WEBVTT - Checking In w/ Raheem DeVaughn 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.000 Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of 0:00:03.040 --> 0:00:20.480 iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. I've been so curious about 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:23.919 the artist that I'm about to interview today. 0:00:24.800 --> 0:00:27.639 I love that Checking In we have a variety of. 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:34.120 Guests that check in, whether it's a doctor or an author, entrepreneur, artist. 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:39.600 I'm really excited about this Grammy nominated artist and writer. 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:46.360 Truly authentic, truly and original, but with some respectable influences 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:49.199 that you can hear in his tone and in his style. 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:54.800 I'm getting ready for this guy right here. Y'all, stay tuned, 0:00:54.960 --> 0:01:03.959 get locked in, come on in. Raheem Devon is up next. Hey, everybody, 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:09.640 welcome to another fun, awesome episode of Checking In. Now 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:13.960 this might be a little well, I don't know what 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:16.319 it's gonna be, but we're gonna let it do what 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:19.399 it's going to do. I am just really, really thrilled 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:24.160 to have an amazing artist. I really think in every 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:29.640 sense of the word artist. He's so intentional with his work. 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:33.560 He's so intentional with the music, He's so intentional with 0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:37.679 his art. I'm excited that we have four time Grammy 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:43.240 nominated singer and songwriter. We already know his debut album 0:01:43.400 --> 0:01:47.280 and his album's period continue to do wonders in our 0:01:47.400 --> 0:01:53.160 souls at least mine. Don't be nosy, y'all. Welcome raheen 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:55.320 devon to checking in. 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:57.400 Hello, Hello, checking in. 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:00.760 This is ry for album check in and then officially 0:02:00.960 --> 0:02:03.200 right now listen. 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:05.360 Thank you for checking in? 0:02:06.200 --> 0:02:08.400 What did you think when they were like, Yo, you're 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:09.960 gonna check in with Michelle Williams? 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:10.800 What was your thought? 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:11.320 Oh? 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:14.079 You know something you have like you did certain calls 0:02:14.080 --> 0:02:16.720 where you know, some people call and you try to 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:21.400 figure out, oh, what's my schedule? You got other people 0:02:21.400 --> 0:02:24.320 that call and when you call, you just say okay, 0:02:24.360 --> 0:02:26.440 win and where. So this is like a winning where 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:29.880 I would love to do it opportunity. So thank you 0:02:29.880 --> 0:02:32.720 again for having me. Congratulations on your you know, all 0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:36.200 your endeavors. Of course things you already accomplishing. You know, 0:02:36.280 --> 0:02:39.240 it's always about I guess what's what's the word. I'm 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:43.600 looking for the incline and the growth, you know what 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:45.160 I mean, and doing new things. So I know this 0:02:45.320 --> 0:02:48.200 is one of your new things passion projects, So thank 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:50.280 you so much for having need be part of that. 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:57.000 Absolutely absolutely I get a chance to talk to some 0:02:57.200 --> 0:03:01.600 of my favorite voices, And I think you are classic 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:03.239 and timeless at the same time. 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:08.440 You evolve and grow, but you still are one of 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.440 the classic voices. And when I say classic, y'all at 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:12.480 eight because he came out. 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:14.519 In nineteen eighty two or nineteen seventy. 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:21.239 Five, he has been around this game. Listen, now, let's 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:24.080 let's check it. Let's check it now. Now he could 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:27.799 have some stuff that I'm not privy to, maybe back 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:32.480 in the MySpace days, but all the way back to 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:39.200 two thousand and five. Yeah, classic timeless. How are you 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:43.640 feeling out in the streets to know that you've been 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:45.600 in this game a long time? 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:49.000 It's amazing, Like you know, I mean young og mode 0:03:49.040 --> 0:03:49.600 at this point. 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:52.440 You know, I'm able to get a game two younger 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:58.240 artists at Amazing Day yesterday, which you know involved connecting 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:00.760 with the artists that I already have known for some time. 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:03.720 It's like revamping their thing as an independent artist. And 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:06.880 then there's a new artist, Jordan. I can't member Georgia's 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:08.720 last name, but he's going to kind of like viral 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:11.520 on the internet right now. And we had been communicating 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:13.280 and happy to be with Jordan's so we got to 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:15.280 say to have an opportunity to talk, and then I 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:16.640 spoke to another nd artist. 0:04:16.760 --> 0:04:18.640 Is all like two three o'clock in the morning, is 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:20.480 all going on? WHI I'm at the studio by the way, 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:23.360 and I say that can say this is that you know. 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:25.080 It gives me the opportunity to be able to like 0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:30.160 you know, spit the games younger artists and share my 0:04:30.279 --> 0:04:33.520 experiences and what has been you know, I've been I've 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.280 always operated as an independent you know, my own independent 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:40.480 artists with my artistry, but uh, you know, to be 0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:43.000 independent over ten years, you know, and to be able 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:45.920 to put everything and people see I'm now starting to 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:48.480 understand how it looks from the outside. And I've been 0:04:48.560 --> 0:04:50.720 so focused, like tunnel vision, on what it is, what 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:54.120 the mission is, what the goal is, you know, reinventing 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:58.000 myself constantly and just the things that you know, because 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:01.000 this is a you know, working supporting yourself as an 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:03.919 independent artist. It's like you become your own passion project. 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:07.280 So you have to take you have to you have 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:09.680 to have like tunnel vision focus on it. You have 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:12.520 to know certain things not not believe, but like no, 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:15.000 you have to you have to know, you have to 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:17.640 be borderline I don't know. I mean you have to 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:19.280 kind of go as artists. I think we are a 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:21.920 little insane. You know, we're all a little touched in 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:25.880 the sense of like to be able to you know, 0:05:26.160 --> 0:05:31.360 bear our soul, you know, convey our emotions, uh, heal people, 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:35.960 you know, whatever the process is through uh, through our. 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:36.800 Gift of the arts. 