Chicago, Creativity, and Comedy: Exploring Sultan Salahuddin's Path to Authentic Art and Community

00;00;10;10 - 00;00;23;09
Rob Lee
Welcome to the truth in this art. I'm your host, Rob Lee. But today, I have the privilege of being in conversation with the co-creator and star of the critically acclaimed HBO Max series, South Side. Please welcome Sultan Salahuddin

00;00;23;29 - 00;00;27;29
Sultan Salahuddin
What's up, everybody? How you doing? Welcome to the experience.

00;00;29;01 - 00;00;53;27
Rob Lee
I, I like. I like. That's how we start off. So before we get too, too deep into it, I want to start off with very general question. You know, like let's let's talk about, you know, growing up and growing up in Chicago. Let's talk about that a little bit. So tell us those kind of like those those points in those those really interesting things that kind of made growing up for you, like memorable and all.

00;00;54;24 - 00;01;16;10
Sultan Salahuddin
That's a very good question. Well, first of all, I'd just like to throw out there that I had some really strong and good parents, and that's one of the reasons that I am who I am today. They took a big interest in my success early on and were, you know, providers and writers and disciplinarians and exposed me to a lot of things.

00;01;17;08 - 00;01;37;16
Sultan Salahuddin
So from that perspective, I feel fortunate as it relates to growing up in Chicago. I mean, you know, it's a big city. It was wild. There were gangs. There were there were things a normal person wouldn't see just around the neighborhood. So every time I would go outside, I would grant a little bit more. I would get an excuse me a little bit more street intelligence.

00;01;38;27 - 00;01;57;19
Sultan Salahuddin
And then, you know, there was basketball was really big in my neighborhood as a kid. So we started out playing basketball and baseball, actually. So we would play wall ball, which is basically you draw a square on the wall in the alley and and somebody would pitch and any ball that goes inside that square, the A and anyone outside is a ball.

00;01;57;19 - 00;02;18;13
Sultan Salahuddin
And you play, you know, and until the sun went to the sun went down. We also played a lot of create basketball where you cut the bottom out of a milk crate and tack it up to the or rim, depending on, you know, what was available around to a bike and tack it up on a light pole or electricity pole, if you will go with old redwood.

00;02;18;14 - 00;02;33;17
Sultan Salahuddin
You know what I'm talking about. Then we would shoot there for hours. As we got older, people started dug in. We went to the big courts and then so there was a lot of candy shops. And today you really can't you really don't have those as much as because a lot of kids be kidnaped and all that stuff.

00;02;33;17 - 00;02;50;05
Sultan Salahuddin
But when I was a kid, you know, can't it was three around my house and I remember one block of block called Perfect. There were like it was three candy stores on I one block. So that was really good. And I have a lot of family in Chicago, so I always had a support system as it relates to my cousins, aunts, uncles.

00;02;50;05 - 00;03;24;28
Sultan Salahuddin
I come from a very large family and yeah, I mean, and outside of that, summertime is always the greatest when times always sucked all the way. Honest about it. Chicago winters I'm not the best, but it just makes you appreciate the some of that much more and the people man the people is what really gave me what a lot of people don't know about people in Chicago is people in Chicago are very, very comfortable getting your conversation with strangers, telling you about yourself, asking you questions that they hear you talking about having a conversation somebody gets I mean, so growing up like that became the norm.

00;03;25;07 - 00;03;41;05
Sultan Salahuddin
And so you meet a lot of people like that. You get a lot of wisdom like that and you get your your skills as far as like for lack of a better term, talking shit, being funny, you stand on your P's and Q's because sometimes you get into verbal, verbal battles with people in there and a lot of strangers are really good.

00;03;41;14 - 00;04;00;05
Sultan Salahuddin
They'll dress you down from the top to the bottom based on what you wear, how you look, how you talk. And they got some really hot jokes, so you just got to make sure that, you know, you're respectful. And, oh, the biggest thing is mind your business that this is contrary to what I just said. But, you know, it's a different it's different when you're being friendly and talking with somebody.

00;04;00;05 - 00;04;11;13
Sultan Salahuddin
But if you see a couple of people fighting or getting it all, you just got you know, keep walking, mind your business. That's the best way to stay safe. Knows that you are. So, you know, like any big city, you know. That's great. Yeah.

