Adam Blackstone

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Quest Love Supreme is a production of I Heart Radio,
Ladies and Gentlemen. I'm gonna try to save this without
to bring up, yes, exactly breaking news. I don't have
kids yet. I will say that I probably I heard that.

(00:23):
I will probably say that I used my guests as
an excuse to being with pride. Uh that of that
of a dad watching uh this kid or older brother
watching his kid brother shine and in the big game.
It's it's literally because I've seen this person in his evolution.

(00:45):
And yes, it's even scary to me. But you know,
I'm gonna save as much. And this is where I
get my FiOS. If you are an entertainer or a singer,
you know, worth your your weight in gold or whatever
like good. If you even think you're gonna do anything
creative in this lifetime without this, gentleman, oh ho ho,

(01:10):
you're sadly mistaken. Um, seriously, I can go through it.
It will probably take a half hour before I say
his name, Jill Scott needs work done. Whatever you're calling.
Adam Blackstone, Demi Levado, Jonas Brothers, Adam Blackstone, Room five,
Adam Blackstone, Aljabro, Adam Blackstone, Al Green, Adam Blackstone, Who's

(01:30):
Dr Drake Carl when his Super Bowl time? Adam Blackstone,
Who's jay Z Carl when it's time for his show
to be tight? Adam Blackstone. Even the artists now known
as the unmentionable, Yeah, Adam Blackstone, Janet Jackson, Adam Blackstone, Eminem,
Queen Latifa, Alicia Keys, timber Lake, Rihanna. Like when you're

(01:55):
watching the Oscars, even when I accepted my own Oscar,
when you're watching the Voice, when you're watching the Grammy Awards,
when you watching the Soul Training Awards, all them specials
on v H one, on b T, on MTV. Even
my my boss, Jimmy Fallon uses for that. That's my

(02:16):
jam the mass singer Adam Blackstone. Let's not forget he's
currently Yes, he will be an easy egot any day now,
like he's currently working on his Grammy for his his
his awesome I didn't even get to talk to you
about this. I really like legacy, yes, even his awesome

(02:38):
legacy LP. I just have to say that I don't
have the worries to express the pride that I have
for my guest. I'm sorry to use the entire ninety
minutes to brag about our guest today, Adam Blackstone on
Quest Left Supreme. I am wonderful. That was the best
introduction ever. I'm trying, man, you know you you deserve

(03:01):
your your past flowers. Man, you're like you're I think
everybody needs to know that the artists that you name
for me came from you. Not no, not even like
your your reputation. Like I remember the day that Um
and Rest in peace room five manager um Jordan's Yes,

(03:25):
when Jordan's hit me up, you know about adding some
spices to the group and arrangement whatnot. I don't know, man,
Like for you, I'm I'm in all because of all
levels of creativity, I say, even though people will say,
like the greatest strength of my career or my legacy

(03:45):
of course is the roots live show. The pressure that
it takes to think of ideas to spice up someone's
live show, man is like, I don't know, I don't
know how you do it. I will say that it's
one of the most things English jobs, because no one
ever thinks about what the music director has to go.
It's a it's a beast. Yeah, And and you know,

(04:08):
I have so many questions to ask you, so thank you.
I'm I'm glad we finally got to take time out
to do this. Where are you hitting me from? Right now?
We are in Las Vegas right now working on the
Soul Train Awards. Um left just left, which I didn't
see you at. We're gonna talk about that too. Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame Saturday. How was it? It

(04:31):
was really good? Man any Lennox asked me to move
to London where her you know, don't tell my wife,
but nice, nice honored the Rhythmicsma Lewis right, Harley Simon
and Eminem and Lionel dolly Parton really did line perform
with you guys? He did? We did Hello easy and

(04:55):
all night long? Was crazy? Bro Yo? Can I ask you,
Adam because you did a few things leading up and
even though you didn't invite me and Jimmy Jam, did
you did this nice? Uh tribute to Jimmy Jam and Terry.
I just wanted this to be in the big quest
love letters like you are invited to my life. Okay,
well that's did you know about the jam session? When

(05:18):
Jimmy Jam told me after the fact, no, no, no,
I went So that's when my question was because he
did this jam section with a lot of kind of
maybe unknown singers that were very dope that did like
all these Jimmy and Terry songs. And I kind of
want you to talk about that too. Yeah, I will
say that the night after. It's rare that Sean g

(05:38):
uh Supermanager Live Nation Executive. It is rare that Sean
G will ever the house that too. But it's rare,
like Sean is a family man. But I will say
that if we get a text from Sean G eleven
o'clock East Coast standard time, like he's basically off the

(05:58):
clock after five p m. He couldn't stop talking about
how much he liked this damn legacy exam. Yeah, exactly,
that's exactly what I did. And and um, you know,
cultivating what you Rich Nichols. You know my my father

(06:20):
in the game, and you know Seauan G have brought
to me. I brought East Coast vibes to l a man,
and it was much needed. Like, yes, it's interesting that
you said you didn't know, but one of the things
that happened with the Lily before social media it was
word of mouth. Yeah, yeah, I'm really cultivating that I
didn't post anything about Yeah, No, it wasn't. It wasn't

(06:43):
like a thing. It was just like, you know, one
of the And I hope I don't get in trouble
for talking about this, but I felt really bad with
Jimmy and Terry for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
not getting a performance slot, you know what I mean?
Their their music has impacted me and Ulcher in the
global world past R and B or pop or whatever.

(07:06):
It's just induction wasn't really it promoted like that either.
So it wasn't until he told me that, I was like,
oh ship. And so when I found that out. This
is my first year m D and the whole show.
When I found that out, I said, yo, I gotta
do something, you know what I'm saying, because this is
what they need. When I called Jimmy, you know, we

(07:26):
had an emotional moment because he was very thankful about
what I was about to do. And we didn't know
it was going to turn that into what it was,
but it was. It was awesome. Man. I gotta give
people their flowers, you know. So where did you find
because I've seen the clips and the one thing I
always wonder about is the legacy, like who you know

(07:49):
where are where are the heads that would have been
at Black Lily? Like, who's that audience one? How did
you find the singers too? How did you find the
audience that would receive them as well? Got you? So
A big part of what I've been doing with this
legacy experience, I mayor is that the narrative is that

(08:11):
I've been on the road with everybody from Okay player
tour to more recent you know J and j T
or something like that, and so along the way, because
I'm such a fan of music and vocalists, I find
my own favorite singers by playing with these incredible artists.
So a lot of them have either sang backup for

(08:32):
who I've for who I've rocked with, or there'll be
a new artist in the city. And you know how
we used to like go to London or something and
we just go to a jam session and find you know,
Daily or find Amy or find Jesse j. I remember
pulling up somewhere random in London, like and same thing
with Philly is like you know, Jill Music, India, Erica.

(08:56):
At any point somebody could walk in there. But then
you also get somebody like a new kid at the
time below you know what I'm saying, or you get
a new kid at the time, Vivian Green or something
like that. So it's like I'm cultivating that same structure
that you guys have laid and what it is is
I'm letting everybody shine um in their element, but also

(09:17):
Dick trying to dictate the same sort of tour type
of set lists that I would do if I was
out on the road with a Jimmy and Terry and
matching the voice with them with the moment. That's why
we had somebody like a Coco Jones do I Guess
so lonely who She's the new vibrant, sexy, you know
it girl kind of doing that. But then I had
a Naya Do Damage and she's kind of like this raunchy,

(09:41):
you know, Houston rapper singer. And then I had somebody
like Lena bird Mouse new Gospel I'm coming out, and
she did I wanted to highlight Jimmy and Terry, Yolanda
Adams catalog, you know what I'm saying, who people don't
know about, So she ended up doing Open My Heart
and so like it was just a night full of

(10:02):
of gems. Man, Like, straight up, how many nights do
you have to prepare from the moon you decide, you
know what I'm gonna pay, you know, pay tribute to them?
How many nights do you have to prepare for such
a thing. So this is where you have taught me wrong. Okay.

(10:22):
I have been in so many instances where it's the
day of through roots, through play or whatever and it
comes off without a hitch, or and I would say
externally without a hitch, you know what I mean, Because
you know I might get up, I might get a
every once in a while note that I've been or whatever.

(10:45):
But yeah, so I I take about a day and
a half to two days. Really, curating the set list
is the most thing, is the most important thing for
me because people move off of energy, you know what
I'm saying. So it's like a bad set lists again,
which I've learned from you, is like a bad setlist
can dictate a bad show, you know what I'm saying.

(11:05):
You gotta know you know we're yelling, we we I've
seen me yell you yell at key for whatever. It's like,
go get to now right, where's the Where's it? And
so that's kind of what I've been doing the week
leading up to and then it's like, yo, I just
want to catch a vibe, you know what I mean,
and and and let it, let it be a natural thing. Okay.

