00:00:00 Speaker 1: The Quest Love Show is a production of iHeart Radio. 00:00:21 Speaker 2: Are we rolling all right, ladies and gentlemen, this is the Quest Love Show. 00:00:26 Speaker 1: I'm Questlove. 00:00:27 Speaker 2: I will say that, in my opinion, our guest today doesn't just make records. 00:00:32 Speaker 1: He makes a mood. He makes a mood. 00:00:36 Speaker 2: He, in my opinions, probably the last one of the last purveyors of what we call grown folks soul. You know, I know titles are horrible, but I'll get to that. 00:00:49 Speaker 1: Hey, that's how we categorize things. There you go. 00:00:51 Speaker 2: But I will say that his work is forever. And I promise you the thing is is if one of your compositions, like when I say your work is forever, I statistically mean that, like maybe in the last twenty years forty of any nuptials given, I promise you that our guest today that is compositions. 00:01:18 Speaker 1: Yes, living that. 00:01:19 Speaker 2: Well, here's the other thing, Like, because of the cold state of hip hop and the whole emotionalist armor that we have on us, I'll say that our guests also has a cannon that is rich and deep for heartbreak songs when you need it. Whenever I'm asked to make Valentine's Day playlist, there's two lists. 00:01:43 Speaker 1: I have to make. 00:01:43 Speaker 2: I have to make the regular love stuff, but my most popular playlist are the Heartbreak Playlist, of which a lot of your compositions live in that. A singer, singer, a songwriter, songwriter. I will say, of course, proud father, loving husband, and I believe I am catching our guests and what promises to hopefully be his greatest phase, which is my favorite of his, which is the zero Fox given phase. 00:02:16 Speaker 1: Okay, so let's have it. 00:02:19 Speaker 2: Welcome to the show, my brethren. 00:02:23 Speaker 1: Yes, sir. First of all, that introduction coming from you, because look, we go back. I remember, thank you for that. There were so many like nuggets way back then where it was like, okay, Emir is going to be the one to win an Oscar for filmmaking. Emir is going to be the one who is just going to be the owner of the knowledge music, the story of music history. Like I remember, there is a very very famous Now it's viral now everybody's seen it. But the first time I saw it, we were up in the studio, like we go back, we go back to Jesse Fat Nasty's Richard Nichols, all all that right, And this was two thousand it was before ninety oh yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe it was a ninety nine. I don't even know. I guess it was YouTube, I guess, but was YouTube big back then? Not yet YouTube was a two thousand and six a meir going, no, y'all gotta see this, Come here, come see this. Okay, you know what I'm talking. 00:03:21 Speaker 2: I was YouTube. Yes, So my before YouTube. 00:03:25 Speaker 1: Was a thing. 00:03:26 Speaker 2: My primary job, even when people asked me about like the Voodoo period, right, my primary job was to walk around with two giant kippling double bags. 00:03:39 Speaker 1: Okay, this explains so fucking much right now, which I didn't know. I'll go ahead, go ahead. 00:03:45 Speaker 2: Yeah, but i' mean basically, I went to Japan the first time. The Roots went to Japan in ninety six. 00:03:51 Speaker 1: Yeah, our translations Japanese people are just voracious for like any information. 00:03:58 Speaker 2: Which also means that American call is very disposable. You could be on here and then like oh yesterday, yesterday's news. 00:04:04 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. 00:04:05 Speaker 2: So the point is that, yeah, when I first went to Japan, my translator was like, you have an affro like Don Cornelius. 00:04:12 Speaker 1: I was like, ha ha, well do you know about Don Corno? 00:04:15 Speaker 2: Like we love soul training I was like, you know, a soul train, and she says, I have all the episodes in my house. And I never left that woman's house. Literally, I mean we had the top like four seasons, best of No. I'm sleeping in this woman's like her version of the projects, her and her mother in a small match box, and she had about forty episodes of Soul Trade and two VCRs. I recorded every episode, and I came back to America like manna from heaven, and my job between ninety seven really two thousand and three was just to anywhere I went. 00:04:55 Speaker 1: It was a man bring the tapes. That explained because I couldn't understand, Like it's probably difficult for this generation to understand because readily video information wasn't that so available. So we're in the studio and you're bringing out tapes and shit, and I'm like, where's this nigga kidding all this stuff? And then the second thing is like, you got you gotta see this, you gotta see this, And he's like, you gotta see the time that James Brown was performing and he spots Michael in the audience. That is the first time I and everybody in the room. Now you can see It's probably got a gazillion and fifty views now on YouTube. And and you are not only were we watching the video, but you are curating the whole thing. 00:05:43 Speaker 2: When I tell you, every storyteller has the little boy that cried Wolf story, yeah, yeah. 00:05:50 Speaker 1: Yeah, yah yah that no one believes. 00:05:52 Speaker 2: Yeah, and the amount of times and I when you know, when you realize you have a kick me sign on your back and you see people looking at each other and you're like, Okay, obviously I'm not some's happening, something's going on. 00:06:06 Speaker 1: I'm not in on. 00:06:07 Speaker 2: And I promise you between ninety six and ninety eight, So Prince first told me this story. You know, it was the point where like it was like a new diplomatic happy prince, like, we're not used to this person. Why is he being so nice to us? And I asked him, like we med'angelo and him. We were at Tramps, if you remember Tramp's nightclub. We just did a jam session, and he was speaking complete sentences like not the grasshopper, like you know, the martial arts. 00:06:44 Speaker 1: The way he was being for the better part of a regular dude hanging out. 00:06:48 Speaker 2: It was the most regularly he was and at the end of the night. I was like, that's I parted me for asking, but I think I asked him why are you so nice to us? Right, which he could have he could have felt some way about it, like as opposed to I said, man, thanks for taking the time out to really talk to him. 00:07:07 Speaker 1: And it was a real human conversation. 00:07:09 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was not him trying to, you know, preach about Jehovah or whatever like his prince on on one thing. And I said, what brought this turnaround that you're like so open? 00:07:20 Speaker 1: Kudos to you for just like asking that question. 00:07:23 Speaker 2: I was shocked because I didn't know that he knew complete sentences or jokes. I didn't know what his teeth looked like, but he laughed and everything the princess where teeth like, well, because he's never smiled before, you know what I mean, Like, you've never seen prince like you know, And so he tells his story, He's like, you know long ago. 00:07:45 Speaker 1: Wait, set me up. Was this before you've seen the video? 00:07:49 Speaker 2: I'd never this is the first time I'm hearing Wow, okay, and what year was this? This is ninety six, right after emancipation just came out, and you never seen it. 00:07:57 Speaker 1: Before. 00:07:58 Speaker 2: So he's at out in Long Island. What's the outdoor space? It's now the Tommy Hill. Yeah, Jones Beach. He just showed Jones Beach. And of course he does his whole We're coming to a club and you know, have a club with twelve people in it, a full club, do a whole right, an entire concert. So he's like, all right, get your instruments, we're gonna play. We play, and he tells the story of Once Have how like you know, James Brown. 00:08:24 Speaker 1: Can't wait to hear his version from his side of the story because it's three different things go, eight different things going on. 00:08:32 Speaker 2: So he says, you know, James Brown was such a hero of mine and Michael Jackson one night went out to humiliate and embarrass me in front of him, and. 00:08:44 Speaker 1: He feels like that was the intention from jump. 00:08:48 Speaker 2: So here's the deal. Though, if you read La Reads memoir, I believe the opening chapter starts with the moment that Michael Jackson flies him and Babyface to a Neverland ranch to talk about production on what will eventually be Dangerous. The first thing Michael does is wait, you gotta see this like as a write of passage when you come to his crib. 00:09:13 Speaker 1: You gotta see the vance. 00:09:14 Speaker 2: He shows you the tape. I've I've at least talked to five people that says that that's Michael's opening. Shit, Like, yo, you gotta see what I were happened to Prince one night and he does the thing. 00:09:25 Speaker 1: So so it wasn't it was. 00:09:27 Speaker 2: Everyone's take is that, you know, it's he's competitive, he's let it be known and so but the way that Prince played it out was just like, you know, he called me to the stage and and next thing you know, Michael's trying to humiliate me, and I just walked away so disheveled. And I was like, I'll never do that too, basically like when I meet my subjects, I will do that to him. 00:09:55 Speaker 1: And I was like, wow, that's so. 00:09:58 Speaker 2: Then three years later, when I'm in So once I got the Soul Train Jones on, then I was like, where can I find more of my history? 00:10:05 Speaker 1: And then they they were like, oh you want more? Yeah, So they took me. 00:10:08 Speaker 2: They took me to like this alleyway where it literally it's just like switching concert or Ray Parker Junior and Radio or Larry like Graham Central Station opening for blah blah blah. 00:10:20 Speaker 1: Every you were the guy, and like, how the fuck where did you get this? 00:10:25 Speaker 2: I so they they collected, and so I came back to America with all these tapes. And when I see the tape, I was like, oh, he left that part out of it, and he left that part out of it, and he left that part the awkwardness of it all, and no one believed me for those three years. When I told the story, They're like, yeah, right, Michael Jackson, Prince and James Brown and stayed together whatever. And I promise you the way I held it onto that tape and just showed everybody, I felt. 00:10:51 Speaker 1: Like I was a temporary honorary member of the roots when you showed that to me, because as you were showing it, you are doing a brilliant coming. And Terry, because here's the thing, Yeah, Prince said, Yo, there was a time he humiliated me. But every mistake. Michael couldn't have told Prince to do the mistake, Like we're having a commis Prince, you haven't seen it. Oh, they've seen it. 00:11:18 Speaker 2: We've talked about this many times in the show. 00:11:20 Speaker 1: Okay, they know. Yeah. 00:11:22 Speaker 2: I mean just all his instincts were wrong. 00:11:24 Speaker 1: Every instinct that he did was It's like, Michael didn't set you up for that, like you did that. But I mean, you know, I also believe that Michael was playing eight D chess. Well yeah, it's like, you know, if you're the new guy that's apparently on my level, then yeah, let me not prove it right now, right, yeah? 00:11:43 Speaker 2: Right, So I want to ask you, Yeah, what is the first musical memory that you had in life? 00:11:49 Speaker 1: Wow, give it to a mirror to ask a question I have never been asked before. But as soon as you ask the question, an immediate not only image but visual came into my mind of a couple songs. Okay, I must have been four or five years old and driving in the Buick Estate Wagon down to Mobile, Alabama to see my parents' family and all my cousins down south in Mobil and hearing songs like I Am Alignment for the County. 00:12:33 Speaker 2: What'll Yes whichit a black people and They're love for wichital line. 00:12:38 Speaker 1: I don't know, but I remember that song. I remember by the time she gets the Phoenix, she'll be rising like all those songs like that. And then I remember being in Alabama in my uncle Orlando's house. And my uncle Orlando had a dope like barber business in Atlanta. So his house was like nineteen seventy one, like swanky, like late mid century. 00:13:04 Speaker 2: Like dope okay in Alabama. 00:13:07 Speaker 1: And he was playing all Burt Bacharac Dion Warwick shit. And I just remember something about that kind of songwriting. I felt made like this imprint on me. It's like like Valley of the Dolls theme, all of the Burt Bach Iraq message to Michael, all of all those arrangements. Yeah, that's probably probably one. 00:13:32 Speaker 2: Of my My dad ran that Dion Warwick a track in the ground as well, all those things. 00:13:37 Speaker 1: Man. 00:13:37 Speaker 2: So I was pleasantly surprised to find out that you were born in Mobile. 00:13:44 Speaker 1: I wasn't born in Mobile. My parents were born in Mobile. So we would go. I was born, born and raised in Milwaukee, Okay. And so we would go every summer like like like we would we would pile up in that buick in a station wagon child seats what child seed? I was like. I remember being three or four years old. Remember the death trap in the back of the buick. There was like a little seat, Yeah, the little in the back where I could say that's where I was. That's where I was sitting, and I'm thinking back on that. It's like, y'all niggas was trying to kill me, right based on today's standards. Right. 