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Joe Rogan · 2024-03-15 · 2h 21m

Joe Rogan Experience #2120 - That Mexican OT

Texas rapper That Mexican OT tells Joe Rogan his rags-to-rap origin story and they riff on movies, music, animals and life.

Joe Rogan Experience #2120 - That Mexican OT
The guest

That Mexican OT — Texas rapper (real name Virgil Gazca) who broke out with the country-rap hit Cowboy Killer; son of a trainer father and a gangster mother who pushed him to rap from age four.

The gist

That Mexican OT recounts his hard childhood in Bay City, Texas, raised by parents who were still kids themselves, learning to rap on a notepad before he could fully read. He credits his late mother, Sophia, for naming him a rapper from birth and his father for drilling him to perform every night. The conversation roams across horror and gangster movies, 90s hip-hop, Texas legend Z-Ro, jiu-jitsu, hunting, sharks, anacondas, deep-sea creatures and the war instinct behind mob mentality. Throughout, OT emphasizes gratitude, loyalty, lifting up the people around him, and choosing love over hate.

Big reveals

  • OT describes being a serious drug addict, 'laid out in the middle of the street' abusing acid before turning his life around.
  • His mother Sophia died when he was eight; she had already planned to give him to his paternal grandmother before she passed.
  • His father woke him before dawn and made him rap over long Geto Boys beats, treating it as both entertainment and 'gladiator school.'
  • OT pinpoints his song Lamerte (around 2020-2021) as the moment he realized he could actually make a career of music.
  • Joe reveals his entire right sleeve is a tattoo of samurai Miyamoto Musashi, inspired by a line he read at 16.
  • Joe recounts working out at a Gold's Gym on Cole Street that turned out to be an all-gay clientele while he did News Radio.
  • OT says he cried on stage only once, when a fan made a shirt memorializing his late mother.
  • OT announces his new project Texas Technician, dropped March 1st, and his plan to tour it.

Things worth remembering

  • At 25 OT's manager thought he had a gambling problem; he was actually just spending big on steak and lobster every night.
  • OT grew up on a mix of his mother's R&B (Ashanti, Ja Rule), gangster rap, Latino music, and his father's rock and country.
  • Joe's Austin comedy club, the former Ritz Theater on 6th Street, has a 1983 photo of Stevie Ray Vaughan performing onstage.
  • Joe theorizes protests trigger an ancient 'war gene,' the same excitement reflex as catching a fish.
  • OT took the ASVAB military test five times, failed every time, and says he even cheated and still failed.
  • Joe eats organ meat regularly, including elk liver for breakfast from animals he hunts himself.
  • They discuss a friend who smoked Salvia on a podcast and reported living a whole separate life underwater for months.
  • Bull sharks can swim into freshwater and have been found deep into the Mississippi River; the movie Jaws was inspired by a New Jersey freshwater shark attack.
  • They recall the Aztec warrior Galvarino who had his hands cut off and attached knives to his arms to keep fighting.
  • They debunk the myth that 'news' is an acronym for the cardinal directions; it simply means new events.

Recommended in this episode

Books, products and media the guest or host genuinely endorsed here — with the buy link.

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Guest’s ownMedia

Cowboy Killer

That Mexican OT (inferred)

“he put uh Cowboy killer I was like oh this is good man now it's in our Spotify rotation” — That Mexican OT 00:02:37
Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia

Lamerte

That Mexican OT (inferred)

“I dropped another song called lamerte maybe about two years after that and when I when I dropped lamerte that's when I was like all right” — That Mexican OT 00:18:11
Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia

Plan C

That Mexican OT (inferred)

“I dropped a music video called plan C in like 2018 2019 and it it which is a lot but it's not a lot and it hit like 30k” — That Mexican OT 00:17:41
Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia

Rewind

That Mexican OT (inferred)

“it's hard telling the story rhyming and telling the story backwards it's a master class I was just listening to rewind yesterday” — Joe Rogan 00:48:56
Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia

Texas Technician

That Mexican OT (inferred)

“I just dropped this project March 1st it's called Texas technician and um I'll probably work it for like a month or two” — That Mexican OT 02:14:09
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Creep

Patrick Brice (inferred)

“have you ever seen the movie creep it's a scary ass movie I would highly advise it” — That Mexican OT 00:29:35
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Apocalypto

Mel Gibson (inferred)

“I think is like the most gangsterous movie ever Apocalypto oh that's a good one bro that's a good one” — That Mexican OT 00:32:07
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Shogun

FX (inferred)

“have you seen Shogun that series it's on FX it's a incredible incredible series it's so well done” — Joe Rogan 00:33:09
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Halloween

Rob Zombie (inferred)

“I feel like he had the best Halloween too yeah he had a really good Halloween for sure” — That Mexican OT 00:36:51
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

John Wick

Chad Stahelski (inferred)

“is John Wick yeah that's a great one it's good but it's not realistic” — Joe Rogan 00:37:23
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Avengement

Jesse V. Johnson (inferred)

“You need to watch avengement I personally like I always say that he put John wicker fight really for sure” — That Mexican OT 00:37:23
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Sisu

Jalmari Helander (inferred)

“sissu is about a dude in World War II that's basically like a John Wick in World War II it's amazing it's a real good movie too it's real well done” — Joe Rogan 00:37:23
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

The Outfit

Graham Moore (inferred)

“the outfit have you seen the outfit that's another good one my dad just put on that one” — That Mexican OT 00:39:36
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

The Sopranos

David Chase (inferred)

“that's why The Sopranos was so good like Tony Soprano was a straight up murderer and he was the hero” — Joe Rogan 00:39:36
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Sicario

Denis Villeneuve (inferred)

“that's bonio Del Toro man that's a great movie sakario was all about Mexican assassins it's a good movie and Taylor Sheridan did it” — Joe Rogan 00:41:40
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Balls of Fury

Robert Ben Garant (inferred)

“you ever seen Balls of Fury it's a it's a pingpong movie n you definitely have to watch it” — That Mexican OT 01:11:16
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

South Park

Trey Parker (inferred)

“South Park has got the ultimate cheat code it's a cartoon South Park is the ultimate show” — Joe Rogan 01:12:20
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Adam Sandler (inferred)

“the Don't Mess with the Zohan remember when he with the hummus caught the fish with his ass bro the Zohan a great movie” — That Mexican OT 01:19:31
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

The Boondocks

Aaron McGruder (inferred)

“the Boondock is another one I love The Boondock Boondock is great man that was my bro” — That Mexican OT 01:21:05
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Tighten Up

The Black Keys

“I remember watching the The Black Keys and they had that tighten up and I remember being a kid watching that like I want to do music like that” — That Mexican OT 00:57:16
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Sinister Kid

The Black Keys

“I listen to Sinister kid Sinister kid was like the song that I would listen to when I get on the highway that song rules man” — Joe Rogan 01:23:11
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

In My City

Z-Ro

“play in my city man in my city is a good one cuz he I want you to hear him sing” — That Mexican OT 01:48:10
Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia

Mo City Don

Z-Ro

“I listen to most City da he got a song called most City Dawn and it was originally done by Rakim in New York” — That Mexican OT 01:48:41
Find it on Amazon