(11:27):
So for our audience that is not familiar because I
mean to the industry, you are literally the Quincy Jones.
I mean the part of Quincy Jones that I play
is being a connector. I always said that Quincy Jones
is telephone or his rolodex was always his best instrument,
his ability to reach people. But the idea of what

(11:50):
we think Quincy Jones is, which he also is, is
just to be the go to guy to get the
right performance out of the artist, live, studio or whatever.
And the thing is you you do have to do
both because you know, in my world I will say
that maybe yes, with with the addition of like stro Elliott,

(12:12):
or even with with Jeremy, like in the Roots, we're
now just adding sample elements to the show in the
last for you know, four or five years. But with you,
I know that you not only they have to you know,
combed through their entire studio history and grab that background

(12:34):
vocals and are you doing this all yourself? Like all right,
take me through a process of so I assume that
since Rihanna's got something cooking in the kitchen for top
of let's just hypothetically, let's just hypothetically say that you
might have gotten a call from Rihanna, you know, saying

(12:56):
that all right, I'm about to ramp up and surprise
drop this album then maybe April and she wants she
wants to go on tour. And the way you're smiling
right now, I think that this conversation actually might have happened,
even though I don't know Jack, so I know how
n d A s are. But walk me through the process. Yeah,
no problem. So I used to do everything. I was

(13:21):
super hands on as far as like curating the set list.
I would sit down with the artists. I would say,
what is the story you're trying to tell, like through
either this album or through this live show process. Um,
I've done it with every artist. I just want to
sit down and talk. I just want to see where

(13:41):
your head was when you were singing freaking poured up.
I want to see where your head was when you
wrote Diamonds. You know what I'm saying, like, what what
what is the story? Are you trying to go to
the strip club? Are we going to the stadium to
hold up the phone like, are you trying to do both? Okay? Cool?
So now I take a I take an artist like
and say, you know, how do we start, what's the

(14:04):
middle and what's the end. I like to build my
show in what I call acts, right, because you take
the listener, the audience on a journey. Um So that
first process is about getting the song list together, no
specific order or anything. Then I kind of work backwards.
I say how do we start? How do we end?

(14:25):
And then I fill the middle in like that now
with a pop artist and a lot of artists these days,
but UM pop specifically, as far as getting the tracks
and stuff together, the backing tracks, playing with a little
bit of backing vocal stuff like that. I called my
programming team, and I called my you know a lot
of my a lot of my How many on the

(14:46):
programming team, it depends on what it is. What I
just did with this past super Bowl was myself, Terrence
v On and Derek Cobbs, and I had Omar there
with me. Omar l was there with me every step
of the way. Because in a in a gig like
the super Bowl specifically, I'm going to set design meetings.

(15:08):
I'm going to choreography rehearsal, I'm going to how are
the instruments gonna look? So once I have the concept
and the idea my team, for sure, it begins to
try to execute in a rehearsal setting where I'm in
and out of because of the other things that are
going on as a musical director. And I, like I said,

(15:28):
I've learned that a musical director is half about the
music and more about the other stuff. And and it's
really really crazy. The higher up you go, I'm gonna
I'm gonna get blasted for saying this, but the higher
up you go, the less it is about the music
when it comes to the m D alright question, So

(15:49):
all right, you you just you just okay now. And
there's always an inside joke with musicians, and we do
it all the time, uh, and that is hashtag you've
been black stone. And this is a real hashtag. Whenever
we joke you've been blackstone, that always means that there's

(16:14):
a part of the song that's just has extra spice
into it, your little trademarks. It's it's almost like the
way I can to describe it to you. If you guys.
Remember TLC's video version for Digging on You, Yes, yes,
if if you also remember the Hookie baby sample, damn,

(16:38):
And there's always that element in the song that happens.
And always wonder when you add your trademark, like that's
your version of it, you add your trademark, Yeah, but
when you add your trademark black Stone eyes thing, yeah,

(17:02):
I wonder where's that come from? But then you tell
me that you are also in the meetings with the choreographers.
That's twenty seventeen and above. You feel what I'm saying this,
This is why this this interview is so good, because
these young kids didn't see the work that I put
in and oh four oh five coming off of failure
and like you throwing me to Kanye and you thrown

(17:25):
Omar to Jay and and all of that, where it
was like we then had to take everything we had
learned for the last seven years and put it together
on our own and and give that same amount of energy,
same amount of musicianship to these new artists out there.
And you know I have been big. The hole baby

(17:48):
thing means so much to me that you would even
say that, because I try to make my shows a movie.
You know you you are the John william Is of
a musical director. That that is a really I appreciate that,
but that's a great analogy because I want to take like,

(18:10):
you know, I got a folder of sounds that's called
Jurassic Park, you know, and it's just like shots, Like
it's like, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm in
my head. I'm like, yo, if somebody, if I start
my show like that, you are tuned in from minute one,

(18:33):
and it's very different than what I what I grew
up on. But I've always been a fan of pop music,
and not like you know, just Brittany pop, but just
like you know, popular and what was on the radio.
Um um. It was something for me about adding that
backing track. One of the first times I did it
was working um with um A sixteen eighty over at

(18:58):
Carvon and Ivan's because they were pro Gramm and music
Soul Trials show, you know what I'm saying, and so
they wanted some of those samples like girl next Door
because we didn't have upright out, or they wanted like
the just Friends beat box, and it was like, how
do we accomplish that? And so I started being like, Yo,
why don't we just play alone to the loop? You

(19:18):
know what I'm saying. And then that grew from there
to me, you know, me and ya at Fade the
Black and then like doing Glowing the Dark tour, and
then it was like, Okay, there's a song with daft
Punk in it, and we don't have daft Punk on
stage with us, what's the best way to achieve that? Okay,
let's run with their track. But then at the same time,
I always like to have the backing track playing along

(19:41):
with us. This is what I call it, and us
not just playing to the backing track. If you notice
with my tracks on Mirror, they all kind of move
even though we're locked into a tempo. It's a live
feeling thing. And so yeah, I've been the one to
create that sound. You know. Now I'm able to when
you laugh with me all the time, depending on who's

(20:02):
coming on foulon and you'd be like did you do this?
Did you do this? And be like I'll be like, nah,
you know, you're you're, you're. You now have a generation
of new black Stones, and that to me is even
crazy of your legacy. Wait, I always wanted to know,
all right, right, now in the DJ world, Yeah, there's
been a new development that's happened for DJ's and most

(20:28):
of us are using beta beta products. And the risk
with with when you're using beta programming is you might
get a visit from the rain bull will. Absolutely And
I always wanted to know one. Have you ever been
in a predicament where you've been rainbow willed? Or in

(20:49):
a predicament where fuck I left my laptop f a
hotel or it fell to the like a hard drive
crashed or yeah, yeah, yeah, And how do you handle
a situation? Well, this, this is where the musicianship comes in, right,
like don't get it twisted. We are rocking with some

(21:09):
backing track and we got some samples and some loops
in there, and as budgets get cut, I may not
have a percussionist and stuff like that. So it's like whatever.
But when that swirly will comes up, we playing good
and live like don't I will wear you out on
that base like live you know, and Omar will where

(21:31):
are you out on them kids? And Brian Fraser Moore
will where you out on the drums? And you know,
Randy Bowling will where are you out on the guitar,
so like the backing track is there, but that's really
given album vibe. Sometimes when we hit that squirly will,
it doesn't happen often knock on would, but when it
does we are able to go live. I remember one
time at Essence Fest with Janet, we was playing funny

(21:54):
how Time Flies and we got the squirrely will and
we were able to just I you know what I'm
saying because it was just like the two chords and
then we were right. We had the guitar solo and
just come in until it until we had to shut
down boo who wear it up? But it was like
we was playing is it like eye language? Y'all look
at each other and even acknowledge that y'all just is

(22:16):
there is there a warning that she gets like we
might have a technical difficulty or well I'm talking to
her in her ears or I'm talking to Justin or
I'm talking to Red or whatever it might be, Like,
you know, give me a second, I need to like
we're gonna vibe for a second. Don't worry about it,
because you know, I mean when that click cut off,
we all look around like what the heck? It's like

(22:37):
the sound silence is the sound of death when you
run into with with some backing track. Um, but it
doesn't happen often. One of the craziest things I remember
is it's not that it crashed, but walking to the stage,
Kanye said, oh yeah, Adam, I don't want to do
the second verse tonight. And it's like four three and

(23:00):
the and the lights come on. I'm like, wait, what
did he just say? And so I run over to
the side of the stage with my programmer, Demetrius. The
show is Demetrius is God. Yeah, Demi is the guy. Yes,
the show is playing on one laptop. We're editing on
the next laptop for the next song, and we take

(23:23):
the verse out of that song. We switched to the
B rig when it's the second song is about to
come on, and then we switched back to the A rig. Um.
You have to computers running at the same time in
case what we call redundant systems, but you also walk
into the stage talking to Demetrius at the same time.
By you walking to the stage because he just said it,
and you gotta hurry up. In that all happens right,

(23:45):
he's on this Demi is at the stage already and
me and yeah, you are walking. He's like, oh yeah,
I don't want to do And I was like, wait
what I was gonna ask? Who? Who is your who
has been your most wild pitch client? That's the this
question I've ever Kanye West after I did the Kanye
West Go On the Dark Tour, I could do anything.

