Questlove Supreme: Eric Roberson Part 2

Part two of the Questlove Supreme solo session between Phonte and his friend and collaborator Eric Roberson. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter discusses balancing creativity with family and the making of one of his newest songs, "Lessons."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
What's Up? What's Up? What's up? Y'all?

Speaker 3 (00:06):
This is Questlove. Welcome to another Quest Love Supreme. As
you know, we're doing these special episodes of which each
team supremember in abuse of person their passionate album Sugar.

Speaker 4 (00:16):
Steve sort of kicked it off with a two part incredible.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Two part conversation with one of his musical heroes, Elvis Costello,
that we did at Electrically Studios, and Corus Fonte again
his special solo session with singer songwriter Eric Roperson and
these men are friends. They made an album together and
it's an excellent look into the lives of two artists.
And if you haven't heard part one, please check it

(00:39):
out because this is part two from Fonte and Eric
to Hilario only on Quest Love Supreme.

Speaker 4 (00:45):
All right, y'all enjoy it.

Speaker 5 (00:52):
What was the record for you that as an independent artist,
you know, because you have you have your moments, so
you have some records that like will go all all
the way off, and then you had some to.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Just be like, all right, this did cool.

Speaker 5 (01:04):
What was the record for you that like kind of
was the one where you was like Okay, I think
I got it because I can tell you what it
was for me as a fan, but I don't know
what it was like for you on the business side.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
For me, it was Left.

Speaker 5 (01:18):
And I ain't even saying that just because I was
on it, but like Left, I mean, I got Vault
one point five. That was the first record I ever
bought of yours. I actually got that one before I
got Esoteric. I was in I was in Chicago. We
was on a Little Brother We was on a Little
Brother tour stop and we went to it was that
Virgin Mega store that used to be uh in Chicago,

(01:41):
like that that big Virgin Mega store, and I just
saw you.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
I just saw your joint, Eric Robson, and I knew
you from.

Speaker 5 (01:49):
The Jazzy Jeff album and so I was like, I
was like, oh, he got an I was like, oh,
I caught this, and I bought that and I played
you know the first record you know is you know
is she couldn't hear me over the music, and I
was just like, oh my god, and like I ran
that whole record. That record got me through that tour,
you know what I'm saying. And so that was the

(02:10):
first one and then when I saw that one and
I saw it was produced by Redhead Kingpin, I was like, what, like,
how did that come about?

Speaker 6 (02:20):
Months first, Red had one of the most talented producers, visionaries.
I've ever even been in a room with Right and
I'm honest that they even allowed me to do that
song with him, But I would tell you couldn't hear
me all the music was probably the song that probably
like changed everything, and then from there it was able
to grow Right So here everyone's like Eric, that's Eric

(02:42):
was in a songwriter and truth be Told Even before that,
like when I was doing songs off fatic and off
of like when I was doing the Vault album, a
lot of the times played when I played the songs,
when people heard the songs, they were like, can we
buy them? So that was so the left the Vault
was was a heavy draw the line in the saying

(03:05):
I'm not selling these songs like it was like you know,
and and truth be Told off.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
So it's Vault Volume one point five. Why is it that?

Speaker 6 (03:12):
Because Volume one had hold On, which eventually went to
dwell a.

Speaker 5 (03:17):
Yo, yeah, I want to ask you to yeah, like
so that because I love that fucking song. Dwayne Bay,
what's the what's the deal with him?

Speaker 2 (03:26):
Like, how did you guys know what the college together? Man?
We met.

Speaker 6 (03:30):
I was walking into the Drew Hall at Howard University
freshman year with a keyboard under my arm. He was like, Yo,
you do music, and I was like, yeah, I do too,
and he came my room and I think he was
my room freshman. Like it was just like I had
this little small room by the size of this chair
I'm sitting there, and it's like everybody saw me walk
into that that dorm room with a keyboard and like

(03:51):
some little minuscule equipment and it was like what's on
and popping in this room?

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Like my room was never empty. People would just work
on music.

Speaker 6 (04:00):
And guess what, it is an honor that there's still
a lot of Dwayne on my new album that we
just put out, and you know, with Jermaine mob Lea
and you know, so many, so many brothers, Tracy Lee,
so many cats I met when I got there and
just started bonding with that. We still do do music,
you know, to this day. But yeah, that was that

(04:22):
was just right right with homies. But the first album
eventually had to be changed because, yeah, I was heavy
in the songwriter Carl Thomas I wrote Reround was on Rebound,
so it was like, okay, let's change this up one
point five and then from this point on like this,
this is this is it Now I'm not selling anything.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
You're not gonna hear no problems, no whatever whatever.

Speaker 6 (04:46):
I think Volume one had one time with with Jill
Scott on it and stuff like that, so it was like,
so the boom, but then it.

Speaker 4 (04:52):
Was previous was previous catch? Was that on the vault?

Speaker 6 (04:55):
No, previous cats was I never I had never released it,
previous catch I had just played for I wrote it
in college with Jermaine Mobley, but I played it for music,
just a demo of it, and interesting enough before he
ever had a record deal, and he was like, I
want that for my second album. I was like, like, what,

(05:16):
you ain't even sign on your first album yet, Like
he gets signed. It was like, yeah that previous catch, No, no,
that's my second album, all right, cool man, shoot your shot.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
He puts the album out.

Speaker 6 (05:27):
Of course he comes music soulcha and then and then
sure enough he called me like, hey, I'm started my
second album. You still got that previous cat song. I
was like Yo, you different, man, you different. I was like, yeah,
we recorded, but I don't know why I never put
that song because me and Jermaine Mobley worked on a
lot of records. He's on that, he's on that Vault album.

(05:49):
But for some reason, uh, I think you know what
real talk. By the time I'm starting to release the records,
and I think that's the song right in me. Like
once music said I liked the song even if I
wanted my an album, I was like, this is.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
For music now.

Speaker 6 (06:01):
I like, probably I've never even considered it for myself,
which is probably why it was not on the Vault record.

Speaker 4 (06:07):
Or no, it's funny you say that. I'm the exact
same way.

Speaker 5 (06:10):
Like for me if someone is speaking for it, like
our mentality in our campus that there's always another song.
So if someone if we write something and they like, yo,
I want it, it's like, all right, cool, it's yours
and we're just city. It's whenever you're ready for it,
because we can always make something else. So the Vault
one point five that was you know, you say that
was the one that kind of you know, that was

(06:31):
kind of line in the sand and.

Speaker 4 (06:33):
Then left for me, that was the moment.

Speaker 5 (06:37):
When I saw because you know, I was, I mean,
I was just a fan. So when you hit me
that night when you came to Jersey we went to
your crib, I was just like, all right, I'm just
kicking it one of the homies. Like I was not aware.
I mean I knew your catalog, I knew like you're
writing and stuff. But you know, I'm just like, man,
I'm just kicking it this this big bro, I'm just
kicking it. But when Left came out, and when I

(06:57):
saw the response that like being in love and I
saw it was people hit me.

Speaker 4 (07:01):
Like, yo, you I heard you on Arrow Eric Rob
was the new album, and I was.

Speaker 5 (07:05):
Like, oh like this dude, like oh wow, Like he
got people like really out here.

Speaker 4 (07:11):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (07:13):
That was that was just that was from my experience.
That was you know, from my vantage point. When that
record came out, I just saw, you know, just the
people that were hit me.