00:14:18 Speaker 2: So Mobile, okay, do you know if your family is at all connected to Africa Town, which is in Mobile. 00:14:26 Speaker 1: My family would be very disappointed in me saying I don't know. 00:14:30 Speaker 2: Yeah, only only recently found out my connection to Mobile. 00:14:35 Speaker 1: What is that? And that would be the first to tell you. Anybody in Mobile would be the first to tell you. Marti Gras in Louisiana, we started, right, that's true. That's true. 00:14:47 Speaker 2: So I happen to know that, like at least eighty percent of the black population. So I did Skipper Gates's Finding Your Root show, Wow, where you know he finds your audible? Yeah, the celebrity verse twenty three in me Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And me and Wanda Sykes, I believe, are the only two black people in that chill in which they were able to trace our ship, our route, whoa, where. 00:15:13 Speaker 1: We came from, and the family name Whoa? And like where in West Africa? Like where? All right? 00:15:18 Speaker 2: So the deal is that from what I heard, Benen and Nigeria were in a civil war and by the time Thomas, I forget the person who owns the ship. 00:15:32 Speaker 1: And this is the thing. 00:15:33 Speaker 2: This town is literally comprised of the person who owned the ship, his entire family, like to this day runs like all the factories. 00:15:43 Speaker 1: Like mobile was the family that owned the slave ship. 00:15:47 Speaker 2: Right, and their offspring were rich as hell, five five generations now still there. But also the I think now there's still maybe twenty plus captive families that are there, so like nothing's changed. So the story goes that they went to Nigeria and you know, usually you negotiate with the king's son, the prince, what a property do you have for me, Well, we have some prisoners from Benen. Here they go, and so technically my great great great grandfather was literally the last I mean, he was chosen because he could play them drums stop stop, no, no no. The story goes that because the ship is small and they were trying to get more bang for their butt, more money, they were like, just gather the kids, gather anyone under the age of thirteen, small, like, let's try and pack them together. Of course, the horror of it all. 00:16:57 Speaker 1: They're crying and he's like, well, I can't control these kids. 00:17:00 Speaker 2: Oh my god, send fifty of the kids back and bring some women to watch these crying kids. But then the women start crying. He's like, well, I give give me the biggest guy you got. And my great great great was I believe he was six four or six' five and was chosen literally chosen like watch, them and he was literally the. Last but even, then like he was literally the last, captive like slavery had been over for twenty, years but you, know The south is, like, well who's gonna stop? Me so they were still like trying to sneak air quote cargo in and literally when they got To, nobile they got. Caught and having an illegal cargo was the equivalent of like having cocaine. On, yeah not like a moral thing like you shouldn't terrorize these, people more like no, sass, yeah and. Property so they got caught and then he snitched on people, like well they told me to get, it well he said he'd got. It so all this plays out in like the newspaper in the court cases and so at the, time, right and so my great great great was, like, okay so. 00:18:12 Speaker 1: Can we go back? Home and they were, like. 00:18:15 Speaker 2: You're stuck here and he's, like, well can we have his? Land and he's, like, well you can't have, it but you can pay for. It and so what he does is it just so happens that THERE'S i learned That benin had it going through, SUCCESSFULLY i would have been what you would call A. 00:18:31 Speaker 1: Haitian so Most haitians came From. 00:18:35 Speaker 2: Benin so he basically went to the entire community of freed. Slaves now some of them had situations where like okay and my, Will i'll give you some money and a mule or so he COLLECTED i, believe like five hundred dollars from each freed. Person said, hey there's over five, thousand five thousand. 00:18:59 Speaker 1: ACRES i think. 00:19:00 Speaker 2: He's, like look what we'll do is we'll recreate home. Here so you know the stories Like geechee and so basically they Recreated africa in this five. 00:19:12 Speaker 1: Thousand that is. 00:19:13 Speaker 2: Incredible, yeah So i'm finding this. 00:19:16 Speaker 1: Out ain't that? 00:19:18 Speaker 2: Crazy like with just like nine years, ago a little. 00:19:21 Speaker 1: Bit of research in your origin, story any of our origin, stories like the horrific nature of the, story it's, like. 00:19:29 Speaker 2: But also my life changed because you, know As i've revealed on the, show like LITERALLY i told him LIKE i didn't know who or. WHAT i was, like we don't know who Are we can't say, like, oh We're italian or We're. German so ONCE i found that, out then that literally cracked. 00:19:47 Speaker 1: My head open and did WHAT i? 00:19:49 Speaker 2: Mean, Well number, one the WOMAN i was dating at the time was, like so you know what this, means, Right And i'm, like what do you. 00:19:56 Speaker 1: Mean he's like you would have been In. Haitian. 00:19:58 Speaker 2: Yeah and the probably the ganda that we've had Against haitians in this, country like m that, voodoo you, know they do, evil like everything that we've heard About. HAITIANS i had to reverse it and start doing the. Research and THEN i, realized, like, Oh haitians basically have introduced like things That i've credited other people, For LIKE i didn't know about meditation. 00:20:21 Speaker 1: Or patients for. Meditation, Dude it's, see you're about to educate. 00:20:26 Speaker 2: Me bro everything that we would credit like granola hippie people when they go do ayawaska a journeys Or. Haitians, yes and literally and even with the story of The haitian revolt when they revolted against The FRENCH, YEP i was under the impression of, Like, okay we'll wait till their sleep and then we'll attack. 00:20:45 Speaker 1: Them that's. 00:20:46 Speaker 2: No they were chained up by the neck and by the. Hands they won their freedom by according to like maybe there's like six survivors in this. Thing they were trying to describe what they saw and the only word they can get out was, LIKE i mean were using a derogatory term like black, magic, voodoom like they were playing to there and so literally they were chanting and meditating to the, moon and literally the Entire french army. Died like that was the, mystery like how do they? Die so when word gets back to The, states this is when we can't worship no other. Gods but we had to. 00:21:26 Speaker 1: File The christian used that for the subject that makes. Perfect clans are burning up churches and. Everything so there was there was. 00:21:34 Speaker 2: Always a fear of like our magic or don't let Them, yeah no more, Drums like there was a specific period at the beginning Of Jim crow and The reconstruction which those things were demonized and so which fully made me tap into WHEN i found that, out that was the green light that brought me to The, Earth wind And fire, documentary because you know WHEN i was, younger we used to look at my helm covers LIKE i was raising a Harsh christian. 00:22:07 Speaker 1: House holies was so metaphysical and. Everything but Some christians didn't like, that like what does that sign? Mean what does this? 00:22:13 Speaker 2: Mean? 00:22:13 Speaker 1: WHAT i hate? 00:22:14 Speaker 2: That and mind, you this is just the great great great grandfather on my mother's, side like everyone else was just a. 00:22:21 Speaker 1: NUMBER i don't know their, NAMES i don't know where they came from or. 00:22:24 Speaker 2: Whatever but just finding out one quarter of my, lineage beautiful man found out WHO i am BECAUSE i. 00:22:31 Speaker 1: Wish i'm rather, envious BECAUSE i am ignorant of so much of my. Origin and you, know other than you're taking twenty three and me and you're being, like, OH dna says right from this here. Here BUT i want to know the. STORY i want to, Know like we gotta get you to Skip gates, Man kip what up? 00:22:48 Speaker 2: Man see My Alex haley Bro. 00:23:02 Speaker 1: SO i have to ask you a question About. 00:23:03 Speaker 2: Milwaukee, YEAH i mean it's not a Cosmopolitan, no it. 00:23:07 Speaker 1: Ain't, no but it's not a country. 00:23:09 Speaker 2: Either and it's not The, south and it's not it's The, midwest is it? 00:23:13 Speaker 1: Not? Like what are your memories Of. 00:23:17 Speaker 2: Milwaukee is there a? Culture there is there. 00:23:20 Speaker 1: So my, youth youth and teen, years any musical influence was within my. Family, okay yeah there, Were Like, milwaukee it's probably not known and it wasn't known to me back. Then like you, said it's any kind of you, know musical. Mecca But i've always believed that there's something about people who are musically, inclined and if they live in The, midwest there is like you're you're at the halfway point of what's happening on The west, coast what's happening on The east, coast and what's happening in The, south and each one of those musical influences are so distinctly. Different but then it has a way of meshing in The, midwest which didn't really i want to, say manifests itself as The milwaukee identity of. Music but for the people like me and my Cousin, george and like my, family people who were just connoisseurs of, music our tastes was like we had no allegiance to this side or this side or that, side so we were just like an. Amalgamation and THEN i think that's why you get Like hitsville And. Detroit that's where you get The Ohio. Players that's where you Get Jimmy, Hendrix that's where you Get, Prince that's where you Get Stevie. Wonder it's all That midwest. Energy that's, like how far is it From? Chicago, like what's the Hour chicago? Jazz you know that is hour and fifteen minutes you drive north and you're In milwaukee From chicago hour and twenty. Minutes so What i'm really dying to ask, you, yeah is what's A? Kringle do you know what is? Kringle, yeah a. KRINGO i was just, kidding but you know what a kringle? Is laughing over, There, yeah kringle. Is nobody knows what the kringle. Is but it's basically a really good. Dessert it's like a strudle and it's in the shape of a big ass reef and it's just it's. 00:25:13 Speaker 2: That's what you guys are known. For beer and, kringle. 00:25:16 Speaker 1: And, yeah beer kringle and getting drunk and passing out in the. Street go and Summer. Fest summerfest is a Huge i've done test because all the big artists Do Summerfest. Milwaukee is that still Happen. Summerfest, absolutely, Yeah and you Know milwaukee is is a great place on a great, lake but it's it was an adulte place to be. From but you were going to ask a, question is? 00:25:41 Speaker 2: Okay so WHAT i always wanted to? Know and you're like the First milwaukee RESIDENT i can ask this, to and actually the first Black milwaukee RESIDENT i can ask. 00:25:49 Speaker 1: This you know what's, Happening you know so many directions you can. Go but why AM i Thinking Jeffrey. Dahmer that's exactly What i'm gonna ask. You, Okay so, look YOU i got. Story you came up In. Milwaukee, yes during THE dama. 00:26:06 Speaker 2: Years, yes and that's a case that like gutted the black. 00:26:10 Speaker 1: Community, yes and kind of showed how little the city was protecting. 00:26:19 Speaker 2: Us. Yes so when you heard, him was he caught already or was it always or was there a build? 00:26:25 Speaker 1: Up like, wait ten people were. MISSING i have so much to say About Jeffrey. Dahmer hit. Me so the Whole Jeffrey dahmer thing was like a dissertation on so much that is wrong a With. MILWAUKEE i should, no, no, no, no, no, No, MILWAUKEE i love you so. Much that is wrong with the criminal investigation system at the, time as it relates to, race as it relates to certain people get a pass no matter what the evidence looks, like all, right go home and sleep it. Off you, know there were times there were people who would escape or were smelling things from the apartment or of the dec composition about, it and we're, like, yo y'all need to check this. Out he's just a Weird, oh you, know don't worry about. Nagae so my, Cousin, michael what's? 00:27:17 Speaker 2: Up? Ralph? 