WEBVTT - Questlove Supreme: Alicia Keys 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:08.160 Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:13.000 Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to another episode of West Love Supreme. 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:16.840 I'm your host Quest Love with Me his Team Supreme. Today. 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:21.919 We have Fine tick Alo in the house. We have 0:00:21.960 --> 0:00:27.080 Sugar Steve. Hey, everybody ranged into the Sugars and laya. 0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:33.400 Vote, motherfuckers. Okay, how I'm feeling. 0:00:33.720 --> 0:00:34.880 Some curios this morning. 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:39.400 I believe on paid Bill is either on Sesame Street 0:00:39.479 --> 0:00:43.200 right now or dealing with the first day of school, 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:45.839 so he's not with us right now. All right, I 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:48.920 will try to make this as brief as possible. Hey, man, 0:00:49.280 --> 0:00:52.960 we by the numbers. I think this is the most 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:57.200 accomplished guest that we've had on the show. Our guest 0:00:57.200 --> 0:01:02.760 today clearly needs no introduction. This awesome aquarium is a 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:08.000 fifteen time Grammy Award winner, seven time BT Award winner, 0:01:08.160 --> 0:01:11.840 eleven time Soul Train Award winner, Combination Ladies Soul Soul Trained, 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:18.400 seventeen times NAACP Award winner, eight time MTV Award winner, twelve. 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:19.840 Time as Cap, eight time bm My. 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:21.679 I don't even know you can be on both sides 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:26.000 of the fence with that, six time Billboard Award winner, 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:29.000 Time Oh none time Billboarder winner, get it Right, a mirror, 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:32.800 five time American Music Award winner. I think I mentioned 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:37.280 all of her accomplishments. She's probably still the record holding 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:45.840 Brooklyn Huxtable household bucking Horse champion, not to mention philanthropist, actress, producer, 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:50.640 activist mom. She'll probably own this podcast by the end 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:57.000 of the episode. I'm talking about no other than the 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.960 incomparable Alicia Keys. Welcome to QLs. 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:00.560 Hello Hell. 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:06.240 That might be my top intro of all time. 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:08.320 That's my side hustle. I'm selling. 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:12.360 I'm trying to be like, who's Danny Ray James Brown's 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:13.160 intro person. 0:02:13.680 --> 0:02:17.920 That's the vibe. Thank you for all that. I'm so 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:23.640 glad to be here with y'all. How you doing, We're good. 0:02:24.360 --> 0:02:26.760 I actually want to know, how are you? You know? 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:29.800 Usually the format of the show is kind of like 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:32.600 in the Actors Studio, where we like break down the 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:37.200 science of the creative process with the artists, but being 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:41.480 as though we are living through what you know, the 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:46.959 history books will probably show as a crucial milestone and 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:51.160 or at least on Earth, things are a little different now. 0:02:52.280 --> 0:02:54.320 So I want to know as a creative or just 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:59.320 as a person like, how are you adjusting to this 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:01.200 road called twenty twenty right now? 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:03.359 Like, how is your day this morning? 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:07.160 My day was pretty good? Okay, well I think I 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:08.560 have I think I need to back up and then 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:10.480 I can come to today because I think that's how 0:03:10.520 --> 0:03:11.440 you take it time. 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:15.320 So it's like what kind of cereal did you have 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:15.800 this morning? 0:03:15.840 --> 0:03:20.760 But it's like, right, I had a macro bar? Okay, 0:03:21.200 --> 0:03:25.640 so you hume, okay, yeah. 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:26.360 I'm starving too, right, okay, So what so a macro 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:28.359 bar is what? What does that entail? 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:30.760 It's like, you know, it's like one of those kind 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:33.560 of bars that fill you up enough and give you 0:03:33.600 --> 0:03:35.600 a little bit of protein and then if you have 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:37.080 to run out of the house and didn't really have 0:03:37.120 --> 0:03:39.400 anything to eat, you good for like a good couple 0:03:39.400 --> 0:03:41.640 of hours and you have some tea and some water 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:44.840 in you straight and then hopefully you can eat soon. 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:47.440 That I'm on that time one right now, I get you, 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:49.280 you know what I mean? So both of that home, 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:50.280 I'm doing my one meal. 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:55.520 I can't wait for wow, oh my gosh, word. But 0:03:55.600 --> 0:04:00.080 you know what I mean. Through this road called twenty twenty, 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:03.800 it's definitely been some ebbs and some flows. You know, 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:07.880 at first, I was like so confused. I just didn't know. 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:11.160 We all didn't know what to expect or where it 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:13.360 was leading or what was going to happen, or like 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:17.919 were we even safe or was anybody safe or you know, 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:20.719 it was like a paranoia. And then you know, I 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:24.479 think as a as a parent, it became really ill 0:04:24.640 --> 0:04:28.960 because you know, suddenly it was like, well, okay, we're 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:30.880 going to do that part of the thing. And then 0:04:30.880 --> 0:04:33.080 as a as a mother and a human and a 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:37.040 woman and a businesswoman and a human being, I truly 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:39.560 lost the plot of how to find my own space 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:41.600 in the world. I just I just didn't I didn't 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:43.400 even know. I was like, I don't even know how 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:46.440 to carve out any time at all. 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:49.520 I was going to ask, does that now mean that 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:54.159 you as a creative is now in third place? Because 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:58.360 it's almost like, yeah, you you have to be a 0:04:58.400 --> 0:05:02.080 person to your your kids, but then you have to 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:05.000 be a person to yourself. And then and I know, 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:06.560 you have people that you have to care for and 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:08.320 make sure they're cool and all that stuff, and then 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:12.880 like do you still get fits of inspiration where like, Okay, 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:16.880 I'll carve out four am to seven am to write 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:18.920 these lyrics down or that. 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:19.320 Sort of thing. 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:24.160 Yeah, I mean I again, at the beginning, nothing nothing, 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:29.640 literally nothing. I didn't feel even the desire to create. 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:32.440 And I think that's almost because it was all such 0:05:32.440 --> 0:05:37.760 a shock and I had completed the whole Alicia project already, 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:40.720 so I kind of put I put all this creative 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:44.760 energy into something already, and then everything just kind of ceased, 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:48.880 so right, I was just like, wait, wait, now what now? 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:49.360 What? So? 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:51.839 I think I think it gave me some space to 0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:54.279 not feel the pressure of having to create, because as 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:57.600 a creative you do tend to want to enjoy creating, 0:05:57.640 --> 0:06:00.480 but also know that that's like that's your wheel. 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:00.919 You got to. 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:02.880 Oil it, you know. So I think that it gave 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:06.120 me the energy to not feel the pressure of it 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:08.160 and be able to kind of lean into the unknown 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:13.000 of everything. But then I did start heavy meditating, which 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:15.720 I've always done, and I would do that heavy meditation 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:20.040 probably about five and then five point thirty, and then 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:21.720 I would do a workout, and then i'd get the 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:24.440 kids up for school and then I'd have a good day. 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:27.679 But anytime I didn't do that and that I would 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:31.840 feel like off all the way off off off. So 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:33.800 that's kind of what happened for the first bit. 0:06:34.120 --> 0:06:35.520 There's one thing that I forgot. 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:40.160 I forgot that my Spotify playlist is public is public, 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:43.080 And so Frante kind of out of me last week 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:46.440 because he noticed that I've been putting a lot of 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:53.200 hours into like my my binarrow beats and my my meditation. 0:06:53.880 --> 0:06:57.440 At I'm checking it out though. Yeah, it's it's heavy stuff, right, 0:06:57.600 --> 0:07:10.400 and so help I got paranoid so changed it before. No, 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:14.640 but I put my on like n graces, f. 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:18.160 Like, let me get my mess So hold on, I 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:20.800 need that. I need that playlist whatever, that playlist, as 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:23.680 you said, I didn't, Yeah, no, no. 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:27.480 I freely share it with everyone like that that literally. 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:30.640 Has Thompson page on Spotify. 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:33.520 Leah, I'll send it to her. Yeah. 0:07:33.560 --> 0:07:37.280 But the thing is is that I think what we 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:41.040 all have in common is that, you know, this forced 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:45.320 us all to take arrest or pause at least from 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:49.880 what our lives were, you know, like sort of worldwide, 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:52.520 at least for a period it was like that. And 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:56.640 in the beginning, I think I felt guilty for like 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:59.640 not picking up a drum set like for these four 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:03.640 months I didn't do anything right, Yeah, no music, no nothing, 0:08:03.680 --> 0:08:05.880 And you know I could. I mean, I DJ because 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:07.080 that relaxes me. 0:08:07.120 --> 0:08:09.280 But it's not the same. Yeah. 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:13.520 Yeah, I felt hella guilty for like having not sat 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:15.920 at a drum set for like five months and all 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:18.240 that stuff, and I feel you. Then I started to 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:21.320 find out that everyone was kind of doing that, like 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:24.120 I haven't been on my piano yet or that sort 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:24.400 of thing. 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:28.440 So no, honestly, my piano funal so so neglected. I 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:30.240 was like, what's the matter with you? Why don't you 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:31.960 just go sit me and while I be there, Like 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:34.600 my son has to practice, I sit there with him. 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:37.800 We're playing duets. I'm like, read these notes, make sure 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:39.680 you practice this, all this tyff of stuff. But I 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:44.080 would not sit down you're teacher. No, But I practiced 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:46.079 with him. I practiced with him. He has a teacher, 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:47.640 and then I practiced with him during the week, and 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:48.920 then he has a class, you know, he has a 0:08:49.000 --> 0:08:50.320 lesson with the teacher once a week. 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:55.520 So so yeah, so you still actively practice, Like do 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:58.480 you still practice, you know and daily weekly, you know, 0:08:58.520 --> 0:08:59.560 even though you've been playing. 0:08:59.320 --> 0:08:59.679 For so long. 