1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 1: Quest Love Show is a production of iHeart Radio. 2 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 2: Open Mic. Man, How are you today? 3 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: Man? I'm showing man keeping these plates spinning as usual? 4 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: How are you? 5 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 2: I like that. 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 3: I never added to my repertoire, but I'm spinning a 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 3: lot of plates myself. 8 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: That's what we do these days. That's what we do 9 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: is people who work in creative industries, you very rarely 10 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: get to just focus on one thing. 11 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 2: Man. 12 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's perfect because you know, it's funny. We're 13 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,559 Speaker 3: talking about Thundercat on this mini episode of The Questlove 14 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,839 Speaker 3: Show and his new album is called Distracted, And you know, 15 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:49,200 Speaker 3: how do you handle distractions? 16 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: Oh? Man, I'd like distract myself from work with like 17 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: other work. Like I tend to have, you know, two 18 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: or three very big things, any constant attention, and then 19 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,919 Speaker 1: a bunch of little stuff and admin it pops throughout 20 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: the day and it's like sometimes my treats to myself. 21 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: It's just the work that I want to do first, 22 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:12,479 Speaker 1: the work I have to do. 23 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 2: That's well said. 24 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:15,680 Speaker 3: Well, let me ask you this then, like what in 25 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 3: your repertoire if you can say, like, what is your 26 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 3: favorite work to do outside of I'm gonna say, you know, 27 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 3: recording and making music your your impetus hum. 28 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: So, my favorite work to do is not what pays 29 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: me a lot, and I think that's typically how the 30 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: correlation goes. My favorite thing to do is technically work, 31 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: is making beats. I'm honestly just making a piece of 32 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 1: art for myself that's not attached to any expectation, and 33 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: it feels a little more creatively fulfilling because of that. 34 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 2: How long into your vocal career have you been making beats. 35 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: I've been making beats the whole time. 36 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: Whole time. 37 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 1: Wow, I started making beats well before I started recording. 38 00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 2: I did not know that. Okay, wow, you came in 39 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 2: on the production tip. 40 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: I mean when I say I was making beats, very 41 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: few of them were worth hearing about other people. And 42 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: even to this day, the vast majority of my beats 43 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: nobody hears. And it's because I am I have access 44 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: to so many really great producers that you know. I 45 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 1: don't try to force the issue on my stuff, because 46 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:25,519 Speaker 1: you know, I don't think my stuff is quite that good. 47 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 1: But like I said, oftentimes it's stuff that I hear 48 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: in my head that I want to hear, and it 49 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: makes me feel good for having done it, even if 50 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 1: it's not gonna be my next song. 51 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 3: You know, well, I have to imagine too for somebody 52 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 3: that loves all music as much. 53 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 2: As you seem to. I mean, you and I are 54 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 2: still good to know each other. 55 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 3: But like I always thought, like in my rapper fantasy 56 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 3: camp or and my musician fantasy camp, one of the 57 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 3: best things would be like picking beats from other people 58 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 3: like that. 59 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: Because yeah, I mean, you know what, this is the thing. 60 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,080 Speaker 1: It is fun. But what I have found because I 61 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,920 Speaker 1: have been doing some group stuff with my group previous 62 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: industries with video David Steel Rift, and the act of 63 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: picking beats with other people is very different than the 64 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: act of meat picking beats by myself. And so in 65 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,239 Speaker 1: the fantasy camp situation, I'm like, oh, that could be fun. 66 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: It could also be a little tense, depending on what 67 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: people's tastes are. 68 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, my best like musical friend, my best friend that 69 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 3: I can talk week to week about new music with. 70 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 2: We always laugh at the fact that a. 71 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 3: New album will release and it could be in any 72 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 3: sub sector of genre, but especially in hip hop, and 73 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 3: we're always picking different favorite sections of it. And so 74 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 3: that's funny. I can only imagine when you have a band. 75 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 2: Made a groupmate that that creates I won't say acrimony, 76 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 2: but dissidence, you. 77 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: Know, yeah, yeah, it's it's just really interesting how something 78 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: can be a complete, you know, absolute smash for one 79 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: person and another person is just like I hate this, 80 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 1: you know, it's this is really fascinating. 81 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely. 82 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 3: And since we last spoke too, and when this comes out, 83 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 3: you know, you have new music on the way, a 84 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 3: new single out which I truly dig. So I appreciate 85 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 3: that everyone who's listening to this, And you know, I 86 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:21,919 Speaker 3: get this sense from reading the comments. So many people 87 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 3: are very well versed and open mic Eagle, but let 88 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 3: this be a reminder to do your dsp Googles and 89 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 3: check it out. 90 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: Oh for real? Yeah, I mean, I think, especially when 91 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:36,839 Speaker 1: it comes to my podcasting exploits, my music is often 92 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,040 Speaker 1: not front and center. So I certainly couldn't blame anybody 93 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: for not being aware if this is how they came 94 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: to me, because I'm typically not talking about my stuff. 