00:27:18 Speaker 1: Uh my cousin was telling me one time he was at some spot and as soon As Jeffrey dahmer got, caught my cousin was, like that's that nigga that tried To he bought me a drink and was, like, yo, yo let's hang out, Right And i'm, like, dude you weren't The my cousin was the kind of dude who when we were ten years, old he already knew about the birds and the, bees and he already knew like a lot of. Elements, yeah advance of how life, works and this is the way the system. WORKS i was, like, dude if you weren't who you, are you might have been, like, YEAH i have a, drink, bro what's. Up but he was, like, Nah i'm catching vibes from your crazy, ass and so that came. Out there was another kid THAT i went to school with WHO i didn't really know but just knew, him just kind of like at the school who was one of the. Victims my father was a detective for The city Of. Milwaukee he was not assigned to The domer, case but his partner was assigned to The dohmer. Case so he would tell. Us Arthur jones would tell us we went into the, apartment and he was, like the things THAT i saw WHEN i opened up the freezer AND i opened up the. Refrigerator he was, Like i'm not and it was things LIKE i never really heard, about or maybe you, did or people who know The Jeffrey dahmer, lore maybe it came. Out but my father's partner was, like we opened up the refrigerator and there were slices of human flesh like hamburg patties with wax, paper like neatly organized like this that and the, other LIKE i can eat this today like a, patty And i'll Go there's other THINGS i can, say BUT i. Won't but it was just, like oh my, god and yeah That dahmer. Thing in defense Of, Milwaukee i'd like to say this because a lot of People Jeffrey dahmer is not From. Milwaukee the motherfucker got caught In. Milwaukee where was he? FROM i think he's like From ohio or some. Shit, yo that's interesting that you wanted to go to The, dahmer isn't? 00:29:36 Speaker 2: It Where how this show just turned into the Club? 00:29:38 Speaker 1: SHADE i, know, Right oh my. God Arthur jones would be, LIKE i don't know IF i should tell y'all, this and, ME i was, like at this, time what WAS i when all this shit went? Down? 00:29:49 Speaker 2: WAS i was, like even when he was, caught did you feel safe at? All, well, like we went there in ninety five for the first, time AND i remember it was laundry day like this back when. 00:30:02 Speaker 1: You, know like your new artist or. 00:30:03 Speaker 2: Whatever you, yeah, yeah, yeah every other week when you make a laundry. Run AND i remember one you guys have an amazing laundry met that like it was someone had the idea to, like, hey let's have an. Arcade it was like part seven to eleven part Laundry. 00:30:23 Speaker 1: Like kyle students obviously hung out. There. Milwaukee we take pride in you know home mack, abilities yeah. 00:30:30 Speaker 2: And so, yeah and just watching the people AND i was, like this town is not over the tragedy that it just went. 00:30:37 Speaker 1: WELL i think after it, happened of, course there's going to be like this, visceral, like oh my, god the stigma that's going to be on this city is going to last for a long. Time BUT i don't think a True. Milwaukee and at that point felt unsafe because he was such an, anomaly like that's Not. Milwaukee you got weird motherfuckers In, milwaukee but but that's a whole another level of, satanic like far outside the reaches of my, imagination like like crimes against, humanity that that's Not. Milwaukee? Gotcha? 00:31:15 Speaker 2: Yeah all, right now subject. Change what were you like in? 00:31:19 Speaker 1: School? WELL i brought my, patties patties. 00:31:24 Speaker 2: Discriminating i'm Never it'll be two hours And i'm still thinking about how an intensive he was in terms of, Packing, like, jeez in, school what kind of student were? 00:31:37 Speaker 1: YOU i will alwould SAY i was an average to good. STUDENT i was very. NERDY i like things like science. Fiction what was your best? Object, like what was your best creative writing and. Art, Okay, yeah you know it's Like i've always had like an ability, for like creatively ANYTHING i tried to. Do i've always just had like this natural ability for whether it was, singing whether it was writing, songs whether it was. PAINTING i won This Art award for, painting or whether it was like writing a. Story SO i was that, kid you, KNOW i just grew up like reading Like Isaac asimov And Ray bradberry And Rod serling was a beast with them stories, Man Rod serling short stories and, yeah and it was like the music thing was a little interesting for me BECAUSE i, thought, LIKE i grew up in this. FAMILY i don't know if you're, LIKE i don't know what your whole family thing, was. 00:32:30 Speaker 2: BUT i was going to, say what was the domestic? 00:32:32 Speaker 1: Situation, yeah so in my, family everybody, sings everybody plays an, instrument. Sings and it was just So i'm the baby AND i have three full, SISTERS i have a half sister and my, brother AND i just grew up in this family where six of, you well it was five of us growing, up you, know, yes a, lot but it was a situation where we would just break out into harmony all the. Time and so from a very young, AGE i automatically had an ear for IF i heard my sisters and my brother singing the alto on the tenor and the THING i got really good. At, Okay i'll find my. Note and then my older, sister IF i made a, mistake she'd be, like, no you want to come up to this on that part of the. Storm SO i was like trained that. Way so just bring out in the. Song oh, yeah all the, time all the. Time we still. Do and so and the church singing church came up very church Every Sunday sunday. School and then So i'm the baby in this. Environment you're gonna love this where like, Okay so my dad had this extensive classical music, collection AND i used to LOVE. WC i used to Love, Tchaikovsky. Strauss so my little young ass would just be lost in. This and then my sisters would had the full gamut OF r AND. B like one sister would be d into The, funkadelic the other sister would be The luther Van, druss and then the other sister would be more like THE. Roberta, Fleck Donnie hathaway Into jackson five And James, brown and then my brother was like the jazz fusion cat so it would be like The Mahavish New, Orchestra You inherit All, Day David Saint chess And tone And returned To forever And Stanley clark And Billy cobham and So i'm just this baby growing up and all of this. Stuff and so what. 00:34:30 Speaker 2: Is the first album that you purchased with your own? 00:34:35 Speaker 1: Money? 00:34:37 Speaker 2: Honest that, yeah and trust, me everyone wants to give them Romantic. 00:34:40 Speaker 1: Oh, Yes so the first album my brother Was sketches of Spur. R i know what was? 00:34:44 Speaker 2: It for? 00:34:45 Speaker 1: Real Bill cosby comedy? Album and then which one the one where he talked about trying to flush his Brother russell down the, Toilet. 00:34:55 Speaker 2: Russell my brother WHOM i slept, With, Yes and then it might have Been Bill cobb's be Or Funky. 00:35:02 Speaker 1: Favorites Funky, favorites which was just an album of stupid songs of like he did that, mash he did The moms no novelty stupid silly. Songs AND i THINK i was probably eight years old WHEN i with my own, MONEY i either bought don't remember which one was, First Bill cosby Or Funky. Favorites, okay what else was On Funky? Favorites jole a brown dud did it? Le And Purple people leader was a one one old Fine Purple People. Right SO i WAS i was a goofy goofy. Nerd you were? Human, yes? 00:35:38 Speaker 2: Yes who was the figurehead not related to, you like teacher or somebody that like actually saw you for who you? 00:35:46 Speaker 1: Were that was like a hero to you growing? UP i, mean big cliche, ish but, Dad, okay you know because my, dad my dad was this culture dude who loved you, know classical music and art and all. That but he, was you, know because of mobile man who had to, make you, know make ends meet for his, family got a job as a. Cop you, know he had to just. 00:36:11 Speaker 2: Say not allow a lot of his dreams to come to, FRUITION i think for you, know. 00:36:16 Speaker 1: So hopefully his kids and. Lineage. Yeah So i've always looked up to my dad for that because he was the constant and on my, ass not the most emotional present dude as much most of. Us that's how we grew, up but but held us up to a certain. Standard and THEN i would have to, say two music teachers from my past that saw something in me and were just on, me like on me in a, way, Like, okay, here here's a record you need to listen. TO i just want you to listen to the production on, this and here's what it. Was it was Mister simeuel At Milwaukee TECH i think it's Called Bradley tech now And Ms Carrol, haywood who was the choir. Director you. Know but BECAUSE i, REMEMBER i remember being a, kid like being five or six years, old not really realizing THAT i have musical talent Until i'm sitting next to kids try to sing a song And i'm, like what the? Fuck like, right you, know you, know Camp Town ladies done that, song, dude Camp Down ladies sing a. Song, Dude dude like no? Inflection, No i'm, like what how come y'all niggas don't like what's going? On and SO i think it was a realization, that especially WHEN i thought about the fact of how my family we just broke down harmonies like, THAT i was, like, oh maybe we're a little different than everybody. Else all we needed was A Joe jackson. Anyway oh, no, no. 00:37:56 Speaker 2: He might gain, them but for, it, right, Right so what WAS i was going to, say what was your first job? Ever but what have you ever been fired from a. 00:38:07 Speaker 1: Job i've never been fired for my. 00:38:09 Speaker 2: Job but what's a notable job you, had like pre pre. 00:38:13 Speaker 1: Are, YEAH i worked at McDonald's WHEN i was, sixteen Downtown. Milwaukee it was too hectic for, me SO i was, LIKE i need something, easier SO i went To Taco. 00:38:25 Speaker 2: Bell he started off As calvin and then you, yeah like why Was Taco bell? 00:38:35 Speaker 1: Easier first of, all it was the. Location it was like Downtown milwaukee McDonald's that it was just too much madness back. There it's like fries and. Burgers and now you got a. Precedent and Then Taco. BELL i REMEMBER i worked at The Taco bell And fondelac like way out from, downtown and it was just you, know easier, living not, living but slower. Pace so you, Could, hi welcome To Taco. Bell would you like to try our new taco? Salad a little bit, more a little bit more. 00:39:03 Speaker 2: Relaxed, okay, okay you know in your childhood? Bedroom, yes what is the main poster that adorns your? 00:39:11 Speaker 1: Wall? Dude you got some? Questions, well we never you know what it is like you asked Them that's why The oscar winning documentary to doctor be asking these. Questions. 00:39:22 Speaker 2: DUDE i mean there's this whole slew media that don't treat artists like human, beings AND i think this kind of thing WHERE i want to know the human side of. 00:39:34 Speaker 1: You so immediately when YOU i love when you ask these, questions because immediately BEFORE i even, answer it as a visual that pops in my. Head and there are three, posters okay that were in my. Room one was like a black light poster of this fantasy woman with big titties and. 00:39:52 Speaker 2: Just like the, velvet, like, YEAH i had a, COUSIN i had an astrological, one AND i would not. 00:40:00 Speaker 1: ALLOWED i wasn't into the. ASTROLOGICAL i was into the big Titties. Kurk and THEN i had A commodore's poster from the album whether The sky you know what, Wait i'm gonna. 00:40:16 Speaker 2: So i've become really good phone friends With chuck d, really AND i didn't realize how like immaculate or how much of an artist he was a visual artist he, was and he sent me some artwork when he was fourteen or, fifteen real of him the inside poster of the nineteen seventy seven album where Wherever Thomas claire's point at the. 00:40:41 Speaker 1: Sky that was? It you, know it's even weirder. 00:40:45 Speaker 2: That, okay WHEN i was a, KID i would go through phases in WHICH i can't. 00:40:52 Speaker 1: Believe i'm telling the. 00:40:53 Speaker 2: STORY i would go through. Phases whenever someone took a photo of, me you wouldn't know what my favorite album cover or. 00:41:00 Speaker 1: Was right to the. 00:41:01 Speaker 2: Point but here's the, thing, THOUGH i decided That Mylon, williams the keyboard, player had the best pose where it's like he's like on one, leg, yes, yes stop. One BUT i did it at a family Reunion North, carolina AND i fell over into the street and a car was, coming and you, know like when black families are so disheveled and, afraid where you get in trouble even for, that like why would you do? This AND i remember getting that from my. Dad but, yeah there was a. 00:41:37 Speaker 1: Period where the post that wasn't. 00:41:40 Speaker 2: PHRASES i Was Chris jasper of The Aisley brothers once ALWAYS i, mean why are you always looking at two o'clock up? There Marlon jackson would have like right leg behind his left leg on The Get It together, Album LIKE i would go through phases WHERE i would only do the pose of my favorite album of that, moment and, yeah that commodore. 00:41:58 Speaker 1: Is what's weird IS i almost wore the. 00:42:02 Speaker 2: Sweater it's laundry day in my, crib SO i was, LIKE i put a new shirt, on BUT i almost wore that. Post what was the third one every black household in the seventies had that COMMED i was weird. 00:42:15 Speaker 1: Because there was Another this is an iconic poster. Too, now there was a poster of a baby who had a whole bowl of spaghetti dumped on his head with spaghetti That, yeah for whatever, reason that's how they wound it made. Me it was fucking. Hilarious it was like a baby was with a stupid looking and he's got like spaghetti dripping AND i think the quote was Like, GOD i forgot what the quote, Was, yeah like. Face maybe it was A murphy's law or. SOMETHING i don't know whatever it, is but. HILARIOUS i remember that. Poster what was the first concert you ever Attended George duke And Stanley? Clark? Yeah where it was In? Milwaukee The Public Art, center the pac In. Milwaukee, yeah so there's like this sweet baby. 00:43:18 Speaker 2: Period, yeah, yeah it's weird that two of the most, progressive intricate, Musicians oh My god became made such a straight Straight. 