean anything.

-Over it.
I know the cycles now.

Like, and I'm
very familiar with it.

I'm part of the cycles
in some ways.

-You were able to develop
a relationship

with your casts, right?

I mean, you know, a lot of
people talk about the families

that are developed on-screen
and how those relationships

end up being some
of the best friendships

to go on and on and on.

Um, you, the cast, the show,
was it a bittersweet ending?

Do you guys still talk?
Is there a group chat?

Like, what does the cast
of "Insecure" now do

that the show is over?

-All of those things.
There's a group chat.

It's single chat.
We just support each other.

It's love.

Everybody's doing
their own projects

and, you know,

actively on their paths
for their next moves.

But I want to work
with them again.

You know, I think it's
that thing where it's just like,

"Okay, y'all do y'all thing,
but know, like,

I'm still gonna
call y'all for stuff."

But it's just --
it's so much love and support.

And I'm really just
proud of all that.

-So, just in good faith,

giving flowers
where flowers are due,

that's your
Shonda Rhimes moment, right?

Like, you were operating,
managing, and running,

you know, a project.

That's your project.
That's your creative.

Your creative got
to five goddamn seasons,

which is unheard of.

It's a big fucking deal
in the business.

It's a massive deal

to get to five seasons
of a television show.

And it's not just a show
that was, like, good.

It's a show that is evergreen.

People are still gonna watch
that show, discover that show.

The show will last.
Right?

So whatever you decide to do

moving forward from that show,
you can.

But the show's done.

Show gets done
'cause you made the decision,

but then you say, "Well,
let me put on my creative hat."

And now Issa's developed
and created more shows.

By the way,
you're not in the shows.

These are from the mind of.

-Mm-hmm.
-That's a bigger fucking deal.

I look at that, as I watch
every move you make,

and I'm like, "She's working.

She's, like, really working."

Now, well, now you're in this --
you're in a conversation

of launching
the next wave of talent.

-Man.
-That's where you are now.

Do you understand that?

-It makes me the happiest.
It makes me the most excited.

Now, like, you know,
even with new show "Rap Sh!t,"

I'm, like, following
their journeys and, like --

-Is it really based off of,
like, City Girls --

-It's, like, inspired
by, like, my fandom of them.

-Okay.
-But, like, generally,

just this time in female rap.

Like it's all those things.

-It's so good. It's so good.
-Thank you.

-It's one of those things
that you get mad at

'cause it's simple to the idea.

-Yeah.
-It's like, this --

this thing has been around,
right?

This level of talent,

these women that have been
in this space

and their journey and how,

to tell it through that lens,
it's very smart.

-I appreciate it.

-Okay, guys, we're gonna
take a quick break.

We'll be right back with more
"Hart to Heart" after this.

**

**

-Welcome back
to "Hart to Heart."

I'm sitting here with Issa Rae.

Television producing,
writing, directing.

You dabbled
in the world of movies.

-Mm-hmm.
-Is that done?

Is that all over?
-No, definitely not.

-What's your love for movies?

-[ Sighs ]

Right now, not high.

-Why?
Tell me why.

-I used to go to the movies
every week.

Like, and then every other week.

But now movies --

You know,
I love the small movies.

I love that, and I love the
communal experience of movies.

And I feel like
we're losing that.

-Okay.
You're talking about --

You're talking about,
pretty much, in today's time...

-In today's time,
yeah, yeah, yeah.

-...the theater or theatrical
experience is now lessening.

You feel like that's gone.
You feel like we've lost that.

-In a way, just because
of what the focus

of theatrical movies are.

Like, they're just very similar,

and it feels like it caters
to a very specific type

or it's, like, overly broad.

And so I miss, like, the movies
that, you know, I grew up on.

So my love for movies is,
you know,

I still want to continue to --
I want to create.

I haven't made a movie yet.

I haven't written one,
and so that's a goal of mine.

But I can't even say that,
like, you know,

I'll be able to create
a pop-cultural staple.

I want to.
-Why can't you say that?

