December 18, 2023 • 81 mins
In part 1 of this Classic QLS, the legendary CeeLo Green revisits the onset of his career. He recalls the Dungeon Family days, and details making Goodie Mob's first two albums, and shares a profound love for all Hip Hop.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
What up y'all? It's like yeah, And this week we
are traveling back back back back to June of twenty twenty,
when we finally caught up with se Lo Green. Yep,
se Lo Green. He talks about finding his voice, Goodie Mob, Lawls,
Barkley and all the good stuff. It's so good that
it's a two parter. We know you love those as
(00:25):
we queue that up for you, don't forget to make
sure you check out our whole Dungeon Family series of interviews.
Oh yeah, y'all, from Organized Noise to My Girl Joy
to even Quest one on one with Andre three thousand. Yep,
it happened. So here is part one of se Lo
on Questlove Supreme.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to another episode of Quest Love Supreme.
I'm us Love here with Laiah Sugar, Steve Payville and Fontakeolo.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Hey, how how bad do we miss our theme song?
It's just playing. Just play it in your just comment
a little bit.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, it's it's killing me inside that we're doing all
these these great episodes. Yeah, with no roll call, it's
killing me inside. We asked, we got we gotta think
of a way to do a social distance social distance
roll call exactly. Uh, Ladies and gentlemen, please uh welcome
(01:38):
our guest today, legendary gentlemen. I know this is kind
of always get weird when I'm like, I have to
introduce people that I really really really know, not like
people that just myro on television or whatever.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
But yeah, but Grammy Winner, the most transformative MC in
the game.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
I mean, yes, our guest take that, yes, our yeah,
multiple Grammys, I will say, even more like one of
my really one of my favorite singers living today. I
mean I could I could name maybe like for them
that I really like, not even people that are able
(02:17):
to sing, but people that are able to move you
when they sing, not to mention very effective in see
most people forget that. As one fourth of the legendary
Goodie Mob Atlanta, what more can I say? Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome to coest Love Supreme, the one and only
(02:38):
Thomas de Carlo Callaway aka.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Celo Green. I did not know your middle name was Carlo.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Yes, yes, greetings, Kings and queens. How are you?
Speaker 3 (02:51):
What's going on? Brother? How you feel? Were you right now?
Speaker 4 (02:56):
I'm in Atlanta. I'm technically I'm an hour outside of Atlanta.
I'm out in Peachtree City. I live out in the
country out here.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
So you never left Atlanta always? Did you ever live
in l A for a little while or were you
always Atlanta?
Speaker 4 (03:08):
I did when I was when I was out there
doing the Boys, I was there for about five years,
and then I left l A. And I went and
lived in Las Vegas for two years, okay, then Miami
for two years, and now I'm back in Atlanta.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
Okay, gotcha. I think the last time I saw you,
it was a minute ago. Me and Pool we ran
into you outside of BOSTONOVA.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
In l A. Yeah, it was after show, and I recognized,
like I was surprised that I recognized.
Speaker 6 (03:34):
You know what I'm saying, I seen you. I said,
look at the home Boys.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
I know, yeah, I you know. I mean, I never
assumed that you know, cats will know who we were. So,
but I guess if you see us together, that's when
you can kind of do the math.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
But but yeah, man.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Quest would be able to affirm that, you know, I'm
a real head, you know, so, so yeah, you could
pop quiz me and just about just about any topic
I should, I should, I should pan out pretty good.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
That's what's up every question?
Speaker 4 (04:01):
What you're doing chilling.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Here on a on a ranch?
Speaker 1 (04:07):
A little sad now because uh just got news today
that my four of my uh poultry friends have have
passed away. Apparently a raccoon covered how to get inside
the hen see now Steve laughing? Right now, those don't
know I'm quarantining. I quarantine upstate New York. You know,
(04:27):
when I started, there was five chickens and six baby ducks. Uh,
the baby ducks are now as big as Debo on Friday.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So now they bully the chickens, while.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Meanwhile, raccoons and foxes have found inventive ways to come
and eat the chickens.
Speaker 7 (04:47):
So how do we know that it's foxes and raccoons
that are murdering the chickens.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Because we can clearly see who it is.
Speaker 7 (04:57):
Yeah, well I'm just saying, ever since you show up
to the ranch, chickens.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Whatever, Steve AnyWho?
Speaker 4 (05:07):
So that's dope question. I'm on a ranch too. We
have a ranch property out here in Atlanta. No, because
the property we've been kind of using it as a
vacation vernal property in Airbnb because I haven't been. I
haven't been living in Atlanta primarily.
Speaker 6 (05:25):
So no.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
When we first got this property about twelve years ago,
they kind of they threw a couple of horses in,
you know, as a package. But you know me, no, no, no, no,
but I didn't you know, I had to, you know,
decline because you know, first then then I did my
diligence or not. And I found out that the horses
are very expensive to take care of. And then of
course I just I just didn't have I didn't have
(05:47):
staffing or anything to do or anything like that. So I
was like, nah, thank you. I appreciate the gesture, but no,
no thanks. So no, no animals.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Yeah, definitely taking care of animals on a farm is
a full time job.
Speaker 8 (06:01):
How about that?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
A little circle moment moment though, talking to South Philly
and Atlanta over here, Now y'all both got y'all both
on ranches farming.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
You never thought the hip hop would take it this far?
What part what part of Atlanta were you born in? See?
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Southwest Atlanta swats swats the south.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
Okay, so explain to me what'swats is Southwest Atlanta to star.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
One place? Don't start claiming everything.
Speaker 6 (06:32):
Okay, So Southwest Atlanta is.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
It's it's like a a a four street kind of conglomerate.
I mean that that starts at Campbelton Road, which is
where Tyler Perry's first television studio was based, right around
the corner from Greenbury Mall. I grew up on that street.
It was it was a vacant Delta building that he
(07:00):
inverted into his first studios and then he ultimately went
on to buy Fort McPherson, which was an uh an
abandoned army base.
Speaker 6 (07:09):
But anyway, so yeah, no, it's it's that it's cambell
to roll on up to uh Bankhead.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Highway, which is where t I is from t I
and then rest in Peace Shady Low. They represent Bankhead.
So like it's just like a four street parallel. And
you know, I mean East Point is one street over,
you know where Big Gip is from from Goodie Mob,
and then you know, you keep going on that then
being College Park is another few miles over. That's that's ludicrous.
(07:37):
That's two chains and those guys.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Isn't didn't Diallo said that he went to school with Silo.
He went there.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
I don't know if he went to now Diallo riddle
his uh? I think he said he went to Benjamin Mays. Yeah,
he went there. He went to Benjamin Mays. He me
and him work on the show together, A Sherman Showcase, Showcase.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Yeah. I know.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
I know they'll know since since we were kids.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Oh wow, yeah yeah, yeah, I was trying to figure out.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
I knew that Dalla went to school was someone notable,
but I didn't know if it was you or Big Boy.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
It was you, that's a fact, that's a fan. We
went to Amazing Big Boy and Dre they went to
Try Cities High School. Okay, yeah, so Candy from Escape
went to Try Cities with them.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
So, and you're in growing up. First of all, are
you the only child or you you have other siblings?
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Yeah? I have I have one of the siblings. I
have an older sister, but kind of like having an
older sister is basically like being like the only child
still because she didn't like she did not like me
when we were kids, I couldn't. I was locked out
of her room.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
You know how much older was she?
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Two years older? Okay, She's like, yeah, no, we're really
close now she's like she's my realtor. She's my property manager,
project manager, co founder of our foundation.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
She's a she's a diag woman, Yes she is.
Speaker 8 (09:01):
He saw her beautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
So in growing up, what was the musical environment like
in your household? Because I imagine with that voice that
someone in that house had to been singing or was that?
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Yeah? Well, well both both my mother and father were ministers.
But but I wasn't just completely like sheltered, you know
what I mean, you know, in in spiritual or gospel,
even though I spent a considerable amount of time in
church and around gospel music, which I love. I love
(09:37):
the Clark Sisters, Leon Pattillo, Uh, you know, even Amy Grant,
you know what I mean. That's you know I'm real.
That's how you know I'm real. And of course the Whinings,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
So that means Christian radio was on in your house
all the time.
Speaker 6 (09:59):
It was, it was.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
But but but then I had then I had that
secular side of me because my mother had friends outside
of outside of that. You know, church is like a
like a little little social network. And I mean so
that she had she had friends that she did business
with outside of uh, out of her church, her church community,
(10:22):
and one of them was a legendary radio personality by
the name of Ali Pat so you could you could
research him and you know him and jose Williams, like
they were friends of my mother's when I was young.
So I would go to the radio station and he
gave me a box full of forty fives and so
I would listen to stuff like, you know, Johnny Taylor
and Zz Hill and BB King and Bobby blue Land.
(10:44):
So like I love the blues growing up too, the
gospel was like the blues almost like it was it was,
you know that there was a parallel that that you
know that connected to two.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
If you ask me, I want to know what age
was your voice developed?
Speaker 4 (10:59):
I I can remember.
Speaker 6 (11:03):
Man who sings gene Chandler.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
It's a song called the Rainbow, and we used to
we used to uh sing this uh you know in
the family talent shows in front of the big floor
model TV in the den.
Speaker 6 (11:18):
So it was this song.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
And then it was Jackie Wilson's dog can be around.
So I knew that. I knew that.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Right right, So so.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
So if you notice I can imitate I can imitate him.
So like that's how I learned how to sing, because
you know, that's that first form of flattery, you know
what I mean. And then and then you filter it
into you know, what's to become your own living experience
in the way that you know, you interpret life, you know,
or you know, and then then it's kind of reiterated
(11:56):
in its own you know, new and you know, it's
like a hybrid theory or something. So like no I
jack and no, well I did. I did a couple
of solos in church. I was mostly kind of fascinated
with the band. We had a I went to Grace
Covenant Baptist Church that was our first family church in Atlanta,
(12:17):
and the band was just fantastic, you know what I mean.
And so I would sit right in the pew right
behind the band that was it was setting to the
far left of the uh, you know, the church, and
I was just sitting there and watching the drummer. So
at that time, I wanted to play drums, you know
what I mean. And then I was always fascinated with
the organ. I guess it's that big joint. It's not
(12:37):
the Oberheim, but it's like, you know, it's that big
three level joint, you know, And and I always loved
the organ, and and it gave me it struck a
chord with me because I'm a Gemini, so therefore I
have that duality of you know, they say half half mortal,
half god kind of thing, so you know, so it
(12:58):
sounded really righteous and then it sounds was really evil
in one way too, so like to me, that's like
the ultimate like instrument. So it really it really struck
a nerve with me and that and it kind of
it kind of like, you know, opened me up where
I can kind of you know, identify with different energies
in song, what I mean, So I could tell if
something had some something intentful, or something was really real
(13:19):
about something, you know what I mean. I hope I'm
saying that right.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
It's funny to know.
Speaker 5 (13:23):
It's funny here you say you describe it like that
because as a kid going to church, like the organ
to me was also an instrument like it would sound
beautiful in some ways, but then it could also sound
kind of ominous, you know what I mean, And they
would play like on Scooby Dude, the theme. Yeah, yeah,
(13:43):
that was that was kind of like my relationship to
gospel music as well. Like it was it was I
saw this something that was like my grandparents music, and
it was in our household. It was kind of like
you had to listen to it. You know, we ain't
gonna listen to a rap today. Cut We're just playing gospel.
Was almost like a punishment. But in that was where
I found you know, Mighty Cloud's and Joy Jackson southing
(14:05):
there is like all the Quartel gospel.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
Yeah, that was just a rehearsal in the street.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Yeah, come, I know that.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
And then and then you got then you got Willie Mitchell,
you know what I mean, Like who did.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Yeah High Records.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Yeah, Yeah, it's just it's derivative of that church, you know,
organ background, like and it just made all of that
area music just sounds so so so familiar, so warm,
you know what I'm saying, Like, Yeah, yeah, that's what
that's That's why Algue is the best.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
It just hit me.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
You're you're born in nineteen seventy five, which makes you
six years old in nineteen eighty one. What can you
describe to me, or at least from your point of view,
Because the one thing that I knew the most about Atlanta,
at least growing up, was about the child murders.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
I was just about to say that that heard down there.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
So what was your childhood into, especially in those early years,
was it like you had to be inside twenty four seven? Like,
how did that How did that affect at least with
the murders hanging over everyone's head is in Atlanta with
black children, how did that affect your childhood for those
early years.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Well, I lived just moments from the the community park,
which was west Manor Recreation and you know, I wasn't
you know, I was. I was never that far away,
but I do remember that time of where I was.
