WEBVTT - QLS Classic: Kwamé (Part 2) 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:04.240 Cost Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. This classic 0:00:04.280 --> 0:00:09.879 episode was produced by the team at Pandora. Ladies and gentlemen, 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:15.040 welcome to Part two of Kwame's interview on QLs Classic 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:19.320 in October twenty eighteen. He went through so many stories 0:00:19.320 --> 0:00:20.520 about his. 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:24.840 Childhood and growing up in his father's house and working 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:28.040 with Herbie Lovebug and you know, Atlantic Records, and. 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:33.120 That whole connection with Philly rappers and. 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:35.720 Also the idol makers with Salt and Pepper and Kid 0:00:35.760 --> 0:00:37.840 and Play and all that stuff. You know, so much 0:00:38.680 --> 0:00:41.320 crazy buked out stories. Hope you enjoy Part two of 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.720 QLs Classic and Kwamedy. 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:58.520 Previously on West Loves Supreme, the legendary Kwame talks about 0:00:58.800 --> 0:01:03.440 growing up in Queens, discovered hip hop and rising and 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:07.440 touring with the likes of Sony Pepper, can't play n. 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:11.160 W w A, all that get stuck and uh when. 0:01:11.959 --> 0:01:13.600 You know I'm going to get into that lead thing 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:16.959 as well. So here's part two. Of course, Love Supreme 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:29.720 wouldn't okay, So I the one important aspect of your 0:01:29.720 --> 0:01:33.800 career that we've yet to get into, which is very 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:37.360 vital to your career, is your sense of style and 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:42.600 what you brought to it polka dots, the you know, 0:01:42.680 --> 0:01:46.559 two tuned hair, the crazy haircuts, and and the kind 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:49.400 of the GQ dressing like. 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:50.560 You were Urban Outfitters. 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:51.160 I couldn't get. 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:53.000 I couldn't get that I had a polka dot shirt. 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:55.320 Mama will let me get the diamond, she would She 0:01:55.320 --> 0:01:55.720 wouldn't go. 0:01:56.520 --> 0:01:58.520 Poka shirt, wouldn't let me get the poke shirt. 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.880 Me and to Rika brothers like we basically would just 0:02:03.000 --> 0:02:07.560 share three shirts like I had. I had the Urban 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:08.760 Outfitters love shirt. 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:09.520 Urban Outfitters. 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:10.200 She was doing it. 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:14.040 Yeah, Urban outfit was Me and Toric would share that shirt, 0:02:14.919 --> 0:02:19.320 the preppie Benetton, the Coca Cola sweaters and all that stuff. Like, So, 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:21.520 I mean your style was definitely it was it was. 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:27.880 It was preppy and kind of progressive hip like, it 0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:31.600 wasn't street, you know, it wasn't dapper Danish. So what 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:36.760 made you in the era where Dapper Dan was running 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:39.840 ship and track suits and you know even with Philly, 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:43.080 like with Alpianas and you know, the drug dealer looked 0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:47.799 like what made you like, Okay, I'm gonna go with this, Like. 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:48.519 I think. 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:57.600 Because of my influences and because of parental guidance. Actually, 0:02:58.240 --> 0:02:59.760 you know, like one of the biggest fights that I 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:02.720 ever got into what my father was the fact that 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:07.200 I went and I had a job at a sea 0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:10.200 town actually, and saved up my money and bought this 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:14.960 fake fat rope, a sick giant fat rope, and my godfather, 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:19.000 who was a cop, confiscated a beeper and gave it 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:21.880 to me. So I had the beeper and the fat rope, 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:26.440 and my father came downstairs and and that was just 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:29.600 my rapper costume. And my father came into my room, 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:32.400 I guess to get laundry or whatever he did, and 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:34.680 he saw the fat rope and the beeper and he 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:37.680 threw him out. So when I came home like it 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:39.360 was my fat rope, it was my beeper. I'm about 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:40.720 to go to this party. I gotta look like me 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:44.000 and my pops, Like, you're not wearing that shit outside. 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.160 You're not gonna, you know, look like a drug dealer. 0:03:47.360 --> 0:03:48.800 You know, on my watch, you're not doing that. 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:51.120 No, but that's what I gotta do. That's that's me. 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:52.560 That's that's that's I'm a rapper. 