Speaker 1: Every day of clicks up the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2: Y'all done morning, everybody's d J n V jess hilarious,
Speaker 2: Charlamagne the God we are the Breakfast Club. Law La
Speaker 2: Ross is here with us as well, and we got
Speaker 2: a special guest in the buildings.
Speaker 1: You know, he's an icon. I think legend is even
Speaker 1: an understatement. Okay, I can only think of three one
Speaker 1: word queens, yes, then another word icons.
Speaker 3: That's it.
Speaker 2: But there you have it. We have Stephanie Mills shot
Speaker 2: the welcome, Come, welcome.
Speaker 4: How are y'all feeling?
Speaker 2: Y'all look amazing?
Speaker 3: Thank you, We're happy to be here. We are, We're
Speaker 3: happy to be here. Good morning.
Speaker 1: Now y'all are on the Queen Store. Why couldn't this
Speaker 1: happened decades ago? Like decades ago? Why couldn't people put
Speaker 1: this together?
Speaker 2: Weren't No.
Speaker 3: I just think it was at the right time. I
Speaker 3: think this is definitely the right time. And Patty and
Speaker 3: I have worked together, and I've always wanted to work
Speaker 3: with Shaka, so they came together and put it together,
Speaker 3: and I was like, yes, let's do it.
Speaker 2: Is there enough time for a show to happen? I
Speaker 2: have so many hits, so many records. How long is
Speaker 2: the show? How long is this a concert?
Speaker 3: It's about two hours long.
Speaker 5: It's not long.
Speaker 3: We have quick, quick moments. We have like fifty minutes apiece,
Speaker 3: and you can hardly say hello and good night with that.
Speaker 3: But that's what we do. Man.
Speaker 4: Man, How do y'all decide who closes?
Speaker 3: Do?
Speaker 1: I feel like that might have been a little debate
Speaker 1: on who Shaka closes?
Speaker 3: Okay, Gladys opens, I come on second, and then Ms.
Speaker 3: Patty I like to open the show, but I didn't
Speaker 3: get that position.
Speaker 6: Actually, right, Oh that's why you like to open the show?
Speaker 3: Okay, honey, Yeah, some cookies.
Speaker 4: Cookies.
Speaker 1: At this stage in your careers, is it harder or
Speaker 1: easier to navigate?
Speaker 4: I guess ego would be the right word. Are are
Speaker 4: the egos?
Speaker 3: I haven't seen any?
Speaker 5: Not?
Speaker 6: No God, not Ego is the only ego the onnest
Speaker 6: one And.
Speaker 7: You said you guys weren't old enough to do this.
Speaker 7: That's okay?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 8: I mean because when you mentioned God is the only ego,
Speaker 8: I didn't know if it was like you were saying
Speaker 8: that you had to get to a point where that's
Speaker 8: something that you realized in the industry because you deal
Speaker 8: with so many egos navigating.
Speaker 6: I still am. It never stopped. Mm hm, life never stop.
Speaker 2: Is there any friendly competition because no, not at.
Speaker 3: All, not at all, just doing Yeah, we have fun
Speaker 3: watching each other doing each other. We got to keep
Speaker 3: on giving all rights.
Speaker 6: We are different people. We do we do individually.
Speaker 4: Yes, So how does this talk come together?
Speaker 1: Because I know it's it's hard to get any of
Speaker 1: y'all to want to do something.
Speaker 4: It's you know, because y'all got great lives, our schedules,
Speaker 4: tour as a collective. Like well, the whole.
Speaker 6: Thing with me was that I felt that this is
Speaker 6: going to be a one off ever in life like
Speaker 6: some of us, some of us, you know, we weren't
Speaker 6: going to get the chance to be able to be
Speaker 6: seen together on one stage, one night, for all of
Speaker 6: us collected. So and when I realized the importance of
Speaker 6: that for people who grew up listening to our song
Speaker 6: baby to a weaned owners, a coronal, I think it
Speaker 6: made a big difference. And it was, you know, that's
Speaker 6: that was that was to compel me.
Speaker 2: You know, we have a surprise about the the ages
Speaker 2: of people that come to the show because it varies
Speaker 2: from young teams.
Speaker 6: I expected that I did because I get it off
Speaker 6: the jet. You know, kids saying I was weaned on you.
Speaker 3: You know something they made children on our music. People
Speaker 3: have babies on our music.
Speaker 2: When you have those young individuals in the show, let's
Speaker 2: say they are twenty one, twenty two, and they trying
Speaker 2: to holler at y'all this, dad s like, I still
Speaker 2: got it.
Speaker 5: No, I don't get nobody.
Speaker 4: Why are you?
Speaker 7: You're talking about you?
Speaker 2: Why to look so beautiful that I.
Speaker 4: Ain't got I'm just asking a question. Can't young boys
Speaker 4: hollering at them?
Speaker 2: Like damn no, young boy?
Speaker 5: Tell them I want to mature and older with.
Speaker 1: The problem with them is they want the young girls why.
Speaker 1: I don't know, especially when y'all look like this what
Speaker 1: you want to? Twenty year olds don't know how to
Speaker 1: wait because we.