Why do you do that?
Why'd you just have to do that?

-Because I just want to make --
-You didn't have to do that.

-Why'd you just have to do that?

I can't even say it 'cause
I can't say that that word.

-I just spent time talking
about how that's not --

that's not a thing right now.

-What do you mean?
It's not a thing.

Okay, so then you say,
"I want to make it a thing."

And you make it a thing.
-That's what I'm saying.

I want to make it a thing.
-Well, no, you didn't say that.

You said, "I want to say it,
but then I can't say that --"

You went high, and then
you went low immediately.

"Listen, I would love to do it,

but at the same time
I think that I can't.

-Oh, my gosh!
It's hard.

-If that's what you want to do.

-You know what?
I'm a realist.

That's it.
-What do you mean?

-I have to acknowledge
what is possible and what's not.

That doesn't mean in the back
of my head I'm not like,

"I'm gonna kill this.
I'm gonna make it."

But I'm saying, like, I have to
acknowledge all the parts of it.

-I'm really seeing --
I'm getting it.

I'm seeing it right now.
I'm getting it.

-You think I'm crazy.
-And I'm starting to understand.

No, you're not crazy.
-Mm-hmm.

-You're not crazy, but what I --
-Cheers.

-What I am getting --
[ Laughs ]

"I'm crazy. Cheers."

-Cheers.
-Cheers.

No, you're not crazy,

but you are --
you're an overthinker.

-Am I?
-Yeah.

-I think I'm an underthinker,
to be honest.

-You just gave me
seven different versions

of you overthinking.

-There are two versions.

It's either gonna happen
or it's not.

-Yeah, but there's two versions
to those two versions.

-But I think regardless
of the overthinking,

I'm still gonna do it.

Like, nothing has stopped me.

Like, no matter how much
I overthink,

I'm still gonna do it.

I think that's the difference.

Like, I will find the reasons
that it can't work,

but still I think
what makes me me is, like,

"Well, I could be the exception,
so I'm gonna still try."

-Just looking through
another lens,

will there be a high level
of determination

to, if it's gonna work
it's gonna work,

if it's not, it's not?

There's a level of ignorance.
-Yeah, for sure.

-There's a level
of ignorance attached.

-Blissful ignorance.
Yeah.

-The downfall is the downfall,

but it ain't a downfall
to me until it is.

-Yeah, and that comes from,
I think, the underthinking part.

Like, I think that that's
the strength of being --

-You think I'm stupid.
-[ Laughs ]

-She just called me
fucking stupid.

Did anybody see that?
-No, I was talking about myself.

-Did anybody just see that?

She just hit me with a curveball
like I've never --

Called me stupid
right to my goddamn face.

Did anybody catch that?!
-I was talking about myself.

-Let's play that back.

Let's play that back
so you can see that delivery.

-I was gonna say
that I'm impulsive,

and that's what helps.

-Yeah, after you called me
fucking stupid.

You just looked me dead
in my eye, you said,

"Yeah, that's underthinking."

You did this to me.

You said,
"That's classic underthinking."

What?
What does that mean?

-Did I do the motion?
-Yeah, you did this right here.

"That's underthinking."
It's fine.

I'll figure that out later.
That's out of here.

That's not gonna make the cut.

I'm joking.
I'm joking.

Uh, no.
I definitely --

I definitely understand
what you're saying.

But just staying in the world
of entrepreneur, right,

and we're talking
about the hustle

and the ideas
that attach to that.

I want to get into
what I started off with.

I started off talking about you,
the community,

you know, where you come from,

the businesses
that you have stayed true to,

the things that
you are now developing.

You have a coffee shop, right?
-I sure do, Hilltop.

-Hilltop coffee shop.
-Mm-hmm.

-And your reason behind
the coffee shop was what?

-I love to write
in coffee shops.

You know, I live, like I said,
in South L.A.,

and I would always
have to leave South L.A.

to, like, write in coffee shops.

And there's just something

about being around other people
working that inspires me

that I need to be around.