00;04;11;19 - 00;04;32;10
Rob Lee
I mean, it's funny I think of and doing some of the research in that those those sort of comparisons I see the Baltimore because that's where I'm based in that's more in Chicago thing and you know as I remember because I've only been to Chicago maybe once or twice and I went there for wrestling, you know, went there to watch some.

00;04;32;19 - 00;04;36;02
Sultan Salahuddin
WWE or, you know, quite a recent team. You guys win a tournament.

00;04;36;13 - 00;05;02;20
Rob Lee
For like WWE. It was a W and yeah and it was really cool or what have you is trying to get as much culture exposure and all of that stuff in a short period of time. But it's all my list to go back to do like these sorts of interviews there. And I just remember it being used as almost like a fill in kind of place, you know, of, Hey, we want to see something politicized and we want to talk about black people, but we can't do it, so let's make it a city.

00;05;02;20 - 00;05;22;13
Rob Lee
And that's what Baltimore was running into as well, I think. Let's talk about all of the negative things, but not all these really cool cultural things that make up a place. And I think that's what's baked into the conversations I try to have and what I've seen in doing the research for South Side, you know, it's just like so many people from Chicago, they're you and your brother having.

00;05;22;13 - 00;05;26;26
Rob Lee
Yeah, yeah. You know. And so I want to start off I want to ask.

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Sultan Salahuddin
Reasonable.

00;05;28;07 - 00;05;31;06
Rob Lee
Now. We're still here. We're still here. I want to ask that second question.

00;05;31;07 - 00;05;32;07
Sultan Salahuddin
Okay. If your kid goes.

00;05;32;19 - 00;05;38;14
Rob Lee
What is your experience writing before? Like writing for television before? Self said.

00;05;38;24 - 00;05;57;16
Sultan Salahuddin
I'm limited. Most of the time I did writing for standup comedy. I was a standup comedian for several years and before doing South Side, and that's where I hold my skill on how to write jokes and how to put together a bit and all that other good stuff. Turn that into a set, so on and so forth, so that.

00;05;57;16 - 00;06;16;04
Sultan Salahuddin
But in addition to that, I did some creative writing. I did. I wrote in college a few times creative writing classes, storytelling classes. I actually took some classes on creative writing. So I think it's important I did all of that, not knowing that I was going to be writing for television. I just did that because I was interested.

00;06;16;05 - 00;06;33;23
Sultan Salahuddin
My mom's made me. So, you know, the reality behind it is I had that experience in my back pocket and when it came time for writing for television, it was just more so learning the format and learning the structure of writing TV, which is not taught in anybody, school or anywhere. You either have an opportunity, you can go out.

00;06;33;23 - 00;07;00;26
Sultan Salahuddin
Now, there are tons of books out there that you can look up and learn, but it's nothing like actually being in the experience. So this being season three in the writing room, I'm definitely I have definitely gotten a different set of chops than I have from season one. Season one, I was definitely like just I was it was just overwhelming in a sense that there was a lot of information that I had to learn on my own, as well as keep up.

00;07;00;26 - 00;07;21;07
Sultan Salahuddin
But I believe I totally believed in myself. But the other thing was like I went home and did homework, just maybe like the first two weeks, just to make sure that I was on the right page, that I understood things. And then as time progressed, I was able to pick apart stories and really understand all the elements that needed to be in the story and how to actually make it a good story, etc., etc..

00;07;21;07 - 00;07;39;26
Sultan Salahuddin
So all those things that I learned before kind of came back and helped. But when you're actually in the mix, when the pressure's on and the clock is running and money is being spent, you are definitely make sure that you have you know, you're up to snuff. So and you got to really care. You know, like that for me was never a job.

00;07;39;26 - 00;08;03;08
Sultan Salahuddin
I didn't look at it like, yeah, I'm going to go make some money writing. Right? How about you? I'm writing on one of my favorite things ever write on, which is outside the show and I can't believe this is happening. So I don't know if you've ever had that experience, like, almost like living the dream. But when you're writing or when you're, when you're working, doing something that you didn't expect to happen per say, but you always kind of had that like this is going to just not work.

