Unglossy: Authentic Conversations on Culture, Creativity & Legacy

Soufiane “Souf” Bernoukh: Humor, Hoops, and Holy Buckets

• Bun B, Tom Frank, Jeffrey Sledge, Souf Bernoukh • Season 6 • Episode 40

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Tom Frank, Bun B, and Jeffrey Sledge sit down with Soufiane “Souf” Bernoukh — the mind behind Halal Wrist and one of the most original voices in sports entertainment today.

Souf shares how a childhood full of jokes, a late start in basketball, and the hustle of Division III ball shaped his creative path. He unpacks the creation of his signature trick shot, the midnight hotel-shift videos that ignited his rise, and the Ramadan clip that went viral enough for Drake to reach out.

The conversation dives deeper into identity: how Souf navigates stereotypes, represents Muslim culture on a global stage, and uses comedy and craft to build connection. He discusses the growth of the Halal Wrist brand, lessons from running (and pausing) his restaurant, and the launch of the Helal Wrist Foundation — a mission to build courts, uplift communities, and create opportunity worldwide.

With laughs, honesty, and plenty of basketball analogies, this episode explores how faith, culture, creativity, and brand storytelling come together in one of today’s most unique creator journeys.

Tap in — when the prayers go up, the buckets come down. This is Unglossy.

"Unglossy" is produced and distributed by Merrick Studio and hosted by Bun B, Tom Frank and Jeffrey Sledge. Tune in to hear this thought-provoking discussion on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you catch your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @UnglossyPod to join the conversation  and check out all our episodes at https://wearemerrickstudios.com/unglossy-pod.

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SPEAKER_02:

Last week on Unglossy.

SPEAKER_04:

You could imagine just like Bum B performing out in in front of the crib before you pull up, Snoop outside. Yeah, Rob McTick just outside playing the piano on the, you know what I'm saying, before you pull up. Like, that's I wouldn't be mad at that. Yeah, I couldn't be mad at it.

SPEAKER_06:

I think what you could do is find out who your neighbors' favorite artists are and invite them to the porch. From the top.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm Tom Frank.

SPEAKER_05:

I'm Jeffrey Slate.

SPEAKER_06:

And I'm Buzz D. Welcome to Ungloss.

SPEAKER_02:

Real stories, unfiltered dialogue, and the voices moving culture beyond the gloss, pipe, and headlines. So buckle up on Glossy Starts Now.

SPEAKER_06:

This is gonna be fun. This is gonna be fun. I'm actually a very big fan.

SPEAKER_01:

Like it means a lot, man. You're a legend and you know, coming up, listening to your music and stuff like that before like pregame and basketball. So it's like it's an honor, you know. I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_03:

This is gonna be fun. We're gonna start with some other things, though. First, Bun. I got some things for you. Okay. All right. So hey, we are back for another unglossy. Hey guys, we got our first listener question that came in. Okay. And it kind of cracked me up a little bit. Really? So I thought I thought I'd read it to you guys. It says, and I and I quote, Why is Tom the only one who's always wearing Merrick merch?

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, dead ass.

SPEAKER_03:

Dead ass. Where is Bun and Jeffrey stash?

SPEAKER_06:

Dead ass. I don't know. I cannot answer that question for the most of them. Because Tom has made his merrick gear, and Tom hasn't made Jeffrey or I our own separate merrick gear. But I feel like he should be getting us some shortly.

SPEAKER_02:

I believe it'll happen.

SPEAKER_06:

It would help us push the line. Jeff and I were ready to push the line.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah. And I've asked a couple times, like, yo, what am I sure? He's like, no, no, I'm gonna get you some. I'm gonna keep it from the back. I'm gonna keep putting it back.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm gonna go with something. I thought it was funny that somebody noticed that. And I and you know, I was thinking Christmas. Christmas is coming up the holidays. You know, maybe a nice little holiday present.

SPEAKER_05:

So I'm cool, man.

SPEAKER_06:

But it does say that they're a consistent watcher. If you only watched it once or twice, you wouldn't probably wouldn't have picked it up. But if you watch it week after week after week, you're like, wait a minute. One of these things is not like the other. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03:

Nothing. I do also want to say this. This will come out the day after Thanksgiving. So A, I want to say thank you to you guys. We've embarked on a little journey here together, and I want to I want to heartfully say thank you to you guys that we we dove in together to do not only Unglossy, but Merrick Studios. Things are flying high. We got to say thanks to all of our hosts, all of our listeners.

SPEAKER_05:

Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03:

It's been good, and we got, man, we are just scratching the surface on what's to come.

SPEAKER_06:

Yep. Yep. No, no, I think we're gonna have a very, very, very, very interesting 2026. We're gonna close out 25 with a bang for sure. Strong. We got some very, very top-notch talent, top-notch talent, as well as some interesting announcements that hopefully we'll be able to share with you guys by the end of the year. But we're very excited about the future of not just the studio and the network, but the level of talent that we've not only been bringing, but the level of talent that we may potentially be bringing in for next year. We're super excited about the growth potential of this network, uh, these podcasts that we're happy to host. And you guys, we, you know, we've none of this is possible without everybody that's tuning in and watching us and appreciating the work and making sure that we have the right t-shirts on for the job. So thank you. Thank you all from all of us here at Merrick Studios here.