00:43:33 Speaker 1: But the beauty about that project and that song in particular about music is if you have the most simplest melody and you're like a you or one of those real musical musical, musicians you can still have. Fun there was so much had the sitar, going they had the harmonies, going so you can made an impression on. You absolutely think partly because you, know LIKE i told you about the kind of music like LIKE i just kind of grew up listening. TO i love the fact That Stanley clark And George duke come together and make something that could touch top forty radio when their musical well was so, deep and we're going to make this simple, melody Like George duke was brilliant at when not saying about it's. Sounds it, sounds it sound right and then, yeah so it's like he could take that, simple simple. Melody it's like songwriting one on. One, yeah you can have your. Fun you can have the harmonies in the strings into this and then doing, that but you got to grab them with that, simple simple lullaby. Melody that anybody can sing. 00:44:53 Speaker 2: Well some of the best songwriters are people that have the ability to have mental level of musical, intelligence but also have the smarts to know that sometimes you have to cut a. STEAK i want to show you, Yes. 00:45:09 Speaker 1: So how the fuck do you explain something Like Steely dan where in the first eight bars of the song there's like were the same person twelve different substitutions and then you modulated brought it back. Down you don't know what the Fuck Donald fagan is talking about in the, lyrics but somehow it's a number one. Pops how the fuck did they do? 00:45:33 Speaker 2: That i'm gonna tell you, something all, Right SO i just Had thundercat on the. 00:45:38 Speaker 1: Show used to be my bass. 00:45:39 Speaker 2: Player, yo he's played for everyone secretly on the. 00:45:43 Speaker 1: LOW i love that. Dude that sounds about. Right. 00:45:46 Speaker 2: Yeah he was talking about like A Steely dan, song AND i just happened to do The i'm, Sorry, DONALD i did the yack rock. 00:45:55 Speaker 1: DOC i hate, YEAH i, MEAN i hate the, term BUT i get it, WELL i love. IT i MEAN i Love. Neo so, right, anyway, anyway don't get us started on. 00:46:02 Speaker 2: That BUT i realized THAT i really have not made much space For Steely dan in my, life probably since the reason, why you, know people are, like, oh you're so knowledgeable with music and, everything don't get it. 00:46:18 Speaker 1: Twisted IF i was allowed to have. 00:46:21 Speaker 2: Control of the family stereo in the family, Car i'd be playing WHAT i want to listen. 00:46:25 Speaker 1: To which which would have. 00:46:26 Speaker 2: BEEN i, mean you, Know i'm a kid of the. MOMENT i wanted to Hear bootzilla wind Me up and. Yeah but my dad was like my father was the just like your. 00:46:40 Speaker 1: Family he was the Listen he listened to theyacht rock of his. 00:46:44 Speaker 2: Day he Liked, mathis he Liked, straya saying he likes singers because he was a. 00:46:48 Speaker 1: Crooner my dad sounded Like Nat King. Cole. 00:46:51 Speaker 2: Really my, mom, however if she were born WHEN i was, born she would have been, ahead like she dug in the crates and oh this is a fun look At i'm, Cover i'm gonna. 00:47:01 Speaker 1: Get, this and it's like bitches brew or. 00:47:02 Speaker 2: Whatever so and then my, sister who's slightly, older in order to fit in with her girlfriends in, school she's bringing home the rock. Stuff she's bringing On bowie and all that. Stuff and, SO i mean there was a period in WHICH i, Know dad played Like gaucho And, asia, right but he really. 00:47:23 Speaker 1: Didn't he controlled the stereo and he really like he would go Through maybe he went through it. 00:47:29 Speaker 2: Twice maybe it was just too intricate for him and he couldn't find something to sing along. 00:47:34 Speaker 1: Too he likes stuff he could sing along. To Stilly dan was not that. 00:47:38 Speaker 2: Right SO i Just i've realized, that you, know LIKE i Love Steely. Dan but so right NOW i just started my phase Of i'm On cambaya thrill now Where i'm like listening to A Steely dan record for at least two hours a. 00:47:53 Speaker 1: Day have you gotten into the First Donald fagan solo. 00:47:56 Speaker 2: Album, Dude nightfly Is now that's the, Thing, like that's one of my top five FAVORITE i g, Y oh My, god Ig y is probably, Yeh Maxine, igy Green Flower, Street New, Frontier oh The New yeah. Bro so, Yeah LIKE i will, say IF i could compile five songs that, like no matter how depressing and all. 00:48:25 Speaker 1: RIGHT i tested this. 00:48:28 Speaker 2: During the night after election, results Oh, jesus, yeah WHERE i stopped, drinking BUT i was going to start again that. Night, Dude SO i, SAID i want to see how powerful this, is AND i PLAYED i g, y. 00:48:44 Speaker 1: Oh that's a great, barometer. 00:48:46 Speaker 2: AND i was, like, WOW i still feel good right. Now, yeah but songs only three minutes and forty. 00:48:51 Speaker 1: Seconds, YEAH i was back to. 00:48:54 Speaker 2: Back to ground. Zero but, YEAH i gotta get. 00:48:56 Speaker 1: More so funny that particular song talking about an id allies utopian, society it's, like get me out of. HERE i like. 00:49:04 Speaker 2: That, no it's it's like it's the next Tow Herb, alberts like if someone were to ask. 00:49:09 Speaker 1: Me a gun in my, head like brass and all. 00:49:11 Speaker 2: That, well my Favorite Herb albert. Song there's a song Called root one on, one which it's the Happiest, no, no that's the dating, Game. Okay root one on one is, like, yeah when this is the maybe the second Time i'm At dyla's, script oh, man and Comes boten comes downstairs and, says, YO i want to do something to, This and he Hands dyla the record and he Puts root one on one on and they're playing and it's a happy. Song And i'm looking at them, like are y'all trolling? Me, like BECAUSE i was in the mind state of, oh if it's hip, hop if it's gotta be some, gritty raw breakbeat, Shit. 00:50:08 Speaker 1: But YOU i would think you would have, been because the real dopest hip hop niggas were like deep in. 00:50:16 Speaker 2: That this is What dyla taught. Me, SEE i grew up in a household with three thousand, records and even to this, DAY i have two hundred thousand records of Maybe i've cruised through seven percent of. 00:50:28 Speaker 1: That like how much music are we going to consume in our? Lifetime? 00:50:31 Speaker 2: RIGHT i can also ask politicians how much money are you going to spend in your? 00:50:35 Speaker 1: Life how much is? Enough definitely not a? Trillion? Right and so the whole thing is that. 00:50:42 Speaker 2: ONCE i, realized, oh these guys are, serious like AND i looked At dyla like we are you gonna make some shit out of? 00:50:49 Speaker 1: This and he was, like oh hell. 00:50:52 Speaker 2: YEAH i never got to hear what he made of. It but there's been a million times where LIKE i will get a Giant mathis record and be, like all, right take This Rick james, record This Johnny mathis, record show me what you, got and he. Would the THING i learned From dylla the most is no song goes un listened to or no stone, Unturned and so BUT i will, say like root one on one is my favorite, song and in second place IS i g y it's something about a. Shuffle black people need a shuffle, Song LIKE i think the last good shuffle song we've really truly. HAD i, mean, okay there's the whole cash but, no But i'm just saying like The Way You Make Me. 00:51:36 Speaker 1: Feel was probably the. Last we need a shuffle. Song give me another one of your favorite. SHOVELS i mean Doing it To death By James, brown go on a. 00:51:46 Speaker 2: Half but. 00:51:49 Speaker 1: In order for us to break, shuffle we have. 00:51:52 Speaker 2: To reacclimate ourselves again with, jazz and it's. Needed where music is, NOW i don't know where they can. 00:52:00 Speaker 1: Make it back and make it back to that because it's so diluted down to let's just take this little, part repeat it and repeat. It let's do no, bridges no, changes no. Matter modulation is not, yeah so, Right but. 00:52:15 Speaker 2: You, know in order for that to, happen we have to work on our emotional state the music now we. 00:52:21 Speaker 1: Feel see, yo let's he's not a, mirror thank you? Man all? 00:52:31 Speaker 2: Right when you were, fifteen, yeah what is it that you wanted to be when you were an? 00:52:37 Speaker 1: Adult like when you're a, kid what did you think your calling was in. LIFE i THOUGHT i was going to be a fashion. Designer, word, YEAH i THOUGHT i was going to be a fashion designer because clothes made. Me music made me, happy and clothes made me, happy and putting the right outfits together made me. Happy but because of my, FAMILY i knew that we were. Special but at the same, time it was just such A it was like a, fish, Like, okay it's. Water it's big, deal IT'S i can swim in. Water so specialness the fact that you guys were just. TOGETHER i probably felt that it was special BECAUSE i was with, them and then we all harmonized, together and SO i don't THINK i really really. CONSIDERED i think my passion for music deepened WHEN i realized right around that age that IF i, sang girls treated me a certain. Way, Okay BUT i still didn't think of it as a career until like my dad was just LIKE i remember telling my, dad like right at high, SCHOOL i was, Like, DAD i want to go to this fashion. Institute and my dad being who he, was and he had aspirations of his children being doctors and lawyers and getting their PhDs and. Success, yes it says my dad was like Black man going into. Fashion he was looking at it very from his lenses of going through nineteen forties fifth the. SIXTIES i, know, Yeah and SO i listened to. Dad and THEN i went to college for a couple of, years not really knowing why and feeling LIKE i was, waiting did you absolutely? Nothing wasting? Money where'd you go to? College university Of, Milwaukee, Wisconsin? Okay AND i dropped out because after a year and a half to two, YEARS i was, LIKE i don't know What i'm doing. HERE i can't latch onto anything THAT i see is my. Future and WHEN i dropped out of, college my Cousin george let me know that there was a band In milwaukee that needed a lead singer and he was already playing, guitar and my Sister lisa sang and she was just kind of doing her thing in life at that time, Too and so my sister AND i joined this band that was already kind of a corporation onto it doing like gigs and weddings and bars In, Illinois wisconsin And, minnesota just traveling around doing. Stuff and so that started the Whole Like i'm nineteen years, old. 00:55:11 Speaker 2: So you're in, college and at no point before it been, like so you just coincidentally just happened to. 00:55:19 Speaker 1: Carry this voice. 00:55:21 Speaker 2: Around, Yeah and it was just like a like almost a, footnote like SAID i sent to you a little like my cousin specifically called me because WHEN i was fourteen and, FIFTEEN i would go over to His he was like eight years older than, me and he had his own place and he saw musical ability and me at, fourteen fifteen years. 00:55:41 Speaker 1: Old week you didn't see in. YOURSELF i thought it was. Fun he was, like, yo come help me write this. Song so we started writing songs, like, oh this is. Cool SO i went all through college like not making the connection like fuck this, school, Shit i'm gonna do, this but loving music and writing songs and creating all this stuff with him and my sister UNTIL i joined this. Band, okay and then we were in this, band and the band also owned a recording, studio and you got. It we're talking about we're talking about nineteen ninety, Right, oh that's. Rare that's very. Rare so it's like they own a recording. Studio, yeah when you go, in there's two clocks on the, wall one for The east coast and The west. Coast. Wow so it was like it. Was it was very we're easily impressed back. Right so they start letting us use the recording studio when we weren't doing the shitty club gigs or whatever we were doing in the, band and we ultimately put together a, demo my sister AND, i and then we started shilling the demo around and THEN i got my first deal AT Emi capitol with my sister AND i signed TO Emi capitol with the three of us writing the songs and the person in this this Is bene and the young lady in the waiting room in, There Alison, ball gave me that deal and shout, out, well flash forward to NOW i got a little scrilla to start a little record. Label allison is running the LABEL Jbr. Wow, okay so that's how that. Starts so she also gave me my solo deal At Warner. Brothers alison, did so you've stuck with, there which has been like best friends ever. Since that's. Beautiful, yeah that's hard to find that. Level, everyone everyone in the industry says that it's like it's rare to meet someone that sticks with. You it doesn't rid you once you don't serve them a, purpose especially a record. Executive it's like. 00:57:30 Speaker 2: Because it's all about self preservation. Exactly SO i mean she believes in. 00:57:35 Speaker 1: You, yeah that's. 00:57:35 Speaker 2: Amazing would you, say is the first thing do you remember the first creative project that you? 00:57:43 Speaker 1: Made? YEAH i remember the first the first song THAT, i, UH i. Wrote, well there's the first SONG i, wrote and then there's the first song THAT i. Recorded, Okay so the first SONG i wrote was a song called the WHEN i was like twelve or thirteen years. Old but the first song THAT i recorded was a song Called. Gina and this was like right around that time WHEN i was just writing songs with my, cousin and it actually won an, award Like wisconsin had some kind of like songwriters competition And gina won an, award you. Know and then and even, THEN i was, LIKE i didn't like cut the safety net and just jump into the music. INDUSTRY i was, like this is. FUN i Guess i'm supposed to go to college and just figure out what VOCATION i should. 