WEBVTT - Raheem DeVaughn Shares A Great Aretha Franklin Story

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<v Speaker 1>Quest Love Show is a production of iHeart Radio. All right,

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<v Speaker 1>So tell me about this tour that you're on with

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<v Speaker 1>Teacher Moses and Fluidry to.

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<v Speaker 2>Say Yes tour with Floord Tree. Man, I'm super excited

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<v Speaker 2>about it. Got the call, you know, when certain calls

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<v Speaker 2>you get in life, you just say, oh, well, what

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<v Speaker 2>time do I need to be there?

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<v Speaker 3>And when do we start?

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<v Speaker 2>Right? And you know, preparing for tours is always intense,

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<v Speaker 2>you know for me. You know, I just got off

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<v Speaker 2>of one tour and you know it's really a few

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<v Speaker 2>weeks off and then I and then I'm on the road,

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<v Speaker 2>you know with Flowa Tree.

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<v Speaker 3>But I feel like it's going to be incredible. Man.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, we all have a really dope catalog, great showmanship,

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<v Speaker 2>love Teacher to Death, you know what I mean, both

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<v Speaker 2>members of Floor, you know, Natalie and Marsha to death.

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<v Speaker 2>So it's gonna be dope, man. You know, who knows

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<v Speaker 2>what's going to happen out there?

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<v Speaker 3>You know I can.

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<v Speaker 2>I can definitely tell you that I have towels. Yes, nice,

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<v Speaker 2>there would be towels and and merch and and all

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<v Speaker 2>the things I'll be doing meet and greets, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>after each show come beet and greet with me?

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<v Speaker 1>What is your vocal care routine or process? Like when

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<v Speaker 1>we tour you know by show for it's we have

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<v Speaker 1>to pace it so that Tarik doesn't wear out his voice.

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<v Speaker 1>But for I always wanted to know, especially like for

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<v Speaker 1>very singers that I work with, do you have a

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<v Speaker 1>particular exercise of routine you do to preserve your voice

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<v Speaker 1>or is.

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<v Speaker 2>That definitely to warm up, you know, having smoke whee

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<v Speaker 2>since probably like twenty twenty, I don't drink, you know

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<v Speaker 2>what I mean? Sleep is an absolute must take in

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<v Speaker 2>a nap and just like this and and me me personally,

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<v Speaker 2>I discipline myself not to talk, you know, So you

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<v Speaker 2>do vocal resting, Yeah, I do a lot of vocal resting,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, keep it light, do a lot of texting.

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<v Speaker 3>I will do some whispering, but whispering.

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<v Speaker 1>Whispering, I'm sorry. In my head I was like, oh,

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<v Speaker 1>I can say I'm on vocal rest right now.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, but whispering does just as much damage from what

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<v Speaker 2>I was told, Like, you know, if you're on vocal rest,

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<v Speaker 2>like you're supposed to be on vocal rest, like, don't

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<v Speaker 2>that means like not whispering too? When I've been told,

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<v Speaker 2>you know what I mean. And then and then there's

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<v Speaker 2>a remedy. Somebody put me on to where I do

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<v Speaker 2>the boiling hot water, fresh squeeze lemon kanyanne pepper and

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<v Speaker 2>manuka honey. And then I'll throw some ever little cool

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<v Speaker 2>things and some a little you know, tumoric. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>a fresh ginger root is another main ingredient. And you

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<v Speaker 2>know I might throw a little hibiscus in there, you know, but.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, that's that, and I'll make it.

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<v Speaker 2>I'll make it like a big forty ounce canteen of

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<v Speaker 2>that like hot, and it's keeping in one of those

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<v Speaker 2>thermoces that keeps it like you know, keeps it warm

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<v Speaker 2>for like twelve yeah, twelve to twenty four hours, bro,

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<v Speaker 2>and just like sip on that, okay, And yeah that's

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<v Speaker 2>my that's my that's my version of a forty forty

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<v Speaker 2>ounce these.

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<v Speaker 3>Days, gotcha?

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<v Speaker 1>Okay? So, because I work at the Tonight Show, most

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<v Speaker 1>singers that I know are anti air conditioning.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I hate, I hate it to be cold. I

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<v Speaker 3>prefer to be Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm known to have the room or like prior to

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<v Speaker 2>like on have it on Hell on eighty ninety.

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<v Speaker 3>We call that a refa.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Arefa came on the show and one of the

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<v Speaker 1>stipulations was and this I've seen nothing like this in

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<v Speaker 1>my life. She was like, you know, it has to

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<v Speaker 1>be on natural air. And we explained to her that

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<v Speaker 1>because we're in the thirty rock ecosystem, like, we don't

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<v Speaker 1>have a specialized thermostat for just our floor, So if

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<v Speaker 1>we turn off the air conditioner here, you're also affecting

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<v Speaker 1>the Seth Meyers ship and who in MSNBC below us.

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<v Speaker 3>And so we.

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<v Speaker 1>Had to have this big giant community meeting to look

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<v Speaker 1>between the hours of seven am until six pm, all

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<v Speaker 1>the air conditioners going to be off.

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<v Speaker 2>You know.

