March 4, 2024 • 47 mins
In this conversation, Ledisi discusses her journey as a singer and actor, starting from her childhood in a musical household to discovering her talent and using it to connect with others. She shares her experiences of embracing different genres and breaking stereotypes, as well as the challenges of navigating the pressure to stay in a box. Ledisi also talks about the healing power of music, the importance of self-love, and her advocacy for other artists.
Listen to Ledisi’s latest album, 'Good Life,'!!
Connect: @CariChampion @Ledisi
Learn More: Ledisi.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Women. It's Women's Month. I love powerful women that are
unafraid to say, Hey, get off my neck, get out
my space, move over here, you know I want my money.
I love all those women that aren't afraid to speak
about something that everyone's scared to step on. You know
(00:21):
what I mean. I just I wish I had the
boldness that they have. So I do what I can
to support them. Retweet. When I see them, I say
thank you and they say thank you for the music.
So I'm doing something. It may not be what they're
doing or.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
That's all doing something.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
We're doing something.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Sit back, relax and welcome. Let us ee to Naked.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
It's the greatest suspense and entertainment can make you win.
Every champion make Cary Chappy is going to be a champion.
A champion. They care a chapion the champion. They care
with champion and care with chat.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Hey, everybody, welcome to a new edition of Naked.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
It is Women's History Month, and I just want to
do a couple of things. I want to shout out
a couple of women. Hey, you know what I want
to shout out myself. I want to thank myself.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Nissie Nash for reminding us that we should just thank ourselves.
Life is is is one of these things that make
you laugh, and it also can be, obviously for many people,
really difficult. And I think oftentimes a conversation that me
and my girlfriends have often is as a black woman,
we don't feel seen or heard and and and depending
(01:42):
on who you're talking to, if you're talking to someone
who's not a black woman, they may roll their eyes.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
They're like, what does that mean? What does that mean?
Speaker 4 (01:48):
And it means that we could be doing the same
job that our male counterpart is doing, or we could
be doing the same exact work that our our white
female counterpart is doing. But we we often don't feel acknowledged,
and we often feel like our words fall on ears
that are not listening.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Right, They're just like death, No one wants to hear it.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
And I see all these wonderful women in certain spaces
that have these these titles with their jobs. But I
also know, as we celebrate Women's History Month, that these
jobs and these big, these big titles that some people
have like I'm the CEO of this or the CEO
of that, rarely do black women have those titles with
(02:32):
the power and what I mean is you give it
to me because it looks good, but when I try
to assert my power, I am not allowed to assert
my power.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
There's an asterisk.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Okay, you may be the cm O, the chief marketing
officer for a company, but now you're doing something that
is really out of your range and we can't trust you.
So we're gonna let your other counterpart, your your white
male counterpart, or your white female counterpart, have a little
more power than you do.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
And it's unfortunate.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
So I just want to give a shout out to
all women as we celebrate Women's History Month. But I
want to give a special love, some special love to
my sister's in a struggle. I see you, I know you,
I feel you, even if I don't know you. But
what I do know, if I'm being honest with you,
the underlying feeling of I want more, I deserve more,
(03:23):
I need to be acknowledged is real. And I encourage
you not to give up. I encourage you to stay focused.
I encourage you to get through it all, to focus
on the good in life, if you will, to focus
on what's good. Because if I'm complaining, there's someone looking
at me. Saying, you're complaining about the stuff you dreamed about.
(03:45):
This was all a dream at one point, Carrie, So
how the heck you complaining? And I understand, Like I said,
it's tiring, but I encourage you all to focus on
the good this month. The good that you've been able
to do, the good that you've been able to accomplish,
the good that is still yet to come.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
And that is real.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
And with that being said, I'm leading into our next
guest because she is doing that with her latest album.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
She is focusing on the good.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Can you imagine? Y'all know lettusy And if you don't,
I don't know where you've been. And when I tell
you to download her latest album, to listen to her
past albums and play it in your house, play it
in your car. Her music is healing. It makes you
feel good about yourself. It makes you, even if it
(04:30):
is a sad topic, you're still like I can get through.
It's calming and we need calm in this day and age.
Trust me, we really really do. And because it is
Women's History Month, we are going to talk about what
I believe is one of our great singers. She is
not only a singer she's an actress. She's played the
likes of a Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Mahelia Jackson in Selma.
(04:54):
If you saw Selma. It takes someone with a crazy
amount of fortitude to say I'm going to use my
voice to recreate those grades.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Glad as Night, Mahelia Jackson, Petty Label. Are you kidding me?
You're not intimidating. That has to be for a singer
to say I can do what they do well. She
does it, and she does it well.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
She's also a professor at the Berkeley School of Music,
and I'd like to call her an activist. She doesn't
necessarily live necessarily in the political atmosphere, but she's an
activist at her core, a musical activist, an activist for
the culture, and activist for the people. She is a
renaissance woman in every single way, and she is here
(05:39):
today on Naked to talk about her journey and her
latest album, Good Life. Everybody, sit back, relax, turn up
the valume, and I know I already know what you're
about to say.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
There's so many commercials.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
You can fast forward to those commercials so you can
get right to this juice, this education, this Ted talk
she's about to give us.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Sit back, relax and welcome. Let usy to Naked.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Champion, and care with Chatpian.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
And care with Chat.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
I normally just start with an origin story because what
I'm really interested in When I meet people that are
really talented, I'm always curious about how that talent was fostered.
When did they know they have had that certain talent?
And I'm reading your story and you come from a
musical family, and I'm curious because you talked about this
(06:27):
as a kid. You remember your mother singing and performing,
And I want to know when you're seven or eight
years old, because I usually think that's when we know
we want to do something. Maybe take me back to
when you were seven or eight years old as a child,
growing up in a musical household, How did you know
you had a talent?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
My mom was my Michael Jackson, right. She was the
person that I cared about. Her opinion mattered to me
most because I saw her do what I wanted to do,
so when she approved it, then it felt good. And
the other reason is I got more friends when I
(07:08):
started to sing. I was like, oh, I can make friends.
I can use this to make friends. So I knew
my votes had a ring to it that would just
ring out and make people change or do something nicer,
it calm things. So that's when I knew I had something.
What it was, I don't know. You don't know at
(07:30):
seven or eight. You just know when you use whatever
that bell is to make people calmer or nicer, or
react or feel. Then I did. I knew I want
to use this gift.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
So did your mother say to you when you were little,
seeing what I singing? Hum?
Speaker 4 (07:47):
When do you just when do you start singing? When
do you just say, uh oh, that sounds good? Because
I thought, I, you know, that's a gift that everyone wants.
Everyone wants to learn how to sing. You sing in
the shower, I would love, And then I learned quickly
I was. There was no singing for me ever in
my life. So when did you go that you, at
such a young age had something special.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Did you just start singing because you heard your mom sing?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I don't remember the reason. My mom said, I just
one day in the kitchen, because we sang a lot
in the kitchen, Well, my mom did, I just in
New Orleans, I just started singing. Reasons out the blue.
I knew the song. I didn't tell them I could sing.
My mom is not the stage mom. She didn't force anything.
She didn't say sing this sing back to me. We
(08:34):
didn't do any of that. She just let it happen.
And so naturally, one day I just started singing, and
everybody looked, and they didn't know that I could say what.
I was like, you just sang Reasons by Earth when
a Fire like Phillip Bailey and hitting all the notes
on pitch because she is very particular. She's a quick
(08:55):
cap record, so she's like, yeah, born on the first
of January. Uh, she's real particular about every little thing.
She said. You were on pitch, you real tiny, sitting
in your seat and just wailing, and I was like, wow,
those notes are I reason to.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Say the least, And you just started seeing it. She
didn't even know you knew the song. And everyone stops
in their tracks and they look at you, like, wow,
this is special.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
So I became that family member where the baby get
up and sing, get up and dance.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
For me, it was read the church program because you
can read well, get on and do that. Big words
I could even pronounce. So I understand that I think
that is really special. I also I also know that
you just said something. Your voice calms people. So when
I play your music in my house, like on the speakers,
(09:53):
my house feels warm, it filmed, it feels welcoming. It
feels like I could leave it all day.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
I could clean, I could walk, I could talk, I
could be on the phone, I could be I can
do errands.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Do you believe that's a God given gift?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Absolutely, there's no no afterthought about that is definitely not
of my doing. Entirely. I am doing the work, but
it comes from a special place because there are days
I don't know how how I'm doing what I do.
I had a friend come to my rehearsal, our final
(10:31):
tour rehearsal. We've been best friends a long time, and
he still goes, I don't know how you do. He
studies music, he knows the voice. But he says, you're
not You're an alien. They can do the things you do.
And I say, well, I said, I don't feel like it.
I'm working hard and I like doing the same amount
(10:55):
of work as everybody else. But he's like, no, but
it looks so you look so relaxed. When you do it,
you look so calm. I said, no, there there's a
fire alarm under my armpits.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
It's like it's like I'm I'm nervous all the time,
like interesting. I want to be like anybody else. I
want to do a great job and kick but at
what I do, it's like a workout. I give a lot.