(24:10):
He said, I want you to make a robot fly
across the stage and score it, but I want the
scoring to sound like flashing lights. And I was just
like huh huh, and we we did it. Do your
artists have a basic general understanding that any slight suggestion

(24:35):
they might have might be a five minute time out
like a guy like Prince never had patience for his engineer.
I don't think any of the artists do right now.
And a lot of that is our fault here, because
we make it happen, you know what I'm saying. You know,
five minutes, fifteen minutes, whatever, it's just like get it done,
you know what I'm saying. I pride myself on making

(24:57):
sketches ahead of time so that they know, okay yo,
I was feeling that, but I'm not feeling this work
on this as opposed to showing up to rehearsal or
showing up to the gig and then asking for the
change then because it is a stop down, you know
what I'm saying. But that's why team is so important. Man.
When I have somebody like Demetrius or have somebody like

(25:17):
Danny Song with me, I know they're like bloop boo
boo boo boo boo bloo, and it's like we speak
the same language, you know what I mean. But I
think every artist is impatient, especially when you're on that stage,
especially when you're at the rehearsal studio. It's like, yo,
let's let's get this popping, you know what I mean.
I know that this is like a moment where y'all
don't really get to talk that often, and we are

(25:37):
in it and even even forgot to say our names
or whatever. But you got to ask him the question
that we ask everybody. We got to know that like
the beginnings and even y'all story I forgot, yes, like
who is right? I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, welcome. We
got a little somewhere and making millions. No, no, seriously,

(26:03):
y'all don't get this time, and y'all don't get this time.
So I totally get it. I'm so close to Adam
that I'm actually having a conversation that I would have
if we were actually on the telephone. You are all right,
so yeah, let's let's let us start at the beginning.
What was your first musical memory. My first musical memory, yes,

(26:23):
in life? Wow? Yeah, Well I remember just playing at church.
And one of the high praise moments was when I
was about six or seven years old and I went
from drums to base to Oregon and as a kid,
and they everybody was like, you've got to play board,

(26:44):
Oh my god, And I was cool, got up, played
a base bo sat down to ore I don't know
what I was playing, good or bad, but they hyped
me up and I just I was like, okay, I
can do this. And one of my other early memories
is more non direct musical. But my dad came home
and quit his job and he told my mom like, yo,

(27:05):
I want to do music full time. And we looked
around like what are we about to do? And he
supported us and sustained us. What what you would call today,
you know, a wedding band singer or ever. But it's like,
you know, he played weddings by myth flis, three services
on Sundays, you know, banquets, all of that. He did

(27:26):
it full time, man. So it was like, that's one
of my other early music memories. What a play my
dad plays keys? My dad plays keys. As I looked
back at it, he was really the first MD that
I saw, because I don't know if I knew what
that was like, you know, getting into musical director terminology.
But he had a little TR nine O nine. He

(27:48):
just throw on a beat at one ten and he
would play brick House, electric Slide, mac Arena all to
the same beat and just like took took it to
my gad, she's our bread. They're like, oh, night long.

(28:10):
And then folks would just go crazy, like you know,
like keep the party going. It's like, you know, it's
electric could Like he was one of those dudes, man.
And as I look back at it when I became older,
I was like, Yo, that's a big part of how
I put set list together for freaking justin Timberlake or Rihana.

(28:30):
I'm like, what's the feeling, What's what's gonna keep the
party going. How I've done the last four Super Bowls
is like we can't stop we only got twelve minutes,
you know what I'm saying, And like a big part
of that as I look back as my dad like
curating his banquet sets or his Saturday night party, you know,

(28:50):
um Lodge straight up and he sustained. Listen, did you
ever join his actual So I did as I became
thirteen fourteen fifteen, Like I played drums with him a
little bit. I played bass with him a little bit.
But you know that's also another detriment to like non rehearsal,

(29:12):
but it works. So it's like like, oh, yeah, we
don't we don't need to rehearse. And I think when
I got a little baby budget and I was like,
oh I could rehearse for a week, it was like,
oh we were heard. I'm tainted by quest love and
my dad not. Sometimes you just gotta sink or swim

(29:33):
with it. You gotta go with it. Yeah, but those
are my first early memories. And then moving to Philadelphia
and two thousands just changed my life, Like, so where
were you previously? Before I was a willing brow, New Jersey.
I grew up born in Trenton. You know, William Burrow
was like jan Ya and Ty Trippett and in city
now they were. They were like, you know sound to

(29:55):
Jay Skiing too, Yeah, Shock Zulu Odka and stupid Yeah,
Mike Zombie are all of you know. Yeah, so William
brow Man And then I went to college at University
of Arts and moved to Philadelphia and changed What year

(30:15):
did you go to Universal thousand? Make you feel old? Yeah? Man,
you did. I'll explain to our audience that you know, um,
you know back in back in late ninety seven where
Richard Nichols our our beloved North Star where we were

(30:37):
trying to do this for a fourth time, and rich
was sort of like, this is our door diet moment.
And his suggestion was like, we gotta we gotta come
up with a story for Philadelphia. This is what's not working,
Like we got the critical claim and you know, we're
getting slow traction, but we need a story that that
will stick. And his version of the story was we

(30:58):
gotta have a jam session. And I was like, why
do we have to have a jam session? He's like, well, one,
you know, collaborators for your own record, but more than that,
we have to build a music community. And because he
said that, you know, it's like we always thought we
were going to be like the adopted little brothers of

(31:18):
you know, the native tongues and yeah and all that stuff.
And I mean, you know, they were they were filling us,
but none of them were really in the mind state
of doing those things that they were doing earlier, like
pasty cuts and all those things. So you know, Rich
was basically like, well, we could either wait for someone
to adopt us, or we better just do it ourselves.

(31:43):
So I'm so glad he did, because do you guys
became the big brothers instantly, bro Like instantly, I I
we have no choice. I walked into the five spot
and I was like, I ain't never seen nobody play
like this, look like smell like this, eat like this,
thing like this, dance like this, rap like this. It

(32:06):
was just a car shifting moment for me, even as
a black man, because I grew up in Willingboro, very
affluent African American town, you know, almost you know, Huxtable, Like,
but I thought Philadelphia was so far away culturally, you
know what I'm saying, And like just crossing the bridge
thirty minutes it's nothing, you know what I mean. But

(32:27):
I thought it was so far away, and it was
a whole another world. When it came to the music
meeting Rich and Jazzy Fat Nasty's like changed my life,
like straight up, like just my my entire like literally
changed my life. Well, yeah, what I was gonna say
was that the plan worked. Everyone wand up getting record

(32:48):
deals and every you know, then we wind up going
on tour, and I will say that it morphed from
the roots jam sessions and then around it became more
black lily focused. So for you, can you talk about
just the the because even I don't know, like I
would just come to the five spots to see the

(33:10):
results of it. But are you guys rehearsing, Joe all
those times? Are you rehearsing? And how did you get
I think I stalked Larry gold studio. I stayed there
for days on and just with my guitar. I was
the big dude that played the base, waiting for my chance,

(33:33):
like just waiting. Um. I got invited down by a
fourteen year old Jasmine Sullivan invite I love it. Yeah,
I mean her band, you know, Darren Robinson and Aaron
Drake and at that time it was like Aaron Draper

(33:53):
and continues to still be the connector like, I don't
know what nobody says. Aaron Draper, you know, has has
really plugged nine of our generations musicians too rich to
sean to my mayor to read to hub you know,

(34:13):
I mean, rest the peace is like you know, Aaron
Draper was that guy and he would just always say, hey, yo,
come down to He wouldn't ask. He still don't ask.
He's out with Adell right now, he's Liken. Just just
come over. Just shout out to Aaron for my discount,
because you know, two thousand dollars a little bit too
steep before a guy with a good job like me.

(34:36):
So we're here now, bro, and they're killing It's gonna
be worth it. We out in Vegas now they over there,
they across the street. Um. And so when I got
the opportunity to go to the studio, I just sat
there like yeah, like I just sat there for days
and weeks. And then it was a few of y'all,
a lot of it was a lot of us. And
then you know rich Man, so you were just chilling,

(35:00):
see and then rich would say, life is laughing because
she knows where I'm about to go with this, Like
I might not have been paying attention or using the
background while you were not. You kept it straight line
to the studio, you know how. Anyway, So there was
a couple of times I think, like as y'all were

(35:21):
making like this might be a little what's the album
before tipping point. Yeah, that's when they did the Jam
sessions Phnology. That's when they started Phnology. It was like,
let's just get our mirror and reek some ideas like
you know what I'm saying, like you know, and uh
Me and Omar and and I mean Aaron and Darryl

(35:42):
were just and Randy and Kevin Hanson like we would
just go down there and just give I like, do
loopy ideas with you for with you in mind, with
reaking mind from dice roll and stuff like that. But
at the same time we didn't know that that was
our audition, right for rich to actually bring us to you,

(36:04):
because there was a vetting process. I don't care what
nobody is saying about that back room. You if you
make it to our marriage room, you made it. Hey,
I am I telling the truth. You have to if
you don't know that bell door in to the studio

(36:24):
and the secret route, that's hilarious. You don't know. So
when you go past the main door and you go
to the back room, that's the audition that ain't and
so and so listen and then fast forward where you
make it through the big door. Right you're peeking your
head out like, oh y'all going in the bat Yah

(36:45):
know we we're in here, bro we we room we
room yeah, man, so that we you know, huge, I
I can I can't do any interview with out bigging
up Rich Nichols and his vision for us and his
vision for for me and us as as a generation

(37:06):
under you guys where it was like we passed some
of us passed the test to make it to you
for then you to say and James to say and
and say like yo, come due black party or come
do hove or come do whatever. Where it was like
you guys were then to me like you know it.

