June 19, 2024 • 57 mins
Questlove Supreme's Black Music Month programming continues with a special interview with James Poyser. In Part 1, the incredible musician, producer, and member of The Roots retraces his steps from an English-born child of Jamaican parents to West Philadelphia. He also recalls cutting his teeth in Gospel music before ultimately getting down with DJ Jazzy Jeff's A Touch Of Jazz production team. Along the way, James remembers meeting Ahmir and making a line-skipping series of cameos on The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. Here We Roll.
Oh Lord, I'm with it all right, Good luck James.
She on the other side, James, Here we go. I'm
better this.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Supremo Supremo Role, Turn up the music, Brema su Supremo,
Roll Call Supreme, sut Suck Supremo, Roll Call Supreme, bring
my Role.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
He Tickling CD, Brother Fentoin Statue Prize and number fight
time n provided yesterday in front of the song Supremo.
My name is Spante.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, I'm in my zone.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yeah, my favorite poison joint.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, I love of my own.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Roll Call Supremo Supreme, Roll Supremer, sir Son, Sure.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
My name is Sugar Yeah, the roll call Master. James
poisons here, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:15):
Bremer Supreme, roll Call Wait a minute, my name is
Sugar Quest keep this loop on.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, I'm glad you're here.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
James for.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Suprema Suprema roll.
Speaker 6 (01:37):
Roll Yeah, and James in Town. Yeah, what a lot
of songs. Yeah still Charles Brown.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
Supremo, supre Roll Supremo, So Supremo.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Role, Thank you Quest Love, Yeah for this and that?
Speaker 7 (01:57):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Notes and make Poison.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Laugh Premoo roll Came Bremo so premo role.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
My name is j P. Yeah, the Lord is blessing me.
Speaker 8 (02:13):
Yeah, Layla's I dressing shapsty.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
That's how you need who come Sprivapremo, Rome.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Supremo, Supremo, Supremo sou.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Roll.
Speaker 7 (02:36):
Wait as a pseudo Jamaican? Can we talk about your
Jamaican accent?
Speaker 8 (02:39):
But I got.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
James already know what I said, and that's.
Speaker 8 (02:45):
All I can listen some of the textas that he
sends me.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
You just get it.
Speaker 8 (02:51):
Listen, I get it, understand. That's all the matter. That
was Jamaicon.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, that was great. And Steve with a double but
never heard before the SoundBite that none of these joints.
Wait where was where did you dig that up?
Speaker 9 (03:12):
These were from Philly in the studio session.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Ladies and gentlemen, another episode of Quest Love Supreme. I
you know it's Quest Love. We have teams Supreme. We
are live in New York City, and by live we
mean we're just in front of each other. We Seachi
in person. Yeah, how's it going? A new bill?
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Wait?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Where was your new title? I gave you? I forgot yours.
Speaker 7 (03:38):
I was unpaid well for the record. I was White Bill,
which was a wonderful moniker.
Speaker 8 (03:44):
I was a Bill for.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Then recently I was morphed to Boss Bill for what reason?
I don't remember what. No, not for that, No, no, no,
because you're Boss. I'm happy. I'm just a bill up
climbing up this hill. That's what. All right? Well, you're
just Bill. I think I think that's the perfect Just
just Bill. You're just a Bill. I'm like a silky shampoo,
(04:10):
just Bill.
Speaker 8 (04:11):
Well take that right.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah, how's it going.
Speaker 6 (04:15):
It's going good, it's going.
Speaker 10 (04:16):
I feel like we're gonna have some time not laughing today.
It's gonna be full of laughs and good times and
long overdue conversations with a big head.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
It's gonna be a battle, so much fun going around.
Be great and fickel. I'm good, Man, good, got some
rest so I'm good. Okay, cool, I'm sorry, Steve, how's
it going? Everything's great? Man? This and how you say it?
Speaker 4 (04:47):
You've been waiting for episodes for a long.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
Time, Steve anticipated episode.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
I kind of want to be jumping in because I
want to know how James and Steve became friend of me, Like,
what's your first musical man?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
Well, theiest thing is that James is the one who
got me hired originally when I came down to Philly
in two thousands.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
It every day, all right, ladies and gentlemen, Our guest today,
of course, the needs no introduction. He's been in front
of the show. Yeah, pretty much all those moments that
you take for granted. You know, music can help facilitate
a mood when you're watching television or you're watching movies.
(05:29):
And our guest today, of course, is no exception to
providing colors, synesthesia to graphics and scenes and makes life better.
He's done, let's name it professional, being very professional, very Saidstesia. Alright,
(05:53):
sorry you said James makes life better.
Speaker 8 (05:57):
I don't know what.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
You got the wrong guests. All right, let's let's go
through our know we we used to celebrate our guests
to come on the show. I mean well, friend of
the show, wires, problem areas. We also got Harthorne. That
was a Jada show correct, Yeah, okay, the break with
Michelle wolf a friend of uh, you know, of the Circle,
(06:20):
the Equalizer, starting with our good friend Dana Blackish. He's
done music for Blackish. Yeah, and of course you know
classic season two and season three of The Chappelle Show
Award winner his name, all the artists. There's Erica, Yeah,
there's Mariah, Anthony, Anthony, Eric John Legend, Rihanna, music music,
(06:44):
so child a common Kareem Bailey, Ray my youth choir
below he never heard of him, Yeah, Randy Watson and everybody,
man Ship, everybody, James done everything, Al Green, Astero, Angela
q Jo, Joe Scott Legend. Damn all right, and we
(07:11):
saw his work yesterday, so that was awesome. What was
just what damn man.
Speaker 6 (07:19):
We saw yesterday?
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (07:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Yeah would have been happened yesterday. Motherfuckers. The clips is
already the worst. I missed that. It was a big
head joke. You, of all people should know that. I'm sorry.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
I'm relegated to Charlie Brown and his friends. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Ry Wow, welcome to James bod.
Speaker 6 (07:49):
That was a good one of your actually in retrospect
like that was funny.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yes, wow, I know my fun Anyway, how are you?
How are you? James?
Speaker 11 (07:58):
Shut up, Steve, I just needed to get I'm great, man,
I'm happy to be here amongst family and friends and I.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Mean step.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
All right, So yeah I kind of knew you. So
this is gonna be really hard to do.
Speaker 6 (08:18):
Like you don't.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I thought James was the Philadelphia born and bred. Now
where were you born?
Speaker 8 (08:23):
I was born in Sheffield, England. My parents Jamia con.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
I thought you're gonna say Jamaica.
Speaker 11 (08:29):
No, no, no, my parents are Jamaica and they immigrated
to England, you know, the win the Russian generation.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
And where is Sheffield?
Speaker 8 (08:36):
Sheffield is like two hours north from London.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Okay, So even then I thought you were from like
South London where all the all the cool people. Jamaicans.
Speaker 11 (08:45):
I mean, listen, Jamaicans is everywhere, bredwand everywhere. So I
was born there, lived there for nine years and then
we moved over here.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Did you at once had a UK accent? I did?
Speaker 8 (08:58):
And it was weird, like to school, like speak English
to me and I'm like I am speaking.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Do you know where?
Speaker 8 (09:04):
They wanted to hear the accent?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
And you know, I got tased quite a bit, you know,
so you purposely lost your accent.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
He hasn't lost it, though. It's certain words that come through.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
But all right, so talk talk with you.
Speaker 11 (09:15):
It's not the type of thing I can fill on
like certain words if I say digital digital, But yeah,
you don't grow up in West Philly with an English accent,
so I had to lose that trying to quick.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Girls thought that was cool.
Speaker 8 (09:31):
I was nine.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
I have a question, like, so, when was the first
time you actually went to Jamaica at all?
Speaker 11 (09:40):
When I was a baby, we went over, I don't remember,
but after that, I think I was fourteen thirteen and
we went to the town where my parents was from.
It was like one dirt road up in the mountain,
like literally like five six blocks and it was like,
you know, the bathroom in the outhouse and chickens running around,
and I had was great back then. When I've gone
(10:04):
back recently, I'm like, where's.
Speaker 8 (10:07):
The risk calling?
Speaker 10 (10:12):
Oh, I got I got one? Because we always used
to tease James about being a p K.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah, so I'm.
Speaker 10 (10:17):
Curious, like, was your dad always preacher's kid?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Actually? Can I add on to that? Because I also
know that the usual scenario of Christian household with music
and secular household with music. I'm very curious as to
how did secular music seep into what I would think
was an unpenetrable household as far as like what you're
(10:42):
allowed to listen to not allowed to listen to all.
Speaker 8 (10:45):
Right, So grow up in church in England. My dad
was a pastor there.
Speaker 11 (10:49):
Now, the way it works immigration was my mom had
to move to America, had to she well to set
it up. She had to come over, you know, work
out our job and whatever and set up. So for
a couple of years I was just with my dad.
And one of the earliest memories I have was coming
home from school, maybe like six or seven, and there
(11:11):
was this woman dancing in the living room to this
Are Crouch record and I was like, Oh, that's my
that's my mom.
Speaker 6 (11:21):
I mean, these are the type of things you gotta
go through, you know, that's your mom's record.
Speaker 11 (11:24):
Yeah, So it was these are Crouch records, and you
know when we moved over here, those are kind of
things that were in now some are Crouch records and
James Cleveland and all that kind of stuff. And we
had a stereo system and I would sit there with
my headphones on listening to that stuff because that's all
that was allowed in the Bishop Poiso's household. But I
had an FM and radio upstairs in my bedroom too,
(11:47):
so you know, I was listening to all the stuff.
You know, you walking through the streets of Philly, going
to school and being around you're going to hear anything sound,
so you know, it's funny hanging, you know, hanging with
a mirror. You know, all these years, there's certain things
that I realized I missed, you know, just because of
that kind of thing, like street, Sesame Street. I never
grew up with Sessimon. So there's times he referenced, you
(12:10):
don't remember this, and I'm like, bro, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Love for breacanteen and milk and stick of butter.
Speaker 6 (12:16):
Was like and hosehold.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
No, No, I was not.
Speaker 8 (12:19):
I was in England, so I was so when I
came over here, I was like, bugs, bunny.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, was piano your first instrument?
Speaker 11 (12:29):
No, I grew up playing drums in church. We moved
over here, a small storefront church, and there was a
little drum set there and nobody to play, and I
was like, I won't play now. You gotta remember, I
grew up playing on pots and pans with my mom's
knitty needles when I was a little, little young one.
So yes, you know, started playing drums first, and then
(12:50):
I moved to bass guitar, which is still my favorite instrument.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Really.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
Yeah, because you have a few of them, right. Do
you have a few bass guitars the house?
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (12:58):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 11 (12:59):
I can't play bass, but that's like my that's what
a base I played. I played bass a little bit.
I play based on record before.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (13:05):
Yeah, But I can't really do any gigs. You know,
I'm a pino Mark Kelly.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
But I'm saying that is the muscle memory thing or
I just don't.
Speaker 11 (13:14):
If I practiced on it, maybe I would, but you know,
I'm still trying to practice on this piano breach.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
I see. Okay, So you came here at nine. Which
school did you start?
Speaker 11 (13:27):
I started off at Anderson Where's fifth grade? That's sixtieth
in Creek. I went to a West Philly school, Yeah,
sixty I started there, and then I went.
Speaker 8 (13:38):
To Turner for a year.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Where's Turner?
Speaker 11 (13:40):
Turner is fifty ninth from Baltimore. And then I went
to Hamilton and where he is? Hey, what to call
it from your crib? Fifty six and Spooce. So you
went to all West Villy high schools? Well this was
on high school high school. I went to engineering and
science for two years before and then.
Speaker 8 (14:01):
School. See what happened was Steve?
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Wait? Did you know bubbles. Everybody where's she working? I'm no,
yo would have graduated the same the same year.
Speaker 8 (14:17):
No, I'm not sure. Okay, but and then I graduated
from West Catholic. West Catholic. But turn it down. Didn't
you live around the corner from Hamilton?
Speaker 1 (14:27):
I did? But all right, so explain to me, because
the thing was, is that now that I live in
a time in which you know, posts Facebook, you know,
uncles that like put up like weird random websites of
things that are not like you know, mark being our threads,
Like it's not CNN, it's like some other So I'm
(14:51):
now wondering if the picture is that adult figures painted
to me, which was basically like every every school in
West Philadelphia.
Speaker 11 (15:03):
Is mine as will be like a prison now. But
then back then, I mean, yeah, I had some drama
in school. You know, I got I got guns pulled
out on me. I literally on the corner waiting for
bus and these dudes rolled up on me. One dude
punch in the face. I got upraidy to fight, and
he pulled a gun and put it in my head.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
He was just messing.
Speaker 8 (15:21):
This was in seventh grade, just messing, just messing with me. Yeah,
I've seen.
