Tonesa Welch Interview with Mason & Starr
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00:00All right, Detroit, good morning, good morning, good morning.
00:03We got a special guest in the studio.
00:05I'm going to let Angie introduce her to you.
00:08But she is, she is, sleeves rolled up, boots on the ground.
00:17She is a definite community activist helping people change their lives.
00:23With that said, we move on, well, to who she is and where she come from.
00:30And here's Angie Starr to introduce her.
00:33She's from my side of town, West Side, Detroit.
00:36Yeah, Cold Street, I think.
00:38I want to introduce you guys to Tonissa.
00:41Did I say that correct?
00:42Tonissa Welch.
00:45All over social media right now, a title, the first lady of BMF.
00:51And also trending the fact that you have a story, biopic, that has been greenlit by BET all about your life.
01:01And it's going to be, Judge Greg Mathis is going to be the executive producer.
01:06Talk to us about that and welcome and congratulations.
01:10Thank you, Angela and Missy.
01:11Good morning, Detroit.
01:13And T, did you know Greg growing up?
01:16I didn't know Greg growing up, but an amazing story about Greg.
01:21When I was in prison, I had a son that I left in Los Angeles, California.
01:26He was a young son.
01:28Went to prison.
01:28He was just out of high school.
01:30And the Mathis family took him on like one of their own.
01:34Oh, no kidding.
01:35Yes.
01:35Just took him in, you know, made sure it's holidays, it's birthdays.
01:41You know, amazing.
01:41And then after that, that's when I met the Mathis family.
01:45But, yeah.
01:46So, talk about the, how did it come about that there'd be a possible biopic?
01:52From Judge Mathis and A. Smith & Company and BET.
01:56They called me up and said, hey, we loved your Trap Queen stories.
02:00What about doing a biopic?
02:01And I was like, what?
02:04Yes.
02:04What?
02:05My story?
02:06Yes.
02:06So, I was really, really excited about that.
02:09I mean, it's a true story.
02:11Inspired, you know, about me.
02:13Like you said, a girl on Coral Street from Detroit.
02:16That don't happen often, right?
02:19Eminem and, what, the BMF story and now my story.
02:22Well, we did do the 50 Cent, Big 50 story.
02:25So, yeah, we got some amazing stories coming out of Detroit.
02:28Detroit Superstar.
02:29So, let's start with Trap Queens because that's when I first, you know, saw your story and got to know you.
02:36I feel like we sisters.
02:37And, by the way, she was so excited to see it.
02:42And there she was.
02:43She walked right by you at the thing.
02:46At the right.
02:46And I didn't know.
02:48Yeah, but how did Trap Queens come about?
02:50What happened?
02:51Again, Judge Mathis, they were doing the Trap Queens series.
02:54And they reached out to me and asked me to do it.
02:57And it took them, you know, they were twisting my arm a little bit because I wasn't used to telling my story.
03:04And so, I'm so happy that I did it.
03:06It has branded me and taken me to places that I couldn't even imagine, really imagine, you know.
03:14And it did help me just spiritually, mentally, physically, just to get all that out.
03:18And, you know, my story, and it's inspiring.
03:21It can help some young girls who are still facing the same obstacles that I was facing.
03:27There are some people who are listening and saying, Mace, I don't know her story.
03:32What is her story?
03:33My story, as I was part of this drug organization, big drug crime organization, and everybody knows now, called BMF.
03:41It's on Starz, produced by 50 Cent.
03:44And I was called the First Lady of BMF, and I was a part of that organization.
03:49I also was incarcerated, went to prison on it.
03:52Started back, my story started back in the 80s.
03:55You know, I started with H, who was my ex-husband.
03:59He was in a drug game.
04:01Then years later, I met Southwest T, developed a relationship with him, and that's our story.
04:07You know, from the rise and the fall of BMF, I rose with him and fell with him and ended up in prison.
04:13And so now my story is to show young girls, you know, hey, all the beauty and glory, you know, and glamour, here it comes.