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:02.640 Yeah, I do, And but I do find I going seasons, 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:05.040 like you know, I have. I have moments where I'm 0:09:05.040 --> 0:09:08.240 like fully invested because i really want to learn this 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:10.040 new classical piece, and I'm like, I'm doing it and 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:12.120 I'm gonna and I'm gonna make sure I'm learning it. 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:14.120 And then there's moments where I'm like, Okay, I got 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:17.600 a show in you know, a month, so i want 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:19.160 to put together this thing for it, and I'm going 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:21.320 to be practicing all the time for it, or or 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:23.440 I'm like alright, I'm carving out the time just to 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:25.760 do whatever, or I'm just like I just don't do 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:28.040 anything at all. So it kind of goes in the seasons. 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:31.199 There's moments from when I'm more and then moments where 0:09:31.240 --> 0:09:31.680 I'm less. 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:35.160 Maybe maybe you already said this and I missed it, 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:39.240 but where were you on this album when when March happened? 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:43.000 Or you know, actually when March when March happened, I 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:46.400 remember the last thing was I was I was creating 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:50.319 the so Done video with Khalad and we were actually 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:55.560 shooting the video. Oh my gosh, you thank you so much. 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:59.360 I love it too, and we were shooting the thing 0:09:59.800 --> 0:10:02.080 and we were looking at each other like is this 0:10:02.200 --> 0:10:04.439 happening because we were getting you know, remember at the 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:07.160 very beginning of getting all these crazy updates like this 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:12.480 sports person is positive, Tom Hanks is and we were like, wait, is. 0:10:12.480 --> 0:10:14.319 The world right now? Yeah? 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:17.360 It was totally crazy. So so I remember we were 0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:19.560 looking at each other like is this really happening? And 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:21.240 we were singing and were doing a video and we're like, 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:24.520 I think it's gonna be cool. And literally that next 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:26.920 day it was all like no one's going anywhere and 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:29.160 no one's doing anything. And that was the last thing 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:31.840 in that March moment. So at that point, I was 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:35.319 definitely mostly finished with the project. I knew that the 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:38.040 majority was already completed. Maybe there was one or two 0:10:38.040 --> 0:10:40.520 things to finish or like a couple mixes or things 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:42.360 like that, but I wasn't a place where I knew 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:43.680 what it felt like, you know. 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:47.600 So you and your team were able to finish it 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:50.400 up over the quarantine, Yeah, I. 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:53.760 Mean we mostly you know, we mostly didn't do anything 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:55.600 because we were trying to figure out like, wait, what 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:57.839 are we doing and how do we even do it? 0:10:58.040 --> 0:10:59.959 And then where do we go and how do we 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:02.880 get there? And so we kind of figured some stuff 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:06.040 out finally to make things at least fluid and to 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:08.240 be able to create and be able to have a 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:12.360 place to like get content and just just create, just 0:11:12.440 --> 0:11:16.640 have some a little bit of a hub. But at 0:11:16.640 --> 0:11:20.160 the very beginning nothing, And then finally, maybe a month ago, 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:22.319 at the end of the summer, I put the last 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:25.160 finishing touches on the project and just said, Okay, this 0:11:25.320 --> 0:11:27.840 is it. Everything's done. And that was kind of the flow. 0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:29.760 But it was a moment where it was just nothing. 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:30.880 Yeah, and you're planning. 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:35.079 You're planning a tour for twenty twenty one, right, so man, I'm. 0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:37.720 Just going out right, But what was twenty twenty? Obviously 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:40.480 everything was twenty twenty. That's the that's like the theme 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:44.880 of twenty twenty. It was twenty twenty, right, Alicia had 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:48.679 to drive in right, Oh yeah, I'll be there. Everybody's 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:51.960 at the drive in now. Hey it's okay. 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:57.120 Oh mind, So, Alitia, I want to know. I believe 0:11:57.160 --> 0:11:59.720 that you were born in Hell's Kitchen, correct, in Manhattan? 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.120 That's right, that was going and raised. 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:06.880 I want to know what was the first album that 0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:07.600 you purchased? 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:12.600 Okay, the true story is that my first album. True 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:16.600 story is that my first album I purchased was Bell 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:22.200 Bivdevaux Poison, and it was Poison, and I remember that 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:25.480 it was definitely the cassette, like it was officially a cassette. 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:32.440 And then I don't know what happened, but somehow I 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:35.120 must have loved the song but missed the lyrics. And 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:39.040 then I got home and put the song in, and 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:42.040 then I actually heard that that They were like, never 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:44.360 trust a big button a smile, and I was pissed. 0:12:44.640 --> 0:12:47.280 I was like, she mean, never trust a big button 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.480 a smile. That's that's messed up. I don't like that, 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:53.040 and I brought the tape back, brought the tape back. 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:58.679 Wait why, I don't know why I felt like that. 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:00.839 I don't know why I felt so strongly like that, 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:04.800 but for whatever reason, since they said never trust a 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:07.880 big but smile, I was offended. 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:12.320 I don't know why, Mom, and listen to it. 0:13:12.360 --> 0:13:16.640 They don't do that even send the thing back. I 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:18.199 don't even know how you can send a concept that 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:19.599 doesn't even make no sense, how you can send a 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:21.440 concept back or maybe that's I don't know if I 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:23.000 made that up in my head or what, but I 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:24.280 really remember that clearly. 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:27.679 Wow, So you were the kid and the parent at 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:28.240 the same time. 0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:31.880 You know what that is a that is a true 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:34.640 fact of my childhood because. 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:36.679 Question, I've had the pleasure of hanging out with your 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:38.599 mom before. I remember the first time you came to 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:40.880 Philly and we took you guys to the Black Lily, 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:45.640 and it seems like, yes she did, and while your 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:48.200 mom was partying, you was kind of chilling. So in 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:49.760 my mind, I was like, she wasn't as much of 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:52.280 a police on stuff like that as you were for yourself. 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:58.240 No, she is the party and everybody be like, you know, 0:13:58.240 --> 0:13:59.960 if we go because if we go to wherever we go, 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:05.240 so people be like always that Alicia Mama Key, like 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:10.880 they always have Alia, like they love her so much. 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:13.679 She is definitely the life of the party. She's she's wilding, 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:16.160 she's having a ball, she's dancing, she's no holding back, 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:18.960 So they everybody loves Mama Keys. 0:14:19.760 --> 0:14:21.280 She was like, why are you taking that tape back? 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:26.400 That's a jam right exactly? What's worm with you? 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:28.840 After Poison? 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:31.560 What was probably the next album I guess that you 0:14:31.600 --> 0:14:33.560 didn't take back because something. 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:35.680 That you remember that you like, really enjoyed and it 0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:36.320 stuck with you. 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:40.600 Oh. Then the next the next I didn't buy this one, 0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:46.360 but this was like a treasure was the cassette okay, 0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:52.600 which was a double cassette of What's going On Marvin Gaye? Wow, 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:56.840 that was crazy. I mean, I never I'll never forget. 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:59.040 It was white. It was a white cassette. I'll never 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:03.320 forget it, and I will never forget how that music 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.760 landed on me. I never heard anything like that in 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:10.560 my life. I was never exposed to that. Of course 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:14.600 I've heard tons of music, but listening to that blow 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.560 where everything connected to each other, and even with the cassette, 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:18.760 like you had to flip it over, you know what 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:23.680 I mean. But it was so crazy. It changed everything 0:15:23.720 --> 0:15:27.960 for me that that, particularly. 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:28.160 At that young of an age. 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:33.280 Yeah, because I guess I was like maybe eleven or twelve. 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:34.320 That's crazy. 0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:40.280 Growing up, well, no, just growing up, I always saw 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:45.960 Marvin Gaye's like my aunt's music. So it really wasn't 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:49.720 until I mean he died on April Fools when I 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:56.480 was thirteen. So then kind of the aftermath of his 0:15:56.600 --> 0:15:59.480 death and how it affected all my aunts. 0:15:59.160 --> 0:16:04.880 Like they were crying like saying I remember, and so. 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:09.440 Yeah, it was like they took it hard, and I 0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:13.360 think I heard his like you listen to people's music 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:16.160 differently when they die, like when Prince died, and suddenly 0:16:16.440 --> 0:16:21.040 everything felt different to me. So but unfortunately it took 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:24.720 his passing for me to like really absorb it in 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:26.680 a way that I didn't. You know, this is way 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:29.960 before I mean, eighty four was way before you know, 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:34.640 sampling technology came in, whereas like you know, once sampling 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:37.200 came in to play, then it's like, oh, your your 0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:40.400 your parents or your grandparents' record collection comes to life. 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:43.040 Then you recognize like, oh that's where I know they're from. 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:43.240 There. 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:46.240 But you know, just straight up like it took me 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:49.520 so long to get into Marvin. 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:52.160 Gaye that did it, Like you mean because you just 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:54.440 didn't have an access point or you heard like all 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:57.280 the Singly ones and it was like not as interesting 0:16:57.480 --> 0:16:58.640 or you know why. 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:01.400 It's just I mean, you know the thing is is 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:04.200 that me growing up. 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:06.640 See my thing was I grew up in that don't 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:11.560 touch my stereo household. So all the education I got 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:15.480 was education, but it was like under durest of if 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:18.399 you touch our stereo, then you're in trouble, like that 0:17:18.480 --> 0:17:21.639 sort of thing. So I had to listen to stuff 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:24.880 that I thought was boring then right, and then once 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:27.320 hip hop started sampling it in nineteen eighty eight, then 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:29.000 I became the smartest kid in school. 