Orlando Brown says one of the greatest times in his life was meeting Pimp C.
During a recent interview on No Jumper, the former Disney star spoke about his passion for music and how the legendary rapper taught him the ropes of the industry. Brown told host Adam22 music was always a dream of his, but he didn’t start taking it seriously until the mid-aughts, when he was mostly known for his acting work.
Adam22 then asked Brown if he received guidance from any successful music figures, which prompted the 34-year-old to reveal his relationship with the late UGK artist, born Chad Butler.
“It was Pimp C. You know, Chad, my bro, like before he passed away, he taught me directly how to run a company,” Brown said (12:45), referencing his Young Starr Entertainment imprint. “I was really, really like his little protege.”
Brown said he met Pimp C through his friend’s mother, who had connections with UGK.
“She knew I really wanted to do some music and she made a couple of phone calls and Chad responded,” Brown recalled. “It was just one of the most greatest, greatest times of my life, man—meeting him and and learning from him. You know, like just sitting in the Bentley, him driving over to the radio station, dropping off boxes of units and, you know, him editing his own pictures [...] he was hands-on with everything, so I definitely wanted to to emulate that.”
The actor claimed he had spent time with Pimp during the five to six years before his death. The southern rapper was pronounced dead in late 2007, shortly after hotel staff found him unresponsive in his room. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said Pimp C’s death was caused by a combination of sleep apnea and large amounts of codeine cough syrup.
“He had prescription medication in him when he passed away,” the spokesperson said “and the levels were elevated but not real high, so it wasn’t an overdose, but we think it was a result of taking the cough medication with his sleeping problems.”
Adam22 asked Brown if he had been around anyone else who used drugs as “heavily” as Pimp C; the actor insisted he never saw that side of the Pimpalation rapper.
“He never did lean around me,” he claimed. “Listen, Chad only did red wine, a cup of red wine, like, twice. Yeah, so that whole situation with him you know with them planting—all that stuff was planted, bro. Like, that’s not even his steelo. There’s level to this.”
“You think that the planted … Who? The cops? Or his management team?” the host asked.
“Hey, man, out of respect for the family … I’ma just gonna keep all that quiet,” Brown said. “But other than that, I do know that it didn’t go down like that.”
Brown also spoke about his previous experimentation with drugs and how his appearance on the Dr. Phil Show helped his journey to sobriety. The actor previously slammed Dr. Phil for “ambushing” him during the infamous episode, but says he is now grateful for the assistance.
“I didn’t wanna be there … I got duped into being there,” he said (38-minute mark). “I was supposed to be doing the Wendy Williams Show, and they literally duped me [...] But I thank Dr. Phil, man. He’s awesome. At one point, yeah, I dissed him because I felt like he allowed me to get ambushed.”
Brown also addressed a 2018 video that allegedly caught him burglarizing a Las Vegas restaurant. The footage, published by TMZ, shows the actor inside Legends Restaurant & Venue, owned by his friend/former-Death Row artist Danny Boy. The incident resulted in Brown’s arrest, but he insists he wasn’t committing any crimes. He told Adam22 someone had stole his social security number to purchase the business, and as soon as he found out, he went to the joint to change the locks.
He said the alleged culprits also purchased yachts and apartment buildings in his name, which is why he’s much more selective about who he allows in his life.
“I got my wife, I got my son, I got my team. I’m pretty cool,” he said, before confirming he’s still in contact with his former co-star Raven-Symoné.
In 2016, Brown claimed to have had a relationship with the That’s So Raven star, and shared explicit details about their alleged sex life. Brown suggested he and Symoné are now on good terms, and is willing to discuss their past issues publicly as soon as she’s ready.
The host went on to ask Brown if he had any regrets over comments he made in past interviews. Brown said no, because everything he said was 100 percent truthful. Adam22 then brought up Brown’s previous claims about receiving oral sex from Nick Cannon—allegations Cannon has vehemently denied.
“I mean out of respect for Nick, bro, I’m gonna just leave that alone,” he said (49:50). “We squashed that, you know [...] I’m saying, I’m not trying to mess up how that man eat.”
You can check out Brown’s full interview up top.