95 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: But yeah, there's a lot of legacy, a lot of catalogs, 96 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 1: so if people are interested, there's a lot for them 97 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: to dig into. 98 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 3: So, you know, I live on the East Coast. But 99 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 3: one of the things that fascinates me about the LA 100 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 3: music community period, especially of the last twenty five years, 101 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 3: it's just that, you know, walls don't seem to exist, 102 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 3: like so many folks have worked together, have shared studio 103 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 3: space together, done all these different things, and you know, 104 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 3: you and I are here. It kind of as a 105 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 3: supplement to the recent Thundercat episode of the Questlove Show, 106 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 3: and I happened to be there for the taping and 107 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 3: we're running it with our kind of slate, which is 108 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 3: something that started years ago with Quest Love Supreme of 109 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 3: Black Music Month. And you know, I'm curious being that 110 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 3: he's an LA guy and you've been in LA. I mean, 111 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 3: damn near thirty years. You shared with me recently. Is 112 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 3: there a relationship? Have you guys shared air? Is there 113 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 3: like you and Thundercat? Is there anything you know in 114 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 3: that dynamic? 115 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: Well twenty years when I said. 116 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 2: You didn't move there, I got you. 117 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, yeah, me and him have been in 118 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: a lot of rooms together. We famously, in my world, 119 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: performed together once on Hannibal Bursts television show. I was 120 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: sort of making my television performance debut and it was 121 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 1: in collaboration with Thundercat and Flying Lotus when I performed 122 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:13,599 Speaker 1: on that show, and we didn't know each other super 123 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: well then, but we got to know each other quite 124 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: a bit after, and it run into each other quite 125 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: a few times since we have a lot of shared interests. 126 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: When he took that deep breath and started talking about 127 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:28,920 Speaker 1: comic books, I was I was right there with him. 128 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 2: And him in the room. 129 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:33,360 Speaker 3: I thought of, youmic because that was about I think 130 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 3: we Yeah, we did. We taped that episode in April 131 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,119 Speaker 3: about fresh off of coming into LA the first time 132 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:41,279 Speaker 3: you and I were in the room together and hung 133 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 3: out with you, Amir, Brittany Nick, the rest of the gang, 134 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 3: and you know, I got a sense of listening to 135 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 3: you talking about comic books and wrestling. 136 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 2: So when I watched his take a deep breath. 137 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 3: And then just kind of micro machine man yes through it, 138 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 3: I thought of because that's a passion I don't have. 139 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 3: I've actually never owned or read a comic book in 140 00:06:58,520 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 3: my life. 141 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: You've never read It's really interesting. So the only reason 142 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: that's really surprising is because we're around the same age, 143 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: and when we were young, there just wasn't a whole 144 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 1: bunch of stuff to do, so I'm amazed that you 145 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: never found yourself. Yeah, comic book was your only option. 146 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 2: I grew up in a household that didn't. 147 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 3: It always sounds like a religious thing, but like my 148 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 3: dad would never like watch anything science fiction, with like 149 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 3: one exception like the mad Max Road Warrior cannon. But 150 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 3: like like I didn't see Star Wars. I haven't still 151 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 3: not seen it the whole way through, like. 152 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 2: I am now okay, okay, yeah, and so car was 153 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 2: part of that. 154 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 3: The funny thing is is like I watched the Robert 155 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 3: Crumb movie back in the day, and I watched I 156 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 3: remember when American Splendor came out, and I was like, 157 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 3: Harvey Peak, like this looks like a comic. 158 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 2: I can get behind, like indie comics. 159 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, but even still all these years later, I'm 160 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 3: sure promo wise, like people have sent me, like when 161 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 3: Czar Face or somebody would do like an item and 162 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:01,240 Speaker 3: I'd said it, aid, I'd give it to somebody would 163 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 3: appreciate it. 164 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 2: But yeah, man, I still got my comic book Virginity 165 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 2: and tact. 166 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: That's what's up, man, Uh you know that's that's I'm like, 167 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: On one hand, Oh, it'd be a nice thing to 168 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: introduce you to. On the other hand, it's like, you know, 169 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: let him cook. Yeah, you're like and you're not missing 170 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: that much, you know. 171 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I have personality. 172 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 3: And the funny thing is is like as a kid, 173 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 3: I think the other alternative was like, in terms of 174 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 3: tangible media, it was like baseball cards. Yeah yeah, you know, 175 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 3: not not in a collector way, but I just loved 176 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 3: looking through them, learning the status. 177 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. 