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:30.760 Like, right, I know where that came from. You know 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:31.359 know what it is? 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:34.720 So are you are you that person? Now? Are you 0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:37.440 like the don't touch my stereo person, like don't touch. 0:17:37.240 --> 0:17:40.240 My Oh no, no, not at all, Like I don't ask. 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:43.760 For no request though, right, okay. 0:17:43.280 --> 0:17:44.640 Yeah, I'm the. 0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:49.879 I'm the new request guy, like I'm the you know, 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:54.240 I prepare my meals. I see it as preparing, like cooking. 0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:58.040 That's how I see it. And then it's almost give 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:00.919 me a cheeseburger, like that sort of thing. You remember 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:04.520 your first concert that you went to? Yep, who did 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:04.880 you see? 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:10.359 My first? I don't remember. My first concert was I 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:14.760 can't even believe this. Michael Jackson and I had to 0:18:14.800 --> 0:18:20.399 be like five, oh not bad, and and all the 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:24.720 brothers were out, oh lucky, and they did like the routine, 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:31.159 and and and on my way into the whatever stadium arena, 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:32.760 I don't I was little. I don't know where I 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:37.399 was going. There was like a hundred ambulances and I 0:18:37.480 --> 0:18:41.640 was like mommy, who's sick? And who's who's sick? Why 0:18:41.640 --> 0:18:44.520 they's sick? What's the matter? And I didn't understand what 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:50.920 those were for. And that's what I remember. I remember 0:18:50.960 --> 0:18:52.880 that was that was my first concert. 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:54.359 That's crazy. 0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:56.520 Yeah, that's crazy. That's a crazy one. That's a very 0:18:56.560 --> 0:18:58.600 good first concert. Somebody did me right. 0:18:59.480 --> 0:19:02.680 Assuming that you didn't grow up in a well, I 0:19:02.680 --> 0:19:05.159 don't know, like did your introduction to music? 0:19:05.280 --> 0:19:07.640 Was it via church? Via school? 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:10.320 Like how what was the moment where you know, the 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:14.440 sort of the epiphany hits you that hey, wait, I'm 0:19:14.480 --> 0:19:17.560 interested in this, Like how how is it introduced to you? 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:22.880 It was I was four, four years old and I 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:27.199 was in you know, whatever, kindergarten or whatever, and I 0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:32.159 had this crazy teacher who was so eccentric and like 0:19:32.240 --> 0:19:34.760 so like she just wanted to do everything for the kids. 0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:38.320 And she was like this little powerhouse woman, beautiful brown skin, 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:40.360 and her name was Miss Hazel, and she was going 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:41.960 to get everything done and she was going to move 0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:46.320 out her way and she decided to do a version 0:19:46.359 --> 0:19:47.560 of Wizard of Oz. 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:51.040 It's always a Wizard of I know, right. 0:19:52.440 --> 0:19:56.080 It's always so anyway, everybody had to go home and 0:19:56.160 --> 0:19:58.880 practice a song and this and that. So of course 0:19:58.920 --> 0:20:01.320 I go home and I practiced some of the rainbow 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:04.919 and I come back in and she's like, you know, 0:20:05.480 --> 0:20:07.640 someone was playing the piano. It was like this little room, 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:10.920 this little piano. And then I sang it for her 0:20:11.000 --> 0:20:13.199 because she you know, so I sang it for her 0:20:13.240 --> 0:20:15.640 and everybody had the audition. I sang somewhere over the rainbow, 0:20:15.920 --> 0:20:18.960 and she ended up making me Dorothy and I sang 0:20:19.040 --> 0:20:21.119 had to sing that somewheer of a rainbow song, you 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:23.720 know whatever. The two times we performed it, however it goes. 0:20:23.760 --> 0:20:26.480 You're like a kid, you know. And I remember that 0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:30.439 I was so nervous, so terrified, so scared. I hated 0:20:30.440 --> 0:20:32.080 that all these people I knew were right there in 0:20:32.080 --> 0:20:33.840 the audience. I never wanted to sing in front of them. 0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:36.120 And when I opened my mouth to sing the song, 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:41.400 I remember feeling like, Okay, I like this, and then 0:20:41.400 --> 0:20:44.080 I went back to being terrified. And that was the 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:47.399 first time that it hit me that I like this. 0:20:48.400 --> 0:20:49.359 And that's when it hit you. 0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:52.320 That was the moment I knew it. I felt it. 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:55.080 I just it felt like comfortable, felt good. 0:20:56.000 --> 0:20:59.359 So how does that lead to this as a career choice, 0:20:59.400 --> 0:21:01.400 like do you how o were you you wrote your 0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:02.000 first song. 0:21:03.520 --> 0:21:05.480 I was eleven years old when I wrote my first song. 0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:11.840 My my grandfather had just passed away. My mother raised me, 0:21:12.000 --> 0:21:15.080 you know, and so in the building that we lived in, 0:21:16.080 --> 0:21:19.880 it was some weird situation that if you had a girl, 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:23.440 like if the parent had a girl, you could only 0:21:23.480 --> 0:21:26.880 get a one bedroom, but if you had a if 0:21:26.920 --> 0:21:31.000 you were a mother with a son, you could get 0:21:31.040 --> 0:21:32.200 two bedrooms. 0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:34.640 Wait what. 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:41.760 It don't sound right at all too now, but whatever 0:21:41.800 --> 0:21:45.480 the case, we had one bedroom as they figured. 0:21:45.200 --> 0:21:47.760 The girls and what the mom and the daughter could 0:21:47.760 --> 0:21:50.400 sleep together. Wow, that's like. 0:21:51.920 --> 0:21:53.639 Before they were gay people. 0:21:55.800 --> 0:21:59.040 So we had this one bedroom and sometimes the bedroom 0:21:59.119 --> 0:22:02.000 was hers. Most time it was her, sometimes it was mine. 0:22:02.000 --> 0:22:03.440 So I don't remember if it was my bedroom or 0:22:03.480 --> 0:22:05.879 her bedroom at the time, but I do not. I 0:22:06.000 --> 0:22:07.679 was sitting on the bed and she came in and 0:22:07.680 --> 0:22:10.119 she had to tell me that my grandfather had passed away, 0:22:10.240 --> 0:22:12.280 you know, and it was it was terrible. I never 0:22:12.359 --> 0:22:16.240 experienced that type of news before. And you know, that 0:22:16.359 --> 0:22:18.080 was like the love of my life. I loved him 0:22:18.119 --> 0:22:20.440 so much. He was like my biggest fan. He would 0:22:20.440 --> 0:22:23.320 come to every piano recital. And he was like my 0:22:23.359 --> 0:22:24.960 little Italian mafia. 0:22:26.040 --> 0:22:27.879 I was just about to ask where was he from? 0:22:27.920 --> 0:22:30.119 What do you know? Like he was just like he 0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:33.440 always wroted for Dora. He was a detective. He was 0:22:33.800 --> 0:22:38.680 x NYPD. He had the he had the trench coat 0:22:38.720 --> 0:22:41.760 all the time. He always carried every time I gave 0:22:41.840 --> 0:22:43.720 him my hug. It was like the gun. I mean, 0:22:43.720 --> 0:22:46.320 it was just this was this was he was like detective, 0:22:46.480 --> 0:22:47.880 old school Italian. 0:22:48.800 --> 0:22:50.240 Yes, that was. 0:22:55.000 --> 0:23:01.280 Yeah, that's kind of dope because especially your grandfather who's Italian, 0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:03.360 who based on because my dad's from Hell's Kitchen too, 0:23:03.720 --> 0:23:06.280 and based on and he's eighty one, so based on 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:08.480 what he told me about what Hell's Kitchen used to 0:23:08.480 --> 0:23:10.720 be in the d D and stuff, the fact that 0:23:10.720 --> 0:23:12.880 he got his little his favorite person is his little 0:23:12.880 --> 0:23:13.760 brown granddaughter. 0:23:13.800 --> 0:23:17.600 That's like yes, yes, no, it was deep. It's very deep, 0:23:17.720 --> 0:23:21.080 you know. And and but he was. He would drive 0:23:21.119 --> 0:23:23.480 from Long Island, and my grandmother lives in Long Island. 0:23:23.480 --> 0:23:25.840 He would drive from Long Island every weekend to help 0:23:25.880 --> 0:23:29.040 my mother. He'd be the first one there. He'd lean 0:23:29.160 --> 0:23:31.359 up against the car, put his hat on and his 0:23:31.480 --> 0:23:33.679 trench and his arms fold and he'd be waiting for 0:23:33.720 --> 0:23:35.560 me to come out of the building, and every time 0:23:35.600 --> 0:23:37.679 I came out the door, he'd be like, that's my girl, 0:23:37.880 --> 0:23:42.560 Like every time, that's my girl. And so so anyway, 0:23:42.800 --> 0:23:44.760 I can't even remember what the question was because I'm 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:45.480 so wrapped. 0:23:45.240 --> 0:23:46.199 Up in my grave ad. 0:23:47.400 --> 0:23:49.680 You literally don't know what you even asked me? What 0:23:49.800 --> 0:23:50.720 did you ask me? Again? 0:23:51.000 --> 0:23:51.440 The song? 0:23:52.080 --> 0:23:54.800 Oh, the first song you ever wrote, and you said 0:23:54.800 --> 0:23:57.320 that the passing of your grandfather inspired it. 0:23:57.400 --> 0:23:59.560 So that was my that was my heart. And she 0:23:59.600 --> 0:24:02.359 had to go on his bed and tell me this news. 0:24:02.400 --> 0:24:05.080 And I was just so devastating. I never felt like 0:24:05.119 --> 0:24:11.080 that before. I never felt that raw, unstoppable, like torrential 0:24:11.359 --> 0:24:15.560 emotion before. Like I just never felt that. And so 0:24:15.600 --> 0:24:18.440 somehow I was so sad. We went to see a 0:24:18.520 --> 0:24:20.480 late night movie. We went to see a late night 0:24:20.560 --> 0:24:33.919 movie of Philadelphia. Oh watch ever, I'm not sure, Like 0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:35.360 I don't know when don't we want to go see 0:24:35.400 --> 0:24:38.959 something funny? I don't know what happened. I'm in there 0:24:39.000 --> 0:24:40.919 crying in my eyes out. I mean, it was like 0:24:41.119 --> 0:24:45.240 literally just the most emotional day of my little life. 0:24:45.720 --> 0:24:47.720 And I came home and we went to a late movie. 0:24:47.800 --> 0:24:49.240 Had to be nine pm or something, and by the 0:24:49.240 --> 0:24:51.040 time we get home, it was like eleven o'clock. And 0:24:51.119 --> 0:24:54.040 I came home and it's the first time I just 0:24:54.440 --> 0:24:58.240 immediately sat at the piano and I played, and I sang, 0:24:58.920 --> 0:25:02.439 and I sang everything I felt, and I wrote it 0:25:02.480 --> 0:25:04.159 down and she just left me alone. I was just 0:25:04.240 --> 0:25:07.359 in that you know, the apartments super small, so she 0:25:07.480 --> 0:25:09.320 did not much places go, but she was just she 0:25:09.440 --> 0:25:13.159 just left me alone. And I wrote this song. And 0:25:13.200 --> 0:25:16.560 that was my first time I wrote. And that was 0:25:16.560 --> 0:25:20.080 like the beginning of me recognizing how you could turn 0:25:20.160 --> 0:25:23.200 like a pain or an emotion into something. 0:25:24.440 --> 0:25:25.560 It's funny you say that. 0:25:25.640 --> 0:25:31.440 Someone Someone asked me this summer if there's a song 0:25:31.480 --> 0:25:35.520 that you hear and it could trigger like near tears 0:25:35.600 --> 0:25:39.720 emotion and I don't know why, but for some reason, 0:25:41.040 --> 0:25:43.800 and you can't find it streaming nowhere because you know, 0:25:43.920 --> 0:25:49.600 Neil Young is is hella against UH streaming service as well, 0:25:49.960 --> 0:25:53.920 and I tried to start his own Yeah, yeah, the ponent. 0:25:54.160 --> 0:25:59.920 But wait, see if you still have your pono. 0:26:02.880 --> 0:26:07.399 Yeah, but the Philadelphia song that Neil Young sings on 0:26:07.440 --> 0:26:11.080 the closing credits of that thing song, Yo man, I 0:26:11.119 --> 0:26:12.720 don't know what it is. 0:26:12.000 --> 0:26:13.680 It Is it because of the movie? 0:26:13.720 --> 0:26:14.160 Is it before? 0:26:14.600 --> 0:26:16.119 After this? 0:26:16.119 --> 0:26:22.560 This is literally why I'm obsessed with sort of the 0:26:22.720 --> 0:26:26.639 the at least the scientific study of synesthesia and how 0:26:27.560 --> 0:26:30.440 I believe that scientifically. And this is why I think, 0:26:30.840 --> 0:26:34.159 uh uh, you know, the idea of your chakra, like 0:26:34.200 --> 0:26:37.159 certain tones affect parts of I don't know what it is. 0:26:37.160 --> 0:26:38.240 I don't know it's the tone. 0:26:38.000 --> 0:26:41.120 Of his voice or the or like it's a regular 0:26:41.200 --> 0:26:43.680 ass song, but for some reason, there's something in that 0:26:43.760 --> 0:26:45.600 song that. 0:26:46.040 --> 0:26:50.879 Just a I can't get through it without filling up. 0:26:51.000 --> 0:26:54.280 And usually if I feel sad about some shit, okay, 0:26:54.480 --> 0:27:02.359 example when okay, when Dyla died, I found it hard 0:27:02.400 --> 0:27:06.199 to cry and I was struggling with that, Like it 0:27:06.240 --> 0:27:11.280 took me like three weeks to really process that ship 0:27:12.080 --> 0:27:14.440 and I couldn't cry. And then I didn't want to 0:27:14.440 --> 0:27:16.720 create no more. And you know the time, the girls 0:27:16.760 --> 0:27:18.159 days like, well, you need to cry, you need to 0:27:18.160 --> 0:27:20.440 do it. And I was trying everything and I was 0:27:21.040 --> 0:27:23.720 nothing was coming, and then I put that ship on 0:27:23.880 --> 0:27:31.600 and then boom it happened. Yes, not the Springsteen song, but. 0:27:33.160 --> 0:27:33.600 Young John. 0:27:34.040 --> 0:27:38.600 Yes, it's just I don't know, it's just something scientifically 0:27:38.800 --> 0:27:41.960 sonically in that song that I don't know that's the 0:27:42.400 --> 0:27:43.040 breaker for. 0:27:42.920 --> 0:27:45.040 Some reason, I love that and I'm going to listen 0:27:45.080 --> 0:27:45.600 to that now. 0:27:46.720 --> 0:27:48.359 Well then you'll be boohooing. 0:27:48.400 --> 0:27:58.520 I don't know so this at this point, Well, I 0:27:58.520 --> 0:28:00.159 also wanted to know what was the first song you 0:28:00.200 --> 0:28:03.399 ever learned to play, Like, what was your go to 0:28:04.880 --> 0:28:07.320 your go to karaoke mover, the song that you like 0:28:07.840 --> 0:28:08.960 committed to learn. 0:28:09.600 --> 0:28:13.080 The first song I ever learned to play, you know, 0:28:13.160 --> 0:28:16.760 outside of like the basic classical piano things like, you know, 0:28:16.760 --> 0:28:19.720 because because I did this with Zuki methods, so it 0:28:19.880 --> 0:28:21.920 all it progresses, and so you start with the super 0:28:21.920 --> 0:28:24.040 simple ones and then you keep going and it progresses 0:28:24.040 --> 0:28:25.879 and progresses, and so the first ones are like roll 0:28:25.960 --> 0:28:28.000 your bolt and married a little lamb and London Bridge 0:28:28.040 --> 0:28:30.120 is falling down and they're teaching me to think. Besides 0:28:30.160 --> 0:28:32.320 all those, my first song that I learned to play 0:28:32.440 --> 0:28:36.520 was called this One's for the Children by New Kids 0:28:36.640 --> 0:28:38.120 on the Block. 