You're probably thinking... what does he mean by "thinking way out of the box"... right?

Well, in my specific case.. I've befriended many of the descendants of my family's slave owner. -- We tarde and share inforamtion on a daily basis.

I give then alittle somethin'-somethin'... and they give me what I need. - If they refuse, then I give them nada!

It's almost a game of chess. First; I had to have something to offer them, in the first place.

... and that something, was some sort of info that they didn't have or know about.