That's why at the end, I'm like, I don't know
what else to give, But I just gave a whole bunch,
(11:29):
you know what I mean. And I don't get the
opportunity to do it small. Everything I do is with
great intention, and I feel like I'm connected to another source.
I call it God that comes and I honor all
the spaces and people that came before me as well
(11:50):
as myself and my parents, you know, legacy. So I
have a point to prove, which is I belong here
and I'm here to help with with using my craft.
That's what the greats did. You know? Mahelia, when she spoke,
she helped Martin. When she's sang, she helped the movement.
When Marian Anderson, same thing she was the first to do,
(12:14):
make a create a moment for a movement, we all
my kind of singers. That's what we do. We have
the get. God only gives it to certain people to
do that. So I know what I have. It took
me a while to just go ahead and accept it
because it comes with enormous amount of pressure to be
(12:35):
a certain way. You know, you don't get off.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Day when you say it took you a while to
accept it, That is a radical acceptance of what you have.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Why did it take you a while to accept it?
Was there too much pressure associated with it?
Speaker 4 (12:51):
Or maybe you felt like you wanted you felt pressure
to do something different, to have a different type of music.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Do you know music?
Speaker 1 (12:58):
None of that. It was more so people's perception of
the box they want to keep you in. It was external.
It's like when we love something, if only they would
just stay here and do this because I love what
they do here. A voice like mine belongs everywhere that
I could possibly go. It doesn't belong in one space.
(13:20):
But I do honor where I started. I honored the
root and all that stuff. But I think I get
nervous about titles. You know that those things bother me
with my voice?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
What are the titles that make.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Oh, you're only an RB singer. That's why I did
let us see sings. Nina, You're not really a jazzing
because you do R and B. But I do do jazz.
I can scatch just like every instrument that I love,
you know love. I started there. That's how I got
made a living to pay bills, you know what I mean.
(13:58):
Nobody wanted to hear me sing R and B and
I'm a horrible background singer, so that didn't work for me.
That's try. But anyway that I don't know what else
I'm talking about. I haven't eaten yet, but I'm here.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
That's okay me too. I'm starving, but I work better
that way.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
Otherwise I get exactly, I get the itis advice, and
I'm like, girl that I'll be sleep during this.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
I think that what you said was really powerful.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
They want to put you as an R and B singer,
but a voice that yours belongs in so many places
because it's necessary, because it does have this healing, this calming,
this happiness. And oftentimes I say this about comedians. Those
who make us happy always usually are the ones that
may suffer because it's torture.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Do you do you ever deal with that? Like you
can your music makes.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
People so happy, but sometimes you're not happy like you
could put You could put out album after album. I
think you've been nominated. I think twelve times.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
I think twelve times.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
For a grand I think it's more, but I can't
remember a time.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
I think it's fourteen. Yes, okay, I want to make
sure I get that right.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
It doesn't matter. It's been a lot.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
It's been a lot, and that means you resonate with people.
Do you find it hard to be the one that
makes everyone smile in the room or feel good in
the room.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
I don't feel. I feel like I have songs that
are chaotic. There's some dysfunctional tunes. If you what happens
is it feels so good? Yeah, you're missing the message.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
On one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
I feel I'm telling all the human experience. I'm not
avoiding it. I don't have see what's funny is this
album good life? I gotta talk about it because I
didn't have I have the least amount of connection to
it in a personal way. I actually felt like I
had the fight was trying to be personal in it
(16:06):
instead of just releasing that and writing as a songwriter,
write about human experience, create a story like how I
do when you're acting, get to create a story or
a character that's going through something. And I had to
do that in order to be involved in this project.
Normally I put myself more in it. This time I couldn't.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
It was the only album that you've done that that
particular approach is it's the only album you've done that
with with Good Life.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Majority of the biggest amount the wild Card. I did
it a little bit. I started understanding what it means
to be a songwriter interesting. I carried it over into
this because it was hard to be We don't have
anything interesting going on here. It's like our life is
our life, and like regular people, you know, we're interesting
(16:58):
about us moving.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Yes, I want to hear about that.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
It's kind of day to day.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
What you're gonna eat, what you're gonna cook.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
I'm with you. I was like, these are real problems.
I don't know if you you know in California my
leaks started leaking, my roof was leaking, Yeah, the rain.
I was like, can someone give me a song about this?
This is.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
That people want to hear about. What are we doing?
Speaker 1 (17:25):
You didn't have anything, so I was let me think
about human experience and dysfunctional chaos, and you know, good
life is to me about getting through. It's not it's
the messy parts, it's the beautiful part, but it's how
you got through it, How did you get through things?
You know, we don't talk about that at.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
All, and we're not transparent. But for me, music is
has been revolutionary. It is an act of resistance. It
is my advocacy. It gives me the words that I
don't have when I I'm like, I feel that I
feel what you said, but I didn't have the words
for what you said.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
It's sad. It's sad.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Every champion and carry champion is to be a champion,
a champion and carry Chappion and carried Chap beata champion
and carried Chappion and carrie Chaps his sporsion.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Entertainment can nake you weirder?
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Kerry Champion and carry Champion is to be a champion
of champion and carri Chapion the champion and carry Chapion
and carried chap Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Get nick you word.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
I wonder is it difficult to make that transition to acting.
You've made it seem seamless. Although Lake Gladys Knight Mahelia Jackson,
I understand that, Pet Labell. I believe I was that
difficult for you because it seems to me when you
sing from your soul and then someone gives you words
(18:51):
to say that they don't go together. Those two things
just don't go together. To me, one seems more authentic
and one seems more formed. But you are a performer,
are you know? So is it difficult to transition?
Speaker 2 (19:04):
It was?
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And when I was learning it on my own, but
having an acting coach understands and then working with Billy
Porter in theater that was an experienced life changing. He said,
you're a singer and they don't teach you how to
transfer that over into theater. He taught me some things.
(19:27):
Chester Gregory and my acting coach taught me a lot
of things. He said, what would you do do? What
would let us see do? Would let us say it
like that? He always says, good, can we have some realness?
And that I want the let us see to do it?
Now be the character?
Speaker 2 (19:45):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
How would let usye do it?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
That?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
We want authenticity as natural and like you would do it?
And that's how I think I just add the extra
components on top of it. And Billy was the same way,
but they weren't taught that. They had to learn it
because they're and also classes help understanding It's like a song.
The same way I sing it is the same way
(20:09):
I would say it. Yeah, but as like a conversation.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Like you and I.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Do you.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Like working with other actors? Ie? You do?
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Is there an actor that you work with that you're
like this person I'm in awe of? Or is there
an actor that you want to work with?
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Oh? Man, I would love to. It's more of writers
for me. I want to work with writers actors definitely.
I still I'm still learning that world. But it's really
writing that I love the most. The writing I get.
I'm becoming a fan of even more how things are written.
(20:50):
I would love to get lessons from Divine. She's incredible
because I seeing her in different roles and has been
amazing how she approaches her characters, meaning the little nuances
she does, It's just beautiful. I love this lady named
Kimberly Gregory. She's one of my favorites. She's not as
(21:13):
popular as everybody, but she's she's just incredible.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
She's a writer and an actor.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
She can write, but she's a great actress. What is
she on? Some stuff on the shy oh okay, she
also did. I can't remember all her stuff right now,
but she's incredible. She's like divine to me, one of
the It takes a while for the greats to get seen,
and it's Divine's time now. But she's been great long
(21:42):
before everybody caught up.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Did you read Viola Davis's book?
Speaker 4 (21:46):
No, not yet, And by read, I mean download an audio,
because I don't be reading like that, So I don't
want you to. Like my really good friend who I
think you know, Jamel Hill, she loves to tell me
she's so easy.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
She's like my grandma.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
About to download this book and we can talk about
it later. But Viola talks about the craft of acting
in such a special way. And and and the Biker
was arguably.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
One of the best.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
That's why I was a New York Times bestseller. Just
the poverty she came from and how she uses a
lot of that trauma in what she does. How would
you describe your your your your life? Has there been
pain like personally that really you were able to create
some great music because everyone got mad when Mary.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
When Mary J.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Blige started to heal, we didn't get what we needed.
We were like, Mary, how you gonna heal and not
give us the music we need because we out here
in the streets dealing with these trifling negroes.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Money and we and we need it. Now you you
all healed and rich and healthy. I guess we need that.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
You know what I don't. We don't need that. We
want to you know edge, you want the edge? I
get it. My friends used to say back in the day,
Ooh you mad tonight. Oh it's gonna be a good show.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
You got something to say? Oh I'm mad at him?
Wait till I get out there.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
You know, I write it in such songs. My earlier work,
I was more raw with it, but now I just
I'm more poetic as I've gotten older, because I hold
information for myself now and work out my trauma in
different ways.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
You know, for yourself. You don't give it to us, No,
don't give.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
It to you, guys. I just do. I just try to.
