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Sway Meets NFL Star Turned Journalist Jeremi Wilkes 🎤 | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
Aug 29, 2025
Join Sway on "Sway In The Morning" as he sits down with NFL star turned journalist Jay Wils for an inspiring and entertaining conversation! Discover Jay's journey from playing cornerback in the NFL to launching his groundbreaking show "Bridging the Gap," which connects artists, communities, and cultures in innovative ways. Hear exclusive insights about his NFL career, his passion for storytelling, and the meaningful moments that shaped his transition into the world of broadcast journalism. This episode also features stories from Sway's Hollywood adventures, including encounters with legends like Busta Rhymes, Chuck D, and Big Daddy Kane. Don’t miss the authentic vibes, laughs, and motivation as Jeremi Wilkes and his crew share their vision for "Bridging the Gap," available on Respect Music TV. Subscribe for more exclusive interviews, hip-hop culture, and inspiring stories only on Sway’s Universe! Watch now and be part of the conversation. #SwayInTheMorning #JWilkes #BridgingTheGap #RespectMusicTV #sway #travelvlog #lametro #losangeles #travelvideo CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 01:26 - J Wilkes Football Career Insights 07:15 - Bridging the Gap: New Show Overview 09:15 - Nia Marie: Artist Spotlight 10:06 - Mike Muse: Creative Journey Subscribe Here! http://bit.ly/SubscribeSU Watch the Best of Sway In The Morning! http://bit.ly/BestOfSITM Check out More From Sway’s Universe http://swaysuniverse.com
View Video Transcript
0:00
All right, man. So, we got a special
0:01
guest that just wandered in the studio.
0:03
He had to be um you know, the other day
0:06
when I went to see the uh Hollywood Walk
0:08
of Fame. My good friend Buster Rimes got
0:10
inducted. We got a chance to bump into
0:12
Chuck D. We got a chance to bump Big
0:14
Daddy Kane and I was walking up
0:16
Hollywood Boulevard together, man. It
0:18
was like theme music playing in the
0:20
background. You should have heard it. It
0:21
was sh
0:23
Somebody probably filmed y'all and it's
0:25
going viral already.
0:27
I'm sure it is, Tracy. millions of views
0:29
of me and Daddy Kane. There was like two
0:32
dope dudes. That's that'll be the
0:33
headline. And then uh we also saw um LL
0:37
CoolJ, one of my heroes. They helped
0:40
induct um get Buster Rimes his star on
0:43
the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Now, one of
0:46
the things I'm known for is my exit game
0:48
is Stupendous. When I travel by myself,
0:51
you know, and I went in there by myself,
0:53
so I knew I could leave real at the
0:55
proper time. Tracy G. by yourself,
0:58
right? By myself. And right when Buster
1:01
Star, you know how they get in front of
1:02
the podium, Mike Muse, and then they
1:04
start taking all the pictures and all
1:06
the people who came to hither, they get
1:08
together in that one spot.
1:10
Right when that was happening, all the
1:12
eyes was on that is when I made my exit.
1:15
Oh wow.
1:15
Right. And as soon and I was almost out.
1:18
I was smooth. Heaven, you should have
1:21
seen me. And right when I got beyond the
1:23
barricade,
1:25
this guy stopped me. our guest for the
1:27
day. Man,
1:28
one of our guests.
1:30
Good morning. Good morning. Good
1:31
morning.
1:32
Up for Jeremy Wils, man. Come on.
1:35
What up, y'all? What up? What up? What
1:36
up? What up? Good morning.
1:37
How you doing, brother?
1:38
I'm blessed. I'm blessed. I'm blessed to
1:40
be here. I'm blessed to have an
1:41
opportunity to speak.
1:42
You know what I like about this guy? You
1:44
know, I I bumped up to him and his crew
1:47
and they had a camera on a tripod and
1:49
they was out. They I know what they was
1:50
doing. I've seen it in their eyes. They
1:52
was just trying to catch whatever
1:54
whatever dust fell from the sky. They
1:56
was going to put a mic in front of them.
