I Love New York 2's resident thinker had so much to say about his time on the show that we thought it was only right to accommodate all of his ruminations. Our discussion with Buddha that started yesterday continues below with Buddha's thoughts on New York vs. Tiffany, New York's insecurity, his notorious good looks and why I Love New York 2 may have actually been not so good for his resume, after all.

Can you tell me the differences between New York and Tiffany?  You said, "F*** New York, I love Tiffany."

Tiffany is very loving, very giving, very submissive. She wants to be guided, she wants to have someone to lean on. Sometimes when she hugs me, she just really lets go. As she’s hugging me, you can see it in her face and in her body expression. Everything about her she just wants to really let go and just give in. Then there’s New York. The whole, "I’m the HBIC. You do what I say, this is what I do. What I say is what it is, it’s the final word." That woman I don’t care for. My thing is, look it makes you money, fine. You do you and I understand that from an entertainment perspective. But the duality exists and in her mind. You saw on the show when she said that she thinks that New York and Tiffany are the same person. There’s no way in her right mind that she thinks that's true. Off camera she’s like, "Can I get you something to drink? Do you want a massage?  Do you wanna hang out? Let’s watch TV." We sit back and she is not dramatic at all.  Not at all.

At the same time, you didn't expect to have to deal with that before going on the show?

In interviews prior to the show, they said, "What do you expect?"  And I said, "I expect to get to know Tiffany and have to tolerate New York."

She told you that she hopes I Love New York 2 will look good on your resume. Will it?

No. As a matter of fact, I told her off camera that I had an agent prior to the show, and my agent said adamantly, "Do not go on the show. It will ruin your career. Do not go on the show.  Anybody who goes on a reality TV show is gonna be stuck on reality TV. They want to see you only as you are and they're not gonna see you as an actor or anything different because they know too much about you." So I told her, "You know what? You're probably right.  There is no need for us to work together anymore."

You wanted to meet New York so badly that you risked your career for her?

No. It wasn’t a matter of me really wanting to meet New York that bad. For me, it was that I really wanted to show the world how a good man could treat a good woman: "I’m gonna go on here so they’ll see me." If they see me in whatever light, positive, negative, happy, violent, it’s all true and it doesn’t matter, because it all comes from the heart. I feel right now that people’s perspective of what a man should be to a woman is really skewed, especially in urban America. And I think it’s skewed because what they see is rap videos. They see some hoes shaking their ass. They see some pimp paying them money. Throwing money at her and spraying her with champagne. That’s their perspective of a relationship. In my mind, if I go on the show, if nothing else, people will see the way a true man should treat a woman. Fine. Let it be that.  Tiffany would continually ask me, "Why are you here on the show? You just seem like you wouldn’t be into a girl like me. It seems like you’d be into someone white, someone that’s really good-looking." Tiffany is very insecure. New York of course doesn’t come off that way. I speak to Tiffany now and she says, "Can you believe they didn’t show any of the moments when I was so nervous around you?" It’s to the point she couldn’t speak to me, because she was so nervous. She couldn’t say any more than a few sentences. She was so completely nervous being around me, just my presence. And I was just like, "Tiffany, you're really gonna have to get over my looks."

That’s what it was?  She was so taken back by your appearance? 

She was stuck on it. It was a very superficial perspective.  Her thing was, "You're so gorgeous, you're so good looking." It was a nuisance.

It couldn't have been bad for your ego, though.

You know, honestly, I could care less.

But you keep yourself in such good shape. You clearly care about the way you look.

I care about my health and keeping myself living as long as possible. You've seen my father, my father. I would hate to look fragile going on 60. My perspective has always been: be your personal best. It hasn’t been: be here to impress everybody. Look as good as you're gonna look, and dress as well as you can. If people appreciate you for it, so be it. If they don’t, then so be that too. I’m appreciative of the compliments, but it doesn’t change the person that I am. Maybe it’s because my character is set in stone and I’m an established person already.  I’m a well established personality. People say things like, "Oh you look great" and "Oh, you look good" and, "You’re so tall!" When they say something like that, the first thing I do is point out a flaw in myself.  I don’t say it out loud, but I say it to myself. Every compliment that I get, I remind myself that of something that I need to work on. It may not be something physical, but it might be something mental.  But it’s of my own personal flaw to keep myself grounded. That's why Punk and I we don’t hang together. We went out a couple of times after the show to get past some things that happened on the show, but he is not like that. Where I’m the type of person to avoid people because I don’t want them swamping me, he is that person to go to the mall. We have completely different personalities when it comes to our perspective on the world.  That’s something I believe will be shown in a year or two.