178 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:40,959 Speaker 1: Same here since that, like I have I have a 179 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: collection of comic book trading cards from that era. But 180 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: in that era, it was all trading cards. It was basketball, football, baseball, everything, 181 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: and the same experience you discussed of just reading through 182 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: and trying to understand the stats and all of that. 183 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 3: I think of every time my mom, you know, must 184 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 3: have handed me a five dollar bill to try to 185 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 3: like be a cool. 186 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 2: Mom or like she knew that, Like I had waited 187 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 2: in the car for three or four hours, and. 188 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:12,959 Speaker 3: I wish I wish I had now at this age, 189 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 3: Like it brought me delight at the time, but I 190 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 3: wish that I had done other things with that money, 191 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:18,679 Speaker 3: you know, let alone, let her keep it, you know, 192 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:23,679 Speaker 3: But you know, getting back to your point, like comic 193 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:25,839 Speaker 3: books is one thing also, you know, and it's right 194 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:27,119 Speaker 3: at the top of the episode. 195 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 2: You know Thundercat. 196 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 3: You mentioned him in Flying Lotus, you know, working with 197 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 3: you on the Hannibal Show. Also just his he walked 198 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:39,719 Speaker 3: up at iHeart and I'm not a I don't pay 199 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,200 Speaker 3: attention to jewelry and stuff like that, you know, but 200 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,000 Speaker 3: he came in with a Doom medallion that he talks 201 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 3: about at the top of the episode and then elaborates 202 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 3: on his profound appreciation and collaborative. 203 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 2: Plans with Daniel Dumalay. 204 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 3: And I thought of you as well, because I know 205 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 3: he's a north star in your life. 206 00:09:58,360 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 2: Hopefully I'm not miss speaking. 207 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 1: Oh no, that's that's absolutely the case, not only creatively historically. 208 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: I have a lot of Doom art here in my home. 209 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:13,000 Speaker 1: People send me a lot of stuff like that, and 210 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: I tend to put it up in the house. 211 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:18,439 Speaker 3: Did you I mean similar question when I asked about Thundercat. 212 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 2: I mean in your career, did you have any interactions 213 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 2: with Doom? 214 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: Not directly, I mean we have we got two songs together. 215 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 2: I'm on. 216 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 1: You mentioned zar Face earlier. I'm on a Zarface song 217 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 1: it features Doom. And when I had my show on 218 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: Comedy Central The New Negroes. Part of it was that 219 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 1: we had an original song for every episode, and we 220 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: did a collab with each one, and one of them 221 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:47,320 Speaker 1: was done. We were able to get him on a 222 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: song for our Comedy Central show Wow Wow. 223 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:52,720 Speaker 2: So but did you, I mean at that point in 224 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,480 Speaker 2: Doom's career, I know he was abroad a lot. I mean, 225 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:57,760 Speaker 2: you never got to give him a pound or anything 226 00:10:57,760 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 2: like that. 227 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 1: I never did. I never did. By the time I 228 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 1: was in the even the beginning of having a career, 229 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: he was already out of the country and not allowed back. 230 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 2: Yeah. 231 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 3: I mean to me, when I think of the pandemic, 232 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:13,559 Speaker 3: and I think of the ugly side of the pandemic, 233 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 3: which you know, from a health standpoint, was all of it. 234 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 3: And you know, Amir talks about this a lot, but 235 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 3: I think of sort of what you and I were 236 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 3: talking about, the lack of distractions that we sometimes have 237 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 3: gotten back to. But I think of the one battle 238 00:11:25,679 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 3: after another emotionally of twenty twenty into twenty twenty one, 239 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:32,480 Speaker 3: and I think, you know, the loss of Doom learning 240 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 3: it and then learning that it was kind of after 241 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:36,200 Speaker 3: the fact, at least for me, with the general public. 242 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 3: You know, that was that was one of the hardest 243 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 3: blows ever, you know, in terms of just mourning your heroes. 244 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:46,079 Speaker 1: Yeah, I was. I remember that that was a New 245 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:48,680 Speaker 1: Year's Eve when the announcement came out and I hadn't 246 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: heard it either. I remember I took a nap that 247 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: day so that I would be ready to hang out 248 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:57,600 Speaker 1: that night, and I woke up from the nap to 249 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 1: people texting me that they were so worry about the 250 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 1: Doom news and I'm like, WHOA. So I'm like disoriented 251 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:08,439 Speaker 1: coming back into consciousness and getting this terrible news, and 252 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: it really it put me down for like three or 253 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 1: four days. I feel like I feel like New Year's 254 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: Eve was like a Thursday that year or something like 255 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 1: that sounds about right, And I feel like through that 256 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:21,559 Speaker 1: weekend I was just really in a bad, bad space. 