1:58
Capture the moment.
1:58
And I saw it. I was I was moving by. I
2:00
said, "I know that look. I know that
2:02
look." Right. And uh and that's exactly
2:04
what I came up doing.
2:06
Just posting up on the side of events
2:09
and seeing who comes out and then trying
2:11
to capture it, right? And it was
2:13
something about them that u that was
2:16
familiar to me. And Jay Wils, how do you
2:19
what's your social like? What do you go
2:20
by? I go by Jay Wils. Uh, you can catch
2:23
me at J Will. J W I L_28.
2:27
J W I L_28.
2:30
Something about this young man remind me
2:32
of I think I might even said that to
2:34
him. He got locks in his hair, you know
2:37
what I mean? I could see he's physically
2:39
he's in great shape, you know? So that's
2:41
how they reminded me of myself at one
2:43
point, you know, and he he had that
2:45
hunger in his eyes and he looked like an
2:48
athlete. And I said, "Jay, Jay, what is
2:50
it, man? Tell me. Tell me about a little
2:52
bit about your past." He's like, "Yeah,
2:54
man. I played football." I said, "Man, I
2:56
played football, too."
2:57
Huh?
2:58
Yes, sir.
2:58
Now, Jay, what age did you play
3:00
football?
3:01
When I started or like when I put the
3:03
pads on?
3:03
When you started? Yeah.
3:04
When I put the pads on, I was about
3:06
nine.
3:07
Okay. And how long did you play?
3:08
Well, I am a Florida boy, so we got
3:10
start we get started real
3:11
very young. I I I know about the
3:13
Florida, you know, the reputation with
3:15
the football. And then how long did you
3:17
play? uh all the way up through the
3:19
pros. So I went um high school in Tampa,
3:22
Florida, Syracuse University.
3:23
Syracuse University.
3:24
Syracuse University. Yeah. Play
3:26
cornerback at Syracuse, right?
3:28
Okay. And then to the professionals.
3:30
Yes. Yes.
3:31
You went to Jack Jacksonville Jagu.
3:33
Well,
3:33
okay. Hold up. So let's say give or take
3:36
15 20 years give or take total.
3:39
Yep. About 15. Went into the NFL.
3:41
Don't watch this.
3:42
That's what remind you when did you
3:44
start? Oh, I started um like about 9
3:47
years of age, too. Just like Jay did.
3:49
And when you put the pads down,
3:51
put them down.
3:52
Mhm.
3:54
About 11. About 11. About 11.
3:57
Two solid years.
3:58
Really? Really? Not. He don't want to
4:00
say it cuz you hear
4:01
them Oklahoma drills. Get real.
4:03
The 10. He stopped at 10.
4:04
That was 11. Heather,
4:07
don't dismiss that extra.
4:10
Yo, and I play cornerback. There we go.
4:13
Now he was quick. I thought I was great.
4:15
I modeled my style after Lester Hayes.
4:18
Are you familiar?
4:19
I am. I am.
4:20
You're all familiar with Lester?
4:21
I am. I am. I I modeled mine off of
4:22
Dion. I tried
4:23
Deion Sanders. Okay. Okay. Dion wasn't
4:26
playing when I was 10, so you know.
4:29
Leather helmet.
4:30
Differences.
4:33
Leather helmet.
4:35
Oh, no. I got to ask you. What type of
4:37
face mask did you have though, Sway?
4:38
What type of face mask you
4:39
Ah, [Â __Â ]
4:40
Don't tell me you had to You didn't have
4:42
to straight down the middle.
4:43
No. No. I had the this joint.
4:45
Okay. Wide open.
4:46
Three bars. He had three uh wide open
4:48
three bar. Is that okay?
4:49
It was the Oakland Dynamites. He's
4:51
talking about his AAU team. I mean, you
4:53
understand?
4:54
Truth be told, Jay Jay Wils uh first of
4:57
all,
4:58
I ended up running track.