00:58:38 Speaker 2: Have, well singing, wise who are the three singers that are your great? 00:58:42 Speaker 1: Question you're a north? Star my north. Star top of the list Is Ela. Fitzgerald, Okay and then it would probably it's a cross Between Donnie hathaway And Stevie wonder And Aretha franklin somewhere in. There, okay who is the? Singer all? 00:59:01 Speaker 2: Right YESTERDAY i was just talking about like how Like Michelle farrell has really never truly like gotten her? 00:59:07 Speaker 1: Flowers, yeah because she's. Incredible. 00:59:09 Speaker 2: Right who who do you see as a singer that you grew up listening to that really just never. 00:59:18 Speaker 1: There's a couple of, them all. Right Who as much as people Love Bobby, CALDWELL i, MEAN i JUST i just there's something about his, tone the way he perfectly landed the vibrato at exactly the right, place and the fact that he played all the. Instruments bobby Called well is one of. Those another one is Probably Geno, vanelli, yes because like he's got those deep jazz fusion roots and him and his Brother ross right and all that deep crazy. Shit and but still just like just Like Stanley clark And George, duke they could be, like all, right let's zero in on a, hit, right but then the well is so. Deep, yeah they come to mind. NOW i love. 01:00:03 Speaker 2: It like my sister used to always listen to a first time powerful. 01:00:07 Speaker 1: People powerful, PEOPLE O jojo and all that stuff on there and yeah, mama, yeah, yeah, yes. 01:00:25 Speaker 2: All, Right so what is the road that leads to because always feel as though like your first album is basically like the totality of your life from. 01:00:35 Speaker 1: Birth, yea the moment and then can you do it? Again oh? 01:00:39 Speaker 2: Wait, WELL i mean you, know for, you the sophomore thing was the least, thing was the one that was the. Blessed but all, right so The true To, myself like the road that leads To true To? Myself just tell me about the experience of getting a, deal like where you give an agency to create what you wanted or you're going on. 01:01:01 Speaker 1: ALONG i think it was a combination Of it was a almost like a council of the three of, us my, sister, myself and my, cousin along with the record. Label and of course as an, Individual i'm going to have my own ideas about how and what songs should be done and how they should be. PRODUCED i did not have that agency on that, record so that by the Time true To myself, happened that was my first solo. 01:01:32 Speaker 2: Album that's but explain to me how did The bene situation? 01:01:36 Speaker 1: Implode it didn't really implode as much as it was like my, sister very, pragmatic practical person who she had a pretty good job In milwaukee at the, time and my cousin it was always his dream and my dream to be these, producers these, songwriters and my sister, said all, Right i'll come, along let's see what. Happens and we did The bene album and you, know a story as old as. Time it wasn't properly promoted or, marketed or maybe we didn't have the right hit on the. Record this this is ninety. Two Was gary At emi at this. Time Gary, wait, wait, wait, wait why is that name for? Me? 01:02:16 Speaker 2: Well, gary why is It? GARY i only Know gary because very. Familiar he was these guy For Brown. Sugar he was At emi around ninety. Two it was probably in the. 01:02:29 Speaker 1: Hallways you, KNOW i was primarily just dealing With Ron fair And. Alison he Told Ron. Fair, Absolutely Ron, fair what was that? 01:02:38 Speaker 2: Like you got to qualify? THAT i don't know even allowed to? Answer why you? No? 01:02:49 Speaker 1: Ron you? KNOW i mean SEE i dealt With, Interscoope Ron. FAIR i did a very very specific one away or The. 01:02:57 Speaker 2: HIGHWAY i chose High, well that's. 01:03:00 Speaker 1: Probably So Ron fair had to Give alison the, okay Because Ron fair Was allison's boss to sign, us and so you, Know Ron Fair slanders just like like two years. AGO i never really had a relationship With Ron. Fairbauck alison had the relationship With Ron, fair and you, know so in that, Respect ron's always been cool with. Me we just had dinner a couple of years. Ago. 01:03:24 Speaker 2: Okay but for those Watching ron kind of ding like Interscopes glory Years like if you look at The Chris maya's, stuff. 01:03:37 Speaker 1: Who, Else Christina, aguilera those Are Ron Fair, glory no doubt like any, yeah, yeah Like Ron, FAIR i would say is probably kind of right behind the zone where that we hold in the space For Clyde davis exactly having the ears my you, know my rebellious twenty thirty year old. Self you, know it was just in another place WHERE i THINK i Believe WILL i, Am WILL i gotta get you on the show. Too When will talks about the third album with The, p's they gave me the, scenario which is basically interscoping those, guys is, like, look we have what it takes to make you guys, winners or you could just be the, roots like and they kind of made. IT i didn't take it as an, insult because the thing is is that you, know basically saying you can kind of choose not to reach white. 01:04:39 Speaker 2: People, well it's like if you were to ask, me, now, Okay SO i mean there's been no secret that with The roots and The fuji's out at the same. 01:04:49 Speaker 1: Time. 01:04:49 Speaker 2: Whatever, yeah we're touring with them at a point in, which like they started out as our opening act and then all of a, sudden it's, like Oh, jesus like what's, Happening like you, know and and if you were asked me in, retrospect, like, okay if you can go back again and do it all over, again and let's say we put you in that same scenario where your second album will sell sixty million, units but also this is what will come with it and, everything and those three have a very specific story of what's happened to him in the last twenty five. Years, yeah and while it's, happening AM i sitting in a bathtub having a panic? 01:05:31 Speaker 1: Attack? 01:05:34 Speaker 2: Electricities we're never going to make it Like i've had many of those. 01:05:38 Speaker 1: Nights oh but now, man like we've survived the idea of quiet. War, yes, yes. 01:05:49 Speaker 2: And it's one that's not tangible enough for us to actually prove that it was a war because people just see it as, like oh the roots In, abney like, yeah you guys. Singing but you, know there's a. 01:06:00 Speaker 1: Lot of the, journey the journey along the way is will. 01:06:05 Speaker 2: Kill it's, taxing it has and it has no it's killed every. Motherfucker, yeah because it. 01:06:12 Speaker 1: Is there's so much and what you just, said BUT i just feel like it's so first of, all what we, do it's so toxic to the human psyche and just our journey to get the individual, adelation like and you gotta be a really strong emotional person to keep yourself in, check like even, that Like i've never been like a really big, star. 01:06:38 Speaker 2: But but being plucked From milwaukee and then just having an unhealthy amount of attention on you for crazy. Shit i've seen you eight times in my life and each time like the drug of whoa whoa Like AND i was there for key moments in your. Life, YEAH i was there in the front row of THE Naacp awards when that moment had like, yeah AND i know that's a drug feeling that it is such a high and. 01:07:10 Speaker 1: What people don't know is an hour after the show is. 01:07:14 Speaker 2: Done i've discovered DJing after the show as a way to let myself. Down, yeah that was why to avoid drinking or to avoid any other you, Know bubble. 01:07:28 Speaker 1: Will never understand that part of the. Journey you see the snapshot of fame and success and it's, LIKE i want, that but that's only the. Snapshot AND i know it sounds so, like oh poor you, guys and it comes off like. 01:07:45 Speaker 2: This is WHY i make, movies like because if you THE dna of all the movies is again to show you the human side of because you, KNOW i wanted to know why was Slid stone? 01:07:57 Speaker 1: Sabotaging you get everything you ever, wanted just show. 01:08:00 Speaker 2: Up and you, KNOW i was one of those people that would, judge you, know, unfairly D, angelos barn. 01:08:08 Speaker 1: Whatever it's difficult not to unfairly judge. 01:08:11 Speaker 2: Them BUT i get it now AND i totally understand that once you jump in this, pool it's no explaining how to one of. Things it's no explaining the slow horror of it. All. 01:08:28 Speaker 1: Motherfucker it's kind of WHY i have. 01:08:30 Speaker 2: A space just to meet other, people LIKE i, know you know how that feels so like when the first wave of what we call neo soul came through for, you how much pressure did it? Feel BECAUSE i, mean you're coming out the gate with the, d'angelo's with their, was with the tony, britches with the that's, right, yeah, Dude like just literally at the, time did it feel, like, oh this is the dawning of a new? 01:09:02 Speaker 1: Day like Where that's exactly what it felt. Like BECAUSE i thought it was my, idea you, know you, know you thought you were. 01:09:08 Speaker 2: ALONE i THOUGHT i was doing. 01:09:10 Speaker 1: Something it was, like, NAH i want to go back to The donnie hat the WAY i want to go back to the, keyboards AND i love the way you, know h you, know probably Cod well with all these live IN i, THOUGHT i, thought, OH i got a great. Idea that's WHY i call it autum true to. Myself, Right they're, Like i'm gonna do it like. Me and then it was, like apparently there was twelve other motherfuckers thinking the same thing more. 01:09:32 Speaker 2: Than, that or even starting that record. One how did it feel dusting yourself off from the rubble of The benet project before and then doing it by, yourself without your, sister without your Cousin, God because is there a whole like the family dynamic and the guilt or the people pleasing. 01:09:55 Speaker 1: Aspect there's definitely some family guilt of, hey, hey, Y'ALL i gotta go do. This but the beautiful thing about having such an incredible family LIKE i, have it's, like all, right the little, brother we support, you and that how fucking? HAPPEN i. Didn't that was my mom and dad just raising us like, that and it WAS i. DON'T i don't. Know so it's like. 01:10:20 Speaker 2: No one ever gets over the guilt OF i gotta do it for. Myself, yeah no one ever GETS i have an incredible, family AND i never not give it up to my family Whenever i'm thinking about my road to being. 01:10:33 Speaker 1: Here but that part of, it it was. Liberating it was LIKE i remember Because alison will tell, you Because alison saw so much in me from The benet, thing and she was, Like, okay this is what we're gonna. Do i'm gonna bring you out to L. A this was after we got dropped for the. Thing i'm and bring you out to L. A i know all these, producers all these producers and are getting all these placements and you're gonna be here for a. Month and you're in court with this, guy this, guy this, guy this. Guy and THEN i did. THAT i went out there AND i recorded all these songs that sounded like what was? 01:11:07 Speaker 2: Happening and, wait did you write spiritual thing or femininity Or i'll. 01:11:11 Speaker 1: Tell you about. 