Speaker 11 (15:26):
Dudes on the on the playground. You know, I'm my
boy on the playground. This dude came and pulled a
knife on him. We're on the playground, seventh grade. This
older dude, he had to be in eighteen nineteen, a
big machete, like a Jamaican machete pull. So yeah, you know,
I ain't no fuck but you know I've been. You know,
(15:47):
you see that stuff. You experience that stuff growing up,
you know.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Oh okay, so it was real Yeah, never mind, Wait,
engineering science. Where was that located though?
Speaker 8 (15:56):
That was like liberties or no, this was a cease
will be more like right on Temple's campus.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Okay, I see that.
Speaker 6 (16:04):
Are we not going to talk about why you you
didn't finish there?
Speaker 1 (16:07):
See what happened was bong hitch. I was.
Speaker 8 (16:14):
I was the class clown and I was goofing off.
I don't be believe that.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
I don't believe that at all. Yeah I was.
Speaker 8 (16:21):
I was a bit of a class clown, goof through.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
I don't believe that at all. I was. Are there
is a mirror you get you get kicked out for that?
Speaker 7 (16:29):
Yeah?
Speaker 11 (16:29):
My my grades, my grades, because it's like it's a
really school. Yes, the school to maintain a certain ye.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Smart kids schools, you know.
Speaker 8 (16:41):
And of course my immigrant parents were very they weren't
having that, so.
Speaker 6 (16:46):
They put you in the strict Catholic school.
Speaker 8 (16:47):
Well I was going. I went to BArch them for
like a week experience like twenty.
Speaker 6 (16:56):
Oh see that's it wasn't without Philly.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I lean on me, oh Joe.
Speaker 10 (17:02):
It's now a beautiful gentrified building with lots of shops
and they have rooftop parties on it.
Speaker 8 (17:06):
Really is now like let's go.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Yeah, it got artists and pickled and got flower grass.
Speaker 6 (17:17):
Am I think you dj? They are like about five
on the roof.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
I know I DJ'd on the roof of what.
Speaker 6 (17:26):
Oh it's it's not Barto's good, it's Bob. You're right,
I'm sorry, Thank you Joy.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Aren't you from Hens? Ain't you from Pittsburgh? Yeah? I
did not know that. Okay, So cousin Jake has revealed
he's in Philadelphia. I did not know that. I tell
you straight, Pittsburgh. Okay, maybe we should start interviewing like the.
Speaker 7 (17:47):
Actual it's funny.
Speaker 6 (17:50):
It's funny.
Speaker 10 (17:50):
As we're talking to James, I'm like, this is the
moment where Amir gets to know the people that he's
been loving for thirty years.
Speaker 6 (17:54):
Just like when we discovered about.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
I didn't know that. I did not know that James
was a juvenile Delincoln. It doesn't come across as one.
I will say that. So were you part of any
because the way that I got into the circle, like
when you meet the people that we see now, the
little John's of the world and the carving and you know,
(18:18):
all those guys, Dre and Vadoald all that stuff, were
you ever part of like all city? None of those.
Speaker 11 (18:26):
I wasn't part of that whole thing. I was playing
in church, you know, but I wasn't part of the
you know, I wanted to part of me wanted to
go to to Caper at the time, but you know,
I was on my smart I was an engineer and
major in college for the first two years, you know,
finished up with my degree in finance.
Speaker 8 (18:43):
So you know, it was that kind of immigrant thing,
Jamaican thing too.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
So your parents wanted to do engineering, yeah, all I
wanted to do music.
Speaker 8 (18:55):
Yeah what'd you wind up doing?
Speaker 1 (18:58):
James?
Speaker 11 (19:01):
So I went to Drexel for two years for engineering.
I actually went to Roman hause he took us on
a field trip to see what engineers do, what kind
of engineering? I was chemical engineer, and uh, I was like,
I ain't trying to do this.
Speaker 8 (19:17):
That real, I am not trying to do this.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
At any point did you think of doing sound engineering
or no? No, no, no no no.
Speaker 11 (19:28):
I was just like, okay, let me I'm going to
graduate and get a job in a bank. And that's
why I went to.
Speaker 6 (19:32):
School for fun with Richmond.
Speaker 7 (19:35):
When you were in church, was it plactical training or
it was just like you're learning by listening classical you
know what I mean? But like you ever did you
ever take lessons or was it just like listening?
Speaker 11 (19:43):
So it started off I taken They had a little
lamb lessons with this piano teacher, mister Costa, and I
didn't like going over there because she had these two
chihuahuas that you know. I'd walk in and take lessons
and they were cool, but when you're walking out, they
would always like bite me on the back of you know.
Speaker 8 (20:01):
I hated going to those lessons. They will freaking me out.
Speaker 11 (20:04):
So I stopped and I was That's when I was
playing drums and bass, and I remember we went to
this church, and this guy that was the same age
as me was playing keyboards, and I was like, oh,
I want to do that.
Speaker 8 (20:15):
And I took a cassette tape of that song.
Speaker 11 (20:17):
It was a simple progression to five three six progression
whatever whatever, And I studied it for a couple of
months and then transported and all the keys, and I
was like, oh, I can go play in church.
Speaker 8 (20:30):
And I went. I went to church and couldn't play
because I you know, I just didn't have the experience.
But I figured it out.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Was that your warfare.
Speaker 8 (20:43):
That came a little later, that's on the end of
most of the records.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Like James, one of the people that will you know,
we've made fun of like the level of snobbery on stage. Well,
laugh at each other, make fun of each other, and
we make fun of it so much that it actually
winds up becoming the fiber of what it is now.
(21:11):
Like James used to like playing the wrong chords of
a song and it'd be funny, But now like that's
all we wanted. I don't want nothing sounded normals. I
want it all wrong chords.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Wait, so how long did it take for you to
get it on the piano?
Speaker 8 (21:34):
I'm still trying to No, no, no, we're not doing that.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
How long okay, I'm a rephrase.
Speaker 10 (21:39):
How long did it take for you to feel confident
enough to go into the church and play the piano
and people were like you can stay?
Speaker 11 (21:44):
It took a while, you know, like almost close to
a year until you know, and again, my church is
very West Indians, so it wasn't all of the stuff
that y'all Yankees do. It was really one four five
playing a reggae beat.
Speaker 8 (22:03):
Oh, then we played the Calypso stuff now too.
Speaker 6 (22:05):
I've never heard cllips go.
Speaker 7 (22:10):
That's like one one one you've seen that video with
that dude said.
Speaker 8 (22:17):
They did then snl sketch on them.
Speaker 11 (22:18):
Yes, yes, yeah, that's like my church iday.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
So did you already have the rhythm part down because
of the drums and bass experience?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 11 (22:30):
I think I had it just because I was listening
so much too stuff, you know, I was listening to
so much music and going to record stores and not
having money and just standing there reading the back of
album covers.
Speaker 8 (22:42):
You know, just to learn the names and yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Studios and what that.
Speaker 6 (22:46):
But when did you make the change. Where'd you go
from drums piano, like, this is it.
Speaker 11 (22:50):
I ain't going back right after that experience I told
you about, I just kept practicing and practicing.
Speaker 8 (22:56):
I was like, okay, this is it. Okay, so walk
me through the Can I backtrack just a little? You
gotta remember too, my older brother played.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
Right, Okay?
Speaker 10 (23:03):
Thanks?
Speaker 11 (23:05):
I know my older brother, Steven, who's now the bishop
of the church, he was the one that played. And
I was trying to, you know, trying to be like
my older brother. So what did he play? He played everything?
He played, keys, played bass, played druones.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Is he good?
Speaker 8 (23:16):
He was good?
Speaker 3 (23:17):
No.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
If he says it I taught, he'll say he taught
me everything.
Speaker 10 (23:23):
I know.
Speaker 8 (23:24):
He taught me everything he knew.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
You know, all right? That makes sense?
Speaker 8 (23:30):
Like is he listening?
Speaker 5 (23:31):
What?
Speaker 1 (23:32):
So, even though I haven't seen it with my own eyes, Like,
is it generally correct that because of lack of venue
structure in Philadelphia that the Black Church was like the
prime spot where every musician could get a chance to play.
Speaker 8 (23:46):
Absolutely And as.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
A result, if there are five keyboard players waiting to
get on, and four bass players waiting to get on,
and twelve drummers ready to get on, that they're going
to try to outdo each other absolutely, all right, can
you walk me through that process? Like, is this the
inspiration for gospel chops? Yes, Like the reason why most
black musicians overplay is because they have some evil to
(24:11):
make an impression. That makes sense, right, Like you can't
play like if you play like me, then it's just
like old people will like it. No, but that's the thing,
Like myfrow is like I want to make the musicians
sound good, so I'll just play down the middle is
(24:32):
least the less I play, the.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Better it is.
Speaker 6 (24:34):
Change. You never took a mire to church, and just
like I would love to.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
See that church before church, Like I purchase drums for them,
but that's church. Even hired a drummer. There's one.
Speaker 8 (24:52):
Church.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Actually I have played in church. But the church that
I went to was all right, it was a weird
kind of non denomination. Wait, why did you already have
the I'm.
Speaker 6 (25:08):
Already not here, Like I'm not when you say non
denomination like.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Church too, I mean I did it. I had a
Pentecostal church. What was the w wzz D? So I
actually I did play drums in Pastor Charles something. He
was a known preacher in Philadelphia, Like I did that
for like maybe like three years, because it was also
paying the ass of packing my drums at home. And
(25:36):
then you gotta do a double trip, like uncle Bud
and Dad have to come and and put it in there,
you know, and then it's like you gotta break the
drums down the church and bring it back home. I
got lazy with that. But yeah, once, once I discovered
we discovered a church that let us wear regular clothes,
which is like a game changer, like wait, I can
(25:59):
wear jeans in it T shirt in this church. And
they were very hipofyed like Tarik thought was the most
hilarious thing ever because you know, like praise like praising
black church. But these people would just like do hands
across America across the church, like they were just like
someone would start a conga line, and that was the thing.
(26:21):
It'd be like a seventy nine person conga line.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
It sounds like midsommar.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
This sounds yeah, I mean.
Speaker 7 (26:31):
It sounds like a white person church, right, I mean,
once I can say something.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Believe it or not. It was actually drawn down the
middle like it was equally black white and uh uh Hispanic.
Well yeah, so that was the drummer.
Speaker 12 (26:55):
So what the fuck I want to ask you about
to that point, James, about you know, we talk about
the Black Church and it pretty much being kind of
like the breeding ground, like the training ground for musicians.
So now with the Black Church, what what do you
think is the role of the Black Church in the
musical community, because now it's very much you see the
(27:17):
rise of you know, I guess what they call CC
and contemporary Christian music, which is you know, it's not
it ain't Notre Crouch, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
So does a Black church still have that role in
the musician?
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Are they being trapped down church?
Speaker 8 (27:29):
Absolutely? Man, they're doing stuff. I mean again, I'm older now.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
So some of the things that my question I was
like like trapp and drill in church now or like
oh you hear that kind of stuff, like if they
do it now in your your brother's church. One time,
I try to play Peter Piper, like I just told
the percussion player just do this, and I played it,
(27:54):
and one elder who is like the youngest elder who
like knew what I know what y'all doing, Like, they
called me to the principal's office. It was like because
the kids started whopping and on, so it's forbidden. I
couldn't play anything that made them morning starting listen.
Speaker 8 (28:14):
I was playing this kid, I played the changes to
on Broadway. One of the looked at me like no, no, no, no,
I like changes exactly.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
So, so how is it now?
Speaker 8 (28:31):
Like how was playing?
Speaker 11 (28:33):
I don't know if you saw this thing a few
months back through this church in Georgia, he played the
actual record.
Speaker 8 (28:39):
Walk it Out, I walk.
Speaker 11 (28:40):
I think I played the minister and played the verses
and everything old churches of Dancing, and I was like no,
I stopped watching.
Speaker 8 (28:49):
The video was like, but yeah, the influence is definitely there.
The stuff they're doing now.
Speaker 11 (28:57):
You know they're playing to tracks, you know, so it's
extremely the church that's extremely musical. You know, those guys
are still playing and playing beyond you know, it's like
Todd rises and then it just keeps.
Speaker 6 (29:13):
So, I mean church has got orchestras now, yeah, it's.
Speaker 7 (29:17):
I think it's less religious. No, what about guys like
Corey Henry and p J. Morton, like like, it's still
church based, but it's not religious.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Would you consider to Triviat was he kind of in
that same lane?
Speaker 11 (29:29):
Yeah, Todd, I think Todd helped change a lot, you know,
because him in the band sound check, they were just
doing some things that were like, wait, what is that?
Speaker 5 (29:38):
You know?
Speaker 8 (29:38):
I mean, Ale, you can attest to that, you know.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Yeah, I mean I don't know. It's it's to me,
like I still am, I like the the cranky old
guy in the corner that everyone's already bopping their head. Yes, yes, no,
but it's it's for me. I feel like the overdoing
(30:05):
it of it all, yeah, frustrates the shit out. I
mean because like I don't know, like I feel like
the less if you act like a team like you're
now boring. All Star games are for basketball because just
like everyone's just taking leaps and everyone's dunk in offensive
shootout right, And that's where I feel like gospel chops
are now where it's just like, all right, we know
(30:26):
you're amazing, but like, what do you guys like as
a team?
