Ep 19: From Living in a Tent to Viral TikTok Star in 22 Seconds with @Doggface208

Xzibit: It’s the Lasagna Ganja podcast with Mr. X to the Z Xzibit.

Tammy: And it’s ya girl Tammie, a.k.a. The Cannabis Cutie.

Xzibit: I can’t fucking wait for this show!

Tammy: Me too! Hey, I have a question. Do you remember the pandemic?

Xzibit: Haha, I think everyone does! That’s an inside joke, but yes I do remember the pandemic.

Tammy: Well it was dark when it first started, we all hated being stuck in the house… Well actually, the first few weeks we were cool. We had our TikTok dances and it was lovely, right?

Xzibit: When the pandemic happened everyone was freaking out.

Tammy: Yeah there was a lot of panic, but that’s a normal way for people to behave when they don’t understand what’s happening. Same thing happened with HIV too.

Xzibit: Right, but this was different because whole countries shut down. The entire planet was basically put on house arrest.

So there were a lot of people that went into dark places, but there were also a lot that found the light.

Tammy: Right! I remember seeing a video of a guy who just didn’t seem to have a care in the world, and that’s the attitude we all needed.

Xzibit: He was on a skateboard, with a bottle of Ocean Spray cranberry juice…

Tammy: And he was playing a Fleetwood Mac song, while we’re recording this from their old studio right now!

Xzibit: So this video goes viral and it’s a fairy-tale story from there. We have the notorious Doggface here on the Lasagna Ganja Podcast.

Doggface: What up, what up!

Xzibit: I know you’ve had so much that’s happened for you, but let’s focus on that one moment.

So when you did that video, did you think there would be anything special to it? Please walk us through what led you to posting that video.

Doggface: So I was driving to work when my car broke down. When that happened I remember just sitting there thinking “you can either call your mom and wait for her to come pick you up, OR I can just grab my board and juice and take off.”

I didn’t have much time before I would be late and lose my bonus, so I grabbed my board and started walking up the hill.

I was listening to my TikTok playlist while walking and the third song down was Dreams.

As I was listening to it and looking upon the horizon I saw a spot to skate, so I decided to make the video right there. So I did! It only took 22 seconds.

I was trying to slow down so I could try it again, but I caught so much speed going down and I didn’t have time to walk back up and do it again.

Xzibit: Where were you working at the time?

Doggface: I was working at a potato warehouse. My dad worked there for 35 years, and I had been working there for 20 years myself.

I spent the summer seasons as a fire fighter. Well, not a real fire fighter. It was actually the camp crew, but at least it’s in the title and I had to be fire fighter certified!

So back to that day. After I barely made it to work on time, I couldn’t decide on whether I should post the video or not. But I was listening to Gary Vee back then, and he’s always saying “keep posting content.”

So I posted it and within an hour it had 100K views, and when I went on my lunch break it was at between 300K and 400K. I really didn’t think anything was going to happen with it, but I got blessed.

Xzibit: So your understanding of viral moments started with that, right?

People go out of their way to go viral, and it’s depressing to see how desperate some people get to do something that you did so effortlessly.

All it took was 22 seconds and a bottle of Ocean Spray, and then everything got big for you.

What was the first unbelievable phone call that you got?

Doggface: The first thing that shocked my mind was management out of California calling me. You always hear about that stuff on TV, so when it happened to me I was like “yeah right.”

Xzibit: You weren’t even in California, were you?

Doggface: Nope, straight out of Idaho! Born and raised. Everybody thinks that it was filmed in California, but it wasn’t.

Xzibit: What?! I can’t believe that, I thought you were from here.

Tammy: You’re native?

Doggface: Native-Mexican. Half breed!

Tammy: That’s dope, I love that!

Xzibit: Wait, so after just a 22 second video you moved to California?

Doggface: Nope, still in Idaho. Here’s the thing, you never really know what’s going to happen with this TikTok stuff.

I was actually homeless before the video came out. I was living at the river with my dog, but to me it was like camping out. I didn’t feel homeless because I was working.

Xzibit: What did you use for shelter?

Doggface: Either a tent or my car. It was honestly chill.

It’s not like I didn’t have anywhere to go, my sister’s house was always open and available to me. I just wanted to camp out rather than stay at my little sister’s house.

Once the winter time came, I got blessed with a big fire check. About $3,000. I used $1,000 for a mobile home and for the first couple weeks I had it parked in the Walmart parking lot. Then, my brother offered to allow me to park it on his property. It was dope!

Xzibit: I am thoroughly impressed with that. I am just FLABBERGASTED that you’re from Idaho, bro! So then you get a call from, who? A California manager?