4:59
And so I and I I ran that into college,
5:03
you know, and I was a Northern
5:04
California conference champion in the
5:06
400 meter hurdles.
5:08
Oh, yes, sir.
5:08
Thank you, Jay. I appreciate you
5:10
recognizing. Thank you.
5:13
Well, you know, yeah, she's clapping.
5:16
Um,
5:17
and I had an opportunity to play in high
5:20
school, but the the head coach asked me
5:23
to come. He saw me run and said, "Why
5:25
aren't you playing football for the high
5:27
school?" I went to Oakland High.
5:29
Same as, you know, ah, Damen Lillard,
5:33
you know, uh, we both I I graduated a
5:35
little bit before him and, um, a little
5:38
bit. I'm not sens.
5:43
What is time? That's some man-made
5:45
construct anyway.
5:47
Very true.
5:48
What is time? Right. Anyway, um and so
5:51
the coach said to me, "Man, I love to
5:54
have you on the team.
5:56
You could play second behind so Fred
5:58
Thomas who was the star athlete at my
6:00
school."
6:01
And I didn't understand what that meant.
6:04
Like I thought he meant I was going to
6:06
play second string. And so I was like,
6:08
"Nah, ain't no seconds with me." And um
6:11
I end up not playing football. Had I
6:14
played, we might not even be doing this
6:15
radio show.
6:16
Yeah.
6:17
Yeah. You guys would be looking at me in
6:19
the football hall of fame.
6:21
Hey, Sway. Sway got some, you know.
6:23
Thank you.
6:24
Back in the back in the, you know,
6:26
that mean a lot to you get hit. Got to
6:28
get out there. It look good out on
6:30
paper.
6:31
I always say now now Sway, did you ever
6:32
do kickoff? Did you?
6:34
I did. Yeah. I used to return I used to
6:36
return the ball. Did Did you ever go on
6:38
kickoff like kickoff team too?
6:40
Yeah, man. I kicked off too. I I was a
6:42
hard I hit hard. Sh. I appreciate you.
6:45
Nobody's really asking me about my
6:46
football career like this. I was a hard
6:49
hitter.
6:51
Oh, my apologies. I just I thought I
6:52
heard something. Mhm. Continue.
6:54
You got a solid two. It was a solid.
6:56
I got solid, too. And I was a hard
6:57
hitter. I was exceptional cuz I had the
6:59
speed, you know, then I had a little bit
7:01
of size, you know,
7:03
on me at that time. But I can empathize
7:05
with what you went through as a
7:07
professional athlete and I want to say I
7:09
commend you. Takes a lot of discipline
7:10
to make it to the pros. Ain't everybody
7:13
going to make it to the pros, right?
7:15
All right. Cool. And now you also are a
7:17
broadcast journalist.
7:19
Yes. Yes. Broadcast journalist. Bridging
7:20
the gap.
7:21
Brand new show coming out um in LA.
7:24
We're doing on Sixth Street Bridge. And
7:26
uh if you think about it, it's like a
7:28
106 in Park meets MTVO raps.
7:30
Okay. Okay. And uh we're highlighting a
7:32
lot of up and cominging artists, but not
7:33
only bridging the gap with artists, but
7:35
with the city, with race, with
7:37
community, with business. Um and really
7:39
doing it from the ground up, you know,
7:40
and it's something that uh you know, us
7:42
as kind of like a millennial show and us
7:44
to be proud of
7:45
what we came up to be right now, you
7:47
know, after watching all them cartoons,
7:49
playing the games and all that. Now,
7:50
this is us, you know, man. Come on. You
7:52
got through all the subliminal to racist
7:54
subliminal messaging in the cartoons,
7:56
too, man. Oh, yeah. then destroy your
7:58
mind and have you looking at yourself
8:00
lesser then
8:01
that was a political uh that was a
8:03
social commentary right there Mike Muse
8:05
I know you could appreciate that um this
8:08
is great bridging the gap is what it's
8:10
called
8:10
bridging the gap
8:10
and then how many people in your crew
8:12
I have three right here I got Micah
8:14
Michael Wilson right here Naz Marie and
8:17
myself Jay Wilson
8:18
that's it huh all right man all right
8:19
give him round of applause man come get
8:22
on camera man
8:23
Mike come on on in
8:24
Michael was that you behind the camera
8:26
that Yes sir. That was How you doing
8:28
brother?