Speaker 11 (30:29):
Right, But it's again I would not argue with that,
but well I would argue that from that point of view,
like that's the level of musicality that's risen to. Now
that's the norm. So they just expressed it on getting
more musical and more musical you know what I mean.
It sounds like I mean the stuff that we listen to,
fusion stuff, that chick career, electric band and all that stuff,
(30:52):
which was special and different.
Speaker 8 (30:54):
That's the normal church.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Do you ever do be power.
Speaker 8 (31:01):
Is amazing, Gospel was amazing, his whole his whole family.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
You are old or no? Now?
Speaker 12 (31:10):
Yeah, he's called Doob is a monster, dude you but
it's very uh d o O b I E. But yeah,
but it's very music like changes.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
Yeah, it's real.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
You said fusion. It kind of like Vegas changes or
like nah nah na.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Nah, he's not he's wrong.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Do me the truth. Yeah, send it to your mir Okay,
why are your school me?
Speaker 8 (31:32):
Now?
Speaker 6 (31:33):
No, I just always like to keep up with everybody
on this show. Y'all don't know.
Speaker 10 (31:36):
I'll be sitting here looking up everything y'all talking about.
So I might as well just send it to you too.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
I see, thank you. I appreciate it, all right. So
what was the period that told you like, Okay, I'm
going to take the serious and pursue my dream of
playing music.
Speaker 8 (31:55):
When I was in college and after the Chemical Engineer
and thebacle Peter and uh so, I left Drexel.
Speaker 11 (32:06):
I went to community college for two years and was
working at Strawbage and Clovia, and I started getting gigs.
And I started doing local gigs around town with different
(32:27):
choirs and different club things, and then started doing some
things with some national artists. You know, some national gospel artists.
There's a choir called New Jersey Mass. I was working
with them. There's a gospel singing name Vanessa bea Armstrong Yes,
then Walker okay. So then I started working with the
white Head Brothers, went on tourter.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Europe with.
Speaker 6 (32:52):
That's why is that when I meet you when you
are a Philadelphia International? Is that how that happens? Because
that's when I met James and Victor Is at Philadelphia.
Speaker 11 (32:59):
Well that was after after that, that's when I met
Jeff Okay, the that's just Jeffrey Jazz. I mean Jeffrey Towns,
Jeffrey Jazz town.
Speaker 8 (33:09):
Jeff.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
Wait, you're you're skipping over very crucial things. I want
to know about. Who is your longest gig with as
far as like National Gospels concerned.
Speaker 11 (33:18):
Bruce Parham, he was a Philly guy and I worked
with him. So it was Bouce as a Kywalker. Then
I played with.
Speaker 8 (33:24):
Try try City with Donald Lawrence.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Oh wow, all right, so guy Walkers call him up right?
Speaker 8 (33:32):
No, no, no, no, that's just no, that's right. That's
keep fringle.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
All right. So here's the all.
Speaker 8 (33:41):
Right now the.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
DJ Rogers one make it anyhow? That was Tarik's first
got that saying serious. Oh no, yeah, like you know,
like the special Sundays were like you're gonna get annointed
or something like that, like Tarik was for one week Threek,
It's going to be like Aaron Hall, like seriously, handkerchiefs
(34:10):
everybody this evening singa.
Speaker 6 (34:15):
So does the gospel community do they feel like you're
secretly theirs? First?
Speaker 10 (34:18):
Like they look at you when they see you in
the streets like come home.
Speaker 6 (34:22):
But I mean like but like you can leave, you
can leave them, You could really just be with us,
you know.
Speaker 11 (34:29):
I mean it's changed up so much. It's like where
would I start going back to do some gospel records?
You know, I mean, I'm do them my way, but
the way they're doing them now, you know what I mean,
it's like.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
It's like super advanced now.
Speaker 11 (34:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
Man, so wait, you're saying this is like eight degrees
way past.
Speaker 11 (34:46):
Uh Commission Commission so there's way past commission now, yes,
and I mean commission was just so cut measure.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
Yes, that was like the foundation almost like yeah, so.
Speaker 11 (34:56):
But there's still you know, there's still growing. There's a
lot that gods are doing that. You know, Like you say,
the music level is too high, dude.
Speaker 8 (35:04):
Like Kim Moarell.
Speaker 12 (35:05):
Yeah, yeah, it's just very it's very technical, like the
gospel singers because I mean I work with a lot
of singers and the thing that you have to that
I notice with a lot of gospel singers or have
to have that background getting them to understand the difference
between being a singer and being a recording artist because
they just want to sing. Like the run it's runs
(35:28):
every two minutes. It's like fam, you can just sing
the melody and it's okay, you know what I mean.
Very Yeah, it's that like you said, like it's always
that very flashy you know what I'm saying, but technically brilliant,
you know what I'm saying. But it's like if you're
singing a song, you kind of got to give the
audience some room to you know, to sing along with you,
(35:49):
you know what I mean?
Speaker 11 (35:50):
Right, So yeah, but but they be saying the ass
all though it's funny. Back back in the day there
was one or two singers that could do that kind
of stuff. There's one of two musicians that could do
all of you know, now everybody does that stuff, and
it's like, let's go back to.
Speaker 8 (36:05):
Keeping it kind of simple.
Speaker 6 (36:06):
But it seems like approach.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Take me through a typical week of this circuit, gig wise,
like what rehearsal wise? What what what required? Dress code? Traveling?
Speaker 11 (36:29):
Yeah, so rehearsing doing like you're you're Morgan Freeman and
this is a shawk. So we're rehearsing at some church,
some small church somewhere. Okay, you know what day, like
Tuesday nights sometime during the week, it doesn't matter, you know,
Funday night, Tuesday night.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Is it always organ or is it piano?
Speaker 8 (36:51):
It's uh piano, keyboards whatever was there?
Speaker 1 (36:53):
You know what, do you get a concept versus what
you're going to learn or you have to know it already.
Speaker 11 (36:58):
But some things with some of the choirs, some things
are just like standards that everybody would know, not like
we were just people that know you you always you always, so.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
You know what everyone knows? Okay, Pactice of stuff.
Speaker 6 (37:14):
Go do it.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Go do a gig.
Speaker 11 (37:16):
You know, there's a there's a gospel concert with like
forty people on it. You go up there and do
two songs. You know, you gotta have the d X
seven or you share. Sometimes you bring your stuff in
or sometimes you share. And sometimes people didn't want you
playing and stuff. You know my settings don't don't don't move,
don't don't don't don't change the transpose on this or
the drummers, don't change the symbols around. Drummers bring the
(37:39):
snares in drump. I've seen drummers walking with a snare
and some sticks and walk out with the snare symbols.
Speaker 6 (37:50):
How much pack?
Speaker 11 (37:52):
Oh man, I got quite a few cheese steaks and listen, no,
not even thirty five bucks, Like yo, let's just go
get a chef steak.
Speaker 8 (38:01):
Ye and I had to split a chief steak pay.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Damn.
Speaker 6 (38:08):
So your strawbridges money is your real money?
Speaker 3 (38:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 10 (38:11):
So?
Speaker 1 (38:11):
But is but also like are you in units? Like
is it the goal to show out? And yeah, like
we going to that church? Yeah, all of that, all
of that.
Speaker 11 (38:25):
You know, I was you know some of the bands
I was playing, and you know, I was always blessed
to have the greatest drummers to work with, so little John.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Laura, you know.
Speaker 8 (38:37):
So you know we go do these gigs and show.
Speaker 11 (38:39):
You know, everybody was more excited for Brian and John
than me because you know, they they was putting on
the show and I'm like, I'm just holding together with
my two cords.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Broadway, all right. So what was your first foray into
the professional world that will take you to where you
are now? Like, what's your what do you consider your
first I got hired by Richard Timple's field.
Speaker 8 (39:06):
I said, White, Okay, what was this?
Speaker 3 (39:11):
The love is the one? Eight seven? Was this that one?
Or was it?
Speaker 8 (39:14):
What was the record they had Feel Your Pain? Oh
my god, my memory.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
So it's gone right now. It's just the white Head. Forget.
I was a g it was it.
Speaker 8 (39:24):
Don't forget I was a gink Yeah that was what
this is?
Speaker 1 (39:27):
White? That was the white had that kid the kid the.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Son, Yeah, I forget forget. I was the g was
the that was the one that was on the Jason's
Lyrics soundtrack. That was like ninety five.
Speaker 8 (39:38):
We went towards Europe. You know, I'll never forget this.
Speaker 11 (39:41):
We played London. This guy opened up for us and
everybody was laughing at him. Just do It's terrible, Mark Marrison.
Speaker 8 (39:55):
No, he was saying, I.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
Met you.
Speaker 8 (40:00):
No, this is in London. I meet you in London.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
I mean you know what I mean? Questnesia like, never
heard that before, loved that. How many times I meet
you before?
Speaker 7 (40:13):
I'm like, oh, Bill, well you thought it was your accountant,
like seventeen exactly. I'm pretty sure you still think I'm
your account right, That's fine.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
No, No, you're consistent in your accounting sheikh right now.
I love it. No, No, but I remember I was
hanging out the Apollo. Who are the white Heads opening for?
Speaker 3 (40:30):
That?
Speaker 1 (40:30):
Was it black Street at the Apollo? At the Apollo
in London? It was black Street? Okay, we were over
from the Foot Did I meet you? That's when I
remember that's James Poyser. That's when it registered, because you're like, hey, Philly.
I was like, huh, really.
Speaker 8 (40:48):
You remember something? I don't mind.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
This was Black Street and the white Head brothers came
to the Apollo. I think around December nine, December of
ninety five, I decided to not fly home for Christmas
and just stay at our apartment everyone went home for
Christmas and I stayed at our apartment in London and
I went to go see Black Street. I think you
(41:12):
are there three nights in a row or something.
Speaker 6 (41:14):
That's cool.
Speaker 8 (41:15):
Yeah, I don't remember that.
Speaker 6 (41:17):
So wait, then, how did you hook with White Hair
Brothers then?
Speaker 1 (41:19):
Because yeah, how did I just really?
Speaker 6 (41:23):
I know, I know? But then did that?
Speaker 10 (41:26):
Was that what lead you into like being because y'all
were kind of like supposed to be like the cannon
for for p I R.
Speaker 6 (41:31):
For a minute, it felt like no, no, just wait
this way before that.
Speaker 8 (41:34):
This was a little bit before p I R.
Speaker 11 (41:36):
This was right when I met Jeff okay and became
and you know, he took me in a touch of jazz.
Speaker 6 (41:43):
Have you met Victor yet?
Speaker 8 (41:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 11 (41:45):
Jeff and Vick I met at the same time. This
was Vic with the blonde head. Y'all remember that phase,
this before this is grand Master.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
At one point Grandmaster Vic was probably neck and neck
with like jazzy Jeff as far as I cut.
Speaker 6 (41:59):
The straight talking about a different victims Victor.
Speaker 8 (42:02):
Yeah, Grandmaster Vic, Grandmaster Vic exctic.
Speaker 1 (42:06):
Yeah, that was Grandmaster vict exotic Don and Jeff and
the first print.
Speaker 10 (42:14):
Different Back then, blond okay, because I was working, because
he always because also a Mary didn't.
Speaker 6 (42:18):
He started wearing a turban and he did some locked
like you know, went through.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
The hes, going through the sealed thing. Yea. And according
to vict he saw Daphne play the fine as Playboy
model of I believe that she was at Tower Records signing.
This is like a week before Things Fall a part
came out. She was at Tyro Record signing like a
(42:43):
I tens for the new like Playboy DVD or v
HS thing and I went in and got autograph. She
and her thank you, Like how did y'all get that?
Was that my eight ten? That singing in your studio?
Speaker 8 (43:00):
Of of that mean to play might or was it his?
Because he came back and like I'm changing my name.
Speaker 6 (43:12):
Yeah, he said the same thing, said the same thing.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
She was that fine, She's fine.
Speaker 8 (43:17):
He changed his name.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
I never knew from she was in a Visa commercial
that was like her first national thing in addition to
doing Playboy. But she was like in a Visent commercial,
fine as all hell. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (43:35):
I always felt sort of from an outsider. I arrived
in Philly in like two thousand and four, but like
he always seemed like he was somehow a crux to
what had happened, Like was he at the center of
a lot of the stuff that that was happening.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
He was there, He was involved in a lot of stuff.
He was also just way ahead of his time, because
I admit that I was laughing, like when James explained
to me, like, yeah, you know like Victor, and I'm
like Grandmaster Vic. He's a not like Victor, who play
trying to like you know, he's trying to do some
cool sexy thing like seal sting, and I'm like grand
Master vict wants to do that type of stuff. Right,
(44:20):
was just way ahead everybody. He was first of all,
the youngest. Is that Kenny or I think it was Kenny. Yeah, yeah,
it was Kenny on tour. Did he ever play guitar?