00;08;04;15 - 00;08;23;01
Sultan Salahuddin
It just overwhelms you. And like you are eager to learn you're eager to produce and you're eager to do well. And I think that just really, really pushed pushed me over the edge and really got me where I needed to be as far as a write on that level. And I just I kept working at it really. Ultimately, I just kept working at it, you know, just got it.

00;08;23;01 - 00;08;31;22
Sultan Salahuddin
You got to do that. And I had some opportunities too along the way, but a lot of good people, a lot of good friends, a lot of good opportunities, but ultimately I worked my butt off. So yeah.

00;08;32;02 - 00;08;47;22
Rob Lee
I love hearing that. I love hearing that. And, you know, much success because it was thank you. It's one of those things where when like I've been excited for this conversation for months and like every person I've talked to say, You need to watch this. I want to watch the Southside watch Southside.

00;08;47;22 - 00;08;48;28
Sultan Salahuddin
We love that, by the way.

00;08;50;10 - 00;09;13;10
Rob Lee
So in creating the show, you know, with your brother and it's about your hometown with people that you've encountered so, so tell me about like bringing it to conception, like bringing the show to conception and what sort of considerations are are made when maybe writing a joke or maybe writing like an episode or even the season while being wildly funny and entertaining, but also like doing right by your city.

00;09;13;21 - 00;09;33;22
Sultan Salahuddin
Right? Right. That's a very good question. One of the first things that we set out when we were putting the whole project together was like, we want to make sure and I got to give credit to my brother for this one. He says it's a love letter to the city in a sense that we we want to make sure that anybody who watches it from Chicago can appreciate the time and the energy that we put into it.

00;09;33;22 - 00;09;55;12
Sultan Salahuddin
But it also helps that we're from there. That's the other thing. Like, I can't imagine being able to be successful writing a show for L.A. or Atlanta or New York and not being from there. There are just so many idiosyncrasies and so many small things that are pertinent only to that city that people from there will get it, or people from big cities to get it.

00;09;55;12 - 00;10;26;04
Sultan Salahuddin
So you may find the same funny, right? But someone sitting beside you who's from Chicago will find it twice as funny because of some words that we use. And it's getting. So you still hit all your audiences, but you know, it's nothing like that. Home cooking. I think the other thing we want to make sure that we were dedicated to the funny of it all, more so than anything that was I mean, a lot of great comedians and Chicago was known as having a lot of comedic talent stand up through whatever, whatever it is.

00;10;26;17 - 00;10;45;00
Sultan Salahuddin
But we wanted to make sure that it was important that anybody else is going to come to a comedy about Chicago. They had a high bar to measure up to and a high standard, if you will, and that was really important. And then so even in the like, we come up with some of the names and some of the places and some of the scenes we always take into consideration.

00;10;45;10 - 00;11;00;13
Sultan Salahuddin
Number one, what's funny is number two, we want to make sure we do something original that no one else has done because there have been several times where we we've been in the writing room and, you know, great minds think alike. That is not a joke. And we will come up with concepts and someone be like, Oh, that was on this show.

00;11;00;13 - 00;11;17;15
Sultan Salahuddin
Oh, that was stated this on that show. So we would have to like completely not do it and really lean into a different direction. The benefits of that is that there are things that are unique to Chicago that aren't to other places that really allows us to like go off into those worlds even more, more so than anything.

00;11;17;16 - 00;11;39;28
Sultan Salahuddin
I think one of the reasons that we went with our TIO model is because it allowed us to actually explore the city simply because we're not just sitting in one building and people are coming and going because there are drop offs and pickups and there are different elements to the show. We get to leave our tio, you get to see parts of Chicago and you get to experience some of the people in other parts of the city.

00;11;39;28 - 00;12;08;07
Sultan Salahuddin
So like that for us is the perfect vehicle to not only explore the city but get the comedy in, but show you that, you know, I don't know if you guys have rent to own in your city. Now, some they're mostly in urban major cities. And we have one one of my good friends who plays Q on the show, he actually worked for Rent-A-Center for 16 years and a conversation turned into a writing session which turned into a sale to Comedy Central.