04:21It can fall, you know.
04:23So, hey, I'm here to tell them my story, and, you know, hopefully it can help them.
04:27You know, not make the same mistakes.
04:30That's what I love about you, your transparency in all of your interviews.
04:36Now, the character BMF, I think her name is Markeisha, is played by Lila Anthony.
04:42Did Lila contact you?
04:44No, she didn't.
04:45I mean, but, you know, Lila is doing an amazing job this season.
04:49I'm so happy for her.
04:51No, she didn't.
04:52We didn't speak, but that's okay.
04:54That comes from maybe the network.
04:56So, one day, maybe, hopefully, we can sit down and have tea, you know, and talk about it.
05:00It would be an honor to me.
05:02She did, you know, portray parts of my character, even though, you know, some facts and some fiction.
05:09But it's okay, you know.
05:10But I would love to talk to her and share, you know, some real insight, my truth, you know.
05:16Well, they got one part right.
05:18Y'all both pretty.
05:19Oh, she did.
05:20You know, that's what I was happy about.
05:22Also, I said, you know, Lisa, you know, it has to have somebody betray me as somebody as beautiful as her, you know.
05:29Right, right.
05:30And my thing about the BET, I mean, the Star Series of BMF, that's what I want to say, is they say it's not all based on truth.
05:41So, when I listen to your interviews and get the real story and see how it really went down, it is so intriguing.
05:49That's why I was so excited to hear that you're going to actually be able to do your own movie.
05:55What will be differences?
05:57What will we see?
05:58Give us a little look into that.
06:00It will be a story from my eyes.
06:02You know, everyone has their own story and the way they see things.
06:06But what would be different is coming from me, a woman, a mother, you know, who really lived it.
06:12And a lot of women don't live it at that level.
06:15So, I want to tell my story.
06:17Because men tell their story differently.
06:19You know, they want to highlight their story differently.
06:21They don't talk about the women too much.
06:23So, that's why I'm so happy about this.
06:26I get a chance to tell my story, you know, my truth, you know.
06:30And there's nothing better than the truth.
06:32Right, right, right.
06:34And God knows who to use to teach the truth as those vessels.
06:39And that's something also that I'm impressed about when it comes to you, the organizations and your outreach.
06:46Talk to that.
06:47You do a lot of speaking to women that have been incarcerated.
06:51Yeah, because I love to reach back.
06:53You know, I love to reach back and help my, I call them my sisters in, you know, that imprisonment and incarcerate.
07:00Not even them.
07:01I love talking to the, you know, the youth before they end up where I ended up at.
07:06You know what I mean?
07:07Because people see it and they think it's all glamorous, it's all fun, and it's not.
07:12It's dark, it's dangerous.
07:14You know, it's not a life you want to live.
07:16And then when you get there and you end up in prison, it's almost too late.
07:19You know, but I'm not going to even say too late because I had a second chance.
07:23No, I'm going to say nine chances.
07:25God been with me, honey, a long time.
07:28When I look back at all the chances he has given me, you know, so I can say I was fortunate, blessed that he had brought me through.
07:35And I'm here today to be able to tell my story.
07:39A lot of women won't make it this far.
07:40Especially, you know, I was a woman of domestic violence.
07:44And that's one of the highest rated, you know, things for women, deaf right now, you know.
07:52So I was very lucky.
07:53I keep saying lucky, blessed.
07:55Blessed.
07:56Blessed.
07:56Very blessed.
07:57But God, I know he planned on using you again.
08:01In one of the interviews, you said that, you know, you and your husband at that time had a fight.
08:07And you thought that maybe that night you might take his life.
08:12And, you know, it didn't go down like that.
08:14And you were thankful.
08:16But then you said that you went back to him.
08:18Right.
08:18And you said it's that cycle.
08:20And a lot of people that are in that situation don't want to be real with the thought patterns.
08:25But women that are in that need women to be real so we can deal with it.
