Carmelo Anthony tells Timothée Chalamet why the hood and the projects are different

With Marty Supreme ready for a Christmas release and the New York Knicks making it to the NBA Finals, Timothée Chalamet found himself in familiar territory this week. The actor stopped by Carmelo Anthony’s 19:00 on the podcast in Brooklyn for an hour-long conversation that bounced between basketball, New York culture and life experiences. However, one moment stood out for its honesty and clarity.

The discussion changed when Chalamet brought up a shocking story about Ron Artest involving violence during an IMCA game. Anthony quickly chimed in to contextualize it, explaining that the story reflected life in the projects and not what most people casually label as a hood, according to TheSportsRush. From there, Anthony broke down the difference rooted in how people grow up and live day to day.

Melo explains the difference from experience

Anthony described the projects as a vertical world, families stacked in large buildings where space remained tight and lives constantly overlapped. He talked about small apartments filled with multiple people, shared meals and children turning elevators, rooftops and hallways into playgrounds. For him, the projects seemed like a labyrinth, a single structure that simultaneously holds countless stories.

https://vvv.youtube.com/vatch?v=7J6AT74dkug

He explained that you can live floors apart from completely different realities. One neighbor may be dangerous, another a prominent athlete, another a teacher, and yet another the most admired person in the building. They all existed together under one roof, which created a unique mix of pressure, community, and survival.

Anthony compared it to a hood, spreading through streets and neighborhoods instead of stacking people on top of each other. The experiences may be similar, but the schedule changes as life unfolds. Projects compress it all into one box, forcing constant interaction. As Anthony said, the environment becomes the hood, an idea that co-host Kazeem Famuiide reinforced during the exchange.

The moment resonated because of the ambience and the listeners. Chalamet, a Hollywood star with deep New York roots, accepted it without holding back. He captured what 7 PM in Brooklyn does best, creating a space for real stories without filters.