I don't think people want to hear all that. I mean,
maybe they do podcasts now, but that's you know, certain things.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
I just work it out on my own yeah, and
you and that was a season, as that was a
season for Mary.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Right, it's a season and it's okay, yeah, but it
does make great music. I can't lie because all righte trauma, Okay,
how I'm I pay these dang on bills? What am
I gonna do? So it's like survival mode, you know
what I mean, back in the day. So I get
it and it does help because someone else is going
through it, and I think that's why people relate to
(24:16):
my music. But good Life on the song good Light,
actual song, I was exhausted and you hear it.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
I say it.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I throw out my hands, thank you for this life
blessings over me. I try to think positive about it.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
I cry till there's no more tears. Like I'm saying,
I'm done. I'm depleted. I don't know what else to
do but surrender, so help make this work. I'm still grateful.
I'm exhausted, you know. So I put those little things
in the music and say the truth. And then on
(24:52):
another song, I say about like we're not we always
gaslight each other, and what way like we when we
talk about relationships, I'm talking about in if you're going
to be here, be here. If you're not, then move
out the way, so I don't waste my time, you know,
because you can't get time back all we have, so
(25:16):
we want to use our time preciously and choose who
we want there to enjoy our time with whomever. But
there are people that come in and make it in
the way. So be honest about it. And that's why
I love getting older, because you could just say whatever
you want to say, that's right, worry about the consequences,
Like I just need to know so I.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Can go and waste my time. I don't have it.
I got life to live.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
So maybe I'm working it out that way.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
Yes, that's what I said. That's another way of it.
It's the same, but it's just a much more mature,
curated way of saying what you feel. But it also
reflects where you're at. I think in your life too,
Like what you've been through, You're like, I don't have
to I don't have the time to cry. Who want
to cry and fight? But you won't do that all
the time. But it does give you, you know that
(26:04):
great music, but it can be it can manifest in
different ways. Is there an artist that you would never
work with again, but you wouldn't say their names?
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Have you ever?
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Wait? Wait you see I didn't said it very casually
like no big deal. There's a story behind this too, because.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
If I was as brave as you, I just cannot.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
You were like, you don't have to say a name,
but you're like, yeah, no, I was working with I
was working on this project.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
I'm like, I ain't fooling with him no more or her.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
I have that about people in my field, like as
a journalist, I'm like, I don't feel like I respect
what they do.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
They're the greatest. I've never I can say.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
I have had a person's number and I've called over
and over.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Oh I hate that able to.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Work with them, and they and they are incredible in
their own right, and I'll just keep calling to try to,
you know, make it happen, and then they don't respond.
But when you see them in person, oh, here's the
same number, and hey call me here and you do
(27:16):
the same cycle. That kind of stuff. Yeah, I've totally
let go of all that kind of stuff. That's gaslighting.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
But that's also a compliment because to your talent and
who you are, and they think, oh, for sure, Oh
for sure.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
I don't know whether it is.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
It's almost like we should get together and then, or
we should do this and we should do that. That's
a compliment. I take it as a compliment. When someone
tells me you love that, that's a compliment. She's like,
or he's like, or whomever is like. I don't know
the person. They know what you are, and maybe perhaps
they're shine could bring more shine to you, or perhaps
you're shine would out shine them. But whatever it is,
(27:55):
that is, you're not thinking that way.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
You just want to do.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
You want to do art, you want to but for
that to like you, it's a calculated thing, you know
what I mean. Like you can't keep coming to me
saying let's work together and then or I keep coming
you say on this work together or call you and
ignore me. Then when every time you see me and
stop it don't be that way.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
So well, now I just avoid the dialogue.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
And like it's not even time. Okay. I appreciate that.
I love you for that because there's just no need.
I ain't fooling with you.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
I don't have time.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
Forday, Yeah, last night you talked about writers last night
when this podcast there on Monday. It will be Thursday night.
Thursday night, Lisa Ray had a party call Where the
Black People At? This is why you love her because
the party is called where are the Black People At?
And it was just a it was a casual thing, right,
tons of people show up. I see this man that
(28:45):
I've had a crush on forever. He's a writer. I
have a crush on him forever. To your point, like
we all we DM we exchange, we'd be dming be exchanging.
He'd be hardened, I'd be heartened. See this full in person.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
And he's like what, I what?
Speaker 4 (29:03):
And I was like, see now, I don't like you.
He's trying to pretend like he doesn't remember any of
our exchanges. And I was like, I was about to
upgrade your life.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
It is over. You are real, Hollywood. I don't respect that.
I want you to be who you are. You know
what I mean? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Every time, every time.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Because we're too old for that. You're too old for that.
What're too old for that?
Speaker 4 (29:21):
To your point, and I just just like I get it,
so I know what you're feeling in this. In case,
it was he's just whatever. But I don't know why
I told you that story.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
No, but I love it.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
You were like, what is going on?
Speaker 2 (29:35):
I was like, it was agreeing that I forgot I downgrade.
I'll come back to that.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
Oh, it was the writing of it all. But he's
still an amazing writer. And you say you're interested in
working with amazing writers. Is there some movie that you've
seen this Award season where you felt like the writing
was phenomenal? I want to work with this.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
American Fiction was incredible written.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
I love that. Why did you like American fiction? What
did he give you? I saw it too. I love it.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
But I like the comedy. I like the comedy. I
like the honesty of it. I like the ending a lot,
and I love the actors, the delivery of it. You
can tell where it's some of it is just more natural.
You can tell the writer made space for them to play.
(30:23):
And the Erica is everything. I love seeing Erica in this.
It was different because she did she had moments that
weren't funny that I liked. I hadn't seen that part
of her in a long time, so I had I agree.
I love that they made her a girlfriend. I love
that she was sexy and all the things. I was like,
(30:44):
I want more of that for us. Do you think
that you will?
Speaker 4 (30:49):
And of course you will, But I know that a
lot of the roles where people I've seen you, you've
played other actresses, you, you've played other singers. Would you
want to do something that's a crazy departure? What is
a what would be a crazy departure for you?
Speaker 1 (31:06):
I would love to play someone completely dysfunctional and mean
and uh and comedy. I would love like someone whose
loud mouth, that auntie that come in the room and
cut up. I would love to play that that you're like,
say that, like that. I would love to be that.
(31:28):
Anything that has to do with being boisterous love I
love that and unexpected. Are you the opposite of that
in your life? Am I the opposite? And I'm that
way with my band? I cut up with my band, Yeah,
but not in front of a bunch of people. You know.
I'm from nos We classy, yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
I Do you consider yourself an introvert around other people?
Are you shy when you're in a different room.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
Sometime until you get to know me? But I'm a
little bit of both. I've had I had to become
a little bit of both because you can't just sit
in the corner and watch people. He had to get
out there and talk to folks. So I do that
a lot a lot more better. I think the twenty
twenty taught me how to be more sociable. Okay, out
(32:17):
like wow to my audience, and because you couldn't reach
them any other way, so I had to be on
the internet. That The Internet is what scares me the most,
like this zooming stuff. That's just not my thing. But
I do it anyway and try to personality in the box,
you know what I mean. But I'm a laugher. I
love laughing loud. I love hanging out. I'm that that
(32:40):
part of the Everybody loves seeing that. And I cussed
a little bit, you know what I mean. People love
seeing that. I posted this little clip of me cussing
in the studio. Everybody's like, oh, I'm grown. I cuss,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
It's like it happened loud. I still love the Lord,
Like okay, I'm.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
I'm still one. But I cut up a little bit,
and that's my thing. And people are shocked when I
say yeah I can sing, They're like really, yeah, it's
not being arrogant, it's just saying that's what I do.
I'm a whole call me to do.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
I sing with an A. I can sing, you can,
you don't sing, you can do all of that stuffs.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
And then teaching is fun too. I love when teaching.
I'm direct with teaching too. I don't mess around with
that stuff.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
What do you mean when you teach other people to sing?
Speaker 1 (33:31):
When I teach, I teach at Berkeley College of Music, right,
I teach it with the the Jazz and Gender Justice,
which is a program out of Berkeley College of Music
that Terry Lane Carrington founded. A Grammy Award winning professor.
She's incredible to musician. She likes to make sure there's
diversity with women in musicianship and uh in music spaces,
(33:57):
behind the scenes, in front and whatever. But she's the
one that helped me become a professor there. And we
teach Africana studies, We teach masterclasses with singing, We teach
about legends you know that came before me, and all
the things. I feel that singers need to learn how
to perform and own their space in the world and
(34:18):
not feel timid about it. Just be unapologetic and stand
in your space and go, you know, what I mean,
This is who I am erics and because everybody thinks
per they're imperfections, they're all. That's the first thing they
focus on this era because the because of social media,
like you can't be you got to be perfect. It's
like no, your imperfections make you who you are, So
(34:41):
just eat that.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
Well.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
My other teacher said I shouldn't sing here. I said,
why not this part of your voice? Use it for
something else, Move it out the way it maybe it
doesn't work for this style of music, but save it
for something else. I use every part of my voice
and they're shocked, you know, But that's those are the
kind I'm the rebellious one. I'm very rebel like I
just I don't follow the rules that great. But people
(35:06):
don't know that about me because you're not hanging out
with me. You don't see how I teach or move.
You just see this record, you know what I mean.