257 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 1: But that was when it sort of occurred to me 258 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 1: that for the first time of my life, I needed 259 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: to directly and in real time wrap my way through 260 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: something in order to process it. And so the song 261 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: that I have that that is an elegy for him 262 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 1: is called for Doom. I wrote and recorded it like 263 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 1: that weekend. It was like four days after he passed 264 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,880 Speaker 1: where I sort of was rapping about my feelings of 265 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:57,319 Speaker 1: being a fan of his my entire life, how privileged 266 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,439 Speaker 1: it was I felt to collab with him, how nervous 267 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 1: I was about it, how it felt to hear that news. 268 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: And it's sort of culminated in me realizing as I 269 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: was writing this rhyme that this piece of doom art 270 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 1: that I have in my house that's a photo of 271 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 1: him is not really him. 272 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 2: Oh wow. 273 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:21,079 Speaker 1: Yeah, And it was like the perfect code to the thing. 274 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 3: And that's very open mic ego of you two. Just 275 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 3: to kind of pull the rug at the end. That's 276 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 3: so interesting and it's funny, like, you know, I've worked 277 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,440 Speaker 3: over twenty years kind of in the hip hop media side. 278 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 3: I don't the word journalists is weird, but you know, 279 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 3: I led hip Hop DX for a number of years 280 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:35,560 Speaker 3: back in the. 281 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:39,600 Speaker 1: Wow hip Hop DX man. Yeah, speaking of rest in peace, 282 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: like all. 283 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 3: Our work, but the work that you know, for my 284 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 3: seven years, they're gone off the internet. 285 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: That really bothers me, like a lot more than people 286 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: might understand. 287 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:51,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, I hope it comes back. 288 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 3: I was gonna talk to some of the folks that 289 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 3: are now at least own it. You know, try to 290 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:58,320 Speaker 3: understand the logic behind that, but. 291 00:13:58,800 --> 00:13:59,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, it breaks my heart. 292 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 3: But all that to say, you know, in DX and 293 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 3: then I spent for the last thirteen years I've been 294 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 3: part of Ambrosia for Heads, and I've known over the 295 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:12,720 Speaker 3: time that you know, when we've cut still images sometimes, 296 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:15,800 Speaker 3: especially in the later years, once there were glasses involved, 297 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 3: it's not always actually Doom, and that messes with you. 298 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 3: And I think that only adds to the legend. 299 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 2: You know. 300 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 3: I always think of like the Internet being shocked that 301 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:31,120 Speaker 3: Humpty Hump was shocked G, but sometimes wasn't shocked G. 302 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:34,320 Speaker 3: It's like Andy Kaufman and Tony Clifton. But I think 303 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 3: it adds like when you see both in the same 304 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,600 Speaker 3: room at the same time and you're just like what, Yeah, 305 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 3: I think that contributes to that effect. 306 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:41,440 Speaker 2: Whatever. 307 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:46,080 Speaker 1: It's just me a while to get to the point 308 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: of being able to appreciate Doom for being able to 309 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: pull that off, because I had the misfortune of being 310 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: at two of those shows okay where he wasn't there. 311 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 1: I went to one show that he actually he was 312 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:06,000 Speaker 1: there in like four five, and then I'd say, like, oh, 313 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 1: six oh seven. Maybe I was at two shows where 314 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 1: it was not him, and that did not feel good, 315 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:15,320 Speaker 1: just to be like a paying customer coming to see 316 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 1: him perform and you can tell very early and easily 317 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: that it's not really him. Yeah, that was not a 318 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 1: good feeling. And I came away from those events feeling like, oh, 319 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 1: that's kind of messed up that he doesn't care about 320 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: his audience enough to actually show up and perform. But 321 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 1: that is also before any of us understood what the 322 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: circumstances were behind that as well. But you know, he 323 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: also didn't put that out there so right. 324 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 3: You remember on the second time, was that when he 325 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 3: was on the Loop a Fiasco Food and Liquor tour 326 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 3: as the opener. 327 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: No one was I want to say, it was rock 328 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: the Bells out here. And another one it was a 329 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: New Year's Eve show, a big, huge New Year's Eve 330 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: show here in LA that had a bunch of rappers 331 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 1: on it, and he was the headliner, you know, with 332 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 1: the with the countdown and all of that, and it 333 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: just was not him. I talked to I'm homies with 334 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: John Robinson, who was a first collaborator of Duns, and 335 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,200 Speaker 1: John Robinson was on the stage that night, and he 336 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: without saying too much of what he said. He was 337 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,440 Speaker 1: telling me that the way that it went down it 338 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: was also a surprise to him. So yeah, it was. 339 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: It was levels of theater happening. 340 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 2: Man. Shout out to John Robinson when I'm in New York. 341 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 3: He and I had lunch one time, I mean tour 342 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 3: in two thousand and seven and eight at this vegetarian 343 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 3: spot on west Ford Street, and he was always cool. 344 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 2: I'm a big Signs of Life fan, and. 345 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, aside the stuff he did with Doom and then 346 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 3: he had that whole album. One of the cool things 347 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 3: about Doom, and I think Dyla and Mad Live have 348 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 3: the same kind of mythology is that before producers were 349 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:04,399 Speaker 3: talking about loaning beats, a lot of those productions just 350 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 3: felt like they because they would appear different places, and 351 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 3: especially with John Robinson and never he made that whole 352 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:12,720 Speaker 3: album over Doom production, But it felt real because I 353 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 3: knew he was always inner circle as I understood it. 354 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 1: You know, it is different when you know that those 355 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:22,120 Speaker 1: artists have a connection versus you know, the label has 356 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: these beats, yes, paring them with somebody. 