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:55.119 Said, no, you're look an idiot, you know, like that's 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:57.360 not even you you're not. You're not from that you 0:03:57.440 --> 0:03:59.800 wear you like to wear suits, you don't even wear 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:02.960 you like to wear shoes. You asked me for money 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:05.080 to buy you know. I definitely was into balleys and 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:06.680 wingtips and all this stuff. 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:07.920 What are you doing? 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:08.720 You know? 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:13.200 And and we got into this knockdown, drag out fight, 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:15.920 you know, like almost physical, like my pops had to 0:04:16.000 --> 0:04:18.880 like grip me up because I was popping so much shit, 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:21.040 like you don't go in my room, touch my shit, 0:04:21.080 --> 0:04:21.800 you shit. 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:23.720 Boom, you know what I'm saying. 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:26.120 It was like it was one of those. 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:29.039 Things, and it was almost like a wake up call 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:30.560 because then I sat there and I was like, you know, 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:37.240 I cannot afford that a dat. I don't like to 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:39.600 be fake in any way, shape or form. So I'm 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:44.360 walking around with this orange, yellow and white looking chain 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:48.240 that's been turning like the earth, and it's like, you know, 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:52.600 the beeper don't work. You can't put the four one 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:54.919 one on the nine one one in me, So like 0:04:56.839 --> 0:05:00.640 what it's not, It's not me, you know. And and 0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:03.880 I like to dress up. But then at the same 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:08.960 time I know that I'm not I'm a different kid. 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:13.160 I'm just I'm different, and I don't have a problem 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:17.440 with expressing that there is a side of me that 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:19.600 does like some of the hip hop things. So like 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:21.960 if you look at like, for example, my first album, 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:23.920 Covered Boy Genius, I'm sitting there, I have on a 0:05:24.480 --> 0:05:29.919 prepping Mickey Mouse shirt, you know, but I do have 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:33.360 a sick cable tucked in the shirt. But and it 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:35.640 was a real one. But that was like saying that, Okay, 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:39.799 look I can go here, but I choose to go there, 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:43.680 and you know, I had my nerd Wayfair glasses on, 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:48.440 and it wasn't necessarily a gimmick at all. It was 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:53.240 just saying that, look, man, I got to set myself apart. 0:05:53.480 --> 0:05:56.239 Now. The Polkadots came in three things. 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:57.800 One, I was like, I said, I was a super 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:00.520 big Prince fan, and Prince used to rock these on 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:03.200 the Love Sexy tour in eighty seven and I just 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:05.120 thought it was cool. And I used to love the 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:10.119 Mad House album covered with the chick with the polka 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:12.760 dot skirt on it, and I just wanted her to 0:06:12.800 --> 0:06:17.640 be my wife, man, I just like, I know, I wanted. 0:06:19.560 --> 0:06:24.359 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I was always seeing it. 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:29.800 So so I was like, you know, she can be 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:32.599 my girlfriend, and I can just you know, but I 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:35.040 can hip hop these like polka dots out a little bit. 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:38.359 But then I'm like an overthinker. So I'm like, you know, 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:41.320 anytime I look at I'm a heavy comic book guy. 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:43.560 So like anytime somebody has like on polka dots, he's 0:06:43.560 --> 0:06:47.960 either the nerd or the clown or just the weird guy. 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:53.120 So I think I'm gonna I like that. And like 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:55.960 how you said you would share with with Tarik, I 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:58.640 just had one Polkada shirt I swear, and I used 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:01.640 that like five different ways. Was the shirt on my 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:05.560 back of the album cover, same shirt. It was white 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:08.599 with black dots, and I was like, I can find 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:10.960 so many ways to match black and white. 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:13.400 Yeah, my pokagont shirt was black with white dots. 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:16.320 Yeah, So I just had my my white shirt black dots. 