April 14, 2023 • 27 mins
Ed talks with singer KEM. They talk about his latest projects; a new book, Share my Life. The memoir chronicles the journey of a shy, emotionally starved child who spiraled into addiction and homelessness, only to become one of the most beloved singers of a generation, and Anniversary-The Live Album, that celebrates two decades of the singer’s hits.
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Speaker 1 (00:22):
Welcome to the latest edition of one hundred The Ed
Gordon Podcast. Today a conversation with superstar singer Kim. Born
Kim Owens in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in Detroit, Owens
has become an unlikely star. He's marked his second decade
in show business with Anniversary, a live album of his hits,
(00:45):
and a new book, Share My Life.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
The memoir chronicles the journey of a shy, emotionally starved
child who spiraled into addiction and homelessness, who, after hitting
rock bottom, wrote used to become one of the most
beloved singers of a generation.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hey man, congratulations on both projects. You've been busy man,
a live album and a book. Let me jump to
the book first, and then I'll get to the live album,
which I was fortunate enough in being there for one
of the nights you recorded. But wondering why you know,
you and I have known each other for a long time,
(01:26):
and many of the stories that you talk about in
the book you and I have talked about, but never
to the detail that's in the book. Let me read
the first line, and I'm curious about the idea of
how personal you got. First line of the book tells
you what the book really gets into. Says I had
(01:46):
dropped out of high school. After I disappeared for weeks,
my father wouldn't let me return. He was permanently kicking
me out to protect my mother, who was recovering, who
was a recovering alcoholic.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Give me a sense of what you had to deal
with personally to get this deep into telling your life.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Well, first of all, thanks for having me man.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
I really appreciate you making time for me today.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Writing this memoir.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
Memoir was one of the most transformative experiences of my life,
and people who have followed me are not strangers to
me telling my story, whether it's you know briefly from
the stage or or you know in interviews over the
past twenty years that I've been signed to the label,
(02:37):
so people are from I've always shared bits and pieces.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
I've always been open, but the.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
Book was the perfect vehicle to expound on these stories
and expound on my journey in the hopes that although
it's not a self help book per se, but my
hope is that there are takeaways that can help other
(03:03):
people to transform whatever they may be going through. I
talk about, of course, addiction, I talk about being homeless,
I talk about mental health, I talk about you know,
interracial dating, and you know, you know, I cover a
lot of ground intentionally, you know, and again, you know,
it's it's a The book is an active service.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Like my music.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
I look at the book as as as ministry, you know,
of sorts. So my hope is that there's some takeaways
that people can can use to have better outcomes in
their lives.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, it's it's great because again, you and I have
done many an interview. I remember going back to the
Salvation Army with you with one of the segments we did.
But your life has always been inspirational, you know, and
a ministry in that way. Was there any pause at all?
(03:58):
Because you got so much in the book to say, Man,
I don't know, you know, I've told these stories, but
never to this level. Was there any pick up? Any pause?
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Oh? Yeah there was?
Speaker 5 (04:10):
Yeah, there everything everything that make it. We told a lot,
but we didn't tell everything. Yeah, yeah, look, yeah there
was pause.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
There was.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
You know, I'm not only I'm not only telling my story,
you know, I'm telling bits and pieces of other people's story,
you know, in the book, you know, from my mom, my.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Dad, you know, the mothers of my children. You know,
I'm telling bits and you know, so it was definitely
a dance.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
I went way around the block to try to protect
and not dinnigrate or you know, just to you know,
tell other people's story only as it helped me tell mine.
You know, I wasn't there to tell their story. I'm
really here to tell mine. So there was definitely a dance.
And we'll see where the We'll see where the dust
settles on that. I ain't got no calls yet, but
(05:05):
I'm sure I got some calls from it, you know,
because I.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Ask you that. That was really literally one of my questions,
the idea that because you talk about others in the
loved Ones, did you go to them first. I remember
talking to the late comedian David Arnold, who was on
the show with me just a couple of weeks before
he passed, unfortunately, and he did a special where he
did the same kind of thing, and I asked him,
(05:30):
did you talk to the people first? Did you in
fact tell folks, hey, it's going to be in in
the book and I'm going to get into it, or
did you just let it fly and deal with it after?
Speaker 4 (05:42):
I just I just I just wrote it.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
You know, I didn't go and like you know, I
didn't go and check I mean that, you know, nobody's
going to nobody's going to see Yeah, nobody's going to
see it through the lens of my eyes, right and
I'm not.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
And you know, so I need it. I needed to.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
I needed to tell it as I saw it, you know,
and and fully understanding that that people may have, you know,
a different perspective, they may have a different outlook on it.
And uh and and in the room I leave, I leave,
I leave room for that, you know, gracious with you know,
with with with everyone. So I welcome those I welcome those,
(06:24):
those conversations and that and that opportunity to you know,
to to speak to people who you know, see it differently,
you know than than I did.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Welcome that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
You know what I found interesting when I was reading
the press release for the book, and as I started
to read the book, the idea of these are words
that are used emotionally unconscious at a time in your life,
emotionally starved. Yet you are someone whose emotions have come
(06:55):
out in their craft in a way that most people
could not necessar necessarily articulate or do from performance to songwriting.