Speaker 2 (07:21):
I mean it was.

Speaker 4 (07:22):
It really put a lot of eyes on me that
I did not expect at all.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
Well probably vice versa.

Speaker 6 (07:27):
I think, you know, our relationship just in general, every
time we did a song, I think it ith it
definitely boosted me and if it if it boosted you,
that was great idea, it did, you know, I think
left everything was a growing lesson.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
You know.

Speaker 6 (07:39):
Right after that we did music fan first, and we
getting That's when we studied nominating for Grammys and stuff
like that.

Speaker 5 (07:44):
So we and must we have to know because all
our listeners, Aero and I have the honor of losing
the same Grammy to Indian.

Speaker 6 (07:53):
Right, thank you for submitting your song and uh beating
out me both asses to the crib right right. So
you know, it was just different. Everything was just different levels.
It was like it was constantly growing. It was just
like you know, for me and and I'll be honest
with you, I mean I probably kept my head down
and just worked so much. I probably didn't spend much

(08:15):
time like acknowledging the groundwork that was being laid in,
like how much things were moving.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
You know. I just remember being a struggling artist and
then one day not struggling. One day, like you know.

Speaker 5 (08:26):
Man, listen, I remember I remember us having that conversation
during Tigularro where it's just like, listen, man, I'm finally
at the point in my life where I'm making the
music I want to make and I'm not fucking broke.

Speaker 4 (08:37):
Yeah, yeah, like that's I mean, that's it.

Speaker 5 (08:41):
You know, whatever you get on top of that is gravy,
you know what I mean. But I remember, I certainly
remember those conversations when when you did uh it was
it was a music fan first the box album. I
want to specifically ask a boy that one you did
a record which is like still like one of my
top five eer Row record, it might be top three,

(09:02):
I don't know, but your record with the just imagine
with King, Oh my god.

Speaker 4 (09:09):
I was so mad when I heard that. I was like,
oh my god, please talk about Paris and Amberg. Man.

Speaker 5 (09:17):
I just love them to death. And you know we've
all been long time supporters of them.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
Yeah, we know.

Speaker 6 (09:22):
I want to make sure I say it on this
platform too, because it's very important something I've been talking about,
especially with my students.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
You know.

Speaker 6 (09:29):
I teach at Berkeley College of Music in Boston, and
one of the things I learned when I got there
was like, how how many female musicians or female artists
have been talked out of their greatness out of ignorance
of men, out of ignorance of just surroundings of just
like the fact that like that, we should be shocked

(09:50):
that a female could make a dope beat, right, Like, how
insult the right you make that beat? Like, yo, you female,
you made a beat like that. It's almost kind of
like it's the ignorant statements.

Speaker 4 (10:01):
That he speaks so well or some shit.

Speaker 6 (10:03):
It's like.

Speaker 2 (10:05):
A black person, what.

Speaker 6 (10:07):
Do you mean you know so so so Like I'm
I'm really dedicated to try to change that character that
the situation. But let's say, even before I learned of
the ignorance, I was always one If you dope, you dope, right,
and male females look at the history of my work,
whether who's been on stage with me, who I've done
songs with, whatever, whatever.

Speaker 2 (10:27):
If you dope, you dope, whether you a female, male whatever.

Speaker 6 (10:31):
Right. I was in LA just my my wife had
got tickets with her girlfriend to go see Oprah's last
you know, her last show or whatever. You was in
LA and they got tickets at LIC So we had
just had my first son.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
I'm in LA.

Speaker 6 (10:45):
We had some Mexican restaurant. I'm really just babysitting. I
got my kid and my my wife and this young
lady walked up and goes can I take a picture,
you know, a big fan of your music.

Speaker 2 (10:58):
I'm like, no problem, yeah, sure, So we take a picture.

Speaker 6 (11:01):
And then while we're taking the picture, she says, you know,
I just did an album with when my sister and
a good friend of mine and I produced it and
mixed it.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
And I was like, I was like, oh.

Speaker 6 (11:12):
Word, okay, cool. I said, can I buy it? Can
I buy it from you? And now she's not give me no, no, no, no,
I'm gonna buy it from you. And she gave me something.
I gave her a twenty dollar bill and she gave
me and then I noticed it was only three songs,
and I said, damn, I just paid twenty dollars for
three songs, right, And I was like, it's all good.

Speaker 2 (11:25):
It's all up.

Speaker 6 (11:26):
That's the track source prices, right. But I was like cool,
but just in just basic. I was like, I was like,
what's your name is?

Speaker 2 (11:34):
Said? She said name was Paris and I was like,
all right, cool, group's named King.

Speaker 6 (11:37):
I was like, all right, cool, this is great, yo,
listen my information this that is that just just sowing
into it, like yo, this seems dope.

Speaker 2 (11:43):
Like the other album cover.

Speaker 6 (11:44):
Whatever, we get in the car and The first song
has this like drum beat intro, and I went, whatever
it did, and I paused it exactly when I even
came in. I stopped it, and my wife will tell
you I looked at it. I said, this is about
to be incredible. Just off the intro to get to

(12:05):
I stopped it. I was like, get ready because I
just realized this is something different here, this is.

Speaker 2 (12:10):
I said, this is about to be incredible.

Speaker 6 (12:12):
So we press play, and I mean, I could not
stop listening to this music for like it was just
the soundtrack for whatever.

Speaker 2 (12:18):
So I call her back like, oh my god, who
are this is incredible?

Speaker 6 (12:22):
And then I remember Prince calls and Eric aba Do calls,
and I remember like just hearing her going, oh my god,
beget these calls and then boom.

Speaker 2 (12:30):
Now we all know Kings as King and.

Speaker 6 (12:34):
It's an honor that I called her and was like, yo,
I want you to produce a song on my album,
like I want you to not not because you're dope
female and not whatever whatever you dope period period, and
I want y'all on it, like I want I want
y'all on it. And I think the world knows King
clearly now.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
But I was.

Speaker 6 (12:55):
I was honored to be like, yo, everybody, this is King,
like you know, like you know, I want you all
to shine some light on this and I want you
to write a check.

Speaker 2 (13:04):
To this young lady.

Speaker 6 (13:05):
Let's talk about who's wearing this hat as a producer
on my record, Like you know, it was like let's
let's let's redo it, and and it came out as
a killer song just imagine as well as I keep
it really one hundred. It's one of the rare songs
on one of my albums I did not write, if
not the very first one. Like like she wrote it,
she produced it. It was like no, like like and

(13:28):
I it's like it wasn't a statement. It just it's dope.
It's like listen, I don't need to write it's fire
to track fire.

Speaker 2 (13:34):
I was like, this is I want this, you know
what I mean?

Speaker 6 (13:37):
So uh And that she's still like still one of
my favorite producers.

Speaker 4 (13:42):
Oh man, yeah, I man, I love that to death.

Speaker 5 (13:46):
Like I was so happy to see them, like you know,
playing with with cold Play. It was just like what
the fuck are you kidding me? Like, I mean so
so happy for them, man, big ups the King. I
wanted to talk to you about go back to Picture
Perfect because I will never forget. At that time, it was,

(14:08):
you know, kind of going back to the you know,
with the label things happening, that record was about to
be out of here, and then what happened.