And I'm not always online to show that part.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
And whether it's intentional or not intentional, because I don't
think you have to put everything on social media. I
don't think everything that you have is met for social media,
although society today will tell you that. But I've always
thought that music was the biggest for our culture, for
black folks, especially one of the biggest ways in which
we advocate for ourselves and tell people how to fight
(35:41):
the justice.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
And I'm black and I'm proud, you know what I mean?
Do you consider yourself an advocate? Absolutely? In what way?
Speaker 1 (35:51):
In wellness? In balance? That chaos is real, messy is real.
I advocate. You don't know that I advocate. My closest
friends know me. Musician friends know they see me behind
the scenes advocating. I don't show that part of me.
(36:14):
I'm like, I guess how they said Prince was where
he does stuff and they just now finding out about it.
I'm one of those kind of people like I don't
have to brag about my advocacy. I was shocked. I
did an interview and someone found out about it, you
know what I mean, And they're like, I was like, oh,
we're talking about that. I didn't know. You know, I
have a care for musicians' rights, and I advocate for
(36:35):
you know, with recording academy for the youth and making
sure there's balance between the old school and new school,
making sure everybody is seen and heard, not just being
relevant all the time. Sometimes it's not about that, it's
about the quality of the work. Well, for me, it's
always about that and preserving history. I love history and
(36:57):
people and I don't know. I just think I'm an
advocate in my own way, kind of like how Mahela
was her money where she needed to. She sang the
songs to unite people. Same thing. Bob Marley did, same thing,
Marion did, same thing. So many others have done to
(37:20):
unite people, or to ignite people, or to make people
think about how they feel about things, or say the
things they can't say. And I have to remind some
of the elders. Look, they is wild out here. We
need to talk about those things. Nothing's wrong with it
is here. So let's let them talk about it. Or
(37:42):
I'll say it, but I'll say it in a different
way than the other person will. But it needs to
be said, you know. And they're like, well that's too this.
I said, I love it. We need all of us,
all of the things out there, to find out what
it is and see, you know, is it hurting us
or is it not. That's why I love. I just
(38:03):
love what I do. I add a space of safety.
I'm not judging you be who you are, do what
you do, but don't but remember there's a root to
you too. What's your history, what's your legacy? What are
you leaving behind? What will that say about your line
of family members? I still trust and love that part
of us, So I'm holding on to it, and so
(38:26):
and a lot of other people are. But I don't judge.
That's not my theme.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
Every champion and carry champions. To be a champion, a
champion and carry champion and carry chappy y'all? A champion
and carry champion and carry champion?
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Sports and entertainment?
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Can naked weird.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
Look very champion and cary champions? To be a champion,
A champion and carry champion? Niggers City yat a champion
and carry champion and carry champion entertainment?
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Can I get work as an activist? Do you? Would
you if you had a title? People love titles. You
don't have to have one.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
But would you call yourself a musical activist, a political activist,
an activist in general? Do you live in all of
these spaces? I did a quick and this is quick
when I tell you, it wasn't deep, but it's a quick,
little deep dive. I and I noticed that you follow
so many of my really good girlfriends and they are
about fight the power to the p O W E
(39:28):
R and I.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
And I thought to myself, what this is of interest?
This is? This is? This is she cares, she sees
you know, the distance from where we were and where
we need to go. Women.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
It's Women's Month. I love powerful women that are unafraid
to say, hey, get off my neck, get out my space,
move over here. You know I want my money. I
love I love all those women that aren't afraid to
speak about out something that everyone's scared to step on.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
I just I wish I had the boldness that they have.
So I do what I can to support them retweet.
When I see them, I say thank you and they
say thank you for the music. So I'm doing something.
It may not be what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Or that's all doing something.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
We're doing something. So when they're there, I support and
I say it out loud so they see my face
in my eyes, I love you, thank you. And there
are days I've needed them, I mean on the other
side of the screen. Yes, girls say it please, because
it's like, is anybody else gonna say that this woman
(40:45):
is hurt, this woman has been wronged. Is anyone to
stand up for this woman like we do when it's
the black man? Are we gonna help black? I black women.
I love black women. I love our are just we
don't know beings.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
We are the moral conscience of this whole damn country.
We have their children, we have raised them, we have
stood by our man, and still no one is speaking
for us if we don't speak for ourselves. And it
is so frustrating.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
So when you say that, and yes, it is Women's
History Month, but when I talk about the special sauce
that we bring to everything that we do, your music,
which is here, you know, I'm just like we do
it like none other. And with that, I just think
to myself, Okay, I see what she's saying. I feel
what you feel, and you are necessary and you're important.
(41:40):
And I will say this just as a fan. If
you don't feel that, know that there are so many
of us who are thinking that, who have said that,
and who are sending you that energy.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
I've promised you. I feel it all the time, even
when I just a phone call, but little texts means
everything to me. There I don't feel the heavy anymore.
I just remind people the heavy was there. Keep going
like a little post here and there. But my black
(42:14):
circle of women, the black women around me, they don't play.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
They cut.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
Girl. They tell you the truth. Hey, true, blah blah blah.
Speaker 4 (42:24):
You know.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
I just got off the phone before we talked with
Queen Anita Baker. She's so proud of me, she had
to call. I said, you don't have to call. She's like, no, No,
I need you to know. Listen, I need you to know.
I'm so proud of you. You're doing your work. You're
doing the real work. People are healing people. You're healing,
and you're saying the things that need to be said.
(42:48):
You know, somebody needs this today. Is everything coming from
her because her music.
Speaker 4 (42:55):
Man, you know, I ain't even got this step cleaning
up the house on a Saturday. Mama, sweep this carpet
because you can't. You might vacuum a penny, so you
can't use the vacuum.
Speaker 1 (43:07):
So I had to say, oh, you had to sweep.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
And tell me. Anita got me through.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
And then you didn't do it right, you didn't get
the corners. I I feel it that, I feel it.
No and there's just something special about the black woman
who understands that. It's so great your your latest album, congratulations,
you deserve, you deserve, You deserve. And that has been
my mantra for all my favorite for all my black women, period,
all my.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
I'm gonna say that to you now now rap out
of it.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
Yeah you deserve.
Speaker 4 (43:38):
What do you want when people go out and buy
this album or listen to this album? What do you
want them to to take away if you had, If
you had a message.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
It's about getting through it, just through feel good and
find the good in every moment of it. Good life
even when it's chaotic. What what is good about this though?
Speaker 2 (44:01):
What if I learned?
Speaker 1 (44:02):
What can I do better and get through it? The
message parts, the beautiful parts, and yourself? Love yourself, love
yourself better than I have a husband. I love him,
he loves me great. But I gotta love me, you know.
I gotta like or are you soul?
Speaker 2 (44:25):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (44:26):
I gotta be constantly loving on myself and giving myself
time so that I want for anybody, male, female, whatever,
love yourself as you let us.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
See, we love you as you are. We're letting you go.
Thank you for being so patient and being so kind
with us. Today. We will obviously meet again. I feel
like I manifest this.
Speaker 4 (44:49):
I'm gonna bump into you somewhere and just roll up
on you, and don't be absolutely surprised.
Speaker 2 (44:54):
I'd be loved how comfortable I am.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
Done, did better.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
It's gonna be like that. It's gonna be a reunion.
I think there's gonna be a family.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
Glad I got to meet you.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
I am too. I appreciate you.
Speaker 4 (45:11):
You are so fun, you are a blessing. Thank you
so much for coming on naked. You were beautiful and naked,
So thank.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
You, Thank you so much much.
Speaker 4 (45:19):
You guys, She's a key key. I may have edited
some of that stuff out, but she is a key key. Like,
we had a really good time and I enjoyed her.
She is a real, real, real woman. What a refreshing
thought to have, right, Like, have you ever met someone
and you walk away feeling, Oh, they're authentic, they're genuine
And in this world it's so rare because we often
feel like we need to perform, and we do right.
(45:42):
We do need to perform a little in our jobs.
We do need to perform a little bit in our lifestyles.
We do need to perform a little bit on social media.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
That is the name of the game.
Speaker 4 (45:50):
You don't have to play it to a certain extent,
but there is some part of that that comes with
the job. Nowadays, you can't just sit at home and
mind your business. Does dagg Internet made it difficult. But
it is her eleventh album. It is out today and
I need as in listen to it right now, go
buy it today as you hear this podcast today and
(46:14):
support what she's doing. She's an independent artist. She has freedom,
but with that freedom comes more responsibilities. You heard her
talk about being an activist for other artists. She's talking
about legacy and what it means when people talk about legacy,
it's important to know where you've come from and what
you're leaving behind, and she does. She does know that
(46:38):
she has given credit to Nina Simone has a huge
influence on her life. If you're not familiar with Nina Simone,
get your education again. Legacy because everything that's happening in
our world today with art, with music, with people that
you might know and love, there was someone who influenced them,
who was doing it exactly the way that they are
(46:58):
doing it. Just with the new bound twist of today.
Legacy is important and I appreciate. Let us see for
being here on Naked Today again. Go out and support
this system. We're wrapping it up. I'll be back next
week again. Tell some woman you love her. Is Women's
History Monk, Give somebody a shout out. Cash at somebody,
(47:20):
cash at me, celebrate us, cash out the Naked crew.