00;12;08;07 - 00;12;31;03
Sultan Salahuddin
And now we're here. So that is that those are the elements that were important to us as we started. And moving forward, it's really important that we continue to raise the bar. And I'll tell you, if you think season one of any show is hard, season two is harder than that, and season three is even harder because you've got to come up with new things and new concepts that you didn't do before.

00;12;31;03 - 00;12;46;29
Sultan Salahuddin
You can't rely on, Oh, we're going to use the old somebody walked in the room. You know, you don't get to do that. You got to actually put the time in and be funny. So that's something I think that we take into consideration in creating the show as well as everybody be. And I think this is a very important point that everybody is dedicated.

00;12;47;00 - 00;12;51;02
Sultan Salahuddin
And I got to say this again to the funny side, that's the that's the North Star. It's got to be funny.

00;12;51;16 - 00;13;10;21
Rob Lee
Totally. And, you know, one of the episodes I always tell people to check out or what have you, if they were on the fence, they're leaning, it's like check out like attorneys and Brendan's day off like that. Yeah. Like that's like because my brother loves, like, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. He's like, what is this about? And I was like, it's like for brothers on it, he's like, word.

00;13;11;21 - 00;13;16;08
Rob Lee
That's always a selling point for him. He's like black brothers. And it's funny. He's like, a man does it.

00;13;16;08 - 00;13;18;02
Sultan Salahuddin
What does he think about the show? And he's like, I.

00;13;18;16 - 00;13;23;25
Rob Lee
Know he's a fan. He digs it. He's only about what up? Absolutely. Shout out to Rudy.

00;13;24;08 - 00;13;29;09
Sultan Salahuddin
Because if you said he wasn't a fan out of might want to see is shut out the route you're in.

00;13;29;28 - 00;13;52;03
Rob Lee
Absolutely oh let's talk about hobbies inside projects because I think like some people they make those side missions like they can be as good at the side missions as they are at the main thing. So tell me about any like side projects or like side like hobbies or things that take up your time outside of writing, outside of acting that you're like, You know what?

00;13;52;03 - 00;13;54;26
Rob Lee
This could be my next move. I really, you know, had that time.

00;13;55;10 - 00;14;19;25
Sultan Salahuddin
Side projects there. That could be my next move. There aren't any man. I'm the one who was in trouble. I'm super focused on. Once you get into a groove in a spot like this, you want to stay there and you want to stay there as long as you can and you want to keep going. The a lot of things that I do in my own time outside of like hiking and biking and then just working out and doing the best I can.

00;14;19;26 - 00;14;45;06
Sultan Salahuddin
Eating wise, I do a lot of creative writing. I have several projects that right now I can't move forward with because there's a project that's a priority that I'm getting paid for. So all the rest of those kind of just fall by the wayside until the next project is complete. I think, you know, I was I'm of the mind state that everybody can make it to the league.

00;14;45;21 - 00;15;12;26
Sultan Salahuddin
Can you stay? Yeah. You have staying power? No. There are tons and tons of really talented writers. But do they have what it takes to go to the next level, create another show or create another show after that, do something else. So for me, that's more of my focus. I love being a creator in a sense that like, you know, no one else, in my opinion, is going to create a show that reflects my reality, right?

00;15;12;28 - 00;15;34;09
Sultan Salahuddin
Or those that are from a place that I'm from. And so it's almost like a personal responsibility to provide that and to do it in a way where it's not exploited in a way where it's funny, in a way that it's it brings people in. You can actually get some feeling from behind it and just have fun with it.

00;15;34;14 - 00;15;50;05
Sultan Salahuddin
Yeah, my, my, my passion is to do projects that I love and have fun with, so I'm not into it from the beginning. I'm just going to kind of I'm not going to kind of I just won't do it because I don't I don't I think the second that I'm writing for hire, if you will, it becomes a job.

00;15;50;16 - 00;16;12;11
Sultan Salahuddin
And, you know, I just I don't need a job. I just I need to be able to create and write stories and act and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, I try to outside of preparing for the next gig that I don't even know what it is. I don't know how it's going to come or when it's going to come true, but I just focus and keep my skill sharp and keep writing, come up with creative projects and just enjoy laughing, make my day, do it.