01:11:11 Speaker 2: That. 01:11:12 Speaker 1: Yes so So i'm, LIKE i work with all these producers and this was like ninety four, three AND i remember we listened to all of the stuff and nothing was hitting either one of. Us and she was just, like you know, WHAT i JUST i spoke to all the producers that you just work, with and they were, Like, yeah the nigga can really, sing that's not the. Problem he's just not his voice ain't really fitting on this. Stuff and so that's WHEN i was, like how about. This let me just go back To milwaukee and let me just get with my. People it's Kat, demonte who is this brilliant keyboard Player. Milwaukee my Cousin, george, like let me just write a bunch of shit that feels good to, me and that's where true to. 01:12:02 Speaker 2: Myself who are you working with previously before you went back to the woodshed to do it? 01:12:08 Speaker 1: Yourself are you allowed to? SAY i am allowed to, say but If i'm being quite honest with, YOU i don't. Remember, yeah it was like it was talented. Guys allison was, like this guy's goten placements, here this. Guy SO i would record these songs got. You after that didn't, WORK i just went back To milwaukee wrote true to, myself all those songs got with this. Cat Oh Shoe La. Day do you know O Shoe La? Day he's A dj producer, Now but, anyway he used to be Called Christian warren back in the. DAY i Recorded femininity with. Him and THEN i Remember allison had just gotten her job At Warner, brothers AND i remember, saying all, right well check this, out see what you like about. This she called me just like niggas when knew, this and she let the people in the building At Warner brothers, here and there was a buzz the. Run and that's that's HOW i got The Warner brothers. Steal was this. 01:13:03 Speaker 2: Still medina Led Warner brothers or who was like the? 01:13:07 Speaker 1: HEAD i never knew what the structure, Was, no who was like After medina? LEFT i don't. Know SO i tried to stay out of the whole executive thing and just be in a studio and deal With allison If alison was in, There allison coming, here who was at the head Of, no that was that was much. Later that was much. Later alison Knows Tom wally was much. 01:13:29 Speaker 2: Later so once these songs start, hitting what what is what is the feeling like spiritual? Thing, yeah, like what is the feeling of this EDUCATION i made? It or, NO i never felt LIKE i made? It even now these sort of feel like every day Is. 01:13:46 Speaker 1: YEAH i still don't feel LIKE i made. IT i still feel like forever be climbing, There, YEAH i will, forever like AND i think that's the, Thing, like you're a true musician, artist so you're more about reaching an unreachable perfection of something that can never be. Perfected and SO i always feel, like, ah well you just said how much is? 01:14:10 Speaker 2: Enough like ten minutes, ago and that is kind of the Book i'm reading right, now is trying to teach, me like really to settle into not being. Insatiable, yeah or it's never perfect enough that the fulfillment never completely. 01:14:30 Speaker 1: Happening. 01:14:31 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay when you got your, deal AND i always asked, this what was the first extravagant thing you did for yourself when you got to the other side or made it or got your. 01:14:45 Speaker 1: Advance or, shit got a. Condo, okay so it was LIKE i need a place to. LOSE i never really, well mine was just. 01:14:55 Speaker 2: Sneakers, Sneakers oh, DUDE i went out WHEN i got my, ADVANCE i purchased ten. Pairs like you gotta, understand like when YOU i lived in a one pair of sneaker a year. Household, yeah and you got school, sneakers of which you couldn't wear at, home so it's like your play, clothes. 01:15:14 Speaker 1: And so you just went sneaker. Crazy. 01:15:17 Speaker 2: Dude WHEN i got my, EVENTS i went and got every color code Of puma's ever that's. Dope and THEN i Forgot my dad was LIKE i didn't tell my dad about The roots until the second. 01:15:31 Speaker 1: Album what wait wait wait wait wait you already know the? Drill like, again same. Story, yeah my dad wanted me to go To. Juilliard yeah, Yeah i'm going To. Juilliard yeah, Yeah i'm going to my insurance job to pay for. 01:15:43 Speaker 2: COLLEGE i did my audition and it just so happens on the train. Ride hope trequ was with me audition at The New school in The Juilliard gotland train ride home and it was somehow of great poopone commercial or the end of WHAT i call dumb and. 01:16:00 Speaker 1: Dumber the finest woman walks up and. 01:16:02 Speaker 2: Says excuse, me are you the drummer in The Spike Lee levi's? 01:16:08 Speaker 1: Commercial? 01:16:09 Speaker 2: Now, Yes have him gone to school with boys to men's? Hilarious have him gone to school with boys to? MEN i was in The Motown philly. Video, yeah but my dumb ASS i wasn't thinking quick enough because she was paralyzing. 01:16:21 Speaker 1: BEAUTIFUL i was, like, no that's not, me and she's. 01:16:25 Speaker 2: Like oh, okay and she saw her off in tweeks like. Like and then the next day we're Watching Soul train and A Spike lee commercial comes on and we have the, eureka, like, yo that girl thought this was. Us so when we get a bucket and go On South street and see what's? Up so we know the anniversary of what you know is the roots thirty four years ago Last, SATURDAY i took a white shitling bucket from his grandmam's, career some. Drumsticks we freestyled for you, know, uh four. Hours why DID i never know this? Story if we don't make one hundred and fifty dollars in. 01:17:07 Speaker 1: Change we're never doing it. Again it's just that one. 01:17:09 Speaker 2: Time remember we played on the street corner and, yeah, yeah, yeah but one hundred and fifty bucks seventy five each back back back in the that was date night money back in the. 01:17:17 Speaker 1: Day, Right so we're, LIKE i was making seventy five dollars a week in that. BAND i was telling you, about, dude we thought we was. Rich, Yeah so then it's, like let's do it next. 01:17:26 Speaker 2: Week let's do it next. Week then there's, like, well let's bring out the real. Drums, hey count join your, Band count join your and. 01:17:33 Speaker 1: Oh my, GOD i love when things happen organically and for, real out of. 01:17:37 Speaker 2: Necessity so that's that's kind of how it. Happened so but my, DAD i did not tell my dad about any of the cause you was looking at like you hang with that hoodlam trek and you need to be got? 01:17:51 Speaker 1: Up what's up to? Rek you? 01:17:53 Speaker 2: Hook? NO i, mean, Look I'm I'M i have the parents that will be like you better motown twenty five dishes. 01:18:02 Speaker 1: Too, yeah my mom and dad. 01:18:03 Speaker 2: Too yeah, yeah yea, yeah literally like, yeah you better don't believe a hype that homework you know WHAT i, Mean like that's what they would. Do SO i, mean eventually my cousin's out of me and my dad's like what's this and we're we're on the front page of like The Philadeli, inquirer Like. 01:18:22 Speaker 1: Root sophomore album. EVERYTHING i was like a similar, Story like my dad didn't know THAT i was writing all these songs UNTIL i was. Playing it Was gina that won that, contest was, right, right and, uh hey that's. You he wrote that and he did. That like the biggest version of the compliment that my dad could ever do was, huh, hey that's pretty good and and then that's, yeah that was that was. 01:18:49 Speaker 2: It you Got me had to get. Added, no you Got me started getting play ON mtv in the. Afternoon. Wow and then finally your bar he let up my fourth. Album, fine then he was not damn well black black parents are just about the safety of, it and it's all coming. 01:19:09 Speaker 1: Out respect from the. Politics, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:19:12 Speaker 2: Yeah who was the figure that you met early in your career that like had you shook to your court BECAUSE i know that you, know you're meeting your idols and all these, things and like how just intimidating was that first. 01:19:36 Speaker 1: Round the first round was crazy and the FIRST i love your questions because every time you ask, one a person or an image pops in my. Head it Was Natalie. Cole it Was Natalie. Cole that's such a Great natali cool. Story what was? YOURS i want to hear Your Natalie cole. Story but, so my sister AND i were doing The this was before we got The benet album and we were just in that band and we were working on our original songs and my Cousin george submitted us for, this that and the, other and we did The jack The rapper convention back in the, day which eventually got us on this show Called Big. BREAK i, remember of course on, IT i one big break for THE i, okay so Every Big break for those not, watching it's kind of Like Star. Search, yeah so my, sister every episode would have a, Winner, oh you got this many, votes and today's winner is but, no, no The. Bennet and then at the end of the season they would have all the winners come back and compete for who is the seasonal? Winner, right and the seasonal winner WAS R kelly and public. ANNOUNCEMENT i wasn't ready for. This they wanted. Too, yes and, wait what year was? This? Shit, man this must have been like ninety one or some, shit it's like. That and SO i never knew this or NINETY i don't. Know, yeah and then so And Natalie cole was the, host AND i never met a big celebrity before she was the. Host she was the, host AND i just AS i just, remember you, know when you're plucked from obscurity In, milwaukee you have an idea of what an, iconic legendary celebrity is going to be or going to be. Like and she was the. Antithesis she was the. Opposite she was just so oh my, god you guys are so they're so. Ten she wanted to sit and have a conversation and she was just so real and, raw and that shook. ME i was, like but do you know that You're Natalie. Cole i'm thinking to, Myself You're Natalie. Cole and she's just like she did that your. Sister you and your sister just so adorable AND i love you and the way you, harmonize and so, yeah that was, Incredible but what is your? Story all? Right? 01:21:50 Speaker 2: Actually, okay SO i have you said that and you just reminded me THAT i Met Natalie cole, twice so technically the first TIME i met her was probably the most dream scenario of all. Time speaking of Like jack The, rapper there's you, know There's philadelphia Legend Deanna williams who would throw these. Conventions you, know conventions were like a thing of the nineties or. 01:22:14 Speaker 1: Whatever we had no in and it's. 01:22:16 Speaker 2: Right so we had THE I Am convention In philadelphia AND i would. Intern i've been turned there like for at least like two or three years in a. Row and the last TIME i did THE I Am, convention they were going to give Like Stevie wonder The Diamond award Of excellence or something like. That And Stevie wonder has a routine That I've i've learned like throughout the years where after he give us a, performance he'll have a meet And greek in his dressing room or maybe in his hotel suite upstairs not to and there's always a piano keep. 01:22:50 Speaker 1: Going But Stevie wonder one of the most, beautiful like incredible people that know anyway. 01:22:55 Speaker 2: Exactly, Yeah so it's like. Clockwork literally he's done given a performance or does what he do he'll either there's always a grand piano inside his hotel room or backstage and you know where it's getting. Out, Okay stevie wonder is going to have a meet and greet in his. Room so we were, allowed the roots were allowed to come in. 01:23:16 Speaker 1: There and. 01:23:19 Speaker 2: By the TIME i get, there Like, stevie the best part of A Stevie wonders show is this, part which is he's at the, piano and of course every piano is just surrounded by at least twenty, women and it'll be. 01:23:37 Speaker 1: Random things, like oh There's Valerie, simpson. 01:23:39 Speaker 2: Incredible oh There's Cavy, Sledge, yeah there's you, know and he's literally going through his albums LIKE i got in right, when LIKE i think he started doing people handing in. Visions he was doing, visions you. Know So i'm watching this for a half hour and, then you, know take a seat and then decided to get some aror by this, point he's like one songs in The key Of, Life like he's literally going. 01:24:07 Speaker 1: Through his discography and they're singing. 01:24:09 Speaker 2: EVERYTHING i love, it AND i sit out there and then suddenly Like Andre fisher And Natalie cole come and sit down next to. Us now you, KNOW i am one of the Biggest rufus fans of all. Time Andre fisher was the drummer And. 01:24:25 Speaker 1: Rufus oh. 01:24:26 Speaker 2: Absolutely he's also the nephew of one of my, Idols Claire. 01:24:30 Speaker 1: Fisher, fisher WHO i had the pleasure of before he. Passed Claire. FISHER i had the pleasure. 01:24:38 Speaker 2: On a, song absolutely A Claire fisher string. Arrangement but, Anyway i'm, sorry go, Ahead. Okay so the beginning of d'angelo's Really love is the last thing That Claire fisher. 01:24:49 Speaker 1: Because he's doing all those string arrangements on Those rufous album Little, boy doing all those Beautiful oh my. 01:24:54 Speaker 2: God SO i had a skillion questions For Andre fisher and he's telling me about Like rufus first phoned and and it took me an hour to be like, yo Like Nalie cole And Andre fisher don't know me from a can of, paint but they're, like. 01:25:09 Speaker 1: Blew your, way didn't. 01:25:10 Speaker 2: It and by this point he's on side for of like songs in The key Of life Like i'm missing if it's magic and as like you're in the back of you here making this. Up, no like he's we're on The balcony. 01:25:26 Speaker 1: And The Andre, Fisher Natalie cole With Stevie Wonder. 01:25:30 Speaker 2: Just, however my my Fun Nally cole story is night. 01:25:35 Speaker 1: One of The voodoo, TOUR i learned what the term eighty six. 01:25:42 Speaker 2: Means LIKE i THOUGHT i was in this industry between you, know this Is voodoo comes out In. January so we're at. That we're doing a week at The house Of, blues right just as warm up shows before we start the. Tour there's nothing like AND i feel guilty for it because you, know people when they talk About, la they're, like, a, MAN i Hate. La ali's not real And i'm leaving here and da da da da. 01:26:06 Speaker 1: Dada. 01:26:08 Speaker 2: Yeah but whenever we go TO, la it's just, like, oh, man what's going to happen? Tonight and so we did a week at The house Of blues and every, night LIKE i THOUGHT i was in this, industry but to be there for a two month Old voodoo, album of which now it's in everyone's, system and we're testing these shows out and there's a point in the show where you, KNOW i get it like a two minute break while something's happening on the stage And i'm listening on the walkie talkie of like one of, them AND i keep hearing the term. 01:26:46 Speaker 1: Eighty, six eighty. Six she's getting eighty six And i's getting. IT i get backstage And Tina farris is, like, yeah, man we had the eighty. Six Natalie. 