(37:29):
It was hard to lock you all down because you
was on the road so much, you know what I mean.
But we also make records and we were getting calls
for bigger gigs and and um I got a whole
another still doing the literally too though, right Adam, Like,
so how does that work? When did you officially like no,

(37:50):
I never igre, I'm bringing Lily. What I'm doing now
is all literally five my head. So I'm not but
what I'm saying, but it's like, it's like, so, so
you guys got all these people and themselves as well,
so let me big up to all the artists. But
once somebody gets a deal, they then have to they
want that same vibe that got them to deal to
have know what I'm saying. Let me explain also that

(38:13):
once this outgrew my living room and then went to
the five Spot and sometimes wet Lands in New York,
then eventually these are to started getting record deals and
next thing you know, like they would pull six band
members and whatnot. There was one point where I came
home and without any context whatsoever, I was walking down

(38:37):
the fire Spot. I was like, yeo, that looks like
Diddy conference. I was like, yo, what the fun is
pop Datty doing here? The artist and literally, like you know,
I've been going for like four months, and Richard's explain
it to me like you don't even know, Like now
is the wild wild West, and everybody done heard that
Philly has the best musicians and they're coming down stealing.

(38:59):
But eve been even the musicians that I felt weren't
even up to part on that level. Like everyone was
getting work. The stigma of Philadelphia alone got people a
lot of work based off of the city. Yo, It's funny.
I just had a flashback. I'm like, I remember when
Fonte had his album released at the five Spot in Philly,

(39:20):
like Forlorn Exchange, No, No, we had our we had
our released party at five Spot in Philly. And then
when we did this is oh three. I want to say,
when we did the roots y'all did y'all Christmas went
on great tour and that was when y'all you played.
You were playing bass for us, little bro. That was
the first time we met. Yeah, straight up, that was

(39:42):
the first time we don't it was us Jane Gray,
That's right. It was Okay Player Tour, yep, oh three,
And that was the first time me and you worked
together and you played for us, and I just remember thinking, like,
you know, this is the happiest bass player I've ever
seen in my life. I was like, I gotta say, man,

(40:05):
going on the Okay Player Tour my first tour. Yeah,
as I look back at our mirror, had us there too. Uh?
He overworked us right, but no, Now, this is what
I want to say you. You stayed on the drums

(40:26):
the whole night too. So it's like I always I
tell young kids, Now, I'm like, yo, if i'm playing too,
like I'm not, you know what I mean. I'm not
telling y'all to do anything that I wouldn't do, and
so I don't see it as that. What I see
it as as setting the blueprint for how to work
hard to achieve success and you have to go above

(40:48):
and beyond. And we love music so much. I was like,
I'm gonna play for everybody out here that they allowed
me to play for because that relationship equity means more
to me and anything, you know what I'm saying. So,
what was the first time that you played for a
non Lily act. My first big gig, I tell the

(41:10):
story was you guys did Unplugged and Big Homie Card
y'all said, oh, that's right for that, Illa del Phonics,
Ella del Phonics, and so he was gonna retire and
it was like and it was super loose though, bro,
I don't know if you remember that, but it was

(41:31):
like we went up to s I. R. Faith the
Black was your first big, big gig. Yes, it was
si oh three, yeah, man, that I could have sworn
by then you was picking at Michael Jacksons house and
I mean, you know, Vivian music, so child all that,
but oh three is like, you know, that's that's that's
I was. I was nineteen turning twenties. So that's the

(41:53):
first time you were in like Masson Square Garden all
that stuff, absolutely first first time. You rarely hear me say,
I mean, now I'm having fun, but that week was
so fun to me, fun bro, so fun. And that
taught me so so much about how to curate, is said.
You know, at that time, we didn't know who was

(42:15):
going on next, second, last, first, whatever. It was like, yo,
I saw you put that whole thing together. But at
the same time, utilize the genius people around you, and
you know, young Beyonce and and and Mary and you know,
just like this is Jay's last album and we're playing

(42:35):
encore too, and everybody's saying, hohver r. It's just like
super crazy. And and that gig spawned me meeting Ya,
which spawned me meeting Red, which spawned me meeting Janet,
which spawned me meeting Drake, which you know, with spawned
me meeting justin Termula. So that Fade to Black alone

(42:59):
set the path for my entire career. And I like
to tell the other thing I just wanted to speak
on real quick, is that one thing in Philly that
we do do as musicians, as we we try to
be nice and speak to everybody because you never know
who up next, right, So it's like, you know that
week as well American expound on it, but like it
was some heavy hitters in there and them rehearsals that

(43:22):
who they were then is not who they are right now,
and like they we we we treated everybody equally like
and so you know, Beyonce then was not Beyonce now,
and you know, just blazed then in Swiss and you
know what I mean, arguably even you know what Jay

(43:42):
has done the last twenty years from that show alone,
you know what I mean, They didn't even let you
on that night. Yeah, I was gonna say that. I
I remember him not being able to get backstage. You
remember speaking to Yeah, So one of the things that
happened after that, he was like, Yo, I'm working on

(44:03):
my music too. We should work together, Like you know
what I mean, I just just say yes to everybody,
because that's how it was for me being in Philly.
You know what I mean. I was just like you
never know which opportunity is going to be the next
big thing. Okay, I'll ask you now because I know

(44:23):
that you're older and wiser now when you're vetting and auditioning,
someone says, y'all got this young boy, and dada da
da da da da da da. Like my dad told
me the audition process. He used to always make me
audition musicians by playing a ballot. He would make me
play the most simple He would say, no, don't do

(44:45):
the intricate ship. He says, I'm gonna teach you something.
I pick the simplest ballot that we got in our
repertoire and make them auditions man, And sure enough, like
musicians would fall apart because they couldn't play something so simple.
They knew the enter kid ship, but they couldn't play
the simplest ship. Well, first of all, are you a

(45:05):
don't come to me, I'll come to you type of cat.
Like if I said, Yo, I got this young boy,
he's a ship. You should use him. How how do
you know how good he'll be? Do you just go
to his YouTube page or like what yeah, but like
you know, are we talking now because before you know,
twelve years ago, we have none of that, like you know,

(45:27):
so it was total word of out and that's how
I got on, you know what I mean, Like my
my career spawned from people seeing and hearing the music
on stage, but also a word of mouth like yo,
let me get that dude number whatever whatever, So what
I look, I mean more or less, Like I know
that you should at least know two to three people
that play the same thing, Like you'll use Clay Sears

(45:49):
for guitar. If not, you'll use Randy Bowling. But I'm
certain that there's put me in coach energy always all
the time. So how how do you how do you
deal with the expectation factor of the music? And I'm
sharing right now is even past feeling. I'm sure that
you know musicians worldwide now it's global. Man, the damns

(46:12):
go crazy with videos and stuff like that. Now I
have to be honest and say people hiring me or
hiring me for my sound, So I'm not up. I'm
not mad at using the same twenty folks because I
know I get what I get out of them. You
know what I'm saying. It's very rare that you know,

(46:34):
even back in the day we used to just tag
somebody in. It's very rare that that happens, you know
what I'm saying. And so when it does happen, it's
because they have a vocabulary of genre that I love,
Like I love a dude to you know, play country
bat and then play a hip hop bat and it
still feel very authentic, you know what I'm saying. Um,

(46:56):
and then just like feel timing and feel um. James Poiser,
let me have it. The first time I played the
Bias show, I had a six string Ken Smith and
he said, hey, yo, don't ever come in this studio
with this front. He said it was a He said
my base was a piece of furniture, and so I

(47:20):
didn't know what that meant. I went to a jazz school,
you know, I thought I was freaking Anthony Jackson at
the time, like I was doing everything like and he
handed me Little Brother Slum Village Voodoo um, and then
I was like pint Pine Pine. You know, he knew

(47:42):
and I was like, oh he know, palette okay cool?
Or like Dilla, oh okay, my electric base should sound
like some MPC pads, like you know what I'm saying,
And like he put me, James and Omar put me
on so much music that you had either giving them
or they that opened their ears up to when he

(48:04):
told me my basse was a piece of furniture, bro,
I was just like I saved up. I saved up
the fastest three hundred and seventy five dollars that I
could to just go get a four string Fender Jazz
and uh, I don't know, it's still my weapinar choice.
I do play five, but like that base. You know,

(48:26):
we did Yes Sirs with We did john Stone, That's
on a lot of records. We did Our Green you
know what I'm saying. That was the one and to
the point where even Rich was like, hey, yo, where's
the bring the fourth string in? Like you know, like
I had to learn genre specific vocabulary and not just

(48:48):
what I had known through chops or whatever. So that's
even what I look for, you know, the antithesis of
what I started is what I look for now, you
know what I mean? The music, I mean, I made
a lot of money and a big living playing low
on the base, Like you know what I'm saying like
I don't have to do all that up high stuff

(49:10):
to make it feel right for me personally, you know
what I'm saying. And like, coming from a dealer record,
it's like that ain't even what he was doing, coming
from a from a from a slum of voodoo places
like you know, I mean, people can't play anything. But
it's like it was really about the groove in the field.
And so that's what I tried to hone in on
for about two years. What were you listening to growing up?

