The ninth season of Ridiculousness is currently in production, so Rick Kosick called up co-host Sterling "Steelo" Brim to talk about where he's at, where he's been, and where he's going to; or, in other words, the lyrics to "The Theme to Mahogany," by Diana Ross—although not entirely in that order and not even close to verbatim, because if he had, the queries would have gone exactly like this: "Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to, do you know? Do you get what you're hoping for? What are you hoping for, do you know?" Also, run-on sentences are a crime, but rules are meant to be broken, especially over the cracked knuckles of grammar. —Sean Cliver
Kosick: Where are you from, Steelo?
Steelo: I am from Chicago, Illinois.
How did you meet Rob Dyrdek?
I was working with Drama, who did Fantasy Factory obviously, and at the time he wanted to put together a publishing production company. I used to A&R for different record labels, and Drama knew that I knew a lot of his talent and people, so he asked me to help him put together this company. Rob Dyrdek would always come through the studio to check out the music we were creating, and we hit it off organically. He thought I was really funny, and he came to me one day and said, “Hey, would you like to do a show?” I thought he was joking, and then three months later, he got my number, called and said, “Hey, this is Rob Dyrdek. That show I mentioned… we film it tomorrow, can you be there?” And that was the pilot of Ridiculousness.
So it just fell into your lap?
Yeah, it was nothing I pursued at all. I was doing music. I was happy doing music. I was in the game, trying to grind it out, getting in line with the music industry more and more. But yeah, it fell on my lap, and now we’re going into season nine.
Have you done any other shows besides Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness?
Currently, no. I’m working on a sketch comedy show right now that I won’t speak too much on, but it’s going great. That’s what my passion has been, because I knew if I wanted to have longevity in the industry for a while, then the next step in my career had to be scripted instead of unscripted.
Living in Hollywood and being on one of MTV’s number one TV shows, have things changed in your life?
Obviously things change. I mean, you go from not knowing where your next meal is coming from to living a pretty decent life and being very blessed to have the opportunity to do a show. But as far as my friends, my family, and everything around me, I try to keep everything pretty grounded and stay level headed, because as easy as it came to me, it can be taken away. So I just try to make sure I keep the right people around me and stay focused. But as far as living in LA, of course, people noticing you, recognizing you, pictures, all that stuff—it’s really cool, though.
What do your friends back home think about your success?
It’s weird. We don’t really speak on it that much, you know. It’s more like I’m just Sterling that went to high school, grammar school, elementary school or whatever it may be with them, and they’re still my friends. I know they’re happy for me, but at the same time, I just like to catch up and see what’s going on in their lives and connecting with my old buddies.
Do you see yourself being an inspiration to others back in your hometown?
One-hundred percent. I definitely see the show being inspirational. I’m from a not-nice neighborhood at all. When I say I’m from the ’hood, people think I’m joking, but I’m from the ’hood. And I knew at an early age that even though I was from the ’hood that I didn’t have to be of the ’hood. I think for them, they know where I’m from. They know what block I grew up on. They know what house I lived in. So if there’s nothing else, they can take away and say, “I know him. And if he can do it, so can I.” That sounds so cliché, but that’s the actuality of the whole situation—if I can make a way then so can you.
What piece of advice could you give to someone back in your town that’s trying to make it in whatever they’re trying to accomplish?
Again, not to sound cliché, but my whole motto has always been to keep God first and just stay focused on whatever you do, whatever it may be. A lot of people spread themselves so thin. They think, “I’m talented. I can do this. I can do that. I can do this.” I think if you stay focused on that one thing the other thing will definitely come. I stayed focused on music. That’s what I wanted to do. I knew that was the way I was going to make it out of Chicago, make it out of the ’hood, and by me doing that, I was given the opportunity to do something else that I was talented at, something else I can do. So if you stay focused on that one thing, the other opportunities will come.
What’s it like being a co-host on Ridiculousness?
It’s really cool, you know. From season to season, we learn each other, we learn the show more and more. First season, we didn’t know what the hell we were doing. We just went out there and freestyled how it should go. Me and Rob would get together and talk about, “Well, how can we make this better?” and, “What if we did this, what if we did that?” And now, I think we have the thing down—a very successful formula of what it takes to make great TV. It’s really cool being a co-host… to be able to work and be yourself with people you enjoy being around has to be the easiest job in America. I am blessed to have it.
Did you ever see the show running this long?
I didn’t see the show running period. I was like, “If it comes out, it comes out.” And then, it was like, “Oh, it’s out, cool. This is cool.” So I wouldn’t say like nine seasons. I don’t think anyone goes into any show and thinks, “We’re gonna go for 10 seasons!” They think, “I want the show to do well. I want it to be successful, and whatever happens happens.” That way you don’t set your expectations too high. But nine seasons is crazy. It’s great. I think other than the Real World, maybe this is the second longest running show on MTV.
Are you involved in any other businesses at the moment?
I was doing clothing. Then I stepped out of clothing. People write me all day and say how fly I am—not to toot my own horn, but I really take pride in my fashion—but my business partner didn’t really see fashion the way I saw fashion. So right now I’m just working on that sketch comedy show. I’m not going to say who it is with or what we’re gonna do, but it’s going really well and we’re really excited about it. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. That’s what I’ve been focused on. Other than that, I’ve been trying to stay focused on that one thing to make sure I’m successful at that, and I know from there I can really get my career where I want it to go.
Rob’s an influential person. After all this time being around him, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from him?
Never listen to Rob Dyrdek. No, I’m joking. Rob is crazy. He is my number one dream killer. I’ve told him so many different ideas I’ve had and he’ll be like, “That’s never gonna work, that’s not gonna work,” but he is such a go-getter. He’s such a hustler. Just watching him and his work ethic, the different things that he’ll do… that influences me and teaches me more than anything he can ever say. I just like to watch him a lot. He’s probably the most genuine person I’ve ever met in my entire life, from me meeting him to him really treating me as family.
(All photos by Rick Kosick)
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