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Speaker 1: My mom worked at these universities and she helped African

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Speaker 1: students get acclimated to America, and her dream was to

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Speaker 1: be in Africa, and unfortunately I lost her ten years

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Speaker 1: before that. I lost her in eighty eight. So for

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Speaker 1: me to land on the continent of Africa and be

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Speaker 1: celebrated like a king, my mother would have been completely

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Speaker 1: beside herself. I mean, my god, it was um. It

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Speaker 1: was like no other experience that I think I could ever,

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Speaker 1: I can't compare it to anything else in terms of

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Speaker 1: my career. That is the R and B artist Kenny

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Speaker 1: Lattimore joining us on Naked Ladies. I don't want to

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Speaker 1: miss this, and fellas, you have better pay attention. It's

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Speaker 1: the greatest sports and entertainment chepian and champions on the

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Speaker 1: Champion and they care the Hey, everybody, welcome back to

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Speaker 1: Naked Um. You know, last week we had Gabby Union

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Speaker 1: on and it was beautiful and she just shared a

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Speaker 1: very beautiful story. And I have been thinking about it

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Speaker 1: up until this week. In fact, I had been messaging

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Speaker 1: back and forth with her about the interview and about

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Speaker 1: the movie Inspection, The Inspection which is in theaters now,

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Speaker 1: and I was thinking about her career longevity and how

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Speaker 1: she has been able to um stay in um elne

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Speaker 1: of her own and create new lanes um every year

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Speaker 1: it's something new, whether she planned it or not. She's

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Speaker 1: able to take whatever comes her way and adjust. And

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Speaker 1: today's guests and Kitty A. Lattimore, I would think does

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Speaker 1: the same. Because that business is the music business is

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Speaker 1: a very It's a tough one. I think it might

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Speaker 1: be arguably the hardest to navigate because there's not a

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Speaker 1: like a system in place and to how you get paid,

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Speaker 1: how you deal with executives, who decides to make your album,

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Speaker 1: who decides to give you money, and then you get

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Speaker 1: into these promoters who say, come and make this much

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Speaker 1: money to perform here. There's just it's a tough business

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Speaker 1: to navigate, and you really have to play chess. You

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Speaker 1: really have to know how to align yourself with the

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Speaker 1: right people or be above it all so that you

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Speaker 1: don't offend certain people. You can't make everybody happy, but

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Speaker 1: you're you get what I'm saying, And so Kenny Lattimore

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Speaker 1: has been around forever, most notably you guys probably remember

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Speaker 1: for you that's at every wedding, just about every wedding

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Speaker 1: I go to I, but you did. I can't sing so,

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Speaker 1: But the point being is that that that's reminiscent of

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Speaker 1: the song. And he is such a lovely man. I've

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Speaker 1: seen him. He doesn't know this. I've seen him out

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Speaker 1: and about around town every now and again, and he's

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Speaker 1: always very gracious and kind. And I always thought to myself,

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Speaker 1: he sings that way, very gracious and kind and soft.

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Speaker 1: And he said, everything that he sings about is just

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Speaker 1: for the love. Because this is a tough business and

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Speaker 1: it's hard to to say pure and true to what

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Speaker 1: you want to do without being pressured to make a

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Speaker 1: certain type of music. And that's might be the same

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Speaker 1: for producers and writers. I want to produce great independent dots,

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Speaker 1: but they want me to do Transformers and all the

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Speaker 1: Marvel movies, you know. So there's always this compromise you

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Speaker 1: have to make as an artist to get something done complete.

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Speaker 1: And Kenney says that his his biggest hits have come

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Speaker 1: to him without promotion, right without someone a big machine

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Speaker 1: behind him, but just because it was pure love and

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Speaker 1: it was meant to be in terms of the music

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Speaker 1: and how it sounded and what it was for him.

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Speaker 1: And he often often says he considers himself a student.

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Speaker 1: He's still listening to learn more, and I'm like, man,

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Speaker 1: he's inspiring me because I'm exhaust it. I am exhausted

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Speaker 1: by the business that makes you do certain things you

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Speaker 1: don't want to do in order to get the whole

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Speaker 1: package complete. And I'm saying that for my business too.

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Speaker 1: Sometimes I have to do interviews I don't want to

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Speaker 1: do to get the big work done. Sometimes I have

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Speaker 1: to work with people I don't want to work with.

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Speaker 1: But it's a means to an end, and obviously you

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Speaker 1: can be frustrated by it. But as we record this

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Speaker 1: on Thanksgiving Day, or excuse me, the Eve of Thanksgiving,

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Speaker 1: I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do

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Speaker 1: what I love. And Kitty Latta bar has explained in

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Speaker 1: such an eloquent way what he loves, and that is sinking.

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Speaker 1: He is grateful and thankful for that opportunity to do

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Speaker 1: what he loves. Hope you enjoy this edition of Naked

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Speaker 1: Got Chepian and Care Chepian and Chepi. Happy Thanksgiving, Thank you,

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Speaker 1: thank you. I got a lot to be thankful for

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Speaker 1: and Happy Thanksgiving to you too. I appreciate it. I

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Speaker 1: appreciate it. Um, by the time this airs, we will

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Speaker 1: will be a few days past Thanksgiving. I'm pretty sure

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Speaker 1: I'll still be eating leftovers. I'm really curious what will

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Speaker 1: you be eating in South Africa. You'll be You'll be honest,

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Speaker 1: South Africa. But what will you be eating for Thanksgiving? Oh,

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Speaker 1: you know, that's a great question. As a matter of fact,

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Speaker 1: we're not even going to do the dinner on literally

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Speaker 1: Thanksgiving Day. We're gonna do the dinner on Friday. And wow,

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Speaker 1: what is traditional shaka laka? Do you know what choko

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Speaker 1: laka is? Chocola laka is like red beans. It's almost

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Speaker 1: like pork and beans, and it's mixed with carries. And

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Speaker 1: I'm trying to figure out some of the other traditional

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Speaker 1: things that they fix. Um, hopefully I have some greens

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Speaker 1: and um, wow, they they'll probably do lots of different

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Speaker 1: meats and things like that here. But I just know

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Speaker 1: the chokolaka is one of my favorites that they have

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Speaker 1: with this traditional So for everyone listening, Um, he is

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Speaker 1: in South Africa at the moment, and I was curious

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Speaker 1: as to what the mill will be. How often do

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Speaker 1: you go to South Africa and and and for somebody

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Speaker 1: who's a fan of your music. It's really interesting to

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Speaker 1: know that obviously it's global. Is this a traditional stop

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Speaker 1: for you or how does this work? You've had fans,

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Speaker 1: I know you have everywhere, but South Africa is a

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Speaker 1: very specific location. It's a very specific location. Um since

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Speaker 1: the pandemic, I haven't been here in a while. I

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Speaker 1: guess it's been about three or four years. But the

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Speaker 1: beauty and the whole relationship development here with South Africa

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Speaker 1: is that I came here for the first time in

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Speaker 1: I did not know that my music was popular. The

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Speaker 1: Internet was not what it is like today, and I

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Speaker 1: got a call about creating a website. Sony was big

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Speaker 1: on that. Sony. I was with Columbia Records, which is

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Speaker 1: distributed by Sony, so they had me build this Kitty

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Speaker 1: Lattimore dot com site and people started to write letters

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Speaker 1: to me and they would say Kenny is my favorite artist,

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Speaker 1: along with Michael Jackson and with Houston. And I was like, uh, huh,

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Speaker 1: Michael Jackson, what you're thinking. I'll be like, Okay, I

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Speaker 1: don't know what that's about. But then I found out

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Speaker 1: that my music was extremely popular here at a time

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Speaker 1: where there was some interesting political things going on. One

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Speaker 1: uh Nelson Mandela was president, so I was asked to

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Speaker 1: come and sing for his eightieth birthday, So that in

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Speaker 1: itself was amazing. But when I got here, I found

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Speaker 1: out that men were raping women under the myth that

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Speaker 1: if you raped a virgin, you would be cured of AIDS.

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Speaker 1: So if you can imagine I've read any oh you

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Speaker 1: remember that it was so crazy. But here I am

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Speaker 1: coming into the country singing these songs like for you,

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Speaker 1: I'd give a lifetime of stability, and I'm never too

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Speaker 1: busy for you and can we find forgiveness in the

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Speaker 1: throws of my misunderstanding? These all these different types of lyrics,

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Speaker 1: so it was almost like a political move or or

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Speaker 1: a movement of love where the women of South Africa

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Speaker 1: needed to hear a man say what I was saying

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Speaker 1: at that time. So the music became extremely popular. And uh,

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Speaker 1: I love it that they are just so loyal that

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Speaker 1: I could come back and probably only sing albums album

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Speaker 1: songs from the first album and they'd be happy. But

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Speaker 1: they have followed me through the years and they've made

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Speaker 1: my career just amazing because every time I come back,

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Speaker 1: they send me, they give me so much love there was,

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Speaker 1: and I just I vaguely remember that because it was

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Speaker 1: such an urban legend that in and I thought it

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Speaker 1: was Africa, just South Africa, But in Africa there was

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Speaker 1: this legend because it probably was. Yeah, it was so

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Speaker 1: pervasive and there was and it was it was just

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Speaker 1: a part of the culture and people were looking for

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Speaker 1: curs and they had the wrong information. So you would

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Speaker 1: you you were invited to sing for Nelson Mandela, right,

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Speaker 1: that's that is a legendary moment and it was incredible

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Speaker 1: within itself. And I'll here along with some other rate

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Speaker 1: artists too. So yeah, but how was that experience. Did

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Speaker 1: you get an opportunity to meet Nelson Mandela? Oh? Absolutely, Um.

