WEBVTT - The DeBarge Effect (with Kevin Avery) (RE-RELEASE) 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:05.400 I would go as far as to say, is more 0:00:05.440 --> 0:00:07.560 than one of them had a cane at any given time, 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:11.040 because at one point it was just the thing to 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:13.119 be a dude in an ARMBA group and have a kid. 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:16.640 I bought one of my brother for Christmas. I was like, 0:00:17.239 --> 0:00:19.200 it was a write of passage for just the young 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:21.119 black dude at the time. A brother, you know you 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:23.560 need a king? Can he? He might still have it. 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.000 I just saw him yesterday. I should have answered, I pready, God, 0:00:26.040 --> 0:00:29.560 you kneeled when you handed it off to I want 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:39.680 that more than anything, because my crown chips in your 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:53.320 quali mass or racist last money turkey stuff I can't 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:59.560 tell me. Welcome to another phenomenal episode of My Mama 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:03.840 Told the podcast where we dive deep, deep into the 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:07.600 pockets of black conspiracy theories and we finally worked to 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:12.160 prove that Kyla Pratt did, in fact sacrifice her television 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:17.200 father flex Alexander's career to the black Illuminati in exchange 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:24.040 for eternal youth. It sounds right to me, I'll be honest, 0:01:24.080 --> 0:01:27.560 that sounds exactly right. Kyla Pratt has not aged a 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:32.840 day since nineteen She looks amazing. She looks fantastic and 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:36.000 something had to have happened. You can't be the same 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:40.200 girl from loving basketball forever? Where's flats? He was on 0:01:40.240 --> 0:01:42.440 a rocket ship to the moon. I haven't seen him since. 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:45.679 You know, he was in uh if I'm remembering correctly, 0:01:45.720 --> 0:01:48.480 he was in Snakes on a plane If I'm not mistaken, 0:01:48.880 --> 0:01:55.440 who was briefly in that plane? Briefly? So barometer for success? 0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:58.520 This easily could have been a Flex Alexander hologram. That 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:03.120 are Watchington, Which one was Washington or Alexander flex Alexander. 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:06.720 I believe he was Flex Washington on the show one 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:12.000 on one? Why why do that? Why not to pick 0:02:12.040 --> 0:02:15.120 a full different name if you're gonna be in a 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:18.919 multi caam on up n Why why why commit so hard? 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:22.840 I think? But you want the name Flex is what's 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:28.679 gonna travel, Alexander Washington. It's all very Interchangeablelex is what 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:31.680 they want us to remember. He said, Alexander is my 0:02:31.760 --> 0:02:41.880 slave name, but Flex, that's Washington is my LESTERR slave name. Washington, 0:02:42.120 --> 0:02:45.520 it's my chosen slave man. If I have to choose 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:47.720 a slave name, I want the best slave owner. I 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:51.000 E Washington. No, they had Dentald Washington So that's a 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:53.920 good family. Yeah, that was a solid family. Solace slave 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:56.040 on the shout out to the slave own in Washington's 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:58.680 if you're still out there, Hell yeah, you got it, baby, 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:01.800 you're the best. What are we one in? All right? 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:07.760 I'm David Borden and I'm your co host Legs and Carmen. 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:10.320 We're so happy to be here with you. We're talking 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:15.480 shit about apparently flex Flex Alexander and and Kyla Pratt 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:18.600 and George Washington a little bit, but but less so 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:22.200 him for some reason. But our guest today, I would 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:26.000 dare to say that that he hasn't owned any slaves, 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:29.040 nor it would he would he well, I think he'd 0:03:29.040 --> 0:03:32.600 go so far. Okay, maybe maybe he would. He's not certain. 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:38.200 He's wavering on the subject. But he's such a funny comedian, hysterical. 