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:19.240 I had a black tie with white dots, so if 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:20.800 I had the shirt in that tie, I could just 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:22.480 go crazy with the black and white and not spend 0:07:22.520 --> 0:07:25.680 any money. And then in the video it was my pajamas, 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:28.640 and then on stage it was you know, my my 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.559 stage stuff. But it never went really past the first 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:34.400 album cover and then the video until I did my 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:38.160 first show and everybody in the audience had on Polka 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:41.119 dots and streaks in it here, and so I was like, Okay, 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:43.120 somebody threw a joke on me, blah blah blah, and 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:45.600 everywhere I would go, man, it was your Polka dots. 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:49.400 And also I would never shop at normal stores. 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:49.880 I was shot. 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:52.600 There was a store in the village called Reminiscence, and 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:57.960 Reminiscence only did repro fifties clothes. So I bought all 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:01.040 my Polka dot ties from Reminiscence, all my Pokodat shirts. 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:08.680 Everything I wore were reproduction fifties outfits. And then whatever 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:11.080 thrift store I would find whatever, I would get everything 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:15.800 from thrift stores and not spend. I was not chasing Gucci, 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:20.280 I wasn't chasing Louis Vatano, Dappa Dan, and that just 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:22.160 that was it. I was like, I'm not going to 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:26.280 do that. I see I can buy NPC sixty instead 0:08:26.280 --> 0:08:28.520 of a fat chain. I can buy a SP twelve 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:34.320 hundred instead of a two finger ring. And that's where 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:36.040 it just all snowball from me. 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:38.320 How did you sign? Who signed you to your first 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:39.280 deal to Atlantic? 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:45.319 So so Herbie Lovebug went to Sylvia Ron and so 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:47.760 I got this kid act blah blah blah, and he, 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:51.280 you know, the deal was met based on the fact 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:53.560 that he was going to produce me, but Herbie was 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:57.080 just so busy. Most of the album was already done. 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:01.000 I'd like, saved up my money. And if anybody who's 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:03.480 really deep into hip hop is a guy named Paul. 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:06.600 C see Paul your Paul Seed disciple. 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:07.960 Somewhat he taught. 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:12.120 Paul taught me how to use the sp twelve and 0:09:13.200 --> 0:09:15.280 well basically it was a music It was called the 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:20.079 Music Building in Queens and Paul had a studio, Studio 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:25.360 twelve twelve. And I saved my money and I found 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:28.000 out about it from a mutual friend. And I didn't 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:32.440 understand what Paul was doing, you know, for hip hop 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:34.040 at the time. I just knew it was a place 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:36.760 I can record for cheap. So I went there and 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:40.319 I was like, I got this amount of money. How 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:42.160 many hours can I get? Eight hours? 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:44.400 Cool? When can I get it? Christmas? 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:44.880 What? 0:09:45.360 --> 0:09:46.640 Damn? Oh wow? 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:48.760 Eight hours, eight songs. 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:52.280 Midnight to eight o'clock in the morning Christmas Day? You 0:09:52.320 --> 0:09:55.360 want to do it? Fucking yeah? So I went and 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:59.199 I did say, five of the eight songs on the 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:01.800 Boy jeanis that on those eight houts because I figured 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:03.760 that was all I'm want to get. 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:06.880 But that's where the line came. 0:10:08.800 --> 0:10:12.240 That's that's how the line kind of formed itself because 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:14.760 it was like, I gotta do this Christmas so so, 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:17.720 but it really didn't mean anything because my father was 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:20.680 like a devout Muslim, so I didn't really celebrate Christmas anyway. 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:25.240 So I did did most of that album there, but 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:28.400 gave it to Herbie. This was the second demo. Gave 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:30.760 her the first demo he was not rocking with, so 0:10:30.800 --> 0:10:32.480 I gave him the second demo and the demo that 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:35.200 demo had. If anybody's familiar with the album and had 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:37.960 the song you had the rhythm on it, the mic 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:38.800 is mind. 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:47.080 Keep on doing? Yeah, the first one. 