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Speaker 1: I got a chance to to really hang with the family,

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Speaker 1: and he embraced me like I was a like one

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Speaker 1: of the family. As a matter of fact, I remember

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Speaker 1: a year later him calling me and saying, oh my god,

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Speaker 1: it was a year ago that you were here. I mean,

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Speaker 1: it was unbelievable. But I tried to spend as much

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Speaker 1: time with his family and try to understand what was

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Speaker 1: happening in the culture. I told him I'll go to

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Speaker 1: every college radio station, every station you want me to

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Speaker 1: go to I. I was just overwhelmed on multiple levels.

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Speaker 1: The other level that I can say that was a

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Speaker 1: deeper level for me personally was that my mother had

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Speaker 1: a tremendous affinity for Africa. We used to have African

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Speaker 1: borders growing up that you know, people that would live

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Speaker 1: with us, that were in in college at Howard University

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Speaker 1: and at Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania, which is the

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Speaker 1: first accredited HBCU. So my mom worked at these universities

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Speaker 1: and she helped African students get acclimated to America, and

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Speaker 1: her dream was to be in Africa. And unfortunately I

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Speaker 1: lost her ten years before that. I lost her in

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Speaker 1: eighty eight. So for me to land on the continent

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Speaker 1: of Africa and be celebrated like a king, my mother

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Speaker 1: would have been completely beside herself. I mean, my god,

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Speaker 1: it was um it was like no other experience that

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Speaker 1: I think I could ever, I can't compare it to

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Speaker 1: anything else in terms of my career. What And I'm

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Speaker 1: very curious about this because only I could. Only a

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Speaker 1: few people can say they met Nelson Mandela as what

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Speaker 1: was his presence? Like, I'm very curious about that. People

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Speaker 1: are over they really are consumed with American culture, so

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Speaker 1: I could imagine him true being a fan of yours. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you know, Regal just absolutely regal Um. He was a

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Speaker 1: man of tall man statuesque and when you think of

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Speaker 1: what his journey was, you could never see it on him.

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Speaker 1: You'd never imagine that he went the imprisonment and all um.

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Speaker 1: I remember him walking out on the stage and he

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Speaker 1: was like, come, come, come, and I was like, okay.

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Speaker 1: I came out on the stage and he just took

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Speaker 1: my hand and he held it up to the crowd

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Speaker 1: and they just wept. They just started to cry, and

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Speaker 1: it was almost like, wow, this is this amazing moment

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Speaker 1: where the power of love and the power of overcoming

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Speaker 1: come together to bless these people. And it was it

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Speaker 1: was amazing. I mean, he was always gracious, where even

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Speaker 1: years later I remember Erica Badou and Common and George

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Speaker 1: Duke some other artists were traveling through South Africa years later,

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Speaker 1: and I just I would give a call and just

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Speaker 1: be like, hey, can I bring these people by and

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Speaker 1: say hey, you know, and he'd be like yeah, And

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Speaker 1: so I took them to meet him, and he was

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Speaker 1: just gracious. But again, in his presence is very regal.

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Speaker 1: Now that you're there and you're performing, and you know

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Speaker 1: that you have a fan base, a very loyal fan base.

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Speaker 1: South Africa is not with it without its faults as

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Speaker 1: every every part every part of the country. Right. Um,

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Speaker 1: You you have this regal figure that people celebrate to

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Speaker 1: this day. And what he stood for. Um, what's the connection?

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Speaker 1: Because I feel like there is one very poetically with

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Speaker 1: your music and what he stood for. Wow, Um, I

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Speaker 1: would think that when an artist is doing anything that's

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Speaker 1: authent authentic, um and considered, I guess decent. He was

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Speaker 1: just such this decent human being. And the love that

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Speaker 1: he had not only for his country and fellow man,

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Speaker 1: but for himself. Um. He had to have some kind

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Speaker 1: of love for himself to too. It was almost like

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Speaker 1: he embodied it in order to survive. I think that

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Speaker 1: my music it's like a covering if you will, it's

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Speaker 1: a it's a sound of inspiration. I think when I

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Speaker 1: when I think of his journey, I think that you

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Speaker 1: have to have a soundtrack that goes along with the fight.

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Speaker 1: And Um, everybody does to a degree, whether it's a

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Speaker 1: small little something that your mom gave you or your

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Speaker 1: grandma gave you. When you were a child, or if

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Speaker 1: it's a new song that just came out that gives

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Speaker 1: you that hope, I think that that may be the connection.

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Speaker 1: Even though and I came from gospel, other people don't

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Speaker 1: realize that. Before I did that album, I wanted to

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Speaker 1: do an album that was reflective of B, B and

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Speaker 1: C C wins. I did not know that I was

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Speaker 1: going to be this R and B somewhat like sex

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Speaker 1: symbol kind of you know, male artists that I wasn't

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Speaker 1: really into that. And when all of that happened, I

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Speaker 1: could hear my mother's voice telling me, lift up a

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Speaker 1: standard when you go inspired, you know, all things like that,

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Speaker 1: as opposed to just go make that money. That's cool too,

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Speaker 1: But you know, it was just like my background was

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Speaker 1: such with my my grandparents as well, my even my

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Speaker 1: great grandparent. My great grandfather used to sit me on

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Speaker 1: his lap and and sing to me and tell me

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Speaker 1: Dr Lattimore. He would aspire for for me to be,

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Speaker 1: you know, great in in so many as. I was

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Speaker 1: so crazy. I was watching this movie Blood Diamond, Is

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Speaker 1: that with the that with Leo Dicabrio. Yes, yeah, I

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Speaker 1: haven't seen It's been out for years, and I never yeah,

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Speaker 1: I never stopped and looked at and I said, you know,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna watch this Blood Diamond movie. But there are

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Speaker 1: seven Rold moments where he continues to affirm his son

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Speaker 1: even though his son really veers off the path. He

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Speaker 1: veers off the path because he is brainwashed by adults

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Speaker 1: to do other things. But when he finally comes back

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Speaker 1: to himself, he's like, my son is smart, he's a doctor.

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Speaker 1: He studied in an atmosphere where his son's life was.

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Speaker 1: It was it was questionable whether he's somebody even live,

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Speaker 1: and it was. It just reminded me of how my

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Speaker 1: mother and my grandfather, my great grandfather, they've spoken to

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Speaker 1: my life for many years before this ever happened. So

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Speaker 1: so that's a beautiful analogy in terms of everyone's life.

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Speaker 1: I do believe has a soundtrack and there is a

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Speaker 1: regalness obviously to you and I see the connection, and

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Speaker 1: I can see why the people there will think joy

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Speaker 1: the music. Right, there's this this spirit of love that

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Speaker 1: they want to have, especially especially when you think of

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Speaker 1: someone like Nelson Mandela and what he endured the fact

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Speaker 1: that he didn't have any hate in his heart is

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Speaker 1: beyond me, is beyond me right, like teach us the

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Speaker 1: lesson where and this is where I love? What used

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Speaker 1: to said? How you grew up? You grew up in

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Speaker 1: the church, you thought you'd do gospel. And then there's

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Speaker 1: always this turning point because I hear this often, especially

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Speaker 1: for from gospel seekers. Do I do I go into

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Speaker 1: secular music or do I stay? Do I stay in gospel?

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Speaker 1: Because there's you know, sometimes there's a shame associated with it.

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Speaker 1: Where'd you where'd you grow up? Like I gather you

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Speaker 1: grew up in the church. I'm originally from Washington, D c.

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Speaker 1: And was raised in the suburbs of Maryland in Prince

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Speaker 1: George's County. So um, being from those areas, I I

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Speaker 1: feel like my mom and I we want to search

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Speaker 1: a search for truth for years and what that was

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Speaker 1: going to mean to us. And I used to hear

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Speaker 1: little stories and make me Bible story and stuff every

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Speaker 1: once in a while. Because we weren't necessarily churchgoers, we

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Speaker 1: could attend you know, here and there. But somewhere around

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Speaker 1: age fourteen, we went to a place UH called abundant Life.

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Speaker 1: An abundant Life was not in a church building. It

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Speaker 1: was a startup church that was actually in a little

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Speaker 1: school like auditorium. So that was already weird for us,

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Speaker 1: but it was cool to make us think outside of

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Speaker 1: the box. Do you know what I have in You

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Speaker 1: ain't black if you went to a church inside of

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Speaker 1: an auditorium, or you did not in a in a

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Speaker 1: in a temporary building until we get the main church house.

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Speaker 1: Go ahead and until we get the main church house. Right,

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Speaker 1: And it was just that, But it also was the

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Speaker 1: first time I ever heard someone teach the gospel, which

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Speaker 1: was like, whoa this is? I didn't know what Jesus

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Speaker 1: did this because of what you know was he died

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Speaker 1: on the cross. We used to hear that on Jesus

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Speaker 1: died on the cross, but I never knew why or

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Speaker 1: what happened. Well, when we got this knowledge of why

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Speaker 1: Jesus Christ died in the Christ in the of again,

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Speaker 1: it changed both of our lives and eventually spread into

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Speaker 1: our family members and friends and all of a sudden, Um,

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Speaker 1: I'm one of a deeper journey of my own as

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Speaker 1: a teenager, um navigating junior high school, high school, Uh,

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Speaker 1: just navigating life? Who am I? Who? What? What should

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Speaker 1: I be doing? So everything you were saying prior is true.

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Speaker 1: I used to hear some voices that were, well, don't

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Speaker 1: do the Devil's music? Did you go get caught up?

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Speaker 1: This is what's gonna happen to you. All this projection

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Speaker 1: of negativity on me, I was like, oh, and to

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Speaker 1: the point where I actually stopped probably several times. Um

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Speaker 1: even after becoming a recording artist, because I recorded my

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Speaker 1: first album when I was a teenager at the end

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Speaker 1: of my team years, eighteen nineteen years old, and then

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Speaker 1: came out of the business for a while because I

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Speaker 1: did have a rough experience in the beginning of it,

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Speaker 1: still trying to figure out who I am, trying to

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Speaker 1: find my own voice. What was the covariants. Well, I

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Speaker 1: was in a group called Mannequin, and the Mannequin was

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Speaker 1: a great foundational, amazing experience, but it was very physically grueling.