Speaker 5: Want to show them that this is how you age graceful,
Speaker 5: that's right, and you could still do your thing.
Speaker 3: We're all beautiful.
Speaker 1: Do you have a routine to like keep your voice
Speaker 1: wrong and your body ready?
Speaker 6: Sleep?
Speaker 5: I sing? I sing every day and still about six
Speaker 5: days a week.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I don't sing. She don't sing every day,
Speaker 3: but she keeps it together. I'll be hitting those notes. Thanks,
Speaker 3: thank you, honey. I do what I do and that
Speaker 3: eighty one. I'm still queen.
Speaker 2: She's the queen, the Queen, my queen.
Speaker 3: Yes, my babies, Yeah, I.
Speaker 2: Still Patty, pull up. I promise I was gonna come
Speaker 2: on Thanksgiving. My kids are a little older now, so
Speaker 2: that they're a lot. They'll sit in the corner when
Speaker 2: you tell them to sit in the corner now, So
Speaker 2: I'm gonna pull up one Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3: Yeah you should.
Speaker 5: We would be.
Speaker 6: A big places of food, good food, baby cooking.
Speaker 7: Are you're cooking for them? Some of the stops?
Speaker 6: You know, I'm not letting the cook for because why
Speaker 6: because after the after she's being good, because I'm trying
Speaker 6: to be good.
Speaker 3: No, I better not. Then I better not be throwing down.
Speaker 1: Do y'all feel like towards like this remind people with
Speaker 1: a real show is supposed to be?
Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely, because we have real band, nothings taped, our
Speaker 3: microphones are on.
Speaker 5: Yes, we are actually singing.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: And do you think fans have the same appreciation for
Speaker 1: live instrumentation and raw vocals as they did like when
Speaker 1: y'all first hit the stage.
Speaker 6: I think some of them may not even know the difference.
Speaker 6: Someone may not even know what the hell is going on,
Speaker 6: you know, and that's what's unfair and messed up abot
Speaker 6: it is that when you go up there, you should
Speaker 6: represent yourself honestly. You know, you singing the mic, you know,
Speaker 6: if you have to have tricks and gags and googles
Speaker 6: and stuff like that, you know, dude, you got to do.
Speaker 6: But I'm saying I'm not about it. I've got I've
Speaker 6: walked on, We walked on the stage. Man's horse can
Speaker 6: hit all the notes. That's just the way life is.
Speaker 6: You know what, you give everything, everything you got and
Speaker 6: that is something that people can definitely they know they
Speaker 6: can feel that.
Speaker 2: What do you think make this this to so important? Right?
Speaker 2: Because seeing so many icons and queens and legends on
Speaker 2: that stage, you don't get to see that so much.
Speaker 2: But the fact that we see it with you guys,
Speaker 2: what makes it so important? Why did you all guys agree.
Speaker 3: That we as black women represent ourselves the right way?
Speaker 3: Like Steph said, there's no pretending singing, no no stuff,
Speaker 3: because people have a lot of stuff in their shows.
Speaker 3: We just go out the tricks. There's nobody flying through
Speaker 3: the air, none of that. You know, not that that's
Speaker 3: not good, but I mean we.
Speaker 5: Just give shows like we did back in the day,
Speaker 5: just pure blackfoot stand there and sing.
Speaker 6: I mean we come from like actually similar but almost
Speaker 6: the same generational Our generation levels are like like that's
Speaker 6: theirs and it's club you know, if they're close enough
Speaker 6: yet far enough apart to reach a really big audience.
Speaker 6: You know what I'm saying, a huge audience and it's
Speaker 6: just been the by the grace of God, they're just
Speaker 6: going together in such a is it a good way?
Speaker 4: You know?
Speaker 1: You know, I want to ask, you know, Miss Billabelle
Speaker 1: and Ms con y'all been labeled divas. I don't know,
Speaker 1: I've never heard that term for you, Miss y'all look
Speaker 1: at that as a complimentary term or derogatory.
Speaker 3: I'll take anything, but I'm not a diva, you know,
Speaker 3: because is are the ones who demand. As far as
Speaker 3: I'm concerned, I'm not that girl, and neither Shock and
Speaker 3: Baby Girl never would be. We just sing, we give it.
Speaker 3: I mean, I'm an artist, really, and.
Speaker 4: I mean for the status y'all are y'all shouldn't have
Speaker 4: to demand anything?
Speaker 6: We don't.
Speaker 3: If we don't have to, we don't have to we
Speaker 3: don't and we don't.
Speaker 8: What is it like when the cameras lights are down
Speaker 8: backstage with y'all are just touring?
Speaker 7: What a y'all learning from each other? On this tour?
Speaker 3: We don't get a chance to see each other. We
Speaker 3: were right on, right behind each sleep.
Speaker 8: Because in here hang out, you know, we don't have
Speaker 8: we don't on on and off.
Speaker 6: But coming in, I'm coming in, she's coming off. I'm
Speaker 6: going I'm coming in like those dogs that the dogs
Speaker 6: that watching the sheet anyway different than the time card.