00;16;12;11 - 00;16;28;28
Sultan Salahuddin
I think when I'm in a writing room and like when I go to people is such a blessing. When I go into the writing room, I'm pretty much laughing from the moment we start to the moment I leave, and then I get to go home and work on some of that stuff. And then when we're shooting, I'm laughing.

00;16;28;28 - 00;16;38;14
Sultan Salahuddin
So in the moment, so like my life is full of laughter and that's a really hard to replace that with anything because, you know, I'm big silly. I love I love laughing. I love.

00;16;39;08 - 00;16;58;17
Rob Lee
Yeah. That that's one of the things that it's a really, really good gem there when I'm taking from it, it's kind of like do what you're enjoying. And, and it's it's funny because I, you know, opportunities are presented and paid gigs and things of that nature. And I've been doing this podcast thing for like 13 years.

00;16;58;27 - 00;17;00;16
Sultan Salahuddin
Okay. Congratulations to you.

00;17;00;19 - 00;17;18;10
Rob Lee
Thank you. And when it turns around that, it's like, oh, here's a paid opportunity and so on. It is the thing that you were identifying a second ago and do I like this? And it's like I kind of like talking to interesting people and being able to kind of like chop it up and maybe steal a little bit from them of like how they approach their work or how they go through the building.

00;17;18;16 - 00;17;21;02
Rob Lee
It's really this is just theft. This is gentleman theft, if anything.

00;17;21;07 - 00;17;22;06
Sultan Salahuddin
You're welcome, sir.

00;17;23;08 - 00;17;24;10
Rob Lee
After the cafe, you said.

00;17;24;12 - 00;17;31;15
Sultan Salahuddin
No, no problem at all. I think you you've got a really good point. And it's it's about doing what you enjoy. I mean, ultimately, isn't that what it's all about?

00;17;31;22 - 00;17;33;11
Rob Lee
Yeah. When I present, you.

00;17;33;11 - 00;17;53;28
Sultan Salahuddin
Know, and those paid projects, we got to watch those men. Like, I think one of the hardest things, especially for anyone new and any business that you started, because once you start getting going, all of those things are going to come. They're distractions. So then you have to choose between what your goal was or versus someone else or something else saying, Hey, well, I'm taking all of this.

00;17;54;07 - 00;18;04;19
Sultan Salahuddin
And that's, you know, for me, those turn into Plan B's, and I just don't believe in Plan B. So I never had a Plan B always go plan A all the way. And if that fails, create another planning.

00;18;05;04 - 00;18;28;18
Rob Lee
That's that's that's really a natural segway to this this next question that I have. And just just two more after this. Yeah, sure. With with a show that's been on like major networks, Comedy Central or HBO. Max, tell me about like the advantages and disadvantages like of that, because I have this question in general of what are some of the benefits of being more obscure?

00;18;28;24 - 00;18;34;13
Rob Lee
And it's like you have less things to say no to. That's what I always hear. So tell me about some of those advantages and disadvantages.

00;18;35;04 - 00;18;57;22
Sultan Salahuddin
Obviously, some of the advantage some of the disadvantages is like you got to really watch because of the culture that we live in today. And I'm just being frank right now, you got to watch what you say. You got to watch all your social media. You got to watch you got to kind of look at people through a filter and make sure that they have make sure that they're a person of integrity and that they care about themselves, because if they don't, then they don't care about you.

00;18;58;16 - 00;19;19;16
Sultan Salahuddin
This is a high wire act. And a lot of people don't tell new talent that or talent that. You can't you can't pop off the same way you used to pop off. You can't get angry at the same you can't you can't do some of the same things that you used to do. I also think there's another sense of responsibility as it relates to your audience.

00;19;19;16 - 00;19;40;05
Sultan Salahuddin
Like, if I was to go out here to be a knucklehead and get myself in a bunch of trouble, which would jeopardize season three, then the fans would be disappointed. Everybody that I work would be disappointed. The network would be disappointed. So there are a lot of variables that you just a lot of things you have to really, really think about two or three or four times before you make that move.

00;19;40;05 - 00;20;03;22
Sultan Salahuddin
Also, it's just about like it really lets you know who you are as an individual. You get to do it. I get to do a self-check almost every day like, Oh my God, what am I standing for? What am I about? Because especially here in L.A., any of the any of the bad things, if you will, or any habits or any of the stuff that you're into is out here plentiful.