357 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, somebody trying to get on wrapping over dilla beats. Yeah, 358 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 3: I'll share my little story. I never met Doom face 359 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,560 Speaker 3: to face, but I interviewed him in two thousand and three. 360 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:45,960 Speaker 2: There's a lesser known thing that you remember back when, 361 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 2: like Sandbox. 362 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 3: Automatic and hip hop Site, the early online retailers of 363 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:52,440 Speaker 3: the hip hop that you. 364 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:52,920 Speaker 2: And I love. 365 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:55,160 Speaker 1: Oh yes, I spent I spent hours on him sites. 366 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 2: I spent not only. 367 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 3: Hours, I spent wages from Burger King, wages, all sorts 368 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:03,960 Speaker 3: of jobs. And there was an exclusive kind of mashup 369 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 3: thing that was authorized by Doom called Nostradomas and it 370 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:09,840 Speaker 3: was two thousand and three, and it was when NAS 371 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 3: had put out. It wasn't just the Nostradama stuff, but 372 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,359 Speaker 3: it was recent, you know. I am and kind of 373 00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 3: the early two thousands. Nas a cappellas put to Doom 374 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:22,400 Speaker 3: and Matt Conaway veteran emir, and I just worked with 375 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 3: him on booking DJ Muggs. 376 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 2: He offered me Doom. I was at the. 377 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,959 Speaker 3: Time an editor at all hip Hop dot Com and 378 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:31,119 Speaker 3: I spoke to Doohim for half an hour on the phone. 379 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,760 Speaker 2: And it's similar to kind of I think his music like. 380 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 2: On one hand, he. 381 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 3: Was super lucid and super he remembered things that really 382 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 3: shocked me. But on another hand, he was kind of 383 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,640 Speaker 3: one take Jake and just like some things he would 384 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 3: talk about some things he wouldn't, and that added to 385 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 3: the mythology. But what always kind of blew me away 386 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:51,320 Speaker 3: about that is I asked him at one point, I'm like, 387 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:55,840 Speaker 3: you know, KMD comes under the third base story, you know, 388 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:59,600 Speaker 3: as you've covered with your podcast and sodas Nas and 389 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:01,960 Speaker 3: you know, as I understand it, you know, Pete Nice 390 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 3: was a big cultivator of CAMD and Doom and Search 391 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,199 Speaker 3: obviously you know, signed NOAs to the production company and 392 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 3: you know, had a strong hand in the business side 393 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,440 Speaker 3: of Illmatic. And it's so wild that at that point, 394 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:17,920 Speaker 3: which was about ten years later, you know, after Emadic 395 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,399 Speaker 3: and around, you know, the same time as the second 396 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 3: km D album, you have these guys interfacing. 397 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:25,160 Speaker 2: In a way they might not even know about. 398 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 3: And Doom had memories of meeting Nas, being in the 399 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:30,680 Speaker 3: same room, sitting in the same studio sessions. 400 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 2: And the cool thing. 401 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 3: Is is that was three which a year later, Doom 402 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 3: really starts to occupy that amazing spot, you know, with multiple. 403 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: Albums, Victor Vaughn and Mad Villain and Food all dropping 404 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:46,399 Speaker 1: into danger Doom. 405 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, all of that stuff exactly, so you know, and 406 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 3: it lends itself to a question. And obviously we're talking 407 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 3: about Thundercat talking about Doom, but you know, to me, 408 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 3: he's always hip Hop's like greatest reinvent It's the one 409 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,120 Speaker 3: that if I was explaining this stuff to my son 410 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:05,919 Speaker 3: someday and why it means to me and why it 411 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 3: might be like comic books or it might be like 412 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 3: a great movie. Doom is that story? And you know, 413 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,479 Speaker 3: I want to ask you, being a fan that you are, like, 414 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:15,919 Speaker 3: can you speak to what that reinvention means to you 415 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 3: as an artist? 416 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 1: To me, it's remarkable because it's such a difficult thing 417 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:25,240 Speaker 1: to do when you have your business hat on, Like 418 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: it's one thing, you know, we're all creative forces. We 419 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: all have this creativity we have access to and that 420 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:36,159 Speaker 1: tends to always perpetuate. But it's difficult when you have 421 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:43,560 Speaker 1: stacked attention and notoriety and you've really nurtured a name, 422 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 1: You have people invested in that name, You might have 423 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 1: companies that invest in money to promote this name, and 424 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: for you to choose to walk away from that in 425 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: order to reapproach the business from a different creative lens. 426 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:02,879 Speaker 1: I think think that's so risky, and I think that like, 427 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:07,440 Speaker 1: it is a really powerful move because you're walking away 428 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: from everything. But I've also seen it not work because 429 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:15,200 Speaker 1: it's such a difficult thing to do. You're an essence, 430 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,160 Speaker 1: walking away from all of the work you've put in, 431 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 1: and unless you're arming people with the tools to tell 432 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:27,120 Speaker 1: the world that this guy is now this guy, then 433 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 