SPEAKER_03:

And then the one last thing. Now, Bon, you can you can give a little tease of this to whatever degree you want. But our next show, which will be after Thanksgiving, is gonna be a little sneak peek into an annual tradition that you have. Yes. Yes, so you can only tell only what you want, but I I think what you're doing is absolutely fascinating. And I can't be, I just I'm so excited to just even just get a little glimpse of what's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_06:

I agree. Well, we've already made like a public statement about it for the most part, but but those that have been watching and been a part of it, um, the Trail Static series, which Static Collector and myself started um about four years ago, um, it was just an experiment, one in time and two in culture. So we started an idea that we could create an album in a day. And so Static Collector provides all the production. I do a lot, a considerable amount of the rapping, and then we bring in different artists, you know what I'm saying? Guys that many people know, guys that we're friends of, some guys that we feel that are on the horizon of success that we want to expose to people. And it allows me as an OG to kind of test my metal against everybody and kind of show people that I still got it. Um, and so we've done four four albums under the Trail Static title. This year is about to be Trill Static 5. Um, we're gonna do it live from Miami during Art Basil. And now that I have this platform to present to people and all the things that I have involved, which these guys are like, yo, you know, it's always good to have good interviews and good guests, but Vun, you got some cool stuff too that we think the American audience would be, you know, interested in seeing. So we're gonna do a special unglossy episode live from Trill Static 5 in the midst of the recording. The guys are gonna uh get to see exactly, and we're gonna get to share exactly how we put it together. It's you know, it's it's a multi-camera thing, so there's gonna be cameras in different rooms in different places. We have some special celebrity guests who are gonna be in the building actually recording with me at that time, and we're gonna we're gonna share it with you. We're gonna share it with you all. So we'll we'll definitely be making announcements on the episodes leading up to uh Trill Static, but also the week of. So if you're not following, make sure you're following Jeff, following me, and you're definitely following on Glossy and Merrick Studios. Um, so you'll make sure and get the update so you'll know exactly what time to tune in and get to see all the fun. And I guess I could say this is you'll get to see how the sausage gets made. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah. Behind the curtain. Behind the curtain.

SPEAKER_06:

I hope I hope for those of you that are fans of myself and or those of you that would just be interested to see how a hip-hop album gets made, make sure to tune in. We'll be giving you the the official announcements, dates, and times shortly. So just stay tuned to us on social media.

SPEAKER_03:

That's right. We got some exciting stuff, and today we also have some exciting stuff. I get to I get to introduce a guy that that I've been a fan of for a while. So today's guest is a man who took mini hoop, a prayer, and a whole lot of audacity, and built a universe out of it. We're talking about Sophane. Let me make sure I get this right. So Faini Bruno. Sofion. Sofion. We're talking about Sofion Brunk, also known across the internet as Halal Wrist. He's a former Furman college hooper who turned one signature trick shot into a full-blown cultural lane. Since then, he's stacked millions of views, blended humor with faith, and built a brand that's somewhere between ESPN Top 10 and Friday Prayers. He's a content creator, an entrepreneur, a fashion guy, dabbled into the restaurant business. Basically, the only man you know who can drop a no-look, reverse, fadeaway into a mini hoop and serve you a halal mill right afterwards. That's it. What I love about this guy, he doesn't just fit neatly into a box. He's a sports guy, a faith guy, a creator guy. He decided to do all of them at once. And that's exactly the kind of story we get excited about on Unglossy. Bun, Jeff, buckle up. Today we're talking culture, identity, hustle, and how you turned viral magic into real life empire. So, welcome to Unglossy.

SPEAKER_01:

Man, that was a appreciate you guys for having me. It was a legendary intro. I'm gonna need that clip too. You can have that. Yeah, yeah. I need some of those lines.

SPEAKER_03:

So we gotta start at the beginning here. You know, before the trick shots. Like, I, you know, where'd you grow up?

SPEAKER_01:

Where, where, how what role did hoops and faith play in shaping who you are? Um, I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. Uh my parents are from Morocco. Uh they came here in like the 80s. Uh, but my brother was born in Morocco. I was born here in Washington, D.C., uh, but I grew up in the Alexandria area. Sure. Um, and then I went to a school called Jeb Stewart. Um it was a it was a school mixed with a bunch of, like, we had so many Muslims there, so many, it's just so many, it was like a melting pot of different people. Um, started there, and I started playing basketball late. I played basketball in eighth grade. Uh, that's when I really started taking it serious. Uh, tried out for the team. I was played freshman, then JV, and then varsity for two years. And before basketball, I was always like like the class clown. I got actually voted class clown and all that. So I was always like joking and things of that nature. So I already had that in me.

SPEAKER_03:

And then you went on to play Division III basketball, too.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I went, I didn't know where I was, I didn't get recruited. Um, so I just picked Farham College. I went there and I was working out every day to just, I was like, yo, I have to make it. And it was, it was two spots open for uh, and it was like 40 people trying out. Wow. And it was uh one point guard spot, one center position. But I was like, I was working out when people were going to homecoming and all that. I was in the gym just putting up jumpers, it's working.

SPEAKER_06:

And in this point in your life, there was never any issues with the representation of your religion and your adamacy to be successful in athletics. There was no conflict for family or anything at that point?