08:28Yeah.
08:29When I was going through it at a younger age, it wasn't even talked about.
08:33We had that syndrome.
08:35You don't tell your business in a home, you know.
08:38And now I want women to know that's nothing, you know, don't live in that kind of cycle no more, you know.
08:44Make sure you talk to people.
08:46Don't be shamed, you know.
08:47And I think that's what kept me in the shame.
08:52No, I'm going to beat this.
08:53I'm going to change him.
08:54You can't change him.
08:56You know, only thing you can do is change yourself.
08:58And it would be okay.
09:00Just step out there and I promise you it would be okay.
09:02You know, I would never want another woman to go through what I went through.
09:06And it's when I tell you, speaking to women, it's a lot of women that go through it.
09:12That's shame.
09:13People shame you from talking about it.
09:15And if we help another woman and say, hey, it's okay.
09:19I understand what you're going through.
09:21I can help you.
09:22Let's talk about it.
09:24Let me help find you some resources.
09:26You know, instead of shaming a woman.
09:27And when I was, like I said, back then I was being shamed.
09:30And I kept going back.
09:31I didn't understand.
09:32I didn't understand that I could be helped.
09:34Or there's help out there for me because I didn't want to talk about it.
09:39And, you know, I stayed in it because a lot of times people say, well, what made you stay in it?
09:43I don't understand why I stayed in it.
09:45You know?
09:45But I'm here to talk about it today.
09:48It's help out there.
09:50You don't have to be ashamed.
09:52It's people that you could talk to, you know, to reach out to.
09:55You know?
09:56Get out of those situations.
09:57It's not a good situation for yourself or your children.
10:01Oh, I love that.
10:02You know, I grew up, Mason, on the west side.
10:06And, again, listening to her interview, she said when she first, because she's from the west, she went to the east to the rooster tail.
10:14And I remember going, living in the west and going, I went to the climax, but that's different.
10:20I ended up at the climax.
10:22I ended up at the climax.
10:25The east side, I was, girl, me and my girls popping in that car, like, from that one rooster tail party, the east side was my hangout.
10:34Yes, yes.
10:35We had to go.
10:36But what I like is, because, again, being in this industry, doing clubs, you know, I used to host Nikki's all the time.
10:44So I saw the young girls, 21s, you know, I saw them with the, you know, the jug boys and hanging out in the glitz, the glamour.
10:52And I see them, you know, looking up and wanting it.
10:55But then for you to be a boss, because in Detroit, you are a boss.
11:00They love you.
11:00Like, everybody loves you.
11:03And you're beautiful.
11:05But I like the fact that you don't just stay there.
11:07You say, yeah, that was glamorous, but it's a dark side to it also.
11:12And you share your truths with that.
11:14Can you speak to that?
11:15I love that.
11:16Because if people don't understand, they look at all the glitz and the glamour.
11:19But it's very dark.
11:20Anything that happens, like, with your mate, that happens to you.
11:24If he got beef, you got beef.
11:26You know, if it's best after him, most times they're going to be after you.
11:31You know, it's a real dark world.
11:33So I like to tell people, now, don't follow those traits.
11:36You don't want to do that.
11:37You don't want to have to worry about if you're talking on your phone.
11:40You don't want to have to worry if you're pulling in your driveway, if the jacker's going to get you and your kids.
11:46Because it's not an easy life.
11:49You know, you take on all of that.
11:51And me coming up, I don't know what made me in my mind want to do that.
11:56I thought that I could do a man's job like that in the streets.
12:00It's nothing you want to do.
12:03I can say that.
12:04But what I say now, I like to teach kids about entrepreneurship, you know?
12:09You know, like, back then, for some reason in Detroit, in my mind, I thought, okay, we can go to the four plants, you know, the plants, or be in the streets.
12:18I didn't have dreams and goals.
12:20You know, all I wanted to do once I got out of high school, get out of high school.
12:24I went to that one party.