Because I don't think the world knew and Philly didn't know.
He was like Kirk Jimmy Hendrick the level of guitar playing.
(44:44):
So I met him, I met Kiddy. I think it's
Kenny Whitehead, the youngest, you know a street music and
he was just shredding and I've never seen like a
young black person shred like guitar like that. And when
I heard Whitehead, I was like, all that ain't My
dad was like his father, ain't no stopping this stuff now, right.
Speaker 8 (45:05):
But on the tour where they just now, yeah, just singing, well,
we would just you.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Know, I always thought that was just wrong call, and
like he should have played guitar more.
Speaker 11 (45:15):
And like, you know, it's funny. Can I just take
you saying the first time you saw him? So I
grew up in West Philly. You grew up in West Philly.
We didn't know what, we didn't know each other. But
I see this weird dude walking around because I take
the g I take the l right, and I was like,
who this d And then I did a session at
the studio on Delaware Avenue and you were leaving, okay,
(45:38):
and I was like, who's this dude?
Speaker 8 (45:39):
He was like, Yo, you don't know him.
Speaker 1 (45:40):
He's wanting studios. I think it was a Cajun.
Speaker 11 (45:44):
He's like, we don't know this dude on drums. I
was like, he plays drums. I see him in the neighborhood,
but I didn't know he played drums. And then the
Boys and Men video came out.
Speaker 3 (45:55):
I got it.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
That's my entry. So how did you meet Jeff because
you came around he's now he's the tail end of
he's DJ. I'm the rapper.
Speaker 11 (46:08):
But really in the beginning of and in this corner,
it was little John, little John Roberts who he was
playing drums at Jeff and they had a gig at
the Zoo the Philly Woo.
Speaker 8 (46:21):
I went to hang out. I was like, yo, I
want to be done with this.
Speaker 1 (46:26):
Performed that okay.
Speaker 11 (46:27):
Oh it was just Jeff DJing but with the band
and he had some other musicians playing, okay, And I
was like, I'm trying to know what's up. So, you know,
got cool with him and Vic and uh, this was right.
They just moved a studio from Delaware Avenue up to.
Speaker 1 (46:48):
He left Studio four.
Speaker 8 (46:49):
Yeah, and went up to Near City Avenue. I forget
the name of this.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
I didn't they moved there, yeah, okay.
Speaker 11 (46:55):
So I started working with him there, okay, and worked
there for a few is some remixes whatever this was.
This was that when Jefferson always in a light doing
that fresh Prince. So then me and what you're on, Yeah,
I'm in a couple of episodes, really a couple episodes.
I was hanging out with Jeff and I was like
(47:16):
sitting in the back eating Roscoe's. I'm like, yo, will man,
let me get on one of these scenes.
Speaker 6 (47:21):
Man.
Speaker 8 (47:22):
It will took me right.
Speaker 11 (47:23):
And it was a Friday, just before they're about the
tape and you gotta remember those extras there all week
for rehearsal, and he put me right in front and
they were looking at.
Speaker 1 (47:31):
Me like you the cutters extras hate line cuts. Boy.
Speaker 11 (47:42):
So again we're working there and Chauncey Charles, my brother,
was up there working with working the business with us.
Speaker 8 (47:48):
And then we were like, you know, we're doing this ourselves.
Let's go off by ourselves and do our things.
Speaker 11 (47:54):
So we're working at vix apartment doing nothing, and Kenny Gamble,
who was a friend of Vic's mom or Chelcey's mom,
was like, man, you guys, come, I'm gonna teach you
all what's going on.
Speaker 8 (48:10):
So that's where I had the room.
Speaker 11 (48:12):
If that's when that's where we first met you and
Keith too, Yeah, Keith, Keith's working there yet Chance brought
Keith down to like help handle little books or whatever whatever.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
Keith mcpheie Keith McPhee started at Philly International.
Speaker 11 (48:26):
Because I think he had just quit this jan did
he quit m TV at the time, and he wasn't
trying to travel too much?
Speaker 1 (48:33):
Uh yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 8 (48:36):
And then right after that, that's when he was like
back on the road with y'all.
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Yes, Keiths who called me earlier, interrupted me.
Speaker 6 (48:43):
They'll get to write songs for Damon Keith Williams all
of that.
Speaker 1 (48:47):
Okay, So what was your day to day at Philly International?
Because I always heard of like Philly Internationals opened back
up and everybody worked at Philly International. But did anything
come out?
Speaker 10 (49:00):
Man?
Speaker 6 (49:01):
You forgot no question, rumber, no question the group. I
don't care what your mama.
Speaker 1 (49:05):
Yeah, y'all okay, I remember Wow, yes, but but but
didn't respond to it.
Speaker 8 (49:14):
I was like, I just got big.
Speaker 1 (49:16):
This is an R and B group, can take I
take it. I's no questions. I mean that kind of Yeah,
they steal their own faith. But you're right.
Speaker 6 (49:26):
I'm sorry, you're right, You're right right.
Speaker 11 (49:28):
So we go down in the morning and just work
until like ten forty five, And that's when Zog who
was mister Huff's right hand man, and Zog played drums
on Curtis mayfield Superfly album.
Speaker 3 (49:40):
Wow Okay and be.
Speaker 8 (49:42):
Like time to go.
Speaker 11 (49:44):
So we were like, yo, gams Man, can we stay later?
And Gamseling ain't no flophouse, y'all leave it out of here.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
You wouldn't let y'all work late.
Speaker 8 (49:54):
No, make sure close close the doors and send the
old But it's crazy. I had Linda Creed's.
Speaker 1 (50:03):
Over them, the Creed who wrote people all the records.
Speaker 8 (50:07):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was so had the psychedelic carpet
on the wall.
Speaker 6 (50:11):
It was crazy, all the original stuff and.
Speaker 11 (50:13):
Just being there in sessions and louver All's being it's
crazy like the old louver Balls.
Speaker 8 (50:18):
They were finished up Phillis Hymon's album at the time.
Speaker 1 (50:20):
Did you play on any of those things?
Speaker 8 (50:22):
I think I played on a louver All song.
Speaker 1 (50:26):
Phyllis Nice.
Speaker 8 (50:27):
I didn't get to I didn't meet her.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
So what what years? Just so we know what was
Philly International? This is eighty eight? Yeah, ok, based on
his albums coming out.
Speaker 11 (50:39):
But the greatest thing I got from that was just
sitting around listening to Gams and mister huff talk.
Speaker 10 (50:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (50:45):
So I remember one time they were watching videos on TV.
Some girls group was on. They all right, but they
ain't let them girls.
Speaker 12 (50:58):
Yeah, I wanted to ask you man, talk about your
process of going from being a musician, being a player
to being a producer, because there's a lot of people
who can play, but you know, making tracks or you know,
being that it's a different thing.
Speaker 11 (51:17):
So at the time, I would I really wanted to
be a musician, just be on the road and whatnot.
And I met some guys that were constantly on the
road and I saw their living situations and I saw
that and I was like, remember me smart, because I.
Speaker 1 (51:32):
Me me smart, me kicked out of ten different.
Speaker 11 (51:42):
So I was like, Okay, this is not going to
mount to much, you know what I mean. I can
keep this is a monkey hustle. You know, I can
keep chasing this. And I was like, okay, what's the
next step to us? So I was like, okay, let
me be strategic and start writing songs.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
Okay.
Speaker 11 (51:57):
And I wrote a bunch of gospel songs that you
know it's a Walker, recorded some Bruce par Ham and
you know a bunch of the So I started writing
other other songs. I remember, I wrote some songs and
I let this guy and feel he was like a
pretty well known songwriter.
Speaker 8 (52:13):
Hear some stuff and he was like this is terrible.
Who His name was, Spencer, Bernard Spencer, Big Spencer.
Speaker 1 (52:23):
I know the name Spencer.
Speaker 3 (52:24):
I know that guy.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Yeah, I've heard it name.
Speaker 2 (52:27):
You know.
Speaker 8 (52:27):
That's happened to me quite a whit when I send
music to people and they hate it. Being one of them,
it is cool, good stuff I did at the.
Speaker 11 (52:39):
Time, I was searching, and it was it was absolutely trash. Remember, no,
I appreciate you like you you ain't lying and be like,
oh this is cool.
Speaker 8 (52:47):
You're like nah.
Speaker 3 (52:50):
That his wife.
Speaker 1 (52:53):
And I appreciate that. Yo, I love you.
Speaker 3 (52:55):
I'm like, yo, bro, I don't I don't want to
have you out.
Speaker 11 (52:57):
I know, I appreciated that. I absolutely appreciate that. You know,
somebody would have lied.
Speaker 7 (53:02):
Yeah, I still be doing some waknesste first to tell
you the truth.
Speaker 10 (53:07):
But wait, how long ago was that because don't remember this,
this is this had to be maybe early two thousands.
Speaker 12 (53:14):
Yeah, man, James like so with him, he and I
like this was probably like, man, this is early two thousands,
and we were doing this is when we were doing
the Mentrol show. This whenever he was on the Mentro
Show and we came up to the studio and I
was just playing You records. I'll never get this was.
I was just playing you records and we played the
All for You record, and James just immediately went to
(53:36):
the keyboard and just started playing over and I was like, oh, Ship,
And I was just so honored that he would.
Speaker 3 (53:41):
Even play on one our records. I was like, ship.
Speaker 12 (53:43):
And so we ended up keeping it. And so he
played on All for You on the Mintel Show. He's
playing the keys and stuff on that. And then a
couple of years after that he reached out and uh,
the Fame movie.
Speaker 3 (53:54):
I did Fame.
Speaker 1 (53:55):
This was the movie did absolutely the movie.
Speaker 12 (53:58):
Did nothing but h maturity now and she was playing
she had a role and they needed a song, and uh,
James just saying he was like, hey man, I'm working
on this.
Speaker 3 (54:08):
You think you can write something again.
Speaker 6 (54:10):
I'm like, holy shiped anybody?
Speaker 3 (54:14):
Yeah, no, straight up?
Speaker 5 (54:16):
Now?
Speaker 12 (54:16):
He and he sent it and me and my homegirl,
Carlida Carlila Durant, we went in the studio. We did it,
and I sent it back and I'm just hell, Mary,
I have no idea, like maybe this works, and so
James he hit me.
Speaker 3 (54:28):
I remember, I never get We was on instant Messenger.
He was like, man, you show off, show off. I
was like, all right, I think we got it right.
So so now we did those records and.
Speaker 6 (54:39):
Yeah, then uh god, man, your first Place record.
Speaker 12 (54:43):
That was one of my first Yeah, writing for a
movie that was like oh nine, and then I was
and then like a couple of years after that, we
did I red the phn ex Changes cover if She
Breaks Your Heart. He remixed that, and he was one
of your drum loops.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
Actually, yeah, for the rebix, this should be called I
played on that two of you. Yeah, he did it.
Speaker 12 (55:06):
So now, man, James, he was always I mean outside
of just you know, me being a fan of the music,
I just always appreciated the way that you would reach
out to me and just give me those opportunities and
would always show up. And you know, just aside from
me being a fan, like just you giving me those calls, man,
that ship really meant a lot. And so anytime you
call my all way, I'm like, yeah, I gotta deliver
(55:27):
straight up.
Speaker 8 (55:27):
I love you.
Speaker 7 (55:30):
I get really nervous around poison. Also, man, he came
yeah all the time he did a thing. I said
it to him.
Speaker 8 (55:34):
I was like, fuck, listen this thing that you sent me.
He was like this.
Speaker 1 (55:40):
I was like, what is wrong with you? I was terrified.
I was terrible.
Speaker 8 (55:46):
I was like he shouldn't. Tru A million called me, was.
Speaker 7 (55:50):
Like, we're gonna do it, but James gonna be.
Speaker 3 (55:51):
I was like, fuck.
Speaker 1 (55:54):
If he has to be?
Speaker 6 (55:55):
Is that your instrument? Bill the piano?
Speaker 7 (55:58):
I mean sure, but I'm a fake. I'm a fake
piano player. I can't play like James can play, but
I can like I can manipulate.
Speaker 1 (56:09):
With Submitty magic.
Speaker 8 (56:11):
You know, yeah, make it happen.
Speaker 1 (56:13):
Family love.
Speaker 9 (56:18):
Okay, folks, this is where we're stopping part one with
my favorite member of the Roots, James Poyser. Actually Kirk
is my fave. And then Black Thought and the questl
Ever kind of tied for second place, and wow, wait second,
I forgot stro He's definitely in the top five. And
the horn guys Dave and I and there my bros.
So yeah, James would be like six No wait, Mark Kelly,
(56:40):
Oh yes, he's my man. So James is like, wait,
me and Kamal have really bonded recently. So James Poyser
is like, whoa hold on a second?
Speaker 1 (56:51):
Tuba?
Speaker 9 (56:51):
I forgot tuba, my man. That's my cousin. So uh oh,
bad news for James, but good news for you, our listener.
In part two, the conversation about you is transition from
a musician to producer continues with some deep dives into
the records he's made. Come back next week or check
your podcast feed for that one.