SPEAKER_01:

Nah, nah. I mean, my religion was just like, you know, it was since I was born, I was always like Muslim, and then it I never really had to mix the two together. You know, sports in Islam is actually encouraged, you know. Taking care of your body is actually like, is like your your temple in a sense. So it's like you taking care of it is gonna take care of you, and you're gonna be able to do more things, whether it's like giving charity back or whatever it is, you can get up and pray, you can you can do more things when you take care of your body.

SPEAKER_06:

So I know sometimes, you know, when culture is involved, um, as far as the balance between culture and religion, specifically with Islam, um growing up in modern times, you have to be very careful not to embrace things that could be seen as haram, right?

SPEAKER_01:

For sure, yeah. Or like doing things that that you're around that can be haram, uh like haram, like um you're in the wrong setting or m intermixing with certain things and that those like this like being in sports can can take you towards. But uh everything is intention, everything is like what you're doing it for. So if you have the right intention and pure intention, then it's it's between you and God that's like um He knows He knows what you believe and how you feel. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_05:

Wait, wait, wait, so like you you played point.

SPEAKER_01:

I played point guard, yeah, yeah. It was nice? I was nice, but I I didn't play that much, but like uh I was nice. I mean, to make college is like it's a small percentage. Hey, I think it's great.

SPEAKER_03:

And I'll tell you what, we were talking yesterday, division three basketball to me. I'm I'm a big division three basketball fan. I do a I do a podcast for a Division III college juniata um up in Pennsylvania. And I I spent a lot of time like you know watching them play and everything. And to me, the difference between Division III and Division I is certainly not the heart. It's certainly not some of the skill. Some of it is just God-given. Like Division I guys are 6'8 and can jump through a game. Um, you know, the the the Division III guys just don't have some of that God-given talent, but still work hard, still have the skills. And and to me, it's sometimes the purest form of basketball because you're not getting a giant scholarship, you're not getting all this NIL money, you're playing because you love to play.

SPEAKER_04:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah. So who's sometimes? No, go, go ahead, go ahead. I was gonna say who's your favorite, who was your favorite uh point guard, uh, point guards in uh when you were growing up.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, I used to watch Steve Nash a lot. Um, I remember he used to do this like tennis ball, uh dribbling with the tennis ball. He used to dribble with the tennis ball, uh Jason Kidd, um LeBron. Like I remember his passing. I used to watch his passing a lot. Um yeah, those those are like the top point guards that I used to watch. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So I I know a lot of times you do talk about stereotypes and assumptions. I mean, how did you face any of that in terms of maybe height, religion, like where you fit in? Um, you know, how did that play kind of a role?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, I just at the time I used it like it was like fuel to the fire. I used it to just, you know, I'm gonna use it to make me better or I'm gonna prove I'm wrong. Uh and actually, like after is now, it's like, you know, comedy is pain. So now I use all the com the stuff that I was dealing with back then. I use it now in like the comedy videos and stuff like that. Like I had like coaches tell me, like, uh, if you want to play, you'll have a better chance of nailing jello to the wall. Um like so many different things. Like they used to even joke about like the religion, like um, so I just took it as fuel for the fire, but now I'll just use that to put into like the comedy or make fun of it, you know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_06:

I'm curious, like, because it's such a great mixture of it, I'm curious as to what did you realize you were good at first? Playing basketball or your sense of humor?

SPEAKER_01:

It was the sense of humor first, because I was always like the class clown, like joking around. I like in middle school, I was always in detention, getting people in trouble, like stuff like that. Like, sneak I was always like doing pranks, but it just wasn't social media back then.

SPEAKER_07:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

Because I I graduated in 2009. And then even in college, when we were doing basketball, we would do like videos, but there was no, it was like only Facebook, and the quality was horrible. So we couldn't really post at that time, but we we if we had Instagram back then, we probably would have gone viral quicker, but um everything comes in due time. Yeah, so it was comedy, then basketball. Got it, got it.

SPEAKER_03:

So, so how did it happen? Like, like you have the kind of like the signature trick shot, right? That I see everywhere. Like, how does it even start? Like, what happened first? Like, what what what's the first video that you put out there? Or how did it happen?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, I was putting out a lot of videos before, and then the craziest video um was it was like during Ramadan. And then I started mixing like the sayings like when you throw like a shot up, uh, I was telling you this yesterday, Tom, but um, like when you throw a shot from far in basketball, you call it a prayer. So then I was like, yo, when the prayers go up, the blessings come down. And then I just started talking like random. I was like, yo, that's that hella risk. And then it just exploded. Uh bleach report posted it. Um everybody was ESPN everywhere. Then Drake started following me, and the first thing he said to me was like, Haler Risk is going crazy in Calabasas. So once he once he said Hella Risk, I was like, yo, there's something. I went immediately, I got a trademark. I got it, I got a trademark, I started this like our merch. We just started building off of that.

SPEAKER_06:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

That's the same, same kind of like uh what's funny is like same as like Buns, kind of like, you know, trill, trill burger and stuff like that. Like, we we built on like hella risk. We we knew that that has to fall in the realm of everything.

SPEAKER_06:

Whose idea was it to wear the traditional clothing? Yeah, I was gonna ask that.