(49:32):
Because you were saying that James everybody would put you
on like the slum. I had never listened to that stuff.
So I was listening to the Clark Sisters, the Well
and and then like a lot of now Rogers, but
through samples like you couldn't I was. I was bigg
a small as in my head. So I was like,
who's hot? Who's not me? Who got to So I

(49:55):
was like, wait a minute, but that that guitar part
is cold, Like let me find out what that is.
Supernard Edwards was your base god and and now Rogers
now Rogers, And then I was like, um, got a
lot of yo, I'm gonna be I'm gonna keeping a honey.
I ain't never said this out loud, but like, you
couldn't tell me that Bad Boy didn't have the coldest musicians.

(50:20):
Before I knew they were samples, I was like no, no, no, no,
no no no. I was like, what's that? I was
like boom. I was like, Yo, they ain't killing in
the studio. I was twelve years old, you know what

(50:41):
I'm saying. So I'm listening to One More Chance, I'm
listening to the the Warning, I'm listening to more Money, more Problems.
I'm listening to hypnotized boom boom. I played that at
by Marcher Badge when it was like, yo you Biggie Small,
that was like the way you described that album, that's
the same way. That's what Midnight More This was for me. Yeah,

(51:02):
I swore you you couldn't have told me me Night
Marauders wasn't them playing all that role? Like you know
what I mean, the amount of times I grew by
power about electric relaxation. Yes, even Michelle Digochella gave like
damn near her whole entire Rolling Stone interview about like
QI the next uh just his court structure of blah

(51:26):
blah blah, blah blah, you buy the record like damn no.
But I mean even then to discover it and here
it in that way, that's still genius. So that's not
to take away from no no, no no, but I'm
just saying like, those are the baselines that like, tell
me what you want from dud think think. I'm like,
yod this cold. The Hitman is cold, and so you know,

(51:53):
learning where they came from and El de Barge flips
and and and you know, Bernard lips and now slips,
it was like it was mind boggling to me. So
then when I finally dove into the original records and
really honed in on my own tone, I was like,
this is where it comes from, you know what I mean,
the original the original vibe and then like you know,

(52:13):
a huge drawn Carner fan and you know, flipping that
from tribe as well, Like I was one was mind
boggling too. Did you commissioned for Hammon? Were you? I
was more take six, would take six? Okay, I was
more to take six. Wow the generation after commission right,
I was. I'm being honest, I was afraid Hammon fan.

(52:36):
And then it was like, oh he came from commission
so you know, I'm just being honest. I'm just East
Coast Church, all right. And then lastly, my uncle had
a gospel group, so to me, they was like they
was commissioned and in New Jersey, I was like, oh,
that's they better than they like Jody see in my town.

(52:56):
I always wanted to know, have you ever been in
a mut is a good situation where it did not
work out? Well? I don't know if this is what
you mean, but I'm gonna tell this one story. We're
doing Coachella with Dr dre right, right, he brings in
this this new young kid rapper from from from l

(53:19):
A Compton, right, like he's all right, I mean, y'all
want me to arrange. He's gonna he's gonna do two
songs in the middle of ourselves. Like I don't know, man,
like he he okay, you know what I'm saying. I
was like, you know what I'm gonna. I'm gonna let

(53:40):
my man do this one because like, I really want
to concentrate on this pop and I'm gonna, really, you know,
I really want to get this right. Eminem's on the
way and he's like, nah, like yo, just you know,
help the kid out was like I can't do it,
and it's like all right, he comes in great energy.
I was like, what's your name, man Kendrick, And I

(54:02):
was like alright, alright, okay, like you know what I'm saying.
So it's like I've lost twice like that in my life.
Really wasn't really feeling it when I first heard it.
And then his his energy is what brought me into him,
if I can be honest, you know what I'm saying.

(54:22):
Before the energy in the music, before the early music,
it was like he was just like and then the
same thing. Sewn G said, Yo, I need you to
work with this kid from North Carolina. I was like, oh,
you know, I'm busy, bro, Like he said, listen to this.
He could rap. Bro. I was like Friday Night Lights

(54:44):
all right, you know, ran Friday Night Lights down my
throat man like yo, old man j Cole Bro and
it was like, yo, just let me fly you to
North Carolina. I was at ninth Wonder was like, come
to North Carolina and same thing hit is energy is
what did it for me over the minute. So I
got two else for sure, I got like, you know,

(55:07):
they arguably top ten of all time. Right now, Yo,
But how many more kindred shows have you been kind
of forced to m d anyway based off of like
from halftime to award shows, Like it's been great to
work with him, you know, specifically last halftime. Um, you know,
and and like I said, the relationship and the energy
is always right. But I'm saying I've taken creative else

(55:31):
because I was like, I don't hear it, yo, I don't.
I don't know what to do, I don't know how
to range. I'm not I'm not connected to this too else.
Kendrick and j Cole for sure arguably like I said,
number one two great human black men, just great guys,
and then arguably top ten lyricists. And then it was like,
you know, I almost missed it. I do want to

(55:53):
ask I mean, so many questions to ask you about
your career. But now with you winning the Emmys and
I you know, I know that to be in that
particular position, like it's such a teflon air tight space
where one person could monopolize the whole marketplace. Like for

(56:15):
the longest I thought, what's your brother's name bass player? Um? Yeah,
Like I thought, like, oh god, Ricky mind is going
to own the Emmy's until he's one hundred and nineties
seven years old, Like not ever giving up space or whatever,
But tell me about navigating your way through non concert stage,

(56:37):
non studio world, like getting into television scoring, and I
mean eventually, I guess you're gonna start doing movie soon. Yeah, man,
I'm looking forward to that as well. I've I've worked
on a couple of big ones, great as Showman. I
did the soundtrack in the Heights and I just did
a Kids Won't Call Alloudou Crocodile, and all of that

(56:57):
is with our brother our Philly brothers, Ben Jim poc
m hum. But yeah, you know how I got into
the television space for sure. You know, I remember two thousand,
twelve thirteen ET Awards. I had about six or seven
clients on the b ET Awards and Jesse Collins was like, y'all,
I'm giving this dude seven checks, Like just hire them

(57:20):
to do the whole show. We could save some money,
you know, I saying. I never forget that. I just
remember like showing up to meeting after meeting and they
were like, Yo, you here again, you hear again. And
that was one of the things that I saw Ricky
Minor do and you know at the time like Ptrus
Russian and like um, you know Rache you of course

(57:43):
and on front the Apollo, I had been doing killing
touring sets. So in my head, I was like, Yo,
what of these artists for three minutes and thirty seconds
get a touring Adam Blackstone experience on television? And when
I'm made up in my mind, I was gonna spend
the same amount of time programming and arranging one song

(58:07):
as I did a whole show. It was a game changer, man,
and they haven't been able to, you know, like move
forward from that because I give each artist an experience
in that TV moment that they've never had before. I'm
not just playing the record most of the time. I'm
giving them that live show experience in there's three minute segment,

(58:30):
you know what I'm saying, and so that makes audiences excited,
that makes the network excited. Um, it was hard to
navigate it, and I'm still learning. I'm mayor like you know,
empty and the Oscars last year and following you it
was like making those sandwiches and writing out charts and
you know, sixt Orchestra was like yo, I'm I'm I'm

(58:52):
still learning, but at the same time, I believe in
myself so much that I know I can do anything.
And if I don't know something, I'm a huge question
to ask her. So all right, answer this question for me.
I've been dying to know four awards chose, especially when
you're doing awards chose, how much leeway do you have

(59:14):
a knowing who the winner is going to be? Or like,
what what is the process? Do you have five different
sets of music on standby and they're like the winner
is so you're like, all right, see two three? Like
how so what we did for Oscars was the winner music. Specifically,

(59:39):
I pre recorded down there in the pit each of
the five nominees so that we could just trigger it
almost like playback, depending on who won. You know what
I'm saying, They do not let me know. I want
to be super clear with that. I do not know
until it flashes up on the screen. But I've been
able to kind of trick the system a little bit

(01:00:01):
with how our normal playback works is now just putting
all the music for that one moment in playback and
they can play whichever one that they want to play. Um, Now,
if I'm doing something a little more general not even
warning or not really Manna might flash up on the
screen five seconds before you know what I'm saying. But

(01:00:22):
but if I'm doing something a little more general category,
I might just do something super you know in that space,
you know what I mean, or tempo for somebody to
walk up on stage or something like that. But when
it's when it's it's a direct you know, Oscars movie
song thing, I'm like, yo, without us messing up, let's
record all of the nominees music and let you guys

(01:00:44):
pick when what you want to play. So there's thirties
seven categories for the Oscars times five or six or seven. Yes,
So you're trying to tell me that you have to
at least prepare once like one and thirty plus music
cues I did. I was at eighties seven because some
of the categories weren't on TV this year. I did

(01:01:06):
eighty seven music cues. Bro It was nuts And that's
not also play on music when they say Ladies and
Gentlemen pub Daddy or Ladies and Gentlemen day Ship, I
forgot the nominees and all that stuff. Yeah, yeah, no,
it's like what is that in time? Like in time?
How many How long is that Christmas? To do the Oscars,
which was April, and I worked every day like straight up.