00;20;04;00 - 00;20;22;27
Sultan Salahuddin
Yeah. So you've got to be able to manage that and don't be your own worst enemy. I think that's really, really important, whether it's how you speak to someone, what kind of parties you go to, what you wear, to what you eat, to you know, how you treat strangers, all of that stuff. It really, really matters, especially on this level.

00;20;22;27 - 00;20;37;07
Sultan Salahuddin
Because the interesting thing, one of the one of the hardest things for me to get used to is when the show first started airing, when mean when it first aired, it was just kind of like, oh, they were the guys who said that. But when I made the jump to HBO, Max, it was like every five feet in certain places.

00;20;37;07 - 00;20;50;20
Sultan Salahuddin
And then you have to realize, like, yo, this is the life I chose and I have to be on even when I don't feel like it and not in a fake way. But still, like when somebody is coming up to you to tell you that they really enjoy the show and their eyes are lit up with a smile on their faces that a smile.

00;20;50;26 - 00;21;07;24
Sultan Salahuddin
And they want to take a picture and it's with a mom and a cousin. You got to kind of be ingratiating of that, like, all right, cool. Yeah, no problem. Because ultimately that experience is going to travel to five other people who are going to be tuned on to the show. And ultimately, that's what you want more viewers as it relates to the show also.

00;21;07;24 - 00;21;26;18
Sultan Salahuddin
You know, I mean, who doesn't want to be treated? Well, I think everybody does. And so that's where that comes from. Some of the advantages are considered for a lot of other opportunities. Obviously, you get to the public like people, you know, it's funny. People believe what they see on TV. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.

00;21;26;18 - 00;21;48;16
Sultan Salahuddin
People believe what they see on TV. And that's not a diss. It's just that you got to you have to understand that, that sometimes when people see you on television, they really think you live their life. They really think they know you. They really think that they know things about you. So you have to remember that when you're talking to strangers, when you're meeting new celebrities, when you're at parties and stuff like that, or you're networking, that's a big thing.

00;21;48;16 - 00;22;09;04
Sultan Salahuddin
It's really important. You got to continue to network, which goes back to our previous question. We've got to keep networking, but I think ultimately it's just, you know, some of the advantages are a lot of like you get comped for things. There's a whole nother world that exists for people who are into television or on TV and stuff, like you have no idea.

00;22;09;04 - 00;22;24;29
Sultan Salahuddin
It is ridiculous. Yeah. But again, even with that, you have to in my opinion, you just got to, you know, all things in moderation. You can't just be out here like a pig at the slots. You got to just kind of be like, All right, cool, I get it. And then and then I think the most important thing we mentioned as a little bit is I know how to say no.

00;22;25;03 - 00;22;50;00
Sultan Salahuddin
And a lot of people are going to want a piece of you. They're going to have everybody's going to have opportunities, going to go from friends to families to strangers. It's okay. Just learn how to say no, because there are only so many minutes in it and most of those mean a lot of those minute you're sleeping. So you got to make sure that you manage your time and your energy and just, you know, take only on which take take on only what you can manage and have a go to listen to it.

00;22;50;00 - 00;22;54;10
Sultan Salahuddin
You got like, what? What do I what am I going like? I'm not just out here. What's next?

00;22;54;10 - 00;23;15;08
Rob Lee
So again, almost segue ish to this this this final real question before we get those rapid fire ones then. All right, cool. So creating television, writing pitches, it's long hours, lots of work that goes in at long days. And, you know, as a person like myself that, you know, I might do 15 interviews in a week and I have a day job.

00;23;15;08 - 00;23;16;24
Rob Lee
So it's just like, wow, you're doing that.

00;23;16;24 - 00;23;17;19
Sultan Salahuddin
Balancing it in.

00;23;18;00 - 00;23;26;16
Rob Lee
So the question I have for you is what sorts of practices for you and and I think you touched on a little bit, but what sorts of practices for you are regenerative.

