B.Dot: The Ultimate Hustler!!! Pt.1

HHDX: Today you are a day away from the finals, how are you feeling right now about all of this?

B.DOT: Im feeling hungry. You know what Im saying? Its been a long process. And the missions still not complete, and almost all the pieces are in place. So, its almost like youre almost done but youre not quite done. A lot of people have been asking me You hype to be in the finals?, and its like yeah, but I always saw myself getting to this point. Winning for me is about the win. I came here to win and thats what Im focused on. And until I get that win Im not really satisfied, Im not content.

So, during the evening theres a lot of cats that are saying that youre being considered the favorite. Now, did it ever cross your mind at the beginning of this competition that you would have made it all the way to the end and be considered the favorite?

B.DOT: Yo! Its kind of wild. When you first apply, you just like Damn, I hope I get on. You know what Im saying?

Right.

B: Really I just hoped they watched my audition tape. Because like if they actually really watched my audition tape, I thought Id get on. You know that you are sending it to like a black hole, it felt like you were sending a demo to a radio station or record label or something like that, without no real contact and you assume that you are not going to hear back. So when I first sent that audition tape in Im like, yeah whatever. If they watch it I know that Ill get on. So, when I got the call I was like damn, they watched it. I really think that Im gonna get on. You know what Im saying? Even though I had just passed that first stage, I was like ok, as long as Im getting interviewed now my personality speaks for itself, so its all good.

So, then that was like the first thing. Then I get to the house, and at the house you really have no expectations. You meet all the contestants and everything. And you dont know nothing about anybody. So, I wasnt overestimating anybody, I wasnt underestimating anybody. It was like let me sit back and assess whos here, whos strong, whos weak or whatever. Thats the kind of mentality that I came in with. I didnt make any determinations up front. But very quickly after that when I was able to assess everybodys strength, and I think I got a good feel for who brought what to the table. Yeah, I thought that I was gonna win. You know, I really thought, well Ill put it like this, I had what it takes to be the ultimate hustler. You know what Im saying? Now, I knew that a lot of eliminations would be based on peoples perception of you. And you never know how thats gonna play out you know what Im saying? But I knew as far as like my raw skill tip and what I can bring to the table and what I could do and how I flip and make money, I was like hey, I think Im the best here.

So, like this shit aint like Americas Next Top model, where they remind your ass every week like this is what the prize is. So, remind everybody exactly what the hell yall getting for winning this.

B: The major thing of all this is that all the contestants (when we first started) were asked to start thinking about a big pitch that you were going to pitch to Dame. As far as a new venture that he could get involved in. So, the winning hustler gets the opportunity to implement that pitch with Dame. So, thats the major thing. Then as far as the other prizes you get a fully loaded 2006 Jeep Commander, you win a platinum and iced out chain, which they say is valued at $15,000, a new watch from Dames Tiret watch line that he just started, personally designed croquet sneakers, and a whole fall wardrobe. Kinda like a makeover and some stuff from the Damon Dash (Samuel Rose Collection) of silk. You know thats his line of high end suits. And you know you get that title and that exposure too. Having gone through it and beat everybody who was going up against you.

So, lets get to this question. Its mad clich but how real is reality TV?

B: (laughs) Its relatively real. Ill put it like that. Cause you know that everything thats on there was filmed. Its just that if it got me saying a quote then its like damn this dude is cocky motherfucker. Well, hey I said it. Now the thing is, the producers and the editors do got a story to tell. They gotta make characters out of all of us. Its like you cant really make a character, a flat character, out of no real person. You cant be summarized in just two or three words.

For TV they gotta be able to have you summarized in a couple of words. So, B.Dot: The Cocky Dude. Then Ray was the street hustler. He was representing the streets. You got Ashley who was the pretty girl. So you had all of these characters and there were efforts to try to frame us in these characters. They arent full portrayals, so a lot of people would think that they know stuff about some of the other casts members. People that I thought was generally cool, would be like dog such and such is wack. And Ill be like Yo you dont really know them like that. Theres a thin line between whats real and whats fake. (Whats portrayed) its just part of their personalities, but thats not their whole personality.

So do you feel that you were portrayed in the right light?

B: Im not mad. You know what Im saying? In a way I was portrayed the way I was advertising (myself). Im not mad about how they portrayed me. All the stuff wasnt dead on. I think that they tried to portray me as a little scared at one point. (laughs) That was never even a thought in my mind.

Yeah, yeah they did try to do you like that. I remember that.