And so I was just like,

"I really want one
in my own neighborhood."

And it's a dream
that I've had for awhile.

And, you know, I told --
when I got a business manager,

I was like, "Hey, this is --
this is my goal."

And that was, like,
before I got "Insecure."

And so he was just like,
"Okay, yeah.

I hear you.
I hear you."

And so then when "Insecure"
popped up, I was like,

"So, yeah, I really want
this coffee shop."

And he was like, "Okay.
Well, I have to ask you.

Are you gonna grind
the beans yourself?"

And I was like, "Oh, no."

And he was like, "Well, let me,
like, find you a partner."

And so I partnered with
these guys Ajay and Yonnie.

And they had started one
in my neighborhood initially.

So then we started one
in Inglewood

and then in Eagle Rock,
and we're expanding.

And it's just been about
fostering community

in our neighborhoods.

-I love that
it's having success.

What else, though?

You have something else
in the community.

-Well, I have a hair-care line
called Sienna Naturals.

And that comes from, you know,
just loving my natural hair

and wanting to be able
to protect it.

And so I partnered with the
founder of that, Hannah Diop.

And that is -- That's like
a start-up from the ground up.

And, yeah, then just
the various businesses

that, you know,
like you were talking about,

the ecosystem
in the HOORAE umbrella

where radio is concerned,
like, our music label,

our talent management company.

-Yeah, you have a full-fledged,

like, infrastructure
at this point.

The business of you
and around you

is not just in television and
producing, which is what I love.

Like, you have tentacles.
-Tentacles, I like that.

-You got a tree, and you got a
bunch of branches on this tree.

Right now, sitting in the space
of success, right?

Where's your mind-set at now

with what you want
and where you want to go?

-There's many.

One is ownership.
-Mm-hmm.

-Like, I want -- Like you,

I don't want to be able to be
in a position where I'm like,

"Oh, they can
take this away from me."

Like, I want those --
I want that distribution.

I want those platforms.
I want to own my shit.

And I want to be international.

You know, I think especially
where we're concerned,

like, the idea
that we don't travel,

the idea that we're not,

you know, marketable
in these specific areas.

Like, Black people
are so international.

I want to be in the U.K.
I want to be in France.

I want to create.

I want to be an arms dealer
for multiple countries.

-Well, now hold on.
Now, wait a second.

-Yeah, yeah.
I'm talking about guns.

-Well, hold on. Now that sh--
-I'm talking about violence.

-Okay. Alright.
"I'm talking about violence."

"I want to go."
-Yeah.

-"I want to do --"

-I want to do bad things
across the world.

But I want that.
I want to be a global company.

And then I can feel good,

like, "Okay,
I've done my job here."

-I think you're more than
in position to do that.

And I don't know
if you know that or not.

But you are, right?

Like, it's --
it's more about the hustle

of putting your feet
on the ground internationally.

-Yeah. I mean, and I'm more
than happy to go over there.

And I've seen, like, just even
Black people in other countries

wanting that representation for
themselves and not getting it,

wanting to see themselves
in a why

that they just haven't
been shown before.

And if I could help in a way,

whether it's empowering,
like, other people,

the next you, the next Ava
out their, whoever it is,

like, then that would make me
the happiest in the world.

But do you know
when you're gonna stop?

-Do I know when
I'm gonna stop working?

-Mm-hmm.
-I'm back and forth.

I've told some people --

-Have you ever said, like --
-I've said a lot.

-You've said
that you're gonna stop?

-I've said -- I've given at
the age 50 is my goal to --

-Oh, that classic age thing.
-Yeah, like that classic.

And then I was like,
"Ah, that's probably bullshit."

And then I was like, "Well,
no, when I do said things."

But the idea of what can
keeps changing

based off things
that keep on, like, unfolding.

So it's not about me no more.

If you're now on the side
of talent, talent management,

creative, opportunities,

this door is now open
for you to come in.

And when you come in this door,
guess what.

You're leaving
with the possibility

of becoming much more
than what you came in at.