Speaker 6 (14:18):
Uh, so we we we got distributed through E one
and that's when Shadow was there. So Shadow was like
the main radio and the main reason I think, you know,
we're going from music fan first to like, all right,
how do we follow up like these the Grammy nominations
that were losing in India, the second one I lost,
the selot shout out to Sea Lo and uh and

(14:42):
it was like, well, why don't we do this situation
at that point, you know, you did the record with
Anthony David and Algebra, that joint went crazy, you know
record yeah, evermore And it was like it seemed like
a good spot.

Speaker 2 (14:53):
And then.

Speaker 6 (14:55):
It's just once again, my whole thing is like just
stay on your path, man, Like, just stay on your path,
keep doing. And then so here we go doing this
thing because it seemed like with this Shadow and radio
and stuff like that, Shadow leaves and it just like
there was no momentum. There's no momentum, but mind you
even with that picture. Purple was a huge record for me.
It was a it was a it was a really
impactful moment to me. But it was also a moment

(15:18):
where I was like it really anchored us into like
like we we really don't need these other companies, like
we probably would have made Peter Purple would have probably
arguably been bigger if we just did everything ourselves. It
was completely one hundred percent ourselves, Like you know, we're
coming off this thing, and so it was the only
time where I technically had muscle, if you want to

(15:41):
call that muscle, and it was like if we actually
did less than what I think my my actual team
would have done, if we if we controlled the whole thing,
you know what I'm saying. But it was, like I said,
it was, it was still a I can't get off
stage without singing the song.

Speaker 5 (15:55):
You know, Oh yeah, no, you ain't making it all
the building, if you know what I'm saying, that it's
not happening.

Speaker 6 (16:00):
But yet when you look at like the album Afore
that which we which we put everything together for, you know,
we can't get off stage out singing, dealing. We can't
get off stage singing, you know, So certain things. So
it was one of those things where it's like, yo,
you're doing all right, like stay on your stay.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
On your path, you know.

Speaker 6 (16:17):
And uh, you said something not too long ago on uh,
I think you're just doing you was talking on ig
and I think you were like it never goes wrong,
like when when when it's like when it's just me
doing it, when I like when wet on yourself, it
was like it was just like it was just anchoring

(16:38):
in it. It's like, man, you know, I'm fine, Like
mind you. I always tell everybody completion is the most
important word in music business. It's like it's it's it.
It's the difference between who wins and who loses, you know,
my company and now we are celebrating twenty one years now.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
Right talk that sh bro Yes, yes, and.

Speaker 6 (16:58):
We're not celebrating it because we've we successfully did everything right,
We completed everything we tried.

Speaker 5 (17:04):
Yeah, and the thing, let's be clear up something twenty
one years. So I want to make this you know,
this specification twenty one years as independent r and b
artists like people have no idea, you know, like when
when Dame Dash when he was like years you know,
decades ago, when he was like, you know, selling rap

(17:26):
is like selling crack, but like selling R and B
is like selling coke. It just requires a different you know,
when he was talking about you know, the Christian album
and why it didn't really go on Rockefeller and you know,
and I listen, I've never sold drugs a day of
my life. But I understood what he was saying when
I got into the business because I can be you know,
hip hop, like I'm sitting right here at my hoodie

(17:48):
and in like sweatpants. I can take a selfie right
now and be like this is the cover of my
new album and as long as I'm spitting on it,
like no one will care. But R and B you
do not have that at Liberty, Like the look gotta
be right, Like R and B is a money game, bro,
and to do it for twenty one years, I mean
that really is is a testament. And I want you

(18:10):
to speak to just the challenges of that, just so
some of our listeners and something, because we have a
lot of a lot of artists that listen to the
show and kind of tap in just for you know,
for different game. So just talk to them about your
you know, how you're able to make it work without
having that, you know, one hundred thousand or whatever to
spin on a video or just to be frivolous. You know,
how do you make that work?

Speaker 6 (18:30):
I think the difference really comes down to is the
first thing that separates in R and B was quality.
So the first the first opscole we had the show
was that, yo, this is of the same quality. Right,
So immediately think acts hip hop independently or major is
to say it wasn't looked at you if you could
spit the best fire, it's cool. We accept it. With

(18:52):
R and B and soul music. If it wasn't a major,
you for some reason looked at it like this is
this is less, this is not effort was put in you?

Speaker 4 (19:00):
Like no, no, you could tell.

Speaker 5 (19:02):
You could tell, like you could always see that artists
where like, Okay, they have a major album and it's like, okay,
this is the major album. But then they get off
the major and they put out something theyself and like
the cover looked like fucking clip art.

Speaker 4 (19:14):
You know what I'm saying. It sounds like just it's
just the presentation is just all the way, it's not
up the par you know.

Speaker 6 (19:21):
I think I think one thing that I've been very
fortunate also, and I got to say that is that
you know, we got Drey and Vidal on records when
they're working on Usher and music and Jail and they're
working on my record. We got Rich Harrison, he's working
on Beyonce, but yeah, he's worked on my record, you
know what I mean, as well as mixed with my

(19:44):
brother b Jazz and and you know, just Aaron Harden
for my band. It's different people. But again, if you're dope,
you're dope, whether you're a super producer, Grammy Award, whatever,
or you just a homie I met in the house
band in Florida.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
If you're dope, you're dope.

Speaker 6 (19:59):
I have no no problem with working with whoever right
and but yet at the same time, it has to
has to move like that. That whole thing chasing goosebumps
means everything. Like for me, that's the only rule in
the studio. Does it give you goose bumps? But that
same thing with the album covered, the album cover gotta
make you go, oh my god, that's crazy. I wish

(20:20):
I thought of that all. You know, that's crazy.

Speaker 5 (20:21):
You know, So the first man speaking of album covers,
I just before we cannot forget. Man, we lost a
mutual friend the past year in a Fave you know
what I'm saying. Yeah, Fave is the brother he did
to mister Nice Guy album cover. He podcaster, singer, producer.

(20:43):
Fave had a hot sauce.

Speaker 4 (20:44):
Like Fave, y'all Renaissnce Man. He had a multi company.

Speaker 6 (20:51):
Bota company, No dude was It's crazy because you know,
and it was tough. That was tough losing Fave and
we missed him truly. But he's been a graphic designer
for me. And it's crazy because like he did the
Mister Nice Guy album cover.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
Uh, he designed multiple T shirts.

Speaker 6 (21:08):
I put out a Christmas card every year, like a
growing Christmas card, animated christ Yeah right.

Speaker 5 (21:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (21:17):
And then but then he also produced a music for me.
He's shot photography. I mean, he's he's won so many hats.
He's been a part of my team and as well
as the entire movement. He's won so many hats of
like like I said, whether it's the sauce he was

(21:37):
cooking with with a bow tie company, you know, and
and even that it was like when he made the
bow tie, like that was Demo's laying demo was the
bow tie guy, so out of respect was like, yo,
I'm pass that off the DV. You rock with that,
but the bow ties was killing, Like so he's won
so many, so many hats, and you know this is
this was tough, like you know, uh, I lost a

(21:59):
lot of good friends and during the pandemic that were
very intricate to like what what we do. And Fave
was one of the people. Man, we're like, you know,
this Christmas was this last Christmas was tough because guess
what he was in this Christmas card. And then as
we're going into the album and figuring out how we're
going to make the new T shirts of the graphic,

(22:19):
he's the first call.