1: you're truly starting over from scratch, and it's really, it's really, 434 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:34,680 Speaker 1: it's a really difficult thing to do. I always applaud 435 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: people and commend them, and I think there is something 436 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 1: to be said for how it helps rappers specifically age 437 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: more gracefully and rap because I feel like, oftentimes, you 438 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 1: come into this business seventeen eighteen years old, and you 439 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:58,320 Speaker 1: have a particular sort of creative ethos that you're coming 440 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: at it from, and you have your experiences in the industry, 441 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,400 Speaker 1: you have your experiences in life, and you come out 442 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 1: of at a different person. By the time you're thirty, 443 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: you're probably not very much like you were when you 444 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,639 Speaker 1: were seventeen eighteen, and that might have been when people 445 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: were promoting you the hardest. So it makes sense that 446 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 1: you might want to step away from that and come 447 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:29,359 Speaker 1: with a different perspective, a different direction. And so I 448 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:33,160 Speaker 1: think that when you look at long careers in hip hop, 449 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 1: oftentimes you can point to, oh, there was a reinvention there, 450 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 1: there was a reinvention there, and that helped them adapt 451 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:40,639 Speaker 1: to the different eras. 452 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a really good point. I think Doom exemplifies that. 453 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 3: Like I it was funny, like I try to, I 454 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:48,879 Speaker 3: meet people sometimes that only know the hits of the 455 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:52,159 Speaker 3: Beastie Boys, and you know, like, and that speaks exactly 456 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:52,680 Speaker 3: to your point. 457 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 2: Who they were in the eyes of. 458 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 3: Def jam as eighteen seventeen eighteen year olds is vastly. 459 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:00,880 Speaker 2: Different who they were at twenty one, you. 460 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:04,920 Speaker 3: Know, And then how do you manage that image? How 461 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:09,080 Speaker 3: do you reconcile that catalog and talk about it and 462 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,639 Speaker 3: maybe disappoint people when you're not that One thing that 463 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,480 Speaker 3: I've learned in the process of this Thundercat journey with 464 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 3: this conversation, which I truly love and I love the 465 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:22,160 Speaker 3: fact and I'll call him Steven because that's how he, 466 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 3: you know, introduced himself to me too, Like I love 467 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 3: it when an artist it just enters the conversation to 468 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:30,640 Speaker 3: talk about anything. I mean, very true of your your 469 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 3: quest love to show conversation last year of just like Hey, 470 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 3: I'm gonna meet the combo where it's at. They talked 471 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:40,159 Speaker 3: a little bit about Distracted and you know, a dedication 472 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:43,880 Speaker 3: to mac Miller, but it was also just I'm gonna 473 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:45,440 Speaker 3: be human. And one of the things he spent a 474 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 3: lot of time talking about was mentorship. And he spoke 475 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:52,280 Speaker 3: about a figure that I'm always curious about, Reggie Andrews, 476 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 3: and I learned about. You know, it's funny, like I 477 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:58,199 Speaker 3: own some dazz band records that I've listened to and 478 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:01,240 Speaker 3: I didn't know that name. But years ago I was 479 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 3: watching The Farside early in their career, an old interview 480 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 3: where they were talking about how this very musical person 481 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:09,000 Speaker 3: came into their life and really kind of honed them 482 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 3: and cultivated them. And it was Reggie and they were 483 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,639 Speaker 3: laughing because it was ten years past the Dad's band, 484 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,000 Speaker 3: and they were making fun of his hairstyle and you know, 485 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:19,679 Speaker 3: this pass a thing. But to really hear Steven, to 486 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:26,400 Speaker 3: hear Thundercat drive home, how this one educator changed generations 487 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:29,960 Speaker 3: of musicians at Loch High and other places in California. 488 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,400 Speaker 2: I thought it was just super illuminating. 489 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:37,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, and it would have illuminated to me specifically. 490 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:41,160 Speaker 1: I've been in this town, like I said, twenty years. 491 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 1: I didn't meet Thundercat till like I moved here in 492 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 1: two thousand and four. I don't think I met Thundercat 493 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:52,199 Speaker 1: till like twenty fifteen, sixteen or something like that. What 494 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 1: it made me really understand was, Yeah, we've all been 495 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: here and we're all part of this grand creative community. 496 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:03,399 Speaker 1: But the relationships that they have over on that jazz 497 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,399 Speaker 1: side are cultivated by those years they spent in the trenches, 498 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 1: running around the city, playing stuff out of the fake 499 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:13,720 Speaker 1: book and being mentored in this case by that one person. 500 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 1: And to me, it illuminates the sort of distance between 501 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 1: the different creative communities here. Like I was in I 502 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 1: was on the rap side. So you know, we were 503 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: doing stuff over a project blode and which were the 504 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:32,439 Speaker 1: descendants of the people from the Good Life Cafe, and 505 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:35,200 Speaker 1: so we were very rap heavy, to the point where 506 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:39,679 Speaker 1: even the producers involved in our circle split off and 507 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:42,080 Speaker 1: started doing the low end theory thing. And then that 508 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:45,400 Speaker 1: became a whole other thing, and it's funny I ended up, 509 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 1: you know, connecting with Thundercat through largely through Flying Lotus 510 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:53,639 Speaker 1: and the beat scene which developed over there. So to me, 511 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:56,040 Speaker 1: it was just an interesting peak into a history that 512 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 1: was happening while I was here. But it was like 513 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,159 Speaker 1: over there in a community that I wasn't involved in. 514 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:04,719 Speaker 1: I thought that was really fascinating. 