0:28:38.840 --> 0:28:42.959 Wow, am stand up? 0:28:43.360 --> 0:28:44.400 What? 0:28:46.200 --> 0:28:49.560 And that was my first one that really that was 0:28:49.560 --> 0:28:52.640 the first song that I learned that I actually figured 0:28:52.640 --> 0:28:55.840 out how to put my hands and my voice together 0:28:56.320 --> 0:28:58.920 at the same time. Because Prior to that, I had 0:28:59.040 --> 0:29:01.480 played and I played cool and then I had sang, 0:29:02.000 --> 0:29:04.600 but I never did them together. And that was the 0:29:04.760 --> 0:29:06.840 very first time that I kind of figured out what 0:29:06.880 --> 0:29:08.800 did that feel like? And it was hard. 0:29:09.520 --> 0:29:11.080 I was gonna say, how long does that process take? 0:29:11.080 --> 0:29:12.640 Because people take that for granted. 0:29:13.480 --> 0:29:15.440 It was hard. I felt like I would never get it. 0:29:15.440 --> 0:29:17.719 I felt like I would never get this rhythm of 0:29:17.800 --> 0:29:19.560 like how to play one thing and how to sing 0:29:19.600 --> 0:29:22.520 another thing. And I but once I got it, which 0:29:22.800 --> 0:29:24.240 I mean, I don't know how long it takes, but 0:29:24.240 --> 0:29:27.240 it was considerable. It took time. I you know it 0:29:27.320 --> 0:29:30.880 really like that was that started the thing, amir? 0:29:31.160 --> 0:29:32.040 How long did it take for you? 0:29:32.080 --> 0:29:34.200 Because you know you'll be up there doing fifty dozen 0:29:34.240 --> 0:29:37.800 things and drumming and singing and talking and giving cues. 0:29:37.840 --> 0:29:39.720 How long did it take you to master that? 0:29:40.440 --> 0:29:43.080 What to learn a song or to. 0:29:43.080 --> 0:29:45.160 Learn how to do multiple things at one time like that? 0:29:45.840 --> 0:29:46.080 You know? 0:29:46.720 --> 0:29:52.080 Again, similar similar to Alicia coming into knowledge of meditating 0:29:52.120 --> 0:29:52.640 and whatnot. 0:29:53.520 --> 0:29:54.480 Well, we learned early. 0:29:54.600 --> 0:29:57.120 Remember when Quincy Jones taught us about the alpha state 0:29:57.160 --> 0:30:02.000 and whatever I learned, Well, I'd studied that and realized 0:30:02.040 --> 0:30:04.520 that there's four parts of the brain, the alpha, the beta, 0:30:04.880 --> 0:30:08.560 the data, and the theta. And the reason why you're 0:30:08.560 --> 0:30:12.320 supposed to practice ten thousand hours is that you know, 0:30:12.400 --> 0:30:14.320 you do it so much that it becomes when they say, 0:30:14.360 --> 0:30:18.760 it's second nature, you do without thinking. So I too, 0:30:18.920 --> 0:30:21.600 that's my alpha state. So when you see me on stage, 0:30:21.640 --> 0:30:26.200 like on my phone, eating a sandwich, talking to somebody whatever, 0:30:27.160 --> 0:30:30.640 that's the equivalent of Greg fill and Gains doing a 0:30:30.680 --> 0:30:35.200 silhouette two in the morning Quincy Jones. Basically he makes 0:30:35.200 --> 0:30:39.000 them eat, get the itis, get tipsy, and then start 0:30:39.040 --> 0:30:44.000 recording them at one two in the morning. Yeah, because 0:30:44.840 --> 0:30:46.959 they don't debate with them, they don't argue with them, 0:30:47.000 --> 0:30:47.920 they don't overthink it. 0:30:49.240 --> 0:30:52.320 They just do it naturally and so a fire. 0:30:53.120 --> 0:30:56.280 Yeah, you know, because again the second I start thinking 0:30:56.320 --> 0:31:00.000 of left, right, left, and then I start messing up 0:31:00.400 --> 0:31:03.400 right right even to this day, like I can't. I'm 0:31:03.440 --> 0:31:07.720 not aware of what I'm doing. I'm thinking of like 0:31:08.280 --> 0:31:11.320 cereal or I love some cereal. 0:31:11.360 --> 0:31:14.160 That's the second cereal mentioned. It's only been like twenty minutes. 0:31:15.960 --> 0:31:16.840 What kind of sery you have? 0:31:17.240 --> 0:31:18.400 Missing cereal? That's what. 0:31:20.760 --> 0:31:24.680 My favorite cereals, honey and cheerios. What's your yeah, yeah, 0:31:25.000 --> 0:31:29.240 team Captain Crunch, Oh, crunch peries. 0:31:30.000 --> 0:31:34.240 Oh crunchberries is good. The things they tear up the roof, all. 0:31:34.120 --> 0:31:36.240 Of them, Captain Crunch tear it all up, so it 0:31:36.320 --> 0:31:41.200 no matter the crunch berries in there, y'all. 0:31:41.800 --> 0:31:42.680 I know y'all asked me. 0:31:42.720 --> 0:31:44.800 But I've spent a lot of time with pops lately, 0:31:45.280 --> 0:31:47.000 Like I circle back to them and let me just 0:31:47.000 --> 0:31:49.400 tell you, milk or not pops. 0:31:49.040 --> 0:31:52.520 Will oh the cereal, yeah, sad good. 0:31:53.400 --> 0:31:55.640 And the other one that I used to love sentimentals 0:31:55.680 --> 0:31:56.760 crunch Oh. 0:31:56.720 --> 0:32:01.160 Yeah, automatically apple and the best thing with the milk 0:32:01.200 --> 0:32:03.160 after the cinnamon to c that was like the. 0:32:03.840 --> 0:32:07.720 So good the bowl drinker, Oh yeah. 0:32:08.200 --> 0:32:10.920 Sell that at at a milk part. 0:32:10.960 --> 0:32:18.640 Now milk, oh they put they do the fruity pebbles them. 0:32:19.400 --> 0:32:22.200 They put the milk in it, drain it and then 0:32:22.280 --> 0:32:24.520 resell the milk like there's milk cereal. 0:32:26.320 --> 0:32:27.400 But that was my old life. 0:32:27.640 --> 0:32:32.760 So you look great, really, you are shining? 0:32:32.480 --> 0:32:33.400 Do that? 0:32:34.920 --> 0:32:36.920 No, no, no, no, take this compliment, stating in a last 0:32:36.960 --> 0:32:39.280 he will act like he didn't hear you. 0:32:40.160 --> 0:32:47.200 I said, enough life, coaches, I'm good, Thank you. 0:32:47.200 --> 0:32:51.560 Your moment never taught you to say thank you. 0:32:51.600 --> 0:32:55.320 All right. Yeah, I'm learning to I'm still. 0:32:55.440 --> 0:32:58.080 Get it together. You're welcome. 0:32:58.720 --> 0:33:03.320 Yeah, yeah, they are get on taking compliments. 0:33:03.320 --> 0:33:04.760 Take longer to this the compliment. 0:33:04.800 --> 0:33:06.520 Just say we. 0:33:06.600 --> 0:33:08.680 Have somebody accomplished on the show. It's not about me. 0:33:08.960 --> 0:33:16.840 Let's get to it. When when do you decide. 0:33:16.400 --> 0:33:18.600 That you would like to do this as a profession 0:33:18.640 --> 0:33:23.360 Because I met you what I assume is the first 0:33:23.360 --> 0:33:25.440 stage of your career when I believe that you were 0:33:25.560 --> 0:33:31.080 still an artist on Columbia. I believe so I met you. 0:33:31.400 --> 0:33:32.640 What do you do you remember that? 0:33:33.120 --> 0:33:35.040 What we do? It's the funny, all right. 0:33:35.280 --> 0:33:40.480 So the story of me first meeting you is the 0:33:40.560 --> 0:33:45.440 roots are working on our fourth album, Things fall Apart, Steve. Actually, 0:33:45.440 --> 0:33:46.720 you're connected to the story. 0:33:47.080 --> 0:33:51.000 I'm connected to the story. Yes, yes, all right. 0:33:51.040 --> 0:33:54.160 So the preface is, do you remember when Foxy Brown 0:33:54.240 --> 0:33:57.520 threw a tantrum at Electric Lady and she sent that 0:33:57.560 --> 0:33:58.320 poor intern. 0:33:58.960 --> 0:34:02.160 Wait were you the intern? Yeah? I was the Wait 0:34:02.160 --> 0:34:04.080 a minute, she sent you to the Bronx to go 0:34:04.120 --> 0:34:07.160 get those those Krispy kremes. No, No, that was a 0:34:07.160 --> 0:34:09.120 different she was. I was the assistant. 0:34:09.160 --> 0:34:11.680 She was screaming at me because she couldn't find her headphones, 0:34:11.680 --> 0:34:15.080 and she excuse me stealing them at the live rooms. 0:34:15.480 --> 0:34:17.200 Okay, well yeah, all right. 0:34:17.239 --> 0:34:22.080 So just during the during the whole Electric Lady period 0:34:22.280 --> 0:34:25.800 of voodoo and like water for Chocolate and all the 0:34:25.800 --> 0:34:30.759 stuff that we recorded, Foxy Brown came in for like 0:34:30.800 --> 0:34:33.239 a month to work on her second record. She threw 0:34:33.360 --> 0:34:38.919 like a temper tantrum because they didn't get back. 0:34:38.960 --> 0:34:39.120 Then. 0:34:39.239 --> 0:34:43.279 You know, everyone was catching Krispy Kreme fever in New 0:34:43.360 --> 0:34:46.560 York City. I remember where like the red light comes 0:34:46.600 --> 0:34:49.240 on and you get you know, hot at right, everyone 0:34:49.360 --> 0:34:55.439 knows the deal. So Foxy sent this poor intern who 0:34:55.520 --> 0:34:57.840 was clearly not from New York City, like all the 0:34:57.840 --> 0:35:01.960 way up to the Bronx to the twenty to the 0:35:02.000 --> 0:35:04.799 twenty four hour Krispy kremespot. 0:35:04.840 --> 0:35:06.960 I don't know, did he get mugged or anything like 0:35:07.000 --> 0:35:09.839 that or no, he got the donuts, well he got. 0:35:09.760 --> 0:35:11.720 The donuts, but like within the ench of his life 0:35:12.360 --> 0:35:14.200 because he had to take the subway up there or whatever. 0:35:14.320 --> 0:35:16.560 And so I was kind of angry that she put 0:35:16.640 --> 0:35:20.239 him that position. So to be an asshole, I went 0:35:20.400 --> 0:35:23.560 and ordered Foxy like what was it? 0:35:23.640 --> 0:35:23.759 Like? 0:35:24.040 --> 0:35:28.080 I ordered like seventy five dozen. I ordered seventy five 0:35:28.120 --> 0:35:31.640 boxes of Krispy Free donuts and there were a dozen each. 0:35:31.719 --> 0:35:34.160 So basically when she went in the room, there was 0:35:34.200 --> 0:35:38.560 nothing but amountain of donuts and she. 0:35:39.160 --> 0:35:41.799 Was actually flattered, like, oh my god, you kid me. 0:35:42.040 --> 0:35:45.560 And I was like, oh, she missed the whole point. 0:35:45.840 --> 0:35:51.520 Yeah, shave fire backfire, right. So now we're BFFs. 0:35:51.800 --> 0:35:56.839 But at the same time, I still have to work 0:35:56.880 --> 0:36:00.960 on the Roots record at Battery Studios, and so I 0:36:01.000 --> 0:36:05.520 was there to record Most Deaf on our album and 0:36:05.920 --> 0:36:08.359 Most be and Most was like twelve hours late, so 0:36:08.600 --> 0:36:10.520 I was chill, and I went in the hallway and 0:36:10.560 --> 0:36:14.959 I saw Jerry Brown, who worked on Who's raepha elsa 0:36:15.000 --> 0:36:20.560 DIEKX engineer for our last album, and Jerry Brown's, uh, 0:36:21.040 --> 0:36:25.080 kind of his trademark is that it's Christmas anytime he's 0:36:25.120 --> 0:36:29.840 in the studio, and so Jerry always sets up Christmas 0:36:29.920 --> 0:36:32.759 lights in the studio like he wants it to look 0:36:32.800 --> 0:36:36.160 like it's Christmas inside the studio. And I'm like, that's weird, 0:36:36.200 --> 0:36:38.560 Like what if your artist doesn't want this? Like he's like, well, 0:36:38.640 --> 0:36:40.879 that's mine. I got to make it look like Christmas. 0:36:41.239 --> 0:36:44.440 So then I came in and you were sitting in 0:36:44.480 --> 0:36:46.880 the back, and I realized that, oh, this is the 0:36:46.920 --> 0:36:49.919 same person that I saw on I think either So 0:36:49.920 --> 0:36:53.960 So Deaf or definitely that Columbia had a like a 0:36:54.040 --> 0:36:58.239 BT Christmas Special or something like that, right, And I 0:36:58.320 --> 0:37:03.440 remember at the time, you were the probably the only 0:37:04.480 --> 0:37:07.640 figurehead that I knew that had her hair and corn rolls. 0:37:08.040 --> 0:37:11.239 So I instantly recognized you as, oh, that's a girl 0:37:11.239 --> 0:37:14.680 from the pt Joint. And then, you know, just out 0:37:14.719 --> 0:37:17.799 of boredom, I was probably in your breakroom more than 0:37:17.960 --> 0:37:20.839 my own breakroom, because you know, most would be like, yeah, 0:37:20.840 --> 0:37:22.480 I'll be there in a second and then be like 0:37:22.680 --> 0:37:24.880 nine hours later, I'm still waiting. 0:37:24.920 --> 0:37:29.560 No no, no, Notorious. 0:37:28.440 --> 0:37:32.320 Yeah, So basically that yeah, that's that's how I first 0:37:32.320 --> 0:37:35.719 met me. So, I mean at that time it was nice. 0:37:35.760 --> 0:37:38.760 Well it was nineteen ninety nine though, so I guess 0:37:38.760 --> 0:37:42.439 you're working on songs in a minor at. 0:37:42.320 --> 0:37:45.839 That point or because it came out in two thousand. 0:37:46.120 --> 0:37:47.840 So how what was that first period? 0:37:47.840 --> 0:37:51.200 Like I never knew the story behind that, like because 0:37:51.280 --> 0:37:55.520 I would figure that between Jermaine and his dad, who 0:37:55.719 --> 0:38:01.320 you know, was Notorious at Columbia. Yeah, yeah, Michael Maldon 0:38:01.640 --> 0:38:06.759 Modon that they would, you know, roll out this rare 0:38:06.800 --> 0:38:10.040 diamond of a moment and take advantage of it. Like, so, 0:38:10.080 --> 0:38:12.319 what was that experience in getting the record deal and 0:38:12.360 --> 0:38:13.520 recording that first record? 0:38:14.320 --> 0:38:16.960 Uh? Oh, I'm getting quasi I roll nah. 0:38:17.040 --> 0:38:18.600 No, I'm just trying to I'm trying to, like. 0:38:19.400 --> 0:38:20.920 Come you try to remember what it was. 0:38:21.200 --> 0:38:23.920 I'm trying to come back, all right. So I was 0:38:23.960 --> 0:38:28.320 about fifteen, and my manager at the time, Jeff Robinson, 0:38:28.760 --> 0:38:31.560 he was like, you played piano, you sing, you know, 0:38:31.680 --> 0:38:34.719 you have to show people the whole thing. Some set 0:38:34.760 --> 0:38:36.920 up these showcases. We're going to bring a couple of 0:38:36.960 --> 0:38:39.960 labels down blah blah blah. So we did that probably 0:38:40.000 --> 0:38:41.799 at like I don't know what that was at the time, 0:38:41.880 --> 0:38:45.000 some like little rehearsal studio for forty whatever street. And 0:38:46.120 --> 0:38:50.600 so I did these kind of small showcases and many 0:38:50.640 --> 0:38:53.520 different labels came and it was just me on my little, 0:38:54.280 --> 0:38:56.520 you know, not that fancy keyboard, and I wrote my 0:38:56.640 --> 0:38:59.359 few songs that I'd written at the time. I had butterflies. 0:38:59.440 --> 0:39:01.759 I had a song from that first album called The 0:39:01.840 --> 0:39:05.239 Life I Had, and I sang that Brian McKnight song. 0:39:05.360 --> 0:39:08.319 Never felt this way, well Brian McKnight at the time, 0:39:08.920 --> 0:39:11.480 and and so I sang my few little songs and 0:39:11.800 --> 0:39:14.399 all the and and so he created this bidding war 0:39:15.040 --> 0:39:19.480 and and so then Columbia was the one that, uh 0:39:19.840 --> 0:39:23.160 that that that that did the first piece. But then 0:39:23.640 --> 0:39:25.840 so I created a I created a lot of the 0:39:26.000 --> 0:39:30.160 music with Colombia while I was at Columbia, and that's 0:39:30.200 --> 0:39:33.800 when I was with Michael and and that's when Michael 0:39:33.800 --> 0:39:36.120 set me up with the opportunity to have that, to 0:39:36.160 --> 0:39:38.400 be on that Social Deaf Christmas thing. That was like 0:39:38.440 --> 0:39:42.600 my first you know moment, my first performance, all of 0:39:42.600 --> 0:39:45.759 that stuff. I remember my homegirl Nisia dressed me. She 0:39:45.760 --> 0:39:47.760 brings herse up to this day. Remember when I tressed 0:39:47.840 --> 0:39:51.080 you for bet you remember how cute you look. I 0:39:51.160 --> 0:39:54.280 was so good at that which she was. She was cute. 0:39:54.520 --> 0:39:58.200 She had me in like I don't know what, but hey, 0:39:58.239 --> 0:40:03.440 whatever I was wearing, Tanisiha got that for me. So 0:40:03.440 --> 0:40:08.399 so so yeah, so that's when I So, that's when 0:40:08.440 --> 0:40:10.160 I performed there, and that was like a big deal. 0:40:10.200 --> 0:40:11.400 It was my first time I was in a recording 0:40:11.400 --> 0:40:14.120 studio really, you know, it was my first time really. 0:40:14.280 --> 0:40:17.120 I remember sitting at home playing those kind of chords 0:40:17.120 --> 0:40:20.319 because I wanted to flip the Christmas song which was 0:40:21.120 --> 0:40:24.040 Little Drummer Joy, which I changed to Little Drummer Girl, 0:40:24.600 --> 0:40:27.000 and I played those kind of jazzy chords on it. 0:40:27.080 --> 0:40:28.320 And as the first time I went to the studio 0:40:28.320 --> 0:40:30.880 and really you know, produced the thing, like created it 0:40:30.960 --> 0:40:32.680 said this is what I hear, this is the piano, 0:40:32.800 --> 0:40:34.640 this is the this is the drums. I want all 0:40:34.719 --> 0:40:39.359 that type of stuff, and and so and so that 0:40:39.440 --> 0:40:41.560 was the That was the beginning of that. But after that, 0:40:41.920 --> 0:40:44.840 Jermaine wasn't really a part of my project that you know. 0:40:44.880 --> 0:40:46.680 That was kind of a one time thing that him 0:40:46.719 --> 0:40:49.480 and Michael put together for the Christmas thing, and outside 0:40:49.480 --> 0:40:51.960 of that, he wasn't really a part of my project 0:40:52.000 --> 0:40:55.200 until the end. That's when we wrote the song Girlfriend together. 