I'll defend it. I'll send it out to the women
that are on. Is Women's History Month. But we're doing
Give us a dollar, a Starbucks card.
Speaker 2 (47:33):
You know what I mean. You get what I'm saying.
Have a great day. Talk to y'all soon about
Women. It's Women's Month. I love powerful women that are
unafraid to say, Hey, get off my neck, get out
my space, move over here, you know I want my money.
I love all those women that aren't afraid to speak
about something that everyone's scared to step on. You know
(00:21):
what I mean. I just I wish I had the
boldness that they have. So I do what I can
to support them. Retweet. When I see them, I say
thank you and they say thank you for the music.
So I'm doing something. It may not be what they're
doing or.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
That's all doing something.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
We're doing something.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Sit back, relax and welcome. Let us ee to Naked.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
It's the greatest suspense and entertainment can make you win.
Every champion make Cary Chappy is going to be a champion.
A champion. They care a chapion the champion. They care
with champion and care with chat.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Hey, everybody, welcome to a new edition of Naked.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
It is Women's History Month, and I just want to
do a couple of things. I want to shout out
a couple of women. Hey, you know what I want
to shout out myself. I want to thank myself.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Nissie Nash for reminding us that we should just thank ourselves.
Life is is is one of these things that make
you laugh, and it also can be, obviously for many people,
really difficult. And I think oftentimes a conversation that me
and my girlfriends have often is as a black woman,
we don't feel seen or heard and and and depending
(01:42):
on who you're talking to, if you're talking to someone
who's not a black woman, they may roll their eyes.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
They're like, what does that mean? What does that mean?
Speaker 4 (01:48):
And it means that we could be doing the same
job that our male counterpart is doing, or we could
be doing the same exact work that our our white
female counterpart is doing. But we we often don't feel acknowledged,
and we often feel like our words fall on ears
that are not listening.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Right, They're just like death, No one wants to hear it.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
And I see all these wonderful women in certain spaces
that have these these titles with their jobs. But I
also know, as we celebrate Women's History Month, that these
jobs and these big, these big titles that some people
have like I'm the CEO of this or the CEO
of that, rarely do black women have those titles with
(02:32):
the power and what I mean is you give it
to me because it looks good, but when I try
to assert my power, I am not allowed to assert
my power.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
There's an asterisk.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Okay, you may be the cm O, the chief marketing
officer for a company, but now you're doing something that
is really out of your range and we can't trust you.
So we're gonna let your other counterpart, your your white
male counterpart, or your white female counterpart, have a little
more power than you do.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
And it's unfortunate.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
So I just want to give a shout out to
all women as we celebrate Women's History Month. But I
want to give a special love, some special love to
my sister's in a struggle. I see you, I know you,
I feel you, even if I don't know you. But
what I do know, if I'm being honest with you,
the underlying feeling of I want more, I deserve more,
(03:23):
I need to be acknowledged is real. And I encourage
you not to give up. I encourage you to stay focused.
I encourage you to get through it all, to focus
on the good in life, if you will, to focus
on what's good. Because if I'm complaining, there's someone looking
at me. Saying, you're complaining about the stuff you dreamed about.
(03:45):
This was all a dream at one point, Carrie, So
how the heck you complaining? And I understand, Like I said,
it's tiring, but I encourage you all to focus on
the good this month. The good that you've been able
to do, the good that you've been able to accomplish,
the good that is still yet to come.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
And that is real.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
And with that being said, I'm leading into our next
guest because she is doing that with her latest album.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
She is focusing on the good.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Can you imagine? Y'all know lettusy And if you don't,
I don't know where you've been. And when I tell
you to download her latest album, to listen to her
past albums and play it in your house, play it
in your car. Her music is healing. It makes you
feel good about yourself. It makes you, even if it
(04:30):
is a sad topic, you're still like I can get through.
It's calming and we need calm in this day and age.
Trust me, we really really do. And because it is
Women's History Month, we are going to talk about what
I believe is one of our great singers. She is
not only a singer she's an actress. She's played the
likes of a Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Mahelia Jackson in Selma.
(04:54):
If you saw Selma. It takes someone with a crazy
amount of fortitude to say I'm going to use my
voice to recreate those grades.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Glad as Night, Mahelia Jackson, Petty Label. Are you kidding me?
You're not intimidating. That has to be for a singer
to say I can do what they do well. She
does it, and she does it well.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
She's also a professor at the Berkeley School of Music,
and I'd like to call her an activist. She doesn't
necessarily live necessarily in the political atmosphere, but she's an
activist at her core, a musical activist, an activist for
the culture, and activist for the people. She is a
renaissance woman in every single way, and she is here
(05:39):
today on Naked to talk about her journey and her
latest album, Good Life. Everybody, sit back, relax, turn up
the valume, and I know I already know what you're
about to say.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
There's so many commercials.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
You can fast forward to those commercials so you can
get right to this juice, this education, this Ted talk
she's about to give us.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Sit back, relax and welcome. Let usy to Naked.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Champion, and care with Chatpian.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
And care with Chat.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
I normally just start with an origin story because what
I'm really interested in When I meet people that are
really talented, I'm always curious about how that talent was fostered.
When did they know they have had that certain talent?
And I'm reading your story and you come from a
musical family, and I'm curious because you talked about this
(06:27):
as a kid. You remember your mother singing and performing,
And I want to know when you're seven or eight
years old, because I usually think that's when we know
we want to do something. Maybe take me back to
when you were seven or eight years old as a child,
growing up in a musical household, How did you know
you had a talent?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
My mom was my Michael Jackson, right. She was the
person that I cared about. Her opinion mattered to me
most because I saw her do what I wanted to do,
so when she approved it, then it felt good. And
the other reason is I got more friends when I
(07:08):
started to sing. I was like, oh, I can make friends.
I can use this to make friends. So I knew
my votes had a ring to it that would just
ring out and make people change or do something nicer,
it calm things. So that's when I knew I had something.
What it was, I don't know. You don't know at
(07:30):
seven or eight. You just know when you use whatever
that bell is to make people calmer or nicer, or
react or feel. Then I did. I knew I want
to use this gift.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
So did your mother say to you when you were little,
seeing what I singing? Hum?
Speaker 4 (07:47):
When do you just when do you start singing? When
do you just say, uh oh, that sounds good? Because
I thought, I, you know, that's a gift that everyone wants.
Everyone wants to learn how to sing. You sing in
the shower, I would love, And then I learned quickly
I was. There was no singing for me ever in
my life. So when did you go that you, at
such a young age had something special.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Did you just start singing because you heard your mom sing?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I don't remember the reason. My mom said, I just
one day in the kitchen, because we sang a lot
in the kitchen, Well, my mom did, I just in
New Orleans, I just started singing. Reasons out the blue.
I knew the song. I didn't tell them I could sing.
My mom is not the stage mom. She didn't force anything.
She didn't say sing this sing back to me. We
(08:34):
didn't do any of that. She just let it happen.
And so naturally, one day I just started singing, and
everybody looked, and they didn't know that I could say what.
I was like, you just sang Reasons by Earth when
a Fire like Phillip Bailey and hitting all the notes
on pitch because she is very particular. She's a quick
(08:55):
cap record, so she's like, yeah, born on the first
of January. Uh, she's real particular about every little thing.
She said. You were on pitch, you real tiny, sitting
in your seat and just wailing, and I was like, wow,
those notes are I reason to.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Say the least, And you just started seeing it. She
didn't even know you knew the song. And everyone stops
in their tracks and they look at you, like, wow,
this is special.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
So I became that family member where the baby get
up and sing, get up and dance.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
For me, it was read the church program because you
can read well, get on and do that. Big words
I could even pronounce. So I understand that I think
that is really special. I also I also know that
you just said something. Your voice calms people. So when
I play your music in my house, like on the speakers,
(09:53):
my house feels warm, it filmed, it feels welcoming. It
feels like I could leave it all day.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
I could clean, I could walk, I could talk, I
could be on the phone, I could be I can
do errands.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Do you believe that's a God given gift?
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Absolutely, there's no no afterthought about that is definitely not
of my doing. Entirely. I am doing the work, but
it comes from a special place because there are days
I don't know how how I'm doing what I do.
I had a friend come to my rehearsal, our final
(10:31):
tour rehearsal. We've been best friends a long time, and
he still goes, I don't know how you do. He
studies music, he knows the voice. But he says, you're
not You're an alien. They can do the things you do.
And I say, well, I said, I don't feel like it.
I'm working hard and I like doing the same amount
(10:55):
of work as everybody else. But he's like, no, but
it looks so you look so relaxed. When you do it,
you look so calm. I said, no, there there's a
fire alarm under my armpits.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
It's like it's like I'm I'm nervous all the time,
like interesting. I want to be like anybody else. I
want to do a great job and kick but at
what I do, it's like a workout. I give a lot.
That's why at the end, I'm like, I don't know
what else to give, But I just gave a whole bunch,
(11:29):
you know what I mean. And I don't get the
opportunity to do it small. Everything I do is with
great intention, and I feel like I'm connected to another source.