That's what we do here
at my company.

That's significant.
Like, that's --

-Yeah.

-And if you really want
to be even more specific,

you're not talking about
the problems in the business.

You're solving them.

You're solving them.

You're now on the other side
of the conversation, Issa.

You're solving them.

Like, you were like,
"Yeah, well,

I did these acting gigs
and created these things,

but I didn't see enough
of us behind the camera.

I didn't see enough of us
in front of the camera,

so, alright,
well, I created it."

Well, go look at "Insecure."

Go look at that cast.

Go look at the goddamn "Rap" --

What is it? "Rap"...
-"Rap Sh!t."

-"Rap Sh!t,"
rap, uh, show, shit.

-You sound like my mom.

"What is it, 'Rap Silly'?
'Rap Show'?"

-"Rap City."
Go look at it.

What does it look like?

So when you're talking
about change,

I'm just saying, I'm not
telling you to celebrate,

but I'm telling you to realize
that you are now in a position

where your actions
match your words.

-Thank you,
-Everybody can't say that.

Everybody can't say that.

So when you sit here with
all these goddamn questions

of what -- "But I think,"
well, hold on.

-[ Laughs ]
It's my process.

-Your process.
I want you to have a second.

I want you to have a second
where you just acknowledge,

and while she takes a second
to acknowledge, guys,

I'm gonna give you guys
a second to get up

and go to the bathroom.

We got more "Hart to Heart"
when we get back after this.

How do I do it?
-Shut up!

-How do I do it?
Did anybody see that toss?

**

**

-Welcome back
to "Hart to Heart."

The conversation
is only getting bigger.

It's only getting better.
Why?

Well, because
we're still drinking.

Guys, I'm here
with the legend Issa Rae,

and I'm having a blast.

Issa, we've talked
about the business.

We've talked about your success.

We've talked about
your evolvement.

More importantly, we've talked
about the change that you wanted

and the change that you're now
seeing in real time.

Let's get personal.
You got married, right?

I'm gonna be honest with you.

I thought that it was,
like, a joke.

Like, when you posted
a picture that was like --

-You thought it was a joke?
Oh, okay.

-In the picture,
like, your caption,

it was like, "Yeah, I met a guy,
and we did like a photo shoot."

And I was like,
"Oh, she's such a genius."

I didn't know it was real.
I fell for it.

By the way,
I want to say I'm guilty.

I fell for it.
I was like, "Oh."

People always
in people's business.

Damn.
It's just a photo shoot.

It was real.
You really got married?

-I did.

-I love the idea of keeping
your business to yourself.

I love the idea of you going
and having a moment to yourself,

and doing that, was there like
a decision between you and him,

like, "Alright, fuck it.
Let's just tell people."

Like, if you kept it that much
of a secret,

why did you just decide
to tell people at that point?

-Oh, 'cause I was told that --
that it was gonna get out.

-Okay.
-Yeah, I was told that it was --

that there was a possibility

that this outlet
had discovered it.

And, you know,
I was weighing like,

"Oh, this is a happy time
in my life.

Like, do I want to post it?

Do I want to put it
on the Gram?"

And, you know, when I found out
that information,

I was just like, "Oh, okay.

Well, then I definitely
want to get ahead of it first

in my own terms
and just the way that I would."

So, you know,
that's why I ended up

putting it out there like that.

-You know, is there the thought
of, like, kids soon, not soon?

What?
What are we thinking about?

-Man, that's, like,
the struggle.

-You're a workaholic.
That's why I asked you.

-Huh?
-'Cause you're a workaholic.

-Yeah, but, I mean, like,

even what you were talking about
earlier, like, the legacy of it,

like, to me, sometimes
the legacy is through kids.

I'm like, "What are you
talking about legacy?

You got kids."

Like, they're gonna live on

and they're gonna, you know,
tout your accomplishments.

Like, you are gonna live forever
just by them alone.

-They can also take you down.

-[ Laughs ]
-Let's just be honest.