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Speaker 1: We would do clubs and bars, uh five and six

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Speaker 1: forty five minutes sets a night for like a week.

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Speaker 1: That was hard for me. And I was also a

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Speaker 1: student at Howard University. It was it was a lot

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Speaker 1: going on. So during that time it was really tough

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Speaker 1: because my mom had passed. I'm trying to figure out

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Speaker 1: as a man, what my responsibilities are, how am I

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Speaker 1: going to stay afloat. It was all these things going on,

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Speaker 1: and uh, I came after Mannequin's album came out, which

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Speaker 1: was again it was a wonderful experience and foundational. I

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Speaker 1: stopped singing R and B for a little time period,

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Speaker 1: maybe a couple of years, and I was right and

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Speaker 1: I kept trying to figure out what is what are

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Speaker 1: my next song is gonna be? What am I gonna

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Speaker 1: what is this going to be about? But this R

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Speaker 1: and B thing kept calling me back, and uh, the

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Speaker 1: doors would always open for me an R and B.

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Speaker 1: I should say that. I mean it was almost like

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Speaker 1: I could sing something and people would be like, here's

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Speaker 1: a record deal. Unbelievable, Um, where there are people that

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Speaker 1: were searchy years to try to get a record deal.

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Speaker 1: But because that was a part of my journey and

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Speaker 1: I believe that was what God called me to. The

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Speaker 1: door was always open from me. And you know, I

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Speaker 1: didn't think I was better than anybody else, or you

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Speaker 1: know I sound so good and I looked this way

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Speaker 1: and I danced that way. It just would be like,

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Speaker 1: this is what your destiny is. So when I got

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Speaker 1: the opportunity again, I remember UM speaking to some other

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Speaker 1: people who had wisdoms some older people, and and making

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Speaker 1: the determination that I would go and I would lift

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Speaker 1: a standard. I would sing songs that I thought were

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Speaker 1: about pure love, even if they seemed corny to the

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Speaker 1: world or um or cliche or what have you. I wasn't.

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Speaker 1: I would go ahead and I would keep that the

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Speaker 1: spirit of that alive and do it, and do it

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Speaker 1: and do it. Okay, I don't think we can pay

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Speaker 1: for music, but we do have to pay these bills.

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna take a quick break and on the other side,

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Speaker 1: Kenny Lattimore will return, but you can pass forth their

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Speaker 1: commercials if you'd like. Every champion and carry champion is

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Speaker 1: to be a champion, a champion and carry chappion and

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Speaker 1: carry chappion. A champion and carry chappion and carry chappionis

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Speaker 1: and sports and entertaining can naked work. Every champion and

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Speaker 1: carry champion is to be a champion, a champion. They

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Speaker 1: carry champion, the champion, they carry champion and carry champion

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Speaker 1: spotson and the scheming and make it work. Welcome back

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Speaker 1: to Naked. Kenny Lattimore continues, I have one other question.

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Speaker 1: I wonder when you are called to do some thing

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Speaker 1: and you've been doing this for you know, since you

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Speaker 1: were a teenager. How do you keep your love in

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Speaker 1: your flame for the business, because you've had a career

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Speaker 1: in terms of longevity, and some people in this business,

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Speaker 1: especially in music, can't do that. Yeah. Yeah, Um. For me,

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Speaker 1: it's been about forever remaining a student and never getting

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Speaker 1: to the point where you feel like you just arrived.

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Speaker 1: You know, I don't. I don't go into sessions with

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Speaker 1: producers like, well, look, I'm getting ready to give you

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Speaker 1: the Kenny Latimore sound, and you can take it or

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Speaker 1: leave it. But this is what I go in understanding that,

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Speaker 1: sure I have achieved some things. I do have my

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Speaker 1: own sound and my own voice, and I have an

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Speaker 1: understanding of the business as well as my craft. But

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Speaker 1: I can always learn something. So what's happened to me

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Speaker 1: over the years is I got a chance to work

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Speaker 1: with this young producer and Madison has been mad as

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Speaker 1: we call him Madison. His name is Chricar West lead Uh.

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Speaker 1: He challenges me to step up to the plate and

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Speaker 1: outside of the box of who people might think Kenny

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00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:10,800
Speaker 1: Lattimore is to say, this is what the new adult

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Speaker 1: wants to hear. Can you perform at this level. You know,

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Speaker 1: you've got classical training, you've got all this experience in

399
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Speaker 1: the studio and all this history, but do you think

400
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Speaker 1: you can still take the direction and do something new.

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Speaker 1: It keeps me, It keeps it always fresh when I

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Speaker 1: go on to record with him, And that's why we

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Speaker 1: have a song like take a Dose that's the top

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Speaker 1: ten now and we're super exciting. Thank you, thank you,

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00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,960
Speaker 1: and and pressure and you know this whole Here to

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Speaker 1: Stay album. Um. I've always been a mentor, but it's

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Speaker 1: the mentee that chooses the mentor, because you can choose

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Speaker 1: that you want to speak into somebody's life and they

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Speaker 1: can be like and I don't care what you have

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00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:56,719
Speaker 1: to say, you know. So the fact that he listens

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Speaker 1: to me and I teach him things about the business,

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Speaker 1: and he comes to me with these amazing ideas. But

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Speaker 1: he what I do love. He he understands my legacy

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Speaker 1: as well as what the future may hold for me.

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Speaker 1: So that if somebody says a lyric or something that

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Speaker 1: he's it's unbelievable, it's not authentic. He can tell right

417
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Speaker 1: away because I don't know, Kenny Lattimore is not gonna

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Speaker 1: say that. You know that doesn't this doesn't feel real.

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Speaker 1: What do you feel keep being authentic? What do you

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Speaker 1: feel like your legacy is. I love when I know

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Speaker 1: that people know they have a legacy. And sometimes people

422
00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:32,920
Speaker 1: don't realize it. Why are they're in the midst of it?

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Speaker 1: But you have enough perspective to know that you do.

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Speaker 1: What do you feeling? I say it to myself all

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Speaker 1: the time, and I say it in my show. It's

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Speaker 1: just sing to the hearts of women and the minds

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Speaker 1: of men to encourage them in love. And I say

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Speaker 1: that because I've been in the industry long enough to

429
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Speaker 1: not feel like the material success was enough. See after

430
00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:03,600
Speaker 1: you of major money and you have your acclamates, you're claimed,

431
00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:07,320
Speaker 1: what awards and all that stuff. Um. I got to

432
00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:09,240
Speaker 1: a point in my career where I said, Okay, there's

433
00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,200
Speaker 1: got to be more purpose to this than me just

434
00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,159
Speaker 1: get in another car or what have you. And I

435
00:25:16,359 --> 00:25:20,480
Speaker 1: really started praying because I said, God, I I want

436
00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:22,520
Speaker 1: to be able to express this on a whole different level.

437
00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:24,840
Speaker 1: I needed it for me, and what I got back

438
00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:26,720
Speaker 1: was yes to the hearts of women in the minds

439
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,680
Speaker 1: of men to encourage them and love. Okay, so I

440
00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:31,800
Speaker 1: need you to say that all the time. I'm gonna.

441
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:33,480
Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to replace in place where I go

442
00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:37,480
Speaker 1: on a date. I'm like, do you feel love? How okay?

443
00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:41,480
Speaker 1: How often? How often do you sing I'm gonna? I

444
00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:44,119
Speaker 1: would assume a lot, but you know, without getting too

445
00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:46,000
Speaker 1: deep in your business, how often do you sing about

446
00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:49,840
Speaker 1: your your personal life, your struggles, your your wins, your losses?

447
00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:55,360
Speaker 1: You know what? I I sing more about my hopes, um,

448
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:59,040
Speaker 1: and I don't sing about in my first couple about

449
00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,040
Speaker 1: In the From the Soul of Man, which wasn't more

450
00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,359
Speaker 1: lyric album, I wrote more about losses and what I

451
00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:11,119
Speaker 1: was feeling about, confusion, UM about you know, losing in

452
00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:14,639
Speaker 1: relationships and trying to remain hopeful all of that. Um.

453
00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:19,159
Speaker 1: But as I kept going, I don't dive into that

454
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,840
Speaker 1: as much. I don't think that's a part of what

455
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:25,399
Speaker 1: I focus on. Because when you get a hit record,

456
00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:30,320
Speaker 1: Lord knows, and you can't stop singing that thing because

457
00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:33,520
Speaker 1: the world demands it. I do not want to be

458
00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:38,119
Speaker 1: singing about the old relationship that took me through and

459
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:43,159
Speaker 1: I have to relive that moment on stage everything. I

460
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:45,560
Speaker 1: want to sing about stuff that makes me happy, that

461
00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:49,400
Speaker 1: inspires other people, but I am. I'm a realist though.

462
00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:53,520
Speaker 1: I if I were, if we were having a conversation

463
00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:58,640
Speaker 1: and and you needed to know, this is the pain,

464
00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:01,720
Speaker 1: this is what I mean. We can always talk about it,

465
00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,639
Speaker 1: and we can reflect on that, but I try not

466
00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:06,800
Speaker 1: to make that the main focus because in my music,

467
00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,680
Speaker 1: I do feel like the audience can pick a song

468
00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:11,480
Speaker 1: that's a heartbreak song and I gotta sing that for

469
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:13,440
Speaker 1: the rest of my life. Yeah, no, thank you. I

470
00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:15,960
Speaker 1: just didn't want to do it. Yeah, I respect it.

471
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:20,320
Speaker 1: I know it doesn't make me as deep. No, I look,

472
00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:22,639
Speaker 1: I respected. I don't like anybody in my business, let

473
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,160
Speaker 1: alone singing about it, like I don't know to talk

474
00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:31,639
Speaker 1: about I don't know. I wonder who are your influencers

475
00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:35,040
Speaker 1: in terms of who do you listen to growing up?