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:41.120 You've seen him in so many things. Specifically, he is 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:44.440 a a writer producer for The Great North on Fox. 0:03:44.760 --> 0:03:46.680 So fucking funny. Please give it up for our guests, 0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:53.720 Mr Kevin A. Ray, how are you? We're excited you're here. 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.920 I'm gonna go no on on the slave owning. Damn, 0:03:57.120 --> 0:04:00.320 I'm gonna make that official. Okay, this feels put it 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:04.320 on watch. I'm gonna be trying to be on the 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:06.600 on the right side of things, you know. I feel 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.320 like I feel like slave owning is a dangerous, dangerous 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:14.120 precedent to start out there now, it would be a 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:17.280 weird way to start the episode and expect people to 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:22.720 eventually be on yours and then just d hop back 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:24.920 to the part where he said he don't slaves. Okay, 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:30.800 hear me out, I down slaves. But yeah, yeah, okay, 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:34.040 so I'm good. So noticed slave voting and that's fine. 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:36.880 To each his own is what I always say. But 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:39.760 you came to us this week with a conspiracy theory, 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:42.480 and I'm I say you, but the truth is this 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:44.599 is a bit of a unique episode because you did not, 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:47.560 in fact come to us with its conspiracy theory. You 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:50.760 came to us with an open heart. You said, you said, 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:54.200 if you fellas have something you want to discuss, I 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:57.320 am more than open to to taking that on. I'm 0:04:57.320 --> 0:05:00.960 not afraid of what possibly could come down the pipeline. 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:04.279 And then Bori immediately raised his hand. He could not 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:06.920 embrace the same faster, Kevin. I want you to know 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:10.960 how quickly this happened, Unbelievably fast. He raised his hand 0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:15.560 with a conspiracy theory that I would argue is maybe 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:18.200 the most unfounded thing that we are going to take 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:25.240 on in this in this conversation. That's crazy. Okay, already 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:29.240 starting with the look, I'm gonna say this on the 0:05:29.360 --> 0:05:32.479 and you haven't said it yet. This was a theory 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:37.800 that I I definitely was riding with for a minute. 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:42.520 Thank you, thank you for a minute, and then I 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:45.680 really thought about it. But I mean, I just want 0:05:45.760 --> 0:05:49.440 to note that we're five minutes in Lightston is already 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:57.839 positioned me in the position of the buffoon the wild card. Wow, 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:03.760 I just want that episode, my god. Okay, So so 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:08.440 now now there's a hierarchy being formed. I have I 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:13.160 walked into some unsettled ship that I oh for me personally, 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:18.040 this coach back to before. Great this, I can't I 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.440 can't wait. I mean this, I will say this to 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:26.839 about the theory you chose it. Hit me right right here, 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:31.159 m his heart not. I know that you have skin 0:06:31.240 --> 0:06:35.000 in the game personally, That's why I chose it for you. Yeah, okay, 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:39.040 I appreciate that. Let us let us not linger any longer, 0:06:39.120 --> 0:06:43.200 let us not leave our audience with bated breath. You 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:47.080 see the conspiracy theory that was presented. It was my 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:53.200 mama told me life scanned people are good at R 0:06:53.279 --> 0:07:01.160 and B. HM, let's let's unpack it, fell David, this 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:03.719 is yours, this is your baby. I'd love for you 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:08.320 to kick us off. I just have felt throughout and 0:07:08.360 --> 0:07:11.960 I don't listen. First of all, I personally do not 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:16.160 think that light skinned people are better than dark skinned 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:19.120 people at R and B. I think that it's even 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:22.960 