-Yes, but they still will take
you down with your last name.

-My last name will be attached
to them, but I got four of them,

and I'll be honest with you,
one of them is a gamble.

One of them could --

-You don't ever wonder, like,

"Oh, are they gonna see this
and they gonna be offended"?

-I'm talking about
the youngest one, Ori.

The other ones, I'm safe.

The youngest?

-Might surprise you.

I remember you talking about,
you know --

-But they overcame that.

They had my trust.

The younger one --
-I was worried.

-I don't know.
I don't know.

-The youngest one
is gonna surprise you

on some "Succession" shit.
-Well, let's just hope.

-But for me, yeah, like,
I'm thinking about it.

But I'm also thinking about not.

And, you know,
it's a constant conversation.

For me, like, it does come from,
like, the workaholic-ness

and feeling like
those window opportunities --

-Stop talk-- Stop.
-You telling me, "Be honest."

-I know.
Let's be honest, but stop.

But I don't want you
to keep talking

about the window of opportunity.

-But you're also not a woman.

And, like, it takes me
out the game.

Like, if I'm pregnant right now,
and I know that there are --

-What do you mean,
takes you out?

-It takes me out the game
for a minute.

It takes me out the game for,
like, certain things.

Like, if I'm six months pregnant
and I get to be the next --

not that I want this -- the next
superhero, I can't do that.

It takes me out
until it's available.

Like, there's just those things
that I have to think about

that I actively care about.

Don't play me.
-Wait. I'm not gonna play.

I'm not gonna play you,

but I'm gonna say something
to you very, like, direct.

-What?

-You have made decisions
that show that you can operate

and navigate
how you choose in your career.

Have you not?
-Yeah,

but there's still, like --

there's still
the acknowledgment that --

There is --
To be 100%, like, clear,

there is a window
for certain women for,

like, to have kids,
to have this moment,

and also to be successful
in the industry

without being looked at as,
like, old or over the window.

Like, that's just something
that's clear to me.

That's something that I've
watched growing up of just,

like, "Oh, damn, I watched her
career transition from this,

like, the hot girl, to now,
like, oh, she's only the mom."

-Well, I can't speak on that,
like you said,

because I'm not a woman,
so, you know,

I'm not going to have

a firm stake in the ground
as to what I think.

Like, that's something
that only a woman

can understand and operate in.

But what I do know,
and I know to be a fact,

the world of creative
has no time stamp.

-The world of creative, yes.

Behind the scenes,
I have the confidence that,

yeah, like, I'm gonna
make shit for sure.

-So if you do choose --
That's what I'm going --

-So, I'm saying, like,
right now, this is --

The in-front-of-the-camera time,
to me, does have a window,

like, as far as
where kids are concerned.

So to me, I want
to take advantage of that.

-I want you to know that you
are not only a beautiful woman.

-Thank you.
-You are a great representation

and example of what
our beautiful women

look like on-screen, right?

Like, that's real.
That's factual.

There's not a time stamp
on that.

Like, when I look
at Angela Bassett,

when I look at Halle Berry --
-If you ran Hollywood,

then I would feel completely --
I would be like, "Oh, cool.

Let's have a baby tomorrow.

We good."
-I'm just saying.

I'm saying, like, I get you
saying like, "If I ran."

You're positioning yourself
to run.

Like, here's
our different mental.

You're saying, "If I ran."

I don't run Hollywood,
but I run my business.

And my business is very valuable
to Hollywood.

Hollywood needs business.
They need content.

We create content.
-Yes.

-We are a part of
the small percentage of people

that are talent in front
and behind the camera.

That does not exist.

So the percentile of 0.4%
that you're in,

it allows you to move
and operate differently.

I don't want to change
your mind-set.

I'm just trying
to make you aware.

You are a part
of a very small piece,

and this piece navigates
through hallways, back doors,

fucking hills, peaks, valleys.

-So, are you saying
get pregnant tomorrow?

-I'm saying that you --
I can't say it.