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<v Speaker 3>The beginner, it's just like bring bed, bring your friend

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<v Speaker 3>from home dog.

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<v Speaker 1>We didn't know it was going to be hell. We

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<v Speaker 1>were just like, yo, you called us in to have

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<v Speaker 1>a menabout air conditioning.

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<v Speaker 3>Fuck out of here.

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<v Speaker 1>So the next day, bro yo, it was like and

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<v Speaker 1>Aretha walks in with a fur coat on, like it's

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<v Speaker 1>already eighty five degrees. Like I swore anyone who watches

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<v Speaker 1>that episode would swear that we were all like coke.

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<v Speaker 1>Even my mom was like, is this something you want

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<v Speaker 1>to tell me? Amre? Like why y'all sweating like that,

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<v Speaker 1>Like I don't have a cocaine. I have it mom,

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<v Speaker 1>Like it's Aretha Franklin for real, Like we I discovered

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<v Speaker 1>the joys of black seersucker suits. I have an Aretha

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<v Speaker 1>Franklin wardrobe section. To this day, I will only wear

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<v Speaker 1>a serious sucker suit.

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<v Speaker 2>My cool Aretha Franklin story. You had to be what's

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<v Speaker 2>the timeline? They were talking two thousand and eight, two

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<v Speaker 2>thousand and nine. I get a call from my manager

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<v Speaker 2>and says, Aretha Franklin wants you to come perform.

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<v Speaker 3>For her birthday.

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<v Speaker 2>I said what, I said, Yeah, I'm like, I'm like no,

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<v Speaker 2>So I'm thinking. They say one thing was like you

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<v Speaker 2>have to perform woman, And I was like, what's up

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<v Speaker 2>with that? And they were like, yo, that's her favorite song.

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<v Speaker 2>I said, well, I said, well right, can I take

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<v Speaker 2>my mom? That was kind of like my one ask

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<v Speaker 2>and they were like, yeah, sure whatever. So I'm thinking

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<v Speaker 2>in my mind, going to perform for Rita. So it's

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<v Speaker 2>like at a theater whatever, and we get there and

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<v Speaker 2>it's like a room of like maybe maybe fifty people

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<v Speaker 2>if that it's like me and then it's Kenny Lattimore.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh, y'all y'all in hold yeah and then yeah yeah yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>She had all her her favorite people there like and

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't. I had no idea that like Aretha Franklin

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<v Speaker 2>was like even was even knew who Raheem de Vne

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<v Speaker 2>was right, yeah, So my time to perform, and I

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<v Speaker 2>perform and then they said yes you you you know you.

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<v Speaker 3>Just read the so I know I'm good for it,

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<v Speaker 3>like they'll pay you after whatever. And so then I

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<v Speaker 3>go to to Rita and I couldn't ask her, dare you.

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<v Speaker 3>I couldn't as for the front end before I before, but.

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<v Speaker 1>This customary had a bag before we know the stage

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<v Speaker 1>all right, Well she does right, so so then they

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<v Speaker 1>let me know she pays you directly.

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<v Speaker 3>So I walk over. She went in in the world

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<v Speaker 3>famous black woman's person. Yes, I was like. She had

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<v Speaker 3>the first no no, and then she said come here,

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<v Speaker 3>come here, young man.

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<v Speaker 2>I said yes, ma'am, and she said, she said did

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<v Speaker 2>you She said, did you write that song?

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<v Speaker 3>Woman? I said yes, ma'am. She said you think you

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<v Speaker 3>could write me a song like that? I said yes, ma'am.

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<v Speaker 3>I could wait to get back to DC. I called

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<v Speaker 3>CHUCKI Thompson.

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<v Speaker 2>We get in the studio and then me and Chuck

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<v Speaker 2>are like arguing back and forth kind of a little bit.

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<v Speaker 2>I missed him so much too, recipes Chuck Thompson and

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<v Speaker 2>because he's you know, Chucky's like.

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<v Speaker 3>Man, we already did that vibe mo, we already did

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<v Speaker 3>that mold.

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<v Speaker 2>But I'm like, Chucky, we gotta get it with a

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<v Speaker 2>readth they out of whatever and that so I wrote

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<v Speaker 2>the song. We end up doing this record called Queen

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<v Speaker 2>and which would end up being on one of my

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<v Speaker 2>other albums. And so I do the record and then

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<v Speaker 2>she you know, we got word that she she had

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<v Speaker 2>taken ill and she's never got a chance to record it.

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<v Speaker 2>But between that moment, one of the great memories is

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<v Speaker 2>that Esence Music Festival performing in the super Lounge. Get

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<v Speaker 2>off the stage and they're like, yo, read the Franklins

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<v Speaker 2>on the main stage performing your song right now. And

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<v Speaker 2>she's singing. She's so, she's singing woman. It's it's out there.

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<v Speaker 2>I d or fast books somewhere.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, and she was out there. She was singing woman. Damn. Yes.

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<v Speaker 3>Shout out to the story, Shout to the Queen. Shout

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<v Speaker 3>to Detroit. What up though, Yes, what Detroit? Thank you Bro,

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you.

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<v Speaker 2>M h

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<v Speaker 1>M hmmmm