Oh wait, I think there's been a lot of I 0:07:23.080 --> 0:07:26.640 think there's been a lot of dark skinned eraser in 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:30.040 the R and B game in general, just like I think, 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:32.960 quite honest, there's been a lot of fat eraser in 0:07:33.000 --> 0:07:36.960 the R and B game as well as well. Because 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:39.840 we all remember Woody from drew Hill, What happened to Jazz? 0:07:40.120 --> 0:07:43.480 What happ jazz? Jazz was the heavier one, last king, 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:46.480 last of the thick kings. As far as could sing, 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:51.679 Ruben stuttered. But that was not Ruben stuttered. Wasn't making 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:55.600 like panty dropping. He tried, well, he had he had 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:57.800 a small window at a moment. He had a moment 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:00.960 he did. Yeah, it was I'm sorry for two thousand four. 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:04.320 That was not yes. I mean, here's what I'll say, 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:07.000 is that Ruben really uh, he tried a little bit 0:08:07.000 --> 0:08:09.640 of everything that is the formula of R and B. 0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:16.520 He apologized, he uh, he made love and uh he 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:19.480 walked in the rain, and none of it seemed to 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:24.280 to satisfy the missing piece, which was us looking at 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:27.800 Ruben Stutter to being like, yeah, I'll buy that album. Yeah, 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:30.200 I'll take what you're giving me. Big dog. You beat 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:34.000 Clay Haakin, big deal. Yeah, I don't even know if 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:36.600 he did. Did he win? I don't know, Yes, Reuben 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:39.480 Stutter did. He did win. Clay Agin got second place 0:08:39.640 --> 0:08:43.320 and now is running for governor I believe. I don't 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:45.000 know what office he's running for. I know he's been 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:49.559 a politician for for some time now. But back back 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:53.240 to this, back to back, back back to what really matters, 0:08:53.280 --> 0:08:56.959 the hard hitting stuff. I've just felt like my whole 0:08:57.000 --> 0:09:03.199 life there's always been this like light skin predisposition to 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:08.240 sexy stuff, and then dark skin we got like I 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:11.640 didn't want to play offensive line. That might have been 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:16.679 a thing, yeah, but like all the DBS, light skins 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:21.199 they remallow I remember him specifically basically white, and I 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:23.680 will say this, no one's ever asked me to play 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:27.160 offensive line, and I have to assume that's because of 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:33.040 the color of my skin crossed their mind, like did 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:38.720 you play power forward? Ever? Not? No, it wasn't because 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:41.040 I was smaller than everybody else and had to play 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:44.000 point guard. I don't think so. I think it's probably 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:47.320 because I'm light skinned. That makes more sense. Has anybody 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:49.079 ever come up to you and been like, you seem 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:52.880 like you could sing? They have it. But but also 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:58.280 I had my voice the whole time. Kevin, please jump 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:03.720 in here. I have had I've had a weird thing 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:07.120 where a couple of times white women have been like, 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:09.040 I want to hear you saying I bet you could sing, 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:12.480 and I'm like, who I know. I didn't say I 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:16.400 could sing. I don't. I didn't. I didn't really put 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:19.360 that out there. I mean, not back when this was 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:24.160 happening a lot. But yeah, that's definitely you know. And 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:28.480 I'll say this, I did play linebacker when I played 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:34.400 football in junior high. Anybody can be a linebacker, okay, alright, 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:37.680 fair enough. And also I was the h Yeah, I 0:10:37.720 --> 0:10:40.840 was the only black kid in the in the school 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:43.440 at the time, aside from my brother. So I mean 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:46.400 they went with the darkest one for so I guess 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:49.160 I'm proving your point. I'm saying I tried out for 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:51.960 a wide receiver and I did not get that. They 0:10:52.120 --> 0:10:55.040 were like, we need about a tough guy position. You. Also, 0:10:55.240 --> 0:10:58.719 I know this about you. You were in and R 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:02.199 and B Green. I was, oh my gosh, hold on 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:04.920 a minute, that's how they get That's how they get you. 