8:29
You a producer?
8:30
Yes sir.
8:30
In director huh?
8:32
Yes sir.
8:32
I peep game. You was like man we got
8:35
one. You wasn't going to let me leave.
8:36
Nah I can't man. You know here for a
8:39
mission. Got to got to have had that
8:40
done.
8:40
And then how what's your background?
8:43
Well I'm uh you know entrepreneurs uh
8:46
starting off a business as far as
8:47
respect music TV and starting our own
8:49
network and things like that. Cameraman
8:51
came out here from South Carolina.
8:53
Okay. Nice.
8:53
You know.
8:54
Yeah. How long you been out here? I've
8:56
been out in Cali like about eight years.
8:58
Eight years. Eight years. How you like
8:59
it?
9:00
I love it, man. It's pretty different
9:01
from South Carolina for sure, but I love
9:03
it.
9:03
You love it?
9:04
Yo. Oh, yeah.
9:05
Okay. That's what's up, man. Nas, where
9:06
you from?
9:08
I'm from here.
9:08
Come on. Get
9:09
Come on, Nia. Come on. Get on camera.
9:12
Get her on camera. You got her. All
9:13
right. There you go. And what's your
9:15
what's your story?
9:17
Yeah. So, what's up everybody? I'm Nia
9:19
Marie. Uh, born and raised in LA. um
9:23
definitely have been in like the
9:25
journalism, PR realm, um studied
9:28
communication studies, mass
9:30
communications, and just been pursuing
9:31
that ever since.
9:33
What's the plan to get bridging the gap
9:34
out to the masses? Is it a long-term
9:37
goal? What kind of work are y'all doing
9:38
to just really start pollinating in
9:40
different digital spaces?
9:43
I I'd say um starting starting living it
9:47
versus saying it. You know, if you're
9:48
going to bridge the gap, you got to live
9:49
bridging the gap. and that's more of a a
9:51
doing thing. So, you know, being able to
9:53
do that uh from the inside out. And I
9:55
think that's that's one of the main
9:56
things we started doing, just kind of
9:58
growing it uh from the city out. And
10:00
then, you know, at this point, I say,
10:01
you know, going out and marketing and
10:02
doing things such as this,
10:04
you know. Uh All right.
10:06
What's been a standout moment for you
10:08
guys on this journey thus far?
10:09
Exactly. Wait, wait, hold on. Let me put
10:11
your headphones on if you don't mind cuz
10:13
Tracy that they're they're broadcasting
10:14
out of our New York studios right now.
10:16
So, that's what you're looking out on
10:17
the monitor. Tra, you got a question for
10:19
Michael? That's Mike Muse. That's Tracy
10:21
DB is in the back. Keani,
10:23
how you doing? How y'all doing?
10:24
DJ Tyler is on the board. All right, go
10:26
ahead, Michael.
10:27
I love everything. I'm here at Bridging
10:29
the Gap fan. I wanted to know, um, so
10:31
far, what has been a really standout
10:34
moment that you guys have captured where
10:36
once the cameras were off and y'all were
10:38
back home or, you know, grabbing a bite
10:39
to eat, y'all were just like, "Wow, I
10:42
can't believe that happened."
10:45
Well, um, you know, every time we went
10:47
to go and shoot, it was just like, I
10:48
would say alignment. Every time we went
10:50
to go shoot, um, like people just
10:52
randomly came and popped up and showed
10:54
us support. Like we had a brother, uh,
10:55
Bino Red. Um, he was out there shooting
10:58
his own music video. We was able to get,
11:00
you know, some content with him cuz
11:01
that's one of the things we want to do
11:02
is get more like artists from the local
11:05
area that's actually on the rise with us
11:07
already have a name to have have
11:09
interviews on the bridge and we didn't
11:11
have to call him or reach out to him. he
11:12
was already there. And the second time
11:14
for the second episode, we went to go
11:16
perform and do our thing on the episode.