(15:50):
I was far enough where I could hear my mother calling,
you know, just like the song I can hear my mother.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
I can hear her, Yeah, I can.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
I can hear her calling. And so so it was
I was that close, relatively close, and so everything what
what it was just kind of community uh, you know,
javing literally football and stuff like that. So all of
the activities were right at the end of the street,
which was safeguarding you know for me, uh in that time.
But you know, I remember being in elementary school and
(16:23):
them having the coloring books about you know, not taking
candy from strangers, and you know, this that of the
third and I remember the song that was, uh, it's
it's synonymous with that that subconscious time in my life
is Jesus is loved by the Commodore. I will hear
(16:46):
that song all of the time, and it gives me
the chills to say it, because you know, it was
just a frightening time, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
What you think of?
Speaker 4 (16:53):
That's what I think about.
Speaker 8 (16:55):
Is it weird to see it resurfacing in so many ways?
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Now?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
HBO has a special mind Hunt just did a whole
season on it.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
I watched it. I watched the documentary and uh, what's
my man name? Will Packard? The one the one that
they did. I watched it and it was, you know,
it was, you know, definitely informative. You know, not not
to be able to look back on the you know,
the experience as an adult, you know, it's it's kind
(17:22):
of uh, it's it's really sobering to look back on
it now. It was surreal as a child because we
were terrified and we just didn't really know where this
this evil you know, uh, you know what kind of
what what what corner it would come from? You know
what what what it would jump out from behind, so
you know, everybody was being careful and I just remember
(17:43):
that being you know, just a time of just a
closeness and togetherness and just trying to be protective of
one another, you know what I mean. And yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Slight confession anytime it is where you mentioned the Commodores,
because whenever they would show Wayne william I'd always think
of Walter Clyde Orange, the drumm in the Commodore.
Speaker 6 (18:04):
That's right, that because Williams.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
It was the glasses.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
They actually they resembled each other. Damn, you're right. It's
crazy because Goodie Mob's manager, her name is Lakeisha Orange.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
She's that's that's her uncle.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (18:29):
Yeah, wow, what that was true?
Speaker 4 (18:33):
True story?
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Damn Damn.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Was Goodie Mob your first musical venture or like did
you did you have other groups growing up in in Atlanta?
Speaker 4 (18:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (18:44):
I had one other group before Goodie Mob.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
I had a I was in a in a crew
called a G A Style with my man Ali l
who was from Jersey, my man d J.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
Wynne who passed some years ago.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
Over CJ. Wayne just a birthday his cousin Q, you know,
and you know, and oh DJ will got to shout
him out sugar Bear. Uh so, yeah, no, but but
we were just kind of you know in Atlanta, we
had uh the uh the temporary service agencies of where
you can just kind of sign up and be a
(19:18):
part of their roster and they would call you kind
of randomly, you know, you know, on any given morning
and be like, hey, are you available for work at
this warehouse or this that of the third I mean
like so yah, yeah, so we would all you know,
get jobs together and you know, pull money together. Like
(19:38):
so that was my first support system. They were all
older than me. I've always been, you know, the the
youngest and and any crew that I've been in. So
ali Al ended up marrying my sister and you know,
having two beautiful daughters, my nieces, and so like, you know,
they were they were family and they were kind of
really looking out for me because around the time, I
was really at risk youth and I was getting into
(19:59):
a a lot of trouble, and you know, they really
gave me some some structure, you know what I mean,
because they were there was they were straight laced guys,
you know what I'm saying, Like no really no drinking,
no smoking, just to working back and putting money together
to you know, buy studio time and just doing it,
doing it the you know, the real way, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 6 (20:18):
So uh, you know, I owe a lot.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
I did a gratitude to them because they really gave
me quite a bit of my my moral viber.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
How deep was or how strong was the first wave?
Speaker 1 (20:35):
I mean, I consider the Leaface era the second wave
of Atlanta's or maybe the beginning being Bobby Brown moving
to Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
But for the.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Olympics, like post Olympics, it felt like is when stuff started.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Well, I mean, Bobby moved there in I think in
eighty eight eighty nine, and I thought that's weird, Like
why would he not go to Hollywood like everyone else?
So right, I mean, but you know, I knew, like
people Bryson moved down there. I knew like certain people
knew something about Atlanta that the rest of the world
didn't know. But like how prominent I mean besides Brick, Like,
(21:10):
how prominent was.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
The music industry in Atlanta in your teen years?
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Well, we definitely knew of Brick. Jimmy Brown from Brick.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Who's playing that?
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Yeah, that's Sleepy Brown's dad, you know, playing that iconic
flute solo on on Dazz, you know what I mean.
So we knew about Brick, and we knew about Cameo,
uh the s O S band, Princess and Starbreys, who
ends up being Miss Deborah Killings, who's who's ended up
(21:42):
doing all of the background work for TLC and played
bass on on so many other you know, famous records.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
That's right, she is playing based on elevators. I think
that's right. That's her playing baseball.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Yeah, yep. So you know, on the on the wrap side,
you know what I mean, Like we had M. C.
Shy D who was from he was from New York.
But he's like the first like breakout dude, you know
what I'm saying. Like, you know, but there was you know,
only a other couple of rap sensations that came out
of around that time. So it was just mainly about
(22:17):
the funking soul bands at that time. And I think
I think maybe it would have probably would have would
have attracted Bobby brown Chair and it probably was Dione
Sanders or something like that, you know what I mean.
You know, uh, you know, I guess Larry Blackman did
did produce his first rest.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
He produced his first.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Yeah, so maybe maybe he came to atlnt of the
work with Larry. Larry of course was a mental on mind. Now,
I talked to him all the time and him just
had birth birthdays recently, So yeah, I talked to him
all of the time.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Lives doing. Man, he's still cool. How's he doing.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
He's good, man, He's really easy going, just like a
soft spoken old gez. You know, just just done a lot,
you know what I mean. And it's a it's a
lot of love whenever I talked to him, because I
could just I can, I could quote him so well,
you know what I mean. I just feel like, yo,
like let me just love on him, you know what
I mean? And you know he at at one point
(23:11):
I had introduced him to my management from Primary Way
and they were represented the group for a short while
to trying to help them, you know, get their their
ownership and their masters back and stuff like that. You know,
but you know, we befriended each other throughout that that time. Uh,
he's just he's just a great all around guy. Talented,
just this an unsound individual, so talented. Man.
Speaker 8 (23:32):
I still touched the stage this cameo.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
Still, Yeah, I think I think they still tour.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
I'm not sure how I said to me now, but
I know, like a few years back, they were still
moving around and they actually, you know, so this would
be five years ago because at my fortieth birthday they
were surprised guest performance for me at my fortieth birthday,
So everybody came out, you know, did all did all
of the greats? I used to I used to love
(23:58):
Alligator Woman.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
Ye know, they're yeah, there's all vanity on the cover.
Speaker 6 (24:05):
You know, I didn't really know what that was. What
kind of music is this?
Speaker 1 (24:09):
When we you and D'Angelo love that song? Man was
my doing, but they also how I got them. It's
like a little sort of a new wave nod. They're
nons a new wave. Yeah, I think it definitely was
a nod to new wave. I mean, like, you know,
because I end up over hearing some conversations. Maybe I
(24:30):
watched the interview with James and he was basically saying
that super Freak was inspired by Devo's whip It. I mean, like,
so I think everybody was trying to trying to cash
in on Yeah. Yeah, what can you put together or
or properly put in context, how the Dungeon family gets built,
(24:51):
like instead of just asking like how did Goodie Mob form?
How did the entire collective become that? Or was it
just a mythical marketing thing or like no, were you
guys teenagers in the beginning and then had a plan
to well?
Speaker 4 (25:07):
At the time, Rico Wade and Sleepy Brown were part
of a dance troupe called Guests and the dance Troops
were the superstars in the city at that time, because
you know, all of the you know, all of the
high schools had different tenant shows, so it's basically going
around like on a promo tour, you know what I mean,
(25:28):
in the city. So they were kind of, you know,
locally celebrated, you know, because you know they were you know,
they were one of the more famous ones. It's them
the stray Cats, you know what I mean, Like, which
was a gang I was a part of. I was
part of the Straight Cats, like a gang. You guys
(25:48):
for me were young drove from Atlanta? Yes, okay, okay,
So y'all know how Joe dressed dress. Joe dress is
like he's he grew up in you know, like he's
a part of a golf community on the back, like
he's basically like super prep, super prep. So like it's
like the Atlanta version of the low Lights in New.
Speaker 5 (26:07):
York met Chers and howell on them boys, you know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Yeah, so we was on it real hard like that
in Atlanta too, so like three tons and Bennetton bags
and tennis rackets and stuff like that.
Speaker 6 (26:24):
You know, I just had on the fair Tree to
the other day.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Man, Like anyway, they.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Still du dre he had his online years ago.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Yeah, he did align with them. I got I got
a couple of boxes, you know, courtesy of the homide.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
But but no, okay, So to answer the question, So yeah,
so everybody knew them. And then they were also a
part of R and B crew called the You Boys.
So it was Sleeping Brown, Rico Way, mister DJ who
ended up being the DJ for Outcasting He's Rico's cousin,
and Marquez Elf who ended up writing water. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
So they were a group called the You Boys.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
And I remember I had gotten I had gotten expelled
from the Atlanta public school system, so I couldn't even
go to school in Atlanta, so I had to be uh,
I had to be taken away to Gainesville Georgia, and
I went to Riverside Military Riverside Military Academy.
Speaker 6 (27:24):
I was, I was, I was, I was something else
as a kid.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
I'm just just troublesome, man. I don't know, bro, I
was just getting so much trouble. I don't know what
was wrong with me at that time. But yeah, so
so I came back. I came back, and I had
(27:54):
to go to Frank McLaren Alternative School, which was a
school for dropouts. And so me and D three thousand
were classmates, uh in the third grade. So we went
to elementary school together and we were like we were
play cousins, so we were really we were really close.
It was like my brother when we when we were babies,
pretty much. And so I ended up coming back to
Atlanta enrolling in Frank McLaren Alternative School, which was across
(28:17):
the railroad tracks from Tri Cities, so, which is where
he had dropped out of school. So we both would
dropouts and we were going trying to get that ged
and that's when we reconnected that after having not having
seen each other for years. Okay, so I saw a
you boys picture there. It was like, you know, how
you might see something they may have been passing out
(28:37):
those those black and white you know groups, you know
where they got the managerial So it was that, but
it was on the ground and I just recognized, you know,
I had I recognized Steepe Brown from from dancing in
the talent shows because they were they were famous, they
(28:59):
were they like the hottest ones around for a long time.
So he always had a look about himself. I'm like,
I recognized him, and I recognized my quiz elfemish too,
So I saw that me and Drake hooked back up.
That's that. I introduced him to DJ Win and DJ
Li and I tried to get them to be a
part of the GA style and we went over with
just some little you know. They they did their first
(29:21):
demo with DJ Win that you know, that didn't work,
did I remember? One day they came back up to
school with some look and then he introduced me to
Oh the day he introduced me to Big Boy is
when I took them to meet DJ Win. So they
took the train over there, they came up to the school,
we all rode the train, the DJ Wins and and
that that's that. But like shortly after that they came
(29:43):
back and it was like, Yo, we met these we
met these dudes, and he was talking about organized noise.
He's like yo, He's like yo, he said, yo, dude,
this is cool. But man, these dudes, but they got
some fucking you know what I mean, they got some
you know. So then you know, this is like ninety
ninety nine.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Okay, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
I guess what year? What year the DOS Effects come out?
Like ninety two, ninety one?
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Yeah, ninety one. That was dead serious ninety one.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
All right, So that was that your marketing level, because
because that's what we was on. I mean, like you
know that would I mean it was it was it
was DOS Effects for me and Dre, it was Doc Effects.
Speaker 6 (30:24):
It was leaders of the New School. I forgot who.
Speaker 4 (30:28):
Else may have been rocking at that time.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
So Sol was a big influence. I definitely influenced Outcast.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Yes, a mister, come on, tj Oko, you know what
I'm saying, Like, no, you know, Domino Casual.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
So there was definitely an openness to well, I guess
there wasn't territorial markings until ninety three ninety.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Four, but yeah, we ain't look at it like then.