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:39.680 You know, in a room full of strangers, Like it's 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:41.480 the most one of the most vulnerable things that you 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:43.520 can do. You know, to go in the studio and 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:46.599 create a song that you know speaks from your point 0:05:46.640 --> 0:05:49.039 of view or something that you're wearing on your sleeve 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:52.800 or something vicarious leader that you've experienced, and to share 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:55.440 that and then to go and give that to the world. 0:05:55.880 --> 0:05:57.320 It's one of the most vulnerable. 0:05:57.000 --> 0:05:57.560 Things you can do. 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:00.200 So you know, it takes a very tough skin to 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:03.280 do what we do. And I would just say that, 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:08.240 you know, sometimes the season happens different. It doesn't happen 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:10.520 when you pray for it. Sometimes it doesn't happen that 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:14.360 you're ready for. It doesn't happen because you want it 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:19.000 right now. You know, everything that that you experienced perpause 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:22.320 for your season, and everybody hasn't like you know, so 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:24.720 you have to be able to identify when you win it, 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:26.600 you know. So for me, I think I think I 0:06:26.640 --> 0:06:29.320 can really say that, you know, uh, you know at 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:31.240 this point in my career, like I'm in my season, 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:33.640 you know, uh, and it's a good I'm in a 0:06:33.680 --> 0:06:34.159 good space. 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:36.440 You know. Music that's so good. 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:39.679 I love that you say that everybody has a season. 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:45.960 Now we all know the four seasons winter, spring, summer. 0:06:46.000 --> 0:06:46.640 And fall. 0:06:48.040 --> 0:06:50.040 Then you have where some people say, I'm in my 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:55.520 winning season. Can you explain heck, maybe you feel like 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:57.240 you've always been in your winning season. 0:06:58.120 --> 0:06:59.279 Have you ever had a. 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:03.360 Season of wait, this is my waiting season, or a 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:08.000 season of transition, a season of uncertainty? 0:07:09.000 --> 0:07:11.680 Yes, all of those things I think I prepared me for, 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:14.720 like for my winning season, which is all seasons now, 0:07:14.920 --> 0:07:17.680 you know what I mean. Like, that's that's where I'm 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:19.720 in it. I'm forever in my bag. That's how I feel, 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:21.600 you know. Like mentally, I'm in that mental space and 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:23.520 I'm forever in my dad. Like musically, I know that 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:26.000 I can go in the studio at any given time 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:29.120 it's something amazing, something timeless can come out. 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:31.840 I can curate, I can curate something. 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:36.880 That speaks to you know, not only my one percent 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:40.520 demo of like eighteen year olds, but also my twenty 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:44.520 seven percent demo of like that thirty five to forty five, 0:07:45.160 --> 0:07:46.880 you know what I mean that or that twenty eight 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:48.080 you know to. 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:51.120 Thirty two, you know, so age group. 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:54.920 So uh you know, and you know, seeing that the shows, 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:56.240 it's kind of like the proof of the put In 0:07:56.280 --> 0:07:58.040 because you know, I do the meet and greets and 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:01.320 it's like a mother and a daughter there somebody the 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:04.000 mother the daughter, or the mother the daughter and the grandmother, 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:07.000 the mother, the daughter and the grandfather, you know what 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:09.760 I mean. So it's interesting, you know, like you know, 0:08:10.280 --> 0:08:13.480 music is not only the heartbeat of about people, you 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:16.640 know what I mean, but it's the heartbeat of like 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.080 the world. It doesn't you know, I truly believe that, 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:24.320 you know, music is colorblind. You know great music, you know, 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:28.160 it's colorblind, it's gingerless, it's all it's all the things 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:31.440 you know that brings all these people together from different 0:08:31.440 --> 0:08:32.679 walks of life to come here. 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:35.880 Whatever it is. The messages that you're conveying, you. 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:38.200 Know, that's so good. Y'all. 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:41.520 Don't get the pleasure of seeing him on this video 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:43.920 like I do when I tell y'all, he is suited 0:08:44.200 --> 0:08:48.320 and booted, the glasses are on, the skin is moisturized, 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:55.160 the hair has been washed and conditioned. I'm so happy 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:56.720 about that. I'm so excited to. 0:08:56.800 --> 0:09:00.559 Have you here. Now. One thing I know, if rahiem 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:01.480 Devon don't. 0:09:01.360 --> 0:09:05.079 Do nothing else, he is going to give us music. 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:11.360 You've got three albums that you've released within the same. 0:09:11.240 --> 0:09:12.320 Year, Am I correct? 0:09:12.640 --> 0:09:15.120 Yeah, that's correct. Yeah, you know I'm gonna I'm on 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:16.120 a system of like. 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:20.280 Putting out, putting out, you know, three or four projects 0:09:20.280 --> 0:09:23.559 a year, you know what I mean, you know, tentatively, 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.480 you know, even for twenty for twenty twenty four. Some 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:29.160 things that you know happen enough that I'm involved in, 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:33.080 you know. Uh, you know, the business model is spanding 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:36.120 now like you know, it's not. It doesn't always have 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:38.160 to be me in the front the center, you know. 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:41.000 In some cases, and maybe me presenting a project that 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:46.240 you know, produced or executively produced. And you know, so 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:49.240 in some cases, maybe a Rayen Devin presents, you know, 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:52.679 or it may be a three song pack of something 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:55.480 that is me, you know, Uh, it may be a 0:09:55.559 --> 0:09:59.480 female artist, say like Tanya Nolan, who's a phenomenal independent 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:02.920 artists out of the Houston area. He's self made, you know, 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:07.599 reconnected doing the duet that we did pace Yourself and 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:10.000 had a relationship from there and it just kind of 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:10.920 just like group. 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:12.880 Shout out to Corey Moe who connected us. 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:16.240 And one of the things that Corey uh initially asked 0:10:16.240 --> 0:10:18.000 me when when he talks to me about time and 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:20.439 saying like, hey man, I would love to see you 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:23.320 take her under your wing and kind of just show 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:26.400 her the tools and you know, the secret sauce, you 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:28.440 know what I mean. So we've been able to connect 0:10:28.440 --> 0:10:30.520 it and do that, and that's work into me like, 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:35.200 you know literally like you know, co executive producing her 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:40.520 first official like project or you know, which would be 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:43.439 dropping some time this year. So it's been great to 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:46.960 be able to go from being the clay to allow 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:50.400 myself to work with artists who like trust me with 0:10:50.480 --> 0:10:52.760 your art, which I feel like is a sacred thing. 