In the studio, before this conversation began, Tyrese — the hugely successful movie star and R&B singer — was offered something to drink, and his eyes lit up at the possibility of apple juice. The way he explained why he felt so grateful for apple juice is a window into his achievement.
How did Tyrese Gibson rise up from a home where apple juice was a luxury, where his mother tried so hard but succumbed to her addiction? He explained: “I was dreaming beyond the reality I was living in.”
Joining Tyrese for this conversation was Rev Run. When he was Run of Run DMC, a founding father of Hip Hop, I was just getting out of college. Jazz was my passion. I hadn’t realized how he came up with the name RunDMC, which he explained in our interview.
Or the amazing story of how he came to make Adidas sneakers – with no laces – a fashion statement – and the dark roots of the missing laces that even he didn’t know when he started wearing them.
They joined me for an episode of the radio program CNN Profiles in 2013 upon the release of the book they co-wrote: “Manology: Secrets of Your Man’s Mind Revealed.”
I love to reveal the secrets of the minds of my guests – to tap into their wisdom.
So, I believe our listeners will appreciate Rev Run’s description of how, at the peak of his hip hop career, sitting in the bathtub of a luxury hotel’s Presidential Suite, the highest moment of his life became the lowest, and how he used that realization to turn his life around.
I hope that will be the lasting impact of this conversation. The wisdom that, for all of us, our highest moment could lead to our lowest. And our lowest could lead to our highest.