When you were open to anything in the South.
Speaker 5 (30:56):
We had to study everything, man, That's why we had
to study.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Yeah, we loved it, and I'm saying we loved it.
Uh so, So basically I'm trying to narrow the story down. Okay,
So a good friend of mine, pretty Ken, Pretty Ken,
ended up being a good friend of mine, and he
ended up you know, so.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I always who he was because you shouted him out
the good I was like, who.
Speaker 4 (31:27):
So pretty Kid and my cousin floating they ended up
creating the Addict Crew. Now, me and Kidd were like Kendricks,
Kendrick Spirits, and when when I was introduced to Overnight's Noise,
you know, he was he was like my role dog.
I was living with Ken at the time, so like
we went over there together. But our tones of voice, personalities,
you know, swagging the whole thing. We were like we
(31:49):
were bulls and buddies. So like they just you know,
they took to me a little bit more and wanted
to work with me, and they just felt like me
and Kid were two similar. So you know, he ended
up out of the Attic Crew, which would give you
Jim pro prolo to.
Speaker 6 (32:03):
Don the young Blood and in that whole movement.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
So that's pretty cad.
Speaker 6 (32:07):
But his cousin, Fat Keith, was a friend of mine.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
That's name I'll too. I'm giving you all these nighbors.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Me and Fat Keith were a green brow mall right.
So we're walking past, you know, the door, about to
leave out. There's like ten payphones in a row. There's
this dude standing there with his back to us. Keith
recognizes him and he taped it on the shoulder, this
Marquez Inflix. And then I recognized him from the picture.
(32:43):
I said, because you know, I got like a photographic
memory down there. So I'm like, okay, that's the homework
for that picture. I saw, like you know or whatever.
So he said, Yo, my homeboy singing and he could rapt.
He should check him out, you know what I'm saying.
So I stood, I went outside with him and I
sang for him, I rap form and he said, well,
I was actually on the phone trying to call over
(33:03):
to the dungeon. He said, I know that they're there,
but you know, maybe the music is up two louds
or something. And Keith was like, we'll take you over there.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
What is it?
Speaker 4 (33:11):
And he was like, yo, it's like you know one
sixty six you know what I mean, like, which is
the expressway, you know over by the fair grounds. I said,
we know it's you know, it's like ten minutes up
the road. So he jumps in the truck with us.
I go over to the dungeon and I'm leaving at
one part one time. So after after drean bing introducing it,
and the thing didn't work out with DJ when they
came back when they said man were about to do
(33:33):
a showcase full of face records, they had on the
face Records t shirts and they both had blonde hair
They had blunt, short blonde haircuts, and they were calling
themselves two Shades DJ at the time.
Speaker 6 (33:45):
So Dre's original.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
Rap name was Jazz j A h Z Jazz and
big Boy Big big Boys, big boys, you know, given
the names.
Speaker 6 (33:57):
Antoine, so it was Jazz and twin.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
So so you know, they haven't even know what that
vibe was. That sound like a do y'all remember do
you remember Dallas Austin's first group of Highland placed monsters.
Speaker 6 (34:13):
Just get okay, let's get niggad. So you remember Tip Maniac?
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yes, okay.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
Me and Tip were like play brothers too, so people
thought we looked alike, you know what I mean. But
like Tip is like he was just like me. He
like a real food and that's why he got his
nickname maniac, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 9 (34:29):
Like, so he's really talented to guy, just just you know,
just one of those over the you know, over the top,
you know, you know, one of those one of those torture.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Soul type type, you know, tragedy cats man, you know,
like a good guy though loving her death. But anyway,
so a small community in Atlanta, So I gotta say
this part so fact. He takes us over to the dungeon.
I remember, I'm recalling conversation from Dre and Big the
day that they said they were gonna get signed to
(35:04):
the face.
Speaker 6 (35:05):
So we go to the dungeon, Sleepy Brown sitting there.
Speaker 4 (35:07):
I recognized him from a You Boys picture. I sang
for him and he's like, okay, cool, I like it.
Then he comes Rico walking in the door with Dry
and Big. They had just stepped out to go and
get something to eat. Drace, you know, with excitement saying
that's my dude, That's what I was telling you about
this Sea Low. He's the one that does all of
the story raps because at that time, you know, our
(35:29):
rhyme like that, like I was on some you know
slick Rick. That was like saying, you know, so anyway,
that's it. So I sang again for Rico and then
you know we ended up you know, reconnecting and blah
blah blah left that night.
Speaker 6 (35:44):
And then two other homeboys of mine.
Speaker 4 (35:46):
This is like months later, Big j D and Killer Bee,
two of the homie hustlers from high school.
Speaker 6 (35:53):
You could tell they was getting money in high school.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
You know, he had to. He had that. He had
that black grand jeep Cherokee with the gold package.
Speaker 6 (36:01):
And the BBS is you know what I mean, like
in high school.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
In high school, like you remember the one Heavy It's
the one Heavy D pulled up in in the self
destruction video. He had a red one call that. So anyway,
so that so they was managing me at the time,
you know, because they met they even though I knew them,
they didn't know. Nobody knew I did music. Everybody knew
me for getting into getting into ship and like you
(36:27):
go get go, get Carlo, He'll he'll do it. That
was that kind of guy, you know. So we were
at we were at my homeboy Glenn Cook's house. I'm sorry.
Let me tell you.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
We're keep going keep I'm more amazed that you were
debo in this situation.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
I'm thinking, like that prince b out this mother then
from the.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
District. I was school the whole district. Plus I was
bowl like that whole you know, rabbing motherfuckers for starting
jackets and stuff like that. That was me. That's what
I say.
Speaker 8 (37:06):
Now it's coming. All right, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Here we go.
Speaker 4 (37:14):
It's true. No music.
Speaker 6 (37:15):
Music, music totally saved my life.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
Man.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
All right, wait, I just gotta, I gotta, I gotta
preface because the thing is my favorite verse you ever
did on on uh still standing the.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
Gutta but always yeah, he gave up the gut a butter.
And in my mind, I'm like, you look an tell
a tall tale, like.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
Can't about that life, But damn you play it well, motherfucker.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
You really is living.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
No dude, I'm telling you a question. If you just
probably do just an interview with anybody else from Atlanta,
they'll take you. I don't really like to talk about it, man,
but because I don't know, it's it's it's weird.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
I know, Jesus.
Speaker 4 (38:10):
Definitely, most definitely. So listen, I don't want to I
don't want to lose it. So so okay, they I
battled Koo Joe, Kujo and Big Gip pulled up to
our homie Glenn Cook's house. He was he was like,
who's the guy from American Pie? Uh Stiffler.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
So Cook was like Stiffler.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
He had He's the black stiffler the other neighborhood. Like
you know, if there was he was the one that
had to cut parties at his house. He could always
go at any point today, somebody was there, you know,
just bring some beer and and you know that's when
that's when we were still we were still going in
dollars a piece.
Speaker 6 (38:51):
On nickel, bands of weed and you know, just broke
and stuff, broke hood ship, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (38:57):
By you know, we couldn't even afford to buy the
whole pack of newports. Just go get four newports like
Loucy's and Duce Duce cold forty five old drinking forty ounces.
Speaker 6 (39:12):
It was that era. It was that era.
Speaker 4 (39:14):
Man, Okay, I battled, I battled Kujo because killer be
you know he I'll just say it, because he was
a wee guy at that time, but he was. He
ended up being my manager because they you know, and
so he played me Kujo and Timo's demo. So originally
they they were the goodie mob Lumberjacks, you know.
Speaker 6 (39:33):
And so I heard their demo and I was like, damn.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
You know.
Speaker 4 (39:37):
I knew Timo because he grew up a street over
from me. His family's house is a street over from
my grandmother's house that I grew up. So I've known
him my whole life too. He's like the second person
I've known the longest, him Dre and then Backbone I've known.
I've known them all my life, you know. So anyway,
I used to hear about Willie. I heard about his legend.
(39:59):
Let will Kujo. The girls called him. He was voted
most attractive. And you know, my sister that would come
home because she she graduated in their class. So Kujo, Timo,
and Gilt graduated with my sister. So I'm three, I'm
three years older than them, but I knew so. But
WILLI was just kind of like hunk of a dude,
what I'm saying, you know. But he was like a brawler,
(40:21):
like Patrick Swayzee and Roadhouse so like you know, so
around so around that time, it was about it wasn't
about games. It's most certainly about games in Atlanta now,
but it wasn't about games. It was about rival high schools.
So we grew up how like the movie Outsiders was,
(40:42):
you know what I mean, you know we we we
fought in that same part that that was at the
at the end of my street. All of the high
school fights would take it to the wreck, that's what
they call it. It was short for recreation center. Let's
take it to the wreck. So I stepped there and
I witnessed a handful of high school all battle royals.
(41:02):
And you know, but I was an underclassman, you know,
I was really looking for my turn. So I was
really making noise in my in my grade. And then
I eventually started hanging with the older dudes and started
going over there and getting into those fights and stuff
like that, you know what I'm saying. So so with
that cook, I battled so uh, killer B was selling
(41:23):
us the weed. But the end of the end up being
my manager. He witnessed He became my manager because he
witnessed me battle Kujo, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (41:32):
Like and I'll say that it was a draw, you
know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (41:35):
Like, you know it was it was friendly, you know
what I'm saying, Like, but you know I had the
secret weapon.
Speaker 6 (41:40):
I started singing on him and all kinds of ship
you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (41:43):
It was like that. But you know, a lot of
people like to give me the credit for being maybe
one of the first to do that, them to let
myself Lawrence Hill. But I'm like, nah, I'm going all
the way back to force some d's and UTR phone,
you know, cold crushing and all of those routines they
used to do with the harmony.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
So anyway, I was gonna say the one promo thing
that I've ever missed in the history of roots was
when they rent to a radio station.
Speaker 3 (42:11):
Do you remember this night?
Speaker 1 (42:13):
Yes, we freestyted, you know, I remember all y'all freestyle together.
Speaker 4 (42:17):
Yeah, comal.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Yeah, yeah, it was on YouTube.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
Okay, I'll admit it now.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
I met I met, I met a bad shorty in Atlanta,
and I I feigned sickness with the record label like,
oh man, I really got aheadache, I can't make this,
And they went to radio like normally I would. I'll
be the first to hide up good for you a
radio station, So.
Speaker 4 (42:50):
Question, can I can I can I get on another
one for a second.
Speaker 6 (42:53):
I used to love distortion to Static. Do you know that?
Speaker 4 (42:56):
I mean like I got that that maybe right before that,
I think I got maybe like the promo copy.
Speaker 6 (43:04):
Of do You Want More?
Speaker 4 (43:06):
You know what I'm saying. And I remember telling Tyreek
and you know, no you know him, like I say, like, yo,
I really liked the album, bro. He said, oh, yeah,
what song do you like? You know what I'm saying,
you feel me like?
Speaker 6 (43:18):
He was kind of like.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
Always stop asking people that, so and so you.
Speaker 4 (43:23):
Know, I'm not making it up because I remember, like
it was yesterday, and I said, oh, I like you
know the social static obviously you know what I mean,
like proceed and I said, like, and then I love
Lazy Afternoon.
Speaker 6 (43:33):
He was like, oh shit, I'm saying you.
Speaker 4 (43:39):
And I think I think that was kind of like
the beginning of a bond because then we ultimately didnt
end up doing one of our first our first tour together.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
Y'all, y'all made y'all made such an impression.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
I remember we we had spent we had spent a
good three years just in isolation living in Europe. So
when we finally came back to the state till ninety five,
like we didn't we didn't have friends yet, like there
was there was no common d'angela, Like there was none
of that like the click that we had. So we
were just kind of out there in the open. And
(44:09):
y'all were really the first people that we befriended, and
like that that shipment a lot, like y'all.
Speaker 3 (44:18):
Y'all came to that show.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
I think there was a show that we did with
the Far Side, and I think that you guys came
as like an outdoor show at one of those spots.
But the map, Yeah, but yeah, no, you you were
always That's how I know you're a hip hop ped
and and and into that. So how once you guys
(44:39):
got together, Like how especially now, like I can't even
imagine how it is to navigate in a group, Like
how do you determine who does what and concepts and
what you guys are?