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:53.160 You know. 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:57.719 I constantly tell artists like Tanya and different individuals I 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:00.199 work and I'm working with currently, it's like, hey, like, 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:02.040 thank you for trusting me with your art because it 0:11:02.120 --> 0:11:04.200 means that you know, I know, that's a vulnerable space 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:07.199 to be in. You know, it's not about it's not 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:10.160 about your heart earned money, get your investments to yourself. 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:12.319 It's more about for me, it's about the art and 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:14.720 not to move about the music and people want something 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:18.360 to maken here and fielm and that has a nostalgia 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:20.960 to it and you know what I mean. So yeah, 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:23.920 so so giving myself to the art in a different way, 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:27.160 taking time to work with new artists and stuff of 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:29.920 that nature and features. You know, it gives me an 0:11:29.960 --> 0:11:33.719 opportunity to show myself with a different light, which was 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:36.000 a space that I grew into because as you know, 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:39.560 as a as a as a songwriter, a producer. 0:11:39.200 --> 0:11:43.360 And the vocal producer, there is a patience that's required. 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:45.040 There's a level of patience. 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:47.520 It's a level of patience and communication you have to 0:11:47.640 --> 0:11:51.319 have with someone that's coming into the studio. You know, 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:53.480 in some cases a lot of times working with you 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:56.800 for the first time. In some cases they you know, 0:11:56.960 --> 0:12:01.360 depending on what who they're signed to, with the politics are, 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:03.160 they might not even want to be there. They kind 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:07.440 of just like they were either told to be there 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:10.720 or you know, it's kind of like all right, they're 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:12.920 stepping out of their comfort zone, so they're looking for 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:16.000 something new or you know what I mean. And and 0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:19.720 again it's you know, it's the vulnerability that that can create, 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:24.000 you know. Uh, you know, I wanted to be finding 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:26.440 for them. I wanted to be a learning experience for them. 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:29.240 I want to create something that's that's great, that's iconic, 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:32.760 and it's amazing. But I also I wanted to be 0:12:32.880 --> 0:12:34.559 those things for me as well, you know what I mean. 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:38.800 So yeah, so it's again it allows me to be 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:41.520 able to just like put out be part of different 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:45.319 you know, projects versus doing like one one song, and 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:46.640 you know what I mean, it's just kind of just 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:50.319 like chase chasing the single or I don't necessarily even 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:54.000 want to call them like EPs or or albums now design. 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:56.200 It's just like projects, you know what I mean. Because 0:12:56.240 --> 0:12:58.720 a project maybe you know, so like I said, two 0:12:58.840 --> 0:13:02.120 or three songs, a project maybe fifteen tunes. The project 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:08.280 may be five you know songs, you know, or it 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:11.760 may be a soundtrack for a film or independent film. 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:12.000 You know. 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:14.560 I am here for everything. 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:16.520 That's why I have I've just been sitting here listening 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:24.400 because I mean, you're answering so many questions. Now the 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:27.320 latest three albums that you released in the last year, 0:13:27.920 --> 0:13:32.360 Love You, for the Summer of Love, and fall in Love. 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:34.880 Now would you I'm assuming like, can I call it 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:35.520 a trilogy? 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:37.960 H man? 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:40.640 If it would be a trilogy, it was a trilogy 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:43.559 long ago, like for the cult following fans, like, you know, 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:46.280 love has always been you know, the word love has 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:48.800 always been intertwined in some form of fashion, like in 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:49.600 all the projects. 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:54.400 It's something that just kind of just continue to figure 0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:56.920 out and do in real time. You know. That's from 0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:00.079 a love experience, to love behind the Melody, to the 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:01.760 love of what master. 0:14:01.640 --> 0:14:05.120 Piece, to a place called love Land, love such passion, Yes, 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:09.240 decade of a Love King, you know, from Luster Dawn, 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:13.040 which was like a passion project which which I connected 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:15.360 with a lot of different artists from you know, social 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:17.679 media at that time, and you know, some of which 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:20.240 I'm still working with, two of which i'm you know, 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:23.360 I'm mastering. I'm in the mastering stage of their projects. 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:27.040 So you know, these things take yeah, the thing, Yeah, 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:28.200 these things take time. You know. 0:14:29.680 --> 0:14:32.080 So if you've been that busy yeah yeah. 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:35.680 Yeah, how you be finding time to be doing some 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:37.440 of the stuff that's in your album. 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:40.160 If you pick up, if you pick up when I'm 0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:41.000 putting down. 0:14:42.840 --> 0:14:45.200 It's always what they say. We always made time for 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:46.000 the things we love. 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:48.840 We may time if you if you're if you're a 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:51.040 praying woman, you know, praying man, you're gonna you're gonna 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:54.240 find time make time to pray, you know, just like 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:55.520 you're gonna make time to lay. 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:57.000 You know what I mean. You got to you got 0:14:57.080 --> 0:15:01.000 to pray before your name, All right, come on? 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:07.400 But yeah, I mean I guess I am lyrically a lover, 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:12.600 not a fighter, you know, But I also understand like 0:15:12.680 --> 0:15:14.240 it's my gift, you know what I mean, Like I've 0:15:14.320 --> 0:15:20.360 coined and carved out a lane for myself that that 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:24.800 when people get the music and receive it or here 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:26.200 there's a new project, I know what I know, what 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:27.200 the expectation is. 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:27.720 You know what I mean. 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:31.080 And part of you know, part of my rebranding, part 0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:35.640 of my you know, the secret to my success, you 0:15:35.760 --> 0:15:36.240 know what I mean? 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:36.720 Uh? 