Speaker 2 (22:20):
You know.

Speaker 6 (22:21):
And and and in a big up you know, I
will say this. I make sure I say it because
Jarell was our point person between that like Drell is
always the one who was sitting with Fades and make sure.

Speaker 2 (22:30):
My wife would be happy with how she was drawing
or whatever this and.

Speaker 6 (22:33):
That, you know, and and and he really, you know,
he really he really lost a partner in that way.

Speaker 2 (22:39):
But Fave was a solid dude man, and.

Speaker 4 (22:42):
We tried to beautiful brother man, beautiful guy.

Speaker 6 (22:45):
Like that was one man, but he was one, but
he was one of the people who you know, up
two o'clock, three o'clock in the morning making slight changes
so that when people see it, they see the effort,
they see the quality. And I think at the end
of the day, it just comes down to that, like
I want you to put my album next to Whoever's album,
D'Angelo usher, whoever, faith whatever, I want you to put

(23:09):
against the best album that year, and whether it's better
or not, I'm not here to say it's better. I'm
here to say it's gonna be all the same quality.
Guess what, we just go with the same mics we
shot out with the same type of photographers we were.
We are investing in in our and it doesn't have
to be that it's a five hundred thousand dollars budget.
You know, guess what, We all are operating on million

(23:30):
dollar budgets. Whether whether you got a million dollars anb
we all putting our best foot forward. Takeile were putting
our best foot forward, you know, writing weld challenge each
other and you.

Speaker 5 (23:39):
Know, I mean that was so even to the Leo.
Even that was like the way the cover art and everything.
It was just I mean that was because at the time,
you I think you were on tour or you know
where you had, you know, your kids, and then I
was on tour. So we never had a real photo
shoot for that album. We never had a photo shoot.

Speaker 6 (23:56):
No, but let's find a dope picture. Let's figure out
dope way to put it together that could that could
tell a story. And to this day, I mean, it's
it's one of the it's so it's like a minimalist,
simplistic album, but it's so and you ran point more
on that one real talk, but we are from the
same place like these, uh these album covers tell a
story and there's a reason why this picture is this

(24:16):
way or whatever.

Speaker 4 (24:18):
And yeah, that was the thing because I saw the joke.

Speaker 5 (24:20):
We had the picture and I was like, all right, Well,
my whole thought was I'm like, okay, we got these
pictures of us live and they did a mock up
of us like singing.

Speaker 2 (24:29):
You know.

Speaker 4 (24:29):
There was some pictures from our Chicago show at the Shrine, Rest.

Speaker 5 (24:32):
Of the Beasts, you know what I mean, we did
them shows at the Shrine and uh we brother it
took him.

Speaker 4 (24:39):
I cannot remember his name.

Speaker 5 (24:40):
Please forgive me, but I got something from him and
he had him and I was like, all right, this
is dope. And we did a couple of mock ups
with my man, my man Chris Charles and so. But
when I showed it to everyone's independent Soul and our
butter and so bounce all.

Speaker 4 (24:57):
Right, but yeah, shout out, shout out to.

Speaker 5 (25:00):
The buttress in red velvet, uh Susan. But I sent
her a mock up of it and she was like, Yo,
this is dope, but it looks like a live album
and I was like, oh nah, like that. So that's
when I got that there. I was like, Okay, if
I drop it down where it's just our faces like
covering over, it'll look like the King of Rock cover,

(25:21):
you know what I'm saying, the run DMC. And then
if we put the titles on the front with the
bar code, that's a call back to Urban Haynes Sweet.
So it's like the double It's like, that's that to
me was what Tigolo represent. I'm like, we are two
hip hop dudes, like without a doubt, but you know,
also with soul and shit worked.

Speaker 6 (25:43):
But think, like I said, we're taking Run DMC and
Maxwell and put it together. That is tigolero, you know
what I'm saying. So it's like it was all it
was all playing and all well thought out. But that's
to talking about like it ain't just no, we ain't
just throwing this together. It's putting some f for a
time and like a science behind it, and it makes

(26:04):
it makes sense. And every album cover I've seen you do,
every song I've seen you do, it's the same effort,
and I feel like the same.

Speaker 4 (26:10):
Thing we do for you. You be kicking my ass.
I'd be like, damn, Arrol got another album.

Speaker 5 (26:17):
I'm like, man, you got you did? You came to
hear from here? I was like, damn, we ain't been
in the house for two months. This nigga got album already.

Speaker 6 (26:24):
I'm like, damn, that's what that's Because I was scared
and I was like shows getting canceled.

Speaker 2 (26:31):
I'm not going back to teaching. I'm like, what is happening.
I was like, give me the pen real quick.

Speaker 6 (26:35):
Let me you know, for me, whenever, whenever I feel
I mean I mean that like.

Speaker 2 (26:40):
Music for me is like my ass friend or whatever.

Speaker 6 (26:45):
Like when I when Fave passed, when Paris Bowen's passed,
when Chadwick, Chadrick Boseman pay, when any of that stuff.
The first thing I did was I turned the equipment on,
you know, not like, oh, it's just that's when when
the pandemic started, I turned the equipment on. It's like,
for me, my whole view on creativity, my whole view

(27:07):
on art, my whole view on.

Speaker 2 (27:08):
All of it is different.

Speaker 6 (27:10):
And I'm a I have a album called music Fan First,
and it means I'm the fan of it first. First thing.
It's the soundtrack to my life. It's what brings me
peace and what brings me ease. So on my worst day,
I'm picking a pin up. On the worst day, I'm
picking a guitar worst day. On my best day, I'm
doing it as well. So so yeah, it's not like
I'm like I'm racing. I'm making the first pandemic album.

(27:31):
It's like, nah, gonna beat everybody to the punch. It
was just more like, so.

Speaker 2 (27:36):
What mortgage is doing? You know who's sick? Oh my god,
let me just write.

Speaker 6 (27:42):
And I just started recording, like you know what I mean,
I didn't know any anybody. It's crazy. I've done two
albums during the pandemic. But but I just couldn't start writing,
you know what I mean.

Speaker 5 (27:53):
I wanted to talk to you when you speak on
as well, Man, you you know I met through you,
you know kind of you know, through you Anakin Invader Man.
These brothers are just amazing. Shout out to them, like
those my.

Speaker 2 (28:07):
Guys, amazing brothers man.

Speaker 5 (28:10):
Man, And you brought them on to executive produce your
new album, Lessons, which is you know again, just great record, man,
like just that, can't you know, to the top to bottom,
just always consistent.

Speaker 4 (28:24):
How did you link up with them?

Speaker 5 (28:26):
And what was the decision to make Lessons kind of
the first single?

Speaker 2 (28:33):
So meeting them goes back a while.

Speaker 6 (28:35):
And this is a lesson for people just to shoot
your shot, right.

Speaker 2 (28:38):
So you know.

Speaker 6 (28:40):
Now, I got three kids, and usually when I do
a show, now I'm catching the first thing smoking to
get back home, right. So a lot of times you'll
find me at the airport five o'clock in the morning,
you know, right after the show that dog tired walking
through all like a zombie, and I was at an
airport and I was just trying to stay awake. I remember,

(29:01):
I was just like trying not to fall asleep. So
I was like just scrolling through Instagram whatever I could
do to keep myself occupied, and I saw somebody attack
me on something and the name was Anakin Invader, and
I was like, did.