(01:01:31):
My team, Dante Wins a little, thank god, and Derek
Haies thank god. I brought them one, uh first all
black conducting teams and those of you who know those
two gentlemen, yeah, they don't. They don't let nothing get past.
So it's like we pretty much deviated it up and

(01:01:51):
just was like, yo, you take these thirty I'm gonna
do these thirty and how do you notate like orchestral arrangements,
because even you know there was orchestra there, you know,
Summer sold big winner. It's like, you know, we took
one of those records trying to thing and I orchestrated
it with no vocal. So maybe trumpet is playing the
lead line for a BB King joint, you know what

(01:02:13):
I'm saying. And and and then I put you know,
low brass and strings playing like it's an organ. You
know what I'm saying. So well, I'm only I'm only
asking because like, all right, so the year before you
did it last year because of COVID, I d J,
you know what I mean. And even then up until

(01:02:34):
forty five minutes beforehand. You know there were there are
a lot of monkey wrenches. Uh, Regina King is going
to now do the intro so fine to you know,
to clear stuff like we we were calling Londell McMillan
like a half hour before the Grammars, like, yo, can
we please clear this print song right now? So I

(01:02:54):
can imagine for you it's even more of a nightmare. Yeah.
Interestingly enough, I will say about the orchestral music. If
you choose four bars and let's just say we're gonna
vamp something or we're gonna move these four bars to
a different intro because it has a similar vibe, you're
able to do that. But that still comes with the preparation.
I still got to doieces to know which bars makes

(01:03:18):
sense for Regina Hall, and to know which bars makes
sense for Amy Schumer, to know which of the third
set of bars makes sense for one disikes this year,
like you know what I mean. So we had to
play through the whole thing. It was. It was. That
was one of my hardest jobs ever and very much
like a my first big, huge, huge tour with Kanye.
I feel like like now orchestral wise, I can do

(01:03:38):
anything you know, and and as you know with the
Oscars or Grammys specifically, we're not linked to any time thing.
So all this talk about playback and stuff like that. No,
we're rocking live. So if somebody trips or if somebody
starts way back, you was kind of far all we

(01:04:00):
had to keep playing. Like, yeah, I was gonna say
my one I can say with certainty that I had
both slowest awkward walk of all time to that podium
all time. Well, who could blame you? Who could blame you?
So it's process and things. Are we gonna talk about
this or not? Oh wow, I'm going on record before,

(01:04:24):
but I do want to hear from there. It's interesting
to coming from like y'all who also share this night
of being from the same area. I mean, it's just
so many levels to it, right, so many years, like
I cried in that moment, happy for my brother, but
my brother, right, you know something though, I will say

(01:04:44):
this much so yes, they because of the whole COVID
situation first of all, and you know they chose the
right theater. It was the Kodak right where we have
the right, so they sat us, they set the doctrientary
people way in back, you know what I mean. So
even then they do every year. They just happened that

(01:05:04):
they got you this year. So well, I think in
normal times we would have been a little closer and
like a little more intimate. And yeah, and if it
were normal times, we would have been in a bigger
thing and we would have been closer to the front,
but they had us all spread out because of COVID
and the documentary people way in the back. And so
even then, I mean, three things are happening in my head.

(01:05:27):
One was that was that a bad sketch going wrong?
And it wasn't until you know, and then like I'm
managing my mom and then she crying on my shoulder
or whatever, so that's distracting. And then I distinctly, all right,
I distinctly remember by the time I got towards the front,

(01:05:50):
I was looking at the Williams sister and the look,
the look they had on their face, like we're being
held hostage. Then I was like, oh, ship, that might
have been real, right, because even then, when it's happening,
I was in the pit bro watching it from underneath

(01:06:10):
directed and I was like, I was like, man, I'm yo.
I mean, I promised to God like yeah, I'm like,
I'm like, that's not in the script. I'm like right right,
And even as it's happening, like, yo, somebody, what where
was that? Like where? Right? So one I was doing transmeditation.

(01:06:30):
When you're doing transmanitation, I mean I do all the time,
even with the Grammys. Knowing I'm not gonna win, I'm like, okay,
and remember mom, and remember I'm like trying to remember
names and ship. And only when I heard the word
fucking came out. When I heard fucking twice, I looked
at my mom like, Yo, that's how you knew it
was That's how you know it was real when the

(01:06:51):
exceltives right. No, even then I said, I said, dag, Mom,
like will Will Packer is allowing Curson on television take
a risk, right, And so I'm talking to my mom,
still not hearing what's happening, and there's no television monitor.
I'm weighing the back. So when I'm walking to the front,

(01:07:12):
the first thing that I noticed, I was like, Ah,
these bastards they're playing it. They they're they're playing a J.
Diller um the J. Diller sample to the dude that
the fat cat Loop that was in Summer Soul. So
that was the first thing that helped me down. And
then once I got closer, then it was like, oh

(01:07:35):
ship and then you know, by then my mind went blank.
But I do remember at least were walking into my
chair to when I saw the Williams sisters, I was like,
oh damn, Adam. Adam chose a J Diller sample from
Summer Soul to bring me onto that. I really appreciate it.

(01:07:59):
I ran up there because, like I said, in my head,
I'm I'm about to go crazy because I'm like, y'all
didn't tell me about this, this this this extra skit.
And then by the time I got in the room,
I saw and she was just had a dejected, sad look,

(01:08:22):
you know what I'm saying. I was like, oh, that
was real. And then they said quest love and the
four of the white guys that it was just it
was yeah. It just was like I was like, what
y'all should have seen using at home watch it, like,
oh god, yo, I'll say I'll say this much. I

(01:08:44):
never went on record with this before walking off stage.
Maybe I mentioned it obviously, you know, like once you
win your award, you got to take the march to
the backstage in the press room. So I don't know
what segment was next. I assume that it had something
to do with the anniversary or either The Godfather or
something might feel serious because backstage, I'm looking at de Niro,

(01:09:11):
but you no, like Scorsese, like all the characters that
I've known from these gangster drawings right and walking past them,
and you know, Chris kind of went to them, like
I remember hearing like that heavy talk, just sucking guy

(01:09:33):
like that sort of thing, like yeah, yeah, I don't
want to you know, I'm not even trying to louse
to but it was definitely that sort of energy of like,
oh my god, this entire castle, like the Guyfather and Goodfellas,
like here in the corner. They were definitely like, yeah,

(01:09:53):
it was. It was. It was weird, but I was
say in that moment, man like we was also proud
and his speech was amazing and you honestly, um brought
up Stephen Hill just text me. He said, um, um
you you brought it back, and then shout out the

(01:10:14):
Amy Schumer because she came in the next seven and said, man,
I was in the back. It's real heavier here. What happened.
I just remember laughing like about that, like you know,
like she was like, did I miss something? Like it's
real heavy in here right now? So so yeah, man,

(01:10:36):
but that was an amazing expect to see you represent Philly.
And I felt the same way like going up to
get Miami. I was like, yo, like all the work
that you do because listen, Somersaul was never going to
be a bad movie. I feel like the super Bowl,
my super Bowl was never going to be bad. We
do things in excellence, right, But it feels a different

(01:11:00):
a to have the outsiders recognize it as an award
winning whatever, you know what I mean, like whether you
want or not, And I gotta say it's I might
be easier to say this now because we got the trophies,
but whether you want or whether I want, it doesn't
diminish the work that we did, you know what I'm saying.
And that's instilled in us at such a young age

(01:11:20):
that Yo, whatever you do, I don't care if you
at the five spot, our mirrors, living room, Wetlands, Oscars,
Emmy's do it in excellence. And that's what I continue
to strive to try and do what is hard as
super Bowl uh, preparation or like award hills. I'm gonna

(01:11:42):
say award shows from me because the last four Super
Bowls I've done, I've been fans of the artists, so
it helps me navigate how I would want to see
it and hear it as a fan. You know, I'm
a I'm a fan of Justin timber Lake and Timberland music.
And then after that, I did Shakira and j Lo,

(01:12:03):
so are really dove into what that Latino sound and
culture was and doing you said the Weekend before, right,
I didn't do the Weekend. I didn't think that. That
year is when I did Jasmine Sullivan, Yes national anthem,
that was raised the anthem, and then Dre last year,

(01:12:25):
huge fan and then coming up now you know we
got a special one. I need to I need to
know this, Adam, because for a lot of folks that
don't know, like you're connected in a lot of different ways,
whether you're music directing, whether you're for a ward show,
for a tour, but then also your business, your agency
with your wife. So I'm kind of curious with your

(01:12:45):
history with everything that you've done with this agency. Are
you ever present in a moment, whether it being an
award show, probably an award show, probably in music awar
shows when it really happens when you look around and
you see every single band and you see them from
this background singers to every where you have a deep
musical connection with, like you could say either I played
with you or I put you on this on this gig,

(01:13:08):
Like have you had a present moment like that? I
think like a couple of Coachella is in a row.
I'm like looking at the lineups and I'm like, that's
my folks, that's my folks, that's my folks, that's my folks.
But I really see the fruit of it, like you
when I do something like that legacy experience where we're
jam packing, five six people in the room, no posting,

(01:13:29):
no ticket sales, and they come out and support and
love on one another through the gift of music spawned
by whatever I've done to create that environment. And so
that's one of the times that are those are the
times where I really see feel of love. I feel
genuine I feel thankful, I feel humbled by who comes out.
And you know Stevie hopped on stage last week, New Edition,