How much of what you were to use the word
here starved at an early age. How much do you
believe it helped you in the end?
Speaker 5 (07:13):
Oh, I think that, you know, I think I've done
something wonderful with the lemons of my life, you know. Oh,
my art is in My art is informed by by
my journey. You know, music was while I wasn't expressing myself.
You know, I wasn't expressing myself maybe in our in
(07:36):
our in my family of.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Origin, or or with with other people.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
I was expressing myself full throatedly, you know, through through
my music, and and and rightly so. And I think
that I don't know that I would have it any
other way. You know, the music is informed by my
art is informed by by my journey.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
And uh and and I'm grateful for that.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
You know what I love about what you were able
to do. Let me steal another line. You say, my blues,
like everyone's blues, begins in the long ago and far away.
You know, too often we're in the moment, but we
don't realize that that moment really is based on all
the things that led to that moment.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
Absolutely, Yeah, And it also speaks to that you know,
we think we are the authors of our thoughts and
of our mindsets, when actually, you know, there's a lineage
going back through our ancestry of why we act and
(08:38):
behave and hold the thoughts and ideas that we have
a lot of those thoughts are not are not our own.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
You know.
Speaker 5 (08:45):
I speak in the book about about the voice of silence,
you know, silence and the shame, and how we didn't
talk about anything in our household that didn't just start
in our household, right that started that started generations ago,
you know. And so there there's an awareness that I
hope is brought to bear on the psyche of people
who read the book that you know, you have you
(09:08):
have a choice, You have choices today, you know, and
step back and let's reevaluate and assess, you know, how
do we want to show up in the world, and
what are we basing our decisions on?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Are they based on fact? You know?
Speaker 5 (09:20):
Are they based on you know, somebody else's fiction, you know,
and just passed and just passed down? We're on autopilot,
on autopilot or am I? Am I being intentional? You
know about about the way that I'm choosing to live
my life and show up in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
What's interesting is you talk about for the family and
to your point generationally, you know, the mantra that they
had hard things are better left unsaid. And I think
it's unique because that will connect with a lot of
black folks in particular because that's the way we were
taught right a long time.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
You know, grown folks business.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yeah, grown folks business.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Don't take our business out side the house. Yeah, don't
put it in the streets, right right.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
You know, we didn't have the language, you know, the
we didn't have the language for for all of those things,
all of those coping skills. We didn't have the language
for mental health, you know, issues ADHD or depressed.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
You walked and you walked in my house talking about
you depressednigga.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
We Yeah, that's real.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
We all depressed. What I'm saying, Yeah, we depressed.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
Right, so you put your head down, you know, and
you power through it, which and there is a place
for that, but that that that that place comes with limitations,
you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
So awareness, awareness is everything, and.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
That was unique, uniquely impressionable for young black men. Yeah,
because the men that raised us, whether it was our
fathers or the brothers in the streets. There was no
room for any of that.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Yeah, yeah, right, yeah, no.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Room for any of that. Tell me what it was
like working with David Ritz, who co authored this with you,
because he is you know, when you talk about music biographies,
he's one of the tops, did you know, Marvin Gay, Ray,
Charles Wreatha, Franklin. I mean, he's he's he's great for
capturing that. What was it like working with him?
Speaker 5 (11:15):
It was it was David Ritz was the exact right collaborator,
you know, for for this this project. And uh, and
I actually met him early and I met him like
maybe outside of twenty years ago, you know, so we've
we've been friends and uh circling back to him, uh
(11:36):
to write this memoir was was you know, I mean,
David has a gift. You know, he's a writer, but
he also has a keen insight and awareness to celebrity
and the trappings of fame and the missteps and the
and the deceit of.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Of of wealth, of of of wealth.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
And and you know the psychology behind it all, addiction.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
You know, he understood, you know, the human condition.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
He understands all of that in his way able to
articulate and investigate, you know, and poke in pride, you know,
to to peel back layers of the onions of of
of of in this case of my life.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
And uh so he was a perfect the perfect collaborator.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Did you find yourself at any point at crossroads with him?
I remember him telling me about working with Aretha, and
you and I both knew Aretha Franklin, and with all
due respects, she had a gift, quite frankly at crafting
the queen, crafting that image. I'm sure there were times
that you know, maybe he had to convince you that
(12:43):
this was worth telling.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
There were there were stories, you know, there were particular stories,
some that made their way into the book and some
did not, you know, And we never you know, we
always came to, always came to, you know, an understanding
of how I wanted to approach you know, different subject matter,
(13:06):
and he always left it to me to to make
the final decision. So we didn't we didn't bump heads.
And in that way, he was very generous and patient,
because I don't think that he was surprised that, you know,
I'm like, I'm in here with you writing this book,
like for realand It's like, I'm you know, we're going
(13:29):
back back and forth with the manuscript, you know, and
I'm editing and I'm writing, and I'm like, nah, you know,
I want to you know, I'm crafting it like I
craft songs, you know, which is which is?
Speaker 4 (13:39):
You know, an arduous process for me. So he was.