01:26:56 Speaker 2: Cole one more again is probably the most. Night if you would, ask, like what's the experience that was the hardest of The Voodoo. Tour it's doing one more, again because either fight's going to break, out or sometimes the women would get smart and be like, okay and they would run like football, plays like, okay three security guards on that side and one's over, there so this is What i'll. Do i'll run on. Stage it never, failed, really two were run on stage and then four security guards would get, them and that's the. 01:27:29 Speaker 1: Opening and then they were open and. 01:27:31 Speaker 2: Wow so then it just became a how can we keep D'Angelo from, bleeding you, know scratching. 01:27:38 Speaker 1: HIM i ain't never had them, problems, dude. 01:27:41 Speaker 2: But at one or even, worse it'll be a fight in the. Audience AND i don't know what, happened But Natalie cole was not getting out the way for, nobody AND i heard they were scrapping AND. 01:27:55 Speaker 1: I never knew it was actually. 01:27:56 Speaker 2: Scrapping they had the eighty Six Natalie cole out of The house Of blues and two other women for either about to get into it or. WHATEVER i never knew what the term eighty six meant until The Natalie cole. Movement, wait, OKAY i have something hilarious to tell. You so Is Summer fest held in that sort of outdoor amphitheater? 01:28:17 Speaker 1: Thing? Yeah by the? Water, OKAY i have another. 01:28:24 Speaker 2: Story oh, GOD i don't know IF i was to tell the, STORY i told, It, OKAY i told it in his. Obituary but you, know we're sound. Checking this is the one show that we had. Together. Okay it Was Eric bana And DiAngelo In milwaukee the summer of two. Thousand, okay now you know what your situation was. 01:28:48 Speaker 1: Back in two. Thousand. Yeah and it wasn't a. 01:28:51 Speaker 2: Rule like you, know keep people, with you, know like principal half like motherfucker's, like, yeah you can't come on stage and watch it or. 01:28:56 Speaker 1: Whatever. 01:28:57 Speaker 2: Yeah and so we're playing and we're sound Checking Devil's pie, whoa and we're just sound. 01:29:04 Speaker 1: Checking. 01:29:04 Speaker 2: Yeah so it's basically like just sound, checking like we're not going through the motions or, whatever and we look to the left And i'm in my, communication. 01:29:15 Speaker 1: Mic i'm in my, communication mic AND i, said, oh my fucking. God you know she's here. 01:29:27 Speaker 2: And she's watching, us and it's like make her go. Away and again it's like we were. Frozen but the thing, WAS i noticed that we started getting more. Intense of course you, did but then these getting AND i forget. 01:29:44 Speaker 1: That de can hear my? Communication mic, OH i, said, yo man told at the. 01:29:50 Speaker 2: OBITUARY i told, this, yes because this is one of the funniest moments in. 01:29:54 Speaker 1: Life, okay, Okay and next THING i, know like. 01:29:59 Speaker 2: He looks, still AND i instantly see his body, freeze like holy, shit she's. 01:30:03 Speaker 1: Here and the next THING. 01:30:05 Speaker 2: I, know like he's now like he full pay me two times and, shit And i'm, like, dude wait what A celtic. Nigga, Yeah i'm, like let's just we're. Good like we tested everything and he we went through like the. Fortnute this is what. Happens now we're doing. 01:30:29 Speaker 1: Full fledged dose pie for. 01:30:30 Speaker 2: Nobody there's nobody in the, house And i'm, like Oh, god like like we're literally like a boulder like headed down and he is and It's james Brown bag and he's like doing the splits and. 01:30:48 Speaker 1: Stuff, SAID i was kidding and, no but this is what. 01:30:51 Speaker 2: Happens he there's a point in the song right from the all A, Lie all A lie where you, know we learned this from, friends where he runs on one side of the stage and slide in the home. Plate but this is what he didn't. Know it was a wooden floor. Splinters oh, worse there was a. 01:31:08 Speaker 1: Nail This milwaukee, man nothing's put together. Properly it was like there was a nail inside the. Stage, Right so. 01:31:19 Speaker 2: He's running and when he slides in the home, plate just the nail slices like he has very thin cotton slacks. On you ever Watched Charlie brown where he's at the pitcher's, Mount, yes and he throws the pitch and then next thing you, know he's like butt naked because the D'Angelo had pants, on and then he did the slide and the nail just ripped a perfect like literally his pants, were oh my. 01:31:59 Speaker 1: God but it got his him, too, RIGHT. 01:32:02 Speaker 2: I mean he was, bleeding but it was also, like, dude your, commando what the? 01:32:06 Speaker 1: Fuck and that worked out kind of. Good, no then it was, like all, right stop the. Song he ran stage and got new. 01:32:15 Speaker 2: Pants but, literally my, God we've never done a more intense sound check in my life AND i love. 01:32:22 Speaker 1: That i'm SORRY i had to bring. 01:32:25 Speaker 2: That, Okay so for, you you've AND i mentioned at the top of the show that you've created. 01:32:35 Speaker 1: The wedding. 01:32:35 Speaker 2: Song when something is, successful, yeah and overtly, successful does it become a? 01:32:43 Speaker 1: Burden? 01:32:45 Speaker 2: Now having done the Earth wind And, Fire Doc philip shares a story where he has to break people's hearts because they don't know That reasons is a cheating song and not a wedding. Song so he talks about the insane amount of times they've been and ask to Perform reasons at a wedding or. Whatever for spend my life with, you, like at what point did you realize like and were you ever given any wedding request to perform missing? 01:33:14 Speaker 1: So and do you get tired of singing? It to answer that part of the, QUESTION i remember being a kid and seeing some of my favorite artists who were known for certain, songs AND i remember, Thinking, WOW i bet they get tired of doing that same they sit, here they go they're doing that same damn Song and SO i would imagine that IF i were ever to make, IT i would just get sick of doing the same song over and over. AGAIN i don't have that. SENSATION i love performing my. MUSIC i think it's one of the things that keeps me feeling. YOUNG i think every TIME i send us a SOMETIMES i cry or spend my. 01:33:58 Speaker 2: Life, WELL i was gonna, say SOMETIMES i want to, ask because the Times i've seen you, perform you have that's an intense song to go and when you do it in, concert it's super. 01:34:09 Speaker 1: Intense it's, yeah there's no way to lightly do that. Song so what if you're just not it? 01:34:15 Speaker 2: Has what mind state do you have to be in order to put yourself through that that rigorous? 01:34:20 Speaker 1: Process that's that's a great. Question so SOMETIMES i. Cry it's one of those songs where we wrote the song and the song was, mixed wasn't mastered, yet And i'm just driving around listening to the song for a week before we actually master, it and As i'm singing along when it gets to that, Modulation i'm in the car AND i hit like three or four full tones above what it was on the. RECORD i called my engineer And i'm, like, man get your ass to the. STUDIO i THINK i could do a higher, note. 01:34:51 Speaker 2: And so so you wouldn't let it. 01:34:54 Speaker 1: GO i went to the studio and then he punched me in at that modul a AND i hit that. Note and As i'm doing, It i'm, THINKING i don't know what the Fuck i'm gonna do, live BECAUSE i don't know HOW i can do this say live every. Night so SOMETIMES i cry becomes the number one song And i'm, thinking, GODDAMN i have to Do i'm. TRAPPED i painted myself in an audio. Corner and so the first NIGHT i do, IT i nail the, note because WHEN i was in the STUDIO i didn't nail it at. FIRST i had to you, know as a, singer you have to find there's places in your throat where you can sing certain. Things And i'm, like it took me a while to be, like, okay IF i go to that part AND i can hit. It and SO i hit it the first, night hit, it the second, night hit, it third, night and THEN i, realized IF i do that song four nights in a, row by the fifth, night that layer of my falsetto is. Gone SO i just have to BE i Think i've successfully fool people into thinking THAT i can always hit that note because LIVE i always, do BECAUSE i always make sure that if there's a fourth, NIGHT i. Can't i'm not singing nothing for three days to get that false settle to back where it. Is so you just gotta work with what you. 01:36:15 Speaker 2: Got so what is your what is your care routine for? Singing because, look haven't been at the tonight. Show, YEAH i haven't seen the best and the. Worst, Well i'm gonna tell you, something but maybe by the time they get to the tonight. Show you can't. 01:36:32 Speaker 1: Suck i've seen. Anything can't. 01:36:35 Speaker 2: Say, dog it's twenty twenty, six anything gonna? Happen, no, no, NO i was saying THAT i have all. Right so on our, WARDROBE i, mean we haven't utilized it in a long, time but there was a point where we actually had winter, suits summer, suits and then a small part of our rewardrobe that says a refa what what SO arefa has this thing where it's, like IF i enter the, building, oh no air, conditioning that's, right that's, right and she has enforcers to make sure like those dudes and Then Steve harvey suits that you, know, like, yeah, well But Steve harvey Suits, no she sensed like those guys are they get. There she's been on the show three. Times they will get there at two in the morning and literally sit there really in our, catacombs in our basement to make sure that not one. Person and you, know Thirty rock is an old building in which it's no individual air like can be, like let's turn an the air off in the hallway and in the studio the, whole. 01:37:41 Speaker 1: But behole four is. 01:37:42 Speaker 2: Affected When Aretha franklin comes, in there's a mineral comes out and, says hey's gonna be Guess. 01:37:47 Speaker 1: So everybody morning mesh tank. Tops. 01:37:51 Speaker 2: Dude people Thought jimmy was like on, coke like literally the sweat on his face and and it's, no it's but part of me was super cynical back, then AND i was, like is that? Psychosomatic like is it true? That LIKE i wonder if it, Is but, No But i'm asking a, singer, like what is are you the vocal rest person while on the? Road is it every three? SHOWS i need a day? Off what if the day off falls on A saturday and the gig is? Lucrative, Yeah like so to answer your. 01:38:22 Speaker 1: Question there is a direct correlation with over extending your voice and just tearing away at certain layers of your tone until you just got to. Heal maybe somebody who's more disciplined than all the things you need to do to be able to do five shows a day for a week. STRAIGHT i can't do. It and it's not. Psychosomatic it's definitely you can hear. It IF i, talk you can hear. It so but for, me a big part of it is no. SUGAR i cut alcohol, OUT i drink, WATER i try to eat. Foods my whole perception of food is food is to nurture. Me and if it's if it's got added a, yeah if it's got, chemicals if it's got, that THEN i can't put it in my. 01:39:11 Speaker 2: Body no sugar during touring season or like a off. Season are you out that? 01:39:16 Speaker 1: Front IF i hang out with some, relatives you, know AND i got that peach cobbler right, There i'm eating that damn peach, cobbler all, right, Right but then as a result of, that probably for the next four, Days i'm NOT i definitely won't eat any dessert and there's no. Candy, YEAH i will do things that you're not supposed to. Do i'll even THOUGH i SAY i don't drink, anymore like once a MONTH i might have a glass of wine. Alcohol, no. 01:39:55 Speaker 2: All, Right so long, ago LIKE i knew the story better and, BETTER i always wanted to ask you. This, yeah SO i always Considered hurricane your acoustic soul album because of the presence of the acoustic. 01:40:07 Speaker 1: Guitar Dean. Parks whoa that Was Dean? Parks Was Dean? 01:40:11 Speaker 2: Parks, Bro? 01:40:13 Speaker 1: Dude that. 01:40:15 Speaker 2: Explains, everything, okay because on WHAT i didn't. Know Dean parks is ON i think eight songs on songs in The key Of, Life and ONCE i heard the broken down stems. 