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:39.080 You know, And part of being in your season is 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:42.000 knowing that it's knowing and loving who you are and 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:44.160 knowing who you ain't who you are, you know what 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:46.600 I mean? As well likes knowing. It's knowing what you 0:15:46.720 --> 0:15:49.320 are and who you are, as well as knowing who 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.400 you're not and what you what you would never be, 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:55.640 and what you don't desire to need, and you know, 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:58.040 and then and then and then moving on intention of it, 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:01.320 like you know. Yeah, So that that you know, for me, 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:05.120 you know, allows me to be the conscious lover you know, 0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:09.600 or mister Jimmy conscious you know, one of the many 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:11.240 attributes that I have, you know what I mean? 0:16:11.560 --> 0:16:12.000 Nicknames? 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:15.120 You know, So what's the nicknames for me? Sitting the 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.440 seat that I'm in? You have to be naturally curious, 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:19.240 not nosy. 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:22.160 I have a lot of monikers, you know, because you know, 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:27.400 so it's uh, it's a let's see, uh, the R 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:29.760 and B hippie, neo soul rock star a k A. 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:33.600 Sup Cooler Jones a k A. Smoky Temptations, the Lypt God, 0:16:35.000 --> 0:16:37.000 the who God, the Lipt God. 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:44.480 Yeah, l I P l l I P. 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:46.480 I thought he said LIMP. 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:51.400 God capital capital L capital all caps l I P. Yeah. 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:56.120 Young Marvin Marley Mayfield. This is one of my fast 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:57.720 which is one of my favorites, you know. 0:16:58.040 --> 0:16:58.160 Uh. 0:16:58.760 --> 0:17:00.920 Yeah, so in a and the list goes on, I 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:02.320 mean these days, it's the lesson. 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:05.920 You should say all of those names because I hear 0:17:06.000 --> 0:17:07.080 all of those influence. 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:12.560 Okay, Marley Gay Mayfield. 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:15.160 Yeah, young Robarn Marley Mayfield Yeah. 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:22.000 And I'll say Isley's as well. Absolutely Isley Brothers. 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:26.440 And on the latest album there is someone that is 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:32.880 speaking who is giving me Is it Jamaican Nigerian? 0:17:33.320 --> 0:17:34.879 The woman doing the interludes? 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:43.880 Rob Brown is half black, half Filipino. Yeah. She grew 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:45.560 up in Philly, you know what I mean, Like she 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:49.280 actually went to school with like Jill Jill Scott. She's special. 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:53.399 She's she's a really dope spoken word artist and a 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:54.560 phenomenal like a writer. 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:58.080 Like she does a lot of writing for different different projects, 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:02.560 you know, outside of like the conventional like making records 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:04.920 and making albums, you know, work world. 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:07.840 You know. Uh, she's been part of my journey, whether 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:08.639 she knows it or not. 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:10.240 And I went back to like kind of like go 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:12.040 grab her at the right time, and like, you know, 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:15.159 I want to start incorporating you know, spoken word artists 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.159 and poetry into what I do. So, you know, the 0:18:18.280 --> 0:18:20.399 first open mic that I ever touched in d C, 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:22.359 she was she was the host. She's talking you know 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:24.280 what I'm saying. We're talking over twenty five years ago, 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:27.399 you know what I mean. Yeah, we talked years you know, 0:18:27.560 --> 0:18:30.240 So taking it back there, like before the world knew 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:32.520 my name, like you know, uh, there was there was 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:35.080 a spot I would go to Bar None, which which 0:18:35.200 --> 0:18:37.040 which a lot of people think I was discovered there, 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:38.760 but that's where I went to kind of just like Shave. 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:41.440 It definitely had the like the Love Jone. It was 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:44.240 given like Love Jones vibes, we need to go in there, 0:18:44.280 --> 0:18:46.160 you know. But you had spoken word artists, you had 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:50.320 you had mcs, you had singers, you had instrumentalists you 0:18:50.400 --> 0:18:52.800 know that would go through there, and uh you know 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:55.040 that was that became the hub and in my safe 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:57.000 space to be able to go and be vulnerable and 0:18:57.560 --> 0:18:59.040 you know, and work on my craft, you know, and 0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:02.760 get comfortable form, comfortable beforming in front of people. My 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:05.800 first CE or mixtape that I sold out of a 0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:08.840 knapsack like out of a book bag was like Apple. 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:11.320 None so and people got to know that that part 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:12.000 of the journey. 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:16.639 Okay, you know, so yeah, it was it was it was, 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:18.360 it was, it was. It was the knapsack. 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:20.239 It was broad Now it was the green camera had 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:23.359 the green had this little beat up green camera toyo, 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:26.840 thea cameray and I, you know, and and I used 0:19:26.880 --> 0:19:31.800 to basically like hand in hand, you know, sell my music. 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:34.040 So you knew you were dope. 0:19:34.320 --> 0:19:38.479 You knew and that that confidence that I see now 0:19:38.560 --> 0:19:39.639 in twenty twenty four. 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:41.920 I knew I had something special. I knew that it 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:45.320 was that I was still developing it. 0:19:45.720 --> 0:19:48.080 But yeah, I knew back then that I had something 0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:52.080 that was unique and that and more importantly that when 0:19:52.080 --> 0:19:53.560 I would jump off the mic, I would see the 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:55.320 reaction or like the questions I. 0:19:55.320 --> 0:19:57.800 Would People would be like, yo, where can I get 0:19:57.840 --> 0:19:58.280 that song? 0:19:58.400 --> 0:20:00.639 So I let me know that was create at demand 0:20:00.720 --> 0:20:03.159 and that you know, the hustler of me said, okay, 0:20:03.320 --> 0:20:06.360 well if they're asking for it, then you know then 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:09.600 I mean I got to get product ye immediate, whether 0:20:09.680 --> 0:20:13.159 that means like buying a CD burner, and you know, 0:20:13.280 --> 0:20:15.920 the quality might not be what what we might think 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:18.119 it needs to be, you know, but I have to 0:20:18.200 --> 0:20:21.560 start somewhere, you know. And and that's so that's always 0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:24.040 been my you know, that's always been my mentality. That's 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:27.000 always been my goal and understanding that you know, you 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:30.120 start somewhere, you know, and then from there you evolve. 