He was very, very patient and generous, the perfect collaborator.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
What's it like to look back, and this will kind
of transition us to the live project. What's it like
now to look back on twenty years of a career?
You know, I think about picarly the last few years
when everybody's been kind of talking to me about my career.
You know, on a day to day you don't think
about it, right, Yeah, when people start to think about it,
and then you realize, in your case, two decades in now,
(14:11):
you know, you sometimes surprise yourself that it's been that long.
Are you surprised that it's been two decades now?
Speaker 5 (14:18):
Yeah, I'm like, I you know, I'm like twenty years.
You know, somebody should tell me, tell tell my accountant.
I've been doing this for twenty I'm like, you know, uh, yeah,
it is surprising. It doesn't seem like it's been that long,
you know, you know, and I don't.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
I don't take it for granted. It's unprecedented, you know,
in this day and age, you know, to twenty years
with the same label, you know, and twenty years of
successful and relevant art, you know, successful and relevant work.
You know, the ones and Grammy nominations and and and
(15:04):
everything all that comes with it. Yeah, So it's it's
you know, it's surreal, you know in a sense. And
I ain't done yet, you know what I'm saying. It's
like I feel in many ways like I'm still you know,
I'm still sharpening the saw every day. I'm working in
different and much harder ways than I did when I
first started, you know, because I don't take this for granted,
(15:26):
and I want to make sure that I'm operating at
the highest level, you know, for myself and and for
those people who are working with.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
Me, you know. So yeah, so it's onward, you know.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Yeah, we need to stop and recognize this moment and
recognize like what it is. You know, this cat from Detroit,
you know, and you know, the first album being independent
on my own label, selling it out of my trunk,
you know, old dope, being recovering alcoholic. You know, uh,
(15:58):
don't get a record deal till I'm thirty four, thirty
five years old. You know, none of this was really
supposed to happen, you know, left to the world standards,
you know, and here I sit, you know, so I
definitely don't take it for granted.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
How often does that amaze you?
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I mean, beyond the odds of just being a person
who's had a twenty year career in music today. You
know that wasn't hard years ago, right, right, But that's
difficult today. Yeah, that's difficult today. But to think about
the insurmountable odds of just becoming a known musician, artist, star,
(16:33):
and then someone who had to overcome all of that
to reach that. You know, Look, dude, you need to
play the numbers or something, because you're beating all the odds, right,
do you think about that?
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Yeah, I've been looking for the six digit you know
what I'm saying, Eat the power ball, Right, I got
a few dollars that can buy a few thousand tickets.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
You try to make something happen.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Look, I yeah, you know, I mean I think about it,
you know, I think about that, particularly when I'm not
having a good day, you know what I'm saying. Uh, Well,
when things aren't going the way that or as well
as I would like them to go, you know, I
have to think about you know, there are there are
(17:19):
drunk tanks, penitentiaries, cemeteries, hospitals, mental institutions that are filled
with people who would love to be living the life.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
That I'm living, and you too.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
I mean, we can all say that, right, we can
all say that, you know, there are people who would
love to have your problems, you know what I'm saying.
So so I really have to look at it through
the through the lens of gratitude and and uh and humility,
you know, on plan I mean, because I wasn't supposed
to make it, on top of the on top on
top of you know, the black Man's statistics and how
(17:52):
long we were supposed to live without the dysfunction, right right,
and then on top of that you put all there's
other stuff on top of it.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
It's like, dude, you know, I'm playing with house money,
you know.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
So, uh so I'm I have nothing but gratitude.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Let me let me transition now to the live album,
the Anniversary Ship.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
You can trusted me.
Speaker 5 (18:31):
Give everything on me.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Give me a sense of the love you've received from
your fans and why you wanted to do this live album.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
You know, people have been priding me to do a
live album for a long time, and I never felt
that I had up until now, I never felt that
I had the cashe the you know, the catalog, the gravitized,
(19:05):
you know, the stature you know in the industry too,
that that that was worthy of a live album. I
think a live albums. I think of Marvin Gay at
the Palladium. I think of Earth Wind and Fire. I
think of you know, all of these, all of these
great albums that we all have have known and loved
(19:26):
for years.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
But you know, twenty years in the game.
Speaker 5 (19:29):
You know, it's like, you know, we this this is
a moment, you know, and let's let's commemorate you know,
this moment with with a live album. Let's let's do that.
