- Back in the day, I can't really say
that there was a best-smelling guy
because all them dudes stank in the locker room.
[Calvin chuckles]
Hey GQ, I'm Calvin Johnson Jr.,
and these are my 10 essentials.
[funky upbeat music]
I've worn a chain for most of my adult life.
The reason I started wearing a chain
really was 'cause of mom.
She gifted me a cross back in the day.
So I still wear the cross to this day.
I've had to change the chain, but the cross still remains.
Like I got two chains, I just thought it'd be cool
to add another one for swag points.
[Calvin laughs]
I do have a Megatron chain.
I shoulda wore it, but it was gifted to me by my dog,
Nate Burleson, back in the day
when we were playing in Detroit.
It has like a C and a J in it
inside of a Megatron, like a Decepticon signal.
So it's very cool. It almost looks like a shield.
And it has diamonds in it, so it's pretty cold.
[funky upbeat music]
I have my AirPods here.
These things keep me plugged in.
I'm in the noisy house. I got three boys.
I'm always in meetings, always listening to my music.
So definitely lean towards hip hop, R&B,
but definitely tuned into all my Atlanta artists.
2 Chainz, T.I., Jeezy, Ludacris, Outkast,
you know, I could keep on going [chuckles].
My number one song I would go to
during my workouts is probably T.I.
I think it's on the Urban Legend Track, "The Greatest".
That was a pre-game song.
Anytime I need to get juiced up,
that's my song I go to, "The Greatest".
- [Producer] Which rapper would you be pumped
to see ake a "Megatron" hit?
[Calvin laughing]
- I would love it if 2 Chainz, you know...
If 2 Chainz could put something in his music,
that would be dope.
I know I got a lot of syllables.
Calvin Johnson and Megatron, but if he would make that work
if 2 Chainz would be the one that could do it.
I love his cadence.
[funky upbeat music]
These particular sunglasses are made
by Morgenthal Frederics.
I love 'em because it's just perfect.
They're a shortcut aviator.
These are my go-to shades. The black ones.
Next on the list will be the tortoise-colored ones,
followed by the gray ones that play
with those in golf all the time.
But these are my shade.
I really don't wear too many others.
These are very sturdy shades
and they give you all the style points.
[funky upbeat music]
I picked up golf shortly after
I stopped playing in the NFL.
It's a sport that's always challenging.
I wish there was a world where I could be a pro golfer
because I love the sport so much.
But man, it's a tough sport to master.
I always look forward to the Rocket Mortgage Classic
in Detroit 'cause it's in the hometown.
You get all the top celebrities
in the golf arena to come out.
I really got to kick it with Jason Day
and Tony Finau a little bit last year.
So I always look forward to that event,
especially with my former teammates,
Rob Sims and Gosder Cherilus.
Out of that small group, I'm the best outta golf,
but it's not really saying much [chuckles].
[jazzy brass music]
Right here we have Clive Christian.
It's a men's cologne.
Really only find it at Neiman Marcus.
My coach Shawn Jefferson, we call him OG,
he put me onto this back in the day when I was playing ball.
I love it so much man. It's a great smell.
Very strong cologne and it's pretty exclusive
'cause it has a high price tag.
Yeah, this is how it goes down real quick in the bathroom.
Little squirt on the wrist.
Get that little rub in.
Little rub in right there.
If I'm walking around New York City
I might get a little spray of my chest under the shirt.
[Calvin laughs]
[upbeat music]
I've had a beard ever since I was in college.
You know, I've always wanted a beard.
My dad has a full mane.
So, you know, I always wanted to one, be like your dad.
You know what I'm saying?
But this here is my beard grooming tool.
Up top we have my detangling side
and down here is the finer side.
Essential tool. You know, I groom my beard.
I don't even groom up top, you know?
See it's just all about the beard
since I'm always wearing my hat.
As for these trimmers right here,
these have become my favorite over the last couple years.
I love 'em because they're a wireless trimmer.
I take 'em anywhere.
They have different guards so I could trim up
my whole head with these trimmers right here.
I haven't used a barber since I was in college.
I've been cutting my hair all this time.
You know, for me, I feel like I could just do it faster,
that I don't waste the time running to a barbershop
'cause, you know, time is everything.
[funky upbeat music]
What we have here is our
Primitiv Performance transdermal topical cream.
Very excited about this.
We made this product because we used
topicals while we were playing
and to be able to add cannabis
with this anti-inflammatory properties
was essential to help us get up and keep moving and recover.
Generally with my everyday routine,
I'm using the topical for any kind
of inflammation that I have.
I have a lot of chronic inflammation
with my ankles, sometimes my knees,
but any kind of bumps or bruises that I have,
this is the first thing I go for.
Got into the cannabis industry
really to highlight the healing powers of the plant.
So to be innovative and create new products
in the industry is what really gets us going.
So we're very excited about this
and other new SKUs that we have coming down the pipeline.
[relaxing piano music]
Every morning I start the routine with green tea.
It really just start off my morning right with hydration.
I used to drink coffee.
It wasn't good for my stomach.
Gave me the jitters. So I had to find a alternative.
I used to like coffee,
but just in order to help me get started on my routine
and really get started with my hydration every day,
green tea has been it.
Like I say, it has plenty of antioxidants
and it's a great, nice warm drink
when you're in the cold Michigan winter.
I put a little bit of honey,
a little bit of cayenne pepper,
and a little splash of apple cider vinegar
to give it a little tang.
Kind of helped out with colds
and soothing your throat a little bit.
So it's just something that I found to work for me
and I've been doing it ever since.
[bright mysterious music]
You know how you put on muscle
when you lift weights at the gym?
Imagine you could do the same thing
but this is the new gym and your brain is the muscle.
I think one thing for me that this app,
and Nestre, in general, has helped with
is my emotional intelligence.
I think that understanding where you stand mentally,
understanding what your triggers are,
it helps with your communication with others
and knowing where to meet people and where to find people
when you're communicating with them.
[energetic upbeat music]
Just being able to don that jacket every time I see it,
every time I think about it, it's just a culmination
of my career from once I started playing football
in middle school all the way up to the end.
Just a rush of emotions thinking about
all the different plays made, all the different people met,
all the good times had with all of our families.
It's all that that comes back
and all that really is in the fabric of this jacket.
But this was a moment that was deserved.
It was a moment where I was able to thank
those that were there to help me don this gold jacket.
This jacket gets worn once a year.
It gets worn at the Hall of Fame activities
in Canton every August and that's about it.
Thanks GQ for having me.
Thank you guys for tuning in.
Check out Primitiv Performance
at primitivperformance.com.
Peace. [funky upbeat music]