1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: Quest Loft Show is a production of iHeart Radio. They 2 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: are What's Up so check it. We are still dealing 3 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: with the passing of really of hip hop's greatest advocate, 4 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 1: Bob Power, master engineer, producer, musician. I would like to 5 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: say that Bob really really enhanced what we know as 6 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: boom bap hip hop. I felt it was rather apropos 7 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: for us to pay tribute to him by replaying his episode. 8 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: And what's notable about this episode is that it's the 9 00:00:57,400 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: second episode of Questloft Supreme. 10 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 2: I mean, right now, Jake, we are where. 11 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: At least three hundred plus Yeah, so we're three hundred 12 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:12,199 Speaker 1: plus strong. So for you to agree to be our 13 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: second guest, I mean, that's just that really speaks of 14 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: Bob's character of really being there for you. Like I 15 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: would have to say this, probably I've gotten narry a 16 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: no from Bob for any thing that I've requested to 17 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: mix the song or recall this mix or any of 18 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: those things. And the thing that I want people to 19 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:44,479 Speaker 1: really know about Bob, besides all of his achievements, is 20 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: just what a really and I know, like words like 21 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: a sweet guy, a lovely guy, all heart and all 22 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: those things. But I mean, Bob was like even based 23 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: on how hip hop heads meant by if you are 24 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: a Daylight fan, you can hear the various times on 25 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: Tribe Records or Daylau Records, and you know, kind of 26 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: in their humorous stratosphere, in the galaxy of humor, that 27 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: is the native tongues. 28 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 2: Bob plays a big part of that world. And also 29 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 2: I will say that. 30 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: Bob kind of entered my life in a transitional period. 31 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: We started recording what you guys know as do You 32 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: Want More in the third week of December of nineteen 33 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: ninety three. 34 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 2: The music world normally shuts down for. 35 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: The second half of December, you know, for the holidays, 36 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:49,799 Speaker 1: and usually gets back into business maybe the second week 37 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: of January. So this quite unspoken month that's taken off 38 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: for the industry people. But Bob was so much in 39 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: demand because of the albums that he's done, De La 40 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: Soul's Dead Blue Mind State, all the Tribe called Quest Records, 41 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: a lot of remixes, any remixes that Q Tip or 42 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: Ali Shahid or the Daylight guys have done, be a 43 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: bush Baby's, the Foosh Nickings, any of those, Like Bob 44 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: was pretty much the unspoken. I mean he was George 45 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: Martin of a tribe called Quest Beatles or Dela Soul's Beatles, 46 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: and so he I think, newly married, had two weeks 47 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: off before he had to start work again, and immediately 48 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: it was like an instant Yes, I'll do this, because 49 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: that's how enthusiastic he was about the idea of the Roots. 50 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: You know, Richard played them some rough stuff, and you know, 51 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: Bob just loved the idea of a live band doing stuff. 52 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: He had just did Blue Mind State, which really I 53 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: mean quite as it's kept as influential was day La 54 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: Soul is on the Roots. I think I rarely put 55 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: two and two together, how like the Roots are probably 56 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: the manifested result of the seeds laid by day La 57 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: Soul for Balloon Mind State, Dayla Soul, like three Ft 58 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:23,279 Speaker 1: and Hine and Rising that allowed Trek and I to 59 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: discover who our true selves were, which were we were nerds. 60 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: We weren't thugged out, we were like nerds, and that 61 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: album allowed us to be that. Day Last Soul Is 62 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: Dead was the album that I credit that made me 63 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: Tuik want to start a group because every song was 64 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: just blowing our minds and it was like, well, we 65 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: want to do that too. 66 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:46,599 Speaker 2: We want to make music that blows people's minds. 67 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: And then you know, come the very dark Balloon Mind 68 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: State record, which has a lot of jazz overtones and 69 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: live musicianship. It probably birthed organics without me knowing it, 70 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: but Bob is really responsible for those sounds, and probably 71 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: what is notable, I realized that Bob is quietly also 72 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: responsible for my writing career, and that's only because Bob 73 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: just had one request. He's like, I want to make 74 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: the best record for you that I can. I need 75 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: complete and absolute silence if you're in the studio now, 76 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:28,280 Speaker 1: you know, I've been to some sessions at D and 77 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: D during the hip hop renaissance doing the height of 78 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: that era, and usually, like if there's a session, there's 79 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 1: a lot of weed, a lot of your boys coming 80 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:42,039 Speaker 1: over the producer asking you to, like, yo, turn that 81 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 1: shit up, man, and you know they'll put it on 82 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: the big speakers. And none of those songs that we 83 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,479 Speaker 1: did on Do You Want More until the final mix 84 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: was done, we never played on like the giant large. 85 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 2: Speakers to blast it. 86 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: Bob always insisted that you know, well, they're called Genolik 87 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: speakers or sometimes Yamaha NS tens or even like those 88 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:06,920 Speaker 1: clock radio. Yes, if you're of age and you know 89 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: what a clock radio is, basically the cheapest speaker that 90 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: you listen to music on. Bob mixed our entire discography 91 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: almost at a whisper, like at a low volume, because 92 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: his theory was if this sounds beautiful on shitty speakers 93 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:30,160 Speaker 1: and as low volume as possible, then when you really 94 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,919 Speaker 1: back blasted, it'll be amazing. And so Bob was just 95 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 1: always famous for it and really didn't hesitate to say, guys, 96 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:39,000 Speaker 1: I need to concentrate. 