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:12.120 This is, if nothing else, helping David towards this point. 0:11:12.160 --> 0:11:14.280 So please tell us more about this R and B 0:11:14.400 --> 0:11:16.559 group you were a part of. Look, I didn't say 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:20.760 we were good, but that doesn't matter that we were. 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:25.839 We were all right, And I'm gonna say we were 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:30.160 called we were called four now, the four with the 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:35.120 number four and now, and even though there were six 0:11:35.160 --> 0:11:42.679 of us, it was a gross error. It was an accident, 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:46.360 a miss We were mistitled miss labeled before a show, 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:49.360 and that just was the name we stuck with. Yeah, 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:52.599 we were, but they were like I think they were 0:11:52.640 --> 0:11:56.920 out of the gate. Three dark skin cats and three 0:11:57.240 --> 0:12:01.040 light skin Okay in the group. So when split down, 0:12:01.360 --> 0:12:05.840 split down center. Yeah, But now here's my question. When 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:11.360 you were performing, I assume your group dances and things 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:17.360 of that nature. Where were the lights standing in position 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:21.680 in comparison to the darks. I mean it depended. You know, 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:23.640 it's a group, you mix it up and stuff. I 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:26.560 can tell you this. The first performance we did, we 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:30.280 covered can You Stand the Rain? I was in the middle. 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:33.040 Not a light skinned man made that song, by the way. 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.120 He was in the middle. By the way I was 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:39.320 in the middle. Uh, the two dark skinned man wrote 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:41.559 that song. That's what I'm saying. That's that's a lot 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.480 of a lot of things. That's a song that's almost 0:12:44.720 --> 0:12:48.760 exclusively been performed by dark skinned people. But go ahead, 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:53.160 written written, is doesn't count. Who sang Who wrote freaking you? 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:58.600 Nobody knows. I'll say this on that song. The leads 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:03.560 and this is this is why I'm going against your theory. Now. 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:09.600 The leads were all the dark skinned dudes and well 0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:12.800 and the in new addition, it's it's trespant Ricky bell 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:16.920 and and Johnny gill uh in our group. Yeah, it 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:20.080 was all three of the dark skinned dudes and the 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:22.920 leads on the park and the rest of us sang 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:26.560 back up. I told everybody, hey, y'all, let's go get wet. 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:33.480 And I did. I did that. The middle of the song. Uh, 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:35.400 and that was and that was it, and then did 0:13:35.440 --> 0:13:38.520 a little bit some choreography and sang the backup. Wait, 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:41.520 so you stood in the middle and sang backup. How 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:45.920 that's because remember there are six of us, so it's 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:51.120 all the whole regular game plan just goes out the window. So, um, 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:54.360 I can't remember exactly where everyone else was lined up, 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:57.120 but I think there was a dark skinned dude on 0:13:57.160 --> 0:14:00.320 my on my left. You were flanked by dark skin. 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:04.400 I think I was flanked by dark skin, almost like 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:08.959 some type of security detail. Yeah, yeah, but they were 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:11.680 trying to protect me. It all protect the light skin. 