1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: Welcome to Where Were You in ninety two, a podcast 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,159 Speaker 1: in which I your host Jason Lafier, look back at 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: the major hits, one hit wonders, shocking news stories, and 4 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: irresistible scandals that shaped what might be the wildest, most eclectic, 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: most controversial twelve months of music ever. This week, we 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: take a quick mid season break from our ride through 7 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: for something extra special, a conversation with none other than 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: rapper and producer Sir mix a Lot, the man behind 9 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: the most famous pop song about behind ever made. In 10 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: the interview that follows, I chat with one of music's 11 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: biggest champions of the ample ass I like to call 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: him the Bootyguard. We discussed the origins of his hit 13 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: number one single Baby Got Back, the onset drama during 14 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: the making of his music video, and why he thinks 15 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: the song helps spark the body positivity movement and change 16 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: representation of black women in the media. Plus extraveals his 17 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: least favorite use of the song on popular culture, explains 18 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: why Nicki Minaj is Baby Got Back, and offer some 19 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: advice to Lizzo. Be sure to tune in Wednesday, January four, 20 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: when we returned to I regularly scheduled programming In that episode, 21 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: we'll tell the story of Shanide O'Connor and her scandals 22 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: performance on Saturday Night Live, during which she ripped up 23 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:25,839 Speaker 1: a photo of the Pope and told audiences to quote 24 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: unquote fight the real enemy. Where were you in ninety two? 25 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: Mixed mentally, physically, you know, in that in that monumental year, mentally, 26 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: I was kind of all over the place, to be 27 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: honest with you, Um, I came out of a massive lawsuit. Uh, 28 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: while at the same time I got signed by probably 29 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: you know, one of the gods of hip hop production. 30 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: I mean just you know, I mean just not not 31 00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: just because of what he's done in the past, but 32 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: how we think. Um, he eats, sleeps and breathes and stuff. 33 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: He does. It's not about the money. He finishes it 34 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: then let somebody else make it about the money. And 35 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: I love that. I love that vibe. Um. And I 36 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: wanted somebody that m had been in the business for 37 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: a little while. I wanted to learn something. I didn't 38 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: just wanna you know, people sit in the room and 39 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: kiss ask for a while. I didn't want that. I 40 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 1: like the fact that it was somebody that knew more 41 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: than I did. So Yeah, it was. It was really hard. Um, 42 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: that lawsuit cost me a lot of money. And this 43 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: is a nasty mix, right yeah, your initial label, which 44 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: can can you tell me a little bit about the situation. 45 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: I know they put out your first two records. Uh yeah, 46 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: it makes it's funny because I never really had animosity. 47 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 1: That's not what it was about. Really, it really wasn't 48 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: um nasty makes. It was an independent, independent label, and 49 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: everything is kind of you know, you're trading off. You 50 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: gotta give to get and it's a lot of ass kissing. 51 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: You know, a lot of a lot of that stuff 52 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: was going on. I had to run around and hit 53 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: distributors up to make record sales and stuff like that. 54 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: And it just reached a point where I thought, you know, 55 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: we had a we had a platinum ablement swausum. We 56 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: had another gold album in seminar right after that. We 57 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: were we were on a roll. But things didn't seem 58 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: like they were. Um, it always seemed to be I 59 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: always seemed to be a year behind on royalties, ands 60 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,079 Speaker 1: and and things like that, and just some basic disagreements. 61 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: It was no I hate you or you hate me. 62 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: I still love those guys, um, you know, and and 63 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 1: the way that label started. But I knew that before 64 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 1: I did this next record, I needed to try something 65 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: a little bit different. And because of those differences, I 66 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: thought that was a jump off point for me at least. 67 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: And this is when you decided to work with Rick Rubin. Well, 68 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: I wish I could say it was just my decision. 69 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: It I didn't know where I was gonna go during 70 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: the during this lawsuit, I mean it was. It was 71 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: literally even if I had won, it wouldn't be a 72 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: win because they probably wouldn't really want to keep that 73 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: relationship going, right, so I would have been stuck. But 74 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: I but there was just some things I thought I 75 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: had to do. And I'm sure they have but opposing opinion, 76 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: or maybe they agreed, maybe they agreed that we should 77 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: have part ways. I don't know. But um, Rick just 78 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: happened to call Well, Heidi Hydi Robinson just happened to 79 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: call Heidis Rick's publicists. Yeah, Rick publicists. And yet I 80 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: had no idea what did that to do with. I thought, 81 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: you know, maybe he wanted to license something there. I 82 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: didn't know what it was. And uh, long story short, 83 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: she got me on the phone with Rick after a 84 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: couple of couple of calls and and of course I 85 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: was intimidated, like hell, this was like damn, this is 86 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 1: Rick Ruban, Dude, I mean, shut up and listen. And 87 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: I remember when I got ready to sign to do 88 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: that's kind of another artist that he had signed, Um 89 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 1: said the same thing. He saw me at the shared 90 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: in Universal and he said, when Rick speaks, man, just 91 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: shut up and listen because he won't repeat himself. So 92 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: that's where I got all that from. So there was 93 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,600 Speaker 1: there was a moment I think of I think, you know, 94 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: not so much tension, but a little bit of back 95 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: and forth with you and Rick about releasing Baby Got 96 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,919 Speaker 1: Back as the lead single for your third record, Mac Daddy, 97 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: which was your first with Death American. You weren't keen 98 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: on I'm making that the lead single, Um, and you 99 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: actually had your way. You actually did get your way, 100 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: and you put out a different first single, One Time's 101 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: Got No Case, That's correct, And it was actually I 102 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: mean you had your heart was in the right place 103 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: and had a good message behind it, yeah, which was 104 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: about racial profiling. Yeah, what it was about racial profiling, 105 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: and and it was it was stuff that actually happened, 106 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: wasn't I don't. I don't. I don't do the storybook 107 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: gangster stuff. Right, if it didn't happen, I didn't witness it, 108 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: or it didn't have something to do with me, I 109 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: don't talk. I hate that. I hate that fakes