Speaker 3 (57:08):
See you later, James James, James James.
Speaker 1 (57:10):
What's Love Supreme is a production of Iheartradios James. For
more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. Here We Roll.
Oh Lord, I'm with it all right, Good luck James.
She on the other side, James, Here we go. I'm
better this.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Supremo Supremo Role, Turn up the music, Brema su Supremo,
Roll Call Supreme, sut Suck Supremo, Roll Call Supreme, bring
my Role.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
He Tickling CD, Brother Fentoin Statue Prize and number fight
time n provided yesterday in front of the song Supremo.
My name is Spante.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, I'm in my zone.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yeah, my favorite poison joint.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, I love of my own.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Roll Call Supremo Supreme, Roll Supremer, sir Son, Sure.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
My name is Sugar Yeah, the roll call Master. James
poisons here, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:15):
Bremer Supreme, roll Call Wait a minute, my name is
Sugar Quest keep this loop on.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yeah, I'm glad you're here.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
James for.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Suprema Suprema roll.
Speaker 6 (01:37):
Roll Yeah, and James in Town. Yeah, what a lot
of songs. Yeah still Charles Brown.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
Supremo, supre Roll Supremo, So Supremo.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Role, Thank you Quest Love, Yeah for this and that?
Speaker 7 (01:57):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Notes and make Poison.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Laugh Premoo roll Came Bremo so premo role.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
My name is j P. Yeah, the Lord is blessing me.
Speaker 8 (02:13):
Yeah, Layla's I dressing shapsty.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
That's how you need who come Sprivapremo, Rome.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Supremo, Supremo, Supremo sou.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Roll.
Speaker 7 (02:36):
Wait as a pseudo Jamaican? Can we talk about your
Jamaican accent?
Speaker 8 (02:39):
But I got.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
James already know what I said, and that's.
Speaker 8 (02:45):
All I can listen some of the textas that he
sends me.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
You just get it.
Speaker 8 (02:51):
Listen, I get it, understand. That's all the matter. That
was Jamaicon.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, that was great. And Steve with a double but
never heard before the SoundBite that none of these joints.
Wait where was where did you dig that up?
Speaker 9 (03:12):
These were from Philly in the studio session.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Ladies and gentlemen, another episode of Quest Love Supreme. I
you know it's Quest Love. We have teams Supreme. We
are live in New York City, and by live we
mean we're just in front of each other. We Seachi
in person. Yeah, how's it going? A new bill?
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Wait?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Where was your new title? I gave you? I forgot yours.
Speaker 7 (03:38):
I was unpaid well for the record. I was White Bill,
which was a wonderful moniker.
Speaker 8 (03:44):
I was a Bill for.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Then recently I was morphed to Boss Bill for what reason?
I don't remember what. No, not for that, No, no, no,
because you're Boss. I'm happy. I'm just a bill up
climbing up this hill. That's what. All right? Well, you're
just Bill. I think I think that's the perfect Just
just Bill. You're just a Bill. I'm like a silky shampoo,
(04:10):
just Bill.
Speaker 8 (04:11):
Well take that right.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah, how's it going.
Speaker 6 (04:15):
It's going good, it's going.
Speaker 10 (04:16):
I feel like we're gonna have some time not laughing today.
It's gonna be full of laughs and good times and
long overdue conversations with a big head.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
It's gonna be a battle, so much fun going around.
Be great and fickel. I'm good, Man, good, got some
rest so I'm good. Okay, cool, I'm sorry, Steve, how's
it going? Everything's great? Man? This and how you say it?
Speaker 4 (04:47):
You've been waiting for episodes for a long.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
Time, Steve anticipated episode.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
I kind of want to be jumping in because I
want to know how James and Steve became friend of me, Like,
what's your first musical man?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
Well, theiest thing is that James is the one who
got me hired originally when I came down to Philly
in two thousands.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
It every day, all right, ladies and gentlemen, Our guest today,
of course, the needs no introduction. He's been in front
of the show. Yeah, pretty much all those moments that
you take for granted. You know, music can help facilitate
a mood when you're watching television or you're watching movies.
(05:29):
And our guest today, of course, is no exception to
providing colors, synesthesia to graphics and scenes and makes life better.
He's done, let's name it professional, being very professional, very Saidstesia. Alright,
(05:53):
sorry you said James makes life better.
Speaker 8 (05:57):
I don't know what.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
You got the wrong guests. All right, let's let's go
through our know we we used to celebrate our guests
to come on the show. I mean well, friend of
the show, wires, problem areas. We also got Harthorne. That
was a Jada show correct, Yeah, okay, the break with
Michelle wolf a friend of uh, you know, of the Circle,
(06:20):
the Equalizer, starting with our good friend Dana Blackish. He's
done music for Blackish. Yeah, and of course you know
classic season two and season three of The Chappelle Show
Award winner his name, all the artists. There's Erica, Yeah,
there's Mariah, Anthony, Anthony, Eric John Legend, Rihanna, music music,
(06:44):
so child a common Kareem Bailey, Ray my youth choir
below he never heard of him, Yeah, Randy Watson and everybody,
man Ship, everybody, James done everything, Al Green, Astero, Angela
q Jo, Joe Scott Legend. Damn all right, and we
(07:11):
saw his work yesterday, so that was awesome. What was
just what damn man.
Speaker 6 (07:19):
We saw yesterday?
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (07:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Yeah would have been happened yesterday. Motherfuckers. The clips is
already the worst. I missed that. It was a big
head joke. You, of all people should know that. I'm sorry.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
I'm relegated to Charlie Brown and his friends. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Ry Wow, welcome to James bod.
Speaker 6 (07:49):
That was a good one of your actually in retrospect
like that was funny.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yes, wow, I know my fun Anyway, how are you?
How are you? James?
Speaker 11 (07:58):
Shut up, Steve, I just needed to get I'm great, man,
I'm happy to be here amongst family and friends and I.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Mean step.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
All right, So yeah I kind of knew you. So
this is gonna be really hard to do.
Speaker 6 (08:18):
Like you don't.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I thought James was the Philadelphia born and bred. Now
where were you born?
Speaker 8 (08:23):
I was born in Sheffield, England. My parents Jamia con.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
I thought you're gonna say Jamaica.
Speaker 11 (08:29):
No, no, no, my parents are Jamaica and they immigrated
to England, you know, the win the Russian generation.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
And where is Sheffield?
Speaker 8 (08:36):
Sheffield is like two hours north from London.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Okay, So even then I thought you were from like
South London where all the all the cool people. Jamaicans.
Speaker 11 (08:45):
I mean, listen, Jamaicans is everywhere, bredwand everywhere. So I
was born there, lived there for nine years and then
we moved over here.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Did you at once had a UK accent? I did?
Speaker 8 (08:58):
And it was weird, like to school, like speak English
to me and I'm like I am speaking.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Do you know where?
Speaker 8 (09:04):
They wanted to hear the accent?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
And you know, I got tased quite a bit, you know,
so you purposely lost your accent.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
He hasn't lost it, though. It's certain words that come through.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
But all right, so talk talk with you.
Speaker 11 (09:15):
It's not the type of thing I can fill on
like certain words if I say digital digital, But yeah,
you don't grow up in West Philly with an English accent,
so I had to lose that trying to quick.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Girls thought that was cool.
Speaker 8 (09:31):
I was nine.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
I have a question, like, so, when was the first
time you actually went to Jamaica at all?
Speaker 11 (09:40):
When I was a baby, we went over, I don't remember,
but after that, I think I was fourteen thirteen and
we went to the town where my parents was from.
It was like one dirt road up in the mountain,
like literally like five six blocks and it was like,
you know, the bathroom in the outhouse and chickens running around,
and I had was great back then. When I've gone
(10:04):
back recently, I'm like, where's.
Speaker 8 (10:07):
The risk calling?
Speaker 10 (10:12):
Oh, I got I got one? Because we always used
to tease James about being a p K.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah, so I'm.
Speaker 10 (10:17):
Curious, like, was your dad always preacher's kid?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Actually? Can I add on to that? Because I also
know that the usual scenario of Christian household with music
and secular household with music. I'm very curious as to
how did secular music seep into what I would think
was an unpenetrable household as far as like what you're
(10:42):
allowed to listen to not allowed to listen to all.
Speaker 8 (10:45):
Right, So grow up in church in England. My dad
was a pastor there.
Speaker 11 (10:49):
Now, the way it works immigration was my mom had
to move to America, had to she well to set
it up. She had to come over, you know, work
out our job and whatever and set up. So for
a couple of years I was just with my dad.
And one of the earliest memories I have was coming
home from school, maybe like six or seven, and there
(11:11):
was this woman dancing in the living room to this
Are Crouch record and I was like, Oh, that's my
that's my mom.
Speaker 6 (11:21):
I mean, these are the type of things you gotta
go through, you know, that's your mom's record.
Speaker 11 (11:24):
Yeah, So it was these are Crouch records, and you
know when we moved over here, those are kind of
things that were in now some are Crouch records and
James Cleveland and all that kind of stuff. And we
had a stereo system and I would sit there with
my headphones on listening to that stuff because that's all
that was allowed in the Bishop Poiso's household. But I
had an FM and radio upstairs in my bedroom too,
(11:47):
so you know, I was listening to all the stuff.
You know, you walking through the streets of Philly, going
to school and being around you're going to hear anything sound,
so you know, it's funny hanging, you know, hanging with
a mirror. You know, all these years, there's certain things
that I realized I missed, you know, just because of
that kind of thing, like street, Sesame Street. I never
grew up with Sessimon. So there's times he referenced, you
(12:10):
don't remember this, and I'm like, bro, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Love for breacanteen and milk and stick of butter.
Speaker 6 (12:16):
Was like and hosehold.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
No, No, I was not.
Speaker 8 (12:19):
I was in England, so I was so when I
came over here, I was like, bugs, bunny.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, was piano your first instrument?
Speaker 11 (12:29):
No, I grew up playing drums in church. We moved
over here, a small storefront church, and there was a
little drum set there and nobody to play, and I
was like, I won't play now. You gotta remember, I
grew up playing on pots and pans with my mom's
knitty needles when I was a little, little young one.
So yes, you know, started playing drums first, and then
(12:50):
I moved to bass guitar, which is still my favorite instrument.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Really.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
Yeah, because you have a few of them, right. Do
you have a few bass guitars the house?
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (12:58):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 11 (12:59):
I can't play bass, but that's like my that's what
a base I played. I played bass a little bit.
I play based on record before.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (13:05):
Yeah, But I can't really do any gigs. You know,
I'm a pino Mark Kelly.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
But I'm saying that is the muscle memory thing or
I just don't.
Speaker 11 (13:14):
If I practiced on it, maybe I would, but you know,
I'm still trying to practice on this piano breach.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
I see. Okay, So you came here at nine. Which
school did you start?
Speaker 11 (13:27):
I started off at Anderson Where's fifth grade? That's sixtieth
in Creek. I went to a West Philly school, Yeah,
sixty I started there, and then I went.
Speaker 8 (13:38):
To Turner for a year.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Where's Turner?
Speaker 11 (13:40):
Turner is fifty ninth from Baltimore. And then I went
to Hamilton and where he is? Hey, what to call
it from your crib? Fifty six and Spooce. So you
went to all West Villy high schools? Well this was
on high school high school. I went to engineering and
science for two years before and then.
Speaker 8 (14:01):
School. See what happened was Steve?
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Wait? Did you know bubbles. Everybody where's she working? I'm no,
yo would have graduated the same the same year.
Speaker 8 (14:17):
No, I'm not sure. Okay, but and then I graduated
from West Catholic. West Catholic. But turn it down. Didn't
you live around the corner from Hamilton?
Speaker 1 (14:27):
I did? But all right, so explain to me, because
the thing was, is that now that I live in
a time in which you know, posts Facebook, you know,
uncles that like put up like weird random websites of
things that are not like you know, mark being our threads,
Like it's not CNN, it's like some other So I'm
(14:51):
now wondering if the picture is that adult figures painted
to me, which was basically like every every school in
West Philadelphia.
Speaker 11 (15:03):
Is mine as will be like a prison now. But
then back then, I mean, yeah, I had some drama
in school. You know, I got I got guns pulled
out on me. I literally on the corner waiting for
bus and these dudes rolled up on me. One dude
punch in the face. I got upraidy to fight, and
he pulled a gun and put it in my head.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
He was just messing.
Speaker 8 (15:21):
This was in seventh grade, just messing, just messing with me. Yeah,
I've seen.
Speaker 11 (15:26):
Dudes on the on the playground. You know, I'm my
boy on the playground. This dude came and pulled a
knife on him. We're on the playground, seventh grade. This
older dude, he had to be in eighteen nineteen, a
big machete, like a Jamaican machete pull. So yeah, you know,
I ain't no fuck but you know I've been. You know,
(15:47):
you see that stuff. You experience that stuff growing up,
you know.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Oh okay, so it was real Yeah, never mind, Wait,
engineering science. Where was that located though?