515 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:06,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that happens a lot, like, you know, 516 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 2: similar to you. 517 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:10,919 Speaker 3: I moved to Philly and O two and it's funny, 518 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 3: like I just went to the roots picnic and spent 519 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:16,399 Speaker 3: most of it. We taped content, you know, taped interviews 520 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:19,119 Speaker 3: Saturday and Sunday, so I wasn't out there mixing up. 521 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:21,800 Speaker 3: But there are so many people in Philly that folks 522 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,880 Speaker 3: will always but oh you must know so and so, and. 523 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,640 Speaker 2: I don't you know, I've heard of them. I've heard 524 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:27,960 Speaker 2: of them. 525 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:32,200 Speaker 3: But you know, I spent my trenches were not in studio, 526 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 3: you know, they were covering, they were listening, they. 527 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 2: Were working, they were one to one, they weren't. 528 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:39,720 Speaker 3: Necessarily communal, And it was always fascinating to learn that 529 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 3: there are so many times you were in a room 530 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:44,080 Speaker 3: with somebody that you don't even realize and then years 531 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,959 Speaker 3: later you form a bond and you realize, you know, 532 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,439 Speaker 3: and ThunderCats that I really dug his energy. 533 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:52,280 Speaker 2: I also just appreciate. I'm a big fan of just 534 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:53,679 Speaker 2: self deprecation. 535 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,600 Speaker 3: And I love the way I found it inspiring, the 536 00:26:56,600 --> 00:27:01,520 Speaker 3: way he leaned into, you know, handle kind of being 537 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 3: bullied or being teased or being ostracized in school, and 538 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 3: also yet coming from an environment that I feel like, 539 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,159 Speaker 3: you know, the environment that he described of Compton and 540 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:15,040 Speaker 3: other parts of Los Angeles was very much the John Singleton, 541 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,160 Speaker 3: you know, Hughes Brothers. Like literally he said his house 542 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:20,200 Speaker 3: was shot at, and I thought that that's wild, because 543 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:23,040 Speaker 3: he doesn't lead with that in his public facing persona. 544 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,240 Speaker 1: You know, I mean, you know, that's that I want 545 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 1: to say, is that unfortunate? Something like that, But it's 546 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:32,920 Speaker 1: partitive course, like I know, I know that story all 547 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:35,159 Speaker 1: too well. And so one of the things I was 548 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: connected with that he was talking about was how people 549 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 1: he was around, like in school, didn't understand or had 550 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 1: no awareness of the music he was listening to. Because 551 00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: to me, that goes right along with that. It's like 552 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: you're all in school with these people, you might have 553 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:53,200 Speaker 1: grown up with these people. Some of these people are 554 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:56,159 Speaker 1: in the streets doing street stuff, and then some of 555 00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:58,879 Speaker 1: us are in the house learning how to play an 556 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 1: instrument or I was, you know, somewhere learning how to 557 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 1: break dance or doing graffiti like and so my experience 558 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 1: and interest would take me away from what my homies 559 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:11,320 Speaker 1: were doing, and my homies would be in the streets, 560 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:16,480 Speaker 1: creating the stereotype people understand my neighborhood by you know, 561 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:20,040 Speaker 1: But I'm having this whole different experience and it's like, yeah, 562 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: I've throughout my life, I've just known so many people 563 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: who like myself, kind of have that experience where you know, 564 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,840 Speaker 1: this environment, this environment is in you, but it's just 565 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 1: not a part of you in such an overt way 566 00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:33,879 Speaker 1: like it can be with other people. 567 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:37,359 Speaker 3: Yeah, And I'm just curious to you, like, what do 568 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:40,040 Speaker 3: you think. I don't the term weird, especially in this 569 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:42,840 Speaker 3: political climate, is such a loaded adjective all of a sudden, 570 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,200 Speaker 3: But you and I are just meaning like alternative, different, 571 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:48,360 Speaker 3: out there music. But what do you think, you know, 572 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:52,520 Speaker 3: raising yourself on that diet, what do you think it 573 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:54,880 Speaker 3: did for you in those formative years of being an adolescent, 574 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 3: regardless of you as a creator. 575 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:59,000 Speaker 1: I mean, I think it was. Actually it made my 576 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 1: life feel tougher at the time that I didn't have 577 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: the same sort of common touchstones that other people have. 578 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,120 Speaker 1: And we would sit around and talk about music, and 579 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:12,520 Speaker 1: you know, they'd be talking about mcavelly and I'd be 580 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:15,160 Speaker 1: listening to MF. Doom's first twelve inches, you know what 581 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:17,800 Speaker 1: I'm saying, Like it felt. It used to often feel 582 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:20,120 Speaker 1: like socially, me and my friend group was on another 583 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 1: planet compared to everybody else because we weren't you know, 584 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 1: in my high school it was do you like Biggie 585 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:29,520 Speaker 1: or do you like pop? Right, and we were like, 586 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 1: we don't care about either of these people because we're 587 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 1: over here spinning on our heads and listening to diamond 588 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,600 Speaker 1: D And you know what I'm saying. Like, So it 589 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: didn't