here, Yeah, yeah, 110 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: yeah it was. It was a thing where this is 111 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: something that all artists do, and I think it's very 112 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 1: dangerous because it could be career ending. Very seldom is 113 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:49,280 Speaker 1: it career making. Everybody thinks it is, but it's actually not. 114 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: I think artists always have this, this this push because 115 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: they have this belief. I think artists to make it, 116 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:56,360 Speaker 1: they have to believe that the world's against them, right, 117 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 1: so everybody's the boogeyman, You're the boogeyman. And I got 118 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: pro view, all so right, I wanted to do a 119 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 1: track that wasn't Baby Got Back esque first to prove 120 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: some stupid ass point to some myth methical, mythical character 121 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: that didn't want me to make it in life, right, 122 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,920 Speaker 1: and that that person didn't exist, right. But so Rick 123 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: kind of basically let me hang myself. He said, okay, 124 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: you go ahead, and I'll be here when you get 125 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:22,920 Speaker 1: done with that, and he he paid paid for the 126 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:24,840 Speaker 1: video and did everything he was supposed to do. I 127 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: can't knock him as a label. Did what he was 128 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: supposed to do. And then I had to, you know, 129 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,479 Speaker 1: then tail between my legs and crawled back, going, hey man, yeah, 130 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: let's do this thing your way. Let's see what you 131 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: can do. So I pretty much did something I usually 132 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: don't do, and that I just fell back and I 133 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 1: want to you know, this guy does this right. I 134 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: thought I was doing it, but obviously I was wrong, 135 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 1: and I let him kind of do it his way. 136 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: I mean, I had my idea for I knew what 137 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,239 Speaker 1: maybe got back into me um, and I didn't push 138 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: that on Rick because I wanted his interpretation what he 139 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 1: felt when he heard it, because I knew if I 140 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:03,159 Speaker 1: gave him what I felt, it would come off heavy, 141 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: heavy handed, and people that really didn't want to hear 142 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:08,599 Speaker 1: that at that time. I let him do it his way, really, 143 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: and and then when we got into the video and 144 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: all that stuff with with Adam, Um, that's when I 145 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: started to assert myself a little bit more and I 146 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: wanted to make sure, how do we give Rick what 147 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 1: he wants, which is something wink wink, not not clever 148 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: fun on the surface, and then get my message, the 149 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: underlying message to come through at the same time but 150 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 1: not be overbearing. So it was a balancing act um 151 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: that I knew I couldn't handle because I would go 152 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: too far one way. And Rick modulated that stuff back 153 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: towards the center. And then I laid on the gravy 154 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: with the message with subtle lyric changes and and stuff 155 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 1: in the video. And when you sat down to write this, 156 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: I mean, of course it's a very funny song. It 157 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: spawned countless covers and parodies and cameos over the past 158 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: three decades. And of course, yeah, it's a lot of 159 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: fun and and and you know, I've read that the 160 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: rickonounced you to increase the tempo of it um to 161 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: make it a little less quote unquote gangster in a 162 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: little bit more like just like danceable and fun. And 163 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 1: but when you sat down to to to write the song, 164 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: it wasn't meant to be a joke. You had a 165 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: genuine intention. Yeah, it's something that any African American basically 166 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 1: that has any any you know, reference back to James 167 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: Brown and referenced back to Parliament Funkadelic with Motor Booty 168 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:34,440 Speaker 1: Affair and and Chocolate City. Um. They realized that there 169 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: was a black pride had to be. If you didn't 170 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: ride with it, you die without it. And that's the 171 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:42,199 Speaker 1: way we looked at it. And I, you know, and 172 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:45,079 Speaker 1: I felt like, what was happening If you go back 173 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: to that era, there were two types of African American 174 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:50,679 Speaker 1: women that succeeded in Hollywood. I'm and I'm generalizing, so 175 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: don't let's not. I don't want somebody to point out 176 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:56,920 Speaker 1: one person in nineteen seventy five or whatever. But basically, 177 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:01,319 Speaker 1: you either had to assimilate to white culture or you 178 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: were the the underestimated made that worked for a white 179 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:11,719 Speaker 1: family and they would advise the children on what to 180 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,840 Speaker 1: do correct because mom just didn't get it. Or you'd 181 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: be the street wise hooker on an episode of Law 182 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 1: and Order. Um, and and that was it. You know, 183 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: you always played or you know, or or stereotypical roles prostitutes, 184 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: drug addicts, stuff like that. I hated that. I couldn't 185 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: stand that. So part of the idea of Baby Got 186 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: Back was I was it was gonna be a hard 187 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: hitting song. It was not meant to be a single. 188 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:42,439 Speaker 1: Then it became funny, and I said, you know what, 189 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: let me, let me pull back on the lyrics and 190 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 1: quit being so dark and make it funny. And and 191 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: Pope fun at at Cosmopolitan. At the time, they were 192 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 1: the definers of all things beautiful, I guess, and um 193 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: I disagreed with their stants. Um I saw a couple 194 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: of movies with an actor I wouldn't name who was 195 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: an a a an American that said some things, and 196 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 1: I realized it was in the script, so I can't 197 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:07,320 Speaker 1: knock it, but it was kind of glorifying um Glutya's Minimus, 198 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: as I should say. And now you guys, I'll probably 199 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: know what movie is. I'm not knocking in because he's 200 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:14,959 Speaker 1: a comedian that light my ass up. But it was 201 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 1: that kind of script that defined him as the norm 202 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,439 Speaker 1: and the guy that liked the curves was not. And 203 00:10:23,559 --> 00:10:25,680 Speaker 1: I wanted to flip that because any black man knows 204 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: is what we've We've been liking that from day one, 205 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:30,679 Speaker 1: and from what I find out now, Hispanic men have too. 206 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,439 Speaker 1: So it's it's like a thing, you know that we 207 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 1: um I wanted to talk about, but when we talked 208 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: about it, it came off like we were bitter. So 209 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: how do I write this song in the way that 210 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: George Clinton wrote Chocolate City, in a way that didn't 211 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,839 Speaker 1: come off bitter. It was just reality. So I'm only 212 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,800 Speaker 1: a Dorsey Grievous was your girlfriend at the time, and 213 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: she was struggling too. She had struggled, you know, to 214 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 1: become a model herself. She was doing I believe she 215 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:00,560 Speaker 1: was doing makeup, um gigs and working with a lot 216 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:05,320 