I call it God that comes and I honor all
the spaces and people that came before me as well
(11:50):
as myself and my parents, you know, legacy. So I
have a point to prove, which is I belong here
and I'm here to help with with using my craft.
That's what the greats did. You know? Mahelia, when she spoke,
she helped Martin. When she's sang, she helped the movement.
When Marian Anderson, same thing she was the first to do,
(12:14):
make a create a moment for a movement, we all
my kind of singers. That's what we do. We have
the get. God only gives it to certain people to
do that. So I know what I have. It took
me a while to just go ahead and accept it
because it comes with enormous amount of pressure to be
(12:35):
a certain way. You know, you don't get off.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Day when you say it took you a while to
accept it, That is a radical acceptance of what you have.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Why did it take you a while to accept it?
Was there too much pressure associated with it?
Speaker 4 (12:51):
Or maybe you felt like you wanted you felt pressure
to do something different, to have a different type of music.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Do you know music?
Speaker 1 (12:58):
None of that. It was more so people's perception of
the box they want to keep you in. It was external.
It's like when we love something, if only they would
just stay here and do this because I love what
they do here. A voice like mine belongs everywhere that
I could possibly go. It doesn't belong in one space.
(13:20):
But I do honor where I started. I honored the
root and all that stuff. But I think I get
nervous about titles. You know that those things bother me
with my voice?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
What are the titles that make.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Oh, you're only an RB singer. That's why I did
let us see sings. Nina, You're not really a jazzing
because you do R and B. But I do do jazz.
I can scatch just like every instrument that I love,
you know love. I started there. That's how I got
made a living to pay bills, you know what I mean.
(13:58):
Nobody wanted to hear me sing R and B and
I'm a horrible background singer, so that didn't work for me.
That's try. But anyway that I don't know what else
I'm talking about. I haven't eaten yet, but I'm here.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
That's okay me too. I'm starving, but I work better
that way.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
Otherwise I get exactly, I get the itis advice, and
I'm like, girl that I'll be sleep during this.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
I think that what you said was really powerful.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
They want to put you as an R and B singer,
but a voice that yours belongs in so many places
because it's necessary, because it does have this healing, this calming,
this happiness. And oftentimes I say this about comedians. Those
who make us happy always usually are the ones that
may suffer because it's torture.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Do you do you ever deal with that? Like you
can your music makes.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
People so happy, but sometimes you're not happy like you
could put You could put out album after album. I
think you've been nominated. I think twelve times.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
I think twelve times.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
For a grand I think it's more, but I can't
remember a time.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
I think it's fourteen. Yes, okay, I want to make
sure I get that right.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
It doesn't matter. It's been a lot.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
It's been a lot, and that means you resonate with people.
Do you find it hard to be the one that
makes everyone smile in the room or feel good in
the room.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
I don't feel. I feel like I have songs that
are chaotic. There's some dysfunctional tunes. If you what happens
is it feels so good? Yeah, you're missing the message.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
On one hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
I feel I'm telling all the human experience. I'm not
avoiding it. I don't have see what's funny is this
album good life? I gotta talk about it because I
didn't have I have the least amount of connection to
it in a personal way. I actually felt like I
had the fight was trying to be personal in it
(16:06):
instead of just releasing that and writing as a songwriter,
write about human experience, create a story like how I
do when you're acting, get to create a story or
a character that's going through something. And I had to
do that in order to be involved in this project.
Normally I put myself more in it. This time I couldn't.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
It was the only album that you've done that that
particular approach is it's the only album you've done that
with with Good Life.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Majority of the biggest amount the wild Card. I did
it a little bit. I started understanding what it means
to be a songwriter interesting. I carried it over into
this because it was hard to be We don't have
anything interesting going on here. It's like our life is
our life, and like regular people, you know, we're interesting
(16:58):
about us moving.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Yes, I want to hear about that.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
It's kind of day to day.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
What you're gonna eat, what you're gonna cook.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
I'm with you. I was like, these are real problems.
I don't know if you you know in California my
leaks started leaking, my roof was leaking, Yeah, the rain.
I was like, can someone give me a song about this?
This is.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
That people want to hear about. What are we doing?
Speaker 1 (17:25):
You didn't have anything, so I was let me think
about human experience and dysfunctional chaos, and you know, good
life is to me about getting through. It's not it's
the messy parts, it's the beautiful part, but it's how
you got through it, How did you get through things?
You know, we don't talk about that at.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
All, and we're not transparent. But for me, music is
has been revolutionary. It is an act of resistance. It
is my advocacy. It gives me the words that I
don't have when I I'm like, I feel that I
feel what you said, but I didn't have the words
for what you said.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
It's sad. It's sad.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Every champion and carry champion is to be a champion,
a champion and carry Chappion and carried Chap beata champion
and carried Chappion and carrie Chaps his sporsion.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Entertainment can nake you weirder?
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Kerry Champion and carry Champion is to be a champion
of champion and carri Chapion the champion and carry Chapion
and carried chap Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Get nick you word.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
I wonder is it difficult to make that transition to acting.
You've made it seem seamless. Although Lake Gladys Knight Mahelia Jackson,
I understand that, Pet Labell. I believe I was that
difficult for you because it seems to me when you
sing from your soul and then someone gives you words
(18:51):
to say that they don't go together. Those two things
just don't go together. To me, one seems more authentic
and one seems more formed. But you are a performer,
are you know? So is it difficult to transition?
Speaker 2 (19:04):
It was?
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And when I was learning it on my own, but
having an acting coach understands and then working with Billy
Porter in theater that was an experienced life changing. He said,
you're a singer and they don't teach you how to
transfer that over into theater. He taught me some things.
(19:27):
Chester Gregory and my acting coach taught me a lot
of things. He said, what would you do do? What
would let us see do? Would let us say it
like that? He always says, good, can we have some realness?
And that I want the let us see to do it?
Now be the character?
Speaker 2 (19:45):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
How would let usye do it?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
That?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
We want authenticity as natural and like you would do it?
And that's how I think I just add the extra
components on top of it. And Billy was the same way,
but they weren't taught that. They had to learn it
because they're and also classes help understanding It's like a song.
The same way I sing it is the same way
(20:09):
I would say it. Yeah, but as like a conversation.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Like you and I.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Do you.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Like working with other actors? Ie? You do?
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Is there an actor that you work with that you're
like this person I'm in awe of? Or is there
an actor that you want to work with?
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Oh? Man, I would love to. It's more of writers
for me. I want to work with writers actors definitely.
I still I'm still learning that world. But it's really
writing that I love the most. The writing I get.
I'm becoming a fan of even more how things are written.
(20:50):
I would love to get lessons from Divine. She's incredible
because I seeing her in different roles and has been
amazing how she approaches her characters, meaning the little nuances
she does, It's just beautiful. I love this lady named
Kimberly Gregory. She's one of my favorites. She's not as
(21:13):
popular as everybody, but she's she's just incredible.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
She's a writer and an actor.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
She can write, but she's a great actress. What is
she on? Some stuff on the shy oh okay, she
also did. I can't remember all her stuff right now,
but she's incredible. She's like divine to me, one of
the It takes a while for the greats to get seen,
and it's Divine's time now. But she's been great long
(21:42):
before everybody caught up.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Did you read Viola Davis's book?
Speaker 4 (21:46):
No, not yet, And by read, I mean download an audio,
because I don't be reading like that, So I don't
want you to. Like my really good friend who I
think you know, Jamel Hill, she loves to tell me
she's so easy.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
She's like my grandma.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
About to download this book and we can talk about
it later. But Viola talks about the craft of acting
in such a special way. And and and the Biker
was arguably.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
One of the best.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
That's why I was a New York Times bestseller. Just
the poverty she came from and how she uses a
lot of that trauma in what she does. How would
you describe your your your your life? Has there been
pain like personally that really you were able to create
some great music because everyone got mad when Mary.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
When Mary J.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Blige started to heal, we didn't get what we needed.
We were like, Mary, how you gonna heal and not
give us the music we need because we out here
in the streets dealing with these trifling negroes.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Money and we and we need it. Now you you
all healed and rich and healthy. I guess we need that.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
You know what I don't. We don't need that. We
want to you know edge, you want the edge? I
get it. My friends used to say back in the day,
Ooh you mad tonight. Oh it's gonna be a good show.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
You got something to say? Oh I'm mad at him?
Wait till I get out there.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
You know, I write it in such songs. My earlier work,
I was more raw with it, but now I just
I'm more poetic as I've gotten older, because I hold
information for myself now and work out my trauma in
different ways.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
You know, for yourself. You don't give it to us, No,
don't give.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
It to you, guys. I just do. I just try to.
I don't think people want to hear all that. I mean,
maybe they do podcasts now, but that's you know, certain things.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
I just work it out on my own yeah, and
you and that was a season, as that was a
season for Mary.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Right, it's a season and it's okay, yeah, but it
does make great music. I can't lie because all righte trauma, Okay,
how I'm I pay these dang on bills? What am
I gonna do? So it's like survival mode, you know
what I mean, back in the day. So I get
it and it does help because someone else is going
through it, and I think that's why people relate to
(24:16):
my music. But good Life on the song good Light,
actual song, I was exhausted and you hear it.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
I say it.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I throw out my hands, thank you for this life
blessings over me. I try to think positive about it.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
I cry till there's no more tears. Like I'm saying,
I'm done. I'm depleted. I don't know what else to
do but surrender, so help make this work. I'm still grateful.