12:26I wanted to be with the dope boys.
12:27I wanted to do all that.
12:29But now these young kids have so many opportunities, so many things in front of them, so many chances, so many, you know, people that are willing to mentor you.
12:39So I said dream.
12:41Set goals.
12:43Dream other than that.
12:44That's a dead end.
12:45That's really a dead end.
12:47You know what I mean?
12:48So there's so many other things that you could, you know, what they got now?
12:51Everything.
12:52You know, people are owning stores now, businesses, you know, becoming realtors, hairdress, everything now is to be, you can make money from other than being in the streets because it's one way.
13:05Either it's death or prison.
13:07And I'm telling you, prison is nowhere you want to go.
13:10Well, I do want to say this.
13:13Hell, I know all this.
13:15She is a boss, but not the boss from the story that was just, that she just told.
13:23I know her as a boss for, for helping kids.
13:28Come on.
13:29So I, and where's the dog?
13:31Damn it.
13:33A little dog under the table.
13:35All right.
13:36You remember the dog.
13:37Where's the dog?
13:39The dog is at home.
13:41She's at home.
13:42She's at home, walked me to the door and looking like, I can't go.
13:46Not today, baby, because I take the dog everywhere.
13:49Yes.
13:50And the dog just.
13:50Like, what is a dog like?
13:51Like your dog.
13:52Like Booger.
13:53She is, she's, she's a rescue.
13:56A rescue.
13:57And she is so smart.
14:00She, I.
14:01And polite.
14:02She thinks, I mean, I'm her mother.
14:04Yes.
14:04Or her grandmother.
14:05I am her mother.
14:07And that's my child.
14:09It's a beautiful dog.
14:10And the dog allowed us to have the meeting.
14:13The dog allowed me to play with her and pet her.
14:16And then when the meeting started, the dog retreated back to her and just sat there.
14:21And sat there.
14:22Till we finished the meeting.
14:24Now, when I say she's a boss, she wanted to help these kids so bad.
14:29We, we're in this deep conversation.
14:31The thing is sold out.
14:32And these people were calling.
14:35And the rest of the people in the room were saying, okay, that's it.
14:38They can't get it.
14:38Not her.
14:40Not her.
14:41She's like, no, we can get them in.
14:43Tell them to call this.
14:44Da, da, da.
14:45And then you said, well, these people, we get them in too.
14:48We get them in.
14:49And she had it together.
14:51I had to call back and say, where is she?
14:53Who, who was that?
14:55She is so good.
14:56And then I asked you.
14:57I said, you're going to be there, right?
14:59She said, I'm running it.
15:00She recreated a general program so that it would benefit young people in Detroit.
15:11It's like when you meet her, it's all you ever know.
15:15That's all I know.
15:16When I saw her today, I was like, you know, she looks like.
15:19The lady you saw.
15:20And it's her.
15:22And, and you're a Bible story.
15:25That's what I wanted to say.
15:27You're a Bible story.
15:28When I was in prison, that's the only thing I talked about.
15:32I think that that was my turning point.
15:35That was a time to reflect on my life, you know, and all the things that I had been doing
15:40wrong for so long.
15:41So I said, when I came out of prison, I was going to serve.
15:45I was never returned back here.
15:47My mother, my children, friends, society would not see me returning back to prison.
15:53And that was going to be my journey when I come out to help the community that I failed at.
15:59Help them, help the kids, anybody that I can reach out to.
16:04I was, I think that my journey, I used to say, what, you know, always, what's my gift?
16:09What's my gift?
16:10I couldn't sing.
16:11I can't dance, anything like that.
16:12But my gift here is to serve.
16:15And you do it.
16:16You do it in a big, big way.
16:19I was impressed.
16:20I was like, oh, tell me, tell me who that is again.
16:25And then I kept saying that she's going to be there because if you weren't there, those
16:30people were not getting in.
16:31And your patients inside the event to help guide the event, I said, oh, this right here
16:40is the real deal.