Speaker 1: of models. Um who were you know, these tall, gangly, 217 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: very thin uh women, And you know, you were just 218 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,280 Speaker 1: sort of mystified by the fact that she couldn't get 219 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 1: the jobs that she wanted and and and she was like, 220 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: well just look at my look at my ass because 221 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: she wasn't she didn't match the standards that you you know, 222 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:25,559 Speaker 1: we're just describing, right. And the thing about it, it 223 00:11:25,679 --> 00:11:29,679 Speaker 1: wasn't just her, Um, the main girl and baby got back, 224 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 1: the one on the pedestal. And I hope to get 225 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 1: to that because people need to understand what that video 226 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:37,839 Speaker 1: really was, what it meant, um. But she had to 227 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: say problems, right, And it's amazing how many And I'm 228 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 1: we're not talking about women shaped like me. It's not 229 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:45,480 Speaker 1: we're not talking about a girl shape like a tank. 230 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,959 Speaker 1: Here's what's ironic. I went to another video director before Adam, 231 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 1: and we talked about what we're talking about right now, 232 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:56,079 Speaker 1: and I said, Okay, how can I make him understand 233 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: what I'm saying, because he thought I meant fact, No, 234 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: I'm you know what I mean. I mean, I don't know. 235 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:04,199 Speaker 1: That's not what I'm talking about. So then I said, okay, 236 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 1: I think Marilyn Monroe. When I said that to him, 237 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,679 Speaker 1: I thought he was gonna go, oh, okay, he goes, well, 238 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: when I think Marilyn Monroe, I think prostitute. I'm like, 239 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,959 Speaker 1: what the hell is going on? Then I realized this 240 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,559 Speaker 1: song ain't just black, this ain't just a black thing. 241 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: This is across the board, and I started realizing, Wow, 242 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: this is so. I really knew then that the song, 243 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:31,840 Speaker 1: if I broaden the message even more, i'd get more fans. 244 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: But I didn't know i'd get up to this level. 245 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:36,200 Speaker 1: I think that had more to do with Rick Uh 246 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:39,400 Speaker 1: and the video, which, in all honesty, a lot of 247 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: parts of it I didn't think I would like until later. Yeah, 248 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 1: so you had to cast the video, of course, and 249 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:48,120 Speaker 1: you wanted to make sure you were casting you know, 250 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 1: the right women, and so tell me about the casting process. Well, 251 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:56,000 Speaker 1: the casting process was a little interesting because you had Um, 252 00:12:56,280 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 1: the choreographer. She one of the best dance I didn't 253 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: really care about the best dancers. I wanted to look, 254 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 1: so the ones with the look weren't the best dancers. 255 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 1: The one with the best dancers didn't have the look 256 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:12,600 Speaker 1: I wanted. You know, they did, I mean, they'll done 257 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:13,839 Speaker 1: be wrong. They had the curse. But you know, I 258 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 1: wanted really to hit that knocked that message home. So 259 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: we ended up compromising, and she got the dancers that 260 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: she wanted, and they were fine too. I don't get 261 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: me wrong. It's not like I was going I don't know, no, 262 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: not like that, but I got There were three women 263 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: I wanted really big, big time. One it started the 264 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: video on the pedestal, definitely Um. Two was a girl 265 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: you only see her for a blip dancing when I say, 266 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 1: only if she's five three her and then obviously um 267 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: WHITSI Whits was like, Hella cool and she's the one 268 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: that's doing the kind of the the burlesque kind of 269 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: with the fan. Yeah. Yeah. So I wanted those three 270 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 1: big times and I got those. So we kind of compromised, 271 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: and I totally underestimated though, the scale of this video, 272 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 1: because I I've done videos before, but it was, you know, 273 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:05,079 Speaker 1: poor man videos. I've never madeor label behind me. And 274 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: when I saw the cameras alone scared because I'm like, 275 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:12,080 Speaker 1: what is this eyewitness news? I've never seen cameras that big, 276 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: and oh yeah it was. It was interesting. It was interesting. 277 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 1: It was a lot of compromising going on because I'm 278 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: trying to explain the song and without I can't explain 279 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:27,000 Speaker 1: the song without explaining our culture. So it came off 280 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 1: as preachy. Every time I brought it up, people are like, 281 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: oh my god, this again, but they I think, I 282 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: think that Adam got it, and I think the choreographer 283 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 1: got it, but I got her point to that she 284 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:38,800 Speaker 1: wanted the best answers, of course. And by the way, 285 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: the coreo is the corio in this video is I 286 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: had forgotten how tight it is, you know, and it 287 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: really it's just just so much going on and and 288 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 1: the high kicks, you know, at that right at the 289 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,280 Speaker 1: right moment, with the and the and the whip cracking, 290 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 1: and it's just it's very, very tight. When you were 291 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: doing the casting, of course, you had to make sure 292 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 1: you had the right the right boot ease. So you 293 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 1: had to actually, you know, take polaroids of dancers, um asses, 294 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,320 Speaker 1: and then Adam had to send them to you, right, 295 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,240 Speaker 1: and you had a whole grid, yeah, of asses to 296 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:14,560 Speaker 1: look at. Right. Yeah. I picked up a bunch, but 297 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: ended up only getting those ones because obviously the dancing 298 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 1: was so so crucial. But but the basic and to 299 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: think about this video that I wanted from the gate, 300 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: from the start was I didn't want to be I 301 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: didn't want to try to be hypocritical, right I was. 302 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:33,720 Speaker 1: I was into chasing chicks. You know, I was young, right, 303 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: I didn't want it to look like all of a sudden, 304 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: I'm really a sensible guy who understands that this is 305 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:40,640 Speaker 1: not No. I wanted to be the horror in the 306 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:43,200 Speaker 1: video that didn't get the girl. That was the whole idea. 307 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 1: That was the reason that you know, and we'll get 308 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: to that. That was the reason that the main girl 309 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: was on a pedestal. That was that was done by design. 310 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: I wanted her above us. I didn't want us to 311 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: be able to reach her. I never touched her in 312 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: the video, never even got close to her. Neither did 313 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: the two girls in the beginning. That was all intentional, 314 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:01,640 Speaker 1: and it was to send a little bit of a 315 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: message that I see these as queens. I can't even 316 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 1: reach them with my horse ass. That's the way I 317 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: kind of dealt with it because I didn't want to 318 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 1: flip everything I had done prior on its race. And actually, no, 319 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 1: I wasn't like that. No I was. I was young 320 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: and uh trying to trying to please myself. But it 321 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 1: did work with her, and that's what I wanted. So 322 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:24,560 Speaker 1: when you arrived to the studio, you weren't initially impressed. 