SPEAKER_01:

So we always had it, like I I have pictures of me like in high school rocking, like the Koofy. I always, it was something that I always like rocked. Like, and even in in like Moroccan culture and and Arab culture a lot, like especially like if you go overseas, you see all the Saudis and like uh the Emirates and stuff like that, they're all wearing like thobes and stuff, so it's just something I always wore. I always like the Kofi, I just wanted to wear something different, um, like on a day-to-day basis. Usually a lot of the Muslims they'd be wearing that on Friday. So I was like, yo, let me just start wearing it every day, you know.

SPEAKER_06:

Now from a cultural, from a cultural aspect, if we were to go in predominantly Muslim countries and we saw people playing basketball, they would be dressed as you would be dressed as they would play games?

SPEAKER_01:

No, no, no, no. Not even on a Friday, not even on a Friday. Maybe if they ain't have no clothes or something like that.

SPEAKER_06:

So I just want to be clear because I want I want our audience to understand that this is a unique thing that you came up with.

SPEAKER_04:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_06:

Right? I don't want it, I don't want people to be confused that maybe this is a cultural thing, that you were just the first to kind of you know apply social media to it. But as far as like giving boys, like giving boys that work in in that garb, that's all you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's like the people be saying, like, I I gotta I uh I be scoring so quick that I gotta go to prayer right after.

SPEAKER_05:

It was you and the those um I never got their names, it was these girls. Um I think they're familiar. Yeah, from the Minnesota area, and they were saying they had the they had the Muslims, but they were like, ah, yeah. Behind the back, oh, they were killing cats. I was like, yo, you know, yeah, we're like going crazy. I was like, and I was always wondered, would those girls be able to play on different levels because of their religion and whether would they be kind of held back because they you know they probably can practice certain times or can do things, but they were like they would go to the playground and just destroy cats, like destroying, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, they had the videos that they were posting, and Jramad is really cool, like real close friend. Um, we made countless like viral videos together, and she's nice on the court. And it was actually funny because me and her were the first people, like back in around around like between 2017, 2018, you didn't really see a lot of Muslim influencers like that. And me and her were were like wearing the taw and and the koofy, and she's wearing the the hijab and stuff like that, and we were making videos, and I remember people were like you didn't see that, and then people were like like trying to see they were like why is he wearing this, why is he doing this, and then it just went viral. Now you see everybody doing it now and rocking the clothes, and more of I I like it because it's like we kind of pave the way, it's like you know, yeah, just like in rap or anything, you're like the the OG of it in a sense, you know. Yeah, before we move on.

SPEAKER_06:

You guys are aware you're ushering in like a new generation of Muslim, right? Yeah, not necessarily a new representation of Muslim, let's say um Muslim representation, right? Yeah, and and bringing a level of normalcy to seeing Muslims in non-traditional places doing traditional things, you know? Exactly. You don't have to compromise your religion to do what you do for a living.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. Exactly, exactly. And that's the the whole thing that's throughout my life is uh I'm Muslim, but this is what I happen to do. I I hope I'm a comedian, and it doesn't compromise because I am who I am.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I love it. Yeah, yeah. Well Bun said exactly what I was gonna ask. Like you you opened up the doors for like said not being having to hide your your you know your love of your culture and your religion because like, oh what the guy what are they gonna say? You know, like you guys fully fully dressed in the in in in the in the in what you what you wear and the koofies and all that, but like, but you still like she's still getting busy.

SPEAKER_03:

And we'll be right back.

SPEAKER_06:

Welcome to Merrick Studios, where stories take the mic and culture comes alive.

SPEAKER_03:

We're not just a network, we're a family, bringing you smart, soulful, unfectured conversations.

SPEAKER_05:

And this season, we're bringing the heat, but our biggest lineup yet. Whatever you're into, music, sports, business, we got you covered. Merrick Studios, where the conversation starts and keeps going.

SPEAKER_03:

Check out our full lineup, including Unglossi with Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and myself, Tom Frank. Now streaming at wearmeritstudios.com.

SPEAKER_00:

Master the art of lyricism with Pendulum Mink, the first school for rap. Learn elite techniques through immersive lessons, real world exercises, and guidance from hip hop icons. This is with MC shopping and skills and glow boldly on the mic. Ready to level up? Visit pendulummink.com and start your journey today.

SPEAKER_02:

And now, back to the show.

SPEAKER_06:

So here's a question I got from as far as basketball is concerned, right? I can understand that you were a good basketball player, got a scholarship, went to Division III school. All of that makes sense, right? I can understand the ability. Obviously, we've seen from men and females, the ability to hoop in traditional gear is not a problem. Here's my question. Being a division three basketball player, right? Shooting under standard height uh goals does not lend itself to mini hoop supremacy, right? So everybody that's really good in the gym, shooting a traditional basketball shot, are not automatically good at mini hoop basketball.

SPEAKER_05:

That's true, man.

SPEAKER_06:

How did you develop that very specific skill set?