Any regrets from your time on the show?

I struggled with the thought in my mind of walking off. On the show there were dozens of times where me walking away from New York was me walking off the show. I was constantly pulling myself back. I was always thinking, "Well, if I leave what is left?"  What’s left as a representation of a black man or a man period. Black, yellow, purple, just a man. Period.  What’s left?  And then on top of that, what’s left for her? What’s left for her, because what’s left for her was already a second thought in my mind. What’s left for her was a bunch of yes men, and a bunch of cowards.  She had no one that was gonna stand there and tell her what she’s doing right and genuinely what she’s doing wrong. There was no truth there.  As much as I love Wise, at some point in time by him not hitting Tailor Made, he became partially a yes man. The only people on the show that were 100 percent real were myself and Midget Mac. We're both used to being controversial. Midget Mac is a completely different act from me because he’s a little person. Automatically people look down on him, and me, I’m the exact opposite. I’m tall, athletic and light eyes they could make all kind of assumptions about me that could be completely incorrect.  So we’re both used to assumptions.  People assuming something about us when they know nothing at all.  So what I’m used to happening is, just speaking the truth. 

You have so much to say about your experience on the show. It seems like ultimately it was a good time for you.

Yeah, it was.  It was a good experience.  Everything is a life experience. I was into it, because I may never experience it again. As far as the whole online-interaction thing, the comments and people wondering what happened, it’s a good time. I don’t hold anything against anybody. Some guys I’m still cool with now and I think we’ll be friends for life. And other guys I don’t care to see them again. But I don't even regret meeting them because I didn’t now there were characters out there like that. 

Keep up with Buddha via his MySpace and his personal site.

Related content
I Love New York 2 show page

 

Comments

[mayra]

Buddha,

life is not as BLACK and WHITE as you make it seem. You seem to have an answer for everything and some things you say are really shallow.. sorry!! Just speaking truth as you say...

[Benjamin]

What an arrogant douchebaggy egomaniac. Jeez.

[Carmen]

I read this interview wanting to hear Buddha's point of view because I thought the show made him appear arrogant and self-centered. It turns out he actually is arrogant and self-centered. He seems to not understand the difference between absolute "truth" and his opinions. I never thought I would say this about Tiffany, but she actually made a good decision not picking this man. This guy will never be anything but misery to any woman. Who wants a man who is always pointing out your faults? A woman doesn't want someone to "improve" her. She wants a supportive equal who is on her side, not an adversary. In a good relationship, the man and woman should be equally submissive to each other. Until this conceited prick learns that, he can make sweet love to his own reflection.

[Courtie]

'And I was just like, "Tiffany, you're really gonna have to get over my looks."'

Umm....Buddha...get over your own looks. You're pompous and annoying.

[Kym]

Buddha all I have to say is i understand where u are coming no lie it may seem arrogant but it really isn't. If the rest of u sit down and really put yo self in his shoes and not yo u will realize that all buddha is pointing out is that u have to be careful in what life u choose cause not matter how hard u try it follow u to your grave. And Tiffany aka New York is messing up her life by letting others run over her sooner or later there be nuttin else to run over. All yall who posted think about that.

[sunshine]

Hopefully he has learned from this experience that he needs to work on improving his personality than his body.

[toya]

your a smart man sexy you know how to have fun you will find the right person for you keep your faith and your heatlh strong you help me believe in love again who know maybe we will meet each other and i could show you a real women worth lol

[CAROL25]

LET ME TELL YOU BOYFRIEND YOU ARE NOT LIKE THAT GET OVER YOUSSELF THAT MAKE YOU UGLY NOW TALK TO ME WHEN YOUR TERRENCE HOWARD OR DENZEL HEY OR A YOUNG BILLY DEE YOU MY FRIEND ARE NOT CUTE SOMEBODY DONE TOLD YOU WRONG.

[jenny]

I think Buddha needs to seriously get over his self

[Jenny]

Buddha is Bitter,Because the Player got Played.

Good job New York!!!!