323 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 1: You were you know, you said earlier you were a 324 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 1: little into many by other cameras. Also, you had had 325 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: this conceit that you were gonna have this giant ass 326 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:36,480 Speaker 1: in the video that you were going to be on 327 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 1: top of or initially you were gonna be coming out 328 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: of it, but that was that was discouraged. So you weren't. 329 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:44,480 Speaker 1: You got you see this ass, and you were not 330 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 1: you you you didn't necessarily embrace it immediately that it 331 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: was a big, yellow paper mache looking ass right what day. 332 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: I didn't know it was gonna be that big. First 333 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: of all, that was like a planet that was not 334 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 1: a that was not a that was a planet, man, 335 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 1: that was like Mars, Like they rolled it in and 336 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,480 Speaker 1: just I'm looking at this thinking of like, okay, and 337 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: I had on all brown and my guys just oh 338 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,439 Speaker 1: my god, it yeah, you look like a dancing turd, 339 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:17,399 Speaker 1: like a piece of ship on the giants. So it 340 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: was a lot of that. But I'd say, you know what, 341 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go with it. You know, this is this is. 342 00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: It was a little bigger than I expected. But I 343 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 1: came from the Independent, you know world, and I realized that, Okay, 344 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,680 Speaker 1: I'm I just and I don't usually do that. I'm 345 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:33,440 Speaker 1: not a control freak, but at the same time, I 346 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: don't do anything that may compromise me later. But I 347 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 1: just didn't think it would. I said, you know what, 348 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:40,240 Speaker 1: I'm gonna trust the process right here, because I had 349 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,399 Speaker 1: to right to say no at any time. And I 350 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 1: went ahead and went went through with it. Man, and 351 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: once it was editing and stuff. A matter of fact, 352 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: once they even started there, I noticed that they kept 353 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:51,159 Speaker 1: me in the process. They kept asking what do you 354 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: think it is? What do you think of that? Which 355 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: I really really I respect the fact that they did that, 356 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,439 Speaker 1: because that video could have gone wrong. In a lot 357 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,680 Speaker 1: of ways. There was costume drama as well. You know, 358 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,600 Speaker 1: I remember some kind of goofy shorts, real super tight 359 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,399 Speaker 1: tagger kind of shorts and necklaces, and it was just 360 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: really nasty, right, And I'm like, this is the opposite 361 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 1: of what I want. You know, I don't want her 362 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: to be hood rat. I don't want her to be home. 363 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:21,879 Speaker 1: I wanted her to be just fine, that's it. And 364 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 1: I want her to be seen as the norm and 365 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,800 Speaker 1: let these other chicks come off as you know, haters, 366 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:29,400 Speaker 1: and that that was what I wanted. So it wasn't 367 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:30,960 Speaker 1: a big deal. I heard some rumor that I should 368 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 1: pulled a gun, pull a gun on a makeup artist. 369 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:38,359 Speaker 1: Did this happen or not? Was there a gun or not? No, 370 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 1: because I know at the beginning, Rick was really kind 371 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,200 Speaker 1: of pushing the guns, you know, for your image. No, 372 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:46,639 Speaker 1: I I've always been at the guns I got. I 373 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: got a bunch of upstairs right now. But you ain't 374 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:52,879 Speaker 1: man a black man traveling across state lines in the 375 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:55,920 Speaker 1: nineties during the Gang era to make sure he could 376 00:18:55,920 --> 00:19:00,440 Speaker 1: defend himself against a makeup artist. That's it don't even 377 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:04,719 Speaker 1: make sense. Do she she think you were was did 378 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:06,680 Speaker 1: she think you were doing it? Were you actually pulling 379 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,879 Speaker 1: something else out? Were you just kidding around there? What? What? This? 380 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: This shocked me when I saw this, that there was 381 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:16,160 Speaker 1: maybe a gun pulled on a po costume designer. Yeah, 382 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:17,879 Speaker 1: who was trying to persuade you not to look like 383 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: a piece of ship, a literal piece of ship in 384 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:23,439 Speaker 1: your video? No? No, that that's that's a lie right 385 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 1: there too. Where the problem with the wardrobe came in 386 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 1: wasn't what I had. It was what Sharne, who was 387 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:32,480 Speaker 1: not Almen, her name is Alm, what she had on. 388 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 1: She didn't like it, and neither did I. Needed My 389 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 1: guys were like, dude, you do this, it's gonna look 390 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,200 Speaker 1: like a super flat movie. And a lot of people 391 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: did not like it, and I didn't like it. So 392 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: I was ready to just kill the whole video. Because 393 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:47,359 Speaker 1: she didn't like it either. She said, you know, I 394 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:50,160 Speaker 1: walked over to it. She goes, they got me looking 395 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 1: like a hoe, like a straight prostitute. But I was 396 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 1: talking about it. Maybe he got back with a woman 397 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:57,200 Speaker 1: who was better than me. I didn't want her to 398 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,919 Speaker 1: be my prey. That being said, I'm not mad at 399 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: the costume designer because if you look at videos in 400 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:06,880 Speaker 1: that era, that's what they were, including some of mine. Honestly, 401 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,159 Speaker 1: I mean that's what they were. They were girls, you know, 402 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:12,159 Speaker 1: popping that ass, and that was that was that was 403 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:14,520 Speaker 1: the dance that back then, and I still love that. 404 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:17,879 Speaker 1: But I wanted to take this up a notch and 405 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,399 Speaker 1: let women know, you know what, Yeah, we all like 406 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:22,400 Speaker 1: something sexy and this and that, but at the same time, 407 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: you guys are queens, and they've always been the queens 408 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:26,639 Speaker 1: of the black community, the women. If it wasn't for 409 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 1: the women, Yeah, with the asking any black person, they'll 410 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:31,920 Speaker 1: tell you. So you had to make a last minute 411 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: trip to the mall, right and come up with another 412 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 1: outfit for her. Yeah, yeah, it was just a little 413 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,440 Speaker 1: yellow something, little yellow dress or whatever, but that was 414 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:41,240 Speaker 1: not what she had. Only got there and and and 415 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 1: I went to the mall got it. Everything was straight, 416 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:46,919 Speaker 1: Like I said, there was no I didn't. I did 417 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:52,400 Speaker 1: get piste, but I did not blic over some shorts. Uh. 418 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: I think the power and just saying no is it 419 00:20:54,640 --> 00:21:09,960 Speaker 1: is a little bit better you do this video. You 420 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:14,160 Speaker 1: got a hit on your hands, starts to build some buzz. 421 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: You start to you know, to to tour for MC 422 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: daddy U and uh, and then you discover at some 423 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:27,560 Speaker 1: point someone informs you that the video has been banned 424 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,760 Speaker 1: from MTV on camera. Yeah, and this is the first 425 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:36,040 