Let's give Let's give the folks, the fans and R
and B lovers you know, all over the world, Let's
give them the live Kim experience. So in a way,
(19:50):
you know, they have it at their fingertips, you know,
Let's let's do that.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
I still want you to come to the show. But
now you got it. You got it at the crib,
you know, and and I'm really really happy and excited
about it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
What what is the the relationship that you've had with
with the fans? I can say that I was interested
in watching as I did, not only from my seat
that night, but I went in the wings to watch
and also watch the audience reaction so I could see
(20:22):
them directly. And it's it's genuine. You know, there's nothing
like I think the music fan. You know, there's something
about music and our attachment to musicians that's different from
folks on TV and folks in the movies and.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
All of that.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Give me a sense of what that's been for you.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
My fans are devoted, you know. That's the word that
I would use to describe, you know, the lovers of
my music. They aren't they aren't devoted, you know. And
they show up at every show in every city and
travel from city to city, you know, to to see
the show, and you know they're they're just devoted. It's
(21:05):
just it's just love. And when I'm on stage, it
is a it's it's a it's.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
Not a monologue.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
It's dialogue, you know, it's a conversation between me and
the audience, and you know, and I so I you know,
and the people who are who are you know there
are people that is more uh of the younger generations
are entering into are you know, we're becoming a part
(21:34):
of of that of their lexicon too, or incrementally with
streaming and some of the collaborations that we're done with
Cleifland and and Ross. So you know, I I you know,
I'm inn I'm in a you know, I'm in a
I'm in a great place, you know, and and continuing
(21:57):
to grow and continuing to uh to thrive. So I
my fans are you know, they're they're there, you know,
they're everything, and they listen and the people and you know,
people who start out with me. Look, I can't just
come to y'all with anything, right because y'all the people
always listening to Luther and Patty and and Shaka and
Jay's and the Whispers and Frankie Beverly and Mays and
(22:18):
like right. So it's like, I gotta you know, y'all,
you know, I can't come crazy, you know.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
What I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
I gotta come come correct, you know, because you're you know,
people hope me in that in that regard, you know,
So I don't.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
I don't take it for granted at all, you know.
And uh, And I'm very appreciative and have and I'm devoted.
I'm devoted to and I'm my fans aren't devoted to me,
and I'm devoted.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
To my fans.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
I mean, because that's what has been unique about people
like yourself. You know, there's a fine line because music
has always been trending, and record companies want, no matter
who you are, to go with whatever the hot style
is that particular time, and it doesn't always fit everybody.
I think Shade has been, you know, a classic example
(23:07):
of staying in the lane, still being able to sell albums,
not embarrassing herself as some others contemporaries have done. Let
me ask you, you know, we talked about their live album,
but you're on tour with let Us See and Music
right now. I know it's been a great tour for you.
I've seen some of the posts, but tell people what
that's been like with Letosy, who is just amazing and
(23:30):
how much longer and you know, I'm sure they'll be
able to catch you as we move into summer.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
Yeah, we we have about just under I think six
weeks left so to sold tour being on the road,
and we've been and actually, you know, you know, let
us see that we've been out on the road in
this exact configuration, you know, in like twenty eleven with Intimacy,
right which I didn't even know. I was at the
house in Detroit going through some things and found tour
(23:57):
jackets from that tour with music coach all let us
see and Kim on those jackets, you know, So it's
a pleasure to be out with them. You know, we're
we're cool with each other. Music saying at my wedding,
let let us and I have made a record together.
We've worked with a lot of the same people, so
it's you know, it's an experience. It's definitely an experience.
(24:19):
So we have shows on the book at Music by Kim.
You know, you can get all the tour dates. I
think we've got like Orlando coming up. I'll be in
the Akron uh this week, we got Chicago this week, Milwaukee, UH,
DC down the road. So we're you know, we're we're
out here. We're out here.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
Get Baltimore's on the I think Baltimore's on the list.
So we're out here. We're out here getting it in,
you know.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
And for R and B lovers who love good R
and B, it's a perfect great night, the perfect date night.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
Yeah, get your tickets and come come holler at us.
We'd love to see you.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Lastly, man, let me ask you. You mentioned early on
in the interview that that you're not done. Yeah, tell
me what you haven't done yet, that you want to
do or that you're working to do.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
I really want to leave a very strong legacy of music,
you know. And I know that there's a there's a
Grammy out there still with my name on it, you know.
I want to Uh, we're looking at possibly taking the
the book too to the screen, and you know, I
(25:32):
think I've got I got another I got another book
in me. Uh and and and just continuing to direct,
to write, to write great music, you know, because the music,
the music is the gateway for me something else. And
it's it's I enjoy it, you know, and I know
my fans dig it.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
So I'll keep doing that. Well.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Look, those of us who have loved you music from
day one and appreciated you since then, Uh, continue to
look forward to whatever you put out, my brother. Uh,
the book is Share My Life, A Journey of Love,
faith and Redemption. Get out there and check him out
on tour. And if you cannot do that, and even
if you can, uh, the album, the anniversary the live
(26:16):
album is ready for streaming. And those of y'all who
are still old school, I guess you can find a
CD copy somewhere, So get out the yeah.
Speaker 5 (26:24):
Right, So that's an important point, right because the release,
what we just released is is digital only, but we
got vinyl coming. We have CDs coming so later probably
I think we're gonna we're gonna do it sometime this summer.
So yeah, so the vinyl, vinyl and and we've got
a box set coming later this year with all the
records in it, you know.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
So it's you know, we got we got you cut.