Speaker 8 (15:56):
That was like liberties or no, this was a cease
will be more like right on Temple's campus.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Okay, I see that.
Speaker 6 (16:04):
Are we not going to talk about why you you
didn't finish there?
Speaker 1 (16:07):
See what happened was bong hitch. I was.
Speaker 8 (16:14):
I was the class clown and I was goofing off.
I don't be believe that.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
I don't believe that at all. Yeah I was.
Speaker 8 (16:21):
I was a bit of a class clown, goof through.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
I don't believe that at all. I was. Are there
is a mirror you get you get kicked out for that?
Speaker 7 (16:29):
Yeah?
Speaker 11 (16:29):
My my grades, my grades, because it's like it's a
really school. Yes, the school to maintain a certain ye.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Smart kids schools, you know.
Speaker 8 (16:41):
And of course my immigrant parents were very they weren't
having that, so.
Speaker 6 (16:46):
They put you in the strict Catholic school.
Speaker 8 (16:47):
Well I was going. I went to BArch them for
like a week experience like twenty.
Speaker 6 (16:56):
Oh see that's it wasn't without Philly.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I lean on me, oh Joe.
Speaker 10 (17:02):
It's now a beautiful gentrified building with lots of shops
and they have rooftop parties on it.
Speaker 8 (17:06):
Really is now like let's go.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Yeah, it got artists and pickled and got flower grass.
Speaker 6 (17:17):
Am I think you dj? They are like about five
on the roof.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
I know I DJ'd on the roof of what.
Speaker 6 (17:26):
Oh it's it's not Barto's good, it's Bob. You're right,
I'm sorry, Thank you Joy.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Aren't you from Hens? Ain't you from Pittsburgh? Yeah? I
did not know that. Okay, So cousin Jake has revealed
he's in Philadelphia. I did not know that. I tell
you straight, Pittsburgh. Okay, maybe we should start interviewing like the.
Speaker 7 (17:47):
Actual it's funny.
Speaker 6 (17:50):
It's funny.
Speaker 10 (17:50):
As we're talking to James, I'm like, this is the
moment where Amir gets to know the people that he's
been loving for thirty years.
Speaker 6 (17:54):
Just like when we discovered about.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
I didn't know that. I did not know that James
was a juvenile Delincoln. It doesn't come across as one.
I will say that. So were you part of any
because the way that I got into the circle, like
when you meet the people that we see now, the
little John's of the world and the carving and you know,
(18:18):
all those guys, Dre and Vadoald all that stuff, were
you ever part of like all city? None of those.
Speaker 11 (18:26):
I wasn't part of that whole thing. I was playing
in church, you know, but I wasn't part of the
you know, I wanted to part of me wanted to
go to to Caper at the time, but you know,
I was on my smart I was an engineer and
major in college for the first two years, you know,
finished up with my degree in finance.
Speaker 8 (18:43):
So you know, it was that kind of immigrant thing,
Jamaican thing too.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
So your parents wanted to do engineering, yeah, all I
wanted to do music.
Speaker 8 (18:55):
Yeah what'd you wind up doing?
Speaker 1 (18:58):
James?
Speaker 11 (19:01):
So I went to Drexel for two years for engineering.
I actually went to Roman hause he took us on
a field trip to see what engineers do, what kind
of engineering? I was chemical engineer, and uh, I was like,
I ain't trying to do this.
Speaker 8 (19:17):
That real, I am not trying to do this.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
At any point did you think of doing sound engineering
or no? No, no, no no no.
Speaker 11 (19:28):
I was just like, okay, let me I'm going to
graduate and get a job in a bank. And that's
why I went to.
Speaker 6 (19:32):
School for fun with Richmond.
Speaker 7 (19:35):
When you were in church, was it plactical training or
it was just like you're learning by listening classical you
know what I mean? But like you ever did you
ever take lessons or was it just like listening?
Speaker 11 (19:43):
So it started off I taken They had a little
lamb lessons with this piano teacher, mister Costa, and I
didn't like going over there because she had these two
chihuahuas that you know. I'd walk in and take lessons
and they were cool, but when you're walking out, they
would always like bite me on the back of you know.
Speaker 8 (20:01):
I hated going to those lessons. They will freaking me out.
Speaker 11 (20:04):
So I stopped and I was That's when I was
playing drums and bass, and I remember we went to
this church, and this guy that was the same age
as me was playing keyboards, and I was like, oh,
I want to do that.
Speaker 8 (20:15):
And I took a cassette tape of that song.
Speaker 11 (20:17):
It was a simple progression to five three six progression
whatever whatever, And I studied it for a couple of
months and then transported and all the keys, and I
was like, oh, I can go play in church.
Speaker 8 (20:30):
And I went. I went to church and couldn't play
because I you know, I just didn't have the experience.
But I figured it out.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Was that your warfare.
Speaker 8 (20:43):
That came a little later, that's on the end of
most of the records.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Like James, one of the people that will you know,
we've made fun of like the level of snobbery on stage. Well,
laugh at each other, make fun of each other, and
we make fun of it so much that it actually
winds up becoming the fiber of what it is now.
(21:11):
Like James used to like playing the wrong chords of
a song and it'd be funny, But now like that's
all we wanted. I don't want nothing sounded normals. I
want it all wrong chords.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Wait, so how long did it take for you to
get it on the piano?
Speaker 8 (21:34):
I'm still trying to No, no, no, we're not doing that.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
How long okay, I'm a rephrase.
Speaker 10 (21:39):
How long did it take for you to feel confident
enough to go into the church and play the piano
and people were like you can stay?
Speaker 11 (21:44):
It took a while, you know, like almost close to
a year until you know, and again, my church is
very West Indians, so it wasn't all of the stuff
that y'all Yankees do. It was really one four five
playing a reggae beat.
Speaker 8 (22:03):
Oh, then we played the Calypso stuff now too.
Speaker 6 (22:05):
I've never heard cllips go.
Speaker 7 (22:10):
That's like one one one you've seen that video with
that dude said.
Speaker 8 (22:17):
They did then snl sketch on them.
Speaker 11 (22:18):
Yes, yes, yeah, that's like my church iday.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
So did you already have the rhythm part down because
of the drums and bass experience?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 11 (22:30):
I think I had it just because I was listening
so much too stuff, you know, I was listening to
so much music and going to record stores and not
having money and just standing there reading the back of
album covers.
Speaker 8 (22:42):
You know, just to learn the names and yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Studios and what that.
Speaker 6 (22:46):
But when did you make the change. Where'd you go
from drums piano, like, this is it.
Speaker 11 (22:50):
I ain't going back right after that experience I told
you about, I just kept practicing and practicing.
Speaker 8 (22:56):
I was like, okay, this is it. Okay, so walk
me through the Can I backtrack just a little? You
gotta remember too, my older brother played.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
Right, Okay?
Speaker 10 (23:03):
Thanks?
Speaker 11 (23:05):
I know my older brother, Steven, who's now the bishop
of the church, he was the one that played. And
I was trying to, you know, trying to be like
my older brother. So what did he play? He played everything?
He played, keys, played bass, played druones.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Is he good?
Speaker 8 (23:16):
He was good?
Speaker 3 (23:17):
No.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
If he says it I taught, he'll say he taught
me everything.
Speaker 10 (23:23):
I know.
Speaker 8 (23:24):
He taught me everything he knew.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
You know, all right? That makes sense?
Speaker 8 (23:30):
Like is he listening?
Speaker 5 (23:31):
What?
Speaker 1 (23:32):
So, even though I haven't seen it with my own eyes, Like,
is it generally correct that because of lack of venue
structure in Philadelphia that the Black Church was like the
prime spot where every musician could get a chance to play.
Speaker 8 (23:46):
Absolutely And as.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
A result, if there are five keyboard players waiting to
get on, and four bass players waiting to get on,
and twelve drummers ready to get on, that they're going
to try to outdo each other absolutely, all right, can
you walk me through that process? Like, is this the
inspiration for gospel chops? Yes, Like the reason why most
black musicians overplay is because they have some evil to
(24:11):
make an impression. That makes sense, right, Like you can't
play like if you play like me, then it's just
like old people will like it. No, but that's the thing,
Like myfrow is like I want to make the musicians
sound good, so I'll just play down the middle is
(24:32):
least the less I play, the.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Better it is.
Speaker 6 (24:34):
Change. You never took a mire to church, and just
like I would love to.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
See that church before church, Like I purchase drums for them,
but that's church. Even hired a drummer. There's one.
Speaker 8 (24:52):
Church.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Actually I have played in church. But the church that
I went to was all right, it was a weird
kind of non denomination. Wait, why did you already have
the I'm.
Speaker 6 (25:08):
Already not here, Like I'm not when you say non
denomination like.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Church too, I mean I did it. I had a
Pentecostal church. What was the w wzz D? So I
actually I did play drums in Pastor Charles something. He
was a known preacher in Philadelphia, Like I did that
for like maybe like three years, because it was also
paying the ass of packing my drums at home. And
(25:36):
then you gotta do a double trip, like uncle Bud
and Dad have to come and and put it in there,
you know, and then it's like you gotta break the
drums down the church and bring it back home. I
got lazy with that. But yeah, once, once I discovered
we discovered a church that let us wear regular clothes,
which is like a game changer, like wait, I can
(25:59):
wear jeans in it T shirt in this church. And
they were very hipofyed like Tarik thought was the most
hilarious thing ever because you know, like praise like praising
black church. But these people would just like do hands
across America across the church, like they were just like
someone would start a conga line, and that was the thing.
(26:21):
It'd be like a seventy nine person conga line.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
It sounds like midsommar.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
This sounds yeah, I mean.
Speaker 7 (26:31):
It sounds like a white person church, right, I mean,
once I can say something.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Believe it or not. It was actually drawn down the
middle like it was equally black white and uh uh Hispanic.
Well yeah, so that was the drummer.
Speaker 12 (26:55):
So what the fuck I want to ask you about
to that point, James, about you know, we talk about
the Black Church and it pretty much being kind of
like the breeding ground, like the training ground for musicians.
So now with the Black Church, what what do you
think is the role of the Black Church in the
musical community, because now it's very much you see the
(27:17):
rise of you know, I guess what they call CC
and contemporary Christian music, which is you know, it's not
it ain't Notre Crouch, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
So does a Black church still have that role in
the musician?
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Are they being trapped down church?
Speaker 8 (27:29):
Absolutely? Man, they're doing stuff. I mean again, I'm older now.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
So some of the things that my question I was
like like trapp and drill in church now or like
oh you hear that kind of stuff, like if they
do it now in your your brother's church. One time,
I try to play Peter Piper, like I just told
the percussion player just do this, and I played it,
(27:54):
and one elder who is like the youngest elder who
like knew what I know what y'all doing, Like, they
called me to the principal's office. It was like because
the kids started whopping and on, so it's forbidden. I
couldn't play anything that made them morning starting listen.
Speaker 8 (28:14):
I was playing this kid, I played the changes to
on Broadway. One of the looked at me like no, no, no, no,
I like changes exactly.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
So, so how is it now?
Speaker 8 (28:31):
Like how was playing?
Speaker 11 (28:33):
I don't know if you saw this thing a few
months back through this church in Georgia, he played the
actual record.
Speaker 8 (28:39):
Walk it Out, I walk.
Speaker 11 (28:40):
I think I played the minister and played the verses
and everything old churches of Dancing, and I was like no,
I stopped watching.
Speaker 8 (28:49):
The video was like, but yeah, the influence is definitely there.
The stuff they're doing now.
Speaker 11 (28:57):
You know they're playing to tracks, you know, so it's
extremely the church that's extremely musical. You know, those guys
are still playing and playing beyond you know, it's like
Todd rises and then it just keeps.
Speaker 6 (29:13):
So, I mean church has got orchestras now, yeah, it's.
Speaker 7 (29:17):
I think it's less religious. No, what about guys like
Corey Henry and p J. Morton, like like, it's still
church based, but it's not religious.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Would you consider to Triviat was he kind of in
that same lane?
Speaker 11 (29:29):
Yeah, Todd, I think Todd helped change a lot, you know,
because him in the band sound check, they were just
doing some things that were like, wait, what is that?
Speaker 5 (29:38):
You know?
Speaker 8 (29:38):
I mean, Ale, you can attest to that, you know.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Yeah, I mean I don't know. It's it's to me,
like I still am, I like the the cranky old
guy in the corner that everyone's already bopping their head. Yes, yes, no,
but it's it's for me. I feel like the overdoing
(30:05):
it of it all, yeah, frustrates the shit out. I
mean because like I don't know, like I feel like
the less if you act like a team like you're
now boring. All Star games are for basketball because just
like everyone's just taking leaps and everyone's dunk in offensive
shootout right, And that's where I feel like gospel chops
are now where it's just like, all right, we know
(30:26):
you're amazing, but like, what do you guys like as
a team?
Speaker 11 (30:29):
Right, But it's again I would not argue with that,
but well I would argue that from that point of view,
like that's the level of musicality that's risen to. Now
that's the norm. So they just expressed it on getting
more musical and more musical you know what I mean.