Speaker 3: It's like that we're going to really get a chance.
Speaker 3: That's not it.
Speaker 6: We're working working. We'll talk after that.
Speaker 3: And some days not on tour.
Speaker 2: I always want to know, like outside of music and touring,
Speaker 2: what brings you joy?
Speaker 4: Outside of that.
Speaker 2: I'm sure Patty is cooking, but what gives you joy?
Speaker 2: Like what makes you happy?
Speaker 6: Out my grand baby, my great grand babies, you know,
Speaker 6: my family, Stephanie, my.
Speaker 3: Son, my son gives me joy and just being with
Speaker 3: Pops and being with people that I love. Yeah, your
Speaker 3: son gives me joy watching them.
Speaker 5: Show.
Speaker 3: He's so cute.
Speaker 5: He has let a jacket on.
Speaker 1: He's so When y'all first started, did any of y'all
Speaker 1: think y'all would have these long careers that y'all would
Speaker 1: have had and still be on tours, still be in demand.
Speaker 3: I never did. I never did because I was always
Speaker 3: told you know, dark girls, don't you know. After a
Speaker 3: while they were like, oh, people are not going to
Speaker 3: promote dark girls.
Speaker 5: So I was always told, no, you.
Speaker 3: Can't do it.
Speaker 5: You do it.
Speaker 3: That right, yes, you know. So I'm surprised because people
Speaker 3: didn't think I was going to still be here. And
Speaker 3: it's the fiftieth year anniversary of the Whizz Fifty years.
Speaker 4: Ago I did the whist say think for you, miss Leabell.
Speaker 4: You didn't think he was gonna be here?
Speaker 3: No, I didn't because I had an issue also with
Speaker 3: might being a black woman with a big nose. And
Speaker 3: a friend of mine got her nose done and I said, oh,
Speaker 3: I think I need to try that. Maybe I'll get
Speaker 3: one gigs. I tried. I did have any you can
Speaker 3: say it you came to my It was me. I
Speaker 3: had a nose, I had my nose down in the
Speaker 3: early eighties and I had went to her house for dinner.
Speaker 6: What did you do?
Speaker 5: And she was like, I forget one?
Speaker 3: And I did, right after Stephanie.
Speaker 4: I didn't know you guys know, neither one of y'all
Speaker 4: I got.
Speaker 3: I had to, she did, and she had to Natalie.
Speaker 3: All of them do it, you know, all them do it.
Speaker 6: But you could not cut me for Nathan.
Speaker 5: But now I think that looks like to be sister.
Speaker 4: So you never had nothing done either. They said you
Speaker 4: got a b b L.
Speaker 6: What's that?
Speaker 4: It is a Brazilian button what the young girls are doing,
Speaker 4: It's called a Brazilian.
Speaker 6: Button butt like this my whole life in the sixties
Speaker 6: seventy seven, nor I have the same behind. I've always had.
Speaker 6: Somebody's trying to make them. But look like somebody else
Speaker 6: is within bb L.
Speaker 2: Looks like somebody's got it natural that's shot.
Speaker 4: So hold on, mister. But when you got to those jobs,
Speaker 4: did you get more gigs? Did it change anything?
Speaker 3: I think it did because it was more pleasant to
Speaker 3: some people. The same with me. But when I saw
Speaker 3: my girlfriend, I said, I'm going to try that.
Speaker 5: And if I remember that too.
Speaker 3: Oh so well. And I don't want to tell people
Speaker 3: that you were my inspiration because you wanted to about
Speaker 3: that I did well, I'm talking now, yes, okay, So
Speaker 3: here this is my girl. I followed her, Yes, I did.
Speaker 4: So who did you did you do?
Speaker 3: Who do you follow Michael?
Speaker 4: Michael? Okay, Michael, so after you got it, that's what
Speaker 4: you wanted to do it?
Speaker 5: Yes, I went to the same doctor.
Speaker 3: Wow, Michael took me to the like that.
Speaker 2: You didn't know that.
Speaker 3: I didn't know me speak louder, Oh speak louder Michael,
Speaker 3: Michael Jackson.
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's who I followed.
Speaker 4: Miss.
Speaker 1: I mean, that's such an interesting conversation because you know
Speaker 1: all of these everybody's doing it now right, thinking that
Speaker 1: it's going to get them ahead in some way, shape
Speaker 1: or form.
Speaker 4: Is something that's been going on.
Speaker 5: Yes, it has.
Speaker 3: That's the only They're going to have done nothing that
Speaker 3: people shouldn't be ashamed of if they want to do
Speaker 3: anything to their body of their face. This is all
Speaker 3: I've ever done. I ain't getting cut in nowhere. No,
Speaker 3: that's all.
Speaker 5: And that was early it was early eighties.
Speaker 2: Because people get nervous that they say it's addictive, like
Speaker 2: once you get one, then you have something else something.
Speaker 3: I think Michael got a little addictive, you know, but
Speaker 3: I didn't. I didn't go back.
Speaker 2: He had those problems, so you didn't have any problem,
Speaker 2: like like what he didn't? Okay, Maybe it's.