Speaker 1: that this was the first that you had heard. Yeah, well, 426 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: we were on this tour. We started this promotion tour. 427 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: Keep in mind song hadn't it wasn't even out yet, 428 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 1: because when we started this tour and like Mark, song 429 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 1: came out in May. Al right, so song comes out 430 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 1: I think May seventh or something like that, and uh, 431 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: you know, we're going from city to city, We're on 432 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 1: a bus and it's this It's we're not I'm not 433 00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:58,240 Speaker 1: making any money. All my money is going salary because 434 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 1: I had a gigantic crew because obviously one of the 435 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 1: help help people to get used to that image so 436 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 1: they can see it in the video because we're the 437 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: same people. So we get on tour, go through Corpus Christie, Texas, 438 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:14,239 Speaker 1: and that was the first time we had helicopters over 439 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 1: the show. I'm like, is somebody in trouble because you 440 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,159 Speaker 1: know we started the show. I'm serious, I got this 441 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:24,879 Speaker 1: on video first show, maybe a hundred people. We went 442 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,680 Speaker 1: to an autograph signing that this record store or whatever. 443 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:32,399 Speaker 1: It's like eight people there. There was nothing happening, right. 444 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,359 Speaker 1: We get down to Texas and its pack and then 445 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:37,920 Speaker 1: we go forward and where we hit a place, um, 446 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:43,560 Speaker 1: Panama City, Panama City, Florida. Um. I'm walking in. I'm 447 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: videotaping because I'm shocked about next door as a hotel 448 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 1: next door to the club. The club is sitting on 449 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: the water and the dance floor was the swimming poop. 450 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 1: They would cover it at night, you know. But I 451 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 1: look over here at this this uh, this hotel and 452 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: it's like every single balcony was packed, and I'm wondering, 453 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: what are they. Maybe they're looking at the water and 454 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: what are they. I didn't know it was me. I 455 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:10,200 Speaker 1: had no idea walking in and you hear the club 456 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: owner go and this week it was just announced the 457 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:15,399 Speaker 1: man with the camera has the number one record in 458 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 1: the world, in this country or whatever, and I'm like, 459 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 1: he goes, baby got back and I started laughing, and 460 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,880 Speaker 1: you hear me said, yeah, right, you know, we're nobody 461 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,200 Speaker 1: believed it, right. I had an assistant at that time. 462 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:29,200 Speaker 1: Her name was Christy. I said, Christie, we didn't go 463 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:31,720 Speaker 1: number one, like not that I know of Keep in mind, 464 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:35,159 Speaker 1: we didn't have these back then, right, so there was 465 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:39,720 Speaker 1: no there was no yeah, and we didn't even have 466 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: the internet exactly. Yeah, cell phones like a dollar fifty 467 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 1: a minutes, you know, and who thought you know? And 468 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:48,159 Speaker 1: he said it, and then the crowd it was packed. 469 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:51,359 Speaker 1: They knew every word. They were passionate, like did we 470 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:54,160 Speaker 1: really go number one? And I still didn't know. Um, 471 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 1: we didn't believe this guy. We left and when we 472 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: got to the next city, then I saw a picture 473 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:04,160 Speaker 1: of the charts and I'm like, oh, hell to the know, Yeah, 474 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: I went number one Billboard charts man. And then the 475 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 1: band well it went. Yeah, it rode for a little while. 476 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:16,440 Speaker 1: It got to five weeks, and we were head at home, 477 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 1: and you know, we didn't we knew. The song was 478 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: blowing up on MTV like crazy. While it was number one, 479 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,119 Speaker 1: it got well they say it got I guess demoted 480 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:30,159 Speaker 1: or moved to another time slot. That's not the way 481 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,680 Speaker 1: I remember it. I remember it being banned initially, and 482 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,879 Speaker 1: then I started to see it at nighttime after nine o'clock, 483 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 1: which in essence killed the song, you know, on on 484 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:45,040 Speaker 1: MTV didn't kill so I thought at that time my 485 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:48,399 Speaker 1: career was over. I thought, wow, he just took he 486 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:52,159 Speaker 1: just snatched the hit right from my hands and killed it. 487 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:55,960 Speaker 1: And then I started to think a little differently, and 488 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: I started to think, you know, maybe not, maybe not. 489 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:01,119 Speaker 1: And then Heidi Robinson said something to them, and I 490 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:02,880 Speaker 1: only think she remembers it. But I talked to Heidi 491 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:04,119 Speaker 1: the other day and I told her that. She said that. 492 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 1: She's like, yeah, you know, so she may not remember 493 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,120 Speaker 1: because it was just a Heidi call. And she goes 494 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:13,800 Speaker 1: because she used the publicist on this project. And she said, 495 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:16,399 Speaker 1: I said, you know, you hear we got banned, and 496 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: she said, yes, I hear we got banned. And I'm like, okay, 497 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:25,359 Speaker 1: what does this mean. I remember six this exhalet Well mix. 498 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:28,719 Speaker 1: You're now Elvis Presley and you shook your leg one 499 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 1: too many times on the Ed Sullivan Show. I will never, ever, 500 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: ever in my life forget that. Because I realized, oh ship, 501 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:43,879 Speaker 1: I'm the forbidden fruit and that never dies, you know. 502 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,439 Speaker 1: And I realized, maybe not, you know, maybe this thing, 503 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,159 Speaker 1: even though yeah, it came down to charts because it 504 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:54,280 Speaker 1: was all but forced down, but all of a sudden women, 505 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: which was good, she started to understand so I pulled. 506 00:25:57,280 --> 00:25:59,240 Speaker 1: I got to Nebraska. I remember a bunch of women 507 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,360 Speaker 1: were boycotting uh me coming to town because they thought 508 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,760 Speaker 1: it was I was a sexist pig, and I debated them. 509 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,120 Speaker 1: I didn't debate them. I just did a live thing 510 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:12,040 Speaker 1: on the phone with the radio station, kind of moderating 511 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 1: and keeping things going, and I explained to them, yeah, 512 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:17,919 Speaker 1: you can call me sexist, because I probably have been. 513 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,119 Speaker 1: I didn't because you you're gonna lose credibility if you 514 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,399 Speaker 1: say you never. Yeah, he's chase women like any other 515 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: young cat. However, the woman I'm talking about in this 516 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: song is the unobtainable. Listen to the whole song. I 517 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 1: never get her. I want to, but I never get her. 518 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:34,280 Speaker 1: I didn't say she was mine. I didn't do any 519 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: of that kind of stuff. And I said, don't call 520 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:39,120 Speaker 1: her no bitch. I say all of that. So once 521 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:41,520 Speaker 1: I explained what I meant what I meant, the girls 522 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:45,040 Speaker 1: didn't love me, but they didn't boycott the show. And 523 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: I think that was a turning point where women started 524 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,159 Speaker 1: to talk and go, wait a minute, this ain't this, 525 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:52,800 Speaker 1: ain't this ain't ass song, and then black women started 526 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 1: to walk