476
00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,120
Speaker 1: And now you're like, I'm motivated. I want to get

477
00:27:37,119 --> 00:27:38,920
Speaker 1: back in the studio. I like what he or she

478
00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:44,800
Speaker 1: is doing. You know, growing up, it was Wow was

479
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:48,160
Speaker 1: my mother's influence of music. It was it was Shaka

480
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:53,600
Speaker 1: con Marvin Gay, Stevie Wonder was my favorite, absolute favorite,

481
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:59,080
Speaker 1: um Aretha and then it got to you know, Luther

482
00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:03,080
Speaker 1: and Anita Baker are just like that. Today it's um

483
00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:07,040
Speaker 1: it's lucky day, It's it's Jasmine Sullivan. Um. And I

484
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,359
Speaker 1: laughed at like the statement that I just made. And

485
00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:14,800
Speaker 1: then I gonna listen to hotels and I'm like, there

486
00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:20,480
Speaker 1: when I must have played that on Repete because it

487
00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:23,359
Speaker 1: was I mean, I I was so late on her.

488
00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:26,560
Speaker 1: Hotels was my catchup. I was, I don't know, everyone

489
00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:28,879
Speaker 1: was listening, and I was like, how come no one

490
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:30,440
Speaker 1: told me that? Like we told you. I was like,

491
00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:33,280
Speaker 1: no one told me. It's just it's just a beautiful

492
00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:37,159
Speaker 1: it's funny. Um. I love the empowerment of it, like

493
00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:41,000
Speaker 1: and and and she's just real and honest and I

494
00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,960
Speaker 1: and I guess that people people are inspired differently, right

495
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,760
Speaker 1: and and everything everyone. I don't necessarily know if Nelson

496
00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:50,600
Speaker 1: Mandela would be like, come and sing hotels, you know

497
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:55,160
Speaker 1: what I mean? So everything requires different people. And it's

498
00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:57,760
Speaker 1: so funny because when I first heard it, I was like,

499
00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:01,760
Speaker 1: oh my good Hotel's face first came out. I was like, Wow,

500
00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:05,360
Speaker 1: this is so heavy. I was going to interview with

501
00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,160
Speaker 1: somebody and I said, I hope that people understand the

502
00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:11,160
Speaker 1: brilliance of Jasmine Sullivan, and I hope that it doesn't

503
00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:15,000
Speaker 1: prevent her from being as broad as possible too, so

504
00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:17,960
Speaker 1: that everybody hears her music. And it was almost like no.

505
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:20,960
Speaker 1: Sooner than I said it, she was on Super Bowl

506
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:22,720
Speaker 1: and she was doing all the stuff, and I was like,

507
00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,360
Speaker 1: good for her because she was able to break through,

508
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,880
Speaker 1: authentically breakthrough. It wasn't what Kenny Lattimore would do, but

509
00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:32,760
Speaker 1: I'm so happy for her. So that I listened to

510
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:36,640
Speaker 1: artists like that who I think have extraordinary voices, extraordinary stories.

511
00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:44,480
Speaker 1: Um they're writing and phrasing is interesting and their voices

512
00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:49,400
Speaker 1: though I love sound and and the nuances of great

513
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:53,200
Speaker 1: singers um Ari Lennox, you know, borrowing a little bit

514
00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,600
Speaker 1: from from Erica Badou and then having her own thing

515
00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,000
Speaker 1: and kind of mixing it all together and and coming

516
00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,920
Speaker 1: up with a unique down h. P. J. Morton bringing

517
00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:07,840
Speaker 1: the soulfulness of the church than the rawness to to

518
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:09,959
Speaker 1: the things that we listen to and to inspire us.

519
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,640
Speaker 1: So it's it's artists like that that that makes me say, yeah,

520
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,560
Speaker 1: R and B is not going anywhere. Ever, Although although

521
00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:23,400
Speaker 1: there was this debate um about R and B and

522
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,640
Speaker 1: if it is still the same, remember that was going

523
00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:31,360
Speaker 1: around on social for a while. I don't know if yeah,

524
00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:35,000
Speaker 1: but there's like a debate of like do we have

525
00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:40,440
Speaker 1: our R and B singers anymore? And I think it's

526
00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:44,200
Speaker 1: just it's the music is evolving differently, but it's still

527
00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:47,960
Speaker 1: there if that makes sense, and I'm not you tell

528
00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:52,040
Speaker 1: me your thoughts on that. Yeah, absolutely, I agree with it. Um,

529
00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:55,000
Speaker 1: it's still be there's still great music being out there now.

530
00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:59,440
Speaker 1: Whether the business is the same, no, RB business is not.

531
00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:04,160
Speaker 1: We in R and B music were promoted and worthy

532
00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:08,120
Speaker 1: and still are the most influential music in the world.

533
00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:15,080
Speaker 1: Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, Madonna, you know they were

534
00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:19,080
Speaker 1: actually R and B. Whether we print oh my God

535
00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,600
Speaker 1: prints with R and B so, whether whether we want

536
00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,200
Speaker 1: to acknowledge it or not, I think that there are

537
00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:28,560
Speaker 1: different power plays through the years, uh that take place

538
00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:32,800
Speaker 1: within the music industry. And hip hop is extremely influential.

539
00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:34,880
Speaker 1: We know how powerful hip hop is. We don't have

540
00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:38,360
Speaker 1: to even explain it and talk about it. But when

541
00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,920
Speaker 1: it comes to making money, I think that the major

542
00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:43,400
Speaker 1: labels decided that they wanted to make their money on

543
00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:46,959
Speaker 1: hip hop. It was easier, faster, less expensive, whatever they

544
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,400
Speaker 1: want to call it, and R and B music is

545
00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:54,280
Speaker 1: a little pricier it takes a different type of effort

546
00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:57,160
Speaker 1: to make R and B. But hip hop was was

547
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:01,400
Speaker 1: birthed out of struggle and it birth and situations where

548
00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:04,959
Speaker 1: you were using samples of other things and placing them

549
00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:08,160
Speaker 1: together and making something new. R and B was that

550
00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:12,080
Speaker 1: music they were sampling. So I think that we we

551
00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:14,760
Speaker 1: have to continue to make R and B so that

552
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:20,360
Speaker 1: the other art forms stay alive. You you talk about

553
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:23,000
Speaker 1: a R and B, and it's harder today to make

554
00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:25,600
Speaker 1: than it was back in the day. Now, when I

555
00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:28,200
Speaker 1: want to watch films, or when I look at like

556
00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:31,320
Speaker 1: old movies, or you know, do you think about the

557
00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:34,680
Speaker 1: grades like Aretha Franklin or you know Ben Ross in

558
00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:38,280
Speaker 1: the Supremes, Motown, All of those things live instruments UM,

559
00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:44,360
Speaker 1: really soulful UM, very very regional in some cases, and

560
00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:50,520
Speaker 1: introducing it to the world. Absolutely, do what artists today

561
00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,520
Speaker 1: outside of yourself that you are actually seeing that with

562
00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 1: Because I do. I hear this debate often. R and

563
00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:59,960
Speaker 1: B is dead. It doesn't exist anymore. No one wants

564
00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,959
Speaker 1: to invest in it. I heard all the time from artists,

565
00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:08,160
Speaker 1: and then I said, who do you think the king

566
00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:10,120
Speaker 1: of R and B is? And then I get all

567
00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:13,800
Speaker 1: I get you know what. I yeah, and it's all

568
00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:16,800
Speaker 1: over the place. So your thoughts on who do you

569
00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:21,040
Speaker 1: see that with outside of yourself? Um, yeah, I don't

570
00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:24,160
Speaker 1: know that there's a king of R and B. No,

571
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,920
Speaker 1: I mean like investing in R and B music, investing

572
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:29,800
Speaker 1: in R and B. You see. I think that they

573
00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:34,040
Speaker 1: still see it without We still see it with Lucky Day.

574
00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:37,760
Speaker 1: We still see it with John Batiste, who want all

575
00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:40,080
Speaker 1: the oscars and the Grammas. These are people who are

576
00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:43,400
Speaker 1: playing instruments, who are singing, and you know, we went

577
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:50,320
Speaker 1: we survived an era where instruments were taken out of

578
00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:56,520
Speaker 1: school during the I think maybe and during the Clinton generation.

579
00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:59,600
Speaker 1: Um and his right that the instruments were taken out

580
00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:03,440
Speaker 1: of school. When that happens, the kids that don't have

581
00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:06,960
Speaker 1: those kind of resources, that was it. You know, they

582
00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:09,000
Speaker 1: come to school and it might be the only time

583
00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:11,320
Speaker 1: they'd ever touch a piano, or it used to be

584
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:13,879
Speaker 1: those little recorder like reads where we could play little

585
00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:18,000
Speaker 1: little songs. Those were the types of experiences that influenced

586
00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:21,560
Speaker 1: us to pursue music and to go to band, and

587
00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:24,640
Speaker 1: all of those things had had been taken away. Kenny,

588
00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:26,960
Speaker 1: I'm having a full moment with you because you are correct.

589
00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:31,760
Speaker 1: I remember being in school, in elementary school playing drums.

590
00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:34,880
Speaker 1: No kids are kids, we're doing that anymore like they

591
00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:39,680
Speaker 1: There's just an extracurricular activity that people can't necessarily afford,

592
00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:42,080
Speaker 1: depending on where you go to school. So if you're

593
00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:44,040
Speaker 1: one of these very yeah you get you get all,

594
00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:46,960
Speaker 1: oh my god, this is so okay. So that's beautiful.

595
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,880
Speaker 1: And that's where it started because people a lot of

596
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,279
Speaker 1: times act like everything just disappeared. It didn't. It was

597
00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:56,840
Speaker 1: like this. It's been about money and other agendas that

598
00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:01,560
Speaker 1: has made the whole idea of doing music I'll suffer.