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:18.080 We gotta keep the money safe, right, But then we 0:14:18.280 --> 0:14:21.800 like it became this very interchangeable thing where we broke 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:23.400 up and then we came together and there were only 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:25.400 three of us for a minute, and then there were 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:29.360 four of us and and you know, so the ratio 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:33.160 of light skin to dark skin it kept changing. Okay, 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:37.720 what would you say the ratio was at your most successful? Oh, 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:41.440 whoa spicy question. He's coming in hot, And I want 0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:43.840 you to be careful when you answered this, because yeah, 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:47.000 that's such a loaded I mean, the gun couldn't be 0:14:47.080 --> 0:14:52.800 closer to down your throat, what the hell man look? 0:14:52.920 --> 0:14:57.120 Asking the real questions here. We were the hardest interview 0:14:57.120 --> 0:15:00.520 I've ever had to do for this for for Now 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:06.040 twenty five years later, address the racial disparities from the 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:10.640 R and B group of twenty years ago. Um, I 0:15:10.680 --> 0:15:15.880 would say, I would say, oh, Ship, you know, no, 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:19.120 still half and half, still half and half, because because 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:22.800 they were eventually there, eventually worth four of us, and 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:25.040 by then we changed the name, but it was still 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:27.880 too dark skinned dudes and two light skin dudes. And 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:32.000 how dark are we talking on like a scale of Langston? 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:34.760 To myself, I mean it was literally the dark skin 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:40.160 like Ron the other light skin Cat was about Langston's complexion. 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:44.280 And then, um my, man, Corey, there you go. You 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:47.560 can't do that. You can't do that. I just I 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:50.000 just like to hear it. I like you, there's somebody 0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:55.120 else out there doing the baby's Yeah, someone else making 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:59.280 it happen. Light skin, keep selling the brain. But then 0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:02.520 and then and Corey, yeah, David, he was about it 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:05.720 was about your complexion, Korey and Patrick. Patrick was a 0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:09.400 little younger or younger, a little lighter than you. People 0:16:09.440 --> 0:16:13.200 do conflate younger and lighter a lot. Sure, you know 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:22.360 hurt today Kevin Kyla Pratt uh so so, so tell 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:24.640 me a little bit more. You you start this R 0:16:24.680 --> 0:16:27.480 and B group, is that the goal? Are you guys 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:29.800 gonna be like R and B superstars or was this 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:33.160 just like a fun and it was? It was we 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:37.040 were a dance crew to start trying to remember the 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:39.760 ratio again that was split down the middle. There were 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:42.280 there were four of us in a dance crew, and 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:45.040 then some of us in like sort of the outside 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:48.880 crew of that joint. We started singing together. But even 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:52.080 in the dance crew two light skin too, dark skin, 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:56.320 cats and so, and I would argue that that dance 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:59.240 crew was black. That's Korean eraser. If you ask me 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:03.040 those that they just got hit, don't do that. Don't 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:08.320 do that. Wait, don't do that, don't do that. Korean 0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:12.720 jobs they got, they dance they just got. There wasn't 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:15.399 there's a bunch now, but I'm not there wasn't a 0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:20.240 bunch of like eight Korean dance cruise right. No. No, 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:24.920 I would say, I would say, you're looking at I mean, 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:27.040 I don't know the history of the Korean Dance Cup. 