Speaker 1: Just amazing how the industry standards of beauty have seemed
Speaker 1: like they've never changed.
Speaker 3: A love that that's amazing.
Speaker 1: It just seems like the industry standards of beauty have
Speaker 1: never changed, and it's just kind of heartbreaking to see
Speaker 1: that even back then, all were falling victim to what
Speaker 1: they thought.
Speaker 3: Well, they wanted you to look a certain way. I've
Speaker 3: always been told I should sing pop songs, But what
Speaker 3: is pop songs? But popular?
Speaker 5: You know?
Speaker 3: And I love my audience, So I just stay true
Speaker 3: to who I was and stay focused on what I
Speaker 3: wanted to do.
Speaker 5: Patty and.
Speaker 3: Gladys you know who has more hits than both all
Speaker 3: has a billion hits?
Speaker 8: Girl, Miss Patty Belt? Was it when you decided that
Speaker 8: you want to get you those job? I know you
Speaker 8: said you didn't like you know its personally, but were
Speaker 8: things being said to you as well?
Speaker 3: Yes, by who and what? By a manager that I haven't.
Speaker 2: It's hilarious, that's all that I love it.
Speaker 4: It's all right.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a manager that I had back in
Speaker 3: the day, a white gentleman, and he's he said so
Speaker 3: many things to me. But whenever I was sang, he said,
Speaker 3: I said, is it all right if I keep this note?
Speaker 3: You know, things like that, and he was just mean
Speaker 3: and I'm I slapped the outah, So yeah, you know,
Speaker 3: so I just said I'll do it once I saw her. Yeah,
Speaker 3: you'd be surprised what female artists, what we have to
Speaker 3: go through to even do what we do today, to
Speaker 3: to have people respect us, to respect our talent, to
Speaker 3: respect that we're women and we're black women.
Speaker 5: And it's harder, but you have to demand the respect.
Speaker 4: Ms khn. You never faced any of those struggles. You
Speaker 4: never faced any of those same struggles.
Speaker 6: I don't know if they did. They never told me,
Speaker 6: they said none to me. No, but I know, I'm
Speaker 6: aware of the stigma you know that black woman go through.
Speaker 6: I am aware of the whole situation. But no, I you.
Speaker 4: Know you always had a reputation and not taking those
Speaker 4: ship from what I've.
Speaker 6: Been told, exactly, no time. You know, life is short,
Speaker 6: it's no time, So honesty, integrity, all those things are
Speaker 6: very important to me, you know.
Speaker 1: So did you always have that confidence or that's something
Speaker 1: that just.
Speaker 6: I knew what I wanted to be sort of when
Speaker 6: I when I was a kid. I mean I left.
Speaker 6: I went away here at sixty. I didn't finish high school.
Speaker 6: I pretty much knew what I wanted to do. And
Speaker 6: my dad said, but you don't want to go to college.
Speaker 6: I said, no, I don't need to. He said, well,
Speaker 6: you can read, right, I said, you know I can read, dad.
Speaker 6: We used to read the same books, my dad, and
Speaker 6: so he said, well, that's cool. He said, you could
Speaker 6: just read what you want and be that. I said, yeah,
Speaker 6: if I want. But I didn't know I wanted to
Speaker 6: be an entertainer or a singer. I didn't wanted to
Speaker 6: be in to work with people. I really wanted to.
Speaker 6: I don't want to be a lot of things. But
Speaker 6: I really wanted to be hands on. So I get
Speaker 6: to do that too, and to sing.
Speaker 8: What was it that drew you to the arts? Once
Speaker 8: you freak like it's people, but then you started to sing.
Speaker 8: What got you into singing?
Speaker 6: Well, my mother and father. I grew up in a
Speaker 6: house of music. My mother and father were both sang
Speaker 6: and they were both artists as well. We had frescoes
Speaker 6: and murals all over the world. We didn't know that
Speaker 6: we were living. We didn't have any money, I mean
Speaker 6: our apartment we had Fresca's, don't the walls and chumps
Speaker 6: in the dining room and and all sorts of every
Speaker 6: room had a different scheming. It was really nice to
Speaker 6: grow up like that. But I just and I grew
Speaker 6: up with and you know, if you grew up around
Speaker 6: the university, then you get to meet a lot of
Speaker 6: other people that you would ordinarily meet from other countries
Speaker 6: and bits like that, so that I think that was
Speaker 6: also something that.
Speaker 3: Was helpful in that decisions in life.
Speaker 1: You know, Yeah, you know, the only thing I liked
Speaker 1: about you, ms Conn is you know you've always been
Speaker 1: open about like your your struggles and your triumphs. Do
Speaker 1: you feel like being transparent has helped fans connect deeper
Speaker 1: with you? Or do you think sometimes people weaponize your honesty.
Speaker 6: About both ways?
Speaker 3: Both things.
Speaker 4: Black can handle it, he says, not about you, not
Speaker 4: for me, So what is it? What is it about?
Speaker 3: Well, I don't know what it's about. I don't know.