SPEAKER_01:

Very specific, yes. What's funny is my boy had uh um, he was my uh teammate. He's actually uh one of my partners in in the clothing. His name is Keith Crump. We used to have uh in his dorm, he used to have like a he used to have like one of those little mini hoops, but it was like real like metals. It wasn't one of those like flimsy mini hoops. And we used to be in there just shooting from far competition, just shooting, playing games, and then from there I was just like doing it like I took a break um from the mini hoop. It's not like I I made it a thing. So the whole story behind the mini hoop is we were trying to figure out what what we wanted to do, like as far as like merch. We didn't want to just do clothing, like uh we want maybe we released some shorts or some uh shirt. So we released some uh shorts, and then we were like, yo, let's do a mini hoop. Everybody can put it in their room, stuff like that. And we created a mini hoop, we ordered about a thousand of them. I thought they were gonna fly and sell, but they ended up sitting. So I was like, yo, how can we how can we like like sell these? And then I was I used to work at a hotel, and then I would check people in, and I would put back in 10 minutes, lock the door. This at midnight, it was like I was working overnight. I would lock the door, we go in inside the gym, and we start shooting scenes like the slow-mo. And then I come back out, it's like people lying, knocking at the door, trying to get in. I'm like, yo, I'm sorry. I'm sweated. Sorry, I just came from the bathroom, this and that. And then from there, it took off. Uh, maybe like six months, maybe less than six months, I quit my job, and then we just went head on every day. I'm like, I started even putting up jumpers on the mini hoop, like a real basketball player.

SPEAKER_06:

So you're telling me that if you didn't work at a hotel with a gym, none of this may have ever happened.

SPEAKER_03:

And the ability to say I'll be back in 10 minutes.

SPEAKER_06:

Or working the fact that you got to work the night shift.

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah, right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06:

There's another thing that I think is a is another stroke of genius about this, right? Beyond the menu, the POV. That thousand mile stair.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06:

With that POV. Was it created so that the viewer could feel because I'm gonna tell you how I feel. As a viewer, I feel I feel like you're dunking on me. I feel like you're working me, right? Is that intentional?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's like it's like a faces, it's like nothing like this is nothing like and it's like you're looking at me like giving you work is it's light work. That's the genius of it, I think. Yeah, because it's not it's it's like yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_06:

And it gives a lot of like I could do this in my sleep, bro.

SPEAKER_01:

Why are you playing with me? Exactly. And and you know, the whole thing, like I started reading comments, like when the first went viral, people would like the face, people liked um the shot, they liked different things, like oh that they started realizing just like the outfits, what are you wearing, the shoes. So I was like, let me play more into that. And then somebody told me they're like the best con content you can kind of create is content that you're not saying a word, but it can connect with the world because they just understand it. You know what I mean? So that's why like the face, people like the face, anybody can relate to it, and you know, I just ran with it. You don't have to speak English to understand to get more right, like exactly, exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_03:

I like what you just said there because I hadn't thought about it like that. Is there are no words, it's just pure action, and it's that look that says more than you could ever say with words. So wait a minute now. So you quit your job. This is it, like this is what you do.

SPEAKER_01:

I said I haven't worked since it's been like seven years.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow, seven years, and you do and and I I okay, you gotta tell us some of the crazy things you've done. Because I saw you at um at a wizards game, right? You did a wizards game, I saw you throw it up to the mascot, and like tell us some of the crazy events that you've gotten the opportunity to do through this.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh man, we I was in um I was in the babies music video. Um we went to uh went to the Lakers. The Lakers game got close with Phil Handy, met some of the players, uh uh talked to Drake, um, doing this here now, went to Detroit. I went to uh uh Atlanta. A lot of NBA teams uh invited me. Just even being able to talk to people that I grew up watching, or just you know, people that you think they're you can't reach is is just it's unreal because then you're like, wow, they're actually fans or they like the videos and they're watching you the same way you're a fan of them and you're watching them. So it's like it lets you know that it's attainable, you can touch it, it's right there.

SPEAKER_03:

What was the interaction with Drake like?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, like he said, he wrote Hilaris uh gone crazy in Calabasas. Uh I wrote to him. I still he said he's down to do a mini hoop video, so I want to see um how that would be. Yeah, that'd be dope. That'd be dope. Yeah. We gotta get Drake and Bun. And then we do the Uptown song.

SPEAKER_06:

I love it. I love it. Have you met anybody whose game you took a lot from? Have you ever like met your like number one NBA basketball playing idol yet? And if not, how can we make that happen for you?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh I mean, I I was working with Under Armour for a little bit, and then I did a commercial. Uh well, I did like a um uh I was promoting Steph's shoes and then he commented. So I'd be taking Steph's uh Steph's game with the shooting, obviously, and stuff like that. Yeah. Um Kyrie with the layups. So I guess hopefully Steph for Kyrie. I mean he's in he's in uh Dallas.

SPEAKER_03:

So I was gonna say, you got Kyrie right in Texas there.

SPEAKER_06:

I I I got a connection, I got a backdoor connection to Mr. Irvin. I'm gonna see if I can make that happen for you, my God.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Nah, I appreciate you, brother. It really means a lot. That's crazy, man. Yeah, we we gotta come out there to Houston and definitely try out the restaurant and go to a game or something, you know?