01:40:29 Speaker 1: Of, IT i was, like, WOW i never knew that this song had acoustic guitar because it's layered so brilliantly right and so. 01:40:37 Speaker 2: INSTANTLY i was, like, wow the presence of acoustic guitar on this, record like that replaced The Fender rhodes to give that album the personality Has BUT i wanted to know was the direction of better and? Better just what wound up Being hurricane or is? That what was the direction of better and? Better that Told wanner's, like, no this isn't it all. 01:40:57 Speaker 1: It was such you talk About, Hey Tom, Wally i'm about to talk about, you. Bro so that was one of the frusht trading aspects of just being an artist at a big machine Like Warner, brothers because you, KNOW i come off the success OF A day in The, life which did really spend my life And Georgie porgie and all, that AND i go into the studio And i'm working on a lot of the. SONGS i did some of Them philly R i got your strings for Your Pretty baby. Yea so one of the THINGS i remember feeling so good about That better And better album because there were songs on it LIKE I want to Be, Loved Pretty baby And better And Better Mike. City SO i turned in the record And Warner brothers was just like now we we we, don't we don't like this. Record AND i was, like, really. 01:42:05 Speaker 2: SO i take if there wasn't a day to day person that gives notes or, whatever, Like i'm not going to treat the place now where it's, like here's my. 01:42:12 Speaker 1: Record, YEAH i had a lot of autonomy at that point to just go make your. Record SO i turn in the record and you, know there's all that corporate. Turntable there's always somebody else moving in and. Out and this is When Tom wallly came. In, okay new New, Blood, yeah New. Blood AND i remember feeling so good about better and better and turning it in and they'll be, like, nah, this this really isn't a good, record And i'm, like, Okay, so and this is at a time, where you, know y'all got to. Understand we didn't have laptops where you could just like go and make an, adjustment make an, adjustment or write a song and just throw it out. There you needed a, marketing, promotion distribution. Machine and SO i was, like, okay so does that MEAN i mean two things are gonna. Happen can you let me out of my deal so THAT i can go somewhere else and take this? Record so? Nope, Okay so does that MEAN i get a budget to go record some other songs and add to this? Record MAYBE i can salvage it and make a complete product that you feel good about. Releasing, Nope so what? Happens? Wait is that why it took some damn? 01:43:24 Speaker 2: Off? Yeah, yeah BECAUSE i was gonna, say like you damn there until what six seven? 01:43:30 Speaker 1: Years, yeah it wasn't six or seven, years but it was quite a bit of. Time in two thousand and Five Hurricane, Yes, yeah so, yeah. 01:43:40 Speaker 2: And day life came there was ninety. Nine you came out to, say. 01:43:43 Speaker 1: You're, Right you're, RIGHT i was. Saying SO i was basically. STUCK i was. STUCK i had better and. Better they wouldn't release. It they wouldn't let me out of my, deal and SO i had to figure, out how DO i get myself out of this? Mess how do you? Survive you Don't but so basically WHAT i did WAS i JUST i don't remember HOW i came up with this. IDEA i was probably talking to my Cousin george, probably BUT i was, like this is the, situation, like they won't let me out of the, deal they won't release the. Record and at the, Time i've always been a massive fan Of David, foster like where he used to do all all the stuff he did With chicago back in the day and and Earth wind And fire And Sha Ka khan and all that, stuff And David foster was kind of like a resident producer At Warner brothers for lack of a better. Term AND i, SAID i know What i'm gonna Do i'm gonna bum Rush David foster and be like this is what's going to. Happen, no, No i'm not that. COCKY i was, like Mister, foster you know. 01:44:51 Speaker 2: Your. 01:44:51 Speaker 1: EXCELLENCE i. WAS i remember it really. WELL i knew he was going to be at this, uh this this, function this this, event And David foster is gonna be. There i'm showing. Up SO i ran into him AND i was, Like, david Mister, Foster I'm Eric, Beney oh, BRO i know who you. Are AND i was, like, Look tom's not going to let me out of my deal and they won't let me do another, record but Maybe and this, was like you, said this was after years and me just being stuck not knowing what to, do AND i, said MAYBE i can come by your place and maybe we can funk around with some. Stuff And, David god bless, Him. David you Know David, Yes, yeah he was just like, yeah, bro, shit come come by the. House he calls it the, host the, Host canadian. Ass his house was a Big Tony montana monstrosity on the beach In, malibu AND i just remember pulling up to this thing like, yeah, damn but he's still Just, David yeah man come to the. Studio Humberto gotica was, There, yeah samn yeah, engineering and that's where we did and the first song we wrote together Was. Hurricane. Yeah and then we did the last time and Then, HEY i got some cats that are gonna come over and and be like the cats for the Album Dean, Park vinnie Cal. 01:46:19 Speaker 2: It's, Like i'm like what BECAUSE i was gonna say that the musicianship on that record AND i couldn't call. 01:46:25 Speaker 1: IT i was, like something so different about. THIS i see. That So david saved my. Whole LIKE i don't know. WHAT i don't know WHAT i would have done Because Warner, brothers it had been. Years they wouldn't let me out of my. Deal they wouldn't let me fix the album that they did not. Like oh and so WHAT i ended up doing is like three or four of those songs like Pretty, baby some of those songs that were On better And, BETTER i would just sprinkle them on later. Albums one or two of them was On, hurricane another one was on uh the one that. Came SO i made sure some of those better And better songs got. 01:47:01 Speaker 2: Out, Okay so as a, SINGER i would like to think that your entire outfit has to be, vulnerability the ability to show. Emotions, however you, KNOW i believe around ninety six ninety seven kind of hip hop's shadow takes over the entirety of black culture, absolutely and the armor of emotion sort of sets in which really doesn't allow for it is less, cool, right like oh softness or that's what THE r AND b? Whatever how hard is it to navigate such a, sensitive beautiful art form inside of this sort Of roman calcium of, Toxicity, yeah where you stand out like a sore thumb for something that if this were the, seventies you'd be one of a million people doing. It, Yeah so, like how hard is it now to navigate where just singing Is i'm not even SAYING r AND b, yeah just. 01:48:18 Speaker 1: Singing, yeah in twenty twenty, Six, man that is an insightful dope, QUESTION i, Think and let me add to. 01:48:25 Speaker 2: It, yeah especially where you are in your mind state right. Now and you, KNOW i mean you were touching shit with The jolliverton the song you different by You you always had your little message dawns like sprinkle, throughout. 01:48:42 Speaker 1: But yeah we got a jawn in this. 01:48:43 Speaker 2: One, yes of Course i'm always From, Philly but, like how do you navigate your art in twenty twenty six in which you now have to represent every. Singer you have to be the message, person you have to be the motive. Person you damn near have to represent your whole. 01:49:04 Speaker 1: Lineage i'm, Damn i'm. Looking i'm depressing you now now about. THIS i didn't Know i'm really trying to take in this question because as you're asking the, QUESTION i don't think of it that way because IF i, DID i would fuck my shit. 01:49:21 Speaker 2: Up, WELL i see that's my my living in my brain so long and less in my. HEART i always analyze, first Like i'm therapy is like helped me to let it go of beautiful analyzing. 01:49:34 Speaker 1: Shit, well it's. Hard first of, All god bless you for doing therapy because a lot of people just don't take the emotional health. 01:49:41 Speaker 2: Seriously so you, know it's either that Or i'll wind up in the OBITUARIES i put On. 01:49:45 Speaker 1: Instagram SO i don't want to be that. PERSON i hear. 01:49:47 Speaker 2: You but like as the, roots When i'm going on, Stage i'm, like, yo like we got to be confunction and The Wu tang. Clan you feel that and printing the. Revolutions why people always ask like you. 01:50:00 Speaker 1: Feel that pressure before you go on? Stage what black bands are? Left like? 01:50:04 Speaker 2: That that's, True there's that's. TRUE i feel like in those two, hours feel LIKE i have to be a breakbe. BAND i have to be the disco, BAND i have to be the hip hop. Band we have to do everything in two. Hours LIKE i feel Like i'm, yeah do not ever stop going to? 01:50:21 Speaker 1: Therapy oh? Never? BIG i got? Two, YEAH i get because the way you phrase that questions like IF i thought about WHAT i do like you just, DESCRIBED i don't THINK i would have so much. ANXIETY i wouldn't get on the. STATE i feel LIKE i planned that seed in you now now that you, didn't because what? What what cured that scene was the very First bene album To true To myself because because The bene album was me feeling LIKE i need to be part of this collective decision on this. Art The true To myself album cured what you were just asking, me Because true To myself Was fuck what people want from me as an? Artist Even fuck what's happening on the, Radio fuck what the radio? State what the record label feels like they? Want quincy talked about it all the. Time there's a goosebump factor in the. Studio that's What i'm going. For Whether i'm writing it or vocally i'm singing, it my goosebump barometer is going to let me know it's done or it feels. Good put it out, there see what. Happens so it's like AND i feel like my major influences are the greats that we've been talking about through this whole. Conversation SO i feel, like, creatively somewhere in my Subconscious i'm always stacking my against that WHICH i feel LIKE i will never. Reach and we talked about never reaching the unreachable, unreachable but always striving for. It SO i feel LIKE i got The Quincy, JONES i got The Stilly, DAN i got The Donny, HATHAWAY i got The Stevie, WONDER i Got Ella, fitzgerald AND i know how they make me feel on a, visceral emotional. Vibration i'm never going to reach, that BUT i know that If i'm in the studio And i'm at least Oh man feeling a little bit of that giddiness that they give, Me i'm, like, HEY i did my. Best and if they don't dig it shit fuck, them true to. 01:52:41 Speaker 2: Yourself my last question to, You, yeah if you could freeze time for a, day press the pause. 01:52:47 Speaker 1: BUTTON WHOA i, Love, YO i. Love these are mere. QUESTIONS i didn't even ask the, QUESTION i, know BUT i love the way they. Start if you. 01:52:56 Speaker 2: Can astro travel back to your sixteen year old. 01:52:59 Speaker 1: Self nerdy? Motherfucker, yeah what would you? 01:53:02 Speaker 2: Say what three things would you say to your sixteen year old self. 01:53:07 Speaker 1: Back in eighty? Four, yeah, okay one day you will have. Sex it's. Coming oh let me tell. You but, yeah eighty, FOUR i was very much what is a word for the person who's the introvert but shields it with comedy and? Goofiness but a human? Deflector, yeah but prefers to be. Alone oh that's a human. Being, yeah, Okay. 01:53:37 Speaker 2: WELL i was. 01:53:38 Speaker 1: THAT i was that human. BEING i would probably tell MYSELF i was at recently asked a question like, THIS i would probably tell my sixteen year old, self who had this incredible imagination and wanted to see the world and wanted to do all these. Things and at, SIXTEEN i didn't even know THAT i wanted to be a, singer even THOUGH i was very much a singer and a songwriter at the, TIME i would probably tell, myself you might want to rethink going to. College but, see see this is a tricky part of that kind of. Question would you go back in time and save Baby? Hitler? No, right, right you know What i'm. Saying, yeah it's like. Shit then what lessons would you? Learn? YEAH i would probably try to be as coded and muted in specifics and just say your dreams will come, true and you will affect the dreams coming true of so many. People but keep working on the stuff you're good. At, Okay and you know now that my parents are going like JUST i told him every day, anyway but probably not so much my dad because he was so emotionally, like work a little harder on trying to pull a connection out of your dad because he's so, stoic and you, know because you're gonna really wish you had that one day and just. 01:55:09 Speaker 2: Well hopefully now you're doing for your. Kids what are you trying that you had for? 01:55:14 Speaker 1: You every? Day i'm trying to be. Better, yes that's all we can ask. For that's, right. 01:55:19 Speaker 2: Brother i've always loved your, voice but especially now in twenty twenty, SIX i really appreciate and love your voice, boom and we need more of that. 01:55:33 Speaker 1: Boom thank you. MAN i appreciate you. Man thank. You yeah on The Quest Love show and we'll see you next go, around. Y'all thank. 01:55:40 Speaker 2: You Quest Love show is hosted by me A Mere Quest Love. Thompson the executive producers Are sean G Brian calhoun And. 01:55:52 Speaker 1: Me produced By Britney benjamin And Jacob. 01:55:57 Speaker 2: Payne produced For ihearten by An Old, Brown edited By Alex. Connoy iHeart video support By Mark, Canton Logos graphics and animation By. Nikoloi additional support By Lance Core special thanks To Kathy Brown special thanks To Sugar Steve. Mandeli please, subscribe rate, me view and Share The Quest Love show wherever stream your. Podcast make sure you follow us on Socials that's at Q. Lsc check out hundreds and hundreds OF QLs, episodes including The Quest Love Supreme shows in our podcast. 01:56:40 Speaker 1: Archives Quest Love show is a production Of iHeart ratio