Speaker 6: You know, like you said, weapon and weaponization, and sometimes
Speaker 6: people get it, you know, so you're thankful for the
Speaker 6: ones that get it.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 6: That's about all you can really do. Thank you very much,
Speaker 6: Thank you well, so let's can you do. We're trying
Speaker 6: to co habitate here, you know, that's the most important
Speaker 6: thing that we can cohabitate.
Speaker 4: Absolutely. Do you embrace the title the Queen of Funk?
Speaker 4: Do you feel like that?
Speaker 6: I think I think I think it's kind of short
Speaker 6: because I think I'm the queen of a lot of
Speaker 6: the music. I mean, you know, that's just like cutting
Speaker 6: real short for me. I sing everything everything. I mean,
Speaker 6: I could sing in Japanese Chinese music if you give me,
Speaker 6: just give me the right way to pronounce it. I've
Speaker 6: singing that too. I have no problem, you know, that's
Speaker 6: the only thing. I just think it's cutting me kind
Speaker 6: of short. And I'm not being digeated about or anything
Speaker 6: like that. It's a fact I can do music definitely.
Speaker 6: I mean, I says, what about.
Speaker 4: You, Missing By They call you the god mother the soul.
Speaker 4: Does that crown come with pressure? Do you feel this
Speaker 4: well earned? Flowers?
Speaker 3: Well earned? That's nice flowers, you know, But no, I
Speaker 3: mean I take whatever they give me, whatever, you know,
Speaker 3: and I'm blessed that people are even thinking about giving
Speaker 3: me some kind of time or whatever. And then yeah,
Speaker 3: I'm blessed, and I know it.
Speaker 4: Miss Mills. We saw you earlier this year.
Speaker 1: You called out the Essence Festival, and I thought it
Speaker 1: was constructive criticism, you know.
Speaker 4: It wasn't like you were just bashing and why did
Speaker 4: you feel they.
Speaker 3: Need I'm so happy people, because I was there the
Speaker 3: whole weekend and I saw all the acts and it
Speaker 3: was just very poorly run and it didn't it didn't
Speaker 3: show respect to the artists, you know. And I remember
Speaker 3: Essence from Susan Taylor and mister Lewis and it was
Speaker 3: always prestigious and.
Speaker 5: Ran with respect, and that just was not there.
Speaker 3: So I could not sit and let them accuse, you know,
Speaker 3: people for being late when it was them that was
Speaker 3: late and running it.
Speaker 5: I just it bothered me.
Speaker 3: And at sixty eight, I really don't care what people
Speaker 3: think about me. I'm gonna say and do what I
Speaker 3: want to do. I feel like I earned that right, absolutely,
Speaker 3: So I wanted to call them out, but I did
Speaker 3: it respectfully, you did. I didn't want to be ghetto
Speaker 3: about it. I wanted to be constructive and that's what
Speaker 3: I did.
Speaker 2: Well, they said they were going to fix it. They
Speaker 2: said they were getting down to the bottom of the
Speaker 2: things that went wrong, and they were going to make
Speaker 2: sure that I'm glad. I'm glad they took full of accountabilities.
Speaker 3: Was there. Yeah, that's awful.
Speaker 5: It was awful.
Speaker 3: Yeah. So when I saw what you did, I said,
Speaker 3: go girl, don't stop.
Speaker 5: Yeap, she tells me keep on talking, don't stop.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so you have a lot to say.
Speaker 4: So what did you do, Missle? You got it them privately?
Speaker 4: Or did I did you say anything to them privately?
Speaker 3: Or no? No? And I have one song with right.
Speaker 3: I couldn't chit chat too much about anything because I
Speaker 3: didn't have a set of my own, you know, so
Speaker 3: I know somebody would take care of it.
Speaker 5: I felt like I spoke for everybody. You know what
Speaker 5: I'm saying.
Speaker 3: I feel like because I'm not afraid. I don't have
Speaker 3: any fear. I only fear God. So I'm not afraid
Speaker 3: when people say, oh, if you do this, you're going
Speaker 3: to be blacklisted.
Speaker 5: I'm black already.
Speaker 3: So you know what I'm saying, don't I don't really care.
Speaker 3: You put all my glasses and see if I give it.
Speaker 6: Damn about it?
Speaker 2: And you were DD a whole weekend.
Speaker 5: So you see a bunch of artists, I've seen a
Speaker 5: bunch of artists. I saw what they did.
Speaker 3: I saw how late they were putting the shows together,
Speaker 3: and I had an incidents with the owner's daughter and
Speaker 3: I didn't talk about that, but it was just not respectful.
Speaker 2: I was gonna ask, what artists are you loving right
Speaker 2: now that you've seen, since you watched a lot of
Speaker 2: the shows the artists right now that this came out
Speaker 2: to you, like, I really like that person. That person
Speaker 2: is doing an amazing job.
Speaker 3: I love Jasmine Sullivan, I love Selina, I love uh
Speaker 3: Leah Leah uh.
Speaker 5: What's her name? Oh, she says, that's not Leah.
Speaker 6: Oh.
Speaker 3: I can't think of her name, but I see her face.