(01:13:54):
you know, before that, Stokely and and just all these
people where you know they want to just say thank
you for what I've contributed to music in their own way. Um,
and so those moments I feel really good. I have
to get more into the moment of the preparation, and
I don't know if I know how to do that

(01:14:15):
yet because I'm I'm I'm waiting for it to be
over unfortunately. If I can be honest, I got a
question I've been trying to ask you. Okay, I know
you're dealing with a new crop of what we call
young boys. For instance, I saw Omar Edwards as kid
that stage of the I'm like, yo, dude, I used
to take you bowling when you were six, and you're

(01:14:39):
now twenty three, twenty four years old. Yeah, yeah, twenty
four You're dropped, like what the hell? Like you used
to put up the boundaries on the bowling alley, so
you're you're bowling gutter now, like that's happening. So how
are you How do you deal with mentoring? Because I
know that also when you put sometimes you can put
a back it together and not even step on stage

(01:15:02):
like you can put you can put timber Lakes show
together and not have to be on tour. So I
guess it's a two part of one. How do you
deal with artists that expect you to physically be there
with them as opposed to you just put their all together?
And how do you train the band? Like do they

(01:15:24):
hire the band or do you also put together the
band that you feel can best do it? And how
do you just how do you deal with like, you know,
make sure you're on time, make sure you're not late.
The easiest thing bro is for me with putting things together.
I make sure people have seen me lead by example,

(01:15:45):
you know what I'm saying, Like they see my work ethic,
they see me on time, they see how hard I
work in rehearsals, they see I'm a no nonsense guy.
Have you got to do a little something on the
side and all that, don't bring it into the rehearsal,
Like there's time everybody they had their own extracurricular thing.
But when we're here to work, we're here to work.
Um As far as managing the artist's expectations, that's just

(01:16:07):
comes with time and comfortability and trust. If I get
on the phone, we just the little baby on foulon right.
So it's like I was in l A and I'm
talking to baby, and I'm like, yo, I got you.
I have a set of guys. What I'm gonna do again,
we're talking about these sketches. I'm gonna send you a
sketch and a rehearsal recording, so when you walk in,
you know what it is, or if you hear something

(01:16:28):
that you don't like, I can fix it ahead of time,
so you're not walking in having to try to communicate
um an idea with me not being there. So it's
a it's very much still myself pre prepping so that
when they walk in, they already know what they're walking into.
And then as far as the guys are concerned, I'm like, yo,
if you ain't seen me do it, don't do it

(01:16:49):
on my gig, you know. And I know that sounds simple,
but it's like, but have you had to have a
situation where you're like, yeah, I gotta let you go
and I'm sorry, like yo' it's not gonna work. And
then I break it down and say this is what
you did, like and I mere me and you are
very similar in our countenance with people. If you explain

(01:17:11):
to somebody what they did and they actually take a
step back, and know who we are to know that
we don't want to fire them. Really they'll be like, yo, yeah,
I really jacked up. So sometimes it's not a hard thing.
I've learned to in the last five years, like people
really want me, and so whoever I put on that

(01:17:32):
stage represents me, and if there's anything that goes wrong,
it's a bad reflection on me and my brand and
my business that I've worked so hard to build. You know,
we talked about spawning, you know, and inspiring young young
boys with the program and stuff. It's getting easier and

(01:17:52):
easier to find out who has studied me and who
has you know, they're there there, Adam Blackstone, BB temply
already in that laptop. But at the same time, being
a people person, you can't teach that you know what
I'm saying. And so that's one of the one things
that I would tell the young kids is like, yo,
be humble, but at the same time, don't be afraid

(01:18:14):
to speak and say hello, look people in the face,
and you know, talk through ideas and shake hands and
and and it's and it's all love because you remember
those people who have had an impact on you over
there playing Yo, real talk everybody can play and sing
these days, everybody, and they're playing circles around me, these
young kids now. But at the same time, when I'm

(01:18:35):
when I need to talk to it justin timber Lake,
or I need to talk to an eminem, they don't
know how to do that, I think. So the media
has been a crutch. I've been saying that to not
be able to actually articulate their ideas verbally and just play,
you know what I mean? So, who are five of
your most pleasurable clients to work with. I'm sure you

(01:18:59):
love came with everybody, but like when you're like, I mean,
it's gonna be fun. I can't wait for this, no
particular order at all, Jay z Um. I love playing
his music. I'm a fan of the music as you really,
as you see I'm married from oh three on, it's
gotten more and more musical as well, you know. So

(01:19:22):
I'm gonna have to say, I don't know if this
is another person or Slash, but Puff Daddy. I did
the Bad Boy Reunion tour sixteen, and like I said,
I was talking to Fonte like that music spawned how
I felt sampling and hip hop and live bass playing,
like what that was about for me as a kid,
before I met the roots and before I was able to,

(01:19:44):
you know, kind of do things. It was like the
samples alone where the music bars that I was like, yeah,
I gotta I could play this. And when I played
this at the football game on Saturday morning, who are
they gonna go crazy? I was a musty tour that
year too. I'm so mad. I see that. Should have
heard um Jenney Jackson even one verse, one verse penny,

(01:20:07):
like one verse penny. Listen when I smack, when I smack,
miss you much. Just the chorus, it's okay you It wasn't.
And she she taught me that. She'd said like, yo,
we're just gonna get in and out. You know, I
hate that, but go ahead. This is a this, this
is a you can ask me this everything and it

(01:20:28):
might change. So I apologize at Sharing. Okay, very musical.
He's the white quest Love. He don't want no tracks. Yeah,
I was gonna say. Every time I seen Sharing, he's
on stage by himself with his guitar. So he's been
doing this loper thing all his life. But very recently
we just did Tiny Desk and we've taken that Tiny

(01:20:51):
Death show to a bunch of different things, whether it
be TV shows or whatever like that, nfl um. And
so that's been really cool. And like I said, you
asked me this any other day, it's gonna it's gonna change.
But um, the last one, I'm gonna say, Ker Franklin, Mary, Mary,
Nicki Minajs justin you can't do everybody all right? Number five? Everybody?

(01:21:25):
How does it feel too? Finally like fulfil your wish
making albums? Yo, I never in a million years, I'm
gonna be completely honest thought that I would be an
artist And what took you so long? Well, I'm gonna
be honest with you, man, Like, Well, I lost some

(01:21:47):
friends through covid like straight up you know one of them.
I lost a cousin forty five years old through covid um.
A couple of my friends lost their parents, but specifically
I lost Paris Bones, who parents that's right, is arguably
one of the greatest keyboard players and over that one

(01:22:10):
of the greatest human beings. Right, And so when I
went to the celebration services, it really inspired me because
I was like, Yo, Bible says like, you know, our
days are numbered, and it's like we we don't know
the time or the day, but I don't want and
this is no disrespect to anybody, but I don't want
my service at the at the altar and the screens

(01:22:33):
is showing me at the super Bowl and or like
I'm onto support or I'm at you know that's my
jam or something like that talk. I mean, I understand
what you're thinking. Those are Listen, let me tell you
something that those are all positions that I'm so thankful for.

(01:22:56):
People would die to being right now, but I had
to leave a legacy of something from my family, my children,
and the people who know and loved me to be
proud of that I did on my own. I did
my album in thirty days, man. And what what me
and my team have been found what have been calling

(01:23:16):
relationship equity right, And what that means to me is
I have poured so much into people un without asking
for anything in return, just because I value people in
relationships for the last twenty years. That when I made
a call to Quest Love, when I made a call
to James Poyson, when I called Jasmin Sullivan, when I

(01:23:38):
call Mary, when I called Kurt Franklin, when I called
Leslie Oldham, Jr. When I called Queen Latifa, when I
called Robert Glasberg, they immediately said, whatever you need, we
got you. You had us for all this time. And
I'm I get choked up even thinking about it because like, nobody,
nobody in two got the track list that I got, Perry,

(01:23:58):
I don't care what what Maybe calid like my track
list is crazy, and it's like it's only because I've
loved on these people. I exclaim it. I'm proud of
who I love. I'm proud of the people that have
inspired me, and for whatever reason, they also felt like
I've inspired them, and so they returned that musical favor

(01:24:21):
and we made this album called Legacy that I'm so
so proud of. That's what took me so long. Man.
I think you know, you know, seeing loss and experiencing
joy with my children, I was like, you know, it
ain't nothing like having my son sing my song as
one of his favorite songs. Hearing him wake up and
sing fly Me to the Moon. Or I was gonna

(01:24:42):
ask you what made you do the singing? Because people
know you for playing, but also on his record is
special because we get to hear you sang yeah, I
sang a little bit. You know, I've been inspired by
big band music all my life. Tony Bennan and rat
Pack and Sonata and Sammy and nat Can and Cold
you know there's I mean, they all can sing, but

(01:25:05):
it was it was the swag that made them songs
cool too, you know what I'm saying, Like Louis Armstrong
is like the swag behind it. So I was like,
you know, man, I I got some swag. Let me
let me throw it on a record. Make me think
I'll be sure more of a stylist, That's what you know.