It sounds like I mean the stuff that we listen to,
fusion stuff, that chick career, electric band and all that stuff,
(30:52):
which was special and different.
Speaker 8 (30:54):
That's the normal church.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Do you ever do be power.
Speaker 8 (31:01):
Is amazing, Gospel was amazing, his whole his whole family.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
You are old or no? Now?
Speaker 12 (31:10):
Yeah, he's called Doob is a monster, dude you but
it's very uh d o O b I E. But yeah,
but it's very music like changes.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
Yeah, it's real.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
You said fusion. It kind of like Vegas changes or
like nah nah na.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Nah, he's not he's wrong.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Do me the truth. Yeah, send it to your mir Okay,
why are your school me?
Speaker 8 (31:32):
Now?
Speaker 6 (31:33):
No, I just always like to keep up with everybody
on this show. Y'all don't know.
Speaker 10 (31:36):
I'll be sitting here looking up everything y'all talking about.
So I might as well just send it to you too.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
I see, thank you. I appreciate it, all right. So
what was the period that told you like, Okay, I'm
going to take the serious and pursue my dream of
playing music.
Speaker 8 (31:55):
When I was in college and after the Chemical Engineer
and thebacle Peter and uh so, I left Drexel.
Speaker 11 (32:06):
I went to community college for two years and was
working at Strawbage and Clovia, and I started getting gigs.
And I started doing local gigs around town with different
(32:27):
choirs and different club things, and then started doing some
things with some national artists. You know, some national gospel artists.
There's a choir called New Jersey Mass. I was working
with them. There's a gospel singing name Vanessa bea Armstrong Yes,
then Walker okay. So then I started working with the
white Head Brothers, went on tourter.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Europe with.
Speaker 6 (32:52):
That's why is that when I meet you when you
are a Philadelphia International? Is that how that happens? Because
that's when I met James and Victor Is at Philadelphia.
Speaker 11 (32:59):
Well that was after after that, that's when I met
Jeff Okay, the that's just Jeffrey Jazz. I mean Jeffrey Towns,
Jeffrey Jazz town.
Speaker 8 (33:09):
Jeff.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
Wait, you're you're skipping over very crucial things. I want
to know about. Who is your longest gig with as
far as like National Gospels concerned.
Speaker 11 (33:18):
Bruce Parham, he was a Philly guy and I worked
with him. So it was Bouce as a Kywalker. Then
I played with.
Speaker 8 (33:24):
Try try City with Donald Lawrence.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Oh wow, all right, so guy Walkers call him up right?
Speaker 8 (33:32):
No, no, no, no, that's just no, that's right. That's
keep fringle.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
All right. So here's the all.
Speaker 8 (33:41):
Right now the.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
DJ Rogers one make it anyhow? That was Tarik's first
got that saying serious. Oh no, yeah, like you know,
like the special Sundays were like you're gonna get annointed
or something like that, like Tarik was for one week Threek,
It's going to be like Aaron Hall, like seriously, handkerchiefs
(34:10):
everybody this evening singa.
Speaker 6 (34:15):
So does the gospel community do they feel like you're
secretly theirs? First?
Speaker 10 (34:18):
Like they look at you when they see you in
the streets like come home.
Speaker 6 (34:22):
But I mean like but like you can leave, you
can leave them, You could really just be with us,
you know.
Speaker 11 (34:29):
I mean it's changed up so much. It's like where
would I start going back to do some gospel records?
You know, I mean, I'm do them my way, but
the way they're doing them now, you know what I mean,
it's like.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
It's like super advanced now.
Speaker 11 (34:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
Man, so wait, you're saying this is like eight degrees
way past.
Speaker 11 (34:46):
Uh Commission Commission so there's way past commission now, yes,
and I mean commission was just so cut measure.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
Yes, that was like the foundation almost like yeah, so.
Speaker 11 (34:56):
But there's still you know, there's still growing. There's a
lot that gods are doing that. You know, Like you say,
the music level is too high, dude.
Speaker 8 (35:04):
Like Kim Moarell.
Speaker 12 (35:05):
Yeah, yeah, it's just very it's very technical, like the
gospel singers because I mean I work with a lot
of singers and the thing that you have to that
I notice with a lot of gospel singers or have
to have that background getting them to understand the difference
between being a singer and being a recording artist because
they just want to sing. Like the run it's runs
(35:28):
every two minutes. It's like fam, you can just sing
the melody and it's okay, you know what I mean.
Very Yeah, it's that like you said, like it's always
that very flashy you know what I'm saying, but technically brilliant,
you know what I'm saying. But it's like if you're
singing a song, you kind of got to give the
audience some room to you know, to sing along with you,
(35:49):
you know what I mean?
Speaker 11 (35:50):
Right, So yeah, but but they be saying the ass
all though it's funny. Back back in the day there
was one or two singers that could do that kind
of stuff. There's one of two musicians that could do
all of you know, now everybody does that stuff, and
it's like, let's go back to.
Speaker 8 (36:05):
Keeping it kind of simple.
Speaker 6 (36:06):
But it seems like approach.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Take me through a typical week of this circuit, gig wise,
like what rehearsal wise? What what what required? Dress code? Traveling?
Speaker 11 (36:29):
Yeah, so rehearsing doing like you're you're Morgan Freeman and
this is a shawk. So we're rehearsing at some church,
some small church somewhere. Okay, you know what day, like
Tuesday nights sometime during the week, it doesn't matter, you know,
Funday night, Tuesday night.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Is it always organ or is it piano?
Speaker 8 (36:51):
It's uh piano, keyboards whatever was there?
Speaker 1 (36:53):
You know what, do you get a concept versus what
you're going to learn or you have to know it already.
Speaker 11 (36:58):
But some things with some of the choirs, some things
are just like standards that everybody would know, not like
we were just people that know you you always you always, so.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
You know what everyone knows? Okay, Pactice of stuff.
Speaker 6 (37:14):
Go do it.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Go do a gig.
Speaker 11 (37:16):
You know, there's a there's a gospel concert with like
forty people on it. You go up there and do
two songs. You know, you gotta have the d X
seven or you share. Sometimes you bring your stuff in
or sometimes you share. And sometimes people didn't want you
playing and stuff. You know my settings don't don't don't move,
don't don't don't don't change the transpose on this or
the drummers, don't change the symbols around. Drummers bring the
(37:39):
snares in drump. I've seen drummers walking with a snare
and some sticks and walk out with the snare symbols.
Speaker 6 (37:50):
How much pack?
Speaker 11 (37:52):
Oh man, I got quite a few cheese steaks and listen, no,
not even thirty five bucks, Like yo, let's just go
get a chef steak.
Speaker 8 (38:01):
Ye and I had to split a chief steak pay.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Damn.
Speaker 6 (38:08):
So your strawbridges money is your real money?
Speaker 3 (38:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 10 (38:11):
So?
Speaker 1 (38:11):
But is but also like are you in units? Like
is it the goal to show out? And yeah, like
we going to that church? Yeah, all of that, all
of that.
Speaker 11 (38:25):
You know, I was you know some of the bands
I was playing, and you know, I was always blessed
to have the greatest drummers to work with, so little John.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Laura, you know.
Speaker 8 (38:37):
So you know we go do these gigs and show.
Speaker 11 (38:39):
You know, everybody was more excited for Brian and John
than me because you know, they they was putting on
the show and I'm like, I'm just holding together with
my two cords.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Broadway, all right. So what was your first foray into
the professional world that will take you to where you
are now? Like, what's your what do you consider your
first I got hired by Richard Timple's field.
Speaker 8 (39:06):
I said, White, Okay, what was this?
Speaker 3 (39:11):
The love is the one? Eight seven? Was this that one?
Or was it?
Speaker 8 (39:14):
What was the record they had Feel Your Pain? Oh
my god, my memory.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
So it's gone right now. It's just the white Head. Forget.
I was a g it was it.
Speaker 8 (39:24):
Don't forget I was a gink Yeah that was what
this is?
Speaker 1 (39:27):
White? That was the white had that kid the kid the.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Son, Yeah, I forget forget. I was the g was
the that was the one that was on the Jason's
Lyrics soundtrack. That was like ninety five.
Speaker 8 (39:38):
We went towards Europe. You know, I'll never forget this.
Speaker 11 (39:41):
We played London. This guy opened up for us and
everybody was laughing at him. Just do It's terrible, Mark Marrison.
Speaker 8 (39:55):
No, he was saying, I.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
Met you.
Speaker 8 (40:00):
No, this is in London. I meet you in London.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
I mean you know what I mean? Questnesia like, never
heard that before, loved that. How many times I meet
you before?
Speaker 7 (40:13):
I'm like, oh, Bill, well you thought it was your accountant,
like seventeen exactly. I'm pretty sure you still think I'm
your account right, That's fine.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
No, No, you're consistent in your accounting sheikh right now.
I love it. No, No, but I remember I was
hanging out the Apollo. Who are the white Heads opening for?
Speaker 3 (40:30):
That?
Speaker 1 (40:30):
Was it black Street at the Apollo? At the Apollo
in London? It was black Street? Okay, we were over
from the Foot Did I meet you? That's when I
remember that's James Poyser. That's when it registered, because you're like, hey, Philly.
I was like, huh, really.
Speaker 8 (40:48):
You remember something? I don't mind.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
This was Black Street and the white Head brothers came
to the Apollo. I think around December nine, December of
ninety five, I decided to not fly home for Christmas
and just stay at our apartment everyone went home for
Christmas and I stayed at our apartment in London and
I went to go see Black Street. I think you
(41:12):
are there three nights in a row or something.
Speaker 6 (41:14):
That's cool.
Speaker 8 (41:15):
Yeah, I don't remember that.
Speaker 6 (41:17):
So wait, then, how did you hook with White Hair
Brothers then?
Speaker 1 (41:19):
Because yeah, how did I just really?
Speaker 6 (41:23):
I know, I know? But then did that?
Speaker 10 (41:26):
Was that what lead you into like being because y'all
were kind of like supposed to be like the cannon
for for p I R.
Speaker 6 (41:31):
For a minute, it felt like no, no, just wait
this way before that.
Speaker 8 (41:34):
This was a little bit before p I R.
Speaker 11 (41:36):
This was right when I met Jeff okay and became
and you know, he took me in a touch of jazz.
Speaker 6 (41:43):
Have you met Victor yet?
Speaker 8 (41:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 11 (41:45):
Jeff and Vick I met at the same time. This
was Vic with the blonde head. Y'all remember that phase,
this before this is grand Master.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
At one point Grandmaster Vic was probably neck and neck
with like jazzy Jeff as far as I cut.
Speaker 6 (41:59):
The straight talking about a different victims Victor.
Speaker 8 (42:02):
Yeah, Grandmaster Vic, Grandmaster Vic exctic.
Speaker 1 (42:06):
Yeah, that was Grandmaster vict exotic Don and Jeff and
the first print.
Speaker 10 (42:14):
Different Back then, blond okay, because I was working, because
he always because also a Mary didn't.
Speaker 6 (42:18):
He started wearing a turban and he did some locked
like you know, went through.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
The hes, going through the sealed thing. Yea. And according
to vict he saw Daphne play the fine as Playboy
model of I believe that she was at Tower Records signing.
This is like a week before Things Fall a part
came out. She was at Tyro Record signing like a
(42:43):
I tens for the new like Playboy DVD or v
HS thing and I went in and got autograph. She
and her thank you, Like how did y'all get that?
Was that my eight ten? That singing in your studio?
Speaker 8 (43:00):
Of of that mean to play might or was it his?
Because he came back and like I'm changing my name.
Speaker 6 (43:12):
Yeah, he said the same thing, said the same thing.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
She was that fine, She's fine.
Speaker 8 (43:17):
He changed his name.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
I never knew from she was in a Visa commercial
that was like her first national thing in addition to
doing Playboy. But she was like in a Visent commercial,
fine as all hell. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (43:35):
I always felt sort of from an outsider. I arrived
in Philly in like two thousand and four, but like
he always seemed like he was somehow a crux to
what had happened, Like was he at the center of
a lot of the stuff that that was happening.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
He was there, He was involved in a lot of stuff.
He was also just way ahead of his time, because
I admit that I was laughing, like when James explained
to me, like, yeah, you know like Victor, and I'm
like Grandmaster Vic. He's a not like Victor, who play
trying to like you know, he's trying to do some
cool sexy thing like seal sting, and I'm like grand
Master vict wants to do that type of stuff. Right,
(44:20):
was just way ahead everybody. He was first of all,
the youngest. Is that Kenny or I think it was Kenny. Yeah, yeah,
it was Kenny on tour. Did he ever play guitar?
Because I don't think the world knew and Philly didn't know.
He was like Kirk Jimmy Hendrick the level of guitar playing.
(44:44):
So I met him, I met Kiddy. I think it's
Kenny Whitehead, the youngest, you know a street music and
he was just shredding and I've never seen like a
young black person shred like guitar like that. And when
I heard Whitehead, I was like, all that ain't My
dad was like his father, ain't no stopping this stuff now, right.