Speaker 4 (44:55):
Okay, so I'll cap it off by saying kill it be.
And j D started to manage me after they witnessed
that battle, and then some months and then they were
trying to kind of show me that they were, you know, credible.
You know. They came and picked me up one night,
you know, and then they took me to Jermaine Dupree's house.
(45:15):
And this is when they were shooting the video for Crisscross. Uh,
everything's all right, it's the record they had. Yeah, so
that was at Jermaine's house and I.
Speaker 6 (45:26):
Remember that and I said, okay, so it's.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Like they were showing you things. We're introducing you exposed,
and we're like all right, you know, cool whatever, you know.
So then they ended up taking me to the Dungeon again.
And when we were pulling up on the dungeon, you know,
you know, I said, this place looks familiar. So long
story short, they brought me back to the dungeon and
everybody was there. So I said, I've been here before.
(45:50):
I go in the door, dre, big, sleepy ring, everybody
who I just met months prior because of Fat Keith
and Markquz they were all there, in addition to Gip
and t MO and everybody just pulling up and it
was just traffic over there.
Speaker 6 (46:05):
And I was like, wow, like this like my whole
neighborhood in this little bitty house, you know what I'm saying.
So that's how the Dungeon family came together. Now, as
far as the song structure, I'll be I'll be totally
and how we and what the system is. Man, what
happened was with the success of outcasts. You know, everybody
(46:27):
came in as individuals.
Speaker 4 (46:29):
Let's say, for example, Big Gip and Cool Breeze were
in a group called the East Point Chain Gang. So
Gip came over as a solo artist. Now, if you notice,
Gip had always had everybody was. Gip was poised to
be the next superstar, you know what I mean, Because
you know Dirty South, which which was the third single
(46:51):
off of Soul Food. You know, it featured him in
Cool Breeze. He was just paying a respect to his og.
Cool Breeze is his og, and Cool bree came up
with the key coin the phrase dirty South. But technically
otherwise that would have been a gift solo song because
it's Ghip, Koobre's and Big Boy.
Speaker 6 (47:10):
And then the second.
Speaker 4 (47:11):
Album, Black Ice, which was a second single because I
well know nobody, nobody was on it. It was just
get big and get big and dre you know what
I'm saying. So they were really looking for him to
really be the next the next big thing. So with
that being said, goodie mom. You know, the Soul Food
album was essentially meant to be intended to be a
(47:34):
compilation album to get everybody out at the same time.
Speaker 6 (47:39):
So we weren't even formally a group.
Speaker 1 (47:41):
So if you'll just put together.
Speaker 6 (47:46):
So yeah, if you basically, but it's it's kind.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
Of like the practicality of a Rico Wade and the
vision of a Rico Wad because you know, let's say
I was featured on Get Up, Get Out, you know,
which was another outcast song off of their album, and
Kujo t won't call it a while me and Big
Gibble on get Up, Get Out.
Speaker 6 (48:10):
Get Up get Out ended up being a single, but
us being so totally ignorant and naive about radio format
that song.
Speaker 4 (48:18):
Lyph this minutes. Yeah, we didn't know. We really didn't know, right,
So they had to put out an outcast version of
a goodie my version. So anyway, there was some interest
in me as a solo artist, but I was kind
of new over over to the dungeon, so.
Speaker 6 (48:38):
You know, if it would it would have been wrong.
Speaker 4 (48:40):
And to be totally honest, I can, I can I
can say that I wasn't prepared to be a solo artist,
but they wanted to give me a solo.
Speaker 6 (48:47):
Deal, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (48:49):
So I was all up to get in a group
with the Homeboys that I had known from the neighborhood,
you know, I mean, like, so that's what goody mother
I said.
Speaker 6 (48:56):
You know, you know this is easy enough.
Speaker 4 (48:58):
I know the.
Speaker 6 (48:58):
Homeboys, so but you know, I'm the baby that group.
Speaker 4 (49:02):
I'm a lot. I tend to be more vocal than
just about everybody, so people kind of like misconstrue that.
Speaker 6 (49:08):
But like now everybody's older than me, you know what
I mean, and.
Speaker 4 (49:14):
Like three years.
Speaker 3 (49:16):
Okay, well that could be ship and that's a lot
make a difference to me too.
Speaker 2 (49:21):
Now it makes sense when I because I went to
Clark By the time all this was happening, I was
at CEU, and I used to see Selo on Spelman
campus and stuff all the time, just like chilling, because
that's what people did.
Speaker 4 (49:30):
You used to see me down there in the in Pola.
Speaker 8 (49:32):
Yeah, like sitting on the.
Speaker 4 (49:33):
Wall, that's it.
Speaker 6 (49:34):
Yeah, I was down there.
Speaker 2 (49:37):
Because I was like, I wanted you to talk about
like so you talked about the beginnings of how y'all
all got together?
Speaker 8 (49:42):
But by the time I got.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
To Atlanta, it was a scene that was being set
that was like no other pre like black black, Black Lily,
like with you guys, funk.
Speaker 4 (49:50):
Jet are you telling y'all? Because like you know, Spike
Lee filmed school days there, so it's like, you know,
the au that was popping, It's like that was like
the strip. I mean, like if you had a nice
whip or something like that, you ride through that, you know,
hollering at the college girls and this that and the
third so like it was just this little vicinity, you
(50:11):
know what I mean, like you know of just like socialization,
you know what I mean. And it's like right next
to the hood. So it's like, so whatever you want.
Speaker 8 (50:24):
We don't have Morris Brown at the time.
Speaker 4 (50:26):
But so look, no, no, your question, answer your question.
I want to make sure that I'm clear, all right.
So with that being said, I just me. You know,
I'm like I write songs like playwrights, like screenplays, you
know what I mean, So like I have to have
a visual, I mean, like something to anchor me down,
(50:47):
you know what I'm saying, Like you know, okay, like
we're talking about this, we're talking about that, and then
I know how to summarize, and I know how to paraphrase.
But you then you got artists like you know Kujo
who you know this, and I mean this with the
utmost respect. He's like fucking Hannibal Lecter, you know, man,
where he could he could, he could take his When
(51:07):
I first met Kujo, he was we would go to
the liquor store, have a forty yars old English. He
would finish the forty and take the brown paper bag
and write a rhyme on the paper bag. Or I
saw him write rhymes on a roll of toilet tissue.
So he would do really cool you know, you know,
swageristic eccentric shit like that, which made everybody be like
(51:30):
taking a notice to you know, like this big Kujo,
you know what I mean. So you know, so you know,
you know, I thought that kind of stuff was amazing,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (51:41):
And you remember, know what their role was in the
group or how they were perceived.
Speaker 4 (51:45):
Well, I'm kind of like that. I was kind of
like project manager, you know what I mean, Like you know,
I you know, I came up with the the concept
of the soul food, uh you know, I came up
with that title. I came up with the concept of
know Kujo being the meat because things that he was
saying was kind of tough to chew, you know what
I'm saying, like, you know, uh t. Timo was the
(52:08):
bread because Timo was just kind of like independent dude,
you know, I'm saying, like, but man, can I live
off bread alone? And Get was the vegetables because Gip
is like, you know, this politician. He knows how to
you know, wrangle and galvanize and get people together and like,
you know, and I'm like the water because I'm there
to be the transparency and the clarification because everybody was
(52:30):
trying to you know, interject with new slang and you know,
it was a whole new identity and even I, even
I didn't understand what some some of what was being said.
So I kind of like assumed the position to just
make sure that we were translating, you know, the right way,
because I knew what we were doing was important, you
know what I'm saying, you feel me, And it was
(52:52):
imperative that you know, like we were received, you know,
and seeing in the right light. I mean, so that's
kind of like me. I'm still like that to this day.
But you know, you know, it's it's hard to know
a lot without being seen as a know it all?
Can you dig it? And I can be I can't.
I can be a little controlling, but it's but it's
(53:15):
always about the quality control, you know what I mean,
as long as you know yeah, I know, I know,
And it ends up being a louisence a little bit,
but like it's for the greater good, you know what
I mean, like just trying to make sure that we're good,
appreciate product, see question, That's what you gotta be for
the you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (53:32):
I know that I know you can relate to that.
Speaker 3 (53:34):
I would say.
Speaker 5 (53:35):
So I kind of caught hell, uh a little hell
on the on the on the internet. Couple out of
a month or so ago. I did an interview me
and Phoo, We did an interview with my man Piso
h out of hip hop site out of Vegas.
Speaker 4 (53:48):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (53:48):
Well, we just were naming our favorite records and they
would play the records, you know what I'm saying. We
talked about it, and so one of the records that
Phoo named was at Lings, and so he brought up
at Alings and we were talking about it what ever,
and they got on me because I said, well, now
is it time to admit And you don't have to
weigh in on this, se Lop, but this was just
my thought. Can we admit now that Soul Food was
(54:11):
a better album than at Aliens?
Speaker 3 (54:13):
Oh my gods was hot?
Speaker 4 (54:21):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (54:23):
Right, you know what he was?
Speaker 1 (54:25):
And what I want to tell you, man, like specifically
just to you as an MC, you know, And let
me be clear, I love atl I mean that's a
classic fucking record.
Speaker 3 (54:32):
Like I love that album. But for me the way
I came into Goodie Mob when I bought that album.
Speaker 5 (54:38):
First off, and I've told this story show before, Like
I actually broke the law to like get y'all's album.
Like I drove, I ain't have no license, I'm driving
to the Rex store to buy Soul Food.
Speaker 6 (54:47):
So I bought it.
Speaker 5 (54:49):
So so I bought it, you know, man. So like
when I first heard Cell Therapy, it was that was
kind of weird. I was like, Okay, I like this
this is is kind of weird. And then the B
sides I had the we had to single first and
the B side was Soul Food on like the CD,
you know, and so you had like Soul Food and
I was like okay, like they say, I was like okay.
(55:09):
But then when I heard when that ship opened up
with you singing and then going into thought Process, I
just thought that was just such a crazy like to
open an album on such like, because most rap albums
always started with like the hype that just hitting you
over the head. To just go into something just so
like slow and meditate like that ship was fucking haunting.
Speaker 4 (55:33):
Bro.
Speaker 3 (55:33):
I was like, yo, this record, these niggas has got
it and.
Speaker 1 (55:36):
So down I would throw it down and say that
the day I got the CS Free, I'm sorry you
was so Free was so to me.
Speaker 3 (55:53):
It was I was so jealous that we didn't create
some ship like that.
Speaker 1 (56:00):
I think I spent a day listen to Free on
loop before I even got pat.
Speaker 3 (56:07):
By day two, then I went to Thought Process like
the whole rest of the record.
Speaker 5 (56:12):
But to me, oh man, that nah, that album, that shit,
the setting it off like that was amazing.
Speaker 3 (56:19):
And so the thing for me was when I heard
Soul Food, that was for me just as an MC.
Speaker 5 (56:26):
I never heard anybody be that honest, Betimes, I don't
even know how I'm gonna eat by twenty dollars away
from being on the street. I'm like, Damn, these niggas
is really spitting that shit. And then like your verse
on guests who like talking about your mom, Yeah, and
just you know what I mean. So when I heard
soul Food, I mean, by the time Atlings came around,
(56:47):
I mean, I liked at Aliens, but the initial punch,
it kind of felt like y'all had beat them to
the punch in terms of what I was looking for
in the next Outcast album.
Speaker 3 (56:57):
Just the soul, the honesty, just every thing.
Speaker 4 (57:03):
For me to be, to be totally honest, I will
say this, Our Cast has always been our flagship as
far as Dungeon family is concerned, you know, but we
had always been fundamentalist, you know, and an even more effective.
Speaker 6 (57:19):
Uh hypothetic.
Speaker 4 (57:22):
Well example is I've described it as this if if
Dre and Big were Chuck and Flave, we were the
s one w's yes, yes, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (57:37):
That that's that's the relationship, you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (57:39):
Like even though me being and Dre are the same age,
you know, and I was supposed to be an outcast originally,
how hard.
Speaker 1 (57:57):
Is it to to sell this concept and this idea
in your own hometown because image wise, you guys aren't
aren't what an outsiders view would think of as traditional
Atlanta hip hop, and yet you are, I mean, you're
(58:20):
actually establishing it. Like how how open was the Atlanta
natives into this concept?
Speaker 3 (58:30):
Was it like you guys are weirdos? Or was it
like yeah, I feel that shit.