Doggface: My manager, Gina Rodriguez. I give all my thanks to her and the team. She got my name out there and had me doing interviews all over the world, which was so crazy to me.

Then she asked if I was ready to come to Cali, and I said “yeah, let’s see what happens!” I told my job I’d be back if nothing happened.

Xzibit: I bet your co-workers were like, “what the fuck?”

Doggface: Haha, yeah some were saying I’d be back in 6 months and some were saying a year.

Xzibit: This is super interesting! So from there, where does the call from Ocean Spray come from?

Doggface: That also came from my management and team. They all reached out to her, and she really delegated everything and made it possible for me to buy my own house in Idaho Falls.

Xzibit: So Ocean Spray hit you with a bag?!

Doggface: Yeah, they hooked me up with two gigs that both paid very well which allowed me to put some money in my bank.

Also, remember how I said I was homeless before the video? Well I was on Twitter and I saw something saying “if you need help, post your CashApp or PayPal account”, and I gave that a try hoping something would happen.

Months later when the video hit, my CashApp and PayPal accounts started getting flooded!

Tammy: We made the right person famous!

Xzibit: Do you mind saying how much you received?

Doggface: It was a lot and gave me enough to save for a house. I had tried to get a credit line for the house, but my credit was so fucked.

So between what I was gifted and what my manager was bringing in for me, I was able to buy a house.

After I put the $320,000 down on the house, I think I only had $5,000 left. But I was fine because I had a place for me and my daughter to lay our heads.

Like I said, I want to give a huge shoutout to my manager Gina Rodriguez because she has done so much for me.

Xzibit: It’s like hitting the lottery.

Doggface: Exactly, it’s mind-blowing!

Xzibit: Tammy, do you believe in hypnotism?

Tammy: Yes.

Xzibit: Have you ever seen anybody get hypnotized?

Tammy: No.

Xzibit: Well then, why do you believe in it?

Tammy: I read a book, haha! It’s called Journey of Souls and it’s about this hypnotist, and everybody that he hypnotizes has similar experiences. So that’s what made me believe.

Xzibit: So Tammy’s never actually witnessed somebody get hypnotized, but Doggface you have. Tell us about that.

Doggface: The thing is, you know how they do the countdown thing? Well I’ll be blitzed in the crowd watching, and I'll start getting hypnotized myself. I’ll shake myself out of it each time because I don’t want to get up there and do foolish stuff.

So I definitely believe that you can get somebody into that state.

Xzibit: When you say shake yourself out of it, what is it?

Doggface: To me, it feels like I’m almost passing out.

Tammy: Like a trance. Your soul is leaving your body for just a little bit, but you’re still attached.

Xzibit: I thought you had to be on Ayahuasca to do that!

Tammy: Ayahuasca, DMT… there are many different tools to do this.

Xzibit: When it comes to hypnotism, I’m a skeptic.

Tammy: After reading Journey of Souls, I believe. We need a hypnotist and a medium to come on the podcast. I think it would be great for you.

Xzibit: Medium? Like the tarot card people? I think they’re frauds too!

Tammy: No, mediums channel spirits that have passed.

I’ve taken my aunt to see a medium. My cousin died at the age of 15, and it healed my aunt so much. She was bringing up things that I didn’t even know, only my aunt knew.

Xzibit: Well, how do you know if you’re talking to the right spirit? Because we dial the wrong phone numbers all the time!

Tammy: I don’t think mediums are like most humans.

You know how people like Lebron James have physical gifts that are almost not human? I think some people can also have spiritual gifts that are almost not human.

Some people have amazing intellect, some have artistry, some just give off amazing energy and are successful because of that.

Xzibit: And that brings me to my theory about aliens… Aliens don’t fuck with black people! Neither do ghosts! You never hear about them messing with black people.

Tammy: I know right! Why can’t we ever get abducted? Maybe they’re scared we will get up there and be like, “we got time!”

Xzibit: So Doggface, you’re still a hot commodity on Instagram. What’s your philosophy about the positivity of what you do?

There’s a big swinging door. Some people do shock content, some do testimonials, others do “feel good” content. I feel like you’re leaning more towards the “feel good” content, am I right?

Doggface: Yeah. You know me, I like to put out a good vibe. They call me the Vibe King! I just try to bring a smile to everyone’s face.

I get comments every day that keep me going, and even though there are some negative comments, the positive always outweighs the negative. It’s awesome to see the aura that I put out, and I think it’s so badass how much everyone vibes with me.

Tammy: So does reefer have anything to do with those vibes?

Doggface: Oh yeah, I’m always sitting on cloud 9 and trying to bring people up to my level. It always plays a part. That’s where I get the good music and dance moves!