0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:32.439 You keep moving, you know, keep moving. I look at 0:20:32.520 --> 0:20:36.200 my career, I look at my life as a as 0:20:36.240 --> 0:20:39.040 a marathon. You know that it's never been to it's 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:41.080 never been the sprint, you know, it's been there's always 0:20:41.119 --> 0:20:43.080 been that like, Hey, we're gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna 0:20:43.119 --> 0:20:46.119 get on these tracks with these individuals, with my peers, 0:20:46.680 --> 0:20:49.560 you know, pull my b love. But you know, it's 0:20:49.600 --> 0:20:51.600 a very competitive business. So I'm gonna get on this 0:20:51.720 --> 0:20:53.199 track and I'm gonna start to run. And when they 0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:55.640 say all your market said, go I want to start, 0:20:55.680 --> 0:20:57.520 I'm going to start running and I'm going to like 0:20:58.119 --> 0:21:00.600 and if I get tired, want to walk. 0:21:01.000 --> 0:21:03.000 You know, you don't let your feet stop moving, you 0:21:03.040 --> 0:21:03.439 know what I mean. 0:21:04.520 --> 0:21:05.000 That's great. 0:21:05.440 --> 0:21:07.399 Get thirsty, you know what I mean. You have you know, 0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:09.720 there's no there's no eye in the world team. So 0:21:09.800 --> 0:21:11.399 you might have a team member that runs up and 0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:15.720 gives you, you know, something to drink. But if the 0:21:15.840 --> 0:21:18.200 game and the rules of the game are hey, when 0:21:18.240 --> 0:21:21.680 this race starts, the last person that whose feet are 0:21:21.720 --> 0:21:26.320 still moving will be declared the winner. Then you know, 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:29.200 my mindset is that Okay. I'm just going to just 0:21:29.400 --> 0:21:32.119 like but you can do whatever you need to do necessarily. 0:21:32.240 --> 0:21:33.719 You can do whatever you need to do in the process. 0:21:33.720 --> 0:21:35.720 If you need somebody to hand you a sandwich because 0:21:35.720 --> 0:21:39.680 you're hungry on your feet, don't stop moving, you know 0:21:39.680 --> 0:21:40.040 what I mean? 0:21:40.440 --> 0:21:40.760 Whatever? 0:21:41.320 --> 0:21:45.960 I love that because you run your race. 0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:49.640 You're quiet about it, but you still have results. You're 0:21:49.720 --> 0:21:53.440 not like the loud arrogant. It don't seem like you 0:21:53.520 --> 0:21:56.040 have beefs with anybody in these R and B streets 0:21:56.359 --> 0:21:59.840 that I know of. You seem to know your niche 0:22:00.720 --> 0:22:04.000 like and I don't want to say because some people 0:22:04.080 --> 0:22:06.120 like you know your lane because that means what you say, 0:22:06.200 --> 0:22:08.280 I can't I can't go to the middle lane if 0:22:08.280 --> 0:22:09.880 I want to, I can't go to the left lane. 0:22:10.119 --> 0:22:12.520 But your niche or your sound? Did that take a 0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:14.680 while for you to discover. 0:22:16.600 --> 0:22:17.119 My sound? 0:22:17.359 --> 0:22:20.200 I think that happened organically, you know, like you know, 0:22:20.520 --> 0:22:24.879 being able to have mentors like DJ Jazzy Jeff like 0:22:24.960 --> 0:22:29.119 that nature average you know, I have an access to 0:22:29.200 --> 0:22:31.879 somebody like that. Let me just start there. If you know, 0:22:32.040 --> 0:22:35.280 you know, Jeff has always created an environment for artists. 0:22:35.680 --> 0:22:39.399 I would describe it as like X men, Mmm, you 0:22:39.440 --> 0:22:44.080 would be uh, what's that, professor X Yeah, and like 0:22:44.200 --> 0:22:46.440 you would be the equivalent of like that for me 0:22:46.800 --> 0:22:50.119 or for us. You know, the rooms I've been in 0:22:50.880 --> 0:22:54.000 with the level of talent, like the caliber of talent, 0:22:54.119 --> 0:22:56.240 like like not just in here in the US, but 0:22:56.359 --> 0:22:59.159 like globally, like the meetups I've been in, and what 0:22:59.280 --> 0:23:02.359 I've experienced being under under his watch you know what 0:23:02.400 --> 0:23:06.399 I mean. He was at a very important time, Like 0:23:07.000 --> 0:23:08.879 he was there. You know, he took me under his 0:23:09.000 --> 0:23:13.280 wing and learning from him. You know, the relationships that 0:23:13.720 --> 0:23:15.560 people that I that I met as a result from 0:23:15.680 --> 0:23:17.879 kicking it with him and being around him in this 0:23:18.040 --> 0:23:21.560 cool musical environment, you know Ken Dope and Louis Vanger 0:23:21.720 --> 0:23:26.119 and DJ Terry Hunter, you know who are like worldwarnow 0:23:26.440 --> 0:23:30.040 like DJs and producers and seeing the world and going 0:23:30.119 --> 0:23:33.240 you know, Jeff taking myself and uh and other artists 0:23:33.320 --> 0:23:35.520 like around the world at the time where you know, 0:23:35.840 --> 0:23:39.720 my brand was still building, Yah, and being being able 0:23:39.800 --> 0:23:44.399 to just understand that like music or R and B 0:23:44.640 --> 0:23:46.840 and like soul music is just one gearure in music 0:23:46.960 --> 0:23:48.080 that's just listen to start. 0:23:47.920 --> 0:23:51.960 There, and and that it's a very big world and 0:23:52.240 --> 0:23:54.280 a lot of people love. 0:23:54.520 --> 0:23:56.960 You know, there are people that love what we do 0:23:57.119 --> 0:24:00.320 and what we create that don't even speak English in 0:24:00.440 --> 0:24:01.520 some places, you know what I mean. 0:24:01.720 --> 0:24:04.000 I mean, we think it's corny, but I used to 0:24:04.119 --> 0:24:06.919 see it when I was growing up as a child, 0:24:07.200 --> 0:24:10.640 when music was actually in the schools, they would see 0:24:10.760 --> 0:24:13.200 the sign music is a universal language. 0:24:13.640 --> 0:24:16.760 Yeah, yeah, yeah it is, you know, And those things 0:24:17.000 --> 0:24:20.119 help is developing your growing in real time if you 0:24:20.200 --> 0:24:22.040 allow yourself to be you know, it's easy to kind 0:24:22.080 --> 0:24:24.080 of put yourself in a box though too, you know, 0:24:24.280 --> 0:24:27.280 depending upon like you know, listening to the labeled or 0:24:27.320 --> 0:24:29.919 listening to the A N R. Sometimes, in some cases, 0:24:29.960 --> 0:24:31.440 you know what I mean, it could be one of 0:24:31.520 --> 0:24:34.080 the most toxic things for an artist, you know. But 0:24:35.119 --> 0:24:38.159 it's about knowing and trusting that gut you know, the 0:24:38.280 --> 0:24:40.840 voice of intuition is God whishper in your ear, you 0:24:40.880 --> 0:24:42.840 know what I mean. So that gut feeling, that's the 0:24:42.920 --> 0:24:44.520 voice of God like telling you. That's you know, as 0:24:44.640 --> 0:24:46.680 universe saying like, hey, this is what you need to 0:24:46.760 --> 0:24:50.399 be doing. Get It morphs into like knowing I'm in 0:24:50.480 --> 0:24:52.080 a space where I know what I wanted to feel 0:24:52.200 --> 0:24:54.199 like tastes like smell like. 0:24:55.640 --> 0:24:58.560 You know what I mean, like okay, like you look 0:24:58.680 --> 0:25:02.879 like yeah, you know, so you know has a greeing 0:25:03.720 --> 0:25:04.400 and the cologne. 0:25:04.800 --> 0:25:05.720 I'm here for it. 0:25:06.080 --> 0:25:08.919 I cam here for it. Can you smell it, Colonne 0:25:08.920 --> 0:25:10.680 through the speaker's baby, I can smell it. 0:25:10.840 --> 0:25:17.600 It's given amber, sandalwood. It's given a little bit of 0:25:18.240 --> 0:25:21.360 well you said it in your song. It's given backwoods. 0:25:21.720 --> 0:25:24.720 It's given although I'm like, now, wait a minute, don't 0:25:24.760 --> 0:25:29.720 mess up your vocal cords. It's given brown sweet liquor, y'all. 0:25:29.800 --> 0:25:32.520 If you know what I'm saying, is given honey butter, 0:25:32.680 --> 0:25:33.440 I'm hungry. 0:25:36.480 --> 0:25:37.080 It's giving. 0:25:37.680 --> 0:25:41.800 It's giving everything sophisticated. I think it could because of 0:25:41.880 --> 0:25:44.120 the season we're in, But if we're in the spring 0:25:44.240 --> 0:25:46.160 or somehow, I would have said, it's given juniper. 0:25:46.320 --> 0:25:47.000 It's giving. 0:25:48.920 --> 0:25:52.320 I'm trying to stick to the smells because you probably 0:25:52.320 --> 0:25:54.760 don't want bath and body work types since. 0:25:56.840 --> 0:25:58.440 That's for the lady. 0:25:58.480 --> 0:26:01.480 I'm not like biased, know to a woman that you 0:26:01.560 --> 0:26:04.320 know uses back in the bodyworks, you know I'm not 0:26:04.520 --> 0:26:07.320 biased me personally, you know what I mean? Go, you 0:26:07.400 --> 0:26:10.200 know I'm there's so many like dope, black owned businesses 0:26:11.359 --> 0:26:12.760 there are their eyes. 0:26:13.440 --> 0:26:14.000 You know what I mean? 0:26:14.320 --> 0:26:18.159 Like, you know, what are your favorite sense what are 0:26:18.200 --> 0:26:19.000 some of your favorites. 0:26:19.359 --> 0:26:22.280 I'm you know, I'm a sucker for a woman as 0:26:22.400 --> 0:26:25.520 you know that has that Carol's daughter, you know, you know, 0:26:25.680 --> 0:26:29.880 but that but look brown sugar, but look, but look, 0:26:29.960 --> 0:26:31.680 but you got to have like the source. You gotta 0:26:31.680 --> 0:26:33.399 get that you know, word on the streeter. And she 0:26:33.480 --> 0:26:36.320 does like a you know, if you know, you know 0:26:36.480 --> 0:26:38.359 she'll do she does like a bat. She still she 0:26:38.400 --> 0:26:39.359 still whips it up in the. 0:26:39.400 --> 0:26:43.320 Kidnap for some of those of her. By the way, 0:26:44.280 --> 0:26:46.280 I know which bats you're talking about. 0:26:46.560 --> 0:26:49.640 I know which bat you're talking about because I'll never 0:26:49.800 --> 0:26:52.200 forget back in the day in the early two thousands, 0:26:52.280 --> 0:26:54.360 walking down it just takes me back. 0:26:54.400 --> 0:26:57.879 To the Brownstones of New York. I know exactly what 0:26:58.080 --> 0:26:59.080 bat you're talking about. 0:26:59.560 --> 0:27:02.280 I'm not no, I'm not going to ask nothing like 0:27:02.359 --> 0:27:05.760 specific as far as dating business. But what I do 0:27:05.920 --> 0:27:09.359 want to ask, because you are the love king you 0:27:09.520 --> 0:27:11.840 say you people have called you the lip God. 0:27:12.160 --> 0:27:17.560 Do you find it pressure to be that or to 0:27:17.720 --> 0:27:19.240 be who you are as an artist? 