16:42So, so thank you for blessing the city like this.
16:47Had no idea, but your passion for your work.
16:52And then I put you on another project and Horatio said, Mace, she busy.
16:58She, she, she do.
16:59I said, well, why can't we get her to do this one?
17:03The next one, Mace, because she, she's involved in some things.
17:06That's, that's how passionate and how good she is.
17:10Cause you know, me as an individual, I want it done.
17:15If you claim that that's what you're doing, then, then I want it.
17:19And so that was her approach to what we were doing.
17:23So I went back.
17:24It was another project.
17:25I went back.
17:26I said, man, Rachel, you got to get that lady we have, man.
17:29You got to get her.
17:29Oh, man.
17:30So, um, bless you.
17:34I'm thinking, I know we've talked about what we came to talk about, but I'm here to say
17:40thank you for what you did.
17:43She, she premiered a little baby documentary here in Detroit and she took it, shook it up,
17:49changed it, rearranged it and made it work for Detroit.
17:55I had these kids behind me.
17:57They were so excited to be there.
17:59You remember, I had to go talk to each one of them.
18:03That's how excited they were to be there.
18:06I think they said they wanted to meet whomever.
18:09So I went to her.
18:10I said, they want to meet the, and she's okay.
18:13She just kept moving it.
18:16She was not doing an event.
18:18That was her heart.
18:19She put her heart in there.
18:20It was a collaboration though.
18:21It was tough cookies and her ratio.
18:23Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:24But it was, you know, everything I do, I do put all my heart in it.
18:29I'm very passionate about my work.
18:31That was fun.
18:32So thank you for pulling that off.
18:33I didn't mean to cut you off, but thank you.
18:35I want credit to everyone that, you know.
18:38Oh yeah.
18:38Everybody.
18:39Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:40We did that too.
18:40We did that.
18:41We did that though, didn't we?
18:43That was so much fun.
18:44That was so much fun.
18:45It was talked about for weeks.
18:47Yeah.
18:47Well, I'm glad for you.
18:49Because you are deserving.
18:52That is, you do some real work out here.
18:56So good.
18:57Can't wait for the movie.
18:58Yeah.
18:58Speaking of real and reality, that's my thing with the whole BMF series.
19:04I love it.
19:05I watch it all the time.
19:07But I want truth because it's from my hometown.
19:10Yes.
19:10And I want to know what really happened and I want to know about women that grew up in my same neighborhood and what their stories are like because I'm like that.
19:21And I am looking forward to this biopic.
19:24I personally open our airwaves to you.
19:28We want, you know, you to know that this is your family and the fact that you care enough about a city to be transparent and share the good and the bad.
19:38A lot of people like to brag about the good, but people like to keep that little other stuff in the closet.
19:44I respect you.
19:46I thank God for you.
19:48When I first saw the interview, I think it was on Vlad TV.
19:52I did the Vlad.
19:53Yes.
19:55I was speechless because I know the strength and the special DNA we have in Detroit.
20:02But for you, again, to share your story, you are going to help so many people, period.
20:10Women, people.
20:11You're just going to help people with your story.
20:13And I thank you.
20:14Is there anything else you would like to say?
20:18I thank everyone.
20:20I thank everybody for embracing me.
20:21And, you know, like it's not often people give you, like I say, I pass second chances, you know.
20:30So I want to be thankful.
20:31I'm thankful for everybody that has embraced me and, you know, accepted who I become.
20:38A gift from God.
20:39They got to see you work, though.
20:40Period.
20:41Oh, I work.
20:42She is so passionate about working.
20:44I feel like if I could put all that energy into my past, you know, everything I did in my past, I know I can be greater in my future.
20:57And everything that is ahead of me, that, you know, I keep pushing.
21:02I would have never connected the two.
21:05I couldn't connect the two.
21:07I love that.
21:08In fact, after interviewing you, I might have went back and said, hey, we can do this big thing.
21:15Get that girl, Horatio.