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:31.320 Yeall me up? Yeah, trapped me up on some ship. No. 0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:34.199 Every week. I finished this being really worried about the 0:17:34.240 --> 0:17:41.000 things I've said. Yeah, not me, That's fine, Linton just 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:47.440 goes straight to sleep comfortably. But but yeah, I mean, yeah, 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:49.159 it was we were like this, We were like this 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:51.359 little dance crew. And then we started hanging out and 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:53.160 singing again, and we were like, we should really take 0:17:53.200 --> 0:17:57.400 this seriously, and so we started performing together a little bit. 0:17:57.640 --> 0:18:02.080 And uh, and then we we knew a guy who 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:06.600 had some recording equipment and I wrote music, So I 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:09.600 started writing some stuff. We started recording. There was another 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:11.960 guy who kind of would produce some of the other 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:16.199 stuff that we we sang, and and yeah, we just 0:18:16.240 --> 0:18:18.960 started doing and we yeah, our goal was to kind 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:21.080 of blow up and do the whole the whole thing, 0:18:21.760 --> 0:18:24.159 but they just sort of fell apart. We were all 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:26.359 from different parts of the country. We met in the 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:31.280 South and so yeah, and so it just kind of 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:34.120 flew apart. And also it was at a time when 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:38.280 that was kind of it looked like that was about 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:41.480 to go away, that whole thing, new addition had come 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:45.159 and gone, and and even Bellby of de Vot was 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:49.600 like hi bye for you know, like in early nine days. Yeah, 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:52.040 but they made such a huge splash, but then they 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:55.040 bounced and then it was a lot of other groups 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:57.600 that did the thing for a while. But it just 0:18:57.640 --> 0:18:59.840 felt like what we were trying to do when we 0:18:59.840 --> 0:19:02.359 were trying to go for it wasn't kind of, you know, 0:19:02.640 --> 0:19:04.560 go the way we wanted to. Would you have likened 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:10.280 yourself to like like an oh town, town excuse me town, 0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:16.679 maybe the worst boy band in all the boy bands? 0:19:16.800 --> 0:19:19.400 Would you say you were you were just fucking awful? 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:22.879 That was That was my fault. That was it was, 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:25.199 that was It took me. I had to reload. That 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:28.280 was bad. That was bad, That was really bad. I 0:19:28.320 --> 0:19:31.280 would say we were and I don't mean to, but 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:35.119 we were very new Addition esque when they were the 0:19:35.160 --> 0:19:39.280 sixth of us and then because then like when the 0:19:39.359 --> 0:19:42.639 group was reduced, we had a much more bell be 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:47.200 devot ish sort of angle. I mean, there were genuine 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:50.199 hip hop heads in the group. So I feel like, 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:54.280 not no shade against Bellbot's vote, but like the hip 0:19:54.320 --> 0:19:57.480 hop we were doing was we were trying to probably 0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:00.520 to our detriment, we were probably trying to be too, 0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:05.439 were trying to wrap around it sounded it didn't. It 0:20:05.480 --> 0:20:07.800 didn't work. So you were so you were you were 0:20:07.840 --> 0:20:12.800 past new Jack Swing. You were like, yeah, yeah, it 0:20:12.840 --> 0:20:14.719 was I mean, but we played around with some of that. 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:16.160 I mean, we didn't know what we were doing. Man, 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:18.679 I go, I have some of the demo tapes that 0:20:18.720 --> 0:20:20.239 we did, and I listened to that. I'm just like, 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:23.399 who the hell let us? We had no friends. No 0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:27.960 one said, hey, y'all, come here, come come here, let 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:31.199 me gather all six of you brothers around. You might 0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:35.720 get a mistake here, fellas you know, some of us something. 