Xzibit: Oh yeah, I’ve seen your moves. You can cut a rug! What kind of cannabis stuff do they have in Idaho? Are there dispensaries?

Doggface: It’s not a green state. I actually just got popped over there with some gummies.

They actually wanted to give me 6 months of probation, but because I was getting ready to go to Canada they gave me a review hearing 6 months later.

So I just had to stay out of trouble, and thankfully they didn’t drug test me!

Xzibit: Well don’t get in trouble and fuck it up, because the world needs you. What’re you doing up in Canada?

Doggface: I’m going on a little mini tour. I do speaking engagements and I also started doing music, so I’ll have some songs coming soon.

Xzibit: You rap?!

Doggface: Yeah I get down a little bit, I actually have a song with Snoop!

I went the independent route, so I’m doing my own stuff. Shoutout to DRG and Dino, we have a group called 208 Natives.

Personally, I’m trying to get into the acting game. But the music is so fun and has been a blessing.

Xzibit: Do it all! If you have the energy and drive to do all that, then God speed!

Tammy: Yeah, live it up!

Xzibit: You know who I’ve seen do well? Mr Criminal. His transition on film is believable and I’d love to see him with more roles and speaking lines.

You remind me of him. I think you have a lot to offer and I think the sky’s the limit.

Tammy: You know what I want to see made? I feel like there hasn’t been a good weed movie in a while. We had How High and Half-Baked, but where is the one for the 2020’s?

Xzibit: Well I don’t want to see another funny weed movie. I want to see the weed “Die Hard”.

Tammy: You don't want to see a legalized stoner movie? The struggle of your plug still having fire… I feel like that could be a good storyline.

All 3 of us can be in it! It can be educational AND funny! I think I'll write the script, haha.

Doggface: We definitely need one of those!

Xzibit: So let’s stay focused. Your life has completely changed. You’ve still got your manager and are doing all sorts of public speaking.

When you do this inspirational speaking, who do you go talk to?

Doggface: Well like I said, I’m going to Canada.

I’ve been speaking to people on reserves and native reservations, just encouraging them to be themselves and letting them know that it’s possible.

Put yourself out there and don’t be scared to be yourself. All it takes is a minute on TikTok to get yourself out there in front of people.

Tammy: I’ve experienced that. I started making weed videos in my car and posting them.

Then one day I got a DM from Snoop, and then an email from Xzibit! So many cool people in-between and beyond.

I finally have an audience and it feels so freeing to just be my nerdy self and smoke a lot of weed!

Xzibit: Since blowing up, have you had any other videos become as successful as the one that started it all?

Doggface: I’ve had a few get between 2 million and 5 million. The Get Up Dance was my first taste of success, it got me up to like 130,000 views overnight. I also had a couple videos that I did with Bone Thugs that went viral.

It really just depends, but honestly anybody can do it. People do it everyday. As long as you stick with the trends, your stuff will be put out there and you will get the views. It just depends on what you do with it from there.

Most importantly, just have fun with it!

Xzibit: It seems like a form of hypnotism! Just getting us to do what everyone else is doing, haha!

Tammy: Your energy really is hypnotic, and we need that on these apps. We see crazy stuff and a lot of nonsense, but with you it’s lighthearted and it feels good. We need more of that.

Xzibit: So what’s the future for Doggface?

Doggface: Well like I said, I’m trying to get into acting. Shoutout to George Lopez, I actually just got a call from him.

I’m so happy for the natives that are making noise in the acting game right now. It’s nice seeing stories from the native point of view and not just the John Wayne stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, those are entertaining to watch, but when I watch them I’m like “what the hell?”

Xzibit: Have you seen the movies they used to make about us?

Doggface: My point exactly! Same thing.

Xzibit: Speaking on native history, it’s amazing the resilience of our peoples. The ability to rise and make something out of nothing is remarkable.

I think that the things that we do to bring light are very essential, and Doggface you have brought light to so many people and you continue to do so.

Tammy: We did it, we made the right person famous!

Xzibit: And your family, how do they feel? I know they fucking love you.

Doggface: Yeah, I’m so grateful that I can finally help them out the way as much as they’ve helped me. I’m blessed and I won’t stop until I get my mom’s house paid off.

Xzibit: Don’t stop supporting Doggface guys, let’s keep this shit going!

Doggface: That’s right, I bring nothing but that good shit! Hell yeah!

Xzibit: This has been the Lasagna Ganja Podcast, it’s Mr X to the Z Xzibit.

Tammy: And I’m your girl Tammy a.k.a. The Cannabis Cutie.

Xzibit: That’s right, and there are layers to this thing we call cannabis. Stay tuned, we have another one coming soon. Peace!

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