599
00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:04,960
Speaker 1: So then you have the business of music after that,

600
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,160
Speaker 1: people getting into it for the wrong reasons. Any business, actually,

601
00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:11,920
Speaker 1: I should say that makes as much money as music

602
00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:17,000
Speaker 1: as quickly is going to attract crooks and be used,

603
00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,520
Speaker 1: you know. And that's with any business, whether it's uh,

604
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:24,200
Speaker 1: real estate. At one time, the dot coms, uh so

605
00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:27,920
Speaker 1: many of those businesses, in my opinion, had these huge

606
00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,720
Speaker 1: spikes and moments where everybody thought they could do Whenever

607
00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:32,400
Speaker 1: you have a business where everybody thinks they can do

608
00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:35,520
Speaker 1: it and it's easy, it's gonna crash. And we saw

609
00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:38,399
Speaker 1: that happened quite a bit. He saw it quite quite

610
00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:40,320
Speaker 1: a bit. Now with us, I'm going to be probably

611
00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:43,399
Speaker 1: a little more controversial in saying this, but we had

612
00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,520
Speaker 1: these wonderful talent shows that came on that did produce

613
00:35:47,239 --> 00:35:52,600
Speaker 1: some amazing artists. But you had moments in those talent

614
00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:57,360
Speaker 1: shows where people were being celebrated for doing bad music.

615
00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:01,120
Speaker 1: We're not being able to sing. When when things like

616
00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:03,920
Speaker 1: that happen, it's a joke. The whole industry becomes a joke,

617
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:07,640
Speaker 1: and all that it's going down, the quality of us

618
00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:11,120
Speaker 1: gone down. Yep, when's the last time you've been to

619
00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:16,040
Speaker 1: a talent show? Like you're you're going way, I'm like anymore,

620
00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:18,480
Speaker 1: Like I I got it. Check in with my producers

621
00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:22,200
Speaker 1: because I'm like you, like, I don't remember the last

622
00:36:22,239 --> 00:36:25,160
Speaker 1: time that we as a cultural community said let's go

623
00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:27,319
Speaker 1: listen to some new talent. I'm sure it's there. I'm

624
00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:29,600
Speaker 1: sure open mic is the open mic is now the

625
00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:32,239
Speaker 1: word for talent show. But you're right, there was a

626
00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:36,040
Speaker 1: time gonna come into America given a second cha but

627
00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:40,759
Speaker 1: used to come together and you're like, yeah, that's a

628
00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,040
Speaker 1: talent that you know what I mean, that's a talent

629
00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,640
Speaker 1: and it's and it's so brilliant having those shows still

630
00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:49,759
Speaker 1: because we find out that they're still talent out there,

631
00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:52,279
Speaker 1: but it maybe a few and far between. We may

632
00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:57,360
Speaker 1: not see the excellence that has been groomed like what

633
00:36:57,480 --> 00:36:59,920
Speaker 1: our parents. You know, when I came up, our parents

634
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:02,719
Speaker 1: would tell, oh, no, you're gonna wear this outfit. This

635
00:37:02,719 --> 00:37:04,200
Speaker 1: is how you speak and this is how you represent,

636
00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:06,960
Speaker 1: so that if nobody was teaching us, somebody in our

637
00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:09,600
Speaker 1: community knew how we were supposed to represent ourselves as

638
00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:13,160
Speaker 1: a professional. Now, I think kids want the opportunity of

639
00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:16,479
Speaker 1: My son and is in college and he started talking

640
00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:18,640
Speaker 1: about being in some talent shows recently and I was like, oh,

641
00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:20,880
Speaker 1: this is great. I also had a ment uh, a

642
00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:24,040
Speaker 1: mentee who was doing the first Friday's event in California,

643
00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:28,640
Speaker 1: and some of the best people have come out because man,

644
00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:31,080
Speaker 1: when I look at people who sing for Beyonce, who

645
00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:33,520
Speaker 1: song for me, who sings you know, they come out

646
00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:36,040
Speaker 1: and just used the open mic because they didn't always

647
00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:40,320
Speaker 1: have a platform to perfect those gifts. Every champion and

648
00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:43,960
Speaker 1: carry champions, to be a champion, a champion and carry champion,

649
00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:47,200
Speaker 1: and carry champion a champion and carry champion and carry

650
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:49,919
Speaker 1: champion Rais and sports and then the team making naked

651
00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:58,360
Speaker 1: every champion and carry champions to be a champion, a

652
00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:09,240
Speaker 1: champion and carry champion. Then you mentioned that that Beyonce

653
00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:12,759
Speaker 1: and what your parents used to Beyonce tells Sartina was like,

654
00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:15,040
Speaker 1: we're gonna be dressed like this, We're gonna do this,

655
00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,439
Speaker 1: We're gonna show up like this. You're gonna be on soult.

656
00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:20,960
Speaker 1: Was it with Star Search? Yeah, like we're like that.

657
00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:23,520
Speaker 1: You're absolutely right, that was and that was arguably the

658
00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:27,759
Speaker 1: largest talent search ever right with the Star Search. But

659
00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:30,600
Speaker 1: I I want to go back to this question that

660
00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:34,200
Speaker 1: I posed to you because this is just something I

661
00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:36,279
Speaker 1: debate all the time, and I don't know if I'm

662
00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,120
Speaker 1: wrong in this. But there was a conversation circling on

663
00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:44,320
Speaker 1: the socials the King of r NB UM and it

664
00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:50,080
Speaker 1: was they had they had ussure, they had um R

665
00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:52,399
Speaker 1: Kelly controversial, but they said you can use it because

666
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:57,600
Speaker 1: what R Kelly has been through UM and and I mean,

667
00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,040
Speaker 1: and this is my opinion, he should he should I

668
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:01,960
Speaker 1: have been in this category. I'll say it. I don't care.

669
00:39:02,239 --> 00:39:04,360
Speaker 1: And it was Chris Brown and I was just like, no, not,

670
00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:07,280
Speaker 1: I don't think so that was just these are my takes.

671
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:10,840
Speaker 1: And I felt like it is that R and B.

672
00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:14,080
Speaker 1: Is that pure R and B to you? Those three artists?

673
00:39:14,239 --> 00:39:16,480
Speaker 1: Is that R and B to you? There's something to

674
00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:21,000
Speaker 1: me a little more about with that. You know. It's

675
00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:26,759
Speaker 1: interesting because um, I have had I've spent moments, not

676
00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:31,440
Speaker 1: long periods of time, but just moments with uh, those two.

677
00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:35,040
Speaker 1: Because I'm talking about Usher and Chris Brown. Now where

678
00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:39,279
Speaker 1: I've met Chris once, just fair respectful and anytime they

679
00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:43,320
Speaker 1: see me and they're like, oh, respect to you, I'm like, Okay,

680
00:39:43,440 --> 00:39:48,440
Speaker 1: you're studied, you know more than what people think that

681
00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:53,080
Speaker 1: you know. For Ussher, I had the pleasure of working

682
00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:54,480
Speaker 1: with him I'm gonna say all the way back in

683
00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:59,080
Speaker 1: nine seven. Now we've been associates for years, but in

684
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:04,480
Speaker 1: remember doing the Moitia Show and I was backstage and

685
00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:11,319
Speaker 1: somebody was singing his face off a Casey and Joe

686
00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:14,120
Speaker 1: Joe song or Drew Hill song, something something, something really

687
00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:18,800
Speaker 1: different than what I thought his voice was gonna be like.

688
00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:21,360
Speaker 1: And it was Usher, and I said, oh my gosh,

689
00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:25,000
Speaker 1: people don't understand how great his voice really is because

690
00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:27,920
Speaker 1: he doesn't get a chance to show all of the

691
00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:32,440
Speaker 1: different sides in the music. But what he was able

692
00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:38,239
Speaker 1: to do was master uh commercial music, recording and performance.

693
00:40:38,719 --> 00:40:40,879
Speaker 1: That's so a lot of people. I try to say

694
00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:43,440
Speaker 1: it like that. So as opposed to him being considered

695
00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:46,799
Speaker 1: a king of r and b um, he is a king,

696
00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:51,360
Speaker 1: a a an amazing recording artist, and he's actually an

697
00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,400
Speaker 1: amazing live performer. I know people are seeing him in Vegas,

698
00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:59,239
Speaker 1: but he's even better than that. Better than that. I

699
00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:01,240
Speaker 1: haven't I have and I haven't seen him in Vegas.

700
00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:03,960
Speaker 1: I do believe that tiny desk performance that went viral

701
00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:09,759
Speaker 1: remindable people of his his his ability lyrics. And you're

702
00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:12,239
Speaker 1: just like, okay, I forgot about that. But to me,

703
00:41:13,719 --> 00:41:20,840
Speaker 1: there is there is an art too producing music for

704
00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:26,040
Speaker 1: the masses, and he and he and he mastered that.

705
00:41:26,239 --> 00:41:29,200
Speaker 1: I guess, yeah, I guess I. You know, it's so

706
00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:32,000
Speaker 1: he support. Okay, for people who really want to be

707
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:34,759
Speaker 1: a part of the industry, let me say that hit

708
00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:40,040
Speaker 1: records are are made, they're not, you know, even with

709
00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:42,520
Speaker 1: me right now, thank god, I've had some hit records.

710
00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:47,000
Speaker 1: But for you did not have to be played to

711
00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:50,480
Speaker 1: the masses, and it actually wasn't you got a Grammy

712
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:53,680
Speaker 1: nomination everything for for You, For You was not even

713
00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:58,120
Speaker 1: an R and B song because the black man was

714
00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:03,759
Speaker 1: singing it. We mean when he came to you the

715
00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:07,399
Speaker 1: the If you listen to for You the recording right now,

716
00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:11,160
Speaker 1: there's nothing R and B about that song except that

717
00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:14,040
Speaker 1: a black man is singing it. If you listen to

718
00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:17,520
Speaker 1: the melodies, any of that across the board, it's just

719
00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:21,200
Speaker 1: anybody could have sung that song. Anybody could have sung it.

720
00:42:21,680 --> 00:42:24,759
Speaker 1: I gave it me and my personality, but it just

721
00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:27,520
Speaker 1: is an amazing song with an amazing melody. It was

722
00:42:27,520 --> 00:42:31,040
Speaker 1: supposed to be my big pop song that crossed me over.