0:27:19.440 --> 0:27:19.600 Is that? 0:27:19.720 --> 0:27:22.000 Who you are as a man in relationships? Is or 0:27:22.000 --> 0:27:24.040 are you like, wait a minute, I don't feel like 0:27:24.119 --> 0:27:26.200 all that today. Yes, if you want me to just 0:27:26.320 --> 0:27:28.879 listen to track twelve, but I can't be that right now. 0:27:29.400 --> 0:27:32.280 Have they expected you to be that in a day 0:27:32.320 --> 0:27:33.440 to day relationship? 0:27:33.600 --> 0:27:36.600 Well, in transparency, like you know, I'm not married, engaged 0:27:36.600 --> 0:27:38.640 and I am dating. You know what I mean having 0:27:38.840 --> 0:27:40.080 that dating like that? You know? 0:27:40.200 --> 0:27:43.639 Okay, and just like you know, I think that not 0:27:43.760 --> 0:27:46.040 to be cliche, but I would probably have to say, 0:27:46.119 --> 0:27:49.160 like my wife, girlfriend and mistress is like my music 0:27:49.480 --> 0:27:50.040 their career. 0:27:51.320 --> 0:27:55.280 Yeah, he told you, he told you on checking in 0:27:55.400 --> 0:27:59.640 with Michelle Williams. His wife, his girlfriend, and his mistress 0:27:59.760 --> 0:28:02.159 is music. So don't have no expectations. 0:28:02.520 --> 0:28:05.680 Just but I understand that like outside of that, like 0:28:05.840 --> 0:28:07.879 you have to have experiences, you have to you know, 0:28:08.880 --> 0:28:12.320 I understand the point is of like love and plutonic 0:28:12.440 --> 0:28:16.440 friendship and growth in allowing yourself to have experiences that 0:28:17.240 --> 0:28:19.920 you want to feel something. So with that, with that 0:28:20.119 --> 0:28:22.720 being said, I want to make sure I'm to ask 0:28:22.800 --> 0:28:23.640 you a question one more time. 0:28:23.720 --> 0:28:26.840 I want to make sure I like, if I were 0:28:27.000 --> 0:28:33.040 dating a therapist, don't make him feel like the pressure 0:28:33.280 --> 0:28:34.359 to be the therapist. 0:28:34.760 --> 0:28:37.800 I got you here, Rahim Devon the. 0:28:38.000 --> 0:28:39.320 Artist you know. 0:28:39.600 --> 0:28:41.800 So yes, there have been times where I feel like pressure, 0:28:41.840 --> 0:28:43.800 but I think it has nothing to do with necessarily 0:28:43.880 --> 0:28:45.960 like even the content. It's just the fact that, like 0:28:46.040 --> 0:28:48.000 who I am and just being a public figure, I 0:28:48.080 --> 0:28:50.240 was having this discussion every day, and I feel like sometimes, 0:28:50.480 --> 0:28:52.800 you know, sometimes a woman may feel the need to 0:28:52.880 --> 0:28:56.160 be like, give me an extra hard time because I 0:28:56.280 --> 0:28:59.080 am because of who I am, and because he. 0:28:59.160 --> 0:29:01.760 Wants to know that you are who what you sing about. 0:29:02.240 --> 0:29:05.200 You ain't romantic enough what you're talking about. You didn't 0:29:05.200 --> 0:29:09.360 grab my torso like you said in the music or you. 0:29:11.480 --> 0:29:13.600 I don't really have that problem. I don't have that problem. 0:29:13.920 --> 0:29:15.120 And I think I don't have that problem. 0:29:15.160 --> 0:29:17.120 I think because to love me is to really know me, 0:29:17.200 --> 0:29:18.960 and to really know me is to know that like 0:29:20.240 --> 0:29:22.280 they're very there's a lot of different shades and tones 0:29:22.360 --> 0:29:22.560 to me. 0:29:23.120 --> 0:29:27.120 And that and that you know, that's that like that 0:29:27.360 --> 0:29:30.440 you know that's where I'm going to yea, you know. 0:29:30.520 --> 0:29:33.960 There's you know that's that that can be very you know, 0:29:34.120 --> 0:29:36.080 it kind of would tell me a lot about the person, 0:29:36.320 --> 0:29:38.880 you know what I mean, if the expectations it because 0:29:38.920 --> 0:29:41.320 it can be kind of like superficial, you know what 0:29:41.360 --> 0:29:44.040 I mean. Or it can be like it's like, hey, 0:29:44.040 --> 0:29:47.520 do you want Raheen divine? The entertainer or the singer 0:29:47.640 --> 0:29:50.280 or the you know, the writer, are you here? You know, 0:29:50.480 --> 0:29:54.400 are you here for Raheem divine? Like the human beings 0:29:54.600 --> 0:29:57.040 like you know what I mean, the person you know, 0:29:57.160 --> 0:30:00.600 the person who who lost his father or a year ago, 0:30:00.840 --> 0:30:02.920 or the or the person who still figures out how 0:30:02.960 --> 0:30:06.440 to still be you know, uh just still you know, 0:30:07.160 --> 0:30:09.120 you never stop figuring out how to be a parent, 0:30:09.360 --> 0:30:11.080 you know what I mean when you have children or 0:30:11.520 --> 0:30:14.240 could just be like the you know, the amount of 0:30:15.360 --> 0:30:18.280 what I'm providing in terms of you know, being self 0:30:18.320 --> 0:30:21.360 independent and being self made. You know, I'm still providing 0:30:21.520 --> 0:30:24.360 jobs for people you know, down to like my musicians 0:30:24.480 --> 0:30:28.440 and you know, uh and what have you know, an 0:30:28.640 --> 0:30:31.800 economy and in a space that where like people come 0:30:31.840 --> 0:30:35.200 out to buy a ticket for something it's election. Regardless 0:30:35.240 --> 0:30:37.520 of what level you are in this business. You know, 0:30:37.600 --> 0:30:40.320 if you can fill seats during this time, like that's 0:30:40.360 --> 0:30:41.920 a unique gift to be able to be able to 0:30:41.960 --> 0:30:43.640 fill seats or to know that you can go and 0:30:43.720 --> 0:30:46.160 do the MGM and it's sold out already before you 0:30:46.280 --> 0:30:49.200 go to touch it, and you know, and and and 0:30:49.320 --> 0:30:52.920 people are there because you provide a very unique service, 0:30:53.000 --> 0:30:54.400 you know what I mean. So it's like to know 0:30:54.520 --> 0:30:56.840 the men and to know the music and then know 0:30:56.880 --> 0:30:59.000 the lyrics, to really know the man behind the music 0:30:59.080 --> 0:31:02.360 and the you know I means so yes, which means 0:31:02.440 --> 0:31:05.360 like you got to come correct too, you know, as 0:31:05.440 --> 0:31:08.280 the woman who is you know, pursuing you know what 0:31:08.280 --> 0:31:11.160 I mean? I think in dating that the pursuit should 0:31:11.200 --> 0:31:14.640 be equally ooked, you know what I mean. I realized that, 0:31:14.720 --> 0:31:16.360 I realized it. I realized as a man that I 0:31:16.480 --> 0:31:20.120 like to be pursued. And that's not to be misunderstood as. 0:31:20.920 --> 0:31:22.800 You want to feel that they want you. 0:31:24.760 --> 0:31:26.360 If you the woman that's waiting by the phone for 0:31:26.440 --> 0:31:29.400 me to call you or like you know, daily and 0:31:29.720 --> 0:31:33.200 you know whatever, the like, yeah you're not because you know, 0:31:33.400 --> 0:31:35.600 I believe like if you think, you know, if you 0:31:35.680 --> 0:31:40.560 think about me, then or show reach out, you know. 0:31:40.560 --> 0:31:42.000 What I mean? So like you know what I mean? 0:31:42.080 --> 0:31:44.640 So like yeah, so it's you know, hopefully I've answered 0:31:44.680 --> 0:31:45.080 good question. 0:31:45.760 --> 0:31:48.239 No, it has been amazing And I was like, man, 0:31:48.320 --> 0:31:52.160 I want to make great use of our time together. 0:31:53.680 --> 0:31:57.360 You've given me so much. You've given us so much. 0:31:57.800 --> 0:31:59.960 I told I was telling some folks that I was 0:32:00.080 --> 0:32:03.959 interviewing the other day, they poured, you literally are pouring. 0:32:04.560 --> 0:32:08.080 And I really think I'm thankful for that. And I 0:32:08.160 --> 0:32:10.720 don't want to didn't want to come across offensive because 0:32:10.720 --> 0:32:14.120 I was like, Man, I'm sitting here and just wondering 0:32:14.640 --> 0:32:17.320 as I'm listening to music as a fan of like, 0:32:17.800 --> 0:32:20.400 does he have pressure in that area? 0:32:20.680 --> 0:32:21.960 I don't feel the pressure. 0:32:21.960 --> 0:32:23.720 I mean, not that I mean in the day about 0:32:23.720 --> 0:32:25.840 that life, like I talked, like I talked with I 0:32:25.920 --> 0:32:27.280 talked that talk about. 0:32:27.040 --> 0:32:28.000 That that life. 0:32:28.360 --> 0:32:32.200 So he's not a hypocrite, Like you're not gonna everything. 0:32:32.040 --> 0:32:33.920 You know, but everything for everybody. 0:32:33.960 --> 0:32:37.400 You know, you're doing in moderation and you know, even 0:32:37.480 --> 0:32:40.160 in real time, you know, learning a lot about myself 0:32:40.240 --> 0:32:43.160 and and uh, you know, and dating and you know 0:32:43.320 --> 0:32:46.160 from my previous relationship not to make the same states. 0:32:46.280 --> 0:32:48.600 And it's like all the all of those things, you 0:32:48.640 --> 0:32:50.640 know what I mean, Like, you know, it's cool being 0:32:50.680 --> 0:32:52.920 an artist, you know, That's I think that's the cool 0:32:53.000 --> 0:32:55.080 part is that you can go through things and then 0:32:55.160 --> 0:32:58.640 you can be your own news for them and go 0:32:58.840 --> 0:33:01.960 in and you know, use your music. 0:33:02.640 --> 0:33:06.840 To not only hill yourself, but to also heal. You know, 0:33:06.960 --> 0:33:09.000 music is healing for the for the listener, you know, 0:33:09.400 --> 0:33:12.560 therapeutic in some cases. It's a doc connector to. 0:33:12.720 --> 0:33:18.760 Love and fatherhood and motherhood and just like all the things, 0:33:19.440 --> 0:33:21.720 depending on you know, what you're listening to, you know, 0:33:23.480 --> 0:33:25.040 and what you get, what you get from it, you. 0:33:25.040 --> 0:33:31.200 Know, Yeah, you mentioned your father. I just wanted to 0:33:31.360 --> 0:33:34.360 ask you. He was a jazz musician. 0:33:34.680 --> 0:33:38.120 Yes, yes ahead, I'm sorry, yes, yes, I do, I'll do. 0:33:38.640 --> 0:33:43.120 He was a jazz musician and so were you the 0:33:43.360 --> 0:33:46.640 son that wanted to make sure that he loved your music? 0:33:46.840 --> 0:33:50.040 Was he excited or please? Had Did he ever participate 0:33:50.400 --> 0:33:51.800 creatively with you music? 