11:18
Um, awful lot of call serve. Desto Dove
11:21
came and pulled up and showed us some
11:22
love and kind of did the same thing. So,
11:24
it was all alignment. We didn't have to
11:25
go call and reach out to nobody.
11:27
Everybody came to us and just, you know,
11:30
started showing support. So, that's how
11:31
we kind of knew like we on to something.
11:33
Okay.
11:34
I'll say for me another stand up when I
11:36
seen Sway sneaking down uh Hollywood on
11:41
that.
11:42
I didn't want I didn't was moving school
11:44
in the Pink Panther. Boy, you hit that
11:46
you hit that corner quick.
11:49
I wanted to say that, but I ain't wanted
11:50
to steal out one from you. But yeah,
11:52
yeah. For me, it was uh my move.
11:54
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Definitely.
11:57
And just so happened I I was I was
11:58
walking to the car for something that
12:00
was in my pocket. So, I I turned the
12:01
corner. I was, you know, another case of
12:03
a line.
12:04
What was your approach like, Jay?
12:06
Because, you know, often times for folks
12:08
who want to do this, they might be
12:10
intimidated in their head or when
12:11
they're brainstorming, when they're
12:12
imagining, they see themselves moving so
12:15
smoothly and with confidence. But
12:17
sometimes it's different when like the
12:19
person that you have admired for quite a
12:21
long time is right in front of you. You
12:22
might just end up stumbling over your
12:24
words. You might second guess yourself
12:26
and say, "You know what? I'll try
12:27
another time." Speak about your
12:29
approach.
12:30
Uh, I call it flipping the switch. So,
12:33
you know, it could be a tug at your
12:34
shirt, tug at your hat, but anytime you
12:37
get in a crucial moment that you need
12:38
to, you know, go ahead and and turn up
12:40
and be that beast or or just, you know,
12:42
have that ultimate confidence, you have
12:43
to flip a switch and and just the worst
12:46
the worst you can say is, "All right,
12:47
have a good day. Oh, thanks for just say
12:50
nothing." You know, say, "All right,
12:51
brother." You know, so, uh, just really
12:53
flipping the switch and and getting a
12:55
moment to to open your mouth and and
12:57
speak, then just make it worthwhile, you
12:59
know. So, that's my that's my way behind
13:01
it. Love it. Bridging the gap. Where can
13:03
people find the platform?
13:05
Well, you can find it on um Respect
13:07
Music TV. Right now, we actually trying
13:09
to we actually growing the brand. So,
13:11
growing the show is on Respect Music TV
13:13
YouTube.
13:14
Okay.
13:14
Um obviously, we're looking forward to,
13:16
you know, getting it bigger places and
13:18
bigger platforms, but right now it's on
13:20
Respect Music TV on YouTube.
13:22
Okay.
13:22
You know, Respect Music TV has done a
13:24
lot of, you know, interviews around
13:26
Hollywood and and LA far as album
13:28
release parties and, you know, red
13:30
carpet. So we kind of use that kind of
13:31
like to funnel the show
13:33
as far as what we have with celebrities,
13:35
A1, A-list celebrities and things like
13:37
that. So
13:38
Respect Music TV on YouTube citizens,
13:41
let's support him. Let's check them out.
13:43
Respect Music TV. Okay. Bridging the Gap
13:47
is the name of the series. Uh Jay, hang
13:50
out. We going to do some sports up next.
13:51
Maybe you could help us out with some
13:53
insight since you played for the NFL and
13:55
I almost did. You down? You down for
13:57
that? All right. Okay, cool, man. Thank
13:59
you, Micah Le. Thank you very much.
14:02
Okay. This has been an honor.
14:03
All right. So, honor is ours, brother.
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