Speaker 5 (26:45):
However you consume your fine music, we got you covered.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Go hey man.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Always good to see.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
You, bro, you too, Thank you pretty time Ed Again.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Kim's book Share My and his New Music Anniversary the
Live Album are both available now. One is produced by
Ed Gordon Media and distributed by iHeartMedia. Carol Johnson Green
and Sharie Weldon are our bookers. Our editor is Lance
(27:20):
Patton Gerald Albright composed and performed our theme. Please join
me on Twitter and Instagram at edel Gordon and on
Facebook at ed Gordon Media
Welcome to the latest edition of one hundred The Ed
Gordon Podcast. Today a conversation with superstar singer Kim. Born
Kim Owens in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in Detroit, Owens
has become an unlikely star. He's marked his second decade
in show business with Anniversary, a live album of his hits,
(00:45):
and a new book, Share My Life.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
The memoir chronicles the journey of a shy, emotionally starved
child who spiraled into addiction and homelessness, who, after hitting
rock bottom, wrote used to become one of the most
beloved singers of a generation.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hey man, congratulations on both projects. You've been busy man,
a live album and a book. Let me jump to
the book first, and then I'll get to the live album,
which I was fortunate enough in being there for one
of the nights you recorded. But wondering why you know,
you and I have known each other for a long time,
(01:26):
and many of the stories that you talk about in
the book you and I have talked about, but never
to the detail that's in the book. Let me read
the first line, and I'm curious about the idea of
how personal you got. First line of the book tells
you what the book really gets into. Says I had
(01:46):
dropped out of high school. After I disappeared for weeks,
my father wouldn't let me return. He was permanently kicking
me out to protect my mother, who was recovering, who
was a recovering alcoholic.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Give me a sense of what you had to deal
with personally to get this deep into telling your life.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Well, first of all, thanks for having me man.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
I really appreciate you making time for me today.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Writing this memoir.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
Memoir was one of the most transformative experiences of my life,
and people who have followed me are not strangers to
me telling my story, whether it's you know briefly from
the stage or or you know in interviews over the
past twenty years that I've been signed to the label,
(02:37):
so people are from I've always shared bits and pieces.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
I've always been open, but the.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
Book was the perfect vehicle to expound on these stories
and expound on my journey in the hopes that although
it's not a self help book per se, but my
hope is that there are takeaways that can help other
(03:03):
people to transform whatever they may be going through. I
talk about, of course, addiction, I talk about being homeless,
I talk about mental health, I talk about you know,
interracial dating, and you know, you know, I cover a
lot of ground intentionally, you know, and again, you know,
it's it's a The book is an active service.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Like my music.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
I look at the book as as as ministry, you know,
of sorts. So my hope is that there's some takeaways
that people can can use to have better outcomes in
their lives.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, it's it's great because again, you and I have
done many an interview. I remember going back to the
Salvation Army with you with one of the segments we did.
But your life has always been inspirational, you know, and
a ministry in that way. Was there any pause at all?
(03:58):
Because you got so much in the book to say, Man,
I don't know, you know, I've told these stories, but
never to this level. Was there any pick up? Any pause?
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Oh? Yeah there was?
Speaker 5 (04:10):
Yeah, there everything everything that make it. We told a lot,
but we didn't tell everything. Yeah, yeah, look, yeah there
was pause.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
There was.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
You know, I'm not only I'm not only telling my story,
you know, I'm telling bits and pieces of other people's story,
you know, in the book, you know, from my mom, my.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Dad, you know, the mothers of my children. You know,
I'm telling bits and you know, so it was definitely
a dance.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
I went way around the block to try to protect
and not dinnigrate or you know, just to you know,
tell other people's story only as it helped me tell mine.
You know, I wasn't there to tell their story. I'm
really here to tell mine. So there was definitely a dance.
And we'll see where the We'll see where the dust
settles on that. I ain't got no calls yet, but
(05:05):
I'm sure I got some calls from it, you know,
because I.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Ask you that. That was really literally one of my questions,
the idea that because you talk about others in the
loved Ones, did you go to them first. I remember
talking to the late comedian David Arnold, who was on
the show with me just a couple of weeks before
he passed, unfortunately, and he did a special where he
did the same kind of thing, and I asked him,
(05:30):
did you talk to the people first? Did you in
fact tell folks, hey, it's going to be in in
the book and I'm going to get into it, or
did you just let it fly and deal with it after?
Speaker 4 (05:42):
I just I just I just wrote it.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
You know, I didn't go and like you know, I
didn't go and check I mean that, you know, nobody's
going to nobody's going to see Yeah, nobody's going to
see it through the lens of my eyes, right and
I'm not.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
And you know, so I need it. I needed to.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
I needed to tell it as I saw it, you know,
and and fully understanding that that people may have, you know,
a different perspective, they may have a different outlook on it.
And uh and and in the room I leave, I leave,
I leave room for that, you know, gracious with you know,
with with with everyone. So I welcome those I welcome those,
(06:24):
those conversations and that and that opportunity to you know,
to to speak to people who you know, see it differently,
you know than than I did.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Welcome that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
You know what I found interesting when I was reading
the press release for the book, and as I started
to read the book, the idea of these are words
that are used emotionally unconscious at a time in your life,
emotionally starved. Yet you are someone whose emotions have come
(06:55):
out in their craft in a way that most people
could not necessar necessarily articulate or do from performance to songwriting.
How much of what you were to use the word
here starved at an early age. How much do you
believe it helped you in the end?