723
00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:36,320
Speaker 1: But ladies and gentlemen who want to do music, you

724
00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:40,080
Speaker 1: guys that are in doing music, if it is not

725
00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:43,560
Speaker 1: promoted to pop radio, it will not be a pop hit.

726
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:47,800
Speaker 1: It won't be because the song is not brilliant for

727
00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:50,239
Speaker 1: you as one of the most brilliant songs written. I

728
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:53,479
Speaker 1: didn't write it. A friend of mine, Kenny Leam, wrote

729
00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:56,200
Speaker 1: the song, so it's authentically. He wrote it for his wife,

730
00:42:56,760 --> 00:42:59,320
Speaker 1: Helen who Ellen, who he is married to now. But

731
00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:05,239
Speaker 1: it was not promoted outside of R and B. But

732
00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:07,600
Speaker 1: when you think of the lyrics and you think about

733
00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:10,440
Speaker 1: what the music industry was at that time. We were

734
00:43:10,640 --> 00:43:14,279
Speaker 1: totally in thug mode. We were straight and thug mode,

735
00:43:14,360 --> 00:43:16,440
Speaker 1: braid my hair mode, and all of a sudden, this

736
00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:18,640
Speaker 1: black man is talking about something for you, I give

737
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:24,120
Speaker 1: a lifetime of stability, and yeah, oh my god. They're

738
00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:29,640
Speaker 1: just beautiful. Everybody absolutely beautiful, and that everybody across the

739
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:33,480
Speaker 1: board I think appreciates it when they finally hear it.

740
00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:35,960
Speaker 1: But there's so many people who have never heard. For you,

741
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:39,000
Speaker 1: then let me tell you the beauty in it. And

742
00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:42,280
Speaker 1: what I'm grateful for is that I was never overexposed

743
00:43:42,320 --> 00:43:45,960
Speaker 1: as an artist. And that's what also keeps my career

744
00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:48,719
Speaker 1: alive because when I show up and I sing this song,

745
00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:51,439
Speaker 1: some people are like, oh my gosh, is this new.

746
00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:56,160
Speaker 1: That's so true. I did a wedding for five year

747
00:43:56,200 --> 00:43:59,760
Speaker 1: old and she asked me to sing something totally different

748
00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:02,440
Speaker 1: because I have a probably about five or six songs

749
00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:05,560
Speaker 1: that will be appropriate for weddings, and she asked me

750
00:44:05,640 --> 00:44:08,399
Speaker 1: to sing something else. And she had a little lull

751
00:44:08,680 --> 00:44:12,200
Speaker 1: in her program and she needed a song, and I said,

752
00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:13,759
Speaker 1: I can sing for you. I thought she just didn't

753
00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,160
Speaker 1: want me to sing it because everybody else was using it.

754
00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:20,279
Speaker 1: But I sang the song and she did not know

755
00:44:20,440 --> 00:44:23,800
Speaker 1: it and was blown away like, oh my gosh. She

756
00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:26,600
Speaker 1: was like, oh, so, it's it's interesting how music continues

757
00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:29,200
Speaker 1: to evolved. But anybody I digress. No, but I love

758
00:44:29,239 --> 00:44:33,319
Speaker 1: that story because here's here's what I'm sorry, because one,

759
00:44:33,520 --> 00:44:35,520
Speaker 1: you're blowing my mind with the fact that it isn't

760
00:44:35,520 --> 00:44:36,960
Speaker 1: an R and B song. The only thing that was

761
00:44:37,120 --> 00:44:38,600
Speaker 1: R and B about it was that a black man

762
00:44:38,719 --> 00:44:40,680
Speaker 1: sing it. And it could have been anybody's song. It

763
00:44:40,719 --> 00:44:44,200
Speaker 1: could have been it could have been another Kinny right Loggins,

764
00:44:44,360 --> 00:44:46,880
Speaker 1: I mean Kenny Loggins, and he could have had a

765
00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:49,879
Speaker 1: number one smash around the entire world and they would

766
00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:53,360
Speaker 1: have promoted it where they did not promote me singing

767
00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:56,200
Speaker 1: that song, and it just didn't be. It was so

768
00:44:56,320 --> 00:44:58,160
Speaker 1: special because it was your it was it was this

769
00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:00,879
Speaker 1: is when, and this is when music wasn't running through

770
00:45:00,920 --> 00:45:04,360
Speaker 1: a corporation to be on radio, which I'm grateful for

771
00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:06,960
Speaker 1: the corporations that play my music, but at that time,

772
00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:10,640
Speaker 1: radio stations could pick whatever they wanted to play. So

773
00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:15,440
Speaker 1: people literally liked that song. And as a result of

774
00:45:15,560 --> 00:45:18,960
Speaker 1: people genuinely liking that song, it became a hit record

775
00:45:19,520 --> 00:45:23,080
Speaker 1: and then the promotions too, But there's there was a

776
00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:26,680
Speaker 1: combination of that. So you're saying, like, and what I'm hearing,

777
00:45:26,800 --> 00:45:28,520
Speaker 1: or at least what I'm what I'm taking away from

778
00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:30,600
Speaker 1: this is when when someone such as yourself has such

779
00:45:30,640 --> 00:45:32,759
Speaker 1: longevity and still is able to have hits, it is

780
00:45:33,360 --> 00:45:36,719
Speaker 1: it is more of a but it's it's it's not

781
00:45:36,920 --> 00:45:41,120
Speaker 1: necess yeah, like you're just doing it. You're it's just

782
00:45:41,280 --> 00:45:43,600
Speaker 1: me here I am and not just you. But you're like,

783
00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:46,719
Speaker 1: this is my voice, I'm singing this song. If if

784
00:45:46,800 --> 00:45:49,920
Speaker 1: in fact it does well, it does well because it's

785
00:45:49,960 --> 00:45:51,759
Speaker 1: the voice, it's the music, it's the time, it's who

786
00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:54,879
Speaker 1: you are. It's not someone forcing it on someone else

787
00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:59,720
Speaker 1: or some entity. Um. And it's a combination of those things. Actually,

788
00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:04,800
Speaker 1: because there have been some great singers and situations that

789
00:46:04,920 --> 00:46:06,840
Speaker 1: have come about that we thought we're going to be

790
00:46:06,920 --> 00:46:10,440
Speaker 1: smash hits, that we're not promoted, and as a result

791
00:46:10,480 --> 00:46:13,200
Speaker 1: we're like, wow, whatever happened to such thing? Reason loved?

792
00:46:14,320 --> 00:46:17,200
Speaker 1: You know, So again I look back and I go,

793
00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:22,080
Speaker 1: promotion comes from the from the Lord, the whatever your destiny,

794
00:46:22,560 --> 00:46:26,040
Speaker 1: you know, because it's so unexplainable when you think about

795
00:46:26,080 --> 00:46:30,240
Speaker 1: why something connects. Because I would say it's all promotion,

796
00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:32,759
Speaker 1: here's all the eye, but I can't. It really is

797
00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:35,160
Speaker 1: a combination of it all because again, even for you,

798
00:46:35,719 --> 00:46:37,880
Speaker 1: for the success it had, there's still some promotion that

799
00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:40,319
Speaker 1: went along with it. But it's the combination of all

800
00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:43,879
Speaker 1: of these things coming together at the perfect most unifying time.

801
00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:47,560
Speaker 1: And you can't you can't always buy that. Listen and yeah,

802
00:46:47,600 --> 00:46:50,279
Speaker 1: your business is far tougher than mine, is there? I

803
00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:52,480
Speaker 1: hear all the time. Is there a more difficult business

804
00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:54,520
Speaker 1: than music? I even think it might be more difficult

805
00:46:54,560 --> 00:46:58,080
Speaker 1: than acting. I think it's I think acting is probably

806
00:46:58,560 --> 00:47:00,800
Speaker 1: a couple of things as well, in in terms to

807
00:47:00,880 --> 00:47:03,640
Speaker 1: get in and survive and be great and success whatever

808
00:47:03,719 --> 00:47:07,919
Speaker 1: your measure of successes. It's tough, it's really really. I guess.

809
00:47:07,960 --> 00:47:09,800
Speaker 1: One of the blessings though, is if you do have

810
00:47:09,960 --> 00:47:14,279
Speaker 1: the gift of music, there are places where you can

811
00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:16,640
Speaker 1: showcase it and you can act. You know, I can

812
00:47:16,680 --> 00:47:19,600
Speaker 1: go to a club if I wasn't famous or what

813
00:47:19,719 --> 00:47:21,839
Speaker 1: have you, and people didn't I can still sing at

814
00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:25,759
Speaker 1: church every Sunday if I wanted to, or Saturday or

815
00:47:25,880 --> 00:47:29,520
Speaker 1: whenever the doors are open, and there is a there's

816
00:47:29,520 --> 00:47:33,239
Speaker 1: something that is fulfilled with that and I still can

817
00:47:33,320 --> 00:47:35,719
Speaker 1: get back that love from people in the connection of

818
00:47:35,960 --> 00:47:40,759
Speaker 1: music uh inspiring people. As an actor, I think it's

819
00:47:40,800 --> 00:47:45,040
Speaker 1: tough too, but you have to be chosen. Oh my gosh,

820
00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:48,839
Speaker 1: I feel like because you have to be chosen. Yeah.

821
00:47:48,880 --> 00:47:51,080
Speaker 1: But also if you're right, you're right. If you love

822
00:47:51,120 --> 00:47:52,480
Speaker 1: what you do and you just want to sing, you

823
00:47:52,600 --> 00:47:54,840
Speaker 1: sing it anywhere wherever you can. You're doing it, and

824
00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:56,720
Speaker 1: you're and you're and and if it if it's whatever,

825
00:47:57,040 --> 00:48:00,360
Speaker 1: you're right. There's there's far more nose than yeses in

826
00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:03,800
Speaker 1: the business an actress or an actor. I wouldn't know.

