Aries Spears confronted DJ Vlad with a question about whether he switches up his language when interviewing Black guests.
“I got one question I have to ask you that a fan wanted me to ask you, okay? How come is it when you interview white guests, you don't say, ‘feel me’ or ‘nah mean?’” Spears asked in the video linked above.
Vlad acknowledged the observation by likening himself to a “chameleon.”
“Hmm, I guess maybe after doing interviews for close to 20 years you somehow turn to a chameleon, I guess, with different guests, to a certain degree to try to make the person feel comfortable,” Vlad responded. “How's that for an answer?”
When the comedian pressed whether phrases like “nah mean” are specifically meant to “make them feel comfortable,” Vlad clarified that it’s more about context and formality.
“I don't know about the ‘nah mean’, but I think just overall, if I'm speaking to, like, a governor, I'm gonna speak a little bit differently than if I'm speaking to like a rapper or comedian or something like that,” Vlad said. “I'll be a lot more formal in my speech.”
He also noted that his “natural speech” comes out with people he’s comfortable with, like Spears, while he may become “a little bit more formal” with certain white guests.
Vlad elaborated, “I've interviewed governors before. I've interviewed, you know, mayors, I've interviewed billionaires, business people, and so forth. So I think my speech does change. I'm not gonna say it's exactly the same on every interview. I think I adjust based on who I'm speaking to, just like when you speak to certain types of people, you know, maybe I'm a little more comfortable.”
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