Speaker 4 (58:35):
Too, or like I'll say this, we were like the
Zulu nation, you know what I mean, Like let's say
when you know that Africa Bambada, you know what I
mean that the souls on the forest were the black
spades just prior you know what I mean? You feel
me it was kind of like that. It's like, you know,
everybody realized that we were using the opportunity for a
(58:58):
greater good, were not relishing in you know, any of.
Speaker 6 (59:03):
The wrongs that we were you know that we had done,
you know.
Speaker 4 (59:06):
And that people knew it could have could have attested
to like you know what I mean, you know, it's
like damn, like you know, like if anything, we caught
people by surprise because we were addressing uh, certain issues
topically trivially, you know, I mean, like you know just
trying to expound upon who we were, you know, like
(59:27):
as artists and as individuals, as men, as black men,
as as activists because I always say that we were
fighting for the civil rights of southern hip hop at
that time, you know what I mean? And you know,
we recorded Soul Food in Curtis Mayfield's home studio, so
our icons, you know, I mean, like they were alive
and well, and we knew that they were watching, and
we knew that we needed to do something with some
(59:50):
reverence and some respects.
Speaker 5 (59:53):
On uh on the did you say Mayfield on the
New World Order album? The one did you co write?
One of those records?
Speaker 4 (59:59):
That? No, I didn't, but some of the stuff that
I wrote it didn't really make it. But I was
working at the time with with the O G.
Speaker 6 (01:00:08):
Cool Ace, you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (01:00:10):
You feel me? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (01:00:11):
You so for those I gotta shout out kool Aids Man,
kool Aids.
Speaker 4 (01:00:18):
Yeah, cool as cool as was Gibbs lieutenant in the
in the Nation of Islam early so, but then he
(01:00:39):
digressed and he became a bona fide pimp.
Speaker 3 (01:00:42):
Oh okay, yeah, how are you so that you just like?
And then he said it makes sense.
Speaker 8 (01:00:52):
I was, you know, ordinary to see. I just wanted
you know, that's normal.
Speaker 6 (01:00:56):
So so, but he's super duper, duper talented and I love. Hey,
he's a good guy, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (01:01:05):
He's still around, He's still alive.
Speaker 4 (01:01:07):
He's still he's still around. He's like he's one of
those dudes, like you know, he holds the amateur knights
at the strip clubs and stuff like that.
Speaker 6 (01:01:16):
That's his state. But that's you know, that's not that's
not even be condescended.
Speaker 4 (01:01:20):
That's where he wanted to be.
Speaker 6 (01:01:21):
That's his community.
Speaker 4 (01:01:22):
You know. It's like that's that's that's what he loved,
That's what he loved to love, and that's what he
want to be.
Speaker 2 (01:01:28):
You think that since you guys came out and such well,
because Atlanta also is such like a large college town,
not just in a sense of like the AUC but
all the colleges there, do you think that that attributed
to to some of the extra fantage that you had
at home?
Speaker 4 (01:01:42):
It did, It did, and and everybody was at that
time because I'll cast struck a chord because it had
given Atlanta an identity, you know what I'm saying, Like,
you know, kingos and you know guess gene shorts and
pump Pum footies and Stan Smith. I don't know if
(01:02:03):
y'all know what I'm saying. So it was that's how
we dressed in Atlanta, you know what I mean. So
they hit the nail on the head with the imaging.
But you know, we we represented like an underbelly, you
know what I mean, like you know, you know, and
(01:02:24):
an attitude, you know what I mean, Like an aggression
I mean, and a progression you know, because again we
felt like we needed to. We knew that we were
in some regard like front lining. I mean, like you know,
for for Southern hip hop to be counted, to be
heard and to be respected. And so you know, I
believe that Cell Therapy it won with with Atlanta because
(01:02:50):
it won with New York first, you know what I mean.
That's the record that got us into the tunnel and
stuff like that, you know what I mean, Like and
we out there, you know, freestyle and with the boot
camp click and you know, as I got to get
to meet all of them early, you know, Rock and
Shine Price and you know the strange wonder, you know
(01:03:11):
what I mean.
Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
Like I was going to ask if you had any
opinion or reservations about New York Post that source moment
for Outcast where the South had something to say.
Speaker 6 (01:03:26):
To be totally honest, can I tell you what I
was distracted by.
Speaker 4 (01:03:30):
I heard the booze, but I wasn't really tripping off
of it, man, Like it was like suspended animation on
that evening. You know, there was a lot of tension
because of the East coast West coast thing, but US
being neutral and us being acknowledged, you know enough to
(01:03:50):
even have been there and been in the building. I
was trying to riding high on that. I had gotten
some outfit tailor made for it, and I'm saying that
and I'm gonna take something else that's really cool. Big
Biggie Smalls was on our was one of our first supporters,
you know what I mean, Like he championed us, you
know from the inception and off the top. Biggie Small's
(01:04:13):
first shows were opening up for us in Atlanta, you
know what I mean. Puffy Puffy shot and directed players
ball for Outcast. So we all started together almost signed
a bad boy. Andre Horal was my mentor, and I
(01:04:34):
mean like it has been like, you know, so resting
soul so with that. I still remember vividly when we
were walking up on that stage. I heard the boos
in my perihew kind of hearing, but I got distracted
by the sound of BIG's voice sitting right there on
the front road saying yo, yo, see lo. You know
(01:04:55):
what I'm saying, holl hollering at me, you know, and
showing us love and letting us know that he that
he rocking with us. And I remember outcast first show
in New York. We all went together as a crew
and we were performing. I think it was do you
remember somebody named called Grandma Funk.
Speaker 3 (01:05:17):
Oh my god, Grandma. I think, okay, you pulled the
glass from the past, Grandma.
Speaker 4 (01:05:28):
So who's up there for Grandma Funk? Brod damn? So
Big out. He showed me love because Big was right
there in front of the stage, wrapping every word to
get up, get out with me. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (01:05:45):
He showed me a lot of love.
Speaker 4 (01:05:47):
He showed me a lot of love. I was even
invited me to be all ready to die. I don't
really know what ever happened with that, what I'm saying, like,
but I was completely naive and new to the game.
I didn't even know what he was talking about because
I didn't really know how to receive a don't even
appreciate the invite because big wasn't big at that time,
right you know what I mean? Yeah, this was, but
(01:06:08):
he was just ready to die. Yeah, it's like Party
in Bush and Who's the Who's the Man? Soundtrack?
Speaker 3 (01:06:16):
That was a slow burn man.
Speaker 5 (01:06:17):
It wasn't like a record that just did big numbers
out the gate, like absolutely minute.
Speaker 4 (01:06:22):
Yeah, you're absolutely right, you know what I mean, Like
because I didn't even really like partying bullshit all of
the way, like I liked, uh the house Opainian record
off that soundtrack? Right, Uh?
Speaker 3 (01:06:34):
He was Who's the band Who?
Speaker 4 (01:06:37):
Because I was I was still.
Speaker 6 (01:06:39):
Around that time.
Speaker 3 (01:06:41):
DJ Muggs.
Speaker 6 (01:06:42):
Yeah, DJ Muggs, So thats what's up? It's safe?
Speaker 3 (01:06:45):
Oh yeah that Joints. Y'all got a record on the
I love that record, y'all did joint?
Speaker 4 (01:06:50):
I see them the first homies that took us in
when we went to l A. So we all got
tagged from cartoon you know. So you know that that's
why we be really down with the brown and black,
you know what I'm saying, Like making sure we keep
the peace and we advocates of that because they they
showed us nothing. Beloved. Man be Real just did a
song recently with Kujo on one of his independent projects,
(01:07:12):
So the love is still there. It's for main man
almost thirty years. Man.
Speaker 3 (01:07:17):
It was a producer y'all had on Soul Food that
I never saw on anything else.
Speaker 4 (01:07:21):
Mix Well, you know, we're in the process of doing
another Goodie Marvel album right now as we speak, actually,
and it's funny that quest even asked that that question
of how we get songs done, and it's you know,
it's tedious, and I'm saying, you know, because like you know,
we're older sing like you know, like you know, everybody's entitled,
(01:07:44):
you know what I mean, Like you feel me. But
it's always been that kind of combustible kind of thing,
you know what i mean, Like you know, but Mixo
mix so was he was Kujo and Timo's original producer.
So he was producing the Lumberjacks, okay, and you know,
they had a other couple of dope songs that it
was supposed to make the album, but they were in
(01:08:05):
in a legal suit with their former management and they
couldn't use that material. So you know, everybody just wanted
to honor mient So because of that sound. And I
just spoke to him the other day. I said, man, dude,
you're the only other producer besides Organized Noise who made
that original one the o G I said, So therefore,
you know, because I bumped into him and I was like, yo, man,
(01:08:27):
we gotta we got to get on the same page.
I got to get you back in the mix, man, like,
it's only right that we acknowledge you. And he was dope,
I mean, like he reminds his stuff will remind you
of Rizza, all dark and dusty and like just dope.
I mean, like, you know, so you know big Wu
Tang fan over here too, and people liking us, to
the people liking us to the Southern Wu Tang and
(01:08:47):
all of that.
Speaker 2 (01:08:49):
Ps I just thought something, y'all, we need to put
a bookmark on when the Goodie Mob album comes out,
because Feo, you don't know this, but we had been
planning a trip to Atlanta to just grab everybody for
question free, like we was gonna Rico, we was gonna
see Drama.
Speaker 8 (01:09:01):
We was just gonna see everybody. But you know, considering
the time I'm like, well, maybe when that.
Speaker 2 (01:09:06):
Album comes out, we'll all be able to come out
the house and get the whole goodie help.
Speaker 1 (01:09:11):
And touring with that record, which is the first time
that we uh toured together, explain that process because.
Speaker 3 (01:09:20):
You guys used the band.
Speaker 1 (01:09:21):
You guys used, Uh, I'm enjoyed with singing with y'all
at that point, Like, yep, you guys have a Little
John in the Chronicle as as your band, Like were
you guys always presented in kind of like I saw
y'all as almost like new p funk yall put it together.
Speaker 4 (01:09:41):
That's funny that you said that. Well, we we got
introduced to Little John in the Chronicle because we did.
I think we did like maybe like a listing party
or once or a release party at a club called
Kaya back then.
Speaker 8 (01:09:55):
As Frank Ski. Sorry, you know what I'm.
Speaker 4 (01:09:57):
Saying, shouts out to Frank Ski and and the Chronicle
was the band and it just kind of went over
so well, you know, it just I'm sure that there
was management that suggested it at that time. You know
that we kind of go in the live direction and
you know, and you know that was all good. And
(01:10:18):
then you know, George Clinton speaking of Parliament. He was
one of our earlier mentors and supporters too. He's the
one that christened the Dungeon family as the young Parliament
for Padelics. So when you start seeing us breaking out
with all of the outfits and stuff like that, it
came from him, you know what I'm saying, Because he
because he said, you can't just say you're to an exceptional.
(01:10:39):
You have to be exceptional. That's why they call it
a fashion statement. If you if you can speak there,
then you can say less. You know what I'm saying. Ship, Yeah,
and we went, we went, and obviously we went wild
with that. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:10:59):
I was gonna say, for your the second album for
Still Standing, what happened with what?
Speaker 3 (01:11:05):
I got ques by that album?
Speaker 5 (01:11:07):
So they don't dance no more? I love that fucking song,
What what Happened with Little Will?
Speaker 4 (01:11:14):
Okay? So uh, they don't dance? The version that you
hear is a replay, but the original version was done
with the sample of Aaron Smith's dream On, So that's
what that is. It's really dream On right. So Little
Will was a hoodster, you know what I mean, Like
(01:11:37):
you know around Atlanta, super duper talented, you know what
I mean like great voice, and he was signed to
Organized Noise's label, Imprint at Interscope Organized Noise Records, and
you know it was just it was just circumstance and
inexperience that kind of overshadowed. I mean, like all of
(01:11:57):
the promise and potential that he had as an artist.
But like I just saw him recently, maybe like a
year ago. I had a birthday uh party out here,
and he'll still hit my line every now and again.
But like he's just a real one, you know what
I'm saying. Like you know, you know because he's he's
that's him singing so you know Gucci Man and and
(01:12:22):
and Jez's first breakout record together, so Icy, that's Little
Will singing the record, singing the hook. So you know,
we we're responsible for a lot of careers man, you know,
like and you know he's forever done.