I got to be careful how I say
this because, once again,

I cannot speak for a woman
because I'm not a woman.

I'm saying that your happiness
is your happiness.

-I accept that.
-That's it.

Well, you have no choice
to accept it

because it's actually right.

-Okay, well, calm down.
-Okay?

-Now you Hollywood.
Okay.

Okay.

"I'm correct."
-Okay.

Okay, guys, we're gonna
take a quick break.

We'll be right back with more
"Hart to Heart" after this.

**

**

-Welcome back
to "Hart to Heart."

I'm sitting here with Issa Rae.

Family aside, do you
come from a big family?

-I do.
I'm the middle of five.

-Five?!
-Yeah.

-God damn.

Same mom, same dad?

Wow!

-Yes.
-Wow!

-They made me want
to have a big family.

I wanted four kids.
-Dad -- good for him.

-Okay.
-That's what I'm talking about.

-No. Yeah.
-Yeah.

-Alright.
-Hell, yeah.

-Sure. But he came
from a big-ass family, too.

He had a lot of siblings.

I don't even know the number.
-I know what that mean.

-Yeah, I know, right?
-Yeah, I know what that mean.

-Yeah, you do.
-My dad had that.

-Your dad had that?
-Yeah, my dad passed away,

and I saw three niggas
at a funeral

that said they was
my other brothers.

"I have no idea who you is."
Yeah.

-Did they look like you?

-Hey, I don't know
what they looked like.

"I'm Stanley."

"You better get the fuck
out of my face, man."

-[ Laughs ]

-"I don't know who you is.
Jack, get out of here."

"Yeah, I don't know if your dad
told you about me.

I'm Stanley."
-[ Laughs ]

Why are their voices so deep?

-I don't know who they were,
but they all talked like that.

They all talked like Batman.

"Yeah, I just wanted
to let you know --"

Yeah, I know exactly
what you talking about.

Yeah, when you said, "My dad,"

I know exactly
what you're talking about.

Okay.
But yours is different?

-My dad's dad, but my dad, you
know, there's only five of us.

I'm pretty positive of that.

And then my mom
had a smaller family.

She only had a sister.
-Okay. So all close?

Brothers, sisters?
-Yeah, my brothers and sisters.

Yeah.
-Really?

And the reaction to your success
from your family?

-So positive.

Yeah, just pride.

My dad was always like,
you know,

in terms of me wanting
to pursue this, was just like,

"This should be the backup plan.

You should always have,
you know, education,

whether it's law
or business degree.

Like, you just
have to have that."

-Do you have one?
Do you have a backup plan?

-Not anymore. No.
-You did at one point?

-Yeah, for sure.
-What was the backup plan?

-I mean, I was listening to him

'cause, you know,
I felt like I had to,

but I was gonna go
to law school.

I took the LSAT,
and then I was just like,

"I really don't want
to do this,"

'cause I had a friend
who was just like --

she wanted to be a lawyer.

And I was like,
"I don't feel that."

So I was like,
"Well, I love business,

so let me
go to business school."

That falls within his,
like, mandates.

And so just when I was
about to take the GMAT,

"Awkward Black Girl" popped off,

and I was like,
"Oh, never mind, Dad."

And then even still
after, like --

up until, like, the Shonda deal,

up until "Insecure,"
he was asking about,

like, "Well, what's up
with grad school?

What's up with grad school?"

-When did it click
and become a reality,

like, okay, "My daughter
is successful"?

-When I was on "NPR."

Then he was like,
"Oh, wow, you're doing okay.

NPR.
I listen to this every morning.

Okay, this is a thing."

And so that to him was like,
"Okay, she's on the right path

and, you know,
she doesn't need me."

And that's all parents care
about, like, "Are you good?

Because I just want you to be
good at the end of the day."

But everybody else
is, like, super positive.

And for a while, like, my
older brothers, the top two --

I'm right in the middle --
my older brothers

were just very successful
in, like, the corporate world,

and the three of us,
the bottom three --

that's what we call ourselves --
we were kind of the losers

'cause we were just --
-Well, that's aggressive.