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:50.040 There was another song called a New Beginning that never 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:52.280 made the album. Is another song called mind Power that 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:57.160 didn't make the album. And I want to say one 0:10:57.160 --> 0:10:58.720 more camera that's. 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:04.160 Excuse me, dumb questions. So how much of your albums 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:06.720 am I too? As soon? Did you produce everything that 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:07.320 you wrapped on? 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:14.120 Yeah? So so Herbie so to Herbie takes it in. 0:11:15.160 --> 0:11:16.880 Yeah, Herbie takes it in and you know, said, this 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:19.520 is what I produced, and so she Sylvia gives me 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:24.520 the deal. And I didn't have a problem with Herbie 0:11:24.559 --> 0:11:26.840 producing a record for me because you know, you know, 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:29.880 I learned from him, so you know, hey, why not, well. 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:32.120 Seeing his name on there let me that gave me 0:11:32.160 --> 0:11:33.880 the greenline. I don't know if I've been so quick 0:11:33.920 --> 0:11:36.960 to if you were just you and your name alone. Yeah, 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:38.680 I mean the video was dope enough to meet me 0:11:38.760 --> 0:11:42.719 buy it, but definitely see I was like, oh, I 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:44.800 gotta buy this because back then you brought the Birds 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:45.480 of a Feather thing. 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:47.800 So and then it said produced by Herbie Love Book 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:50.080 and the Invincibles. So I was like, yo, man, I'm 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:52.000 not gonna get no crazy no you the Invincibles. 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:55.760 So who was the brother's Grim. 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:59.680 The brother's Grim was just me and my boy A 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:02.320 show are out. We used to like to come up 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:08.840 with a lot of concepts, so major so so we 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:10.840 would just sit around and come up with concepts. So 0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:12.600 just it was just like, you know, we're the brothers 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:15.320 Grim and Grim. We we have a own We used 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:19.400 to have our own little language, and we used to. 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:21.520 Tell grims Grims were. 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:27.199 Lies basically, So like say, for example, I'll say your 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:32.240 Fante ninth one that said that you never wrote none 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.680 of your wraps and you would be were talking about 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:36.640 I said, no, I don't know. 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:37.400 I was, I was. 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:42.040 I was in a studio and he was just talking 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:44.520 about talking so greasy about you. Man, I don't understand 0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:46.400 why why would he do that? And we would sit 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:50.760 there and watch you just get heated. Oh no, no, no, 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:54.320 I'm talking about We've had like salt wanting to go 0:12:54.360 --> 0:13:00.560 fight emt like like like we would be terrible. So 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:04.640 those were Grims. So when you get to your hottest point, 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:10.400 we were like grim. So so that's where the brothers 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:12.560 Grim came from, because that's what to the point where 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:13.319 people would be. 0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:15.760 Like, look when they come around, don't say nothing. 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:22.280 No, Yeah, So that that was how so Sylvia got 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:27.400 the first demo and I just spent days and days 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:30.200 and days waiting for Herbie to show up to give 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:32.280 me a record, and I was like, man, I'm just 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:34.160 gonna finish this shit up myself. And then you know, 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:36.760 records like and this is how I met Slick Rick. 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:39.200 For example, sweet Thing, I did Sweet Thing, and then 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:43.240 somebody from the studio, and the studio was out of 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:47.079 a house. It was a regular house and racist Bayside 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:49.400 queens like we would I'm talking about. It was to 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:52.040 the point where it was like old school seventies. Dudes 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:54.679 with mullets and muscle cars. 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.640 Would get out of the town nigger and chase something. 0:13:57.640 --> 0:13:59.520 We'd have to run into this house. And the house 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:01.800 was owned by a man, Dave Ing, so it was 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:04.160 like a Chinese family. So run into the Chinese house 0:14:04.640 --> 0:14:09.160 and downstairs was like the most incredible history making studio. 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:11.880 All salt and pepper records, all kidn't play records, all 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:13.520 of my records, day and day records. 