Speaker 2 (29:14):
Y'all name me yourselves? After Star Wars feelings?

Speaker 6 (29:17):
That's the first thing caught my attention, like like, it
isn't dar Vader, isn't Anakin. I was like, that's interesting,
so click. I clicked it because it caught my attention
and it was showing up. It was like Skywalker fighting
Darth Vader with like a hip hop beat under it,
and I was like, oh, that's dooke okay, next one,

(29:41):
and then it was like Princess Leiah like kissing Hans Solo.

Speaker 2 (29:44):
With like.

Speaker 6 (29:46):
And I was like, y'all kind of got that off,
so that's what y'all doing. And it probably like ten
like I went through that page. I probably spent like
ten minutes on that page, and then I hit them back.
I said, yo, you got my attention, what's up? And
then like before the plane could take off, I remember
like within ten minutes, it was like as if they
could see that I was looking at their page or whatever.

(30:07):
I don't know, but as soon as I said, you
got my attention, what's up? A dropbox link?

Speaker 4 (30:11):
Clean?

Speaker 2 (30:12):
It came right back.

Speaker 5 (30:13):
They stay ready Like Jared Broke, he would hit me like, man,
I don't want to overwhelm you, like he would send
you a pholto with like one hundred joints, and it's just like,
bro Like those dudes are animals.

Speaker 4 (30:23):
Man, love those dudes.

Speaker 6 (30:24):
And I really yeah, I was like, did you just
send me a dropbox link? And then before the plane
could take off, I like open the dropbox link, downloaded it,
and I had like five songs written before the plane landed.

Speaker 2 (30:37):
Like it was just like who are y'all?

Speaker 6 (30:39):
And it's been a great friendship, great partnership since then.
We've been working NonStop. And they sent me the Lessons track,
which got to think at that point, I'm not even
it's not on my radar to make another album.

Speaker 2 (30:54):
I just did hear from here.

Speaker 6 (30:55):
I'm not even like, Okay, I'm kind of good and
we're kind of stealing the whole pandemic. But I knew
the record was like this is a special track, this
one is killing, And immediately immediately I was, yo, can't
have it, Like we write a check for it. Whatever, like,
what's up with this track? And he was like, yo,
my bad. I did send it out just all transparency.

(31:16):
I sent it out to like another artist first, can
we like just wait and see what they say first?
Since I just sent it them first, I didn't respect them.
I'm like, no problem, let's listen. No problem. And then
about three days later they said, we haven't heard back
from them. So if you if you still want it,
shoot your shy on. Most definitely still want it. And
I'm going down the studio right now, like I'm going

(31:37):
down and like before it to remove all that all doubt.
And what happened was what's interesting though, was when I
went down there. Now it's like two o'clock in the
morning of my anniversary, right and I think if I
wrote the track, if I wrote to the track the
first day they gave it to me, I don't wrote
a different song.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
But I think when I went down there.

Speaker 6 (31:59):
You know, it's my anniverse.

Speaker 2 (32:01):
Okay man, it's still in this pandemic.

Speaker 6 (32:03):
You know, lost a few friends and y'all me and
with kids every healthy parents, I was, you know, just
started thinking just that while I'm just loading everything up.
It was I was just kind of thinking. You know,
for me, I'm one who wants to figure out who
do I want to be in a song and try
to define that person as much as possible and then
just hit record. That's how like if I if I
cut out all things, I don't have to say, there's

(32:24):
only things left is this, and then just make it
rhyme and that's gonna be a song. And that was it,
and it just happened. I like, I had a camera
set up for some thing I did the day before
in the room and I was like, let's turn this
on and let us hit record.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
God, that's a funny way showing.

Speaker 6 (32:43):
And it was like after that was like and that
was really like, let's transfer this my phone, post it,
go to bed, and just go to bed.

Speaker 2 (32:50):
I wasn't even like thinking nothing of.

Speaker 6 (32:52):
It at all and walk up to like just what
is going?

Speaker 2 (32:58):
What are you doing? What is this?

Speaker 4 (33:00):
This is great?

Speaker 6 (33:00):
You know, and it was like, Okay, let's uh, I
might want to finish this.

Speaker 2 (33:05):
You might want to finish this up. I want to
be this one done.

Speaker 6 (33:08):
And I probably went I probably went, honestly, and I
probably never said this before. I probably went to bed
kind of hesitant to post it because I was like,
I didn't look at the beautiful beauty of like how
transparent it was and how many people could relate to it.
I almost was worried a little bit that it was
kind of like a jab and like all the ex girlfriends,
which I didn't want it to be everyone who let
me down led me to you. But it is true.

(33:30):
I mean, guess what, every failed record deal, every everything
that happened in my life had to have happened for
me to have the kids here, you know what I mean.
It wasn't really like a you know, guess what. I
had to do that for you for you to be
where you at too. And uh but I kind of
I think that was my last thought of the night.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
Was kind of like tomorrow changed that line because that
was a little a little heavy, you know.

Speaker 6 (33:55):
But then when I woke up the next day and
I was like, this is my song and I was like, yeah,
we're not changing that line. Had to eat that one.

Speaker 2 (34:10):
Ben you.

Speaker 5 (34:10):
We was laughing about this the other day on the
phone with Jared from Any Innovader.

Speaker 4 (34:15):
He described us.

Speaker 5 (34:17):
He was like, yeah, working with y'all man, he was like, Arrow,
he's a show pony, but.

Speaker 2 (34:22):
You a racehorse.

Speaker 5 (34:26):
I was like, dude, that is so fucking I was like,
our dynamic, that's that's our dynamic. That is out that
like arrow, Like he's gonna show up, he's gonna be
dressed to the fucking nines, Like he's gonna have the
hat like you know, just you know, And that was
the thing I will say. I know, just I picked
up from you just kind of you know, going out
on tour and just watching you. You know, everywhere you go,

(34:47):
you always look like Eric Robson. You know what I'm saying,
Always like dressed to the nines is always if if
we damn Chick fil A, you know what I'm saying,
a chow can breakout, I'm gonna be ready to give
a show. And you know, and that was just something
that was always you with me. I'm just like, look,
I'm showing up. The day of the race. Showed me
who ass I'm beating. I'm running my race. I'm beating
your niggas ass, and I'm going home. I'm not staying

(35:09):
after for autographs. I don't want to talk about the race,
like I don't want to. I did my job, you
know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (35:16):
You know what's funny even talking about that our shows.

Speaker 6 (35:20):
You're actually right, I got a hat on a suit,
a blazer at least or something like that, and you
have on a black hoodie and it worked.

Speaker 2 (35:27):
It worked. It wasn't like, well, why he got a
suit on one? He got a hook?

Speaker 6 (35:30):
It actually no when you see the pictures, it works,
I guess. But it's like that, that might be that,
that might be. The next album is like the race course.
That's all I do.

Speaker 2 (35:43):
Take a fist. I gotta be a bag on pony,
you know what I'm.

Speaker 4 (35:45):
Saying, Hey, what's on shared? Right? Right? Why can't I
be a thoroughbred? Respect on my name?

Speaker 2 (35:53):
I need to be I'll be it.

