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