21:16She can put this together for us.
21:18She can put together a program for us so that it can reach so many people.
21:22But you are it.
21:24So you are the Bible story today.
21:26Yeah, I'm glad I don't wear everything that I went through, you know.
21:29You don't.
21:29And I want everybody to know you can come back from anything.
21:35And that's the beauty bag.
21:36If you wake up the next day, hey, it's another chance to be great, to do something different.
21:43So, you know, I'm watching the documentary and I said, you know, we're doing 3-1-3 Day.
21:50Remember we were doing the whole 3-1-3 thing?
21:52And I was like, I want to find people in Detroit that I feel really represent 3-1-3 and really care about the city.
22:00And that's how you came up because I was like, that's what I want.
22:06That's true Detroit.
22:08She is that whole deal.
22:11And I got to tell you, everybody in Detroit, when I reached out, I want to say within 10-15 minutes, she got back.
22:19And kept her word.
22:20Well, they came up to me at the game.
22:22Right.
22:22You came to work today.
22:23They said, it was like, Ed, who you contacting?
22:25What's up?
22:26Go ahead.
22:27Six people came up.
22:28Hey, mate, she ready.
22:29She ready when y'all want to do it.
22:31I'm like, who?
22:32Who are you talking about?
22:33But yeah, that's the kind of love.
22:35But my heart.
22:35You part of it.
22:36I don't play about my city.
22:37No, you don't.
22:38I left the cave back.
22:40This is my city.
22:42You're going to do a book?
22:43I don't let nobody talk about my city.
22:44You're going to do a book?
22:45Oh, yeah.
22:46The book is coming.
22:47The book is coming.
22:49And a lot more.
22:49I'm doing a book.
22:51I'm doing a health line.
22:53I'm starting a production company.
22:55So I have a lot of exciting things coming up.
22:58You're a worker.
22:59I'll be working.
22:59Yeah, you're a worker.
23:01You're a worker.
23:02And I'm going to introduce her dog to Bogart.
23:03You think maybe?
23:04No.
23:05I'm just kidding.
23:07I don't think I'm going to have puppies.
23:08You know what?
23:09Mason, I swear, when I looked at her and I was walking out the door,
23:13she just makes me feel so bad when I'm leaving her.
23:16I said, maybe I can take you and you can sit in a curb.
23:19Then I said, it's too cold.
23:20No, you know.
23:21But if you knew you were coming here, you knew because you could have brought her.
23:24I've got her.
23:25What's her name?
23:26When you come back, you're going to bring her.
23:27You know what her name is?
23:29She's a rescue.
23:30We found her.
23:30My son found her, brought her to me.
23:32Her name is.
23:33He said, what do you want to name?
23:34Cash?
23:34Cash Money.
23:35That's her name.
23:37That's right.
23:37That's her name.
23:38That's Cash.
23:38I'll be like, come on, Cash Money.
23:40Let's go.
23:40Let's roll, baby.
23:42But thank you for coming.
23:45Yes.
23:45Thank you for having me.
23:47Yeah.
23:47And you will be back because we're going to do some major projects together.
23:50You're part of our team.
23:51Period.
23:52She can run the project.
23:53I'm telling you.
23:54I'm telling you.
23:55She can run the project.
23:55It's hard to impress you.
23:56I'm so gay.
23:57I'm so gay.
23:57I'm so gay.
23:58You down, little baby.
23:59All right.
24:00I'm so gay.
24:00I'm so gay.
24:01I'm so gay.
24:01I'm so gay.
24:01I'm so gay.
24:02I'm so gay.
24:02I'm so gay.
24:02I'm so gay.
24:03I'm so gay.
24:03I'm so gay.
24:04I'm so gay.
24:04I'm so gay.
24:05I'm so gay.
24:05I'm so gay.
24:05I'm so gay.
24:05I'm so gay.
24:06I'm so gay.
24:06I'm so gay.
24:06I'm so gay.
24:06I'm so gay.