Speaker 5 (07:13):
Oh, I think that, you know, I think I've done
something wonderful with the lemons of my life, you know. Oh,
my art is in My art is informed by by
my journey. You know, music was while I wasn't expressing myself.
You know, I wasn't expressing myself maybe in our in
(07:36):
our in my family of.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Origin, or or with with other people.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
I was expressing myself full throatedly, you know, through through
my music, and and and rightly so. And I think
that I don't know that I would have it any
other way. You know, the music is informed by my
art is informed by by my journey.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
And uh and and I'm grateful for that.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
You know what I love about what you were able
to do. Let me steal another line. You say, my blues,
like everyone's blues, begins in the long ago and far away.
You know, too often we're in the moment, but we
don't realize that that moment really is based on all
the things that led to that moment.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
Absolutely, Yeah, And it also speaks to that you know,
we think we are the authors of our thoughts and
of our mindsets, when actually, you know, there's a lineage
going back through our ancestry of why we act and
(08:38):
behave and hold the thoughts and ideas that we have
a lot of those thoughts are not are not our own.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
You know.
Speaker 5 (08:45):
I speak in the book about about the voice of silence,
you know, silence and the shame, and how we didn't
talk about anything in our household that didn't just start
in our household, right that started that started generations ago,
you know. And so there there's an awareness that I
hope is brought to bear on the psyche of people
who read the book that you know, you have you
(09:08):
have a choice, You have choices today, you know, and
step back and let's reevaluate and assess, you know, how
do we want to show up in the world, and
what are we basing our decisions on?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Are they based on fact? You know?
Speaker 5 (09:20):
Are they based on you know, somebody else's fiction, you know,
and just passed and just passed down? We're on autopilot,
on autopilot or am I? Am I being intentional? You
know about about the way that I'm choosing to live
my life and show up in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
What's interesting is you talk about for the family and
to your point generationally, you know, the mantra that they
had hard things are better left unsaid. And I think
it's unique because that will connect with a lot of
black folks in particular because that's the way we were
taught right a long time.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
You know, grown folks business.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yeah, grown folks business.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Don't take our business out side the house. Yeah, don't
put it in the streets, right right.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
You know, we didn't have the language, you know, the
we didn't have the language for for all of those things,
all of those coping skills. We didn't have the language
for mental health, you know, issues ADHD or depressed.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
You walked and you walked in my house talking about
you depressednigga.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
We Yeah, that's real.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
We all depressed. What I'm saying, Yeah, we depressed.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
Right, so you put your head down, you know, and
you power through it, which and there is a place
for that, but that that that that place comes with limitations,
you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
So awareness, awareness is everything, and.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
That was unique, uniquely impressionable for young black men. Yeah,
because the men that raised us, whether it was our
fathers or the brothers in the streets. There was no
room for any of that.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Yeah, yeah, right, yeah, no.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Room for any of that. Tell me what it was
like working with David Ritz, who co authored this with you,
because he is you know, when you talk about music biographies,
he's one of the tops, did you know, Marvin Gay, Ray,
Charles Wreatha, Franklin. I mean, he's he's he's great for
capturing that. What was it like working with him?
Speaker 5 (11:15):
It was it was David Ritz was the exact right collaborator,
you know, for for this this project. And uh, and
I actually met him early and I met him like
maybe outside of twenty years ago, you know, so we've
we've been friends and uh circling back to him, uh
(11:36):
to write this memoir was was you know, I mean,
David has a gift. You know, he's a writer, but
he also has a keen insight and awareness to celebrity
and the trappings of fame and the missteps and the
and the deceit of.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Of of wealth, of of of wealth.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
And and you know the psychology behind it all, addiction.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
You know, he understood, you know, the human condition.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
He understands all of that in his way able to
articulate and investigate, you know, and poke in pride, you know,
to to peel back layers of the onions of of
of of in this case of my life.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
And uh so he was a perfect the perfect collaborator.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Did you find yourself at any point at crossroads with him?
I remember him telling me about working with Aretha, and
you and I both knew Aretha Franklin, and with all
due respects, she had a gift, quite frankly at crafting
the queen, crafting that image. I'm sure there were times
that you know, maybe he had to convince you that
(12:43):
this was worth telling.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
There were there were stories, you know, there were particular stories,
some that made their way into the book and some
did not, you know, And we never you know, we
always came to, always came to, you know, an understanding
of how I wanted to approach you know, different subject matter,
(13:06):
and he always left it to me to to make
the final decision. So we didn't we didn't bump heads.
And in that way, he was very generous and patient,
because I don't think that he was surprised that, you know,
I'm like, I'm in here with you writing this book,
like for realand It's like, I'm you know, we're going
(13:29):
back back and forth with the manuscript, you know, and
I'm editing and I'm writing, and I'm like, nah, you know,
I want to you know, I'm crafting it like I
craft songs, you know, which is which is?
Speaker 4 (13:39):
You know, an arduous process for me. So he was.
He was very, very patient and generous, the perfect collaborator.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
What's it like to look back, and this will kind
of transition us to the live project. What's it like
now to look back on twenty years of a career?
You know, I think about picarly the last few years
when everybody's been kind of talking to me about my career.