I'm exhausted, you know. So I put those little things
in the music and say the truth. And then on
(24:52):
another song, I say about like we're not we always
gaslight each other, and what way like we when we
talk about relationships, I'm talking about in if you're going
to be here, be here. If you're not, then move
out the way, so I don't waste my time, you know,
because you can't get time back all we have, so
(25:16):
we want to use our time preciously and choose who
we want there to enjoy our time with whomever. But
there are people that come in and make it in
the way. So be honest about it. And that's why
I love getting older, because you could just say whatever
you want to say, that's right, worry about the consequences,
Like I just need to know so I.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Can go and waste my time. I don't have it.
I got life to live.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
So maybe I'm working it out that way.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
Yes, that's what I said. That's another way of it.
It's the same, but it's just a much more mature,
curated way of saying what you feel. But it also
reflects where you're at. I think in your life too,
Like what you've been through, You're like, I don't have
to I don't have the time to cry. Who want
to cry and fight? But you won't do that all
the time. But it does give you, you know that
(26:04):
great music, but it can be it can manifest in
different ways. Is there an artist that you would never
work with again, but you wouldn't say their names?
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Have you ever?
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Wait? Wait you see I didn't said it very casually
like no big deal. There's a story behind this too, because.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
If I was as brave as you, I just cannot.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
You were like, you don't have to say a name,
but you're like, yeah, no, I was working with I
was working on this project.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
I'm like, I ain't fooling with him no more or her.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
I have that about people in my field, like as
a journalist, I'm like, I don't feel like I respect
what they do.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
They're the greatest. I've never I can say.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
I have had a person's number and I've called over
and over.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Oh I hate that able to.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Work with them, and they and they are incredible in
their own right, and I'll just keep calling to try to,
you know, make it happen, and then they don't respond.
But when you see them in person, oh, here's the
same number, and hey call me here and you do
(27:16):
the same cycle. That kind of stuff. Yeah, I've totally
let go of all that kind of stuff. That's gaslighting.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
But that's also a compliment because to your talent and
who you are, and they think, oh, for sure, Oh
for sure.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
I don't know whether it is.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
It's almost like we should get together and then, or
we should do this and we should do that. That's
a compliment. I take it as a compliment. When someone
tells me you love that, that's a compliment. She's like,
or he's like, or whomever is like. I don't know
the person. They know what you are, and maybe perhaps
they're shine could bring more shine to you, or perhaps
you're shine would out shine them. But whatever it is,
(27:55):
that is, you're not thinking that way.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
You just want to do.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
You want to do art, you want to but for
that to like you, it's a calculated thing, you know
what I mean. Like you can't keep coming to me
saying let's work together and then or I keep coming
you say on this work together or call you and
ignore me. Then when every time you see me and
stop it don't be that way.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
So well, now I just avoid the dialogue.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
And like it's not even time. Okay. I appreciate that.
I love you for that because there's just no need.
I ain't fooling with you.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
I don't have time.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
Forday, Yeah, last night you talked about writers last night
when this podcast there on Monday. It will be Thursday night.
Thursday night, Lisa Ray had a party call Where the
Black People At? This is why you love her because
the party is called where are the Black People At?
And it was just a it was a casual thing, right,
tons of people show up. I see this man that
(28:45):
I've had a crush on forever. He's a writer. I
have a crush on him forever. To your point, like
we all we DM we exchange, we'd be dming be exchanging.
He'd be hardened, I'd be heartened. See this full in person.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
And he's like what, I what?
Speaker 4 (29:03):
And I was like, see now, I don't like you.
He's trying to pretend like he doesn't remember any of
our exchanges. And I was like, I was about to
upgrade your life.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
It is over. You are real, Hollywood. I don't respect that.
I want you to be who you are. You know
what I mean? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Every time, every time.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Because we're too old for that. You're too old for that.
What're too old for that?
Speaker 4 (29:21):
To your point, and I just just like I get it,
so I know what you're feeling in this. In case,
it was he's just whatever. But I don't know why
I told you that story.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
No, but I love it.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
You were like, what is going on?
Speaker 2 (29:35):
I was like, it was agreeing that I forgot I downgrade.
I'll come back to that.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
Oh, it was the writing of it all. But he's
still an amazing writer. And you say you're interested in
working with amazing writers. Is there some movie that you've
seen this Award season where you felt like the writing
was phenomenal? I want to work with this.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
American Fiction was incredible written.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
I love that. Why did you like American fiction? What
did he give you? I saw it too. I love it.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
But I like the comedy. I like the comedy. I
like the honesty of it. I like the ending a lot,
and I love the actors, the delivery of it. You
can tell where it's some of it is just more natural.
You can tell the writer made space for them to play.
(30:23):
And the Erica is everything. I love seeing Erica in this.
It was different because she did she had moments that
weren't funny that I liked. I hadn't seen that part
of her in a long time, so I had I agree.
I love that they made her a girlfriend. I love
that she was sexy and all the things. I was like,
(30:44):
I want more of that for us. Do you think
that you will?
Speaker 4 (30:49):
And of course you will, But I know that a
lot of the roles where people I've seen you, you've
played other actresses, you, you've played other singers. Would you
want to do something that's a crazy departure? What is
a what would be a crazy departure for you?
Speaker 1 (31:06):
I would love to play someone completely dysfunctional and mean
and uh and comedy. I would love like someone whose
loud mouth, that auntie that come in the room and
cut up. I would love to play that that you're like,
say that, like that. I would love to be that.
(31:28):
Anything that has to do with being boisterous love I
love that and unexpected. Are you the opposite of that
in your life? Am I the opposite? And I'm that
way with my band? I cut up with my band, Yeah,
but not in front of a bunch of people. You know.
I'm from nos We classy, yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
I Do you consider yourself an introvert around other people?
Are you shy when you're in a different room.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
Sometime until you get to know me? But I'm a
little bit of both. I've had I had to become
a little bit of both because you can't just sit
in the corner and watch people. He had to get
out there and talk to folks. So I do that
a lot a lot more better. I think the twenty
twenty taught me how to be more sociable. Okay, out
(32:17):
like wow to my audience, and because you couldn't reach
them any other way, so I had to be on
the internet. That The Internet is what scares me the most,
like this zooming stuff. That's just not my thing. But
I do it anyway and try to personality in the box,
you know what I mean. But I'm a laugher. I
love laughing loud. I love hanging out. I'm that that
(32:40):
part of the Everybody loves seeing that. And I cussed
a little bit, you know what I mean. People love
seeing that. I posted this little clip of me cussing
in the studio. Everybody's like, oh, I'm grown. I cuss,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
It's like it happened loud. I still love the Lord,
Like okay, I'm.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
I'm still one. But I cut up a little bit,
and that's my thing. And people are shocked when I
say yeah I can sing, They're like really, yeah, it's
not being arrogant, it's just saying that's what I do.
I'm a whole call me to do.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
I sing with an A. I can sing, you can,
you don't sing, you can do all of that stuffs.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
And then teaching is fun too. I love when teaching.
I'm direct with teaching too. I don't mess around with
that stuff.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
What do you mean when you teach other people to sing?
Speaker 1 (33:31):
When I teach, I teach at Berkeley College of Music, right,
I teach it with the the Jazz and Gender Justice,
which is a program out of Berkeley College of Music
that Terry Lane Carrington founded. A Grammy Award winning professor.
She's incredible to musician. She likes to make sure there's
diversity with women in musicianship and uh in music spaces,
(33:57):
behind the scenes, in front and whatever. But she's the
one that helped me become a professor there. And we
teach Africana studies, We teach masterclasses with singing, We teach
about legends you know that came before me, and all
the things. I feel that singers need to learn how
to perform and own their space in the world and
(34:18):
not feel timid about it. Just be unapologetic and stand
in your space and go, you know, what I mean,
This is who I am erics and because everybody thinks
per they're imperfections, they're all. That's the first thing they
focus on this era because the because of social media,
like you can't be you got to be perfect. It's
like no, your imperfections make you who you are, So
(34:41):
just eat that.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
Well.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
My other teacher said I shouldn't sing here. I said,
why not this part of your voice? Use it for
something else, Move it out the way it maybe it
doesn't work for this style of music, but save it
for something else. I use every part of my voice
and they're shocked, you know, But that's those are the
kind I'm the rebellious one. I'm very rebel like I
just I don't follow the rules that great. But people
(35:06):
don't know that about me because you're not hanging out
with me. You don't see how I teach or move.
You just see this record, you know what I mean.
And I'm not always online to show that part.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
And whether it's intentional or not intentional, because I don't
think you have to put everything on social media. I
don't think everything that you have is met for social media,
although society today will tell you that. But I've always
thought that music was the biggest for our culture, for
black folks, especially one of the biggest ways in which
we advocate for ourselves and tell people how to fight
(35:41):
the justice.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
And I'm black and I'm proud, you know what I mean?