0:40:55.280 --> 0:40:56.560 He was a part of that. But other than that, 0:40:56.600 --> 0:41:00.319 it was myself and my my music partner, Crucial, who 0:41:00.320 --> 0:41:02.080 did all of my first album with me and my 0:41:02.800 --> 0:41:07.000 second album exactly, and and we were really were We 0:41:07.040 --> 0:41:09.759 recorded everything out of a Harlem apartment on one Hunt 0:41:09.800 --> 0:41:14.120 thirty seventh Street. Wow, it was like straight, I mean, 0:41:14.160 --> 0:41:18.360 we had like the straight little you know comforters on 0:41:18.400 --> 0:41:22.279 the wall straight raw. We used the We used the 0:41:23.520 --> 0:41:26.520 closet as the vocal booth, which was a terrible idea 0:41:26.560 --> 0:41:29.799 because it made everything sound like super small obviously what 0:41:29.880 --> 0:41:32.440 I know now and never do that, But we did that. 0:41:32.440 --> 0:41:34.000 We swore that was what it was. 0:41:34.560 --> 0:41:36.640 Bathroom would have been bad. Ever, we didn't then do that. 0:41:36.880 --> 0:41:40.680 We we recorded on on d A eighty eight. I 0:41:40.719 --> 0:41:46.000 remember we got d we had the first The bed 0:41:46.120 --> 0:41:48.080 was in the like it was the bedroom, So the 0:41:48.080 --> 0:41:50.000 bed was in the room and we were like recording 0:41:50.040 --> 0:41:52.160 around it and if we get a bass player to come, 0:41:52.160 --> 0:41:53.920 they'd be sitting on the bed and I'd be standing 0:41:53.920 --> 0:41:55.880 in the closet and he'd be chill. I mean, it 0:41:55.960 --> 0:41:58.319 was like so tight. I remember. We used to sit 0:41:58.360 --> 0:42:02.840 there and and and and research all the favorite records, 0:42:02.840 --> 0:42:05.600 Like we listened to Smokey Robinson and we listened to 0:42:05.680 --> 0:42:09.600 Isaac Hayes, and we'd be listening to ROBERTA. Flack and 0:42:09.640 --> 0:42:12.840 Donnie Hathaway and we'd be like, what makes the record 0:42:13.040 --> 0:42:16.719 sound so full? Like why does their music sound so full? 0:42:16.760 --> 0:42:18.239 And like when I just put a piano and a 0:42:18.320 --> 0:42:20.160 drum and a thing, what am I missing? And we 0:42:21.120 --> 0:42:23.800 scoured it and was like, oh, there's roads in there. 0:42:24.360 --> 0:42:27.520 Oh there's you know, there's like pads in there. And 0:42:27.719 --> 0:42:31.040 it really started to teach me the process of production 0:42:31.440 --> 0:42:34.399 and what creates like those those sonics and how they 0:42:34.400 --> 0:42:37.799 go together, and especially Isaac Hayes, especially Isaac Hayes, because 0:42:37.840 --> 0:42:41.279 he was just such a unique producer, you know, one 0:42:41.360 --> 0:42:44.719 of my favorite favorite favorites. And so we did all 0:42:44.760 --> 0:42:47.520 that in the crib and then probably towards the end 0:42:48.200 --> 0:42:51.080 we would bring a few things to the studio, but barely. 0:42:51.800 --> 0:42:55.440 I remember I did the intro the Young Moonlight Sonata 0:42:55.440 --> 0:42:57.480 that I played as the intro. I did that at 0:42:57.480 --> 0:43:00.520 the studio, and other than that, everything came from thirty 0:43:00.520 --> 0:43:02.200 seventh Street. And there was a kid out on the 0:43:02.239 --> 0:43:04.879 block because I've we've been recording all types of night 0:43:05.320 --> 0:43:06.879 and they'd be a kid on the block that every 0:43:06.880 --> 0:43:08.480 time I walk down the street, he'd be like, there 0:43:08.480 --> 0:43:10.279 go hit a high note, because I know he was 0:43:10.320 --> 0:43:13.440 outside on the block every night, and I was recorded 0:43:13.480 --> 0:43:17.479 and he heard me reaching and trying to find my way, 0:43:17.600 --> 0:43:20.839 reverberating through thirty seven between Fifth and Lenox. So that 0:43:21.320 --> 0:43:23.760 is how songs in a minor came to life. 0:43:24.200 --> 0:43:27.800 What is what is your relationship with songs? I noticed 0:43:27.800 --> 0:43:32.040 that you're probably one of a handful of artists that 0:43:32.640 --> 0:43:37.279 still creates songs that are are in twelve. 0:43:36.920 --> 0:43:37.560 Eight meter. 0:43:39.640 --> 0:43:41.759 Yees six eight three four. 0:43:44.160 --> 0:43:49.800 Yeah, so you know that's that's traditionally like fifties sixties 0:43:50.360 --> 0:43:55.040 ballot mode, which is you know, original, old school. But 0:43:55.160 --> 0:43:58.560 yet you still keep that that tradition alive and that 0:43:58.560 --> 0:44:02.279 that torch alive. What is your relationship and love for that, 0:44:02.320 --> 0:44:06.439 because that's that's something that you've kept consistently on most 0:44:06.440 --> 0:44:07.680 of your albums. 0:44:08.080 --> 0:44:10.200 That's true on this one. I have one called Gramercy 0:44:10.320 --> 0:44:14.920 Park and it has continued the vibe. But it's my 0:44:15.200 --> 0:44:19.719 favorite time signature, my favorite you can play I can 0:44:19.760 --> 0:44:23.719 play right now, luck you're on piano right now. I 0:44:23.719 --> 0:44:28.520 could play anything, anything in sixth eight, and it makes 0:44:28.560 --> 0:44:31.319 me want to sing. I don't know what happened. I 0:44:31.320 --> 0:44:33.920 don't know what time. I know I was alive in 0:44:33.960 --> 0:44:37.319 the sixties and the seventies for sure, anyway, and it 0:44:37.560 --> 0:44:40.040 just sparks me. It will spark me every time. I 0:44:40.040 --> 0:44:41.759 don't have to try, I don't have to think about it. 0:44:42.000 --> 0:44:43.960 I know what to do, I know where it belongs. 0:44:44.400 --> 0:44:47.000 I don't know, it's just my perfect time signature. 0:44:47.800 --> 0:44:51.560 Also, in the beginning, when you first got your deal, 0:44:53.239 --> 0:44:58.160 at least with with with both Sony and with Jay Records, 0:44:58.400 --> 0:45:02.680 they didn't try they didn't try to sign a producer 0:45:02.719 --> 0:45:04.560 to you first, or at least like someone that they 0:45:04.560 --> 0:45:05.560 felt like, are. 0:45:05.520 --> 0:45:07.800 You kidding me? They assigned me so many damn producers. 0:45:07.840 --> 0:45:10.560 I was in the studio with so many ridiculous idiots 0:45:10.840 --> 0:45:13.680 that just you know, they had no respect for me 0:45:13.719 --> 0:45:15.560 as a young woman. You know, I was, I was, 0:45:15.640 --> 0:45:19.840 you know what, I was sixteen, what you know, sixteen. 0:45:19.880 --> 0:45:21.480 They didn't They didn't think I could play anything. They 0:45:21.480 --> 0:45:23.960 didn't think I could write anything. They you know, they 0:45:24.000 --> 0:45:26.399 figured they could do it all. They didn't even care 0:45:26.480 --> 0:45:28.920 what I thought. I didn't care what I brought, They 0:45:28.960 --> 0:45:31.200 didn't care what my you know, it was like they 0:45:31.239 --> 0:45:34.799 were whack. I remember, it was super trash. And I 0:45:34.800 --> 0:45:37.160 felt so disheartened because I would go home and I'd 0:45:37.200 --> 0:45:38.759 be like, is this what is going to be like? 0:45:38.920 --> 0:45:42.160 Because I don't feel good, you know, And I would 0:45:42.200 --> 0:45:43.680 go travel and I remember we used to go to 0:45:43.760 --> 0:45:47.600 Maryland to work with this one guy, and I used 0:45:47.640 --> 0:45:49.520 to dread it. I would be in the car, like 0:45:49.560 --> 0:45:52.640 my stomach would just be like that feeling when you 0:45:52.760 --> 0:45:56.600 just don't feel good, that stomach would always be there 0:45:56.600 --> 0:46:00.040 because I was just terrified. It didn't feel comfortable. I 0:46:00.040 --> 0:46:03.080 felt like, I don't know, I just did not feel comfortable. 0:46:03.600 --> 0:46:06.799 And so at the time, Crucial and I had been 0:46:07.120 --> 0:46:10.319 connecting and he was doing music and we you know, 0:46:10.480 --> 0:46:13.800 we we would connect about different songs and we'd always 0:46:13.840 --> 0:46:16.480 meet and have ciphers in the village and it was 0:46:16.520 --> 0:46:19.440 like a vibe and and I remember one time I 0:46:19.480 --> 0:46:21.359 was like, well, wow, we just like work on some 0:46:21.360 --> 0:46:24.560 stuff together. And and that was the time that it 0:46:24.640 --> 0:46:27.640 finally we tried some stuff and that was the first 0:46:27.640 --> 0:46:31.480 time that I actually felt like comfortable. 0:46:31.560 --> 0:46:34.520 Collaborsten to you and work for you. 0:46:34.960 --> 0:46:37.600 So was Girlfriend the first song that you and him 0:46:37.640 --> 0:46:37.960 work on? 0:46:38.080 --> 0:46:40.320 And if not, could you just tell us the story 0:46:40.360 --> 0:46:42.640 behind that song and how it came to fruition because 0:46:42.640 --> 0:46:44.279 for me, that's the most like, that's one of my 0:46:44.360 --> 0:46:47.319 top ten. Alicia Banger is consistent. You can play it 0:46:47.360 --> 0:46:48.760 and it always sounds fresh. 0:46:49.719 --> 0:46:54.760 I love that you asked me that, you know, Girlfriend 0:46:55.680 --> 0:46:59.080 hmmm is one of my favorites too, because I am 0:46:59.120 --> 0:47:02.200 a super wul tang fanatic. 0:47:03.440 --> 0:47:10.359 Yes you are wait story, yo, I nothing will describe 0:47:10.880 --> 0:47:16.200 the in a good way. The anger I felt when 0:47:17.200 --> 0:47:22.960 I heard the opening chords to the Sands song on 0:47:22.960 --> 0:47:31.520 On Here, Yo was Yo, you know, like but this 0:47:31.520 --> 0:47:34.040 this is actually a compliment for the artists, Like when 0:47:34.160 --> 0:47:37.040 when j tells the story when he first heard Who 0:47:37.120 --> 0:47:39.960 Shot You for the first time, he sitting in the 0:47:40.000 --> 0:47:42.520 car and Harlem outside the Apollo and big a placement 0:47:42.560 --> 0:47:43.160 who Shot You? 0:47:43.560 --> 0:47:44.640 And it just lit it fire. 0:47:44.719 --> 0:47:48.880 Him just asked, like, my favorite who joint that's not 0:47:48.960 --> 0:47:54.040 a hit single is the sane ods Uhang John. I thought, 0:47:54.320 --> 0:47:56.239 no one's ever going to think to bring this John back, 0:47:56.360 --> 0:47:58.719 so me and to me always talked like one now 0:47:58.760 --> 0:47:59.520 we're going to bring. 0:47:59.440 --> 0:48:05.400 Back it's so hard and you. 0:48:05.320 --> 0:48:08.360 Open man, And I heard your record the night before 0:48:08.400 --> 0:48:09.920 we did that thing in Times Square. 0:48:10.520 --> 0:48:15.759 Yes, yo, I was that whole night man. 0:48:15.880 --> 0:48:18.759 I was just it was I can't the last time 0:48:18.800 --> 0:48:21.960 I felt that, seeving jealous rage that someone got to 0:48:22.040 --> 0:48:27.440 an idea before I did. It was probably spotioly dope 0:48:27.480 --> 0:48:30.960 alicious where I wanted to do with Joran when Tarik 0:48:31.080 --> 0:48:35.439 just talked and didn't rhyme, and I was like so yes, 0:48:35.520 --> 0:48:37.160 I know you're a wu tang head. 0:48:37.560 --> 0:48:39.600 The fact that you even can pull that out and 0:48:39.640 --> 0:48:42.480 even understand that and speak on that right now is 0:48:42.960 --> 0:48:46.680 why record is that. It's on the here album, right 0:48:47.800 --> 0:48:49.880 and it's called the Gospel. 0:48:49.600 --> 0:48:51.200 Okay, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it. 0:48:51.520 --> 0:48:53.000 You're actually spitting hot fire. 0:48:53.600 --> 0:48:58.439 But even was like, oh ship, she's spitting like huh, 0:48:58.840 --> 0:49:03.960 that's probably all time Alicia Key's favorite song. Like you 0:49:04.040 --> 0:49:13.359 listen to it maybe probably five times a we're high 0:49:13.360 --> 0:49:14.160 five leaders. 0:49:16.320 --> 0:49:18.520 Fifteen year old okay, but with girlfriends. 0:49:18.480 --> 0:49:20.880 Yes, right, So you know you're right though, And so 0:49:21.160 --> 0:49:24.560 you know, at the time, I'm trying to flash back 0:49:24.600 --> 0:49:29.600 there because at the time, writing was such a beautiful 0:49:29.640 --> 0:49:32.040 new experience for me. It was like a real discovery 0:49:32.080 --> 0:49:34.960 for me, and I and and and you know, I 0:49:35.000 --> 0:49:38.719 was I was learning at light speed how to tap 0:49:38.800 --> 0:49:43.000 into these emotions. And I remember, you know, listening heavy 0:49:43.200 --> 0:49:46.600 to Mary J. Blige, heavy to Mary. I used to 0:49:46.800 --> 0:49:50.680 rip Mary melodies so frequently just so that I could 0:49:50.719 --> 0:49:55.040 like feel what it felt like to feel like her, 0:49:55.200 --> 0:49:57.000 you know what I mean, Because she was so she 0:49:57.160 --> 0:49:59.879 was so New York for me. She was my own 0:50:00.800 --> 0:50:04.480 the only girl that I could actually relate to the 0:50:04.520 --> 0:50:08.640 best Merry album right now, at least I keeps saying one. Actually, 0:50:10.000 --> 0:50:14.080 my favorite is what's the full one one remix album? 0:50:14.800 --> 0:50:16.920 The remix album not My Life. 0:50:18.800 --> 0:50:24.360 New York Life. My life is definitely my favorite. It 0:50:24.480 --> 0:50:29.360 is because it's but what's the full one remix album? 0:50:29.480 --> 0:50:32.520 Is it? You got to ride out to that tomorrow 0:50:33.000 --> 0:50:35.080 or tonight on your way home. Guess you're already home 0:50:35.400 --> 0:50:39.880 or whatever? You know? You will remember. 0:50:39.719 --> 0:50:42.040 The thing was before one one remix album was basically 0:50:42.080 --> 0:50:45.120 the dress rehearsal for My life because exactly was that 0:50:45.600 --> 0:50:47.040 just them her singing over the loops? 0:50:47.040 --> 0:50:48.600 I mean, that was That's. 0:50:48.320 --> 0:50:50.120 Pretty much what it was. Hold on, let me tell 0:50:50.120 --> 0:50:51.719 her what the girlfriend thinking is. We keep trying to 0:50:51.719 --> 0:50:53.680 say it and all right, so so I'm gonna be 0:50:53.719 --> 0:50:55.920 fast fat. So anyway, I was figuring out how to 0:50:55.920 --> 0:50:58.880 write these songs, and I did stuff like Troubles, and 0:50:58.920 --> 0:51:00.560 that was the first time that I like felt this 0:51:00.680 --> 0:51:03.120 lost emotion, and so I was starting to learn how 0:51:03.120 --> 0:51:05.239 to craft. I was starting to I worked with one 0:51:05.280 --> 0:51:08.200 guy who he's please forgive me that I can't remember 0:51:08.200 --> 0:51:09.919 the name off the top of my head, but he's 0:51:09.960 --> 0:51:12.879 the other writer on girlfriend, and he was like a 0:51:12.920 --> 0:51:15.160 really awesome songwriter. And it was the first time that 0:51:15.200 --> 0:51:17.200 I worked with because I had started getting my own 0:51:17.320 --> 0:51:19.399 skills together, and so I was starting to get more 0:51:19.400 --> 0:51:23.080 comfortable collaborating once in a while with other people, whereas 0:51:23.080 --> 0:51:24.840 originally it was just I didn't like it because they 0:51:24.840 --> 0:51:26.000 didn't understand, they didn't care. 0:51:26.239 --> 0:51:28.799 And so I collaborated, not Brian michael Cox. 0:51:28.800 --> 0:51:33.120 Not Brian michael Cox. His name was something Thompson or 0:51:33.920 --> 0:51:37.400 he was. I co wrote with him, and I really 0:51:37.400 --> 0:51:40.880 started to understand. And I had this concept of being 0:51:41.200 --> 0:51:44.520 this idea of being jealous of your girlfriend even though 0:51:44.520 --> 0:51:46.839 she's just a girl that is your friend, and it's 0:51:46.920 --> 0:51:49.880 like this feeling that you know, you know, you know, 0:51:50.000 --> 0:51:51.680 you notice she don't like you. 0:51:51.560 --> 0:51:53.480 But close. 0:51:55.200 --> 0:51:58.640 It's just so so and I remember trying to put 0:51:58.640 --> 0:52:07.400 that together. Sorry, I was just she filmed MS Thompson. 0:52:07.440 --> 0:52:10.440 By the way, sim again Joshua Thompson. 0:52:10.560 --> 0:52:15.360 Joshua Thompson, Yes, big up to Joshua Thompson. Excellent. 0:52:16.160 --> 0:52:20.480 Might be my relative and I don't know it, of course. 0:52:21.480 --> 0:52:24.800 Okay, I gotta ask you, like I've heard, I've heard 0:52:24.960 --> 0:52:29.720 stories before that you know when you're when someone's. 0:52:29.360 --> 0:52:32.280 The apple of Clive Davis's eye. 0:52:33.760 --> 0:52:38.360 You know, all the stars aligned, everything works and everything's perfect. 