Speaker 3: I love Leilah Hathaway. You know, I love I love
Speaker 3: a lot of the singers, but I see I listen
Speaker 3: to a lot of the old When I'm singing to
Speaker 3: get ready for my shows. I'm doing Ashford and Simpson,
Speaker 3: and I do them because they sing the melody, but
Speaker 3: they still go around it, so they stay in the pocket.
Speaker 5: And that's what I That's what I try to do.
Speaker 3: And then I listen to my songs so I could
Speaker 3: sound somewhat like I sounded.
Speaker 5: Back in the day.
Speaker 2: What about you, shak Is the artist right now that
Speaker 2: you like an R and B artist.
Speaker 6: That, Yeah, I like a lot of them, not every
Speaker 6: really like her.
Speaker 2: Her, She's special.
Speaker 6: Yeah, we're gonna do some stuff together. Really, He's the
Speaker 6: closest thing to Prince.
Speaker 3: Wow.
Speaker 2: Patti Labell, Who do you feel, honey?
Speaker 6: Young people?
Speaker 3: So many, so many? Yeah, I mean I do love Coco.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, singing, honey, you know like so many is?
Speaker 3: I mean, she sings her face off. There are so
Speaker 3: many young girls who are singing. I might not remember names,
Speaker 3: but I know I like certain music.
Speaker 2: Now, some of these art has reached out to do
Speaker 2: besides her, reached out to do records and would y'all
Speaker 2: consider doing it? Moll, You're like, I don't know.
Speaker 3: Well, there's some thoughts, you know, me and Cardi B.
Speaker 2: Possibly you and Cardi B that I love that. Are
Speaker 2: you thinking about it?
Speaker 4: You want her?
Speaker 3: No? She wants to Yeah, No, Cardi is my girl.
Speaker 3: We did a commercial together. Minded. But I haven't had
Speaker 3: a record out in like fifteen years, R and B
Speaker 3: album for twenty years, and I've been working on her
Speaker 3: for the last six months. But I got it coming.
Speaker 5: We're still on tour.
Speaker 3: Fabulous.
Speaker 2: What about you? Saga I'm sorry, I.
Speaker 4: Want to I won't see miss.
Speaker 6: Whatever makes you? What about yourself at the beginning of
Speaker 6: the year, Yeah, I've Sea and I got together, did
Speaker 6: the little pop album and I got I get some
Speaker 6: nice pries. I got what's on it so far. I
Speaker 6: can talk about Oh Snoop is on there. I got
Speaker 6: super rapping on one, but I got quite a few
Speaker 6: other surprises. But you do, it's gonna be interesting.
Speaker 7: I saw you performed with du as well to yeh,
Speaker 7: we did.
Speaker 6: We jammed. I came with Jam the other day.
Speaker 8: How do you how do you pick and chooser? All
Speaker 8: three of you, ladies? How do you pick and choose?
Speaker 8: Like when artists call you and say, hey, I'm almost
Speaker 8: paying tribute. We'll love to have you where you're like
Speaker 8: you laying your actual face and presence to an artist.
Speaker 6: If they can say that.
Speaker 3: He do something special. Yeah, I mean Carti is not
Speaker 3: a singer singer, right, but she's special to entertain. You
Speaker 3: know what I'm saying.
Speaker 8: Have any of the younger artist because y'all talked about
Speaker 8: like the showmanship of what you guys do and what
Speaker 8: you're used to. Have any of the younger singers or
Speaker 8: any performers reached out to you guys and say, hey,
Speaker 8: I need help with my actual show.
Speaker 7: Am I getting to my audience? And how did that?
Speaker 3: Calls from Jennifer Hudson my other baby, you know, when
Speaker 3: she was doing respect she wanted me to talk to
Speaker 3: her about Aretha and stuff that we did. And we
Speaker 3: plan and do things together also. But they do call
Speaker 3: and they do get information. Because we've been on the
Speaker 3: road for all our lives and things that we've been through,
Speaker 3: we can let them know that you might have to
Speaker 3: go through this and you might be lucky if you
Speaker 3: don't have to do it. Yes, I love giving info.
Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you too, Miss Mills. You talked
Speaker 1: about just being the fiftieth your anniversary of the Whiz.
Speaker 1: How is that criticism of your role is doughthy on
Speaker 1: Broadway shape the way you showed up throughout your whole career.
Speaker 3: It's funny criticism and people that are not nice to
Speaker 3: me or whatever inspire me to be even better. It
Speaker 3: makes me stronger because I have a strong will. I
Speaker 3: came from a strong mother. So if you're unkind or
Speaker 3: if you're criticizing the way I look and the way,
Speaker 3: it just makes me stronger. I'm going to be better
Speaker 3: the next time you see me. And that's how I
Speaker 3: dealt with this throughout my whole career.
Speaker 5: I just don't. I don't let it. I let it
Speaker 5: wash off of me.
Speaker 4: What about you, Miss, how you dealt with criticism?
Speaker 6: I love it?
Speaker 3: Yeah? It makes you. You know, a lot of people say, well,
Speaker 3: after fifty you don't do much. You can't do much.
