Denzel Washington was impressed with A$AP Rocky: 'OK, Rihanna. I see'

We're back now with two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington. Yes! He's teamed up once again with director Spike Lee for the new movie Highest to Lowest. Always wonderful to have you here. Thank you. I don't even see anybody right now. I just see you. No one else is here on the couch. Fifth one with Spike. With Spike. Yes. It's been almost 20 years since the last one. Yeah. What's it like collaborating again? A script came to me. This script came to me and it was a New York story and I knew, I said, this is Spike. So I sent it to him and he called me back like eight hours later when we started. He went to work on it and did his. So you found the script. You took it from him. Yeah, I forgot exactly if it came through my agent or the producing part. I forgot where I got it from, but through my agent, I got the script and I liked the story. What was it about it that resonated with you so much? It's just a good story. I had never seen it. I still haven't seen the original film. Once I decided I wanted to do this, I didn't want to, yeah, yeah, comparisons and all of that. And then Spike put his pass on it anyway, made it to New York, you know, put the spike on it. And you, to play off of that, you play this music mogul who has a predicament, who wants to do the right thing. But explain to us how this then plays out. All money ain't good money. What would you do is easy, Michael, you always, you know, well, you know, man to man, son to son. What? No. What would you do if it were your son in this set of circumstances? When it's your son. But when it's, it's a moral. Yeah. But then that's what I'm saying. And then you find out it's not. What would you do? It's a moral dilemma. What would you do? What would you do, Michael? What would I do? I'd do the right thing. Another Spike Lee movie. Let's take a look. It's true. I ain't no rapper. I'm a chance giver. Chance giver. Yo, you mad late, son. I been gave you a chance to give me a chance. You baited. Nah, I'm good, B. It's quiet, curtains. I know what it is to risk everything you have for something that you want. I know what that means to have nothing and want everything. Wow. Yeah. Wow. In that scene with you. And let me say this, because I really didn't spend a lot of time with him. I wanted to stay away from him. That's kind of how I work. We meet when we meet. That's the point. But I've spent the last couple of days with him. Amazing young man. Intelligent. I was like, oh, okay, Rihanna. I see. This kid is. I'm like, okay. You know, he's catching me up. I'm still like my inner analog. I embrace my inner analog. He's telling me that I'm not going to make it. Is it true? Is it true that you improved in that scene that we see? You're with A$AP and you guys have like a bit of a rap battle at some point? And Spike. I don't even remember which scene. There's a scene where you guys get into a bit of a rap battle. And Spike says that you improvised most of your lyrics. And stole from Nas. I, you know. Stole from Nas. The Brutisizer. Accelerator. That be pissing in your elevator. Something in the rap game. I mean, well, you know, you can go from Shakespeare to American Shakespeare with August Wilson. But you got A$AP's, he was, he really admired the fact, because he thought like you'd be all old school. Yeah. But then when you were rapping. I am old school. I know. But when you're rapping the new stuff, he's like, who? Who's this? You don't show your hand. You're like, oh, I don't know what I'm doing. Can you help me? I'm an old man. Boom! Knocked him out. He pegged you as a Miles Davis fan. Turns out you have this tremendous rap repertoire and a big fan of Memphis rap. I'm a big fan of music. I'm on Samara Sin right now. Y'all up on Samara Sin? Brand New Teeth? Yep. That's what I'm on now with Smino. You know. You're full of surprises. I gotta add on to that. I mean, obviously, music is a big part of this movie. Big role. So for this movie, did you have like a playlist? What was your playlist? I didn't, no. I don't even, you know, like I said, I'm analog, I'm still trying to, you know, I don't have a playlist. I don't even know how to do that, to be honest with you. But there was a lot of music that lent itself to this story, and it's music I listen to anyway. It was just perfect for that. And A$AP, I will say what you said about A$AP. He is such a nice, respectful, he was here yesterday, he and Jeffrey Wright, and just was really amazing. I think we all walked away and going, wow, Rihanna, Rihanna, we get it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You hadn't met him before? I'd met him once before, but never had a really chance to talk to him. But I can just see he had such admiration for you. That was apparent. And then people say he looks like me. What? Who said that? No, no. No, that's what, no. Maybe that's what they said. They said he looks like me. Everybody here, the whole studio went, what? No, he doesn't look like me? No. If you say so, yeah, he looks just like you. Oh, okay, I thought somebody said that. That's what somebody told me. You know, people say he looks like me. Nobody looks like you, son. Nobody looks like you. No, no. How do you know? How are you doing? How are you feeling? I'm great. Wait, wait, hold on. Are you playing everything? I'm lovely. I feel great. He's doing two-a-days right now. No, I'm, oh, well, working out. Yeah, you are doing two-a-day. Yeah, I'm getting strong. Ooh. All right. Okay. I'm not there yet. I'm not there. I'm on my way. Still got the- Watch out, Strahan. Yeah. No, no, no. I gotta respect the professionals now. I gotta keep a jacket on. I can't keep a- You know what? The only thing that'd be better than me is being in Denzel. That's all I'm saying. Oh, that's saying something. Yeah. Because you don't go there. I don't go there, but I want to be you when I grow up. Thank you for coming to our new digs. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So, this is the new- Yeah, this is the new thing. What do you think? Come here anytime you want. It's beautiful. That's it. It's big. Y'all are rich, huh? We're doing all right. Corporation. Yeah. You know how that works. Hey, Denzel. Thank you so much. Oh. Thank you. August- Which camera? August 15th, Friday. Go see it in the theater first. Please. Yes. Apple got enough money. Yeah. Highest two. I guess I won't be working with them anymore. It's in theaters on Friday. You heard the man. And then it is streaming on Apple TV Plus, September 5th. But first, this Friday. August 15th. This Friday. Highest two. Oh, money ain't good money.