feel good at the time socially to have a 590 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 1: different set of interests. You know, we liked what we 591 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:51,720 Speaker 1: like and that was cool. But when I think back 592 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,800 Speaker 1: on it now, it's like, oh yeah, right, Like that's 593 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:59,160 Speaker 1: like following our interest to that degree and finding these 594 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: sources of other me music. This made us who we were, 595 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 1: And oftentimes I get tickled sometimes when I'll you know, 596 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:09,479 Speaker 1: see something on Facebook and it's somebody I knew from 597 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:13,240 Speaker 1: high school talking about how they just, you know, bought 598 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:15,120 Speaker 1: a Doom album or something, you know what I'm saying, 599 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: And I'm like, that's cute. 600 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 3: You have a vivid memory of you coming in, you know, 601 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:24,960 Speaker 3: playing something, or you couldn't talk about it then, you know. 602 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, or not feeling like I could a lot of 603 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:30,280 Speaker 1: times when I think back on it too, those the 604 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,080 Speaker 1: distance between me and other people oftentimes was more stark 605 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 1: in my mind than it wasn't real life. Sure, I 606 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:41,960 Speaker 1: just didn't feel a lot of license to discuss what 607 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:44,080 Speaker 1: it was I was into with people because I didn't 608 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: feel like there was enough common ground. 609 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:46,960 Speaker 2: When I would go. 610 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:51,280 Speaker 3: Into a record store in ninety nine two thousand, I 611 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 3: was in my teens and I asked, you know, hey, 612 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 3: do you guys have the Black Delicious aided you know 613 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:57,720 Speaker 3: eight a GEP? 614 00:30:57,920 --> 00:30:58,840 Speaker 2: And they, oh, you like that? 615 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:01,560 Speaker 3: And you could have a conversation with somebody who spoke 616 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 3: your language. It meant like the world got real small 617 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,800 Speaker 3: and it was fun. It was so exciting, and I 618 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 3: I don't get that same joy in connecting with people 619 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:17,719 Speaker 3: that way. I mean, do you find that it's different 620 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 3: these days with that I don't know, Like, maybe it's 621 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 3: because of just the way we access music. 622 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:23,240 Speaker 2: I'm just like, oh, it's cool, you got it loaded 623 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 2: iPod or but like it just feels different. I don't know. 624 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:27,880 Speaker 2: Maybe I'm being cynical or jaded about it. 625 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 1: Well, I think that part of what you're describing is 626 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:34,440 Speaker 1: the effort that it used to take to find stuff 627 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:38,560 Speaker 1: that wasn't on the radio. Like just that alone, the 628 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:43,240 Speaker 1: steps you had to take to find music that wasn't 629 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 1: just being served to you on television on the radio. 630 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,240 Speaker 1: You know, the people who were willing and interested in 631 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 1: taking those steps, they felt a kinship with each other. 632 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:58,160 Speaker 1: And now not only do we all have every genre 633 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 1: of everything at our fingertips, we also all live under 634 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: a different algorithm that's giving us a different digital product 635 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: line of music every day. So now it's just so 636 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 1: much more fractured. Yeah, and it takes so much less 637 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:18,560 Speaker 1: effort that I think it's hard to tell how much 638 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:21,080 Speaker 1: you and this person are alike now based on having 639 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 1: a shared interest in a particular piece of music. 640 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,719 Speaker 2: That's real. Your point is valid to like, the algorithms 641 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:29,200 Speaker 2: that be are forcing me right now to get really 642 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 2: into Tom Mish. It might be working, it might not be. 643 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,360 Speaker 3: But like I appreciated our discussion in LA and it's 644 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:36,920 Speaker 3: in one of these mini episodes where you kind of 645 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 3: spoke to the effect of XTC's Mummer and you were like, 646 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,800 Speaker 3: that's what I'm listening to right now. And I still 647 00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:45,760 Speaker 3: try to do that, whether it's a CD, it's an 648 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:48,800 Speaker 3: albums I'm streaming, like play it, play it again, play 649 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:49,240 Speaker 3: it some more. 650 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:52,240 Speaker 2: And yesterday Amir was talking about, you know, he's very. 651 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 3: Much on a Steely Dan journey right now, because he 652 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 3: was like, yeah, I feel like we're always all of 653 00:32:56,560 --> 00:32:59,240 Speaker 3: us are always on a Steely Dan journey. But that 654 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:01,600 Speaker 3: is a habit that I'm trying to keep an integrate 655 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:04,480 Speaker 3: and that way, the person I run into or meet 656 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:06,960 Speaker 3: that we get to talking and they are talking about 657 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:08,800 Speaker 3: what's currently in my ears. 658 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:10,160 Speaker 2: Then it means a little more. 659 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:10,720 Speaker 1: That's real. 660 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,560 Speaker 3: That's real, yo, man, Thank you. I encourage everyone. I mean, 661 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 3: certainly if you got this far, you probably checked it 662 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:21,080 Speaker 3: out Thundercap. But it's a great episode, it really is. Yeah, absolutely, 663 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:23,760 Speaker 3: and more many episodes coming. The Roots have a lot 664 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:25,760 Speaker 3: of dates this summer. I tried to get a mirror 665 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 3: on one yesterday. Our guest showed up early and sometimes 666 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 3: that throws things off. But he will be back in 667 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:33,280 Speaker 3: the mix soon come. 668 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:35,160 Speaker 2: But in the meantime, I'm having fun wrapping with you. 669 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 1: Might Awesome Always A Pleasure Question Show is a production 670 00:33:57,280 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: of iHeart Radio.