00;23;26;29 - 00;23;57;21
Sultan Salahuddin
Or better questions? Sleep, taking naps? Fortunately, I can take a nap throughout the day if I so choose. I can I can go on a comedy shows and just sitting there listening to people do comedy, having good conversations with other writers about projects, you know, just in quiet time. I also listen to a lot of story quotes, not know if you ever heard of those before, but still I see quotes.

00;23;57;21 - 00;24;17;06
Sultan Salahuddin
Check those out. When you get some time, there's a there's a guy on YouTube. It's called I think it's Red Frost. Yeah. But he has a produces a bunch of story quotes. I listen to those because they really help ground me and help me remember what's what's what's important, as well as continuously challenged my mind. So I don't get lost in all of this.

00;24;17;06 - 00;24;34;19
Sultan Salahuddin
Oh, I don't even know. You know, that's great now, but at the end of the day, people still want their replay. People still want them, you know, they still want their money. So and, you know, family still there and traveling is still there and all that good stuff. So, you know, you still have to do all those normal things in life.

00;24;34;19 - 00;25;05;23
Sultan Salahuddin
But that's some of the things that I, I do also listen to, like the record hurts. Like if you're going into their store, like Tesla three, six, nine and I think it's 456 megahertz or something like that. But these are certain vibrations that I will meditate to for like an hour and 30 minutes out of the day, sometimes just to help with when I find myself searching for the next creative Segway, sometimes I will step away from what I'm writing and then just put on some kind of vibrational ambient music.

00;25;06;01 - 00;25;26;02
Sultan Salahuddin
That's really not music. It's just like tones and frequencies, if you will. I'll listen to those and you know, they'll help me get back to a place of, okay, what am I looking for? Because sometimes you have so many I have so many thoughts in my head that I can't even figure out what I want to use. So those are some things that are really, really good for me.

00;25;26;22 - 00;25;45;02
Rob Lee
Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. And I have been taking down notes so, you know, shout out to you so in these last few moments here, I got some rapid fire questions for you. And as I give to everyone, even you, even even the greatness that is, you know, that everyone gets the process of don't overthink it, don't overthink it.

00;25;45;02 - 00;25;45;10
Rob Lee
Alright.

00;25;45;25 - 00;25;47;19
Sultan Salahuddin
I go, no doubt. All right.

00;25;48;10 - 00;25;52;27
Rob Lee
We're seeking music. Music only here for this first question. Prince. So, Michael Jackson.

00;25;53;12 - 00;26;15;24
Sultan Salahuddin
I got to go with Michael there. Are you going to do any longer? Think about it. He'd been doing it since he was a kid. Sure. And vocally speaking, there's really no comparison. I mean, Prince is a dope artist. Yeah, don't get me wrong, I salute the prince. But when you're talking about verse of verse, vocal for vocal, we talk in 1985 when with the diamond socks changed the world.

00;26;15;24 - 00;26;22;02
Sultan Salahuddin
Are you kidding me? Francis, don't. But Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson will sing with Diana Ross, but he was like, what, six?

00;26;22;11 - 00;26;23;22
Rob Lee
You're not wrong. You're not wrong here.

00;26;23;22 - 00;26;26;25
Sultan Salahuddin
You're right. That's what Grammy. That's all right. Michael Jackson on that.

00;26;27;26 - 00;26;29;07
Rob Lee
Nickname you had when you were younger.

00;26;29;18 - 00;26;32;14
Sultan Salahuddin
Oh, Speedy baseball.

00;26;33;13 - 00;26;36;22
Rob Lee
If you could travel back in time, which period would you go to?

00;26;37;06 - 00;27;05;27
Sultan Salahuddin
Oh, I want to say the Mesolithic period, but I just made that word up. And it's not real. I like to go back to not too far because it wasn't dope. No, no, actually, I'd like to go back to like if I could for a day. I'd go back to when settlers were coming across the pilgrims were coming across the land only.

00;27;05;28 - 00;27;27;19
Sultan Salahuddin
So I can see how many Native Americans or how many indigenous. Let me rephrase it. How many indigenous people? Because it wasn't just Native Americans. There were many, many different cultures. Sure. That we're here just to see it from their perspective. Why what is wagons and why they coming across and what that lifestyle was like? Like, I would be interested in saying that for the first time.

00;27;27;19 - 00;27;29;09
Sultan Salahuddin
Like what? So yeah.