SPEAKER_06:

No, no, absolutely it. You know what I'm saying? And just have you come out and like, I think people would love to see you. Like, you know what I'm saying, just in the city. I love the fact that this thing is translating from social media to the real world. Yeah, yeah. I do too. You know what I'm saying? That legal where do you see this growing to? Is there anything that uh aspirationally you and your team are thinking of to try to grow this any more than you currently have it?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, um, we actually just came back from Kenya. We did uh some humanitarian work, uh wow, uh working with the or orphans and raising money for them and and being out there and seeing them. A lot of the kids don't know even what basketball is. And they don't have some of them don't even have shoes or how they walk, they walk miles in in the dirt just to get to school. But they have like the biggest smile on their face. So we started um Hilaris Foundation. We just recently got uh our license. Uh We're trying to do some humanitarian work where we go build basketball courts. And what we do locally is we go from like AAU programs or to schools. We'll go shoot some mini hoop videos with them. They'll do some dunk contests, whatever, you try to give out some prizes. And then we sit and we talk to them and tell them like our journey. How like, just because if you don't make it in basketball, you can still use basketball as a tool to take you somewhere, you know, further in life. Because basketball, it taught me the best, uh, it's like the best analogy for life. You know, you use all the lessons, the camaraderie, the teamwork, the hard work, you use it to propel you like for the future and use those skills that you learn. So that's what we love working.

SPEAKER_06:

As a man of African descent, was that intentional for you to bring that message to Africa?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I want to uh what really sparked um what really sparked my mind and me and my partner Amon's mind, we we went with an organization called Giants of Africa not too long ago. And they were doing um, they brought teams from all over Africa, 18 and under, and to see that how many kids knew me. And I didn't know that I had a huge fan base in Africa, even though yeah, I'm I'm I'm Northern African in Morocco. Um that like people from Ghana, people from Somalia. It's crazy. East Africa, and they they know me. Yo, I love your videos, this like I'm like, I have to go back and give back there because that's you know where I'm from and and and this to see that. I feel like now people are going into like they're shedding light on Africa, but there's a lot more work to be done over there. I love the idea.

SPEAKER_06:

I love that idea, man. It's dope.

SPEAKER_03:

It's it's so cool to me that like you know, you're making these videos on social, but yet you go across the world and there's so many people. That I get, I mean, that's the power of social media. Like, there's there's a lot of negative to it, but there's also a whole lot of positive to it as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. And sports, sports connect people, you know? True. Yeah, people love sports, and and you know, it's like an unwritten language. And you know, even a lot of those kids they didn't even know what basketball was. When we were setting up the mini hoop coming in there, they didn't even know what it was. So it's like, I want to go out there and be able to build a basketball court and have it there and leave, leave a legacy, you know, where we don't take none of this stuff with us and it's what we do, you know. And one of the sayings when even when I was shooting is like when you give, you always get back. So that's what I try to, you know, live my life by.

SPEAKER_05:

I want to ask you a little about the uh halal wrist. Um, I obviously doing humanitarian stuff. Um, are you guys is there's read it, do you have a restaurant or something like that, or a food spot, something as well?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we had a restaurant in DC. We had it for about three years. Okay. It was like chicken over rice, uh uh wings, fries. Um it was going good, but it's uh I'm sure you can attest to a bun. It was it's it's a lot of work. You know, you gotta be there. You gotta be there, you gotta you gotta keep track, you know, the bloodline of the business is down to the penny. Gotta keep track of everything, and and it was good. And I still want to open up the restaurant. We want to relocate to because DC's kind of like the taxes are high, and um the location we were at the parking wasn't that good, so we decided not to renew the lease, and we're kind of take we kind of took a break because it was taking so much out of us. Um, and we still got like the formula, the recipe. So we want to when we're ready, we're gonna open it closer to a more like suitable location. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. I love the idea.

SPEAKER_06:

I love the idea. I think I cut you off. Go ahead. No, you got it, go ahead. I I love the idea that I think the underlying message of this is to be yourself. I come from an entertainment background. Jeff also comes from an entertainment background, and I can tell you personally, as a recording artist, trying to share your art with the world or whatever it is that you do with the world, there are gonna be certain things that people will try to impress upon you that are taboo and could complicate connecting with people. I love the fact that you've like said, hold my beer to the whole philosophy. You know what I'm saying? And actually sent a message to a new generation of kids who may have been raised to, you know, I I've I've I've grown up in a community where certain people have been like, just be quiet, stay low-key, try to assimilate, try to blend in. And I love that this new generation is like, no, I'm just gonna be me, right? And because of social media and the information age, you can find more like-minded people. A lot of those mentalities I feel come from that environment, right? Where the Muslim community or the black community or the Latin community is severely outnumbered, right? So it's like, you know, when you're going to the store, you're going here, be quiet, keep your head down, you know what I'm saying, and just, you know, just go through life, try not to cause any ripples or whatever. But your art doesn't go to your immediate community, it goes out to the entire world. So it allows someone as brave as you, right, to give this, to give this a shot to find your tribe. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And not have to. I've I've always been a proponent of people giving them giving it the shot and not feeling they need to compromise anything about themselves culturally. You know what I'm saying? You don't need to, you know, and I'm I just want to be transparent on here. You know, I was raised at a time where it was like, if, you know, if you got to call in for a job, try to talk white. If somebody call about building something, try to talk white. Like, try to, you know, and I understand that, I understand what they meant, right? Try to sound general. Try not to sound specific, try not to pencil yourself into a particular group of people, right? But I think in this day and age, people like you who are putting these things out to the forefront, on its nose, out the door. This is who I am, this is what I look like. If you're not rocking with this, you might as well, as they say, you might as well swipe up, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_06:

But you've not only found success, I have to believe that this is inspirational. You know, as you said, meet kids around the world, kids halfway across the planet, are finding your content, being empowered, looking at life in a different way, bro. And that's on you, man. That's on you. That's on you and Amy. You guys should feel very proud about that.