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:15.000 Everything was made out of this house and. 0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:17.800 Push it bathroom like where they did the vehicles. 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:20.960 Yes, it's all in the bathroom. No, No, we had 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:22.400 a we had a vocal vocal booth. 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:25.560 But then there's you know between Herbie's bedroom, which was 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:29.560 probably the push It was probably done there. But between 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:33.240 Herbie's bedroom and this studio and Bayside called Bayside Sound, 0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:35.920 that's where everything was done. And I remember somebody calling me. 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:38.040 It's like, yo, I think you need to get here quick, 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:42.880 m So I'm running to the studio and I hear 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:48.280 a beat that sounds like Sweet Thing playing, I'm like, yo, 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:50.320 checking my ship. And then I get into the room 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:51.840 and then you know, we had the two inch tapes, 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:55.480 so I saw my two inch tape next to theirs. 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:59.320 So I'm like, oh, somebody's really jacking. So I'm beefing, like, yo, 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:01.400 who the fuck? So this dude is in there producing 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:03.400 his beat off the Sweet Thing. I'm like, what the fuck, man, 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:06.600 you jacking my ship? And then Dana comes running. 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:09.360 No, no, that's Rick man, it's my man, Rick, slick Rick. 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:10.560 Is your this year. 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:15.160 About to go crazy? 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:18.440 I'm like you just cause I was just seeing Flames. 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:22.400 Man, my album didn't even come out yet, and somebody's 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:24.720 trying to jacket and Rick was like, nah, you know 0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:26.520 he let me hear. I didn't know, so we're not 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:29.000 going to use this because Rick was producing a record 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:31.920 for Dana and you know, and that's, you know, my 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:35.680 my introduction to slick Rick. But wow, it was crazy. 0:15:35.760 --> 0:15:39.840 So so back to the question, So Sylvia signed me. 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:44.160 I was waiting for Harvey to finish producing. I was sixteen, 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:47.040 so I had to get like I had to go 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:50.880 to court and get a parental waiver. To sign the deal. 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:56.080 And I just used to always be at the record label, 0:15:56.840 --> 0:16:00.720 just like a kid, hanging around, like anybody understandslantic records, 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:05.040 like running into the office and chill. Not this is 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:09.800 pre them, but running around and running into I'm at 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:14.640 Erdigan's private office where he had made serving him breakfast 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:17.280 and lunch, and like telling him how cool the record 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:18.400 label is and he's looking. 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:19.760 At me like I don't even know who you are, 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:21.280 You're signed here, okay whatever. 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:23.520 Or you know, and just hanging out with Sylvia and 0:16:23.560 --> 0:16:26.600 hanging out with the different because back then A and 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:30.240 r's there were no an r's in our age range, 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:33.600 in any way, shape or form. Everybody was like my parents' age, 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:35.480 you know, Like my A and R was like the 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:38.040 old jazz A and R guy. 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:41.880 Yeah you know, did you work with Craig Common at 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:46.160 all back when he was or what about uh, who's 0:16:46.200 --> 0:16:47.080 our guy reef? 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:47.960 Oh uh no? 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:53.600 Yeah no so so my an R, Well, Sylvia was 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:57.040 my original an R. And then there was a guy 0:16:57.120 --> 0:16:59.920 named Merlin Bob Lecture. 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:03.560 Yeah he was a yeah he was. He was under Sylvia. 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:08.080 And then when Sylvia and Maryland were able to take over. 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:10.119 When Sylvia was able to take over Electra and she 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:13.359 changed the name to East West Maryland went with her 0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:16.560 and I felt like Mad abandoned. So then my A 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:18.800 and R was guy named Richard Nash. Richard Nash is 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:22.840 now the head of promotions at BMG if I'm not mistaken, 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:25.520 But Richard Nash was the head of Atlantic and he 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:29.800 took my He took over, and he used to always 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:31.600 confuse me with k Solo but that's. 