00;27;29;14 - 00;27;34;09
Rob Lee
Yeah. You'd be the grand in this or the, um, grandness of look at scope.

00;27;34;24 - 00;27;37;09
Sultan Salahuddin
Oh, what's going on here? Something's new. Come on, guys.

00;27;38;17 - 00;27;44;11
Rob Lee
Here's the last one. This one might be the most controversial one, but who knows? Okay. Underappreciated Chicago food.

00;27;44;27 - 00;28;08;17
Sultan Salahuddin
Oh, pizza. I mean, pizza. Do a lot of people, especially you from New York, they like not only Ohio, you've been slices and your corner deli. That's great. That's great. I can believe they appreciate that. But if you're ever had did this in Chicago. Oh, the district's also another place. Docks. Fish.

00;28;08;26 - 00;28;09;05
Rob Lee
Okay.

00;28;09;05 - 00;28;24;27
Sultan Salahuddin
Who docks with you? Go to Chicago. Go to 35th, right off of King Drive and go to docks and get you a fish. Wish a number one fish. Swish. Oh, my God. I could say so. Right now I'm salivating. Yeah, it's delicious.

00;28;24;27 - 00;28;41;29
Rob Lee
So I guess I will say that I was late. I was nearly late for a flight because me and one of my buddies that went to this wrestling show referred to earlier, okay. Popped over because we didn't get any deep dish. So we got some we stuffed it down our gullies and then ran for the flight. And I was like, This was a mistake, but this was delicious.

00;28;41;29 - 00;28;45;18
Rob Lee
It was a delicious mistake. The quarter was the issue more than the actual food.

00;28;45;18 - 00;28;48;07
Sultan Salahuddin
You remember what what restaurant you get the pizza from.

00;28;48;23 - 00;28;51;13
Rob Lee
And it was it was close to the airport. So I kind.

00;28;51;13 - 00;28;54;16
Sultan Salahuddin
Of had to go. Yeah, it was it was it was in Midway or O'Hare.

00;28;55;06 - 00;28;56;16
Rob Lee
This was O'Hare.

00;28;57;00 - 00;29;06;03
Sultan Salahuddin
Okay, you know what I want? You want, but yeah. Cool. Yeah, I think that's a lot of people I try to hate on our pizza, but they know it's the best time of.

00;29;06;16 - 00;29;07;17
Rob Lee
Year to go to Portillo's.

00;29;08;25 - 00;29;15;04
Sultan Salahuddin
Portillo's really good. Have you had their chocolate shake? Chocolate cake shake?

00;29;15;16 - 00;29;16;01
Rob Lee
No.

00;29;16;19 - 00;29;25;25
Sultan Salahuddin
Here they take a piece of chocolate cake, big ass cheese. Throw it in a blender, put it with some ice cream and turn it into a shake for you. Then you wake up with diabetes. But it's so good, though.

00;29;27;16 - 00;29;34;23
Rob Lee
So with that, I want to thank you for being on this podcast, indulging me. This is this is a lot of fun. Thank you so much for having me.

00;29;34;26 - 00;29;35;28
Sultan Salahuddin
Absolutely.

00;29;36;25 - 00;29;45;00
Rob Lee
And I want to invite and encourage you to tell the fine folks. I want to obviously watch Southside, but telephone folks, the floor is yours. Any message you want to share with the five folks as we wrap up here?

00;29;46;16 - 00;30;10;20
Sultan Salahuddin
You know, no, I think it's important that everybody listen to their heart and do what makes them most happy. Also, really quickly, I have a nonprofit organization called Line 44 dot org. And the whole purpose of that nonprofit is to provide the youth in Chicago an opportunity to work in the film industry behind the camera and get some experience there in the neighborhood.

00;30;10;20 - 00;30;19;26
Sultan Salahuddin
So we make films in the community. And then outside of that, I just wish everybody health and wellness and take care of yourself and make yourself a priority.

00;30;20;11 - 00;30;41;15
Rob Lee
And there you have it, folks. I want to again thanks Sultan Salahuddin from HBO, Max's South Side, for coming on to the podcast. And I'm Rob Lee, saying that there is culture in and around your neck of the woods. You just got to look for it.