SPEAKER_05:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Very proud. Yeah, I always it's I always like, I don't take it for granted. I I I want to be able to leave something when when the time is is done. Uh, I know that like I told you, you don't take nothing with you. And uh my whole thing is somebody gave me the advice before I had OGs and people like telling me stuff at a time where, you know, they didn't have to do that. So I always that that was something when I was brought up, they instilled in me. You know, wherever you go, whatever you do, give back. You know, you got the game gives you, and and you gotta give it back. So that's that's what I want to do. And from that, we've been blessed. Um, we dream, and then our dreams are bigger, you know?

SPEAKER_04:

That's right.

SPEAKER_03:

So I'm I'm still like I'm wildly intrigued with the fact that like you left your job seven years ago, and this this is what you do. Like, what are some tips that you would have for other creators, right? That are out there that are like, man, I I love what this guy's doing. And, you know, I think a big part of it is obviously you've been you've been authentic to yourself. But like, what are some other tips for people who are who are trying to do the same thing and follow in your footsteps?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, I I tell people it's it's ups and downs. It's a roller coaster ride. Um, whether you're on the up or you're on the down, just enjoy the ride. Um because a lot of times they think it's easy or they think you're, yo, you just did this, you got a whole bunch of money, you're good, you're set. But it's not like that, you know. Uh you gotta stay consistent with it every day. Every day rent is due, you gotta pay it, uh, and you gotta put in that work. You know what I mean? So if you don't put in that work, is you're not gonna really get anything out of it. And there's people just like basketball, there's somebody out there working out right now, 6 a.m., 5 a.m. And you gotta just keep going, keep going. If you really truly believe, you're gonna find a way. Yeah, that's how I believe. Like, it doesn't matter what, you'll you'll get it. Just put in the work. I agree.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I agree, I agree.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, five years from now. What what do you think? Where are you?

SPEAKER_01:

I wanna build Hell I Risk into a global brand. Um, something that just exceeds beyond me. That everybody, everybody can eat, like family is giving back, it's it's clothing. You don't even know who I am, maybe in five years, you know, but you know this brand, Hella Risk, it's like oh people are wearing the clothing, people are wearing uh there's a foundation is giving back. So I think I'm here uh for a bigger reason. I'm just a small uh part that uh that I'm playing in it, you know.

SPEAKER_05:

Yo, I got a question I want to ask you, and this is this is like a little off the path, but uh, you guys got these pictures behind you um that are amazing. And I've never had a chance to ask um um somebody with a Muslim faith like what it was like to go to Mecca.

SPEAKER_01:

Man, it's it's amazing. I mean, it's it's like seeing somewhere the better I can describe it is like you know, when you somewhere you want to travel, yeah. When you travel, it's like it's literally it's unbelievable. You go there and then you see people like you see like four foot eleven Philipp Filipino women pushing faith, like they're just they just believe it's just it's just a it's an unreal feeling, and and when you go there, everybody's there for one goal, um all for the same reason, and it's kind of just like uh I don't I don't know how to explain it, it's just like an out-of-body experience, you know? Yeah, that's what I've seen.

SPEAKER_05:

But from what I've seen, it's gonna be of videos of people going. Um it's just like everybody kind of moving to the to the same for the same purpose.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:

Except for whatever part of the world, whatever gender, whatever doesn't matter. Everybody's there for that same purpose. It seems very powerful.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and you you got people who spend their life savings just to come there, they're they're older and stuff like that, just to feel that they don't know that if you're you don't know if you're ever gonna be back. It's like making it to the finals. You gotta you gotta try to win the ring now, you don't know when you're gonna be back.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah, kids. I I love you find a way to work basketball into all of your life.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. If you look at my if you look at my phone, I got like thousands. I write every day. I'm writing all right, yo, this we're gonna do this video, we're gonna do this, or like I'm always thinking. That's dope. That's dope.

SPEAKER_03:

Bun, here's my thought on this. Go for it. We got we got our guy Nucci in a porch.

SPEAKER_06:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

We're gonna have put you in concert on the Nucci's porch, and then we're gonna all show up with our guy here, and he's gotta do one of the you know, the no look throw with the three of us guarding them. I was gonna say, who's he gonna do? Who gets to work?

SPEAKER_06:

We gotta all get to work.

SPEAKER_01:

No, no, no. I gotta get in there. I gotta do it on Tom and Jeffrey, and then I'll throw you the oop bun, and then you come back. All right, bun gets to put it down.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, all right, buddy. I got I gotta get me and Tom gotta get to work, which is crazy, but all right. I'll I'll take it. I'll take it. I don't I already told him we'll bring some kids out.

SPEAKER_03:

I told him my boys, both of them were like, we want in there. We will we'll we'll be the guys who run at them and put us and put our hands up.