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:34.280 Fine, yeah, yeah both. 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:37.399 He would introduce me, this is our artist kse Solo, 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:45.440 the opposite of you and exactly, and and said. 0:17:45.400 --> 0:17:45.760 He was so. 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:51.000 I said, but see what they were doing at that time. 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:54.560 They were hiring house DJs to be A and L. 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:57.680 So Meryland Bob was a big house DJ. My other 0:17:57.760 --> 0:17:59.720 A and R was a guy named Kevin Woodley. He 0:17:59.880 --> 0:18:02.880 was a big house DJ, and they were bringing them in. 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:05.720 And then the first hip hop guy that came in 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:08.760 was Clark Kent. So then they bring Clark Kent in, 0:18:09.480 --> 0:18:14.160 but he wasn't and that's when it started to kind 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:16.680 of start. The industry started turning over and you're starting 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:21.440 to let people actually know the music into the business. 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:24.760 But it was real weird. They did not understand what 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:27.160 to do with my records. They didn't really understand how 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:31.399 to promote them. I was the first you know, solo 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:35.119 male act sign. It was me, I want to say DC, 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:39.960 but Doc was with Priorities, so it didn't really I 0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:43.639 mean ruthless, so it didn't really count. They were handling 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:47.479 their own stuff. Mc light was with First Priorities, so 0:18:47.520 --> 0:18:49.920 she was handling her own stuff. But I was the 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:54.119 one guy director on Atlantic, and it was just like, 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:56.280 you know, my my publicist was you know, in her 0:18:56.280 --> 0:18:57.280 sixties at the time. 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:02.840 It was just you know, it was just figure it out, man. 0:19:03.520 --> 0:19:06.120 It was real when the record became a success. 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:09.000 What was it like to be sixteen years old in 0:19:09.080 --> 0:19:10.639 high school with like a hit record. 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:15.760 Well, it was weird because by the time the record 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:20.720 came out, they put me immediately on a tour. So 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:24.520 I went to like this I don't know why I 0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:26.440 went to this thing, but I went to this alternative 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:27.920 school in Bushwick. 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:29.160 Brooklyn for like. 0:19:30.600 --> 0:19:36.760 Bad kids or pregnant teens or kids that risk I 0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:41.200 have to go to work to support a family, and 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:44.200 but I was like full blown quame at the time, 0:19:44.600 --> 0:19:48.240 so I had to go to this. After that neighborhood 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:48.960 was crazy. 0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:50.440 The school. 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:52.960 The school wasn't bad. I don't think. I don't know, 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:55.840 because I wouldn't have I didn't see anything. I had 0:19:55.880 --> 0:19:59.440 security guards, and he locked me up in this closet 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:02.440 to do my work. I couldn't interact with. 0:20:02.400 --> 0:20:04.960 The kids, okay, because you were comment. 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:06.960 Yeah, so I had to be in I'm like, this 0:20:07.040 --> 0:20:09.280 is whack. And it was. 0:20:09.640 --> 0:20:13.399 You know, Herbie's management company recommended it because Spinderella had 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:17.560 to go there, so so she went there the year before, 0:20:17.760 --> 0:20:20.680 and you know, I'm like, this is kind of whack. 0:20:20.760 --> 0:20:23.600 And I remember being in my regular high school and 0:20:25.880 --> 0:20:29.440 I would show up. This is pre me realizing who. 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:32.040 I need to be, you know. I reverted a little bit. 0:20:32.080 --> 0:20:34.879 I got my advance money, and then I reverted to 0:20:34.920 --> 0:20:37.640 the gold chains and everything. 0:20:37.640 --> 0:20:38.080 I would like. 0:20:38.080 --> 0:20:40.920 Wear my goal chains and then I would borrow Herbie's 0:20:40.920 --> 0:20:45.120 gold chain. Then I bought Herbie's brother's goal chain, and 0:20:45.840 --> 0:20:49.800 I reverted to these gold chains. And I would walk 0:20:49.880 --> 0:20:52.560 around school, and they thought I was a drug dealer, 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:56.679 so they would have they would hire a detective to 0:20:56.840 --> 0:20:59.040 follow me around. And when I found that out, I 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:02.040 went to the principals office and this is how foul 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:04.320 this was, went to the principal's office and showed him 0:21:04.359 --> 0:21:10.119 the layout of my album cover. I showed him the 0:21:10.160 --> 0:21:14.120 contract and said, well, this is what I do. I'm 0:21:14.400 --> 0:21:18.360 after school, I recall, I'm recording an album. 0:21:18.560 --> 0:21:19.920 So the principal. 0:21:20.920 --> 0:21:22.680 Looked at me and was like, well, if you're doing 0:21:22.680 --> 0:21:26.560 all this, why don't you just drop out? 0:21:27.160 --> 0:21:30.880 Spoken like a true education education? 0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:33.200 He said, why don't you just drop out? I don't 0:21:33.200 --> 0:21:36.159