0:52:38.640 --> 0:52:40.360 What's it like to be in the whirlwind? 0:52:40.400 --> 0:52:43.200 I mean, you know, and I don't know the story 0:52:43.280 --> 0:52:46.840 of the beginning development at Jay Records, but you know, 0:52:47.680 --> 0:52:51.640 looking throughout history where his work with Janis Joplin, even 0:52:51.640 --> 0:52:54.080 Phil Simon, Whitney Houston. 0:52:54.080 --> 0:52:56.200 Of course it didn't work, Jimmy cozyer. 0:52:56.719 --> 0:52:57.160 I was just. 0:53:00.360 --> 0:53:00.960 Let's see. 0:53:02.280 --> 0:53:06.680 No, no, no, you know, for every for every Whitney, 0:53:06.719 --> 0:53:11.440 there's there's gqu and there's Dom Blackman, there's other artist 0:53:12.000 --> 0:53:14.279 or an Arista Records that didn't fare as well. 0:53:14.680 --> 0:53:18.400 But what is it like? Or at least were you 0:53:18.760 --> 0:53:19.719 aware of. 0:53:21.239 --> 0:53:24.600 This is a major lottery ticket for you, like the 0:53:24.600 --> 0:53:29.880 fact that probably the most powerful set of ears and 0:53:30.760 --> 0:53:34.080 businessman in the music business is now at the Helm 0:53:34.520 --> 0:53:36.759 and I'm certain he came out the gate like We're 0:53:36.760 --> 0:53:39.719 gonna make you a star overnight, Like how do you. 0:53:41.080 --> 0:53:42.080 What is what is that like? 0:53:42.760 --> 0:53:44.960 This is so de Thank you for asking me that 0:53:45.040 --> 0:53:49.000 question because I've definitely never been asked that question before. 0:53:49.120 --> 0:53:50.560 So we're not this is the stuff we. 0:53:50.560 --> 0:53:53.200 Love, right, this is why I'm loving this so basically, 0:53:53.360 --> 0:53:56.040 you know. Right. So, so I was at I was 0:53:56.040 --> 0:53:59.239 at Columbia and Michael Malden and that was my guy, 0:53:59.320 --> 0:54:01.840 and he was the head of music and it was 0:54:01.880 --> 0:54:04.719 a thing, and we started this whole project. And then 0:54:04.760 --> 0:54:08.520 as time happened, they you know, he ended up moving on. 0:54:08.840 --> 0:54:11.640 And I remember they brought the track masters in after 0:54:11.680 --> 0:54:15.759 Michael Maldon, and the track masters like totally didn't get me. 0:54:16.280 --> 0:54:20.200 They did not They was not trying to get me. 0:54:20.680 --> 0:54:23.319 And I remember like I was just like looking at them, 0:54:23.400 --> 0:54:26.120 like what what do you want me to do? I 0:54:26.200 --> 0:54:29.160 just I couldn't understand. And they just, you know, they 0:54:29.200 --> 0:54:31.160 just didn't they didn't get it. And it's all good, 0:54:31.239 --> 0:54:33.920 you know what I mean. And Donyina and all all 0:54:33.960 --> 0:54:36.200 them folks over at Columbia, they just they just missed 0:54:36.200 --> 0:54:39.000 the plot. And and so, you know, I looked at 0:54:39.080 --> 0:54:40.960 I looked at Jeff, and I was like, man, what 0:54:40.960 --> 0:54:42.680 are we going to do? Like I've been working so 0:54:43.080 --> 0:54:45.920 much on this music, and like, what are we going 0:54:46.000 --> 0:54:48.000 to do? And he was like, I got to try 0:54:48.040 --> 0:54:49.880 to get us out of here. And of course they 0:54:49.920 --> 0:54:51.720 you know, they're in the business of buying, not selling, 0:54:52.080 --> 0:54:55.000 so they weren't trying to sell me back anything, no music, 0:54:55.040 --> 0:54:57.040 no nothing, other but you don't like the shit, Why 0:54:57.040 --> 0:54:58.600 do you want it? You don't even what do you 0:54:58.600 --> 0:55:01.080 want it for? You don't like it. So that took forever. 0:55:01.400 --> 0:55:03.680 And the only reason why I got out of that 0:55:04.200 --> 0:55:08.520 was because we went to Clive. Clive, you know, got 0:55:08.520 --> 0:55:12.000 the vision and and he brought me out of my contract. 0:55:12.160 --> 0:55:15.320 You know, he really did. And I would have never 0:55:15.520 --> 0:55:18.360 been able to leave Columbia, not with my masters. 0:55:18.800 --> 0:55:21.880 They would have just left you sitting like me. 0:55:22.080 --> 0:55:26.719 They would have shoved me straight upright, called Frank maccombeer. 0:55:26.800 --> 0:55:30.000 That's what they would have done. Oh sorry, more names, right. 0:55:30.960 --> 0:55:34.279 So I was forever. I had a certain love for 0:55:34.320 --> 0:55:37.560 Clive that I could never ever express because I you know, 0:55:37.600 --> 0:55:39.759 as a young artist, I just was like he you know, 0:55:39.920 --> 0:55:43.000 he gave me this opportunity. And not only that, he 0:55:43.120 --> 0:55:44.319 was like the guy that was like, well what do 0:55:44.400 --> 0:55:47.319 you see for yourself? And how do you see your 0:55:47.360 --> 0:55:49.960 career going? And you know your your I see you 0:55:50.000 --> 0:55:52.720 as a Joni Mitchell. When he compared me to Joni Mitchell, 0:55:53.000 --> 0:55:53.480 that was it. 0:55:53.960 --> 0:55:54.239 I was. 0:55:54.280 --> 0:55:55.839 I was finished. I was like, did he just call 0:55:55.880 --> 0:55:58.560 me Jonnie Mitchell? Like this? Is. So his point was 0:55:58.880 --> 0:56:00.719 he never had to be you know, he didn't have 0:56:00.800 --> 0:56:02.680 to He didn't have to hover over me. He knew 0:56:02.719 --> 0:56:04.200 that I was an artist, you know, I created my 0:56:04.239 --> 0:56:06.440 own music. He was, He knew I was a producer, 0:56:06.520 --> 0:56:08.200 he knew I was a writer. He knew I did 0:56:08.200 --> 0:56:10.640 it all. I was a one package thing, and he 0:56:10.680 --> 0:56:16.040 was he loved it. So when times happened, and obviously 0:56:16.080 --> 0:56:19.600 he was at Arista, and then things shifted and they 0:56:19.760 --> 0:56:23.600 moved Clive out and moved la Read in. There was 0:56:23.640 --> 0:56:27.640 like a whole thing where Clive could choose like five 0:56:28.360 --> 0:56:30.600 five he could choose a certain amount of established artists 0:56:30.600 --> 0:56:32.600 and a certain amount of up and cooming artists. And 0:56:32.640 --> 0:56:34.239 I was one of the up and coming artists that 0:56:34.239 --> 0:56:37.719 he chose. But he couldn't offer any more money. La 0:56:37.840 --> 0:56:40.520 Read could ask me to, could have me stay, and 0:56:40.560 --> 0:56:43.040 he could offer me anything he wanted to offer me. 0:56:43.120 --> 0:56:46.279 So he did. And at the time, my man, it 0:56:46.360 --> 0:56:48.040 was just like, what's the thing to talk. We're not 0:56:48.040 --> 0:56:50.040 talking about nothing. Let's stay with la We good, Let's 0:56:50.040 --> 0:56:52.080 get a little extra paper, we straight what we're doing. 0:56:52.560 --> 0:56:55.480 And I was like I can't because Clive, like is 0:56:55.520 --> 0:57:00.279 the reason why I'm even able to be anywhere, you know, right, 0:57:00.440 --> 0:57:02.359 and so I was. I was so so I went 0:57:02.400 --> 0:57:07.600 with Clive, not even realizing that straight out of loyalty, 0:57:07.880 --> 0:57:10.279 not even realizing that because of the circumstance of the 0:57:10.320 --> 0:57:14.720 situation and him starting this, you know, this instant major 0:57:14.840 --> 0:57:18.640 which you remember he did with Jay, that he by 0:57:18.680 --> 0:57:22.440 me going with him, he had to win because he 0:57:22.480 --> 0:57:24.800 had to prove not knowing his story. I was a kid, 0:57:24.880 --> 0:57:27.600 I was freaking you know whatever, seventeen years old. He 0:57:27.840 --> 0:57:32.120 had to win. He had to win because they tried 0:57:32.160 --> 0:57:34.920 to doubt him. And because he had to win, he 0:57:34.960 --> 0:57:38.160 had to win with somebody, and that somebody happened to 0:57:38.240 --> 0:57:42.400 be me. But I didn't know that. I just went 0:57:42.440 --> 0:57:46.040 off of like ethics, like you know, you know, just 0:57:46.080 --> 0:57:49.320 because it's the right thing to do, and so and 0:57:49.400 --> 0:57:52.600 so I never knew how hard he went for me, 0:57:52.640 --> 0:57:55.040 which not was not only because he's one thousand percent 0:57:55.080 --> 0:57:57.720 believed in me, and he really did, but because he 0:57:57.800 --> 0:58:00.320 had It was like when he when I won one, 0:58:01.360 --> 0:58:03.120 and that's what that was, and it was a whole 0:58:03.160 --> 0:58:07.280 other animal. And nobody is like Clive. When he's focused, 0:58:08.040 --> 0:58:10.240 nobody can do what he does. 0:58:10.440 --> 0:58:15.560 So then let me ask you a year later, February 0:58:15.600 --> 0:58:20.200 of two thousand and two, when you win your your 0:58:20.360 --> 0:58:24.840 five Grammy Awards. Jesse Jeff has a similar story where 0:58:26.240 --> 0:58:29.200 you know, they had a situation with Jive Records and 0:58:29.320 --> 0:58:32.240 thought that okay, well you know, y'all, y'all washed up, 0:58:32.280 --> 0:58:36.360 y'all done, And then of course Will comes back like 0:58:36.400 --> 0:58:39.240 a monster. They let him go because they thought like, well, 0:58:39.280 --> 0:58:41.640 you know, after summertime, there's nothing left, so you're good, 0:58:42.280 --> 0:58:44.400 and then we'll be you know, And so they kind 0:58:44.400 --> 0:58:48.640 of had their their revenge moment in the elevator with. 0:58:48.600 --> 0:58:51.440 The staff of Jive Records. As you know, Will and. 0:58:51.480 --> 0:58:56.160 Jeff are are, you know, like they had words with 0:58:56.440 --> 0:58:59.200 the president and oh no hard feelings Will and everything. 0:58:59.240 --> 0:59:01.840 You know, it was like the great is feeling of revenge. 0:59:01.880 --> 0:59:04.400 I'm not saying that you know, there were any sights 0:59:04.520 --> 0:59:07.920 on Tommy or Donnie or anyone at the label, but 0:59:09.200 --> 0:59:14.400 surely they had to know shit they found up. 0:59:14.960 --> 0:59:16.040 Yeah, we done fucked up. 0:59:17.160 --> 0:59:21.040 I remember when I found out that Aretha Franklin was 0:59:21.080 --> 0:59:24.880 on Columbia Records. Remember she made all those jazz records. 0:59:24.480 --> 0:59:26.520 In Columbia, and then she had to go to Atlanta 0:59:26.520 --> 0:59:27.120 and they got. 0:59:26.960 --> 0:59:29.680 It right and they didn't get her on Columbia and 0:59:29.720 --> 0:59:33.200 I remember feeling like, see, then never get the good ship, 0:59:33.720 --> 0:59:37.280 you see? And I remember that actually felt validating to me. 0:59:37.440 --> 0:59:39.480 When I discovered that, I was like, I felt like 0:59:40.400 --> 0:59:44.760 I just it covered over any type of like feeling 0:59:44.800 --> 0:59:48.160 I might have held on to for them not understanding me. 0:59:48.840 --> 0:59:50.360 And you know, I'm like, man, because if you don't 0:59:50.360 --> 0:59:53.560 get Roretha, then you you you. I don't know what 0:59:53.640 --> 0:59:54.880 to tell you. I just don't know what. 0:59:55.520 --> 0:59:57.120 On the flip side, did you feel like you had 0:59:57.120 --> 1:00:00.479 started an amazing trend with Clive? Because I us after 1:00:00.520 --> 1:00:02.520 that and you know, we all watch what goes on 1:00:03.240 --> 1:00:05.800 at the Dinners. It's like every year there was another 1:00:05.840 --> 1:00:08.560 powerhouse female. It felt wait, I felt like it was 1:00:08.680 --> 1:00:12.760 females being announced right from like Fantasia or I feel like, 1:00:12.880 --> 1:00:13.880 was it Jennifer Hudson. 1:00:13.920 --> 1:00:15.160 It's just been consistent. 1:00:17.200 --> 1:00:18.040 It was the other girl. 1:00:18.680 --> 1:00:24.600 What was her name, Leona Lewis Lewis she was a 1:00:24.680 --> 1:00:27.040 voice too. Yeah, there's a lot of strong, strong voices 1:00:27.080 --> 1:00:27.960 for sure. 1:00:28.240 --> 1:00:30.000 Right, but you were the first the jay, first Jay 1:00:30.040 --> 1:00:30.680 records strong. 1:00:31.120 --> 1:00:31.959 Yeah, it was like. 1:00:33.640 --> 1:00:39.440 The thing is from from my from my observation, because 1:00:39.480 --> 1:00:42.680 the first album sold so much, it was still gargantuan. 1:00:44.440 --> 1:00:48.360 You did something that a lot of your contemporaries in 1:00:48.400 --> 1:00:52.439 your particular field because of course, you know, I mean 1:00:52.960 --> 1:00:57.720 it's hard to categorize an artists or whatever, but you know, 1:00:58.080 --> 1:01:04.600 you were pretty much the pinnacle of commercial success for 1:01:05.000 --> 1:01:09.760 quote unquote leftist center artists. It wasn't it wasn't like 1:01:09.800 --> 1:01:12.160 you were in you know how the bad Boy Stable 1:01:12.280 --> 1:01:18.000 or whatever. It was considered super mainstream. And you did 1:01:18.000 --> 1:01:21.479 something that no other artists in your field did, which 1:01:21.560 --> 1:01:26.320 was you had your sophomore record kind of ready and 1:01:26.520 --> 1:01:31.520 timely within a two year period, whereas this type of 1:01:31.520 --> 1:01:35.640 success could have easily been crippling. You know, everyone else 1:01:35.680 --> 1:01:39.680 takes five years, maybe a decade. One particular person is 1:01:40.160 --> 1:01:44.800 still waiting twenty two years him. 1:01:45.760 --> 1:01:47.720 Oh yeah, exactly. 1:01:48.920 --> 1:01:56.080 Right, exactly. So what in making a diary like for you? 1:01:56.320 --> 1:02:00.560 Is it even a thought of shit, what do I 1:02:00.600 --> 1:02:02.400 do now? How can I top this? 1:02:04.320 --> 1:02:07.320 You know, you know I was so yeah, I was 1:02:07.360 --> 1:02:09.800 just so itching to do new music. I remember, like, 1:02:09.880 --> 1:02:14.000 because I mean, who would have expected you know, songs 1:02:14.000 --> 1:02:16.760 in a minor to have that that that vibe. I 1:02:16.760 --> 1:02:19.960 went on my first tour. I did all these things 1:02:19.960 --> 1:02:22.200 for the first time, and and I was you know, 1:02:22.240 --> 1:02:24.400 I remember I had to sing so many cover songs 1:02:24.400 --> 1:02:30.680 because you know, I only had what the ten and so, 1:02:30.960 --> 1:02:33.880 and so I was just so ready to do new music. 1:02:33.920 --> 1:02:35.480 And it was quite a long time I didn't. I'd 1:02:35.560 --> 1:02:38.800 never been on tour before and and I've always been 1:02:38.800 --> 1:02:40.680 blessed to be a touring artist like I can. I mean, 1:02:40.720 --> 1:02:42.600 I can tour for two years. I can tour so 1:02:43.120 --> 1:02:46.959 long just because of how it flows. So it took 1:02:47.000 --> 1:02:49.480 so long to be off the road and that was 1:02:49.560 --> 1:02:51.960 totally worldwide, and that was a whole new experience for me. 1:02:52.320 --> 1:02:54.560 And so when I came back, I was just dying 1:02:54.600 --> 1:02:56.960 to be in this. I just wanted to sing new songs. 1:02:56.960 --> 1:02:59.600 I was like, please, I need to sing new songs. 1:02:59.760 --> 1:03:02.640 So I didn't. I didn't. I remember we camped out 1:03:02.640 --> 1:03:06.400 at this one place and and called Campo down downtown, 1:03:06.800 --> 1:03:08.840 and I had the little there's like a little bedroom upstairs, 1:03:08.840 --> 1:03:10.800 and we we pretty much, you know, slept there every 1:03:10.880 --> 1:03:13.040 night and just woke up. And at that that was 1:03:13.080 --> 1:03:15.440 at the beginning where you know, we we'd done the 1:03:15.600 --> 1:03:17.000 we did you know, we did you don't know my 1:03:17.320 --> 1:03:20.000 we did you know my name? Kanye came in and 1:03:20.320 --> 1:03:22.880 we created that whole thing. And you know, I remember 1:03:22.880 --> 1:03:25.000 Easy Mob came in and racked in me and I 1:03:25.080 --> 1:03:27.800 was like a dream. I was like, ooh, Easy and 1:03:27.840 --> 1:03:29.960 I was I had the soul vision of doing the 1:03:30.000 --> 1:03:33.360 warning sample over if I was your woman. It's like 1:03:33.400 --> 1:03:36.400 it was a whole thing. And and so it was 1:03:36.440 --> 1:03:37.080 Dranva Dow. 1:03:37.160 --> 1:03:39.080 Did they get is this just the album that Dranva Dow? 1:03:39.760 --> 1:03:39.960 Yeah? 1:03:40.280 --> 1:03:42.480 Yeah, yeah, Dry and Verda And that was what It 1:03:42.560 --> 1:03:47.680 was so cool because they did so simple. They did 1:03:47.760 --> 1:03:49.840 another one too, that's kind of I forget about and 1:03:49.880 --> 1:03:52.800 I'm like, oh yeah, but so simple as the one. 1:03:52.840 --> 1:03:54.920 We had such a ball that time. So I just 1:03:54.960 --> 1:04:00.440 couldn't wait. And so I definitely didn't recall being conscious 1:04:00.480 --> 1:04:03.120 about the time span. I just knew that I had to. 1:04:03.240 --> 1:04:05.880 I definitely knew It's like it'd been a minute, and 1:04:05.920 --> 1:04:08.200 I knew I was ready to sing new songs. And 1:04:08.280 --> 1:04:10.880 I knew that they were pushing me because they always 1:04:11.200 --> 1:04:15.240 pushed me to release Fourth Quarter, which I never understood 1:04:15.440 --> 1:04:16.240 until way later. 