B: Yeah, and I was like scared of what. You know?

(laughs)

B: Of these dudes? (laughs). You gotta play and break em. But yeah you know that the editing. Im not mad at them. I signed a contract that said that you gonna make me a character, whatever character thats gonna help you make that show. And well do it.

So, you are repping for the west coast. You are the only one left. How
does it feel, its like when you came in there and there was mad East Coast people.

B: You know I was feeling like I had a weight on my shoulders. I was one of the few people out here from the West. And theres a lot of perceptions about the West and everything, And we are in the neck of New York. Harlem is the mecca of New York and its known for hustling. And its known for greeting people who know how to get that money. I was out here from the West and I just knew I had to represent. I knew that it was an East Coast show. It was shot in Harlem. Almost all of (the contestants) had been familiar with it. And so I was like Let me show everybody how we do it out West. Let me show you how we get money and how we can get money easily.

You did your thing though. So big ups for that shit.

B: Yo! Ill put it like this you a real hustler, a person who really knows how to get that cake. You can put them on any corner, in any city or any state and theyll know how to get that money. So, I got no doubt that there are some cats that you can take from the show that really know how to get that money.

Some people are calling the Ultimate Hustler the poor mans Apprentice. And some people have attacked the way its shot, the way it looks, the prize, you know everything. How would you respond to those kind of accusations?

Well, Ill say its not meant to be like the Apprentice. Were in a different industry. Were working with different people. Were in a completely different world. So, why just carbon copy the Apprentice? I think what BET and Dame tried to do with this is get creative. They didnt want to make it just a straight up glossy version because thats not hip-hop. Thats not urban. You know what Im saying? So, if we would have came out with a glossy version of the Apprentice that shit would have been shot in midtown instead of in Harlem. I dont even think that it would sell to our market. It would have looked fake. It would have just looked to comprised and if anybody knows how to point out something thats fake its the urban market.

Did you have any feelings about how African-Americans are being portrayed in reality TV?

B: I mean typically I think its a problem. Its a problem that I think exist in everything. Ok, Ill put it like this since the editor has a big role in how people are framed, I think they made prejudices and they preset emotions about African-Americans cant help but influence how they decide to portray people. I dont think that its blatantly racist, and I dont think that its really a conscious effort. So, I think that maybe with some of these editors and story writers are watching certain behaviors or certain events take place.

Yeah, yeah. But you know like the chick Omarosa she embraced the character of the villain.

B: Yeah, she did though. I was conscious of my image when I was on there.

Yeah thats what I was going to be getting at. Were you real conscious to not get caught acting real niggerish as black folks would say?

B: Yeah, I mean you cant help but be conscious of your image and stuff like that. I know that people are going to be watching me. I want people to be able to look at me and be like damn thats a cool cat and he dont walk this way, he dont necessarily have to look this way or think this way. So you dont see me cursing on the show. You dont see me doing a lot of stupid stuff because I know that shorties are watching. I want to show them like you can go to a school like Stanford and be chilling with Dame on the Ultimate Hustler at the same time. Alot of kids would be like, oh thats lame. You know back when I was a youngster and doing good things in High School people was like thats corny, thats lame or whatever.

Right

B: And its like you can do you and do both. You know? It aint stupid to be smart. Its smart to be smart.

(laughs) Yeah, I wish that kids would understand that more often instead of making a big deal out of flashing and fitting in. Thats one thing that I definitely have to say is that I appreciate that are showing cats when to stand for bigger things. Its cool to be smart and you can still get your hustle on.

B: Exactly. You can still get your hustle on, but really it be them smart dudes. And dont get it twisted. Dame is a smart dude. Dame is razor sharp. You know a lot of them cats on the show are razor sharp. I mean college isnt necessarily for everybody. And you could still be hella smart and do your thing. But you know I just really wanted to show that this is one way of doing things out here. You didnt see me getting drunk a lot of the time on the show and things like that. Its like you can be in hip-hop, you can be in this urban world and it doesnt just mean one thing. Now, yall cant assume that we all smoke all of the time. Now you cant assume that we all just sit back and drink all the time. Or that we are all are just sitting there cursing all the time and all that type of shit. So now you see that everybody on that show represented a different aspect of hip-hop. Thats urban culture. And so youre seeing that its not just about fashion but it covers every wheel on the spectrum.

Stay tuned for pt 2 when Brian talks about the contestants, who got hot and sweaty, is Dame really and asshole and more!