SPEAKER_01:

You guys gotta send me y'all address. I'm gonna send y'all some mini hoops. Ooh. Oh, that'd be dope. That'd be dope. That's a great idea.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah, man. We need more guests that offer gifts. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Hey, just out of this show, you're getting a mini hoop and you're getting a shirt. I mean, it doesn't seem better than that. I can't I can't be mad at that, my man.

SPEAKER_05:

Who's your um who's your your favorite team? Basketball? You are you one of those guys that goes by players and not team?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh I mean, I like the the hometown.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, Wizards.

SPEAKER_01:

It's it's hard to be a Wizards fan. I'm a Wizards fan too. I know, but hopefully, you know, like I said, there's you can't be down for too long. Right. You know what I mean? I've been saying that for a long time, though. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. I don't know, man, but they're they're getting better. You know, uh the management company too, stuff like that. Just I'm I'm mad they didn't get Cooper Flag. Oh, me too.

SPEAKER_03:

I was so mad that day that Dallas pulls that that out. Hey, here's my philosophy on sports right now. Bun, this is where we're related. I feel like DC is following Houston in many ways. Our football team, right? Like we had we had a heck of a year. Now we're going through that sophomore slump. I, even though I told Bun it wasn't gonna happen, it's happening. Houston went through the kind of the same thing. Basketball-wise, Houston did a great job of getting a lot of young guys in there. And then they built that team up. They made some trades then, brought in some team. I think we're doing the same thing. We're bringing in all these young guys, giving them experience, and then at some point they're gonna bring in, you know, some older guys, and this team's gonna take off, just the way that Houston's doing.

SPEAKER_06:

You know what I would love to do? Show you how to win a chip. That's what I would love to do for you, Tom. I would love for you.

SPEAKER_03:

I want you to lead the way.

SPEAKER_06:

I would love for this team to show the wizards a path, a direct pathway to a chip.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, Houston got a nice team too. You do. No, no, no, it's working.

SPEAKER_06:

It's it's starting to gel. You know, um uh coach really believed that KD could fit in this system. That's proving to be a truth. Um he's definitely another form of confidence for the younger players coming up. He leads by example. You know, he's not a big, he's not a big talker and that type of shit, but but like he knows how to get guys fired up, right? And he knows how to tell guys, okay, it's time to go. It's time to time to turn it up in this bitch one time. And uh exactly. And they can follow suit. Like, they've got somebody that shows them what it really means and looks like to be clutched. And people aspire to that. Like, people aspire when you when you play with greatness every day, you aspire to be that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, you want to save the day one day like this, step like that, step back three, right?

SPEAKER_05:

And he got two rings, so he's won before, so he knows what he's talking about.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah, and he's not gonna get too excited or too worried when things get away. Give him a give him enough, give him a you know, four or five minutes in the fourth, and we can turn this shit around in his mind because he's done it multiple times. So don't look at the shot clock, don't look at the scoreboard, follow me. Like that's what I believe KD brings to the table. So yeah, I hope you guys get one of those. I hope the one that we got gets us a chip. You know. We're looking good, though. We're looking good. I think for us to take OKC into triple overtime with a a team that hadn't really had much experience at all. Like, by the time we and we still literally don't have a proper pure point guard. Let us fix that by all-star and you gotta say, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The worst is yet to come for the rest of the NBA as far as I'm concerned. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, you see what I did here. I I brought up Houston Sports. Bun could talk all day about Houston Sports. That's good. I see what you did here, Tom. That was me. Hey, you gotta tell everybody where can they find you, where can they get merch? Give us give us all your places.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, my personal Instagram is sofs underscore videos, and it's hella wrist.com for everything, hella wrists from the merch, mini hoops. Uh, we got some, there's one of our hoodies. We got we got some new clothing about a drop, some sweatsuits, um, some hats, stuff like that. So everything will be on either Halite Risk uh IG or uh on the website. Just want to say thank you guys. This is honestly like like a milestone in my life. It means a lot, and and I appreciate you guys. Keep doing what you guys are doing. Looking forward to coming back and actually meeting you guys in person. Absolutely. And it's an it's an honor. And you uh I'm looking forward to watching you guys continue to grow. So I appreciate you guys. Thank you. Thank you. I'm ready.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm ready for see you throwing up the bun.

SPEAKER_01:

You can dunk it on there for that's fine. What we gotta do, we gotta do one where I'm eating like a burger in the air and I'm doing a layup.

SPEAKER_05:

The chill burger joint. That's pretty good.

SPEAKER_06:

That's why you get it. That's why you get the big money, my friend. That's a good one. That's a good way to end right there.

SPEAKER_03:

We appreciate you bringing the signature move to Unglossy today.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, no, I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_03:

People gotta watch, people gotta listen to you. Thank you. Thank you for coming. Um, thanks for everybody for listening. Until next week, you know, leave us your comments, send us more questions on the show at Instagram at Unglossypod or YouTube at Merrick Studios, and spread the word, listeners. Uh until next week. I'm Tom Frank.

SPEAKER_06:

I'm Jeffrey Splits, and I'm hamburger wrist bun B. I love it.

SPEAKER_02:

Unglossy is produced and distributed by Merrick Studios.

Head Shot

Bun B

Host
Head Shot

Jeffrey Sledge

Host
Head Shot

Tom Frank

Host

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