827
00:48:04,040 --> 00:48:07,560
Speaker 1: I have no ability to do either, but I am.

828
00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:11,200
Speaker 1: I often hear from all of my friends who are

829
00:48:11,200 --> 00:48:14,440
Speaker 1: in the business that this is it's just different. There.

830
00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:16,960
Speaker 1: There's you have to be in certain camps. You have

831
00:48:17,040 --> 00:48:20,480
Speaker 1: to align yourself with people. You know, if you you

832
00:48:20,640 --> 00:48:22,440
Speaker 1: have a bad if you have issue with somebody, you

833
00:48:22,480 --> 00:48:24,160
Speaker 1: don't know who they're going to be tomorrow. Like it's

834
00:48:24,360 --> 00:48:27,560
Speaker 1: like any like it's just such chess, right, and it's

835
00:48:27,600 --> 00:48:32,240
Speaker 1: just like it's you don't know what until I commend

836
00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:34,359
Speaker 1: you for being able to stay so even through all

837
00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:36,959
Speaker 1: of it, because it just has to be about the love.

838
00:48:37,120 --> 00:48:39,399
Speaker 1: Like when I hear people, I'm like, as I'm listening

839
00:48:39,440 --> 00:48:41,239
Speaker 1: to talk, I was like, it's just the love, Like,

840
00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:44,120
Speaker 1: it's just the love because then no matter how frustrating

841
00:48:44,160 --> 00:48:46,360
Speaker 1: it gets, you just remember what it is, right, Like

842
00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:48,279
Speaker 1: you know when they say you find a job you love,

843
00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:51,839
Speaker 1: you don't work, So it's the love of it, that's right. Yeah.

844
00:48:52,120 --> 00:48:55,440
Speaker 1: And it's interesting because as you were talking it, h

845
00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:58,440
Speaker 1: it was making me think of that, how you dedicate

846
00:48:58,520 --> 00:49:03,360
Speaker 1: yourself to uh, living your passion out no matter what.

847
00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:06,719
Speaker 1: Then it then you know, because the business is going

848
00:49:06,800 --> 00:49:11,680
Speaker 1: to change. I went through surviving several different regimes of executives.

849
00:49:11,719 --> 00:49:14,440
Speaker 1: You know, somebody signed you or gives you the part

850
00:49:14,560 --> 00:49:16,920
Speaker 1: of the film, then they get fired and then you

851
00:49:17,040 --> 00:49:18,760
Speaker 1: gotta go with them. It's like, I don't have anything

852
00:49:18,800 --> 00:49:21,600
Speaker 1: to do with that. I'm still here and they're like, no,

853
00:49:22,440 --> 00:49:25,920
Speaker 1: you're part of that over um and so many artists

854
00:49:25,960 --> 00:49:29,000
Speaker 1: have experienced that. I was watching some unsungd stories that

855
00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:31,640
Speaker 1: were about that without Tony Terry, one of my other

856
00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:35,200
Speaker 1: DC brothers, and I had no idea what he had

857
00:49:35,239 --> 00:49:38,920
Speaker 1: gone through his career, but I was like, wow, I

858
00:49:39,480 --> 00:49:42,600
Speaker 1: just was so fortunate and so blessed to come into

859
00:49:42,680 --> 00:49:47,520
Speaker 1: the industry at a time where my voice and it

860
00:49:47,719 --> 00:49:53,920
Speaker 1: being different from everybody else's and my purpose um was

861
00:49:54,400 --> 00:49:59,120
Speaker 1: embraced just you know, just just long enough for other

862
00:49:59,239 --> 00:50:02,040
Speaker 1: people to a I identify with him and I get it.

863
00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:05,719
Speaker 1: Or even if they don't think that I'm operating at

864
00:50:05,760 --> 00:50:08,640
Speaker 1: my greatest potential, they still believed that I had. They

865
00:50:08,680 --> 00:50:11,160
Speaker 1: being a record executives and companies still believed that I

866
00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:15,840
Speaker 1: had potential, and and they would come and see me live.

867
00:50:16,560 --> 00:50:19,440
Speaker 1: My live was always better than my recordings because I

868
00:50:19,560 --> 00:50:22,480
Speaker 1: was still learning how to be a recording artist. So

869
00:50:22,520 --> 00:50:25,279
Speaker 1: a lot of the mixes in my voice and different things. UM,

870
00:50:25,320 --> 00:50:26,880
Speaker 1: I used to hear people say I didn't think you

871
00:50:26,920 --> 00:50:29,600
Speaker 1: could really sing that well because I thought you had

872
00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:32,040
Speaker 1: a softer voice, or you know, because my voice might

873
00:50:32,080 --> 00:50:33,880
Speaker 1: have been mixed a certain way for the vibe of

874
00:50:33,960 --> 00:50:38,040
Speaker 1: the record. But live they would go, oh wow, You're

875
00:50:38,120 --> 00:50:42,320
Speaker 1: totally different. And and I learned how to then record.

876
00:50:43,480 --> 00:50:45,600
Speaker 1: Thank God for a friend of mine. IM gonna say

877
00:50:45,640 --> 00:50:49,120
Speaker 1: his name, Aaron Lindsay. He is mainly known in gospel,

878
00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:52,720
Speaker 1: but Aaron took me in to do uh my Christmas

879
00:50:52,760 --> 00:50:56,160
Speaker 1: album and started to help me to unravel some of

880
00:50:56,239 --> 00:50:58,440
Speaker 1: the things that did not allow my voice to shine

881
00:50:58,480 --> 00:51:01,759
Speaker 1: as much because coming from classical music, I do lots

882
00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:05,400
Speaker 1: of crescendos, which is getting louder, and different nuances and

883
00:51:05,480 --> 00:51:07,920
Speaker 1: all kind of things that if you put a lot

884
00:51:07,960 --> 00:51:10,280
Speaker 1: of compression on my voice in the in the studio,

885
00:51:10,400 --> 00:51:13,520
Speaker 1: you kind of squashed the sound down and you miss

886
00:51:13,600 --> 00:51:17,040
Speaker 1: out all of the things that I'm actually doing. Yeah, yeah,

887
00:51:17,400 --> 00:51:21,840
Speaker 1: it just didn't. You're speaking in entirely different language, and

888
00:51:21,880 --> 00:51:24,080
Speaker 1: I'm telling you, whoever is an artist, it's like, thank

889
00:51:24,160 --> 00:51:29,719
Speaker 1: this man for this masterclass because you're you know, You're like,

890
00:51:29,800 --> 00:51:32,040
Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe I'm I'm a thinker, so I'm overthinking.

891
00:51:32,120 --> 00:51:35,640
Speaker 1: I'm like, well, who whose music is compressed and mixed wrong?

892
00:51:35,800 --> 00:51:40,320
Speaker 1: And what should be? Like? This ain't my person singing,

893
00:51:43,520 --> 00:51:45,400
Speaker 1: And some of it's not. Some of it's just the

894
00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:48,120
Speaker 1: personality of the of the of the records and the track,

895
00:51:48,160 --> 00:51:50,640
Speaker 1: because sometimes you go for and it's not, Oh I

896
00:51:50,719 --> 00:51:53,879
Speaker 1: want everybody to hear every little thing I did. Why

897
00:51:53,960 --> 00:51:55,680
Speaker 1: used to singing my own backgrounds and people used to

898
00:51:55,719 --> 00:51:57,480
Speaker 1: be like, who's singing that? It sounds like a whole

899
00:51:57,600 --> 00:52:00,359
Speaker 1: choir of men and women? You know, to be like, oh, well,

900
00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:03,759
Speaker 1: that's that's me. I'm singing all these different parts which

901
00:52:03,920 --> 00:52:08,080
Speaker 1: used to be impressive, but it's it's so many different

902
00:52:08,160 --> 00:52:13,560
Speaker 1: things that make you in this industry. Wanted to stop,

903
00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:17,200
Speaker 1: but then, like you mentioned before, really the focus is

904
00:52:17,239 --> 00:52:20,440
Speaker 1: to have the passion to keep going and uh and

905
00:52:20,640 --> 00:52:24,160
Speaker 1: loving it um and then again I get blessed so

906
00:52:24,239 --> 00:52:29,000
Speaker 1: many different ways that it's wonderful to keep the passion

907
00:52:29,120 --> 00:52:32,280
Speaker 1: and keep growing again like I was staying from the beginning,

908
00:52:32,760 --> 00:52:35,600
Speaker 1: Becoming a student again allows me to find new ways

909
00:52:35,640 --> 00:52:38,880
Speaker 1: to love it. So like this past year, rate you

910
00:52:39,560 --> 00:52:42,759
Speaker 1: invited me to sing for the Macy's Fourth of July

911
00:52:42,920 --> 00:52:46,040
Speaker 1: Parade for NBC. So I'm out there singing in classical

912
00:52:46,120 --> 00:52:49,080
Speaker 1: tone with Broadway stars. Everybody doesn't get a chance to

913
00:52:49,120 --> 00:52:52,160
Speaker 1: do it. I did Carnegie Hall with him prior to that,

914
00:52:52,600 --> 00:52:54,080
Speaker 1: and I get a chance to do the American Song

915
00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:58,279
Speaker 1: Book with orchestra. There's so many different types of opportunities

916
00:52:58,320 --> 00:53:03,480
Speaker 1: that come now that that inspired me to just keep

917
00:53:03,840 --> 00:53:07,200
Speaker 1: keep going and know that the journey is not it's

918
00:53:07,239 --> 00:53:09,960
Speaker 1: not one dimensional. It's not just about a hit record

919
00:53:10,440 --> 00:53:12,960
Speaker 1: or just about a top ten or just about making

920
00:53:13,040 --> 00:53:15,680
Speaker 1: this much money. It's a part of my whole journey

921
00:53:15,719 --> 00:53:18,200
Speaker 1: because of music. Again, I was definitely shy growing up.