up and say thank you. That part probably 527 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:59,200 Speaker 1: hit me more than anything else on the on a 528 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 1: grand scale, just from city to city to city. And 529 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: I'm talking about little kids, and I'm talking about twenty 530 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 1: year old girls, talking about thirty year old women saying 531 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: thank you about time. My mom was a very strong 532 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:14,359 Speaker 1: woman and a lot of hers and Baby Got Back. 533 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: Not that I'm talking about my mom's black, because I'm not, 534 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 1: but a lot of what And she even liked the song, 535 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: which tells me something because my mom would tell me 536 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,719 Speaker 1: straight up. My mom never used the N word one 537 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:26,960 Speaker 1: time in the house. You know, she didn't believe in it. 538 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: She hated it, um. But she also uh didn't like 539 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 1: Uncle Tom's. She didn't like people that would get in 540 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 1: front of white people and put on, for lack of 541 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:40,879 Speaker 1: a better way of saying that, black face, not literally 542 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 1: but figuratively and kind of stepping step and fetch you 543 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,600 Speaker 1: and tip tap dance and all. She hated that. And 544 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:49,600 Speaker 1: she don't ever do that, honey, no matter how much 545 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:52,680 Speaker 1: money you make, don't ever compromise who you are, because 546 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: once you do, you can't take that back, can't get 547 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:56,520 Speaker 1: it back. And she's right. What did she say about 548 00:27:56,560 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 1: Baby Got Back? Specifically, Initially she was like, I don't know, baby. 549 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:04,680 Speaker 1: She listened to the song, she said, I don't know 550 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 1: because she didn't really catch the message. Then she saw 551 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:11,120 Speaker 1: the video and she looked at it and you could 552 00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 1: see her kind of doing math, going okay, she's good. 553 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: She's she reads and she studies all this kind of 554 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:21,639 Speaker 1: like she likes plots and uh as. She kept watching 555 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:23,639 Speaker 1: it and kept watching it and kept watching and she's like, 556 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:27,679 Speaker 1: that's a good song. And she's never said that to me, right, 557 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:31,680 Speaker 1: my mom was she let my mom group was bb king, 558 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:33,720 Speaker 1: you know. She she wanted that kind of stuff. So 559 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:37,480 Speaker 1: she actually understood what that song was about. And that 560 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 1: felt good at my sister who had God rest her soul. Boys, 561 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,120 Speaker 1: she she knew it right out of the gate. She 562 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,160 Speaker 1: knew it right, she said, thank you boy. She's ad 563 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 1: my baby brother spitting it so so not everyone was 564 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 1: so supportive back home now in Seattle. So Seattle was 565 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: you were trying to carve out a path for you know, 566 00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:00,400 Speaker 1: Seattle hip hop. You know, most people, especially at point 567 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,200 Speaker 1: in history. You know, by by the end of the year, 568 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 1: you had you know, East coast versus West coast. You 569 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 1: had dre coming in Snoop Dogg. You know, there wasn't 570 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:12,280 Speaker 1: a whole lot coming out of Seattle. You were really 571 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 1: you were really and then you know, you were really big. 572 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:18,880 Speaker 1: You were one of the first tackable planets came. And 573 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 1: then of course years later we had you know, Mcamore 574 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: and and De Satisfaction and UM and Saba's Palaces. So 575 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: you were really kind of putting Seattle hip hop on 576 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,440 Speaker 1: the map. And you know, by the way to listeners, 577 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 1: you know, Mix was doing this in the late eighties 578 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 1: with his first two records as well. UM, but not 579 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:43,640 Speaker 1: everyone was, you know, super super thrilled back home. I well, 580 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: what do you think? What do you think Do you 581 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:48,160 Speaker 1: think it was just jealousy? Do you think it was 582 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: Did you think that when they heard Baby Got Back 583 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:52,880 Speaker 1: they thought, is this really hip hop? Is this what 584 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 1: hip hop is becoming? No? I think what it was 585 00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:02,520 Speaker 1: is that for some reason, Um, I was the poster 586 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 1: child for Seattle hip hop. I shouldn't have been. So 587 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 1: I think that that was the problem is that I wasn't. 588 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:11,920 Speaker 1: I never considered myself Seattle hip hop. I always wanted 589 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:15,720 Speaker 1: to be an outsider on the hip hop side that 590 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 1: could give it to you. If you wanted them that heat, 591 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 1: and a lot of people when they hear me, do 592 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:26,160 Speaker 1: you know other songs where I'm spitting fire, like Daddy's 593 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:28,240 Speaker 1: Home and stuff like that, They're like, WHOA, I didn't 594 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,320 Speaker 1: really know you could come like that. And I only 595 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 1: do that now. I didn't do it then, so it 596 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 1: kind of baby got back plus and what I mean 597 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:38,479 Speaker 1: plus is plus years. Some people saw that at Seattle 598 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,320 Speaker 1: hip Hop. They didn't even look back at Swass and 599 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 1: seminar Um and yeah, so I'm not mad about that. 600 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:45,960 Speaker 1: I never was mad about that. I was a little 601 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:50,360 Speaker 1: disappointed that that the business, the record business didn't come 602 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:53,560 Speaker 1: to Seattle and go what else is out here? They didn't. 603 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:55,640 Speaker 1: They didn't sit they didn't sit around because there were 604 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:58,760 Speaker 1: other groups out there. But at that time, and this 605 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:02,400 Speaker 1: is another myth that I want to dispel, people go, 606 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 1: well you didn't, you didn't put so and so on. 607 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: Who did? Then? I don't remember too many cats that 608 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:13,720 Speaker 1: had the power to walk into a major and go 609 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:17,320 Speaker 1: sign this guy. You know, I couldn't even do it. 610 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:19,959 Speaker 1: And I mean I kind of helped a little bit 611 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:22,120 Speaker 1: with Nasty Mix because I like Criminal Nation a lot. 612 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:23,560 Speaker 1: I went out and saw im I like, man, I 613 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 1: hope they get signed Criminal Nation because they're good, and 614 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 1: they did. But I couldn't just walk into Rick's office. 