-Because we were, like,
you know,

we didn't have traditional jobs
and we were pursuing the arts,

which is just like --
that's not --

-Losers.
-[ Laughs ]

Yeah, my younger brothers,
you already know.

You know if your kids came
to you and were just like,

"I want to be..."

-That's why that
big-family shit,

that's not what
people think it is.

You get some kids early
that pop off

and do what they're supposed to.

You young, you come out as the
rebel and you're more creative.

"Get your stupid ass upstairs
and read a book."

Yeah, that's exactly
what it becomes.

-But we're all good now, like,
and we're all, you know...

-What does your mom and dad do?

-My mom is a teacher.
My dad is a doctor.

-Wow.
I love it.

-Yeah.
-I love the foundation.

It was like a solid foundation,
solid home growing up.

-Mm-hmm.
Yeah, he was...

he was from Senegal and built
a practice in Inglewood.

I only realized, like,
the parallels between us, like,

and how me watching him
from a distance,

like, build this practice,
this clinic in Inglewood

and have, you know,
the respect of the neighborhood,

'cause when I was growing up
and I was going to school,

people would be like,
"Oh, your dad is my doctor."

They'd see my last name and
they'd be like, "Oh, Dr. Diop."

Actually, it's "jope."

"Oh, Dr. Diop,
that's my doctor."

And I'd be like -- You know,
I'd feel proud of that.

-You knew everybody's business.

Mm-hmm.
Yeah.

"I know what you got, Stan.
Mm-hmm.

You burning, ain't you?

Dad told me."

"Shut up, Issa!"

"I just wanted
to let you know I know.

Get your dirty dick ass
up out of here.

I know exactly what..."

-First of all,
he's a pediatrician.

So...

-Oh, I chose wrong.
[ Both laugh ]

-So, no, I didn't know
about the kids' pee-pees.

-Got it, got it, got it.

-And then she was
a French teacher at, like,

you know,
some hood high schools.

-You know, Issa,
talking to people is one thing.

Respecting them is
completely another, right?

Like, it's a much bigger deal

when you have
a high level of respect.

Not only do I respect you,
I love your hustle.

I love that you're not done.

Coming on this show, giving me
an opportunity to talk to you,

that's one thing, but giving me
more of an opportunity

to respect you more than I did,
that's another, and I really do.

I love the fact
that I now have this,

because now you got to talk to
me differently when I call you.

-[ Laughs ]

-You can't think
I'm full of shit,

and you got to get out your head

when it comes to what we can do
and how we can do it.

And if we don't
do something together,

then we've done
ourselves a disservice.

-Facts.
-Can we agree on that?

-Yes.
-Whatever that thing is,

there's no reason why my world

and your world can't collide
in some way, shape, or form.

You're doing too much,
and so am I.

I don't want to watch you do it
by yourself.

Don't fucking feel
like you're gonna bother me,

because you're not.

-You guys heard it live.

I want to --
-This is not live.

-I want everybody to hold him --
-Okay.

-No, it's live.
-It's not live.

-Right now, it's 3:52.
-Don't do that.

You just messed up the
opportunity to go live, okay?

You just messed it up.
Issa, it's not live.

-It's 3:52 right now.

And that's an accurate time

because this is coming
to an end.

-Okay.
-So hold him accountable.

-Okay.
You get what I'm saying.

Don't fucking do us
a disservice.

Let's figure it out.
-Okay.

-Congrats on all your success.
Cheers to you.

-Thank you so much.
Hustle, man. Appreciate you.

-I appreciate you.

This is "Hart to Heart."
It doesn't get better than that.

The conversations
are conversations

that should be had.
Why?

Well, because nobody else
is having them.

Why?
Well, because nobody else can.

'Cause they don't
have this host.

My name is Kevin Hart,
and this is Issa Rae.

Come on, guys.
Give it to her how we always do.

That's right.
-Thank you so much.

[ Applause ]

**

**

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