Speaker 6 (35:57):
But but but once again you're talking about too you
know three because Anakin Evader is actually a three three group,
absolutely solid brothers man, solid solid brothers, life changing man.
Once again, you know, we can go on here and
talk about so many amazing people we talk about and
we're gonna miss so many names. And I apologize because
I work with so many great people. But definitely, you know,

(36:18):
meeting those guys, it has, it's definitely made me.

Speaker 2 (36:22):
Better, you know what I mean, Definitely made me back
wise and I really do. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (36:27):
Lastly, man, I wanted to just touch on because this
is something that me and you we talk about, you know,
from time to time, but just like you know, just
for our listeners, just man, I just want to talk
about just you know, how you balance just like I mean,
you have three boys, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (36:42):
I mean I have two boys, My boys.

Speaker 5 (36:44):
I mean they're you know older now my boys are
twenty one and sixteen, so yeah, they but but you
have like, you know, young kids, and uh, I.

Speaker 4 (36:51):
Just wanted to, you know, talk to me about like how.

Speaker 5 (36:52):
Do you you know, balance you know, being in business
for yourself and you know, being a husband, being good
a father and and not just being a husband father
and just like I just pay for shit and you know,
go to my the basement, but you know, actually being present,
you know in you know, being present for your family
in that way.

Speaker 4 (37:13):
How do you manage that?

Speaker 2 (37:16):
You know?

Speaker 6 (37:17):
First, you know, it's funny, my whole theory on balance
is different, right, Like the fact there's like I don't
there is no balance right.

Speaker 2 (37:25):
Right, It's like how do you balance it? Right? For me?

Speaker 6 (37:30):
We talk about the word process, right, so I practice
this thing called process over product. Like everything is, it
is connected to the process, this very conversation we have
right now. I can't worry about how many listeners will have,
or how in tune would people be, or was it
a great interview or whatever. I could just be that,
you know, I'm talking to my brother, and how connected
can I be in this conversation. The same way as songwriting,

(37:50):
you know, it's probably strengthened through songwriters, strengthened through music.
Every time I sit down to write a song, I
can't think about the last song. I can't think about
the successes or the failures. I can only think about
what I'm doing.

Speaker 5 (37:59):
Yo, Bro, that's so crazy you say that. That's the
same thing. Like I take that. It was like a
my football coach in high school. He was like, you know, look,
you gotta have a bad memory. Like talk about quarterbacks.
He was like, quarterback, you gotta have a bad memory
to be a quarterback. You know what I'm saying. If
you can't think about if you fumbled on second down, hey,
look bro, that shit over it.

Speaker 4 (38:18):
You know you got another down.

Speaker 6 (38:19):
But you also can't think about the touchdown. You can't, right,
you can't think these of it. You got to think
about the play you're doing and just put all the
confidence that it will work out, whether it will or
will not, that's product, right.

Speaker 4 (38:30):
Because that's the only play you got.

Speaker 6 (38:32):
It's only play you got this very second, right now,
this minute we talking right now, this is this is
the only minute right The next MANU ain't guaranteed in
any forum fashion. So why not just trust this minute
that we in right now, right like, enjoy the sixty seconds.
So for me, now, process over product transfers to different
things that how do I practice process or a product
with my marriage? How do I practice processing product over

(38:54):
product in my as a parent? Who are friendships or whatever?
So guess what I mean, really what I tour schedule,
with our teaching schedule, with our studio schedule, with all
that stuff like that. I mean I respectfully to say
that there's not enough time to be the best friend
to every friend. I have to really be the best father, debate,
best husband. I'm gonna try my best to be that.

(39:14):
What it is is really how connected can I be
with you in the time that we have?

Speaker 2 (39:19):
Right?

Speaker 6 (39:20):
So if I only have an hour in the studio,
can I get lost in the studio for fifty nine minutes.
I can't walk in the studio going damn money, got
an hour time. It's like, no, I'm gonna kill this hour.
I got in here and the same same thing as
I go upstairs, and I know I'm leaving on Friday,
but you know, I can play with the kids all
day day. Let's just get lost, Like how much can
I can't worry if you're gonna be a doctor or

(39:42):
this and that, this and that.

Speaker 2 (39:44):
What's crazy? Literally from this podcast.

Speaker 6 (39:46):
Just before I came here to do this podcast, my
kids are on spring break, and I was like, man, today,
today's busy, right, and it Wednesday's busy, and this is
I looked at the schedule. So yesterday, like I was
just telling my wife, I said, I'm just taking the kids.
We going to Pokonos. So I just grabbed them, throwing
the car. We just balled out for like twenty four hours.

(40:06):
Just went to a water park and just kids. Stayed
up till like four o'clock in the morning, got up,
got went back in the water, literally got out the water,
put clothes on, and drove back here just to get
on this microphone and talk talk with you. And it's
like Yo, guess well, we only had twenty four hours,
but guess what, we just gonna ball out for twenty
four hours. And that's balance is how much can you

(40:26):
be in tune with what time you have?

Speaker 2 (40:28):
Right?

Speaker 4 (40:29):
So yeah, no, I know I completely relate to that.

Speaker 5 (40:34):
I kind of look at it like, you know, to
your point, when people think of balance, they think of
just like, oh, I have the exact amount of time
to do this and the exact amount.

Speaker 2 (40:44):
To me.

Speaker 5 (40:45):
In my career, balance has always kind of been more
so an oscillation between two extremes, right, So, like when
I'm locked in the studio, like like when we was Tickilero, right,
it's like, Okay, I'm locked in.

Speaker 4 (40:56):
I just have to It's the.

Speaker 5 (40:59):
Word that just my mind always is just surrender, Like yeah,
I just have to just surrender. It's like, bro, this
is not gonna make no sense. I'm about to be
up for like you know, thirty six hours. I'm about
to like my sleep sched's about to be shit. I'm
about to eat like shit for like a month, Like
you just know. It's just like there's no run, Like
if you try to make sense of this shit, you're lost.
So you just got to give in. But then once

(41:21):
the record is done, and once the work is done,
now for the next you know, month, for the next
two months, I'm just playing PS five and that's it,
you know what I mean. So you kind of have
those you know, those kind of two extremes, And that
has been the closest I've been able, you know, to
get to balance. You know, that makes you know, the
most sense for my life. But I've always been curious

(41:43):
as to how you you manage it with all the
things you have going on.

Speaker 6 (41:46):
What I'll tell you is that music, and I say
art in general, is the most selfish thing I've ever
seen in my life. Music wants everything out of you.
It wants to brother everything, It wants all your time
in a moment that like.

Speaker 4 (41:59):
And it will test you in every way.

Speaker 6 (42:04):
Guess what the biggest, the biggest show offer you're gonna
have every year is your kids on kid's birthday, the
biggest you know, the promoter's gonna call you with that
bag of bags.

Speaker 2 (42:15):
It's gonna be your.

Speaker 6 (42:15):
Kid's birthday, on your anniversary or some like the first three, right,
you know, it's like, you know, our wives already accept
Valentine's Day, Go get that money, go get that right,
right right?

Speaker 2 (42:25):
But like why does the show always have to land
on their birthday? Right?

Speaker 4 (42:30):
Or Christmas Eve, New Year's like any of the.

Speaker 6 (42:34):
Yeah, it's like, but that's the take. Are you gonna
take it? Are you gonna take the show?

Speaker 2 (42:38):
You? You know what I mean?