615 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 1: So I'm a new artist, right. He saved me from 616 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 1: a downspiral. Now I'm gonna walk in and go. I 617 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 1: got these five artists signed. Yeah, just signed him because 618 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:42,080 Speaker 1: I said so. No, that didn't fly. That's a that's 619 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:45,120 Speaker 1: a myth from back in the day. What nobody put 620 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 1: nobody on, at least not in my sunario. That's always 621 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 1: been a kind of a thing that's frustrated me. Not 622 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:53,680 Speaker 1: that I was hated. That's normal in hip hop. You know. 623 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:55,760 Speaker 1: The guy that gets the pop success is gonna get this. 624 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 1: What did you really get? Did you? Did you really 625 00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 1: get death threats after this the success of any out back? No, 626 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,360 Speaker 1: well I got, you know, yeah, but not because the 627 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:07,200 Speaker 1: baby got back. The death threats came from people that 628 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: just had beef. But I think I think I think 629 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 1: some of them thought, you know, that I got soft 630 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 1: because of they didn't. You know, I didn't get a 631 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 1: lot of that beforehand, you know, but afterwards. The only 632 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:23,520 Speaker 1: thing I would say back to a cat it would 633 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:25,720 Speaker 1: give me a death threat is you got my address 634 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 1: and the death threats on the record, and I think 635 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:30,200 Speaker 1: they knew what that meant. It's like if you think 636 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 1: I'm a roll up like a bit and be like, 637 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:35,200 Speaker 1: oh please, don't come in my house and take me out. No, no, no, no, Now, 638 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna be out there on the street. I'm 639 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:39,160 Speaker 1: not no gangster. I don't do that. But it was 640 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: just small time, you know, stuff people do when their kids. 641 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 1: That's all that was. I didn't really take none of 642 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 1: that serious, honestly, As I said earlier. There have been 643 00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:52,280 Speaker 1: countless covers. Yeah, it's been on Glee of course. Nicki 644 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: Minaj just a few years ago sampled it for Anaconda. 645 00:32:56,920 --> 00:33:00,880 Speaker 1: That was beautiful, exposed it to a whole new audience. Um, 646 00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:06,360 Speaker 1: the whole new generation. Um. Do you have a favorite 647 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 1: usage of that song and popular culture or do you 648 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:15,720 Speaker 1: have a favorite cover or a favorite parody? Wow, you 649 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:19,959 Speaker 1: know they got back what I remember when Nicky, when 650 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:21,720 Speaker 1: Nikki put out in the Condom. First of all, I 651 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,520 Speaker 1: loved it. I love the fact that you know, a 652 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:26,560 Speaker 1: lot of people may not know Ice teas. I want 653 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 1: to tell me she was looking for me, right, Nicky, 654 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:30,040 Speaker 1: something about doing blah blah blah. So I got a 655 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,760 Speaker 1: number somehow and got in touch with her and we 656 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: only talked about five minutes. What I liked about it 657 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:41,040 Speaker 1: is that she was in charge. Let me said that again. 658 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:44,720 Speaker 1: She was in charge. She wanted she knew the production, 659 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 1: she wanted, she wanted to DJ, she wanted to use 660 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 1: the scratch, and she wanted me to do this. She 661 00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 1: wanted me to do that. And I realized she is 662 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 1: Baby got Back. I didn't realize it until when that 663 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:58,120 Speaker 1: video came out. Everybody's like, well, she's not talking about 664 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:02,160 Speaker 1: the sisters not get in respect, like because she's showing 665 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 1: that it's changing. She is the example of what I 666 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:08,960 Speaker 1: was talking about in Baby and it's well, I were like, 667 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:11,560 Speaker 1: what I what the underlying message message was I should say? 668 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:14,160 Speaker 1: And um, yeah it was. That was That was cool. 669 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:17,600 Speaker 1: There's been some uses that I've been ashamed of. I 670 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:20,520 Speaker 1: ain't'na get into that, but well, you gotta have me one. 671 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:23,920 Speaker 1: You gotta give me one that you're ashamed of. Oh man, okay, 672 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:32,920 Speaker 1: anybody listening. Nobody listening. Uh, there's what I did for 673 00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:37,719 Speaker 1: Burger King that the guy that directed a brother, he 674 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:39,839 Speaker 1: did the you know the WHATSI back in the day 675 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:43,319 Speaker 1: that bud Wise. Okay, he did those ads and it's 676 00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:50,239 Speaker 1: me uh lufer rig No, No, what's to do that? 677 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 1: What's the dude something Mstrada? What's his name? The guy 678 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:56,880 Speaker 1: used to play the cop man. All those people are 679 00:34:56,920 --> 00:35:01,960 Speaker 1: in it, man the cheesiest Oh my god, I was horrible. 680 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,680 Speaker 1: It was like I I should have never done that. 681 00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:06,279 Speaker 1: They paid me a lot of money. I think it 682 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:08,759 Speaker 1: was Burger King. Was it Burger King? I think it 683 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:10,319 Speaker 1: was Burger King. I don't want to dis burger King 684 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:12,000 Speaker 1: if they didn't do it, but I didn't like that 685 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:16,239 Speaker 1: at all. Hopefully they sold something from it. But yeah, 686 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:19,799 Speaker 1: that's what I learned quickly. How your license Baby Got 687 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:22,319 Speaker 1: Back from this point forward needs to be taken more 688 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:24,799 Speaker 1: seriously because you can through in the legacy of a song. 689 00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:27,680 Speaker 1: What's really interesting going back and watching this and and 690 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:29,880 Speaker 1: reading you know, what you said about it in previous 691 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:34,840 Speaker 1: interviews like it. You know, Baby Got Back was a 692 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:40,200 Speaker 1: step forward not only in you know, the body positivity movement, 693 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:45,840 Speaker 1: but also in black representation, black female representation. What do 694 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:48,680 Speaker 1: you think of where we are now with the body 695 00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:53,759 Speaker 1: positivity movement? What do you think of someone like Lizza? Yeah, 696 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:57,560 Speaker 1: you know, here's the thing this is um and I'm 697 00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: proud of Lizzo. Here's the thing thing that why you know, 698 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:03,759 Speaker 1: it's still not right yet Lizzo has to say it. 699 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:08,480 Speaker 1: You know, you see what I mean when it when 700 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:12,000 Speaker 1: Lizzo doesn't have to say it. When you can see 701 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:18,440 Speaker 1: Lizzo on TV knocking it out and got half a 702 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:22,200 Speaker 1: million white kids screaming the lyrics, you should already know 703 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:24,800 Speaker 1: that they accept her for what she is. But for 704 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:28,239 Speaker 1: some reason, we not just Lizzo, we still have to 705 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:33,040 Speaker 1: say it. That part kind of bothers me. Is that 706 00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:35,040 Speaker 1: because I saw I saw an interview she did, you 707 00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:37,880 Speaker 1: know what I was really it really was hard to 708 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:40,239 Speaker 1: watch hardly well, I listened to it. I didn't see it. 709 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,680 Speaker 1: I listened to it, and and I don't like the 710 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:45,560 Speaker 1: fact that she feels like she has to explain anything. 711 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:50,920 Speaker 1: You got that girl got talent. Whoa goodness she got? 712 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:52,680 Speaker 1: I mean her voice in that one track when you 713 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:54,799 Speaker 1: talk about dictates like color greens. I like that line, 714 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:59,239 Speaker 1: of course. But anyway, um, yeah, no, she I mean 715 00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:03,440 Speaker 1: her voice, It just has that. I'm not a producer, 716 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:04,759 Speaker 1: but you know what, I'd love to hear lizz O 717 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:10,359 Speaker 1: do just just she'll she'll shut the game down. Give 718 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:14,080 Speaker 1: me an old maybe the staples, I'll take you there, 719 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:17,520 Speaker 1: whoa let her let her do what you do with 720 00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:21,279 Speaker 1: that same voy she using that last track she did, done, done, 721 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:25,320 Speaker 1: And you know, to me, I love his sister. But listen, 722 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,840 Speaker 1: quit explain it to these fools. Okay, you know, you know, 723 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:32,279 Speaker 1: we know, just beat you. And what do you think 724 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:35,239 Speaker 1: about female black representation, you know in general and music 725 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:39,440 Speaker 1: video in general, and to television and film? Um, you 726 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:41,279 Speaker 1: know I like it. I mean a lot of people say, yeah, 727 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:43,360 Speaker 1: you see girls popping their ass on Yeah, well you 728 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:46,959 Speaker 1: got white girls doing that too. So okay, that being said, 729 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:51,120 Speaker 1: full representation means how many of them are playing lawyers 730 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:53,400 Speaker 1: on TV? I'm starting to see it. How many of 731 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,880 Speaker 1: them owned companies? Hello, Oprah, I love you? Um uh 732 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:00,640 Speaker 1: And and to me, um oh god, what's your name? Oh? 733 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,799 Speaker 1: To me the goddess, to me when I look at her, 734 00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:08,360 Speaker 1: or what I like about her, she's she's gotten older, 735 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:14,120 Speaker 1: but no surgery. She stayed beautiful, she stayed classy. She 736 00:38:14,239 --> 00:38:17,080 Speaker 1: didn't go hold on us. And that's Angela Bassett to me, 737 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:22,480 Speaker 1: It's just she is the perfect reference. That is exactly 738 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:25,600 Speaker 1: what I'm talking about and baby, I'm back. She's absolutely gorgeous. 