Speaker 5 (01:12:34):
Your family on the record on still Standing just about over?
Was that U was that David Wild that Wild Peach.
Speaker 6 (01:12:45):
David and Wild Peach rest in peace to this Peach.
Speaker 3 (01:12:49):
Yeah is still.
Speaker 4 (01:12:53):
Yeah Dave David still whenever Big go while and he
take the band, he takes he takes uh, he take
Peach and he take Deborah killers with him.
Speaker 5 (01:12:59):
He's always kept them, That's what's up.
Speaker 4 (01:13:05):
Yeah, he's so solent for that.
Speaker 3 (01:13:07):
Well you answered my gutter butter question. But also.
Speaker 1 (01:13:12):
I remember like up in Philly, like Beautiful Skin was
also it for for every coffee shop joint I knew.
Speaker 3 (01:13:20):
Yeah, that wound up on their mixtapes for World Party.
Speaker 1 (01:13:28):
Was what was the chemistry with you guys in the
making of that album that was different from the first
two records.
Speaker 6 (01:13:37):
Well, I tell you this, you know what I mean,
Like it's never a problem.
Speaker 4 (01:13:41):
You know, I could, I can rhyme cat and hat,
you know what I'm saying, you know, so like I
can I can just still be you know, I could
just still come in and just do you know whatever
we're doing what I'm saying, you know, but let me try,
let me try, let me try to, let me try
to give it some poetic justice, you know. I you know,
it's it's documented that I had a great disdain for
(01:14:05):
that project because you know, you know, even though we
were we were marginally you know, successful, you know at
that point, you know, two consecutive gold records, you know it,
It's it's only right, I mean, like that you want
to go to the next natural progression and you know,
like you know, and shoot for high and mark you
(01:14:27):
know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (01:14:28):
Like so like you know, I think you know, and
I know that that was the ambition for the label, which.
Speaker 4 (01:14:34):
Is why for that for that third and you know
project with them and final project with them, it's the
one where they wanted to come in and interject with
their opinion about direction, you know, and things.
Speaker 1 (01:14:50):
Can I get rich to this the last song recorded
for that record?
Speaker 3 (01:14:55):
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:14:59):
I it was. It definitely wasn't And I'm gonna tell
you why because it wasn't even our record.
Speaker 3 (01:15:04):
It was bad.
Speaker 4 (01:15:05):
It was a what why That's what. That's why Backbones
versus first and he's doing the hook. It was his record.
It should have it would have been a hit for
him because Backboners, you know, the Dungeon family was comprised
of you know, you know, teachers and philosophers and you know,
the hustlers and killer every everybody, you know, all that
(01:15:27):
shit came with it them saying, you know, but you
know he was you know, Backboners. When I on our
real live bone offire hustlers that come out that come
out of the out of the crew that really represent
on the street side, you know, I mean like and
we needed that to make sure that all of the
all of the bases were covered, you know what I'm saying.
So that would have been that would have been a
great record for him, this as a solo record. But
it was so hot or so we thought, you know
(01:15:48):
what I mean that, you know, it was organized noise
is you know, decision to say, hey, we're gonna go
take that record if they use the platform, you know,
a goodie mob, you know, to propel you or your
solo effort.
Speaker 6 (01:16:01):
Shortly thereafter, I'm saying, you feel me?
Speaker 5 (01:16:04):
But yeah, man, you know I didn't fit like fitde.
Speaker 4 (01:16:10):
It wasn't people. People were so disappointed and I knew it.
I mean, like, if you want to go back and
dig up any of those bones, you'll see I said
it out loud. I was very playing, very I was
very frank, you know, I mean about my disconnect with it.
And Mom was like, man, that's not what the what
the people want. And hey man, you know like, but hey,
if we win, then we win. I say, you feel me.
Speaker 6 (01:16:33):
Like if we don't, I'm gonna move on.
Speaker 4 (01:16:35):
I say, you feel me.
Speaker 3 (01:16:37):
Technically. I mean the album went cold, it did better.
Speaker 4 (01:16:41):
It's so it's so more represented than any other other ones,
than the other joints.
Speaker 3 (01:16:45):
Okay, so, and it still didn't feel like a win
to you.
Speaker 4 (01:16:48):
Well, but see, like I guess at that time, quest
Man real, really bro I wasn't.
Speaker 6 (01:16:55):
Even really money conscious and none of that I wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (01:16:58):
I wasn't.
Speaker 6 (01:16:58):
I wasn't chipping off under that.
Speaker 4 (01:17:00):
I was just about trying to make history, and everything
I was doing was for the glory, you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (01:17:07):
That's how I saw it.
Speaker 4 (01:17:09):
I consider myself a real, live revolutionary, you know what
I mean? Like, you know, that's what I wanted to
live and die for. What I'm saying, you feel me
it would have been an honor. I mean like, so
that was my my logic. And and now in retrospect,
you know, you know, I sometimes I feel disappointed. I
feel like I don't know, I'm.
Speaker 6 (01:17:30):
Forty five years old. I survived.
Speaker 4 (01:17:31):
I mean maybe maybe I didn't, Maybe I didn't cause
enough damage or something, you know what I'm saying, Like,
I feel like that, you know what I'm saying. Is
that real? For me to say?
Speaker 8 (01:17:40):
No, that was something when your career started with like
self therapy.
Speaker 6 (01:17:44):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (01:17:45):
So, like I look around at what we're living through
right now, I'm like, God, damn, you don't think that.
Speaker 2 (01:17:53):
You make you you a influenced and especially some of
these these young you know, protests and revolutionaries coming up.
Speaker 8 (01:17:58):
You don't think you the soundtrack today?
Speaker 6 (01:18:00):
Oh most most certainly, most certainly, I raised over a
thousand sons.
Speaker 4 (01:18:04):
I'm sure that.
Speaker 8 (01:18:05):
That's all I'm saying, you know, And I'm proud of that.
Speaker 4 (01:18:07):
And now I'm a declarated soldier, you know, and higher
ranking officer, like you mean, like you know, so like
I'm gracious, I'm gracious and very humble, you know what
i mean. But I'm just saying like it's just a passion,
you know what I mean. But and and you know,
of course I mean it on an on an artistic front.
I mean, like you know that's how I mean it,
you know, I mean, I just want to do that
(01:18:28):
ship that last I mean, like you know, you know,
I don't I don't want to do I don't want
to do anything disposable or forgettable or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:18:35):
So, yeah, records, I like the dip I thought like
you as a producer. That was the one.
Speaker 4 (01:18:42):
I was like, Yo, this is I thought, And I
tell you the truth about the broke. Tim Mo produced
the dip and he was starting to he was starting
to ventru but no, like I came in and I
did all those string arrangements and stuff like that, and uh,
you know, and you know, so we were growing and
so like, you know, I wanted all of that exuberant
(01:19:04):
you know what I mean, like over the top stuff
that I ultimately went on to do. You know what
I'm saying, You feel me, But like you know, it's
it's almost like people that that that start with you.
You know.
Speaker 6 (01:19:13):
I hate to say it like this, but it's like
people either almost either want you to be or expect
you to be like poor righteous teachers. And I'm not
just talking about the group. I mean literally, it's like
it's like no, but I'm like but in my mind,
I'm like, nah, like I'm too, I'm too, I'm too
intelligent about music and about industry. It's like I know
better what I'm saying, Like if you guys and at
(01:19:35):
that time, you know, Cash Money and No Limit records.
Speaker 4 (01:19:37):
They were coming in and then they were showing how
to they were just they were they outworked everybody. Their output,
you know what I'm saying, like was just immense, Like
you know, you couldn't really compete. The motherfuckers was dropping
so much music, you know what I'm saying, Like they dropped.
Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
With all the albums coming out.
Speaker 4 (01:19:56):
That that changed the lexicon to where you know, they
dropped so much material that you could even call it
music in the morning, you have to call it content.
Speaker 3 (01:20:05):
It was product. Yeah, yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (01:20:08):
So we couldn't you know, we were still trying to
make opuses and stuff like that, So we were taking
two and three years to make an.
Speaker 6 (01:20:15):
Album and shit like that.
Speaker 4 (01:20:16):
But like no, no, no, So we really couldn't compete,
and so I think everybody just felt a certain kind
of way. It really just wanted to be competitive at
the end of the day, and showed that we want
this straight laced button up you know, like quartette of
squares or you know what I mean. Like you know,
like that we were cool and we liked women, and
we you know, we liked the party.
Speaker 6 (01:20:34):
And other and other kind of stuff, which was true,
like like some of the biggest parties out there.
Speaker 2 (01:20:40):
At the time the earth the earthy label was on
folks too. It was like, either yeah you shiny, Yeah,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (01:20:47):
So.
Speaker 3 (01:20:49):
Yep, yep, yep. Sorry, you knew it was coming. You
guys knew it was coming.
Speaker 1 (01:20:55):
You knew I was going to interrupt this moment to say.
That's the conclusion of part one of our interview with
Celo Green. We'll come back next week for part two
of our interview with Celo Green, and trust me, Part two,
we really get into it.
Speaker 3 (01:21:11):
We get into everything. Whereas life has.
Speaker 1 (01:21:13):
Been lessons, he's learned, journeys he's going to make, and basically,
you know, we get into it. So please join us
next week, ladies and gentlemen for part two of our
interview I Want to Know me Legendary Celo Green.
Speaker 3 (01:21:30):
See you next week.
Speaker 1 (01:21:39):
Mus Love Supreme is a production of iHeart Radio. For
more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
What up y'all? It's like yeah, And this week we
are traveling back back back back to June of twenty twenty,
when we finally caught up with se Lo Green. Yep,
se Lo Green. He talks about finding his voice, Goodie Mob, Lawls,
Barkley and all the good stuff. It's so good that
it's a two parter. We know you love those as
(00:25):
we queue that up for you, don't forget to make
sure you check out our whole Dungeon Family series of interviews.
Oh yeah, y'all, from Organized Noise to My Girl Joy
to even Quest one on one with Andre three thousand. Yep,
it happened. So here is part one of se Lo
on Questlove Supreme.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to another episode of Quest Love Supreme.
I'm us Love here with Laiah Sugar, Steve Payville and Fontakeolo.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Hey, how how bad do we miss our theme song?
It's just playing. Just play it in your just comment
a little bit.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, it's it's killing me inside that we're doing all
these these great episodes. Yeah, with no roll call, it's
killing me inside. We asked, we got we gotta think
of a way to do a social distance social distance
roll call exactly. Uh, Ladies and gentlemen, please uh welcome
(01:38):
our guest today, legendary gentlemen. I know this is kind
of always get weird when I'm like, I have to
introduce people that I really really really know, not like
people that just myro on television or whatever.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
But yeah, but Grammy Winner, the most transformative MC in
the game.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
I mean, yes, our guest take that, yes, our yeah,
multiple Grammys, I will say, even more like one of
my really one of my favorite singers living today. I
mean I could I could name maybe like for them
that I really like, not even people that are able
(02:17):
to sing, but people that are able to move you
when they sing, not to mention very effective in see
most people forget that. As one fourth of the legendary
Goodie Mob Atlanta, what more can I say? Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome to coest Love Supreme, the one and only
(02:38):
Thomas de Carlo Callaway aka.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Celo Green. I did not know your middle name was Carlo.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Yes, yes, greetings, Kings and queens. How are you?
Speaker 3 (02:51):
What's going on? Brother? How you feel? Were you right now?
Speaker 4 (02:56):
I'm in Atlanta. I'm technically I'm an hour outside of Atlanta.
I'm out in Peachtree City. I live out in the
country out here.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
So you never left Atlanta always? Did you ever live
in l A for a little while or were you
always Atlanta?
Speaker 4 (03:08):
I did when I was when I was out there
doing the Boys, I was there for about five years,
and then I left l A. And I went and
lived in Las Vegas for two years, okay, then Miami
for two years, and now I'm back in Atlanta.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
Okay, gotcha. I think the last time I saw you,
it was a minute ago. Me and Pool we ran
into you outside of BOSTONOVA.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
In l A. Yeah, it was after show, and I recognized,
like I was surprised that I recognized.
Speaker 6 (03:34):
You know what I'm saying, I seen you. I said,
look at the home Boys.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
I know, yeah, I you know. I mean, I never
assumed that you know, cats will know who we were. So,
but I guess if you see us together, that's when
you can kind of do the math.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
But but yeah, man.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Quest would be able to affirm that, you know, I'm
a real head, you know, so, so yeah, you could
pop quiz me and just about just about any topic
I should, I should, I should pan out pretty good.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
That's what's up every question?