Speaker 8 (45:05):
But on the tour where they just now, yeah, just singing, well,
we would just you.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Know, I always thought that was just wrong call, and
like he should have played guitar more.
Speaker 11 (45:15):
And like, you know, it's funny. Can I just take
you saying the first time you saw him? So I
grew up in West Philly. You grew up in West Philly.
We didn't know what, we didn't know each other. But
I see this weird dude walking around because I take
the g I take the l right, and I was like,
who this d And then I did a session at
the studio on Delaware Avenue and you were leaving, okay,
(45:38):
and I was like, who's this dude?
Speaker 8 (45:39):
He was like, Yo, you don't know him.
Speaker 1 (45:40):
He's wanting studios. I think it was a Cajun.
Speaker 11 (45:44):
He's like, we don't know this dude on drums. I
was like, he plays drums. I see him in the neighborhood,
but I didn't know he played drums. And then the
Boys and Men video came out.
Speaker 3 (45:55):
I got it.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
That's my entry. So how did you meet Jeff because
you came around he's now he's the tail end of
he's DJ. I'm the rapper.
Speaker 11 (46:08):
But really in the beginning of and in this corner,
it was little John, little John Roberts who he was
playing drums at Jeff and they had a gig at
the Zoo the Philly Woo.
Speaker 8 (46:21):
I went to hang out. I was like, yo, I
want to be done with this.
Speaker 1 (46:26):
Performed that okay.
Speaker 11 (46:27):
Oh it was just Jeff DJing but with the band
and he had some other musicians playing, okay, And I
was like, I'm trying to know what's up. So, you know,
got cool with him and Vic and uh, this was right.
They just moved a studio from Delaware Avenue up to.
Speaker 1 (46:48):
He left Studio four.
Speaker 8 (46:49):
Yeah, and went up to Near City Avenue. I forget
the name of this.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
I didn't they moved there, yeah, okay.
Speaker 11 (46:55):
So I started working with him there, okay, and worked
there for a few is some remixes whatever this was.
This was that when Jefferson always in a light doing
that fresh Prince. So then me and what you're on, Yeah,
I'm in a couple of episodes, really a couple episodes.
I was hanging out with Jeff and I was like
(47:16):
sitting in the back eating Roscoe's. I'm like, yo, will man,
let me get on one of these scenes.
Speaker 6 (47:21):
Man.
Speaker 8 (47:22):
It will took me right.
Speaker 11 (47:23):
And it was a Friday, just before they're about the
tape and you gotta remember those extras there all week
for rehearsal, and he put me right in front and
they were looking at.
Speaker 1 (47:31):
Me like you the cutters extras hate line cuts. Boy.
Speaker 11 (47:42):
So again we're working there and Chauncey Charles, my brother,
was up there working with working the business with us.
Speaker 8 (47:48):
And then we were like, you know, we're doing this ourselves.
Let's go off by ourselves and do our things.
Speaker 11 (47:54):
So we're working at vix apartment doing nothing, and Kenny Gamble,
who was a friend of Vic's mom or Chelcey's mom,
was like, man, you guys, come, I'm gonna teach you
all what's going on.
Speaker 8 (48:10):
So that's where I had the room.
Speaker 11 (48:12):
If that's when that's where we first met you and
Keith too, Yeah, Keith, Keith's working there yet Chance brought
Keith down to like help handle little books or whatever whatever.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
Keith mcpheie Keith McPhee started at Philly International.
Speaker 11 (48:26):
Because I think he had just quit this jan did
he quit m TV at the time, and he wasn't
trying to travel too much?
Speaker 1 (48:33):
Uh yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 8 (48:36):
And then right after that, that's when he was like
back on the road with y'all.
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Yes, Keiths who called me earlier, interrupted me.
Speaker 6 (48:43):
They'll get to write songs for Damon Keith Williams all
of that.
Speaker 1 (48:47):
Okay, So what was your day to day at Philly International?
Because I always heard of like Philly Internationals opened back
up and everybody worked at Philly International. But did anything
come out?
Speaker 10 (49:00):
Man?
Speaker 6 (49:01):
You forgot no question, rumber, no question the group. I
don't care what your mama.
Speaker 1 (49:05):
Yeah, y'all okay, I remember Wow, yes, but but but
didn't respond to it.
Speaker 8 (49:14):
I was like, I just got big.
Speaker 1 (49:16):
This is an R and B group, can take I
take it. I's no questions. I mean that kind of Yeah,
they steal their own faith. But you're right.
Speaker 6 (49:26):
I'm sorry, you're right, You're right right.
Speaker 11 (49:28):
So we go down in the morning and just work
until like ten forty five, And that's when Zog who
was mister Huff's right hand man, and Zog played drums
on Curtis mayfield Superfly album.
Speaker 3 (49:40):
Wow Okay and be.
Speaker 8 (49:42):
Like time to go.
Speaker 11 (49:44):
So we were like, yo, gams Man, can we stay later?
And Gamseling ain't no flophouse, y'all leave it out of here.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
You wouldn't let y'all work late.
Speaker 8 (49:54):
No, make sure close close the doors and send the
old But it's crazy. I had Linda Creed's.
Speaker 1 (50:03):
Over them, the Creed who wrote people all the records.
Speaker 8 (50:07):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was so had the psychedelic carpet
on the wall.
Speaker 6 (50:11):
It was crazy, all the original stuff and.
Speaker 11 (50:13):
Just being there in sessions and louver All's being it's
crazy like the old louver Balls.
Speaker 8 (50:18):
They were finished up Phillis Hymon's album at the time.
Speaker 1 (50:20):
Did you play on any of those things?
Speaker 8 (50:22):
I think I played on a louver All song.
Speaker 1 (50:26):
Phyllis Nice.
Speaker 8 (50:27):
I didn't get to I didn't meet her.
Speaker 1 (50:30):
So what what years? Just so we know what was
Philly International? This is eighty eight? Yeah, ok, based on
his albums coming out.
Speaker 11 (50:39):
But the greatest thing I got from that was just
sitting around listening to Gams and mister huff talk.
Speaker 10 (50:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (50:45):
So I remember one time they were watching videos on TV.
Some girls group was on. They all right, but they
ain't let them girls.
Speaker 12 (50:58):
Yeah, I wanted to ask you man, talk about your
process of going from being a musician, being a player
to being a producer, because there's a lot of people
who can play, but you know, making tracks or you know,
being that it's a different thing.
Speaker 11 (51:17):
So at the time, I would I really wanted to
be a musician, just be on the road and whatnot.
And I met some guys that were constantly on the
road and I saw their living situations and I saw
that and I was like, remember me smart, because I.
Speaker 1 (51:32):
Me me smart, me kicked out of ten different.
Speaker 11 (51:42):
So I was like, Okay, this is not going to
mount to much, you know what I mean. I can
keep this is a monkey hustle. You know, I can
keep chasing this. And I was like, okay, what's the
next step to us? So I was like, okay, let
me be strategic and start writing songs.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
Okay.
Speaker 11 (51:57):
And I wrote a bunch of gospel songs that you
know it's a Walker, recorded some Bruce par Ham and
you know a bunch of the So I started writing
other other songs. I remember, I wrote some songs and
I let this guy and feel he was like a
pretty well known songwriter.
Speaker 8 (52:13):
Hear some stuff and he was like this is terrible.
Who His name was, Spencer, Bernard Spencer, Big Spencer.
Speaker 1 (52:23):
I know the name Spencer.
Speaker 3 (52:24):
I know that guy.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Yeah, I've heard it name.
Speaker 2 (52:27):
You know.
Speaker 8 (52:27):
That's happened to me quite a whit when I send
music to people and they hate it. Being one of them,
it is cool, good stuff I did at the.
Speaker 11 (52:39):
Time, I was searching, and it was it was absolutely trash. Remember, no,
I appreciate you like you you ain't lying and be like,
oh this is cool.
Speaker 8 (52:47):
You're like nah.
Speaker 3 (52:50):
That his wife.
Speaker 1 (52:53):
And I appreciate that. Yo, I love you.
Speaker 3 (52:55):
I'm like, yo, bro, I don't I don't want to
have you out.
Speaker 11 (52:57):
I know, I appreciated that. I absolutely appreciate that. You know,
somebody would have lied.
Speaker 7 (53:02):
Yeah, I still be doing some waknesste first to tell
you the truth.
Speaker 10 (53:07):
But wait, how long ago was that because don't remember this,
this is this had to be maybe early two thousands.
Speaker 12 (53:14):
Yeah, man, James like so with him, he and I
like this was probably like, man, this is early two thousands,
and we were doing this is when we were doing
the Mentrol show. This whenever he was on the Mentro
Show and we came up to the studio and I
was just playing You records. I'll never get this was.
I was just playing you records and we played the
All for You record, and James just immediately went to
(53:36):
the keyboard and just started playing over and I was like, oh, Ship,
And I was just so honored that he would.
Speaker 3 (53:41):
Even play on one our records. I was like, ship.
Speaker 12 (53:43):
And so we ended up keeping it. And so he
played on All for You on the Mintel Show. He's
playing the keys and stuff on that. And then a
couple of years after that he reached out and uh,
the Fame movie.
Speaker 3 (53:54):
I did Fame.
Speaker 1 (53:55):
This was the movie did absolutely the movie.
Speaker 12 (53:58):
Did nothing but h maturity now and she was playing
she had a role and they needed a song, and uh,
James just saying he was like, hey man, I'm working
on this.
Speaker 3 (54:08):
You think you can write something again.
Speaker 6 (54:10):
I'm like, holy shiped anybody?
Speaker 3 (54:14):
Yeah, no, straight up?
Speaker 5 (54:16):
Now?
Speaker 12 (54:16):
He and he sent it and me and my homegirl,
Carlida Carlila Durant, we went in the studio. We did it,
and I sent it back and I'm just hell, Mary,
I have no idea, like maybe this works, and so
James he hit me.
Speaker 3 (54:28):
I remember, I never get We was on instant Messenger.
He was like, man, you show off, show off. I
was like, all right, I think we got it right.
So so now we did those records and.
Speaker 6 (54:39):
Yeah, then uh god, man, your first Place record.
Speaker 12 (54:43):
That was one of my first Yeah, writing for a
movie that was like oh nine, and then I was
and then like a couple of years after that, we
did I red the phn ex Changes cover if She
Breaks Your Heart. He remixed that, and he was one
of your drum loops.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
Actually, yeah, for the rebix, this should be called I
played on that two of you. Yeah, he did it.
Speaker 12 (55:06):
So now, man, James, he was always I mean outside
of just you know, me being a fan of the music,
I just always appreciated the way that you would reach
out to me and just give me those opportunities and
would always show up. And you know, just aside from
me being a fan, like just you giving me those calls, man,
that ship really meant a lot. And so anytime you
call my all way, I'm like, yeah, I gotta deliver
(55:27):
straight up.
Speaker 8 (55:27):
I love you.
Speaker 7 (55:30):
I get really nervous around poison. Also, man, he came
yeah all the time he did a thing. I said
it to him.
Speaker 8 (55:34):
I was like, fuck, listen this thing that you sent me.
He was like this.
Speaker 1 (55:40):
I was like, what is wrong with you? I was terrified.
I was terrible.
Speaker 8 (55:46):
I was like he shouldn't. Tru A million called me, was.
Speaker 7 (55:50):
Like, we're gonna do it, but James gonna be.
Speaker 3 (55:51):
I was like, fuck.
Speaker 1 (55:54):
If he has to be?
Speaker 6 (55:55):
Is that your instrument? Bill the piano?
Speaker 7 (55:58):
I mean sure, but I'm a fake. I'm a fake
piano player. I can't play like James can play, but
I can like I can manipulate.
Speaker 1 (56:09):
With Submitty magic.
Speaker 8 (56:11):
You know, yeah, make it happen.
Speaker 1 (56:13):
Family love.
Speaker 9 (56:18):
Okay, folks, this is where we're stopping part one with
my favorite member of the Roots, James Poyser. Actually Kirk
is my fave. And then Black Thought and the questl
Ever kind of tied for second place, and wow, wait second,
I forgot stro He's definitely in the top five. And
the horn guys Dave and I and there my bros.
So yeah, James would be like six No wait, Mark Kelly,
(56:40):
Oh yes, he's my man. So James is like, wait,
me and Kamal have really bonded recently. So James Poyser
is like, whoa hold on a second?
Speaker 1 (56:51):
Tuba?
Speaker 9 (56:51):
I forgot tuba, my man. That's my cousin. So uh oh,
bad news for James, but good news for you, our listener.
In part two, the conversation about you is transition from
a musician to producer continues with some deep dives into
the records he's made. Come back next week or check
your podcast feed for that one.
Speaker 3 (57:08):
See you later, James James, James James.
Speaker 1 (57:10):
What's Love Supreme is a production of Iheartradios James. For
more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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Laiya St. Clair
Questlove
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