739 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:28,839 Speaker 1: She doesn't have to prove it to you. She's incredibly smart, 740 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:31,160 Speaker 1: she doesn't have to prove it to you. And she's 741 00:38:31,239 --> 00:38:34,040 Speaker 1: well along without bragging on it. Um. So she doesn't 742 00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:36,960 Speaker 1: have the inferiority and inferiority complex and some of us have. 743 00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:38,920 Speaker 1: When you're a minority, you feel like you have to say, 744 00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:42,120 Speaker 1: I did it. Look look. She doesn't have to. She 745 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:46,040 Speaker 1: leads by example. Class class personify, and I understand about 746 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:50,840 Speaker 1: Queen Latifa, another one class personify. Janellemulney, Oh my god 747 00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:55,160 Speaker 1: is I She's probably my favorite young female artist in 748 00:38:55,239 --> 00:38:59,680 Speaker 1: the last fifteen years. I think Janelle Molney is seriously 749 00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:05,799 Speaker 1: under estummated. And that song Turntables. If you haven't seen 750 00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:11,240 Speaker 1: that video, sisters, sisters, listen to me. Watch the whole video, 751 00:39:11,719 --> 00:39:14,120 Speaker 1: especially what she's pulling out of the ocean at the 752 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:16,440 Speaker 1: end of it. Next, do you think you would have 753 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:20,560 Speaker 1: done anything differently with the song or with the video 754 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:22,799 Speaker 1: if you could turn down, if you could go back 755 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:25,440 Speaker 1: to any too, would you have done anything differently? No? 756 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:27,240 Speaker 1: If I could go back now, I wouldn't do anything 757 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:29,480 Speaker 1: differently with that song. Other than the fact. I think 758 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,279 Speaker 1: there are times like the ad we were just talking 759 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:35,719 Speaker 1: about that I overleveraged the song and you have to 760 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:40,120 Speaker 1: be careful. I always I always preach that artists should 761 00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:44,080 Speaker 1: learned a little bit more about licensing. But licensing isn't 762 00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:46,239 Speaker 1: just Hey, go use my song and I'll go back 763 00:39:46,239 --> 00:39:48,840 Speaker 1: and shoot somebody tomorrow. You know, your brand kind of 764 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:51,840 Speaker 1: rides with that. I think about. You know, if you 765 00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:55,640 Speaker 1: wanted to release one Time It's got No Case as 766 00:39:55,680 --> 00:40:00,200 Speaker 1: your lead single. Now, you know, Rick would have maybe 767 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:03,239 Speaker 1: been more you know, in favor of it, given the 768 00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:06,279 Speaker 1: current state of affairs, you know, and and and the 769 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:11,000 Speaker 1: reckoning we've experienced in the past several years. It's just interesting, 770 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:14,000 Speaker 1: you know, um and And maybe would have wanted to 771 00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:19,200 Speaker 1: bury or just acts a sound like Baby Got Back altogether. Yeah, 772 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:23,040 Speaker 1: you know that. Rick is an interesting guide though, man, 773 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:25,560 Speaker 1: because he I can't speak to anybody else, but I 774 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:28,120 Speaker 1: know I've heard LLL say something similar to that when 775 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:31,200 Speaker 1: I saw him years ago. He just said one one 776 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:34,479 Speaker 1: or two sentences, but basically said when he talks, listen. 777 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:38,160 Speaker 1: Rick is a very interesting guy. He he'll see things 778 00:40:38,239 --> 00:40:40,680 Speaker 1: as you in it. As an artist, he see things 779 00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:43,800 Speaker 1: sees things that you don't see. You get mad eventually, 780 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,520 Speaker 1: initially I shouldn't say eventually, but initially you get angry 781 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:51,880 Speaker 1: because you think you know what most artists actually don't know. 782 00:40:52,360 --> 00:40:55,000 Speaker 1: They may know themselves, but they don't know what you 783 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:58,640 Speaker 1: see in them. And that is what Rick forced me 784 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:01,520 Speaker 1: to start looking at stop. I realize, you want to 785 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:03,239 Speaker 1: say this, and you want people to hear you say it, 786 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:07,120 Speaker 1: but if public enemy said it better, they're probably not 787 00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:10,120 Speaker 1: gonna respect you saying it. And so he taught me 788 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:13,080 Speaker 1: to kind of understand what people like about Mixed a lot, 789 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:17,200 Speaker 1: and it's not It's not necessarily serious songs, although they 790 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,440 Speaker 1: do like some, but they like the cleverness in which 791 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:23,000 Speaker 1: I talk about things I don't. I don't do a 792 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:25,200 Speaker 1: zoom out thing when I talk about social issues. I 793 00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:28,800 Speaker 1: zoom in to something I've actually seen and or dealt with, 794 00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:33,480 Speaker 1: because I think when you lose credibility on certain things, 795 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:36,400 Speaker 1: you never get it back. What's what? What? What do 796 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:44,719 Speaker 1: you hope the legacy of Baby Got Back is? Um, 797 00:41:46,239 --> 00:41:49,720 Speaker 1: you know, it's funny if what I wanted to happen 798 00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:51,880 Speaker 1: with Baby Got Back not necessarily legacy. I'll get to 799 00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:54,800 Speaker 1: that question also But if what I if, just what 800 00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:59,040 Speaker 1: I wanted to happen happen, which it has damn there, Um, 801 00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:03,359 Speaker 1: there would be no legs because it would be well, 802 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:05,160 Speaker 1: maybe there would be a legacy, but it would be 803 00:42:05,239 --> 00:42:07,800 Speaker 1: back there. Um you'd be looking in the rear view miracle. 804 00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:11,759 Speaker 1: Remember when people thought that was ugly, that kind of thing. 805 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:15,400 Speaker 1: So we're there. But if I talk about legacy and that, 806 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:20,800 Speaker 1: it would almost go away if everything I said in 807 00:42:20,840 --> 00:42:23,680 Speaker 1: that song came true. And we're getting close to that. 808 00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,319 Speaker 1: So now it turns into a fun song that people 809 00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:31,080 Speaker 1: sing at weddings, you know, I mean, So it's kind 810 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,440 Speaker 1: of weird. If the song works, it becomes something it 811 00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:36,480 Speaker 1: wasn't intended to be, which is really ironic. And that's 812 00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:38,200 Speaker 1: why I always say careful what you wish for when 813 00:42:38,239 --> 00:42:41,359 Speaker 1: I talk about Baby Got Back, because what I wish 814 00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:55,200 Speaker 1: for is now the norm. Almost Where Were You In 815 00:42:55,280 --> 00:42:58,200 Speaker 1: ninety two was a production of I Heart Radio. The 816 00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:01,719 Speaker 1: executive producers are No Brown and Jordan run Tag. The 817 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:05,280 Speaker 1: show is researched, written and hosted by me Jason Laffier, 818 00:43:05,640 --> 00:43:09,279 Speaker 1: with editing and sound design by Michael Alder June. If 819 00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:11,560 Speaker 1: you like what you heard, please subscribe and leave us 820 00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:14,759 Speaker 1: a review. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, check 821 00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:17,800 Speaker 1: out the I heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever 822 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:19,040 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.