You know, on a day to day you don't think
about it, right, Yeah, when people start to think about it,
and then you realize, in your case, two decades in now,
(14:11):
you know, you sometimes surprise yourself that it's been that long.
Are you surprised that it's been two decades now?
Speaker 5 (14:18):
Yeah, I'm like, I you know, I'm like twenty years.
You know, somebody should tell me, tell tell my accountant.
I've been doing this for twenty I'm like, you know, uh, yeah,
it is surprising. It doesn't seem like it's been that long,
you know, you know, and I don't.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
I don't take it for granted. It's unprecedented, you know,
in this day and age, you know, to twenty years
with the same label, you know, and twenty years of
successful and relevant art, you know, successful and relevant work.
You know, the ones and Grammy nominations and and and
(15:04):
everything all that comes with it. Yeah, So it's it's
you know, it's surreal, you know in a sense. And
I ain't done yet, you know what I'm saying. It's
like I feel in many ways like I'm still you know,
I'm still sharpening the saw every day. I'm working in
different and much harder ways than I did when I
first started, you know, because I don't take this for granted,
(15:26):
and I want to make sure that I'm operating at
the highest level, you know, for myself and and for
those people who are working with.
Speaker 4 (15:34):
Me, you know. So yeah, so it's onward, you know.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Yeah, we need to stop and recognize this moment and
recognize like what it is. You know, this cat from Detroit,
you know, and you know, the first album being independent
on my own label, selling it out of my trunk,
you know, old dope, being recovering alcoholic. You know, uh,
(15:58):
don't get a record deal till I'm thirty four, thirty
five years old. You know, none of this was really
supposed to happen, you know, left to the world standards,
you know, and here I sit, you know, so I
definitely don't take it for granted.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
How often does that amaze you?
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I mean, beyond the odds of just being a person
who's had a twenty year career in music today. You
know that wasn't hard years ago, right, right, But that's
difficult today. Yeah, that's difficult today. But to think about
the insurmountable odds of just becoming a known musician, artist, star,
(16:33):
and then someone who had to overcome all of that
to reach that. You know, Look, dude, you need to
play the numbers or something, because you're beating all the odds, right,
do you think about that?
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Yeah, I've been looking for the six digit you know
what I'm saying, Eat the power ball, Right, I got
a few dollars that can buy a few thousand tickets.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
You try to make something happen.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Look, I yeah, you know, I mean I think about it,
you know, I think about that, particularly when I'm not
having a good day, you know what I'm saying. Uh, Well,
when things aren't going the way that or as well
as I would like them to go, you know, I
have to think about you know, there are there are
(17:19):
drunk tanks, penitentiaries, cemeteries, hospitals, mental institutions that are filled
with people who would love to be living the life.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
That I'm living, and you too.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
I mean, we can all say that, right, we can
all say that, you know, there are people who would
love to have your problems, you know what I'm saying.
So so I really have to look at it through
the through the lens of gratitude and and uh and humility,
you know, on plan I mean, because I wasn't supposed
to make it, on top of the on top on
top of you know, the black Man's statistics and how
(17:52):
long we were supposed to live without the dysfunction, right right,
and then on top of that you put all there's
other stuff on top of it.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
It's like, dude, you know, I'm playing with house money,
you know.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
So, uh so I'm I have nothing but gratitude.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Let me let me transition now to the live album,
the Anniversary Ship.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
You can trusted me.
Speaker 5 (18:31):
Give everything on me.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Give me a sense of the love you've received from
your fans and why you wanted to do this live album.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
You know, people have been priding me to do a
live album for a long time, and I never felt
that I had up until now, I never felt that
I had the cashe the you know, the catalog, the gravitized,
(19:05):
you know, the stature you know in the industry too,
that that that was worthy of a live album. I
think a live albums. I think of Marvin Gay at
the Palladium. I think of Earth Wind and Fire. I
think of you know, all of these, all of these
great albums that we all have have known and loved
(19:26):
for years.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
But you know, twenty years in the game.
Speaker 5 (19:29):
You know, it's like, you know, we this this is
a moment, you know, and let's let's commemorate you know,
this moment with with a live album. Let's let's do that.
Let's give Let's give the folks, the fans and R
and B lovers you know, all over the world, Let's
give them the live Kim experience. So in a way,
(19:50):
you know, they have it at their fingertips, you know,
Let's let's do that.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
I still want you to come to the show. But
now you got it. You got it at the crib,
you know, and and I'm really really happy and excited
about it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
What what is the the relationship that you've had with
with the fans? I can say that I was interested
in watching as I did, not only from my seat
that night, but I went in the wings to watch
and also watch the audience reaction so I could see
(20:22):
them directly. And it's it's genuine. You know, there's nothing
like I think the music fan. You know, there's something
about music and our attachment to musicians that's different from
folks on TV and folks in the movies and.
Speaker 4 (20:37):
All of that.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Give me a sense of what that's been for you.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
My fans are devoted, you know. That's the word that
I would use to describe, you know, the lovers of
my music. They aren't they aren't devoted, you know. And
they show up at every show in every city and
travel from city to city, you know, to to see
the show, and you know they're they're just devoted. It's
(21:05):
just it's just love. And when I'm on stage, it
is a it's it's a it's.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
Not a monologue.