Speaker 3: So anytime someone says something negative about me, it pushed
Speaker 3: me forward. Yes, you know, because I know I can
Speaker 3: do you know, and like I said, let them keep talking.
Speaker 3: It makes you popular.
Speaker 5: Yes, I always said, just get the right spell it.
Speaker 4: What about you, miss, I don't.
Speaker 6: Get much criticism, but.
Speaker 4: What mm hmmm.
Speaker 1: When you when you had got criticized after the verses,
Speaker 1: did that bother you?
Speaker 6: I'm not talking about that.
Speaker 2: Okay, shut your ass right up. I want I want
Speaker 2: to know. You know, when when artist sample your music
Speaker 2: is there sometimes you be like, nah, I'm not doing
Speaker 2: it because sometimes artists you'll be like, well, if the
Speaker 2: curse you can't, I'm not going to clear it. Do
Speaker 2: y'all listen to the records when they try to sample
Speaker 2: your record your music?
Speaker 3: Oh of course, Yeah, I've had some moments.
Speaker 2: You've shut some people down, like I just don't like
Speaker 2: the record.
Speaker 3: I can't tell you, but you have had some moments,
Speaker 3: you know.
Speaker 6: I used to have had a problem want you know,
Speaker 6: but that's because I didn't understand hip hop mm and
Speaker 6: the way that it will take a song or voice
Speaker 6: and flip it, you know. And once I understood, I've
Speaker 6: I've you know, really, you know, apologize because I just
Speaker 6: didn't understand that.
Speaker 2: The sampling, the hot pitch, the voice. He was like, nah,
Speaker 2: that's not me.
Speaker 6: Because that's if you wanted me. What is that? You know,
Speaker 6: but you know, just because of my my ignorance. So
Speaker 6: but we got it straight.
Speaker 2: Who broken down? How'd you figure it out? Was one
Speaker 2: of those things that.
Speaker 6: My sons my son, right, you let me know that.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and the checks are good.
Speaker 2: Roll to check.
Speaker 4: You've been stamp about everybody from Kanye to Mary J.
Speaker 3: Blige.
Speaker 6: Yeah, if everybody paid up. I'm just kidding. But uh,
Speaker 6: it's you know, it's that's just that's beautiful that you
Speaker 6: know everybody can cheer. Everybody cheer everybody everybody. I love compilations,
Speaker 6: I love tanks, everything more interesting to me. It makes
Speaker 6: you know red and red and yellow, you know orange?
Speaker 6: That's something?
Speaker 2: What about you, Miss Mills? Let me sample your stuff.
Speaker 5: I love it. I have a good time with it,
Speaker 5: and I do get my checks.
Speaker 2: Do you ever turn somebody down for a particular reason, like, nah,
Speaker 2: you just can't sing?
Speaker 5: But nah, I've never turned anybody down, really No.
Speaker 3: I like freedom and I think people should be able
Speaker 3: to be free to express themselves the way they want to,
Speaker 3: you know, So I've never turned anybody down.
Speaker 4: Well, who taught you to, Miss Mills?
Speaker 1: Because you've always been vocal about ownership and independence in
Speaker 1: music and to see.
Speaker 4: Like a lot of young artists starting to do that now,
Speaker 4: But who taught you that? So early on?
Speaker 3: I've always been one to sit back and just watch
Speaker 3: and observe, and like I've been like a sponge and
Speaker 3: then people like my first agent was Buddy Howe William Mars,
Speaker 3: and he taught me a lot. And I never wanted
Speaker 3: to be one of those artists that wound up with
Speaker 3: no money, a graggedy car.
Speaker 5: This. I never wanted to be that.
Speaker 3: So I've always made sure that I was covered in
Speaker 3: some way and lived a certain way so that I
Speaker 3: could live that way for the rest of my life,
Speaker 3: because it's not how well you live, it's how long
Speaker 3: you live. Well it is you said it, I love that, yes, beautiful.
Speaker 4: How much has the industry changed and how much is it?
Speaker 4: Has it stayed the same?
Speaker 3: I think it's changed a lot. The way you go
Speaker 3: about putting out music. I think it's better for artists
Speaker 3: to be independent because I think record companies are nothing
Speaker 3: but a marketing company, So why should they take half
Speaker 3: your money or whatever. You could sell fifty thousand units
Speaker 3: and make a lot of money. You know it comes
Speaker 3: straight to you, So why should you give that up?
Speaker 3: You know, publishing and all of that. I make sure
Speaker 3: even if I haven't I shouldn't say this, but even
Speaker 3: if I haven't written a song, if someone comes to
Speaker 3: me and says I want you to do the song
Speaker 3: with me, I'm going to get some of the publishers
Speaker 3: because I've made I know I can sell records, and
Speaker 3: I know I can have hit records.
Speaker 5: So that's just good business.
Speaker 3: But I think they should really just keep it small
Speaker 3: and do good business.
Speaker 2: Would you say you made more money now in the
Speaker 2: last ten years than you did in your career?
Speaker 5: Absolutely? Absolutely right now?
Speaker 3: Well, because I'm independent, and I'm more veriable about what
Speaker 3: I want. I know exactly what I want, I know
Speaker 3: how I want it to be done, I know what
Speaker 3: percentages I want.