(01:25:27):
And even the song that I sang on the top.
So yeah, the song I sang on it's called back
on the Strip and it's a it's a no de
Philly and Jersey and do it with clean la teetha
and it's going good. So yeah that I'm so excited
about legacy. And it's able to showcase many, many different
like facets of who I am. You know, this this

(01:25:51):
is volume one. I don't know when or if Volume
two happens, but it's like at the same time, I
had to. I had to do it. You know, people
have been great to me. Music has been great to me.
We bless what we do and and this is my
this is my old and and thank you to the
music industry for putting Lawrence Alice on there too, because
everybody might not know her name, but you're gonna know

(01:26:12):
that voice. Philly Cleveland girl right there. Project is on that. Yeah.
And then I you know, made a call to John Schofield.
He ended up jumping Yeah, I was gonna Field on
the record, Scofield on their Keian Harold Wayne Berger, Run,
Dante Winslow, the Truth, Jilly from Philly spitting bars, Uh,

(01:26:39):
Swizzy on the backgrounds. It's just you know, it's it's
fire man. I'm so so thankful. We just kind of
went through your whole like crazy days and times. What
does the rest look like? When do you inj your
day is your week seven days a week? What are
the barriers that you put on for your own self
and your family? That is that is a great question.
I'm still learning at four the years sold like where

(01:27:01):
to say no, where to draw the line. One of
the reasons I think I haven't said it was, first
of all, I grew up with the roots. Uh. But
at the same time we are and I'm married. You
can attest possibly, but I'm so much further along in
my head in my career than my dreams could ever imagine.

(01:27:23):
So sometimes when I get an offer to do, I'm
gonna be completely honest. Like Stevie called me today and
was like, Yo, I need you to empty his house
or toys. I can't do it. That's the craziest thing
for me to say. I was gonna say, who what
prestigious person? It just happened to me today. It just
happened to me today, and it happens all the time.
But I'm speaking of today because you know, I got

(01:27:45):
I have Super Bowl rehearsal right, and I've already committed.
And I would wear myself in my thirties or twenties
be like I'm doing it all. But at the older
I get the more responsibility that these prestigious gigs have
as well. So the responsibility for me to be at
a meeting, it's different than me going to another gig.

(01:28:06):
You know, the workload is higher when you like on
kind of overseas, higher up I get, the more responsibility
that workload is on, It's falls on me and and
and my team is incredible, do not get me wrong.
But at the same time, at something, I gotta show
face and I have to implement my own knowledge into
what makes this show what it is. So I had
to say no to Stevie, and I think that that

(01:28:28):
is It is crazy, but it's also a testament to
being a stand up person in which you've already agreed
to and then also knowing the time that I spend
with my family and my children and my wife. That's
what makes me a better musician, because we've all had
that moment when you get that nod in your stomach
and you're like, I can't even perform today. I'm jacked up.

(01:28:51):
I don't know what's going on at home or or
whatever the you know, personal case maybe in some of
our lives, but it's like, as long as I'll make
sure that routine and that home and straight, I'm a
better person for the rest of the world. And sometimes
in this business, unfortunately, the world doesn't care if we're greater,
if we're better people, as long as we're servicing them.

(01:29:12):
I've been blessed to be able to. I've been blessed
to be able to the last two three four years
have people that want to pour back into me in
certain gigs, and that and that is is a blessing
to me. It is a blessing when I can say, yo,
I need a break, or I can't do this, or
I gotta get home and my son got a soccer
game or my daughter got swimming lessons. I promise you

(01:29:32):
it's gonna be okay. I'll be right back. They say,
oh man, we got you. It's okay. You know what
I mean. So those are the moments that matter to me,
which in turn supports what why I do what I
do for them, this legacy. You know, Adam, if there
were a versus for m d s, whoa whoa who

(01:29:58):
would be v Adam Blackstone versus and someone that you
didn't And I don't mean like bro, that do you
about this? That's like really good? I don't know. Well,
who's an m D out there? That's like okay, so
I see you mean listen, you know my West Coast

(01:30:22):
brothers fifteen hunting and nothing they're doing. They rants and
got mars. So um that A lot of my influence
and pop music came from Kevin and Tunes. Okay, I'm
not sure people are familiar with him, but he did
every boy band in the nineties. So Backstreet and sy Degrees,

(01:30:45):
Britney Spirits, Christina Aguilera, them, Jurassic Park Sounds and all
that like and Sync was doing that, you know what
I'm saying, when the TVs came over their heads at
Matson Square Garden. So like Kevin and Tunes would be
another one. And then I'm just inspired by so many others.
You know, Ricky Minor with what he did with Whitney Houston. Um,

(01:31:06):
I took a lot of that catalysts and tried to
bring it to Jill. You know what I'm saying. It
was like our live versions of this music is almost
just as good or hopefully better experience than some of
the record joints. That's how you feel about Whitney, you
know what I'm saying. When he was doing when Ricky
was doing Whitney and so like we Jill loved singing live,

(01:31:30):
you know what I'm saying, And at that time, I
hadn't experienced somebody that was like, Yo, let's go on
the stage and we're just gonna vibe and it's Jill
is such a you know, a class act when it
comes to that and commanding that stage. She taught me
so much of how to just be in the moment.
I got a lot of that from watching Ricky and
Um Whitney and all the other TV things he has done.

(01:31:52):
Um and Jill still use colorful metaphors when she wants
something I need, I need. Yeah, yeah, I sent her
a song for more album that this sounds like that.
She said, it's not yellow enough, yo dog. Every Jill
is the most song rejecting person I know in this lifetime.

(01:32:14):
And it's always a metaphor. Yeah, it's got to be green.
It's like she's been on our synesthesia. Yeah she gets it.
But but let me write that word down and say
what not synesthesia? Synesthesia that's when you hear music or
sounds and it makes you think about color. That is all.
That is all Jill Scott is about and wanted like

(01:32:37):
Strawberry Moon, Yeah, and he wanted. And her genius allows
her to convey it right in a way where you're like, oh,
this sound, this chord, this feeling. Whether you're you're I'm
going to make this up, whether you're synesthetic or not,
you understand what she's saying. We play We could do

(01:33:00):
that all right. So I learned a lot and I
also listen I gotta I gotta do this. Man, I
gotta give my men quest love his flowers. I continue
to say in every interview, every I just gotta say this,
like every m D also has an m D and

(01:33:20):
a mayor quest left. Thompson is my forever m D.
I he can or cannot three in the morning, and
I say, Yo, what you think about or what the
chord for this? Or how should I do this? Or
like I'm still asking and gaining knowledge and and and
hopefully you know, you know bro that what you've spawned

(01:33:41):
in me is so many other Now the people you
say I've inspired, they got to know that where I
get it from. And so between you and James and
rich and and and just the whole crew is like,
I appreciate you for taking a chance on me. Literally
Philadelphia changed my life and you here we are QLs. Well,

(01:34:02):
thank you very much, thank you. Yes, I'll take these
damn flowers. Thank you. Know you know what I learned.
You know what I learned this episode. And I was
quasi joking when it came to me, but now I realized,
like damn Adams right, like I gotta control my my
depths is are real? Yeah, I don't want nobody showing

(01:34:25):
that damn Like every time I go to sports event,
they always show the damn Justin Bieber drum battle. Yeah
you like you know, listen, I gotta say, man like,
no offense is just I'm only no, no, we're not talking.
It's not about what we've done in our lives. That
what has made the you know, the impact on people,

(01:34:47):
because you don't you know that casket Man's real and
we don't want to be like, oh, he was an asshole,
look at him up there with like you know what
I'm saying like that. We want to we want to
know when you freaking started playing drumming jungle and drumming
bass on you got me like how that just was
like what the like? Those are the things you know

(01:35:10):
what I'm saying. And that's my moment to Adam, that's
my favorite questioned legacy baby left that you've yet to
do that you want to do winning that emmy, bro.
Let me know that Egot was gone very much, was
very much a real thing, and it's it's very much attainable.

(01:35:33):
Watching you get two in one year, it was like okay,
and and and sometimes we just need to see our
own whether it's our own color, or our own people
or our own friends, like do it because you know
that you can do it. What I want to do
is inspire kids to know that follow your dreams and

(01:35:53):
it could happen. Like you know, earlier I might have
thought I wanted to be in the NBA or play baseball.
Now I'm doing halftime at the NBA All Star Game
every year. I'm like, if this is if the music
is what got me to the n B A thank
you little you know what I'm saying. But I don't
know if there's anything else. Man, I'm gonna just take

(01:36:14):
it day by day and you know, gig by gig
and you know, just be super thankful, y'all. Thankful music.
Music has the power to take to do anything and
heal and take us anywhere. You're inspiring growing up to
just so you know a lot of us. What Steve, Yeah,
well you gave question of balls flowers. Now to tell
everybody who your favorite you is, man Dell Mix. You

(01:36:44):
don't get in trouble, right, that's a hard question, rough question? Well,
and everybody we love everybody. Oh no, Adam, I you know, man,
I couldn't be more proud of you man and I

(01:37:05):
and just to see your growth. This is awesome. I
I thank you for doing this and it's it's amazing
to see your work. I can't see what you have
in the future. And thank you for spending this time
with us on behalf of Unpaid Bill who's working on
his um teeth, Tony and Sugar Steve our favorite person

(01:37:27):
of all time. Uh fontigelow an inside joke between me
and Adam and and my Yeah, this is another great
episode of Quest Love Supreme. You know we will see
you on the next go round. All right? What's Up?

(01:37:54):
Supreme is a production of my Heart Radio. For more
podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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Laiya St. Clair

Questlove

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