922
00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:24,360
Speaker 1: Music gave me a voice. Music gave me a voice

923
00:53:24,440 --> 00:53:27,520
Speaker 1: where I felt like I could be. You know, people

924
00:53:27,560 --> 00:53:31,359
Speaker 1: are hearing me who never paid attention to me. That's

925
00:53:31,360 --> 00:53:33,279
Speaker 1: the way I used to feel as a child. But

926
00:53:34,080 --> 00:53:37,759
Speaker 1: it opened the door for people to see me. And

927
00:53:38,040 --> 00:53:40,520
Speaker 1: every time I remember that kind of like what you

928
00:53:40,680 --> 00:53:42,759
Speaker 1: mentioned too, I go back to that mantra and I said,

929
00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:44,920
Speaker 1: if I get tired before I go on stage, and

930
00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:48,640
Speaker 1: I'm feeling like the promoter was yankie. I don't know

931
00:53:48,719 --> 00:53:50,040
Speaker 1: what's going on here. I don't know if I'm gonna

932
00:53:50,040 --> 00:53:52,319
Speaker 1: get my money. Did I get my money? On top

933
00:53:53,400 --> 00:53:56,160
Speaker 1: to the hearts of women in mind and men to

934
00:53:56,200 --> 00:53:58,480
Speaker 1: the hearts of women and money. Okay, I go into

935
00:53:58,520 --> 00:54:01,160
Speaker 1: the home. Okay, now you're back in purpose. I take

936
00:54:01,200 --> 00:54:04,640
Speaker 1: myself back into the purpose and I walk on that stage.

937
00:54:05,560 --> 00:54:07,800
Speaker 1: I walk on that stage and I try to deliver

938
00:54:07,960 --> 00:54:10,040
Speaker 1: the best thing that I can possibly deliver, and I

939
00:54:10,160 --> 00:54:14,520
Speaker 1: leave it all on the stage. I respect it. You

940
00:54:14,640 --> 00:54:19,040
Speaker 1: gave me a sermon. If I'm trying to hustle this

941
00:54:19,200 --> 00:54:23,440
Speaker 1: dream of mine. You know what I appreciate there is

942
00:54:23,640 --> 00:54:26,719
Speaker 1: I appreciate that. Okay, so you're you, you're performing. I

943
00:54:27,040 --> 00:54:29,640
Speaker 1: went to the site in South Africa. Then you're in

944
00:54:29,760 --> 00:54:33,440
Speaker 1: San Diego after that. Yeah, and I get to do

945
00:54:33,800 --> 00:54:36,919
Speaker 1: some some Christmas tunes and yeah in San Diego, right, Yeah,

946
00:54:37,360 --> 00:54:41,759
Speaker 1: where is that? I'm not sure of the location, but

947
00:54:41,840 --> 00:54:44,000
Speaker 1: please do go to Kenny Lattimore dot com because I'm

948
00:54:44,040 --> 00:54:46,959
Speaker 1: sure that the information is there. Um, so if people

949
00:54:46,960 --> 00:54:49,719
Speaker 1: want to get tickets and support the Urban League. Um.

950
00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:52,640
Speaker 1: The Layla Layla hath Away one of my absolute favorite

951
00:54:52,719 --> 00:54:55,440
Speaker 1: Lord knows that saw somebody Donnie Hathaway songs, that's another thing.

952
00:54:55,920 --> 00:54:59,320
Speaker 1: He was a tremendous inspiration and Layla half Away in

953
00:54:59,360 --> 00:55:02,280
Speaker 1: every Sun show. And I have a show December thirtieth.

954
00:55:02,320 --> 00:55:05,160
Speaker 1: I'm super excited about. Yeah. My producer actually mentioned that

955
00:55:05,239 --> 00:55:07,080
Speaker 1: to me. We were just talking about that. I'm I'm

956
00:55:07,200 --> 00:55:10,000
Speaker 1: really excited for this. Everything is a chapter. But you,

957
00:55:10,640 --> 00:55:13,279
Speaker 1: much like your voice, have range as a human. So

958
00:55:13,480 --> 00:55:16,400
Speaker 1: I appreciate you just taking the time. And I know

959
00:55:16,480 --> 00:55:18,719
Speaker 1: there's just still so much more right because you do

960
00:55:18,840 --> 00:55:20,960
Speaker 1: it for the love, as you reminded all of us

961
00:55:21,160 --> 00:55:23,560
Speaker 1: on this call, because they probably tired to they want

962
00:55:23,600 --> 00:55:29,480
Speaker 1: to start their turkey. Yeah, oh, enjoy definitely enjoyed. You

963
00:55:29,560 --> 00:55:32,279
Speaker 1: know this is it's interesting because you know, I'm I'm

964
00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:36,000
Speaker 1: newly married. Congratulations. I didn't even get. I'm trying to

965
00:55:36,040 --> 00:55:40,880
Speaker 1: set yours gratulation. Thank you so much, and and just

966
00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:43,640
Speaker 1: love to everybody that loves me and who loves Faith

967
00:55:44,200 --> 00:55:46,840
Speaker 1: and who will love our baby. And when I say that,

968
00:55:47,080 --> 00:55:49,160
Speaker 1: I'm saying that loosely. I mean as we as we

969
00:55:49,280 --> 00:55:52,000
Speaker 1: know each other and grow, we're inspired by one another. UM.

970
00:55:52,280 --> 00:55:54,440
Speaker 1: I'm just grateful because I just feel like I'm at

971
00:55:54,480 --> 00:55:57,480
Speaker 1: a point of a new beginning. You are. You are

972
00:55:57,560 --> 00:56:00,960
Speaker 1: a new family, new life, new new music. Top ten,

973
00:56:01,080 --> 00:56:03,719
Speaker 1: two top tens, We're still going, we're read, We're doing

974
00:56:03,760 --> 00:56:08,160
Speaker 1: all kinds of things. Congratulation, UM, definitely on the marriage.

975
00:56:08,480 --> 00:56:11,960
Speaker 1: More importantly, congratulations on the baby that is on the way. UM.

976
00:56:12,000 --> 00:56:14,359
Speaker 1: I think is an amazing So please tell our said

977
00:56:14,400 --> 00:56:16,600
Speaker 1: hello and be my love. UM, and thank you for

978
00:56:16,719 --> 00:56:19,640
Speaker 1: taking the time to inspire us today and being naked appreciate.

979
00:56:21,920 --> 00:56:26,000
Speaker 1: Here's what's interesting about Kenny Lattimore. Kenney tells me this

980
00:56:26,200 --> 00:56:29,520
Speaker 1: story of Nelson Mandela and how he first went to

981
00:56:29,640 --> 00:56:32,719
Speaker 1: South Africa and he had an opportunity to sing for

982
00:56:32,840 --> 00:56:36,360
Speaker 1: Nelson Mandela and his music was really popular unbeknownst to

983
00:56:36,480 --> 00:56:40,799
Speaker 1: him in South Africa. And if you haven't researched, get

984
00:56:40,840 --> 00:56:42,560
Speaker 1: the Google kids. I don't know how young you are

985
00:56:42,680 --> 00:56:44,640
Speaker 1: listening to this, but if you don't know who Nelson

986
00:56:44,680 --> 00:56:47,960
Speaker 1: Mandela is, he's arguably one of the foremost figures when

987
00:56:48,000 --> 00:56:50,239
Speaker 1: it comes to human rights in terms of fighting for

988
00:56:50,360 --> 00:56:54,640
Speaker 1: justice and inequality. Uh. He spent a ridiculous amount of

989
00:56:54,680 --> 00:56:57,600
Speaker 1: time in prison in South Africa in deplorable conditions. He

990
00:56:57,719 --> 00:57:02,360
Speaker 1: was released after decades and and immediately made president of

991
00:57:02,480 --> 00:57:06,960
Speaker 1: that country. But he had suffered so much but was

992
00:57:07,040 --> 00:57:11,040
Speaker 1: able to maintain love like love in his heart. Um.

993
00:57:11,640 --> 00:57:16,160
Speaker 1: People talk about Mother Teresa, they mentioned Nelson Mandela. You know,

994
00:57:16,200 --> 00:57:18,240
Speaker 1: if you're Catholic, you might say the Pope, but it's

995
00:57:18,240 --> 00:57:22,400
Speaker 1: still Nelson Mandela, Dalai Lama, you know Gandhi, you know

996
00:57:22,640 --> 00:57:26,400
Speaker 1: those those figures. Nelson Mandela is up there with those figures,

997
00:57:26,440 --> 00:57:30,640
Speaker 1: these names that are known for being true, true humanitarians

998
00:57:31,120 --> 00:57:35,960
Speaker 1: fighting for global good. And for Kenny Lattimore to be

999
00:57:36,080 --> 00:57:39,720
Speaker 1: able to have an opportunity to meet this man, beness

1000
00:57:39,760 --> 00:57:42,440
Speaker 1: man was a fan and for him to say he

1001
00:57:42,560 --> 00:57:46,080
Speaker 1: knew why his music registered there in South Africa because

1002
00:57:46,120 --> 00:57:48,320
Speaker 1: it made sense, because it was a place that needed

1003
00:57:48,400 --> 00:57:50,120
Speaker 1: the love, because it was a country that was going

1004
00:57:50,160 --> 00:57:53,040
Speaker 1: through so much turmoil all the time. They needed to

1005
00:57:53,120 --> 00:57:55,320
Speaker 1: feel that love, but more importantly from a man, a

1006
00:57:55,440 --> 00:58:00,720
Speaker 1: black man, because they didn't feel that powerful. Yeah, it

1007
00:58:00,840 --> 00:58:03,520
Speaker 1: makes sense. It makes sense to me that he has

1008
00:58:03,880 --> 00:58:09,000
Speaker 1: had this long career anyway, that's my take any who

1009
00:58:09,480 --> 00:58:12,560
Speaker 1: might take. Thank you all for listening to Naked. We'll

1010
00:58:12,600 --> 00:58:23,040
Speaker 1: be back next week. Enjoy your holidays. H