Speaker 4 (04:01):
What you're doing chilling.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Here on a on a ranch?
Speaker 1 (04:07):
A little sad now because uh just got news today
that my four of my uh poultry friends have have
passed away. Apparently a raccoon covered how to get inside
the hen see now Steve laughing? Right now, those don't
know I'm quarantining. I quarantine upstate New York. You know,
(04:27):
when I started, there was five chickens and six baby ducks. Uh,
the baby ducks are now as big as Debo on Friday.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So now they bully the chickens, while.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Meanwhile, raccoons and foxes have found inventive ways to come
and eat the chickens.
Speaker 7 (04:47):
So how do we know that it's foxes and raccoons
that are murdering the chickens.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Because we can clearly see who it is.
Speaker 7 (04:57):
Yeah, well I'm just saying, ever since you show up
to the ranch, chickens.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Whatever, Steve AnyWho?
Speaker 4 (05:07):
So that's dope question. I'm on a ranch too. We
have a ranch property out here in Atlanta. No, because
the property we've been kind of using it as a
vacation vernal property in Airbnb because I haven't been. I
haven't been living in Atlanta primarily.
Speaker 6 (05:25):
So no.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
When we first got this property about twelve years ago,
they kind of they threw a couple of horses in,
you know, as a package. But you know me, no, no, no, no,
but I didn't you know, I had to, you know,
decline because you know, first then then I did my
diligence or not. And I found out that the horses
are very expensive to take care of. And then of
course I just I just didn't have I didn't have
(05:47):
staffing or anything to do or anything like that. So I
was like, nah, thank you. I appreciate the gesture, but no,
no thanks. So no, no animals.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Yeah, definitely taking care of animals on a farm is
a full time job.
Speaker 8 (06:01):
How about that?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
A little circle moment moment though, talking to South Philly
and Atlanta over here, Now y'all both got y'all both
on ranches farming.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
You never thought the hip hop would take it this far?
What part what part of Atlanta were you born in? See?
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Southwest Atlanta swats swats the south.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
Okay, so explain to me what'swats is Southwest Atlanta to star.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
One place? Don't start claiming everything.
Speaker 6 (06:32):
Okay, So Southwest Atlanta is.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
It's it's like a a a four street kind of conglomerate.
I mean that that starts at Campbelton Road, which is
where Tyler Perry's first television studio was based, right around
the corner from Greenbury Mall. I grew up on that street.
It was it was a vacant Delta building that he
(07:00):
inverted into his first studios and then he ultimately went
on to buy Fort McPherson, which was an uh an
abandoned army base.
Speaker 6 (07:09):
But anyway, so yeah, no, it's it's that it's cambell
to roll on up to uh Bankhead.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Highway, which is where t I is from t I
and then rest in Peace Shady Low. They represent Bankhead.
So like it's just like a four street parallel. And
you know, I mean East Point is one street over,
you know where Big Gip is from from Goodie Mob,
and then you know, you keep going on that then
being College Park is another few miles over. That's that's ludicrous.
(07:37):
That's two chains and those guys.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Isn't didn't Diallo said that he went to school with Silo.
He went there.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
I don't know if he went to now Diallo riddle
his uh? I think he said he went to Benjamin Mays. Yeah,
he went there. He went to Benjamin Mays. He me
and him work on the show together, A Sherman Showcase, Showcase.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Yeah. I know.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
I know they'll know since since we were kids.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Oh wow, yeah yeah, yeah, I was trying to figure out.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
I knew that Dalla went to school was someone notable,
but I didn't know if it was you or Big Boy.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
It was you, that's a fact, that's a fan. We
went to Amazing Big Boy and Dre they went to
Try Cities High School. Okay, yeah, so Candy from Escape
went to Try Cities with them.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
So, and you're in growing up. First of all, are
you the only child or you you have other siblings?
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Yeah? I have I have one of the siblings. I
have an older sister, but kind of like having an
older sister is basically like being like the only child
still because she didn't like she did not like me
when we were kids, I couldn't. I was locked out
of her room.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
You know how much older was she?
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Two years older? Okay, She's like, yeah, no, we're really
close now she's like she's my realtor. She's my property manager,
project manager, co founder of our foundation.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
She's a she's a diag woman, Yes she is.
Speaker 8 (09:01):
He saw her beautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
So in growing up, what was the musical environment like
in your household? Because I imagine with that voice that
someone in that house had to been singing or was that?
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Yeah? Well, well both both my mother and father were ministers.
But but I wasn't just completely like sheltered, you know
what I mean, you know, in in spiritual or gospel,
even though I spent a considerable amount of time in
church and around gospel music, which I love. I love
(09:37):
the Clark Sisters, Leon Pattillo, Uh, you know, even Amy Grant,
you know what I mean. That's you know I'm real.
That's how you know I'm real. And of course the Whinings,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
So that means Christian radio was on in your house
all the time.
Speaker 6 (09:59):
It was, it was.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
But but but then I had then I had that
secular side of me because my mother had friends outside
of outside of that. You know, church is like a
like a little little social network. And I mean so
that she had she had friends that she did business
with outside of uh, out of her church, her church community,
(10:22):
and one of them was a legendary radio personality by
the name of Ali Pat so you could you could
research him and you know him and jose Williams, like
they were friends of my mother's when I was young.
So I would go to the radio station and he
gave me a box full of forty fives and so
I would listen to stuff like, you know, Johnny Taylor
and Zz Hill and BB King and Bobby blue Land.
(10:44):
So like I love the blues growing up too, the
gospel was like the blues almost like it was it was,
you know that there was a parallel that that you
know that connected to two.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
If you ask me, I want to know what age
was your voice developed?
Speaker 4 (10:59):
I I can remember.
Speaker 6 (11:03):
Man who sings gene Chandler.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
It's a song called the Rainbow, and we used to
we used to uh sing this uh you know in
the family talent shows in front of the big floor
model TV in the den.
Speaker 6 (11:18):
So it was this song.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
And then it was Jackie Wilson's dog can be around.
So I knew that. I knew that.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Right right, So so.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
So if you notice I can imitate I can imitate him.
So like that's how I learned how to sing, because
you know, that's that first form of flattery, you know
what I mean. And then and then you filter it
into you know, what's to become your own living experience
in the way that you know, you interpret life, you know,
or you know, and then then it's kind of reiterated
(11:56):
in its own you know, new and you know, it's
like a hybrid theory or something. So like no I
jack and no, well I did. I did a couple
of solos in church. I was mostly kind of fascinated
with the band. We had a I went to Grace
Covenant Baptist Church that was our first family church in Atlanta,
(12:17):
and the band was just fantastic, you know what I mean.
And so I would sit right in the pew right
behind the band that was it was setting to the
far left of the uh, you know, the church, and
I was just sitting there and watching the drummer. So
at that time, I wanted to play drums, you know
what I mean. And then I was always fascinated with
the organ. I guess it's that big joint. It's not
(12:37):
the Oberheim, but it's like, you know, it's that big
three level joint, you know, And and I always loved
the organ, and and it gave me it struck a
chord with me because I'm a Gemini, so therefore I
have that duality of you know, they say half half mortal,
half god kind of thing, so you know, so it
(12:58):
sounded really righteous and then it sounds was really evil
in one way too, so like to me, that's like
the ultimate like instrument. So it really it really struck
a nerve with me and that and it kind of
it kind of like, you know, opened me up where
I can kind of you know, identify with different energies
in song, what I mean, So I could tell if
something had some something intentful, or something was really real
(13:19):
about something, you know what I mean. I hope I'm
saying that right.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
It's funny to know.
Speaker 5 (13:23):
It's funny here you say you describe it like that
because as a kid going to church, like the organ
to me was also an instrument like it would sound
beautiful in some ways, but then it could also sound
kind of ominous, you know what I mean, And they
would play like on Scooby Dude, the theme. Yeah, yeah,
(13:43):
that was that was kind of like my relationship to
gospel music as well. Like it was it was I
saw this something that was like my grandparents music, and
it was in our household. It was kind of like
you had to listen to it. You know, we ain't
gonna listen to a rap today. Cut We're just playing gospel.
Was almost like a punishment. But in that was where
I found you know, Mighty Cloud's and Joy Jackson southing
(14:05):
there is like all the Quartel gospel.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
Yeah, that was just a rehearsal in the street.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Yeah, come, I know that.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
And then and then you got then you got Willie Mitchell,
you know what I mean, Like who did.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Yeah High Records.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Yeah, Yeah, it's just it's derivative of that church, you know,
organ background, like and it just made all of that
area music just sounds so so so familiar, so warm,
you know what I'm saying, Like, Yeah, yeah, that's what
that's That's why Algue is the best.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
It just hit me.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
You're you're born in nineteen seventy five, which makes you
six years old in nineteen eighty one. What can you
describe to me, or at least from your point of view,
Because the one thing that I knew the most about Atlanta,
at least growing up, was about the child murders.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
I was just about to say that that heard down there.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
So what was your childhood into, especially in those early years,
was it like you had to be inside twenty four seven? Like,
how did that How did that affect at least with
the murders hanging over everyone's head is in Atlanta with
black children, how did that affect your childhood for those
early years.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Well, I lived just moments from the the community park,
which was west Manor Recreation and you know, I wasn't
you know, I was. I was never that far away,
but I do remember that time of where I was.
(15:50):
I was far enough where I could hear my mother calling,
you know, just like the song I can hear my mother.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
I can hear her, Yeah, I can.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
I can hear her calling. And so so it was
I was that close, relatively close, and so everything what
what it was just kind of community uh, you know,
javing literally football and stuff like that. So all of
the activities were right at the end of the street,
which was safeguarding you know for me, uh in that time.
But you know, I remember being in elementary school and
(16:23):
them having the coloring books about you know, not taking
candy from strangers, and you know, this that of the
third and I remember the song that was, uh, it's
it's synonymous with that that subconscious time in my life
is Jesus is loved by the Commodore. I will hear
(16:46):
that song all of the time, and it gives me
the chills to say it, because you know, it was
just a frightening time, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
What you think of?
Speaker 4 (16:53):
That's what I think about.
Speaker 8 (16:55):
Is it weird to see it resurfacing in so many ways?
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Now?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
HBO has a special mind Hunt just did a whole
season on it.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
I watched it. I watched the documentary and uh, what's
my man name? Will Packard? The one the one that
they did. I watched it and it was, you know,
it was, you know, definitely informative. You know, not not
to be able to look back on the you know,
the experience as an adult, you know, it's it's kind
(17:22):
of uh, it's it's really sobering to look back on
it now. It was surreal as a child because we
were terrified and we just didn't really know where this
this evil you know, uh, you know what kind of
what what what corner it would come from? You know
what what what it would jump out from behind, so
you know, everybody was being careful and I just remember
(17:43):
that being you know, just a time of just a
closeness and togetherness and just trying to be protective of
one another, you know what I mean. And yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Slight confession anytime it is where you mentioned the Commodores,
because whenever they would show Wayne william I'd always think
of Walter Clyde Orange, the drumm in the Commodore.
Speaker 6 (18:04):
That's right, that because Williams.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
It was the glasses.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
They actually they resembled each other. Damn, you're right. It's
crazy because Goodie Mob's manager, her name is Lakeisha Orange.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
She's that's that's her uncle.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (18:29):
Yeah, wow, what that was true?
Speaker 4 (18:33):
True story?
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Damn Damn.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Was Goodie Mob your first musical venture or like did
you did you have other groups growing up in in Atlanta?