97 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 2: And we would go in the break room and whatever 98 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 2: and eat. And so. 99 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: I guess when I started doing the liner notes for 100 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:51,600 Speaker 1: Do You Want More? I decided to give Bob a 101 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: new quote for each of the songs listed, like if 102 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: you look on the first song, it's like engineered by Bob, guys, 103 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: I'm trying to concentrate power, and the next all be 104 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: engineered by Bob. 105 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 2: Hey, guys, really like can you keep it down? Power? 106 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: And that's been the running joke so at the age 107 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: of the Internet, especially with social media, the music version 108 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: of IMDb, which like what are those websites like discogs 109 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: or whatever, when they give like complete liner notes of 110 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: who worked on it. 111 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 2: Bob called me laughing one day. 112 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 1: It's like, I got you to blame for this, and 113 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: I'm like, what do you He's like, have you looked 114 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: me up on discogs? 115 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 2: And I looked up. 116 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: And because of the technicality factor, Bob has like at 117 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 1: least over thirty different you know, Like for me, I 118 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: am I'm under brother question and then I was Questlove 119 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: and that was quest Love with a question mark, question 120 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: mark with a Q like various names, or a mere 121 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,480 Speaker 1: Colleias Thompson, a mere quest Love Thompson. Like I have 122 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: five credits, Bob had over like thirty five of them, 123 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,400 Speaker 1: and with a straight face, they typed out all of 124 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: his tech. 125 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 2: Nicole I was like, ah, guys. 126 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: But that's who Bob was. And I didn't expect this news. 127 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: I know, I know that I try to not normalize 128 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: pain and death, but sadly, you know, we're at a 129 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: place now, in this time period where it's like yo, 130 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: da da Da died and you're like, yeah, that checks 131 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:27,920 Speaker 1: that checks out. But when Michelle and Diocello texted me 132 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: while I was on stage at the tonight show. That 133 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: was a gut punch I was not ready for. But 134 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: I mean, besides just really being an ass kicking engineer, 135 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: which I'm sure I say this on the podcast, but 136 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: just to let you guys know, like if you see 137 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: all this outpouring of love of Bob Power, you know 138 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:52,839 Speaker 1: what makes him unique is just from a technical standpoint. 139 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: As much as we like to turn up the music 140 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: and make it louder and all those things, if you 141 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 1: engineer too then and too loud, if you play it 142 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: on record, your record will skip. We once had issues 143 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: with Melo my man on do You Want More? The 144 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: mix was coming in too hot, and you know, we 145 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: would back in the day, we would complete a mix 146 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:22,200 Speaker 1: and then you would send that complete mix to get 147 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 1: it pressed up on like what they call lacquer or 148 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,839 Speaker 1: test press, yeah, acetate, to test it to see how 149 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: it sounds on your stereo. And then you come back 150 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:34,160 Speaker 1: with notes and say, well, you know, the snare drums 151 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: a little too low. You bring it up and then 152 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: you adjust it and the record kept skipping, and Bob realized, 153 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 1: like too much bass, like you know, bass and drums 154 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: will make a record skip on wax. Of course, now 155 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: we live in the age where everything is streams, so 156 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: you know, you get muddy mixes. But for the most part, 157 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: if you study boombat hip hop, a lot of the 158 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: beauty of it. If you listen to the Wu Tang record, 159 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 1: if you listen to the Jungle Brothers, there's like a really. 160 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 2: Dirty, do it yourself aesthetic. 161 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 1: And Bob was really the one that said, guys like, 162 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: if I clean this up, you're still gonna have the 163 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: grit if you let me clean it up. So oftentimes, 164 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: especially with the Tribe guys, he would ask them, hey, 165 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: that loop you sample is that available on CD? 166 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 2: Is there a digital version of it? Can we do 167 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:22,560 Speaker 2: it cleaner? 168 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 1: And of course you're like a man, but you know 169 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:28,080 Speaker 1: you need all the static and the dirt and the 170 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:30,960 Speaker 1: grime of this old record that's like forty years old. 171 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: And somehow, you know, as a result, the reason why 172 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: the low End Theory and Midnight Marada sounds so big, 173 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 1: big drums big. You know, it's just that Bob had 174 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 1: just a bigger vision for voices and music to be 175 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 1: like loud enough but not loud enough to destroy your 176 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:56,200 Speaker 1: wax of your DJ. But I mean, I can go 177 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: on and forever about Bob, But I thought I'd put 178 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: this little intro on top, just to really explain to 179 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:03,959 Speaker 1: you the. 180 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 2: Loss that we experienced. 181 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: I really was looking forward to working with him on 182 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 1: this new roots album. I'm glad I got him to 183 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: complete the mixes of the like seven or eight songs 184 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,200 Speaker 1: from d onet More that didn't make the original round. 185 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: If you get the box set, you can hear all 186 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: those things. 187 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:26,319 Speaker 2: And it was like he never left. So we love you, 188 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 2: Bob Power, Thank you. Quest Loam Show is a production 189 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:47,559 Speaker 2: of iHeartRadio