0:33:52.040 --> 0:33:54.360 Yeah, you know, he would hang out. 0:33:54.800 --> 0:33:56.800 Not many studio sessions he came to with me, but 0:33:56.840 --> 0:33:58.400 there's one it sticks out, and it was the night 0:33:58.440 --> 0:34:01.360 that I was recording the song just right. And he 0:34:01.440 --> 0:34:03.400 didn't make many suggestions that night, but one of the 0:34:03.480 --> 0:34:06.040 suggestions that he did make on the record is like 0:34:06.200 --> 0:34:08.880 it's it's literally the way it is because it's something 0:34:08.960 --> 0:34:12.799 that he suggested that I do, which was like there's 0:34:12.840 --> 0:34:15.400 a bridge that happens like a pre hook that happens 0:34:15.440 --> 0:34:18.080 in that in that record, in that song, and to 0:34:18.320 --> 0:34:21.200 kind of make a different between the two, it was 0:34:21.480 --> 0:34:23.359 there's this one line where he was just like, yeah, 0:34:23.480 --> 0:34:26.279 just leave out the one word right there, and and 0:34:26.400 --> 0:34:30.120 I'm like okay, and I'm me and the student anybody knows, 0:34:30.160 --> 0:34:31.960 like I'm very kind of like as far as like 0:34:32.520 --> 0:34:34.000 suggestions and stuff or. 0:34:34.000 --> 0:34:36.960 People like, hey, you should do like I hate that, 0:34:37.239 --> 0:34:37.920 like you know what I mean. 0:34:38.080 --> 0:34:41.319 So sometimes I just need the space to get out 0:34:41.360 --> 0:34:43.000 what I need to get in my head before, like 0:34:43.160 --> 0:34:46.000 you know, and and and if I really, like, you know, 0:34:46.040 --> 0:34:47.600 I'll ask an opinion, you know what I mean. But 0:34:48.160 --> 0:34:51.719 it was just like Dad, and he made us right. 0:34:52.760 --> 0:34:55.680 He was he was right, and the records just right 0:34:55.719 --> 0:34:58.600 and it came out just right, you know what I mean. 0:34:58.680 --> 0:35:01.759 But but yeah, like you know, I think probably the 0:35:01.800 --> 0:35:04.640 part I missed the most is like, uh, we would talk, 0:35:04.760 --> 0:35:07.000 you know, maybe two three times a day, but even 0:35:07.040 --> 0:35:08.680 if it wasn't two three times a day, he would 0:35:08.680 --> 0:35:11.920 always kind of like tap in after the show, like 0:35:12.080 --> 0:35:13.960 you know, whether two three o'clock in the morning, you 0:35:14.000 --> 0:35:18.960 know something about musicians who just up and up at night, right, 0:35:20.040 --> 0:35:23.000 and uh, nocturnal and he and he would, he would, yeah, 0:35:23.040 --> 0:35:25.239 he would, just like tap Man. And you know, it's 0:35:25.480 --> 0:35:27.200 you can have people, you know, you can have different 0:35:27.400 --> 0:35:29.800 there's a different conversation that you can have, say with 0:35:30.520 --> 0:35:32.200 a parent who is in the. 0:35:32.280 --> 0:35:35.479 Music business versus one that's not it's just a level. 0:35:35.800 --> 0:35:36.680 They just understand. 0:35:36.800 --> 0:35:39.320 We talk a different language, we talk, We talk a 0:35:39.360 --> 0:35:42.320 different language than most you know what I mean, you know, 0:35:42.360 --> 0:35:46.640 whether we're talking business or on a you know, personal level. 0:35:46.719 --> 0:35:49.400 You know. But yeah, my dad, you know, for the 0:35:49.520 --> 0:35:51.160 listeners out there, you know, check out his work. 0:35:52.040 --> 0:35:55.920 He was a child prodigy cellist and went on to 0:35:56.080 --> 0:35:58.600 teach like some of his amazing students who are. 0:35:58.560 --> 0:36:03.040 Now doing phenomenal things around the world. Wow, and yeah, 0:36:03.200 --> 0:36:07.320 so yeah that's good. But I understand that, you know, 0:36:07.440 --> 0:36:09.120 it's the progression of life, you know what I mean. 0:36:09.239 --> 0:36:11.840 So I'm thankful to be able to say that that 0:36:12.200 --> 0:36:14.440 I had the experiences that I've had that I had 0:36:14.480 --> 0:36:17.120 with him, you know, and to know that also you know, 0:36:17.480 --> 0:36:20.520 they they definitely were in spirit, you know what I'm saying. 0:36:20.560 --> 0:36:23.520 Our ancestors are in spirit, you know, calling the plays, 0:36:23.719 --> 0:36:26.120 calling the plays that you will, thank you. 0:36:26.400 --> 0:36:27.960 So much for sharing. 0:36:28.480 --> 0:36:31.360 I understand, my I lost my father in twenty twenty, 0:36:31.640 --> 0:36:35.360 but I rejoice in the fact that he was ready. 0:36:35.360 --> 0:36:37.839 It was time, It was his time, It was his time. 0:36:38.600 --> 0:36:41.800 Still miss him, still miss him dearly. He is a 0:36:41.920 --> 0:36:44.680 huge musical influence. He was a DJ, and he had 0:36:44.800 --> 0:36:50.840 like Milk Crates, Vinyl just from everything to the to 0:36:51.000 --> 0:36:55.160 Marvin Gaye to Aerosmith. So I feel like that's why 0:36:55.280 --> 0:36:57.960 sometimes I had a hard time kind of figuring out 0:36:58.239 --> 0:37:01.120 I think what my sound was gonna be. But I'm 0:37:01.160 --> 0:37:05.000 still a consumer to this day of just all things, 0:37:05.320 --> 0:37:08.120 so many genres. Two more questions for you. Are there 0:37:08.160 --> 0:37:11.280 any sounds that you still have yet to explore sonically? 0:37:13.640 --> 0:37:17.440 Yeah, definitely, there probably a lot of things. Like I'm 0:37:17.480 --> 0:37:20.640 in a space. I let that happen organically, you know. 0:37:21.680 --> 0:37:24.560 You don't force it like I'm going to do Yeah. 0:37:24.640 --> 0:37:26.279 Yeah, yeah, I like that. I like that I let 0:37:26.320 --> 0:37:27.759 the music dode. That tells me. 0:37:27.840 --> 0:37:31.479 I think probably the most eclectic record I have about 0:37:31.520 --> 0:37:33.480 right now, it's a record called Favorite Things to Do, 0:37:34.080 --> 0:37:37.400 which is which it has a It has a vintage 0:37:38.680 --> 0:37:42.160 failire vibe to it, you know what I'm saying. 0:37:42.440 --> 0:37:43.520 I love him. 0:37:44.120 --> 0:37:44.279 Yeah. 0:37:44.360 --> 0:37:47.440 Shout out to DJ Terry Hunter, who produced that out 0:37:47.440 --> 0:37:49.719 of Chicago, you know, but to kind of like show 0:37:49.760 --> 0:37:52.640 the diversity like Terry also produced you you know. 0:37:52.760 --> 0:37:55.000 For me, you know, many moons ago. 0:37:55.200 --> 0:37:58.520 So uh you know, but again, you know when you 0:37:58.600 --> 0:38:00.919 start when I started getting my back and thinking about 0:38:01.040 --> 0:38:03.239 like the work that I that I've already done with 0:38:03.360 --> 0:38:05.640 like King Doapro in particular. 0:38:06.080 --> 0:38:09.239 Right, I'm gonna find it. I'm gonna find it. 0:38:09.640 --> 0:38:13.399 See me looking down because I was able to play 0:38:13.520 --> 0:38:17.560 Sondra Isador. I was the original Sondra Isidor in the 0:38:17.640 --> 0:38:18.919 Fela touring. 0:38:18.719 --> 0:38:21.280 Production that was on Broadway. 0:38:21.760 --> 0:38:23.000 Yeah, it was on Broadway. 0:38:23.080 --> 0:38:24.759 Okay. I came to see that in New York. 0:38:25.080 --> 0:38:28.239 Yeah, so it was on Broadway, but I was in 0:38:28.920 --> 0:38:33.120 the Broadway producers took it on the road and I 0:38:33.440 --> 0:38:36.960 was in. I was the original Sondra Isador on the road. 0:38:37.200 --> 0:38:38.200 Man. That was incredible. 0:38:38.320 --> 0:38:41.239 Like, yeah, I was introduced to his music in two 0:38:41.280 --> 0:38:44.759 thousand and eight, and I'm like, I wish I knew 0:38:44.840 --> 0:38:46.600 of him in nineteen ninety eight. 0:38:46.800 --> 0:38:49.360 I just shout out to his son, to his kids 0:38:49.480 --> 0:38:52.520 and FAMMI you know, you know he is like that. Yes, 0:38:52.840 --> 0:38:55.520 he's like the split version of his dad. It is 0:38:56.280 --> 0:38:58.160 at the heart of this got the heart of a lion, 0:38:58.280 --> 0:39:01.080 you know what I mean, Like, you know, so okay. 0:39:01.040 --> 0:39:04.360 I'm okay, I'm excited. I'm excited. Okay, thank you for 0:39:04.480 --> 0:39:05.040 sharing that. 0:39:05.840 --> 0:39:09.800 Last, but not least, the foundation of my podcast is 0:39:09.920 --> 0:39:11.360 regarding mental health. 0:39:12.200 --> 0:39:15.040 We know that we know, or I know, everybody has 0:39:15.120 --> 0:39:16.680 mental health, but everybody does. 0:39:16.640 --> 0:39:21.640 Not have mental illness. Even you, righting you have mental health, 0:39:22.400 --> 0:39:26.839 you seem to be very grounded. You shared so much. 0:39:27.520 --> 0:39:29.560 But to the heart of that creative who might be 0:39:29.640 --> 0:39:34.800 struggling with their confidence, to the creative who is just 0:39:35.400 --> 0:39:36.720 maybe they're. 0:39:36.640 --> 0:39:38.680 Just struggling in the area of their mental health. They're 0:39:38.760 --> 0:39:40.400 dealing with depression or anxiety. 0:39:40.880 --> 0:39:44.120 Have you ever walked that road where you were like, yeah, 0:39:44.120 --> 0:39:45.920 I've been down a little too long. 0:39:46.080 --> 0:39:47.879 Or absolutely that's some fear. 0:39:48.120 --> 0:39:52.279 For the first time in my life, I willingly intentionally 0:39:52.880 --> 0:39:55.080 started doing therapy, and it was like when I lost 0:39:55.120 --> 0:39:58.680 my dad, Black King, Come on now. Prior to that, 0:39:58.840 --> 0:40:01.800 I definitely probably was one of the people that I 0:40:01.880 --> 0:40:05.320 thought I didn't need or didn't get or like you know, 0:40:05.520 --> 0:40:07.600 or thought that you know, there had to be something 0:40:07.719 --> 0:40:12.160 like really going wrong to you know, ironically, you know, 0:40:12.320 --> 0:40:13.080 mental health. 0:40:13.040 --> 0:40:16.080 Is like one degree separation. For me, it's like very close, 0:40:16.239 --> 0:40:17.720 like so much so close. 