Speaker 6 (42:38):
And it's like, but that's that's this that's this craft
and it and like as soon as I'm supposed to
turn the equipment off and go upstairs and kind of
check in, here's the next idea pops in your head,
You're like, oh my god, that's a crazy idea, and
then you turn it equipment.

Speaker 2 (42:51):
So it's like it is the most but you know.

Speaker 5 (42:53):
Because it's elusive, like I think like when you you know,
when you say like because I bro I feel you
like when you bought to go to bed. And you know,
Quincy Jones is like he thought we had him on
the show like years ago, and he was talking about
just kind of that alpha state, you know he calls
the alpha state when your mind is just you know,
it's three four in the morning and you're not thinking,

(43:13):
you're just doing, you're just existing.

Speaker 4 (43:16):
And so it's like you.

Speaker 5 (43:17):
Know that four in the morning where you have that time,
and it's like, man, I really know. I know I
got to get up and be in the car pool
line in three hours.

Speaker 4 (43:25):
But if I go to sleep, I could lose this.

Speaker 5 (43:28):
Moment and I'll never be able to recapture it, you
know what I'm saying. And it's just it's that elusive
thing that you're chasing, and so when you catch it,
it's just like, yeah, it's like catching a fucking shooting star.
You're like, man, I just got to hold onto this,
you know what I mean, and keep some of this
magic for myself.

Speaker 6 (43:44):
So I'm gonna tell you what's interesting. This is what
I like, I said, my whole few on creativity is
different now and I'm one now where I can I
can turn the equipment off in that moment, right, And
it's more because I'm at the realization now and I
feel like truth be told. And I say this before

(44:04):
we say this statement, I feel like my pen is
stronger than ever right now, right, I feel like that
it's our connection whatever. But creativity is often some we
treated like a best friend we don't deserve, right, So
in a moment where we should turn the equipment off
and go upstairs, it's like when it shows up, we're like,
oh my god, you showed up.

Speaker 2 (44:24):
Help my wife, help my kids, right right right, Creativity,
come come on in, come on in, have see have
a see what you gotta tell me, you know. And
that's how it was.

Speaker 6 (44:33):
Like I was probably that way for like the seventy
five percent of my life, Like I would, I would
leave the Christmas table, I would leave the middle of
making love. Wow, idea pops in like you know, softest Lips.
I can say now like softest Lips happened, like the song,
the idea of the song happened while kissing somebody and
I stopped. I remember, like I stopped doing what I

(44:55):
was doing to write the song.

Speaker 4 (44:57):
You know, and it's never been devoted there gro.

Speaker 2 (45:00):
Look coming you have wants to be that devoted, you know.

Speaker 6 (45:06):
But but what happens is like yo, but we have
to realize that creativity needs us just like it needs
we need it. And like Quincy Jones was so worried
over what was it? Was it Michael Jackson, Prince said
he couldn't leave the creativity alone because he was worried
they would go visit Michael Jackson, Right, So yeah, but
I'm I'm I'm satisfied with now telling creativity.

Speaker 2 (45:28):
I'm busy right now. Can you come back?

Speaker 6 (45:30):
That sounds crazy, That sounds crazy, but it's almost the
same thing of like if.

Speaker 4 (45:35):
You confidence, it sounds it sounds like confidence, but.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
It's confidence, it's trust. Right. So it's like, I'll give
you the anledgy of this.

Speaker 6 (45:42):
If you called me and I was like, let's say
I'm in the middle of just like a super game
with my kids right now, and you called me, was like, Yo,
I need to rap with your minute. I was like, Yo,
all right, hold up, I'm give me two seconds. I'm
in this crazy battle with my kids and this that
we having fun whatever whatever, or we are the pool.
Let's say we're the pool. Give a couple hours. I'm
gonna call you back, you know what I mean?

Speaker 4 (46:01):
Like cool?

Speaker 2 (46:02):
Cool?

Speaker 6 (46:03):
And then we come in the pool or whatever whatever,
And I call you back three hours later and I'm like, Yo,
so what's up?

Speaker 2 (46:07):
And You're like, man, I can't even remb what I
was what I was calling you about, right, But I
was like, oh, that's cool. What's you up to now?

Speaker 6 (46:16):
First of all, just knowing you and we friends and
we have talked we've chopped it up, We've had deep,
deep conversations because of who we are for each other,
that next conversation might not be what you initially called it.
It's gonna be great to the problem is we go
into it like the quarterbacks still thinking about the last

(46:36):
touchdown or last interception.

Speaker 2 (46:37):
So I'm so worried about, like, can you remember what
you was gonna tell me? I can't lose it, lose it.

Speaker 6 (46:43):
That we not being natural, We're not treating creativity like
it really it just wants to be invited.

Speaker 2 (46:47):
It just want to kick it, you know what I mean.

Speaker 6 (46:49):
So it's like, allow creativity to show up and be
what it's gonna be, and guess what. Sometimes it's gonna
we already know. Listen, Sometimes it's gonna be great. Sometimes
it's not. How many times that we've written a song
and thought it was this is the one. I'm buying
my Bentley, I'm paying my mama house there, and it's
straight crickets right off, the most fire thing you thought

(47:11):
you ever did.

Speaker 2 (47:12):
And it's straight crickets. And it hiss this.

Speaker 5 (47:14):
Wondering on your phone, You put on your phone and
wake up the next morning, and that.

Speaker 6 (47:19):
She was a nothing of it, and now that this
is the joint that now you got a toil for
two years. You can't never get off stage without saying
you know what I'm saying. So, so why are we
prejudging creativity at the end of day, when it shows
up and you have time for it, then treat it
treated like it's supposed to be. And if you don't,
then then put the time in other in other areas.
And and going back to even the balance thing, my

(47:40):
wife has to feel seen sometimes more than music. She
has to feel like I chose music over sometimes my
kids as well. My kids have have literally been raised
watching me in the studio and sometimes they have to
see me turn the equipment off for them, you know
what I mean. They have to they have to see that.
So oh, you have to be there, and I have

(48:02):
to trust that. Like I feel like my music's gotten
better the more I've been like, nah, let me live,
oh man.

Speaker 5 (48:09):
Cause you got if you don't live, ain't gonna have
shit to write about. Like what am I gonna sing about?

Speaker 4 (48:12):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (48:13):
And it was you know, and for me it was
you know, with your boys. You know, your boys are
really young. You know what I'm saying. And for me,
you know, my boy I had you know, kids like
super young, and so it kind of worked out in
a good way because when I was when they were young,
and you know, they you know, they really just.

Speaker 4 (48:30):
Wanted to be around their mama all the time.

Speaker 5 (48:32):
So I was touring this stuff, you know what I mean,
I was out really getting it. But then by the
time they got the teenageers, that was when you know,
I kind of transitioned into fie, like we start our label,
so I could actually be around for those years with
like they really it's like, okay, no, we need dad,
like you know, it's you know what I'm saying. So
it kind of worked out for me in that way,

(48:52):
and I was thankful to have that. But but nah, man,
that is uh, that is really sage advice. I the
equipment for me. What has been my life savor like
that has saved me, you know, from stand up to
the crack of dawn has been just having voice notes
like I have I have a I have Emancipation triple

(49:14):
disc albums on my voice note because I just have
to just get it down. And if I can just
get that down, I would know to come back to it.
But I have to have just some kind of bookmark
and then I can cut the equipment off.