1:04:16.440 --> 1:04:18.640 It's important. It's the most important quarter, is it not. 1:04:18.760 --> 1:04:21.640 It's Christmas they would push me and push me and 1:04:21.640 --> 1:04:23.320 push me at a fourth quarter and it would drive me. 1:04:23.480 --> 1:04:26.280 I was like why. And I remember we finished the 1:04:26.320 --> 1:04:30.520 whole the whole album in France because we were touring 1:04:30.560 --> 1:04:33.640 and we were we were doing international promo before I 1:04:33.680 --> 1:04:36.840 even finished the record. And I would they were, they were, 1:04:36.840 --> 1:04:38.760 they knew when I needed to release. They were pushing it. 1:04:38.760 --> 1:04:40.480 They were like, this is when we're coming out. Good 1:04:40.560 --> 1:04:43.040 luck finished the record. You're promoing while you're finishing. And 1:04:43.080 --> 1:04:45.800 I would, I would, I was. It was the worst 1:04:45.800 --> 1:04:48.400 experience of my life, the end of the end of 1:04:48.520 --> 1:04:53.000 Diary album. I was never more tired, exhausted. I remember, 1:04:53.080 --> 1:04:55.760 I I remember I you know, I would do get 1:04:55.880 --> 1:04:58.080 up and do interviews, you know, getting ready at six, 1:04:58.160 --> 1:05:01.600 first interview at at eight, interviews from like eight to six, 1:05:02.080 --> 1:05:04.080 one hour break, jump to the studio, be at the 1:05:04.080 --> 1:05:07.800 studio from seven to one, get back home, sleep until 1:05:07.840 --> 1:05:10.360 like five. And that was like it. And I had 1:05:10.360 --> 1:05:12.680 to finish the whole record and all the stuff, and 1:05:13.000 --> 1:05:15.680 and and be promoting you don't know my name at 1:05:15.680 --> 1:05:19.240 the same time in French tune on Nick Palmer Jon 1:05:19.480 --> 1:05:24.680 or something like that. That's the way I remembered it. 1:05:24.840 --> 1:05:27.840 They taught me it in French, and remember it is tuna, 1:05:28.000 --> 1:05:32.920 corn and parmisan, which is the French translation of you 1:05:32.920 --> 1:05:34.040 don't know my name. 1:05:38.600 --> 1:05:40.320 Yo can? I don't mean a backdrive. 1:05:40.360 --> 1:05:41.880 But I always said if I got a chance to 1:05:41.880 --> 1:05:43.240 talk to you, I wanted to ask you this, especially 1:05:43.320 --> 1:05:45.400 now that a lot of time has passed. I was 1:05:45.440 --> 1:05:49.160 always curious that first album, those Grammys that are mere mentioned. 1:05:49.320 --> 1:05:52.440 I remember that time also being kind of I assumed 1:05:52.480 --> 1:05:55.240 it was a little emotional for you because I remember 1:05:55.480 --> 1:05:57.160 a kind of pit against with India. 1:05:57.240 --> 1:05:58.560 I read, right, and. 1:05:58.480 --> 1:06:01.960 I remember you know that whole right. But it's interesting 1:06:02.000 --> 1:06:04.600 because like twelve fifteen, let's act like it's ten twelve 1:06:04.640 --> 1:06:06.160 years later, right. 1:06:08.120 --> 1:06:08.280 Later? 1:06:08.360 --> 1:06:10.080 No, please, I know, but I'm like, we young, know, 1:06:10.120 --> 1:06:13.000 we're young, No, right, I just wonder if you ever 1:06:13.040 --> 1:06:13.640 think about that? 1:06:13.800 --> 1:06:16.360 Did do you think differently about how that happened and 1:06:16.400 --> 1:06:18.800 how y'all were pitted against each other like that? 1:06:18.960 --> 1:06:20.600 Like, what do do you ever think about that? 1:06:21.160 --> 1:06:21.600 You know what? 1:06:22.760 --> 1:06:24.960 You know what? That's super deep that you asked me this, 1:06:25.240 --> 1:06:31.560 and now that I am an awakened, you know, adult woman, 1:06:31.880 --> 1:06:34.200 That's why I'm asking you, know, I think that's I 1:06:34.240 --> 1:06:37.440 think thank you actually for asking me that, because I 1:06:37.520 --> 1:06:42.160 really didn't understand what was happening at the time. I 1:06:42.280 --> 1:06:44.800 was so excited for both of us. First of all, 1:06:45.400 --> 1:06:50.120 you know, Indy IRI's music is so dope, and I 1:06:50.240 --> 1:06:53.480 was I continue to be a huge fan of her 1:06:53.920 --> 1:06:57.520 energy and her style, and she always had such a 1:06:57.600 --> 1:07:01.320 presence and we crossed past all the time, all the time, 1:07:01.800 --> 1:07:03.920 and even on that Oprah show. Right, she was on 1:07:03.960 --> 1:07:04.680 that Oprah show. 1:07:04.840 --> 1:07:05.920 I forgot about that. 1:07:05.920 --> 1:07:09.400 That's right, the Oprah there was you, Jill, because I 1:07:09.440 --> 1:07:10.840 remember Jill was on that show as. 1:07:10.680 --> 1:07:14.960 Well, India Mary Mary, Oh. 1:07:14.800 --> 1:07:16.120 This is the brunch? Is this the brunch? 1:07:16.160 --> 1:07:16.360 Now? 1:07:16.560 --> 1:07:20.360 No, I had a big episode and it was Alicia 1:07:20.560 --> 1:07:24.720 Jill Scott, like she just had the black women of 1:07:24.760 --> 1:07:28.720 the moment and that like that was a very crucial 1:07:28.840 --> 1:07:32.760 moment for everyone. Like Jill's record started selling triple and. 1:07:33.640 --> 1:07:35.720 Its huge for us. It was so big for us, 1:07:35.840 --> 1:07:39.520 and I loved I loved her so much, and when 1:07:39.560 --> 1:07:42.280 we were both nominated for so many records and the Grammys, 1:07:42.320 --> 1:07:45.240 it was like, shit was amazing. I was like, yo, 1:07:45.280 --> 1:07:48.240 this is crazy, Like look, I couldn't believe it. Whoever 1:07:48.320 --> 1:07:51.840 thought ever? And I know she was super excited, and 1:07:52.560 --> 1:07:55.640 I think in a way, you know, everything is such 1:07:55.640 --> 1:07:59.680 a blur and it's all so emotional, and it's all 1:07:59.720 --> 1:08:02.600 so like you you literally feel like you're on planet 1:08:02.600 --> 1:08:04.800 Mars when you the first time you're doing something like that. 1:08:05.000 --> 1:08:07.000 I mean, there's no way to explain it, there's no 1:08:07.080 --> 1:08:11.160 way to rationalize it. It's not normal, totally crazy, and. 1:08:11.160 --> 1:08:13.840 There's a little colorism in there too, like right fast forward. 1:08:14.360 --> 1:08:16.479 I mean, I think, you know, so what I was 1:08:16.520 --> 1:08:20.680 saying was I think that the night was so unbelievable 1:08:21.080 --> 1:08:24.360 that I when I ended up walking away with five Grammys, 1:08:24.400 --> 1:08:26.679 and I think, you know, she walked away with none. 1:08:27.920 --> 1:08:32.200 It was a shock. And I never even thought about 1:08:32.200 --> 1:08:34.840 what that would feel like for her, because you know 1:08:34.840 --> 1:08:36.080 she did, I don't. I mean, I know that she 1:08:36.160 --> 1:08:39.280 definitely verbalized her her feelings, but I think mostly she 1:08:39.400 --> 1:08:41.639 was brand new, you know, you you that's you don't 1:08:41.640 --> 1:08:44.240 even know how to internalize that when that happens, especially 1:08:44.240 --> 1:08:46.680 when you've worked so hard at what you're doing. And 1:08:46.720 --> 1:08:51.400 then this this this this idea of there being colorism 1:08:51.439 --> 1:08:55.040 involved with the reason why, and and that's so much 1:08:55.280 --> 1:08:58.240 that's so layered and deep and deep. Who controls that 1:08:58.320 --> 1:09:02.519 shit and like who can It's it's like so and 1:09:02.600 --> 1:09:05.479 I think that as time has passed, you know, I 1:09:05.520 --> 1:09:09.960 often actually hear her reference that experience for her, and 1:09:10.040 --> 1:09:12.160 it was it was hard for her. It was like 1:09:12.200 --> 1:09:16.240 a real you know, it was like an emotional, difficult moment. 1:09:16.320 --> 1:09:21.559 And I really now clearly understand what she means by that. 1:09:21.880 --> 1:09:25.439 I don't think I understood the depth of that during 1:09:25.479 --> 1:09:29.400 that time. And I actually would love to connect with 1:09:29.479 --> 1:09:32.240 her just on some like I mean, whenever I see 1:09:32.240 --> 1:09:35.960 her as super love. I love all her posts. We 1:09:36.520 --> 1:09:39.479 definitely have beautiful energy and connection. It's never been like 1:09:39.520 --> 1:09:42.479 anything she's held against me personally, but I would love 1:09:42.520 --> 1:09:46.200 to just like one hundred percent, like let her know 1:09:47.000 --> 1:09:50.640 a billion percent how amazing it has been to be 1:09:50.720 --> 1:09:54.320 able to grow up in this world with her incredible music, 1:09:54.360 --> 1:09:56.240 you know, because it's been a soundtrack for me. So 1:09:56.400 --> 1:09:58.599 I would actually love to connect with her on that. 1:09:59.080 --> 1:10:01.160 I just saw some woman a woman shit. So I'm 1:10:01.240 --> 1:10:04.759 really glad that you are super good. Go you says, 1:10:05.040 --> 1:10:06.599 you know what I mean, Thanks, babe. 1:10:07.040 --> 1:10:10.400 You know something this tour, I think with this record also, 1:10:11.880 --> 1:10:15.960 I got to see the I believe you Beyonce and 1:10:16.000 --> 1:10:20.640 Missy did a tour together or whatever? What was was 1:10:20.640 --> 1:10:22.920 that your first like major stadium tour? Like did you 1:10:23.000 --> 1:10:27.080 were you doing stadiums in during the the a minor 1:10:27.120 --> 1:10:30.120 period or was this the first time? Like I want 1:10:30.120 --> 1:10:36.560 to know the difference between doing mid level theaters versus 1:10:37.840 --> 1:10:41.280 stadiums and how because I feel like the piano is 1:10:41.320 --> 1:10:44.839 such a personal kind of intimate instrument. 1:10:45.840 --> 1:10:51.080 What was it like adjusting to bigger venues? 1:10:52.160 --> 1:10:58.479 Oh man, I remember, like, wow, what an amazing tour 1:10:58.600 --> 1:11:03.120 that was, Like wow, me be and Missy like come on, 1:11:03.360 --> 1:11:06.839 what is that? Like what is that? And I remember, 1:11:07.120 --> 1:11:10.679 you know it was. It felt so good and equally 1:11:10.760 --> 1:11:14.280 terrifying because every night was kind of like whoa, what 1:11:14.280 --> 1:11:16.040 what am I supposed to do with this? And like 1:11:16.439 --> 1:11:19.080 what happens? And why are all these people here? What 1:11:19.120 --> 1:11:22.040 are all these people doing here? But it was it 1:11:22.080 --> 1:11:26.160 was way way because I am I'm truly like you 1:11:26.200 --> 1:11:29.639 see me in a theater and I will blow your 1:11:29.640 --> 1:11:32.840 brains out. Nobody can touch me when I'm in a 1:11:32.920 --> 1:11:36.040 theater space period, I saw that, I saw that tour. 1:11:36.400 --> 1:11:39.160 It is my strength. It is something that is just 1:11:39.320 --> 1:11:42.920 a place that it works for me. The piano, the 1:11:42.960 --> 1:11:44.400 conversation and intimacy. 1:11:44.400 --> 1:11:45.880 It's just dancing. 1:11:46.760 --> 1:11:51.679 It's just my world, you know. And in transitioning into 1:11:52.040 --> 1:11:56.360 transitioning into the arenas and stadiums was a huge difference 1:11:56.400 --> 1:12:00.559 because it just was way different way. So I remember 1:12:00.600 --> 1:12:02.720 it took me a while to kind of understand, and 1:12:02.760 --> 1:12:05.439 I didn't. I never had like a bunch of stuff, 1:12:05.560 --> 1:12:07.720 you know, like things falling from the. 1:12:07.680 --> 1:12:09.000 Sky, technics and stuff. 1:12:09.520 --> 1:12:11.439 Who I just I was like, here, go to the 1:12:11.439 --> 1:12:13.680 piano and hit go my band, and I'm like that 1:12:13.800 --> 1:12:16.360 was always my thing, which was totally good. But I 1:12:16.400 --> 1:12:18.280 didn't even have like killer lighting. It was like just 1:12:18.320 --> 1:12:20.920 early you don't you start now. Obviously I know how 1:12:20.960 --> 1:12:24.479 to kill a thing in my style, but it was 1:12:24.520 --> 1:12:26.680 a whole new world and I probably felt like I 1:12:26.720 --> 1:12:27.840 was drowning a little bit. 1:12:28.120 --> 1:12:30.519 Meanwhile, I'm still mad we didn't get service that Beyonce 1:12:30.640 --> 1:12:32.559 record that y'all did together the way we should have. 1:12:32.600 --> 1:12:33.599 I feel like it was like you're. 1:12:33.520 --> 1:12:37.360 Right, you know, you know you're right, and it's just 1:12:37.560 --> 1:12:39.800 I just wanted just form of those things. I know. 1:12:39.880 --> 1:12:43.280 It was so sick. It was so I actually wish 1:12:43.320 --> 1:12:44.640 I could just find it so I could show her 1:12:44.680 --> 1:12:45.800 now and be like, why don't we just put this 1:12:45.840 --> 1:12:47.320 out now? Because it's like who cares? 1:12:47.360 --> 1:12:47.519 Now? 1:12:48.000 --> 1:12:49.519 It goes with you know, black. 1:12:49.360 --> 1:12:51.920 Is coming, like who cares? Now, let's just do it? 1:12:52.080 --> 1:12:53.920 So I might need to try it, honestly, I have 1:12:53.960 --> 1:12:57.240 to actually see if I can find that thing's crazy? 1:12:57.400 --> 1:12:59.599 That was a vibe though, that was that was the something. 1:12:59.680 --> 1:13:01.720 I can go through your entire discography, but I do 1:13:01.800 --> 1:13:04.599 want to jump to your newest album. 1:13:04.640 --> 1:13:06.120 What are you still learning? 1:13:06.160 --> 1:13:10.640 Things like what while you're making records now? Are you 1:13:10.800 --> 1:13:13.960 at a place where it's now just not coasting? And 1:13:14.200 --> 1:13:17.439 I know that coasting sounds like a lazy term or whatever, 1:13:17.520 --> 1:13:22.080 but you know, I also believe that, well, if something works, 1:13:22.080 --> 1:13:24.880 and don't mess with it too much, But like, what 1:13:25.040 --> 1:13:30.040 else can you What else can you learn that you're 1:13:30.080 --> 1:13:33.000 going to bring to the Alisha record that you haven't 1:13:33.000 --> 1:13:35.880 done before, or you one of these artists that you know, 1:13:35.960 --> 1:13:37.960 get out of my comfort zone and try something I 1:13:38.240 --> 1:13:41.719 never tried before, or just an evolution. 1:13:42.360 --> 1:13:47.520 I am always always learning, like always, I am always 1:13:48.240 --> 1:13:52.920 uncertain of what I'm going to create always, and I 1:13:52.960 --> 1:13:55.600 never want to know. I never I never want to 1:13:55.640 --> 1:13:57.120 get to that place where I say, oh, I know 1:13:57.160 --> 1:13:59.479 what I do. I add this thing, and you know, 1:13:59.479 --> 1:14:00.800 then if I put this and I add a hook, 1:14:00.840 --> 1:14:02.240 like this is gonna be us, It's gonna be normal's 1:14:02.240 --> 1:14:04.240 gonna be then let's go. I don't want it to 1:14:04.280 --> 1:14:07.200 be formulaic. Ever. I never want to feel like I 1:14:07.240 --> 1:14:09.000 know how to write. Every time I get in the studio, 1:14:09.040 --> 1:14:10.439 I'm like, how do I write a song? Again, like, 1:14:10.479 --> 1:14:12.800 how do I write a song? And what kind of 1:14:12.800 --> 1:14:15.760 song am I gonna actally? Every time? And I love 1:14:15.840 --> 1:14:18.880 that feeling because I always want the magic, and that's 1:14:18.920 --> 1:14:21.120 what we're chasing, right, That's what we're chasing, that like 1:14:21.640 --> 1:14:24.959 thing that we never knew would come. And I always 1:14:25.040 --> 1:14:27.679 want to feel that. So for me, I'm always learning. 1:14:27.920 --> 1:14:30.400 I never exactly have a formula. I never know exactly 1:14:30.400 --> 1:14:33.000 what I'm gonna do. I'm always trying something new in 1:14:33.000 --> 1:14:35.760 this particular album for Lesia, I'm always learning something new 1:14:35.760 --> 1:14:38.920 about myself. It's been a very deep self discovery for 1:14:39.000 --> 1:14:41.320 me in these past two three years and really like 1:14:41.360 --> 1:14:45.360 getting to know and be comfortable purely clearly in my skin, 1:14:45.880 --> 1:14:48.200 in the different sides of me, not trying to be 1:14:48.400 --> 1:14:52.400 something and no, here's me. This is what that sounds like, 1:14:52.439 --> 1:14:55.599 Here's me, that's that side of me. Here's vulnerable. I'm 1:14:55.640 --> 1:14:58.719 cool being vulnerable. Here's angry, pissed off heated, I'm cool 1:14:58.720 --> 1:15:01.559 being angry, pissed off, E said the press down blue. 1:15:01.760 --> 1:15:05.840 I'm cool being that. It's like I finally feel comfortable 1:15:05.960 --> 1:15:08.360 just being how I am without trying to fix it 1:15:08.400 --> 1:15:10.519 and change it or whatever. So for the first time, 1:15:10.520 --> 1:15:13.800 you're getting the officially uncut real me because I'm able 1:15:13.840 --> 1:15:16.040 to be that. And if there's one thing that I 1:15:16.120 --> 1:15:18.640 learned this time that I'm actually gonna take them to 1:15:18.680 --> 1:15:20.960 my next project, which is already three quarters of the 1:15:20.960 --> 1:15:23.720 way done, and you're gonna go bananas. I can't wait 1:15:23.760 --> 1:15:27.800 for you to. This next one is bananas. Is never 1:15:27.920 --> 1:15:32.280 to forget to be alone with myself. Because on my 1:15:32.479 --> 1:15:36.840 very very first Alisha of songs in a Minor, I 1:15:37.000 --> 1:15:39.759 was a lot alone, very much alone. I rolled alone 1:15:39.800 --> 1:15:42.559 all the time. Besides crucial, that was kind of it. 1:15:42.560 --> 1:15:45.160 It was my thing, my world. And over time I've 1:15:45.200 --> 1:15:47.760 gotten used to collaborating with people and it's been fun 1:15:47.760 --> 1:15:50.439 because I can create different sonics and places and sounds, 1:15:50.439 --> 1:15:52.759 and it's like feels less lonely and it's just a world. 