Speaker 5 (21:11):
It's dialogue, you know, it's a conversation between me and
the audience, and you know, and I so I you know,
and the people who are who are you know there
are people that is more uh of the younger generations
are entering into are you know, we're becoming a part
(21:34):
of of that of their lexicon too, or incrementally with
streaming and some of the collaborations that we're done with
Cleifland and and Ross. So you know, I I you know,
I'm inn I'm in a you know, I'm in a
I'm in a great place, you know, and and continuing
(21:57):
to grow and continuing to uh to thrive. So I
my fans are you know, they're they're there, you know,
they're everything, and they listen and the people and you know,
people who start out with me. Look, I can't just
come to y'all with anything, right because y'all the people
always listening to Luther and Patty and and Shaka and
Jay's and the Whispers and Frankie Beverly and Mays and
(22:18):
like right. So it's like, I gotta you know, y'all,
you know, I can't come crazy, you know.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
What I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
I gotta come come correct, you know, because you're you know,
people hope me in that in that regard, you know,
So I don't.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
I don't.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
I don't take it for granted at all, you know.
And uh, And I'm very appreciative and have and I'm devoted.
I'm devoted to and I'm my fans aren't devoted to me,
and I'm devoted.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
To my fans.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
I mean, because that's what has been unique about people
like yourself. You know, there's a fine line because music
has always been trending, and record companies want, no matter
who you are, to go with whatever the hot style
is that particular time, and it doesn't always fit everybody.
I think Shade has been, you know, a classic example
(23:07):
of staying in the lane, still being able to sell albums,
not embarrassing herself as some others contemporaries have done. Let
me ask you, you know, we talked about their live album,
but you're on tour with let Us See and Music
right now. I know it's been a great tour for you.
I've seen some of the posts, but tell people what
that's been like with Letosy, who is just amazing and
(23:30):
how much longer and you know, I'm sure they'll be
able to catch you as we move into summer.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
Yeah, we we have about just under I think six
weeks left so to sold tour being on the road,
and we've been and actually, you know, you know, let
us see that we've been out on the road in
this exact configuration, you know, in like twenty eleven with Intimacy,
right which I didn't even know. I was at the
house in Detroit going through some things and found tour
(23:57):
jackets from that tour with music coach all let us
see and Kim on those jackets, you know, So it's
a pleasure to be out with them. You know, we're
we're cool with each other. Music saying at my wedding,
let let us and I have made a record together.
We've worked with a lot of the same people, so
it's you know, it's an experience. It's definitely an experience.
(24:19):
So we have shows on the book at Music by Kim.
You know, you can get all the tour dates. I
think we've got like Orlando coming up. I'll be in
the Akron uh this week, we got Chicago this week, Milwaukee, UH,
DC down the road. So we're you know, we're we're
out here. We're out here.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
Get Baltimore's on the I think Baltimore's on the list.
So we're out here. We're out here getting it in,
you know.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
And for R and B lovers who love good R
and B, it's a perfect great night, the perfect date night.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
Yeah, get your tickets and come come holler at us.
We'd love to see you.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Lastly, man, let me ask you. You mentioned early on
in the interview that that you're not done. Yeah, tell
me what you haven't done yet, that you want to
do or that you're working to do.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
I really want to leave a very strong legacy of music,
you know. And I know that there's a there's a
Grammy out there still with my name on it, you know.
I want to Uh, we're looking at possibly taking the
the book too to the screen, and you know, I
(25:32):
think I've got I got another I got another book
in me. Uh and and and just continuing to direct,
to write, to write great music, you know, because the music,
the music is the gateway for me something else. And
it's it's I enjoy it, you know, and I know
my fans dig it.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
So I'll keep doing that. Well.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Look, those of us who have loved you music from
day one and appreciated you since then, Uh, continue to
look forward to whatever you put out, my brother. Uh,
the book is Share My Life, A Journey of Love,
faith and Redemption. Get out there and check him out
on tour. And if you cannot do that, and even
if you can, uh, the album, the anniversary the live
(26:16):
album is ready for streaming. And those of y'all who
are still old school, I guess you can find a
CD copy somewhere, So get out the yeah.
Speaker 5 (26:24):
Right, So that's an important point, right because the release,
what we just released is is digital only, but we
got vinyl coming. We have CDs coming so later probably
I think we're gonna we're gonna do it sometime this summer.
So yeah, so the vinyl, vinyl and and we've got
a box set coming later this year with all the
records in it, you know.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
So it's you know, we got we got you cut.
Speaker 5 (26:45):
However you consume your fine music, we got you covered.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Go hey man.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Always good to see.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
You, bro, you too, Thank you pretty time Ed Again.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Kim's book Share My and his New Music Anniversary the
Live Album are both available now. One is produced by
Ed Gordon Media and distributed by iHeartMedia. Carol Johnson Green
and Sharie Weldon are our bookers. Our editor is Lance
(27:20):
Patton Gerald Albright composed and performed our theme. Please join
me on Twitter and Instagram at edel Gordon and on
Facebook at ed Gordon Media
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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!