Speaker 5: So yeah, absolutely absolutely.
Speaker 4: How much of the industry has changed and how much
Speaker 4: is the state to say.
Speaker 3: It's changed a lot. I think women are getting more
Speaker 3: play these days. And like stephinitely said, you have to
Speaker 3: know what you were and you have to know that
Speaker 3: who's ever doing your business with you they are safe,
Speaker 3: which is hard to find. You know, my son is
Speaker 3: with me, yes forever, ad no, No, go ahead, finish,
Speaker 3: But I just want to say that you have to
Speaker 3: know your work and you have to be willing to
Speaker 3: say no and not chase the money because all money
Speaker 3: ain't good money. Yeah, because it's real. I mean, you
Speaker 3: can't go out and say I'm going to do this
Speaker 3: and you embarrass yourself where you talked about barely for
Speaker 3: taking that check, right, you know? So I know all
Speaker 3: of these things are done well with me and my
Speaker 3: son like he'll stop it in a minute, no matter
Speaker 3: how much it is. So you know, I'm blessed again.
Speaker 3: I'm blessed with business.
Speaker 4: What about you, miss Saka?
Speaker 6: No, you know the big you know the big house,
Speaker 6: the big you know, the big company. I was very thrilled.
Speaker 6: I was thrilled when I find out that a lot
Speaker 6: of artists, hip hop artists were like in their hotel
Speaker 6: rooms cutting records. I was like, yes, that's the way
Speaker 6: to be absolutely and Prince and I went through a
Speaker 6: really big fight with you know for some years, you
Speaker 6: know about yeah, how crooked they were. And so finally
Speaker 6: I'm in a good place where I own everything. I'm
Speaker 6: of mine, get to come through me first.
Speaker 8: So I know you guys are doing this the Black
Speaker 8: Music Collective the right, that's the promoters behind you guys,
Speaker 8: So Black Promoters Collectives.
Speaker 7: I'm sorry, the Black Promoters Collective.
Speaker 8: So I know you got talk just a bit about that,
Speaker 8: like working with them and putting this tour on in them,
Speaker 8: you know, knowing how to cater to you guys as
Speaker 8: the legends that you guys are.
Speaker 3: They've been treating us like queens. We would be out
Speaker 3: there if they weren't. So they're a very awesome teams,
Speaker 3: and we're happy to be there because if we weren't,
Speaker 3: we wouldn't be doing the second half, which starts September nineteen.
Speaker 3: So we're happy about the things that happened before.
Speaker 4: Now, why you roll your eyes, miss Shaka, I didn't.
Speaker 3: Oh she's just looking that way.
Speaker 6: It's looking crazy. It's too early for me to be
Speaker 6: talking about.
Speaker 2: Well, definitely picked up their tickets.
Speaker 1: If if there's one message you want the audience to
Speaker 1: take away after seeing all of y'all perform together, what
Speaker 1: is it?
Speaker 3: Unity? Hm? And that way we respect each other.
Speaker 5: Love peace.
Speaker 6: We've been talking about this for years, you know, those
Speaker 6: all together. This is when this came. So here's our chance,
Speaker 6: you know, m H. I love you so much.
Speaker 3: I love you too. I mean we have really go back. Yes,
Speaker 3: they love me like a mother. Yeah, I mean they
Speaker 3: really do respect my whole self, and I love it.
Speaker 3: It is.
Speaker 6: She's the quickest.
Speaker 3: She's the quickest change artist ever artist.
Speaker 6: Let me tell you, she said, says, one amazing outfit
Speaker 6: right and this is still in her show her in
Speaker 6: her heart. So I mean she ran out the stage
Speaker 6: and came right back on with a totally different outfit.
Speaker 6: I said, what's this magic or what? She still hasn't
Speaker 6: told me her secret.
Speaker 3: No, I'm just fast. I practice.
Speaker 6: I mean, I mean with them, but less than three
Speaker 6: minutes time, she had a.
Speaker 3: Totally freaking tract different outfit way.
Speaker 6: That's something. That's yeah, that's something. Yeah, you're amazing.
Speaker 4: At night too. She's also.
Speaker 3: Knows love we potato the last time she's doing so
Speaker 3: that's why she's not with us today. Yeah, she's with
Speaker 3: her because she has other jobs. Yeah, we love amazing.
Speaker 6: I could up on her.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Well, thank you ladies for joining us, the Queens, the Queens,
Speaker 2: the legends, the icons, and.
Speaker 1: Make sure you got there and get all miss Patty
Speaker 1: LaBelle products, you know, Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3: Right around to go with my pancakes. Yeah, it's in
Speaker 3: Kroger's and somewhere I don't know, but I do have
Speaker 3: it as outcome institution out.
Speaker 4: At Texas yet.
Speaker 2: Texts coming through Patti LaBelle, Stephanie Mills, Chaka Khan, thank
Speaker 2: you so much.
Speaker 4: It's the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2: Good morning, I play every day.
Speaker 4: Ago click up the Breakfast Club. Y'all done,