1:15:53.240 --> 1:15:56.240 But when I'm by myself, and I reminded that when 1:15:56.280 --> 1:15:59.880 I wrap this Alisha album, when I'm by myself, it 1:16:00.680 --> 1:16:04.720 brings out something that I have to always cultivate. And 1:16:04.760 --> 1:16:08.920 that was my most most recent reminder slash lesson and 1:16:08.960 --> 1:16:11.640 what I will you know, be taken forth through this 1:16:11.760 --> 1:16:13.519 next project that I can't wait to be on the 1:16:13.560 --> 1:16:14.880 show again talking to you. 1:16:14.840 --> 1:16:17.639 About promise because we got more to talk about. 1:16:17.800 --> 1:16:20.200 Can I ask one last question before we were out? 1:16:20.360 --> 1:16:26.240 Yes, okay, So I gotta say, probably one of the 1:16:26.240 --> 1:16:28.080 most impressive things that I've seen you do. 1:16:28.600 --> 1:16:28.960 Okay. 1:16:29.040 --> 1:16:31.720 So I was there this year at the at the 1:16:31.760 --> 1:16:37.120 Grammy Awards, and because we were playing with Garrett Clark Junior, 1:16:37.240 --> 1:16:39.320 so you know, I was pretty much there throughout the 1:16:39.400 --> 1:16:42.760 duration of the rehearsals and sit in the background and 1:16:42.840 --> 1:16:45.200 you know, watching you camera block and all these things 1:16:45.200 --> 1:16:51.280 and prepare for it, and then of course, uh uh 1:16:51.479 --> 1:17:00.600 Kobe passes away, which totally changes uh every absolutely the 1:17:01.520 --> 1:17:06.760 entire just it's a paradigm shift like no other. And 1:17:07.479 --> 1:17:11.800 you know, the the last time I saw them in 1:17:11.840 --> 1:17:15.280 a moment of panic was kind of I guess in 1:17:16.080 --> 1:17:18.639 what two thousand and seven, two thousand and six, when 1:17:20.560 --> 1:17:24.559 the quote unquote Rihanna situation happened and they had to 1:17:24.640 --> 1:17:28.960 readjust with like three hours left and they had to 1:17:29.040 --> 1:17:34.400 really readjust the show. I gotta say, man, that was 1:17:35.600 --> 1:17:38.040 like I wouldn't have been able to pull that off 1:17:38.880 --> 1:17:42.320 how you handled it, And it was a thing where 1:17:42.400 --> 1:17:44.680 you kind of had to wing it a little bit 1:17:44.800 --> 1:17:48.000 and readjust it for the show. And I you know, 1:17:48.680 --> 1:17:51.280 some people are good under like come to your head 1:17:51.600 --> 1:17:55.519 pressure and that Jordan game six, this shot better go 1:17:55.560 --> 1:17:59.200 in the basket moment. But I've like I was out 1:17:59.240 --> 1:18:02.439 of everything at night. I was really impressed with. 1:18:04.120 --> 1:18:04.759 How you. 1:18:06.200 --> 1:18:09.519 Hosted the show and how you handled the words for 1:18:09.640 --> 1:18:12.960 Kobe and didn't let it rattle you or whatever. 1:18:13.080 --> 1:18:16.000 Like you did it with a very very smooth with the. 1:18:15.920 --> 1:18:18.160 Strength of fifty black women on your shoulders. That's how 1:18:18.200 --> 1:18:21.679 you did it. You know, woman doing what she does. 1:18:22.600 --> 1:18:22.880 Come on. 1:18:23.080 --> 1:18:28.479 So yeah, like what when you got the news that 1:18:28.479 --> 1:18:32.080 that happened and I'm certain that you know there was 1:18:32.840 --> 1:18:38.040 five hours left before showtime, Like what what was running 1:18:38.080 --> 1:18:40.479 through your like what pressure was running through your mind 1:18:40.520 --> 1:18:42.920 that we now have to readjust the show? Like you 1:18:42.960 --> 1:18:45.880 did something with boised men with a quick that's so funny. 1:18:45.880 --> 1:18:50.080 Boys to Men was also used for the quote Rihanna period, 1:18:50.880 --> 1:18:55.200 Oh my god, no literally literally they were kN kN 1:18:56.040 --> 1:18:58.519 was running in the audit because they that was the 1:18:58.600 --> 1:19:01.880 year they decided to like double up on performances. So 1:19:02.000 --> 1:19:05.000 between Rihanna and Chris, there were like five performances that 1:19:05.160 --> 1:19:08.439 no longer existed and they needed to fill time, and 1:19:08.520 --> 1:19:10.519 so they were just running in the audience like. 1:19:10.439 --> 1:19:12.680 Oh no, no, no, Al Green, Steve, like Stevie, one of the. 1:19:12.760 --> 1:19:15.040 Jonas brothers, can Y'll do super And they were just 1:19:15.200 --> 1:19:18.439 running in the audience, grabbing people, learning songs with like 1:19:19.040 --> 1:19:22.920 hours left, which was really like seconds left. So I 1:19:23.120 --> 1:19:27.320 know that, like what was going through your mind that 1:19:27.439 --> 1:19:29.720 I now have to rise to the moment and be 1:19:29.840 --> 1:19:32.920 the words of comfort for grieving nation. 1:19:33.720 --> 1:19:38.800 I can't even tell you how crazy the whole experience 1:19:39.000 --> 1:19:43.439 was before it even became the gravitized that it did 1:19:43.640 --> 1:19:46.200 when with Kobe's and gig and. 1:19:46.400 --> 1:19:49.360 Yeah, so like that on top of what I was 1:19:49.400 --> 1:19:51.280 seeing you go through already. 1:19:51.520 --> 1:19:53.600 No, So what I mean is, and I'm bringing that 1:19:53.720 --> 1:19:57.920 up because the crazy thing is, you know, planning for 1:19:58.240 --> 1:20:00.760 that particular thing and this was my se and time back, 1:20:00.800 --> 1:20:02.720 and you know, I was extra in my head, like 1:20:02.960 --> 1:20:05.040 I kind of killed it the first time. I'm going 1:20:05.080 --> 1:20:07.920 to really have to figure out like what I'm gonna do. 1:20:08.040 --> 1:20:09.880 And I was like, am I crazy for saying yes? 1:20:10.080 --> 1:20:14.400 Who would say yes and compete against themselves? Dude? What 1:20:14.439 --> 1:20:16.960 type of idiot move was that? So by the time 1:20:17.080 --> 1:20:20.080 it was close to actually doing it, way before this news, 1:20:20.240 --> 1:20:24.080 I was already like just trying to crack the code 1:20:24.120 --> 1:20:28.480 because everything that I had planned for for my performance 1:20:28.479 --> 1:20:34.519 and for hosting nothing came through. Every artist that I 1:20:34.560 --> 1:20:37.800 reached out to, every particular big idea that I had, 1:20:38.479 --> 1:20:42.479 even those that said yes, slowly dropped out, and I 1:20:42.520 --> 1:20:47.240 could not figure what was happening. I was like, please, Universe, 1:20:47.960 --> 1:20:50.360 what do you want from me? What is happening? I'm 1:20:50.960 --> 1:20:53.040 you asking me to step into this moment, you asking 1:20:53.080 --> 1:20:56.400 me to be great, but I can't lock anything in. 1:20:56.600 --> 1:20:59.880 Why what is the matter? And so I finally had 1:20:59.880 --> 1:21:02.800 to this moment with myself and I was like, Okay, Alicia, look, 1:21:03.439 --> 1:21:05.720 it's it's you. You. You don't have to depend on 1:21:05.720 --> 1:21:08.240 anybody else. You you don't need this and that and 1:21:08.240 --> 1:21:10.960 that person that person to be great. You are you 1:21:11.200 --> 1:21:17.240 are you, and you can do it by yourself. Your Yeah, 1:21:17.360 --> 1:21:19.800 you're enough, So go out there and just be great 1:21:19.880 --> 1:21:22.680 and stop. And so I was like, okay, all right. 1:21:22.760 --> 1:21:26.160 I tried to get the things, and the things okay, boom. 1:21:26.200 --> 1:21:28.320 So we're working through everything, got all the pieces, put 1:21:28.320 --> 1:21:30.519 it all together, had on the thing, had an entrance, 1:21:30.560 --> 1:21:33.280 how the whole thing. And I was already dressed because 1:21:33.280 --> 1:21:35.360 we planned to be dressed for run through, because I 1:21:35.400 --> 1:21:38.160 had maybe an hour an hour before the show starts, 1:21:38.160 --> 1:21:41.320 so that I could be dressed quick, touch up, meditate, cool, 1:21:41.360 --> 1:21:44.800 get myself together, be ready to kill. It had to 1:21:44.840 --> 1:21:47.040 be it had to be thirty minutes before the end 1:21:47.040 --> 1:21:48.680 of the show, which gave me one hour and a 1:21:48.720 --> 1:21:52.960 half max. Before showtime. Truly, I mean it was like 1:21:53.120 --> 1:21:56.799 that close and Ken I remember I saw them shuffling 1:21:56.800 --> 1:21:58.680 in the corner and I was like, what's going on 1:21:58.720 --> 1:22:00.000 And he was like, a Lisha, I really have to 1:22:00.000 --> 1:22:01.080 talk to you. And I said, what's going on? 1:22:01.360 --> 1:22:02.519 Oh, you didn't even know? 1:22:02.880 --> 1:22:05.880 And it was backstage that I was like halfway between 1:22:05.920 --> 1:22:09.320 one thing and the other and he was like Kobe, 1:22:09.600 --> 1:22:12.320 and I was like what and he was like and 1:22:12.360 --> 1:22:12.599 I was. 1:22:12.520 --> 1:22:15.559 Like what how much time before show time? 1:22:16.240 --> 1:22:20.240 An hour and a half and I was and I 1:22:20.360 --> 1:22:21.880 wasn't like what because it was an hour and a half. 1:22:21.960 --> 1:22:26.400 I was like what because what Kobe No Way? Never 1:22:26.520 --> 1:22:30.280 not Kobe no Way, of course, And I remember causin 1:22:30.400 --> 1:22:34.479 Swiss called me and he's like, Babe, what's going on? 1:22:34.560 --> 1:22:36.200 And I was like, oh my god, I just got 1:22:36.200 --> 1:22:37.719 the news. He was like, I need to know what's happening. 1:22:37.720 --> 1:22:41.280 And I was like I don't. I don't know. I 1:22:41.320 --> 1:22:42.920 need to know what you're doing. I was like I 1:22:42.920 --> 1:22:45.280 don't know what I'm doing. He was like, you don't understand, babe. 1:22:45.880 --> 1:22:50.120 People are out here hurting. You can't be up there 1:22:50.120 --> 1:22:52.920 at some fucking Grammys like this is Kobe. And I 1:22:52.960 --> 1:22:55.160 was like I know, I don't. I was like I 1:22:55.200 --> 1:22:57.719 don't know. He was like I need us talk about 1:22:57.760 --> 1:22:59.640 this and this has to be right, and I was 1:22:59.680 --> 1:23:02.760 like I know, and I was just like whoa. I 1:23:02.800 --> 1:23:05.439 was just trying to catch the But it dawned on 1:23:05.520 --> 1:23:12.720 me in that moment. That's why nothing worked, because I 1:23:13.000 --> 1:23:18.120 was supposed to be ready for that, and so when 1:23:18.200 --> 1:23:24.120 that landed on me, I was like oh, and I 1:23:24.160 --> 1:23:29.240 felt like a different type of calm that I didn't 1:23:29.280 --> 1:23:32.639 even know that I had, because I realized all this anxiety, 1:23:32.720 --> 1:23:35.200 all this pressure, all of this feeling like I wasn't enough, 1:23:35.280 --> 1:23:38.759 all of this whatever it meant nothing. All I needed 1:23:38.800 --> 1:23:42.679 to do was show up for us because I needed 1:23:42.680 --> 1:23:44.760 it just as bad as everyone else needed I didn't 1:23:44.760 --> 1:23:46.400 know what. I just like, shit, what do we do 1:23:46.479 --> 1:23:48.679 with this? And what if it was me and my son? 1:23:48.800 --> 1:23:51.960 And what happens with House Vanessa? And what must I feel? 1:23:52.000 --> 1:23:55.840 I was like I couldn't even fathom. And so I 1:23:55.880 --> 1:23:58.880 remember the whole team came backstage and was like, I 1:23:58.920 --> 1:24:00.240 was like, what are we going to do? And they 1:24:00.240 --> 1:24:04.920 were like, and A call Swiss and I'm like, okay, 1:24:04.960 --> 1:24:06.559 we could maybe. He was like, you gotta sing something. 1:24:06.560 --> 1:24:08.920 I was like, I gotta sing something. What could I h? 1:24:09.400 --> 1:24:12.759 Can I sing? Maybe I could sing Eyes on a Sparrow? 1:24:12.920 --> 1:24:15.840 I was like, what could I sing? Let me think? 1:24:15.920 --> 1:24:18.720 Let me think? And then I remember seeing Boys to 1:24:18.800 --> 1:24:24.320 Men with Tyler the Creator and I remember Omar one 1:24:24.320 --> 1:24:26.680 of my MD's. He was like, it's so hard to 1:24:26.720 --> 1:24:29.840 say goodbye. I said, Oh, Boys to Men is here. 1:24:30.560 --> 1:24:32.720 I was like, can we can they come? Would they 1:24:32.720 --> 1:24:34.360 be willing to do it, we should do it. And 1:24:34.400 --> 1:24:35.760 they came to my room and we were like on 1:24:35.800 --> 1:24:37.760 the piano, and I was like, key key key, or 1:24:37.800 --> 1:24:40.240 should we do key key? And I and I started 1:24:40.240 --> 1:24:42.040 to think about what the words were. And I had 1:24:42.080 --> 1:24:44.240 been working on the scripts of what I was saying anyway, 1:24:44.520 --> 1:24:47.160 so we, you know, we quickly pivoted about like what 1:24:47.200 --> 1:24:50.559 did it feel like in that moment? And that was 1:24:50.600 --> 1:24:53.879 it and we had to go. And I just remember 1:24:53.920 --> 1:24:56.639 that I walked it that stage and I felt so clear, 1:24:57.040 --> 1:25:00.680 I mean so clear about what I was there for 1:25:01.880 --> 1:25:04.720 and and that and then that was that was that. 1:25:04.760 --> 1:25:07.160 But honestly, it's you know, it was divinity, and it 1:25:07.200 --> 1:25:09.200 was God and it was you know, God holding me 1:25:09.200 --> 1:25:11.559 and protecting and just the way that it was however 1:25:11.560 --> 1:25:13.040 it is supposed to be that I never would have 1:25:13.080 --> 1:25:15.880 imagined in my life. But whoa, I. 1:25:15.840 --> 1:25:21.799 Mean, yeah, I recognized that moment and was really beyond 1:25:22.520 --> 1:25:24.760 impressed with how you handled. 1:25:24.360 --> 1:25:26.599 That because so the people at home, we knew nobody 1:25:26.600 --> 1:25:28.000 could do it better than you. I don't know who 1:25:28.000 --> 1:25:29.400 else to have done it like that and made it 1:25:29.439 --> 1:25:31.439 seem since here and not scripted, to be honest. 1:25:31.479 --> 1:25:33.720 So no, I mean, we all meant it. We were 1:25:33.720 --> 1:25:40.840 all like still mourning man, So thank you for so 1:25:40.880 --> 1:25:45.040 thank you for that. And and I loved this interview, guys. 1:25:45.120 --> 1:25:47.559 I love it. I know everybody probably come on tell 1:25:47.560 --> 1:25:49.360 them tell you how much they love you. But this 1:25:49.479 --> 1:25:51.800 is so good. I love it. 1:25:52.040 --> 1:25:55.400 This, This is nerd paradise like our Jimmy jam episode 1:25:55.400 --> 1:25:56.960 is damnling near seven hours. 1:25:57.080 --> 1:25:59.840 So yeah, that's believe. If it wasn't nobody on the line, 1:25:59.880 --> 1:26:00.920 we be holding you all along. 1:26:04.120 --> 1:26:04.960 Thank you for doing this. 1:26:05.000 --> 1:26:07.160 And of course you know we'll have you on the 1:26:07.160 --> 1:26:08.760 show again so we can nerd out some more. 1:26:09.439 --> 1:26:12.759 I can't wait. Man, y'all, thank you. You're so blessed, 1:26:12.760 --> 1:26:15.400 You're so beautiful, you're so amazing all of y'all quests. 1:26:15.600 --> 1:26:18.240 I'm a super fan. Man. You are very very very 1:26:18.439 --> 1:26:20.639 very important to us and to me. 1:26:20.640 --> 1:26:21.080 Thank you. 1:26:21.120 --> 1:26:26.479 And I will I will text you guys, row Yes, 1:26:26.600 --> 1:26:29.280 I will. I'll text it to you after meditation playlist. 1:26:29.920 --> 1:26:31.840 I will meditation please. 1:26:31.960 --> 1:26:34.519 All right, thank you, Steve. I wish you talked more 1:26:34.880 --> 1:26:35.960 because I'm interested in. 1:26:38.040 --> 1:26:40.360 Alisa Keys, ladies and gentlemen. My name is quest Love 1:26:40.600 --> 1:26:43.040 be after Team Supreme. Like fan take a little sugar 1:26:43.080 --> 1:26:45.640 Steve and I Hate Phil. We will see you on 1:26:45.720 --> 1:26:46.439 the next proround. 1:26:46.520 --> 1:26:47.240 Thank you very much. 1:26:56.760 --> 1:27:02.280 What's Love Supreme is a production of iHeart Radio. For 1:27:02.400 --> 1:27:06.960 more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 1:27:07.040 --> 1:27:08.759 or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.