0:40:17.800 --> 0:40:20.320 That like which I've never spoken about is public for 0:40:20.360 --> 0:40:25.879 me until now, right, is that my my dad has caisophrenia. Wow, 0:40:26.280 --> 0:40:30.440 And I've always been you know, for whatever reason, as 0:40:30.480 --> 0:40:33.640 he got older and I got older, for whatever reason, 0:40:33.760 --> 0:40:36.680 I was I was probably the one person out of 0:40:36.719 --> 0:40:39.279 the family that could kind of like get him back 0:40:39.320 --> 0:40:40.400 on traps, you know. 0:40:41.160 --> 0:40:43.840 So that became a thing for me, you know. 0:40:44.000 --> 0:40:46.960 So when I say, like it's one degree separation, I'm 0:40:47.000 --> 0:40:49.439 looking to go down the rabbit hole and and now 0:40:49.719 --> 0:40:52.319 and so so that's something that's like, you know, very 0:40:52.719 --> 0:40:55.560 you know, having my foundation, doing the work that I've 0:40:55.600 --> 0:41:00.160 done community wise, revamping the foundation and and and with 0:41:00.280 --> 0:41:03.040 new initiatives, that is something like mental health is like 0:41:03.160 --> 0:41:05.239 something that's very important to me. 0:41:05.360 --> 0:41:07.800 And I understand it like in a way. 0:41:07.760 --> 0:41:09.839 That most probably be wouldn't you know what I mean, 0:41:09.920 --> 0:41:12.840 because again on both sides of my family, like you know, 0:41:13.440 --> 0:41:15.719 it's one degree literally one degree. 0:41:17.160 --> 0:41:18.440 Degree separation. 0:41:18.640 --> 0:41:20.680 So I understand that, like you know, and I didn't 0:41:20.760 --> 0:41:24.320 understand until I started doing therapy how important therapy is. 0:41:24.840 --> 0:41:26.680 You know, the tools and things that you can be 0:41:26.800 --> 0:41:29.600 given the healing that can happen from it, and how 0:41:29.680 --> 0:41:32.239 you can identify the source of trauma, you know what 0:41:32.280 --> 0:41:34.600 I mean, like like because sometimes the source of your 0:41:34.680 --> 0:41:37.359 source of trauma may be like all roads may lead 0:41:37.400 --> 0:41:40.960 back to one person yep, and and the series of 0:41:41.000 --> 0:41:44.200 a vist that it's transpired and then you know whether 0:41:44.200 --> 0:41:45.520 it's say, hurt people, hurt people. 0:41:46.920 --> 0:41:49.680 So it's so it's so important to get in tune 0:41:49.719 --> 0:41:52.040 with y'all, like your trauma and your hurt and your pain, 0:41:52.160 --> 0:41:53.839 because you don't want to be one of those hurt people. 0:41:53.880 --> 0:41:57.440 This is out here hurting people intentionally or unintentionally, you 0:41:57.520 --> 0:41:59.759 know what I mean. So, yeah, mental health is like 0:42:00.440 --> 0:42:03.680 and everything for me, you know, for anybody out there 0:42:03.719 --> 0:42:04.760 that's going through anything. 0:42:04.880 --> 0:42:05.960 Is that I would just say, like in. 0:42:06.000 --> 0:42:09.160 Transparency and like again, as artists, like you know, we 0:42:09.560 --> 0:42:13.239 remember that it's something about the TV or the Netflix 0:42:13.480 --> 0:42:16.680 or the radio or these you know, or social media. 0:42:16.760 --> 0:42:19.960 It just makes us look bigger than life that sometimes 0:42:20.000 --> 0:42:22.160 people forget that we're human beings and we believe the 0:42:22.200 --> 0:42:24.479 same way you do. You know, we have the same 0:42:24.560 --> 0:42:27.640 losses that you do, we have the same anxieties, we 0:42:27.760 --> 0:42:32.239 have the same in some cases prayers. You know, I 0:42:32.360 --> 0:42:35.239 never try to claim the spirit of depression, you know 0:42:35.280 --> 0:42:38.600 what I'm saying, Like, you know, I feel like depression 0:42:38.719 --> 0:42:39.560 is a word. 0:42:39.880 --> 0:42:42.760 It kind of it'sat it's just data. 0:42:42.920 --> 0:42:45.400 Yeah. Yeah, I saw somebody say that. 0:42:45.760 --> 0:42:47.800 I can't remember when I saw this, but depression it 0:42:47.920 --> 0:42:50.560 really stands for decompression, like you need to It just 0:42:50.680 --> 0:42:54.440 means that your avatar is tired and that you just 0:42:54.520 --> 0:42:57.440 need to let your avatar like decompress, you know what 0:42:57.480 --> 0:43:00.000 I'm saying. And whatever that process is. Maybe that process 0:43:00.440 --> 0:43:02.600 is you know, taking a quick trip for going like 0:43:03.120 --> 0:43:05.640 going somewhere and just like standing in the water, or 0:43:06.280 --> 0:43:10.239 you know, meditating or you know, you know, for some 0:43:10.320 --> 0:43:12.880 people it's like back with you know what I mean. 0:43:13.320 --> 0:43:17.279 But I would suggest finding good ways to you want 0:43:17.320 --> 0:43:20.280 to make sure that you're not running to like the bad. 0:43:20.160 --> 0:43:25.800 Habits, the bad habits, bad you know what. We Sometimes 0:43:25.840 --> 0:43:27.600 people feel like what is what's a solution? 0:43:27.840 --> 0:43:30.840 It's really a distraction and they're not getting to the 0:43:31.000 --> 0:43:35.600 root of that pain, you know, They're they're substituting it. 0:43:36.200 --> 0:43:39.120 Yeah, first of all, let me let you know that. 0:43:39.239 --> 0:43:41.680 Michelle Williams and I'm sure folks. 0:43:41.440 --> 0:43:43.400 That are with the Black Effect. 0:43:44.080 --> 0:43:47.160 Who my podcast is you know under Charlemagne, who has 0:43:47.239 --> 0:43:52.719 the Mental Wealth Alliance? Like whatever, however we can and 0:43:52.840 --> 0:43:56.480 I guess Charlemagne, I signed you up. Yeah, however, I 0:43:56.680 --> 0:44:00.480 let me speak for me. However I can get behind you. Yeah, 0:44:00.920 --> 0:44:04.879 in whatever it is in that mental health space, I'm 0:44:04.880 --> 0:44:07.560 gonna be following up because that's really big. And thank 0:44:07.640 --> 0:44:12.680 you for trusting my platform to share what you shared. 0:44:13.400 --> 0:44:13.600 Y'all. 0:44:13.640 --> 0:44:16.560 There are so many things about the artists that we 0:44:16.800 --> 0:44:20.320 know and love, like he said, go through the same 0:44:20.440 --> 0:44:24.240 things that we have. And maybe he just didn't feel 0:44:25.239 --> 0:44:27.800 or there is a safe enough space to share what 0:44:27.960 --> 0:44:33.960 he shared. Again, therapy is not always about It doesn't 0:44:33.960 --> 0:44:35.960 always have to be about trauma. It can be how 0:44:36.040 --> 0:44:40.600 can I unpack transition? How can I get an unbiased 0:44:40.640 --> 0:44:43.319 opinion about how to deal with a loss? And guess 0:44:43.400 --> 0:44:46.480 what therapy is about trauma too if you want to 0:44:46.560 --> 0:44:51.560 go there. Okay, so you have made yourself even more 0:44:51.680 --> 0:44:57.439 lovable by being vulnerable. That took some vulnerability to share, 0:44:57.560 --> 0:44:58.239 but that's what you know. 0:44:58.400 --> 0:45:00.840 But again, that all kind it goes back to like, 0:45:01.719 --> 0:45:04.920 it goes back to the art, like you know, ass right, 0:45:04.960 --> 0:45:07.279 And it's why you know, it's part of these These 0:45:07.320 --> 0:45:09.640 are part of the things that like our challenges, our 0:45:09.680 --> 0:45:11.680 things that we deal with that we don't speak on earth. 0:45:11.719 --> 0:45:14.160 You know, they shape us, state, mold us, you know 0:45:14.239 --> 0:45:17.320 what I mean. And you know, so you know, it 0:45:17.440 --> 0:45:19.640 kind of gives people kind of wonder why I move 0:45:19.719 --> 0:45:22.320 the way I moved, or like people wouldn't believe some 0:45:22.440 --> 0:45:24.680 of the things unless they saw it, you know what 0:45:24.680 --> 0:45:27.360 I mean, I heard it or you know, or you know, 0:45:27.520 --> 0:45:29.879 we had a conversation piece about it. So like, yeah, 0:45:29.920 --> 0:45:33.800 I'm looking forward to being more verbal. And you know, again, 0:45:34.040 --> 0:45:38.080 mental health is just it's it holds a very hold space. 0:45:38.719 --> 0:45:42.200 A lot of it purposely and intentional because of like 0:45:42.360 --> 0:45:44.719 you know, it being a one degree separation thing for me. 0:45:45.200 --> 0:45:54.000 Listen, thank you, y'all. His foundation is called love Life Foundation. 0:45:54.320 --> 0:45:55.560 Yeah, the Love Life Foundation. 0:45:55.719 --> 0:45:55.879 Yeah. 0:45:56.080 --> 0:45:56.279 Yeah. 0:45:56.960 --> 0:46:02.040 It's committed to raising awareness and funds for domestic island education, homeless, 0:46:02.800 --> 0:46:05.160 mental illness, if I is that correct. 0:46:06.440 --> 0:46:10.640 Mental health, autism, cancer, Listen. 0:46:11.320 --> 0:46:14.840 It's so well rounded for music and arts, HIV and 0:46:15.000 --> 0:46:17.960 AIDS if we can. Matter of fact, I'm gonna follow 0:46:18.160 --> 0:46:22.160 right now love Life DMV And as he said on 0:46:22.239 --> 0:46:23.240 one of his interludes. 0:46:23.280 --> 0:46:29.920 You can find him at Raheem Underscover Devon on Facebook 0:46:30.480 --> 0:46:31.800 as Raheem Divine. 0:46:31.920 --> 0:46:35.719 You can find him there. I think you poured so much. 0:46:35.960 --> 0:46:38.680 Thank you for checking in, Oh, thank you for having me, 0:46:39.200 --> 0:46:41.040 Thank you for having me. We gotta do it again 0:46:41.200 --> 0:46:41.720 for sure. 0:46:41.960 --> 0:46:44.160 Anytime, anytime, anytime. 0:46:47.880 --> 0:46:52.080 Okay, I did not expect I did not expect. 0:46:51.920 --> 0:46:55.680 This, and I'm so glad that he was just willing 0:46:55.760 --> 0:46:58.400 to share, because sometimes, you know, artists can be, you know, 0:46:58.760 --> 0:47:02.520 be wanting to be all and whatnot and not share, 0:47:03.200 --> 0:47:08.719 you know, but he was just absolutely a jewel. And 0:47:09.320 --> 0:47:15.240 we are dedicating this episode to his father, Abdul Dude. 0:47:15.960 --> 0:47:19.120 And I'm grateful that Checking In is a safe space 0:47:19.719 --> 0:47:23.160 where people begin to share things that they probably normally 0:47:23.200 --> 0:47:28.960 wouldn't share. And he's got my full support. And continue 0:47:29.080 --> 0:47:32.840 prayers and blessings into anybody out there. You've lost a 0:47:33.000 --> 0:47:36.279 loved one recently, just know that my heart goes out 0:47:36.360 --> 0:47:40.160 to you and I'm wrapping my arms around your body 0:47:41.800 --> 0:47:45.520 as best as i can and just praying for you 0:47:45.680 --> 0:47:47.680 and just wanting to send you some love as well. 0:48:05.200 --> 0:48:08.320 Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio 0:48:08.560 --> 0:48:12.560 and the black effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit 0:48:12.640 --> 0:48:16.520 the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to 0:48:16.600 --> 0:48:17.560 your favorite shows.