Speaker 6 (49:25):
But my you know, our voice notes if we dare shit,
it's probably my biggest pro possession as well as just
the note to my phone. Well, I'll tell you I
don't write in the studio, but I'm always writing. I'm
always writing, always staying staying in shape because I think,
really we're just trying to find an inspiration, like we
know how to write songs. So now I'm just constantly

(49:46):
collecting things that take my breath away. Somebody says a statement,
I go, oh my god, that's that's crazy, right, I'll
just documented someone see something and like how do I
transfer that into words? So I mean, yeah, it's like
it's endless. It's endless just collections and some of what
I use and pull from it whatever. But yeah, we
are constantly We're constantly with the collect But that does help,
like the fact that we can document a moment.

Speaker 2 (50:08):
But then for me, like when I go in.

Speaker 6 (50:10):
The studio, it's like, how, like I said, locked in,
can I be you know, and the trust the product
will work out, like you know, trust the product that
it will take care of if I stay focused on
the process.

Speaker 2 (50:22):
The product will work itself out.

Speaker 4 (50:25):
I love it. Man.

Speaker 5 (50:26):
Well listen ero bro man, this has been, you know,
a long time coming. I guess the conversation we need
to have. I didn't think we'd be having it in
front of thousands of strangers on the fucking internet. But
but nonetheless, but U but nah, seriously, man, I just
you know, I've told you this, you know, time and
time again, but I just really just want to just
thank you, you know what I mean for just really uh,

(50:49):
just showing up in my life and in my career
in a way that really, you know, for me, just
showed me the importance of mentorship, you know what I mean,
And you know, you really just everything from the business
to like the show presentation, because I mean I was like,
I'm straight rapped, dude, So going into R and B,
I had no fucking clue what that well, I'm like, yo,

(51:11):
what what is that?

Speaker 2 (51:12):
You know?

Speaker 5 (51:13):
And you definitely were a huge you know, mentor and
model and just you know, big homie and the whole
nine man. And you know, my my career would not
be where it was where it is, you know, without
just your influence and just your God, it's just taking
time just to holler at me whenever I had questions
and just put me up on game. So, nah man,

(51:34):
this conversation was a dream come true, brother, and I
just wanted, you know the world to hit this, you know,
and just to hear your journey and you know, really
just you know, give you that respect. Man, twenty one
years doing this shit independently. Bro, Hey, this ship will
break big niggas with muscles.

Speaker 4 (51:49):
This shit ain't sweet, bro. So, nah man, I just
want to just give you a flowers, just thank you.
I love you. Man. Man.

Speaker 2 (51:56):
You know, it's been on a pleasure.

Speaker 6 (51:57):
It's been on a pleasure to watch your dream consistently
come true.

Speaker 2 (52:01):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 6 (52:01):
I think one of the pleasures that I've had is
watch a lot of people's dreams come true. And you
not only being one of the most prolific people I know,
one of the greatest voices I know, so the voice
being utilized in so many the ways. I can't tell
you how proud I was just just when you joined,
when this quest love Supreme and you were on it,
I was like, yo, this first of you also are
the most knowledgeable. I always say this, you don't hear

(52:24):
this for the first time. I've never ever told you
of a record or a producer or a.

Speaker 2 (52:28):
Song that you did not more than not one time
have I ever?

Speaker 6 (52:34):
Yo?

Speaker 4 (52:34):
It was one Yo.

Speaker 5 (52:35):
It was one time you got me, and it was
a big one too. It was the night we went,
the night we did been in love.

Speaker 4 (52:41):
Bro.

Speaker 5 (52:41):
I don't even know if I told you this. You
were the first person to put me on to Todd Rungnger.

Speaker 2 (52:47):
Wow, wow, Like he.

Speaker 5 (52:50):
Was one of those artists. I always saw his name
and like I would see him. I knew who is
associated with, but I didn't really know. And so then
I think you played me. I saw the life and
I was like, oh my god, that's Todd Runger, Like
I've been hearing that song forever.

Speaker 2 (53:04):
Why you put me on?

Speaker 4 (53:05):
Like the all we ran through to something anything album.

Speaker 2 (53:08):
That's one time.

Speaker 6 (53:11):
One, like the entire I was like this joint from
nineteen seventy two, b side this record, like, oh, that's
such and such and that's why they ain't playing tellow
on it. No, that's killing I'm like, oh my god,
here's this new indie artist. I'm at the Bay Area
killing it. They selling independent records in the flea market.
Oh yeah, that's such and such and such. Yeah I
got that record.

Speaker 2 (53:31):
I won't we link you up? How do you know?
All of this stuff is really mind blowing. Man.

Speaker 6 (53:37):
I'm gonna just say this, and I gotta say you know,
first of all, you know you my brother, and I
love you, love you, love it.

Speaker 4 (53:43):
Man.

Speaker 6 (53:43):
You're so true to your art. You're so true to
your craft, to your friendship and to who the person
who you are. You know what's so funny. You are
the first person like to curse in front of my
mom and she didn't even like hesitate.

Speaker 5 (54:00):
What like yo?

Speaker 2 (54:01):
You know, listen, you know you are a cursor, right,
it is, it is, It is fine, it's.

Speaker 6 (54:10):
So you. And like you know, at that time, my
studio was in my parents' house, right, so we did
my parents and just even with my dad. It wasn't like, oh,
this is how he talked to me, and then this
is how he talks to my mom and dad. It's like, no,
this is how he talks and whoever the around want
to accept this and love him. And my parents loved you.
It was like who this guy you brought in the

(54:31):
house to this party? They were like, no, we love
Fonte bring him as many times he wants. But it
was like it was I remember watching like the Dynamic
you talk into like my parents, and it was still
the same way. It was like the MFS and where
and I was like, yeah, that's how he really he
really fired off. But it was but guess what it

(54:52):
was like genuine is love and it's like a genuineness
behind it. It ain't like some shock value whatever, Like, Yo,
you're just a true brother, you like for real, like
for real, for real, anyone who knows you know you're
just a true brother. And it's like just mad, I
got mad respect for you. You already know, like like
anytime you call, like y'all need you to break dance
in this video or like this melody this joint on

(55:16):
his like just singing the background vocals on the joint.
You know, I'm like, all right, let's let's do it man.

Speaker 5 (55:20):
You know likewise too, and everybody has a TICKULARI to that,
like when y'all doing it, get like we're gonna do
it again.

Speaker 4 (55:26):
I'm I'm definitely I would certainly love to do another week.

Speaker 5 (55:29):
You know, it's just hopefully we can do it at
a time where like people ain't dying and you having kids,
and like you know, we have more order in our
life this time around.

Speaker 6 (55:38):
You know what I'm saying right right, I'm looking forward
to it, but I just need to let you know, man,
I appreciate you having me on and I love you
brother and look forward to doing more with you.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
Love you too, bro.

Speaker 5 (55:48):
For real, man, well listen on behalf of Unpaid Bill Shit,
Steve a Mere, Oscar winning a mere, my work wife
like Iah, this has been quest Love spring. I'm not
quest Love, I'm Fontelo. But no, man, thank y'all so
much for tuning in. We'll catch y' all on the
next go around. Tap In with Eric Robinson is the

(56:09):
album Lessons out right now on our platforms. Go get it,
and yeah, we'll catch y'all on next one.

Speaker 1 (56:24):
How Much Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. For
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