Do you consider yourself an advocate? Absolutely? In what way?
Speaker 1 (35:51):
In wellness? In balance? That chaos is real, messy is real.
I advocate. You don't know that I advocate. My closest
friends know me. Musician friends know they see me behind
the scenes advocating. I don't show that part of me.
(36:14):
I'm like, I guess how they said Prince was where
he does stuff and they just now finding out about it.
I'm one of those kind of people like I don't
have to brag about my advocacy. I was shocked. I
did an interview and someone found out about it, you
know what I mean, And they're like, I was like, oh,
we're talking about that. I didn't know. You know, I
have a care for musicians' rights, and I advocate for
(36:35):
you know, with recording academy for the youth and making
sure there's balance between the old school and new school,
making sure everybody is seen and heard, not just being
relevant all the time. Sometimes it's not about that, it's
about the quality of the work. Well, for me, it's
always about that and preserving history. I love history and
(36:57):
people and I don't know. I just think I'm an
advocate in my own way, kind of like how Mahela
was her money where she needed to. She sang the
songs to unite people. Same thing. Bob Marley did, same thing,
Marion did, same thing. So many others have done to
(37:20):
unite people, or to ignite people, or to make people
think about how they feel about things, or say the
things they can't say. And I have to remind some
of the elders. Look, they is wild out here. We
need to talk about those things. Nothing's wrong with it
is here. So let's let them talk about it. Or
(37:42):
I'll say it, but I'll say it in a different
way than the other person will. But it needs to
be said, you know. And they're like, well that's too this.
I said, I love it. We need all of us,
all of the things out there, to find out what
it is and see, you know, is it hurting us
or is it not. That's why I love. I just
(38:03):
love what I do. I add a space of safety.
I'm not judging you be who you are, do what
you do, but don't but remember there's a root to
you too. What's your history, what's your legacy? What are
you leaving behind? What will that say about your line
of family members? I still trust and love that part
of us, So I'm holding on to it, and so
(38:26):
and a lot of other people are. But I don't judge.
That's not my theme.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
Every champion and carry champions. To be a champion, a
champion and carry champion and carry chappy y'all? A champion
and carry champion and carry champion?
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Sports and entertainment?
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Can naked weird.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
Look very champion and cary champions? To be a champion,
A champion and carry champion? Niggers City yat a champion
and carry champion and carry champion entertainment?
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Can I get work as an activist? Do you? Would
you if you had a title? People love titles. You
don't have to have one.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
But would you call yourself a musical activist, a political activist,
an activist in general? Do you live in all of
these spaces? I did a quick and this is quick
when I tell you, it wasn't deep, but it's a quick,
little deep dive. I and I noticed that you follow
so many of my really good girlfriends and they are
about fight the power to the p O W E
(39:28):
R and I.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
And I thought to myself, what this is of interest?
This is? This is? This is she cares, she sees
you know, the distance from where we were and where
we need to go. Women.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
It's Women's Month. I love powerful women that are unafraid
to say, hey, get off my neck, get out my space,
move over here. You know I want my money. I
love I love all those women that aren't afraid to
speak about out something that everyone's scared to step on.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
I just I wish I had the boldness that they have.
So I do what I can to support them retweet.
When I see them, I say thank you and they
say thank you for the music. So I'm doing something.
It may not be what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Or that's all doing something.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
We're doing something. So when they're there, I support and
I say it out loud so they see my face
in my eyes, I love you, thank you. And there
are days I've needed them, I mean on the other
side of the screen. Yes, girls say it please, because
it's like, is anybody else gonna say that this woman
(40:45):
is hurt, this woman has been wronged. Is anyone to
stand up for this woman like we do when it's
the black man? Are we gonna help black? I black women.
I love black women. I love our are just we
don't know beings.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
We are the moral conscience of this whole damn country.
We have their children, we have raised them, we have
stood by our man, and still no one is speaking
for us if we don't speak for ourselves. And it
is so frustrating.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
So when you say that, and yes, it is Women's
History Month, but when I talk about the special sauce
that we bring to everything that we do, your music,
which is here, you know, I'm just like we do
it like none other. And with that, I just think
to myself, Okay, I see what she's saying. I feel
what you feel, and you are necessary and you're important.
(41:40):
And I will say this just as a fan. If
you don't feel that, know that there are so many
of us who are thinking that, who have said that,
and who are sending you that energy.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
I've promised you. I feel it all the time, even
when I just a phone call, but little texts means
everything to me. There I don't feel the heavy anymore.
I just remind people the heavy was there. Keep going
like a little post here and there. But my black
(42:14):
circle of women, the black women around me, they don't play.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
They cut.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
Girl. They tell you the truth. Hey, true, blah blah blah.
Speaker 4 (42:24):
You know.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
I just got off the phone before we talked with
Queen Anita Baker. She's so proud of me, she had
to call. I said, you don't have to call. She's like, no, No,
I need you to know. Listen, I need you to know.
I'm so proud of you. You're doing your work. You're
doing the real work. People are healing people. You're healing,
and you're saying the things that need to be said.
(42:48):
You know, somebody needs this today. Is everything coming from
her because her music.
Speaker 4 (42:55):
Man, you know, I ain't even got this step cleaning
up the house on a Saturday. Mama, sweep this carpet
because you can't. You might vacuum a penny, so you
can't use the vacuum.
Speaker 1 (43:07):
So I had to say, oh, you had to sweep.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
And tell me. Anita got me through.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
And then you didn't do it right, you didn't get
the corners. I I feel it that, I feel it.
No and there's just something special about the black woman
who understands that. It's so great your your latest album, congratulations,
you deserve, you deserve, You deserve. And that has been
my mantra for all my favorite for all my black women, period,
all my.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
I'm gonna say that to you now now rap out
of it.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
Yeah you deserve.
Speaker 4 (43:38):
What do you want when people go out and buy
this album or listen to this album? What do you
want them to to take away if you had, If
you had a message.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
It's about getting through it, just through feel good and
find the good in every moment of it. Good life
even when it's chaotic. What what is good about this though?
Speaker 2 (44:01):
What if I learned?
Speaker 1 (44:02):
What can I do better and get through it? The
message parts, the beautiful parts, and yourself? Love yourself, love
yourself better than I have a husband. I love him,
he loves me great. But I gotta love me, you know.
I gotta like or are you soul?
Speaker 2 (44:25):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (44:26):
I gotta be constantly loving on myself and giving myself
time so that I want for anybody, male, female, whatever,
love yourself as you let us.
Speaker 2 (44:39):
See, we love you as you are. We're letting you go.
Thank you for being so patient and being so kind
with us. Today. We will obviously meet again. I feel
like I manifest this.
Speaker 4 (44:49):
I'm gonna bump into you somewhere and just roll up
on you, and don't be absolutely surprised.
Speaker 2 (44:54):
I'd be loved how comfortable I am.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
Done, did better.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
It's gonna be like that. It's gonna be a reunion.
I think there's gonna be a family.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
Glad I got to meet you.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
I am too. I appreciate you.
Speaker 4 (45:11):
You are so fun, you are a blessing. Thank you
so much for coming on naked. You were beautiful and naked,
So thank.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
You, Thank you so much much.
Speaker 4 (45:19):
You guys, She's a key key. I may have edited
some of that stuff out, but she is a key key. Like,
we had a really good time and I enjoyed her.
She is a real, real, real woman. What a refreshing
thought to have, right, Like, have you ever met someone
and you walk away feeling, Oh, they're authentic, they're genuine
And in this world it's so rare because we often
feel like we need to perform, and we do right.
(45:42):
We do need to perform a little in our jobs.
We do need to perform a little bit in our lifestyles.
We do need to perform a little bit on social media.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
That is the name of the game.
Speaker 4 (45:50):
You don't have to play it to a certain extent,
but there is some part of that that comes with
the job. Nowadays, you can't just sit at home and
mind your business. Does dagg Internet made it difficult. But
it is her eleventh album. It is out today and
I need as in listen to it right now, go
buy it today as you hear this podcast today and
(46:14):
support what she's doing. She's an independent artist. She has freedom,
but with that freedom comes more responsibilities. You heard her
talk about being an activist for other artists. She's talking
about legacy and what it means when people talk about legacy,
it's important to know where you've come from and what
you're leaving behind, and she does. She does know that
(46:38):
she has given credit to Nina Simone has a huge
influence on her life. If you're not familiar with Nina Simone,
get your education again. Legacy because everything that's happening in
our world today with art, with music, with people that
you might know and love, there was someone who influenced them,
who was doing it exactly the way that they are
(46:58):
doing it. Just with the new bound twist of today.
Legacy is important and I appreciate. Let us see for
being here on Naked Today again. Go out and support
this system. We're wrapping it up. I'll be back next
week again. Tell some woman you love her. Is Women's
History Monk, Give somebody a shout out. Cash at somebody,
(47:20):
cash at me, celebrate us, cash out the Naked crew.
I'll defend it. I'll send it out to the women
that are on. Is Women's History Month. But we're doing
Give us a dollar, a Starbucks card.
Speaker 2 (47:33):
You know what I mean. You get what I'm saying.
Have a great day. Talk to y'all soon about
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