0:20:35.720 --> 0:20:37.399 It was good, but a lot of it was like 0:20:37.520 --> 0:20:40.879 what the hell were we think? Can you give? Can 0:20:40.920 --> 0:20:44.520 you drop a couple of song titles just so we Yeah, 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:47.960 we had something called and we're a group that took 0:20:47.960 --> 0:20:52.000 ourselves and everything at the moment too seriously. One time 0:20:52.040 --> 0:20:54.680 we did was called the Experiment, and it was literally 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:56.480 just us trying. It was that thing I was talking about, 0:20:56.520 --> 0:20:58.919 we gonna we're gonna have like a sort of like 0:20:58.960 --> 0:21:01.920 a house or a club section, and then we're gonna 0:21:01.960 --> 0:21:03.920 have like a straight hip hop section, and then we're 0:21:03.920 --> 0:21:07.240 gonna know it doesn't music doesn't work that. Music doesn't 0:21:07.240 --> 0:21:10.280 do that. It just doesn't do that. We had another 0:21:10.280 --> 0:21:18.520 song called It's a Black Thing, because we had a 0:21:18.560 --> 0:21:22.119 song called know what was the black Thing? It was 0:21:22.240 --> 0:21:24.480 literally it was just what it's a black thing? It was. 0:21:25.080 --> 0:21:28.679 That was the phrase of the moment, y'all, David, if 0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:33.600 you gotta ask, you'll never know. Buddy. I'm trying to 0:21:33.600 --> 0:21:36.119 remember my first the first line of mine, because that 0:21:36.200 --> 0:21:40.200 was just that was that was a that was hip hop, 0:21:40.240 --> 0:21:42.640 but with like, um see this is what I'm talking about. 0:21:42.640 --> 0:21:45.400 And it had kind of like a an up tempo 0:21:46.760 --> 0:21:51.720 almost house beat, but we were wrapping over it and 0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:54.840 then it had uh we were singing the hook. There's 0:21:54.880 --> 0:21:57.120 a lot of qualifiers here. There was a whole thing. 0:21:57.160 --> 0:21:59.040 But I think I'm trying to remember. I think that 0:21:59.119 --> 0:22:04.280 it was like bo knows this, Boe knows that, but 0:22:04.400 --> 0:22:07.280 bo don't know a damn thing about the lyrics that 0:22:07.320 --> 0:22:09.960 a brother bring. I can't remember the rest of the 0:22:10.000 --> 0:22:15.440 goddamn song because inside out it's wicked, wicked. What how 0:22:15.440 --> 0:22:20.600 do you know you bought? You bought our album? What was? 0:22:20.880 --> 0:22:23.840 I can't damn I can't. I wish I could remember 0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:26.840 the rest of it. It was is the really ridiculous 0:22:26.960 --> 0:22:29.879 let me before we go to break. I have to ask, 0:22:29.960 --> 0:22:33.400 because you started this this episode off by saying that 0:22:33.480 --> 0:22:37.840 you did, at one point believe in the conspiracy theory 0:22:37.880 --> 0:22:40.800 that that boy is laying down, And I have to 0:22:40.880 --> 0:22:44.320 know how that came to be what you believed in. 0:22:44.480 --> 0:22:48.200 What has changed since? Because I did look into it, 0:22:48.920 --> 0:22:52.520 and you know, and there and I saw a couple 0:22:52.560 --> 0:22:58.119 of articles about like, hey, why are about colorism in music? 0:22:58.960 --> 0:23:04.520 And and specifically why light skin performers do better? And 0:23:04.600 --> 0:23:09.200 the list was like Beyonce, Marian Carey, you know. Uh, 0:23:09.520 --> 0:23:12.159 I was thinking of Chris Brown at one point, you know, 0:23:12.200 --> 0:23:19.280 he popped why some of those they blew her up? 0:23:19.320 --> 0:23:22.560 Some of those videos? Um, and then and then the 0:23:22.600 --> 0:23:29.240 woman I'm thinking, I'm forgetting Alicia Keys, But then I 0:23:29.240 --> 0:23:31.240 I don't. Then I started thinking about all the other 0:23:31.400 --> 0:23:37.040 artists that, I mean, new addition is mostly dark skinned, 0:23:38.119 --> 0:23:40.720 and and the light skin brothers are in the background, 0:23:40.800 --> 0:23:43.160 you know, like I was. I was a Ronney Devote. 0:23:43.480 --> 0:23:45.840 I was a Michael Bivens, you know what I mean, 0:23:45.920 --> 0:23:48.240 like kind of hanging on the back, do the harm 0:23:48.280 --> 0:23:51.760 and age. I just wanted to play ball, you know, Yeah, 0:23:52.000 --> 0:23:56.520 But like I neo a con I think there's so 0:23:56.600 --> 0:24:01.840 many more dark skinned sitting boys to men are a 0:24:01.960 --> 0:24:09.320 dark skinned group after seven? Yes, yeah, I mean here's 0:24:09.320 --> 0:24:12.679 what I think. I think what the light skinned folks 0:24:12.720 --> 0:24:17.080 have or what they do, is they find a way 0:24:17.119 --> 0:24:20.679 to rise above. I mean, there are more people in 0:24:20.760 --> 0:24:25.000 Destiny's Child, four people in Destiny's Child. Somehow Beyonce just 0:24:25.400 --> 0:24:27.440 went all the way, you know what I mean, cannibalized 0:24:27.480 --> 0:24:34.440 the whole ship. Yeah, yeah, uh devote. Look, every new 0:24:34.600 --> 0:24:38.680 Edition fan, male or female will tell you the coolest 0:24:38.720 --> 0:24:41.560 cat in that group is Ronnie de Vot. I mean, 0:24:41.680 --> 0:24:46.920 Ralph is a close second. I'm a Ralph man myself, 0:24:46.920 --> 0:24:50.280 but I'm a body guy. But I understand why that's 0:24:50.520 --> 0:24:55.080 for everybody. But okay, but there again, Bobby Brown, dark 0:24:55.119 --> 0:24:59.040 skinned dude left new addition, new addition, and then just 0:24:59.680 --> 0:25:04.359 went far beyond what they were right there, you know. Yeah, 0:25:04.520 --> 0:25:09.000 And so I think dark skinned folks have been, you know, 0:25:09.160 --> 0:25:12.080 putting it down in R and B for a while now. 0:25:12.240 --> 0:25:14.399 But the light skin folks do find a way to 0:25:14.480 --> 0:25:18.240 peek through there and and you know, steal sometimes steal 0:25:18.280 --> 0:25:21.600 the shine. And what would that talent be? What would 0:25:21.600 --> 0:25:32.399 you call that skill? Again? Be careful what about that 0:25:32.400 --> 0:25:37.680 break where we going on a fellas. I don't think 0:25:37.680 --> 0:25:39.760 you have to answer it. I'm happy to throw the brain. 0:25:39.880 --> 0:25:42.359