Speaker 4 (18:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (18:44):
I had one other group before Goodie Mob.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
I had a I was in a in a crew
called a G A Style with my man Ali l
who was from Jersey, my man d J.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
Wynne who passed some years ago.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
Over CJ. Wayne just a birthday his cousin Q, you know,
and you know, and oh DJ will got to shout
him out sugar Bear. Uh so, yeah, no, but but
we were just kind of you know in Atlanta, we
had uh the uh the temporary service agencies of where
you can just kind of sign up and be a
(19:18):
part of their roster and they would call you kind
of randomly, you know, you know, on any given morning
and be like, hey, are you available for work at
this warehouse or this that of the third I mean
like so yah, yeah, so we would all you know,
get jobs together and you know, pull money together. Like
(19:38):
so that was my first support system. They were all
older than me. I've always been, you know, the the
youngest and and any crew that I've been in. So
ali Al ended up marrying my sister and you know,
having two beautiful daughters, my nieces, and so like, you know,
they were they were family and they were kind of
really looking out for me because around the time, I
was really at risk youth and I was getting into
(19:59):
a a lot of trouble, and you know, they really
gave me some some structure, you know what I mean,
because they were there was they were straight laced guys,
you know what I'm saying, Like no really no drinking,
no smoking, just to working back and putting money together
to you know, buy studio time and just doing it,
doing it the you know, the real way, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 6 (20:18):
So uh, you know, I owe a lot.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
I did a gratitude to them because they really gave
me quite a bit of my my moral viber.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
How deep was or how strong was the first wave?
Speaker 1 (20:35):
I mean, I consider the Leaface era the second wave
of Atlanta's or maybe the beginning being Bobby Brown moving
to Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
But for the.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Olympics, like post Olympics, it felt like is when stuff started.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Well, I mean, Bobby moved there in I think in
eighty eight eighty nine, and I thought that's weird, Like
why would he not go to Hollywood like everyone else?
So right, I mean, but you know, I knew, like
people Bryson moved down there. I knew like certain people
knew something about Atlanta that the rest of the world
didn't know. But like how prominent I mean besides Brick, Like,
(21:10):
how prominent was.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
The music industry in Atlanta in your teen years?
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Well, we definitely knew of Brick. Jimmy Brown from Brick.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Who's playing that?
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Yeah, that's Sleepy Brown's dad, you know, playing that iconic
flute solo on on Dazz, you know what I mean.
So we knew about Brick, and we knew about Cameo,
uh the s O S band, Princess and Starbreys, who
ends up being Miss Deborah Killings, who's who's ended up
(21:42):
doing all of the background work for TLC and played
bass on on so many other you know, famous records.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
That's right, she is playing based on elevators. I think
that's right. That's her playing baseball.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Yeah, yep. So you know, on the on the wrap side,
you know what I mean, Like we had M. C.
Shy D who was from he was from New York.
But he's like the first like breakout dude, you know
what I'm saying. Like, you know, but there was you know,
only a other couple of rap sensations that came out
of around that time. So it was just mainly about
(22:17):
the funking soul bands at that time. And I think
I think maybe it would have probably would have would
have attracted Bobby brown Chair and it probably was Dione
Sanders or something like that, you know what I mean.
You know, uh, you know, I guess Larry Blackman did
did produce his first rest.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
He produced his first.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Yeah, so maybe maybe he came to atlnt of the
work with Larry. Larry of course was a mental on mind. Now,
I talked to him all the time and him just
had birth birthdays recently, So yeah, I talked to him
all of the time.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Lives doing. Man, he's still cool. How's he doing.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
He's good, man, He's really easy going, just like a
soft spoken old gez. You know, just just done a lot,
you know what I mean. And it's a it's a
lot of love whenever I talked to him, because I
could just I can, I could quote him so well,
you know what I mean. I just feel like, yo,
like let me just love on him, you know what
I mean? And you know he at at one point
(23:11):
I had introduced him to my management from Primary Way
and they were represented the group for a short while
to trying to help them, you know, get their their
ownership and their masters back and stuff like that. You know,
but you know, we befriended each other throughout that that time. Uh,
he's just he's just a great all around guy. Talented,
just this an unsound individual, so talented. Man.
Speaker 8 (23:32):
I still touched the stage this cameo.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
Still, Yeah, I think I think they still tour.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
I'm not sure how I said to me now, but
I know, like a few years back, they were still
moving around and they actually, you know, so this would
be five years ago because at my fortieth birthday they
were surprised guest performance for me at my fortieth birthday,
So everybody came out, you know, did all did all
of the greats? I used to I used to love
(23:58):
Alligator Woman.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
Ye know, they're yeah, there's all vanity on the cover.
Speaker 6 (24:05):
You know, I didn't really know what that was. What
kind of music is this?
Speaker 1 (24:09):
When we you and D'Angelo love that song? Man was
my doing, but they also how I got them. It's
like a little sort of a new wave nod. They're
nons a new wave. Yeah, I think it definitely was
a nod to new wave. I mean, like, you know,
because I end up over hearing some conversations. Maybe I
(24:30):
watched the interview with James and he was basically saying
that super Freak was inspired by Devo's whip It. I mean, like,
so I think everybody was trying to trying to cash
in on Yeah. Yeah, what can you put together or
or properly put in context, how the Dungeon family gets built,
(24:51):
like instead of just asking like how did Goodie Mob form?
How did the entire collective become that? Or was it
just a mythical marketing thing or like no, were you
guys teenagers in the beginning and then had a plan
to well?
Speaker 4 (25:07):
At the time, Rico Wade and Sleepy Brown were part
of a dance troupe called Guests and the dance Troops
were the superstars in the city at that time, because
you know, all of the you know, all of the
high schools had different tenant shows, so it's basically going
around like on a promo tour, you know what I mean,
(25:28):
in the city. So they were kind of, you know,
locally celebrated, you know, because you know they were you know,
they were one of the more famous ones. It's them
the stray Cats, you know what I mean, Like, which
was a gang I was a part of. I was
part of the Straight Cats, like a gang. You guys
(25:48):
for me were young drove from Atlanta? Yes, okay, okay,
So y'all know how Joe dressed dress. Joe dress is
like he's he grew up in you know, like he's
a part of a golf community on the back, like
he's basically like super prep, super prep. So like it's
like the Atlanta version of the low Lights in New.
Speaker 5 (26:07):
York met Chers and howell on them boys, you know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Yeah, so we was on it real hard like that
in Atlanta too, so like three tons and Bennetton bags
and tennis rackets and stuff like that.
Speaker 6 (26:24):
You know, I just had on the fair Tree to
the other day.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Man, Like anyway, they.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Still du dre he had his online years ago.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Yeah, he did align with them. I got I got
a couple of boxes, you know, courtesy of the homide.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
But but no, okay, So to answer the question, So yeah,
so everybody knew them. And then they were also a
part of R and B crew called the You Boys.
So it was Sleeping Brown, Rico Way, mister DJ who
ended up being the DJ for Outcasting He's Rico's cousin,
and Marquez Elf who ended up writing water. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (27:07):
So they were a group called the You Boys.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
And I remember I had gotten I had gotten expelled
from the Atlanta public school system, so I couldn't even
go to school in Atlanta, so I had to be uh,
I had to be taken away to Gainesville Georgia, and
I went to Riverside Military Riverside Military Academy.
Speaker 6 (27:24):
I was, I was, I was, I was something else
as a kid.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
I'm just just troublesome, man. I don't know, bro, I
was just getting so much trouble. I don't know what
was wrong with me at that time. But yeah, so
so I came back. I came back, and I had
(27:54):
to go to Frank McLaren Alternative School, which was a
school for dropouts. And so me and D three thousand
were classmates, uh in the third grade. So we went
to elementary school together and we were like we were
play cousins, so we were really we were really close.
It was like my brother when we when we were babies,
pretty much. And so I ended up coming back to
Atlanta enrolling in Frank McLaren Alternative School, which was across
(28:17):
the railroad tracks from Tri Cities, so, which is where
he had dropped out of school. So we both would
dropouts and we were going trying to get that ged
and that's when we reconnected that after having not having
seen each other for years. Okay, so I saw a
you boys picture there. It was like, you know, how
you might see something they may have been passing out
(28:37):
those those black and white you know groups, you know
where they got the managerial So it was that, but
it was on the ground and I just recognized, you know,
I had I recognized Steepe Brown from from dancing in
the talent shows because they were they were famous, they
(28:59):
were they like the hottest ones around for a long time.
So he always had a look about himself. I'm like,
I recognized him, and I recognized my quiz elfemish too,
So I saw that me and Drake hooked back up.
That's that. I introduced him to DJ Win and DJ
Li and I tried to get them to be a
part of the GA style and we went over with
just some little you know. They they did their first
(29:21):
demo with DJ Win that you know, that didn't work,
did I remember? One day they came back up to
school with some look and then he introduced me to
Oh the day he introduced me to Big Boy is
when I took them to meet DJ Win. So they
took the train over there, they came up to the school,
we all rode the train, the DJ Wins and and
that that's that. But like shortly after that they came
(29:43):
back and it was like, Yo, we met these we
met these dudes, and he was talking about organized noise.
He's like yo, He's like yo, he said, yo, dude,
this is cool. But man, these dudes, but they got
some fucking you know what I mean, they got some
you know. So then you know, this is like ninety
ninety nine.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Okay, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
I guess what year? What year the DOS Effects come out?
Like ninety two, ninety one?
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Yeah, ninety one. That was dead serious ninety one.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
All right, So that was that your marketing level, because
because that's what we was on. I mean, like you
know that would I mean it was it was it
was DOS Effects for me and Dre, it was Doc Effects.
Speaker 6 (30:24):
It was leaders of the New School. I forgot who.
Speaker 4 (30:28):
Else may have been rocking at that time.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
So Sol was a big influence. I definitely influenced Outcast.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Yes, a mister, come on, tj Oko, you know what
I'm saying, Like, no, you know, Domino Casual.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
So there was definitely an openness to well, I guess
there wasn't territorial markings until ninety three ninety.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Four, but yeah, we ain't look at it like then.
When you were open to anything in the South.
Speaker 5 (30:56):
We had to study everything, man, That's why we had
to study.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Yeah, we loved it, and I'm saying we loved it.
Uh so, So basically I'm trying to narrow the story down. Okay,
So a good friend of mine, pretty Ken, Pretty Ken,
ended up being a good friend of mine, and he
ended up you know, so.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I always who he was because you shouted him out
the good I was like, who.
Speaker 4 (31:27):
So pretty Kid and my cousin floating they ended up
creating the Addict Crew. Now, me and Kidd were like Kendricks,
Kendrick Spirits, and when when I was introduced to Overnight's Noise,
you know, he was he was like my role dog.
I was living with Ken at the time, so like
we went over there together. But our tones of voice, personalities,
you know, swagging the whole thing. We were like we
(31:49):
were bulls and buddies. So like they just you know,
they took to me a little bit more and wanted
to work with me, and they just felt like me
and Kid were two similar. So you know, he ended
up out of the Attic Crew, which would give you
Jim pro prolo to.
Speaker 6 (32:03):
Don the young Blood and in that whole movement.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
So that's pretty cad.
Speaker 6 (32:07):
But his cousin, Fat Keith, was a friend of mine.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
That's name I'll too. I'm giving you all these nighbors.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Me and Fat Keith were a green brow mall right.
So we're walking past, you know, the door, about to
leave out. There's like ten payphones in a row. There's
this dude standing there with his back to us. Keith
recognizes him and he taped it on the shoulder, this
Marquez Inflix. And then I recognized him from the picture.
(32:43):
I said, because you know, I got like a photographic
memory down there. So I'm like, okay, that's the homework
for that picture. I saw, like you know or whatever.
So he said, Yo, my homeboy singing and he could rapt.
He should check him out, you know what I'm saying.
So I stood, I went outside with him and I
sang for him, I rap form and he said, well,
I was actually on the phone trying to call over
(33:03):
to the dungeon. He said, I know that they're there,
but you know, maybe the music is up two louds
or something. And Keith was like, we'll take you over there.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
What is it?
Speaker 4 (33:11):
And he was like, yo, it's like you know one
sixty six you know what I mean, like, which is
the expressway, you know over by the fair grounds. I said,
we know it's you know, it's like ten minutes up
the road. So he jumps in the truck with us.
I go over to the dungeon and I'm leaving at
one part one time. So after after drean bing introducing it,
and the thing didn't work out with DJ when they
came back when they said man were about to do
(33:33):
a showcase full of face records, they had on the
face Records t shirts and they both had blonde hair
They had blunt, short blonde haircuts, and they were calling
themselves two Shades DJ at the time.
Speaker 6 (33:45):
So Dre's original.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
Rap name was Jazz j A h Z Jazz and
big Boy Big big Boys, big boys, you know, given
the names.
Speaker 6 (33:57):
Antoine, so it was Jazz and twin.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
So so you know, they haven't even know what that
vibe was. That sound like a do y'all remember do
you remember Dallas Austin's first group of Highland placed monsters.
Speaker 6 (34:13):
Just get okay, let's get niggad. So you remember Tip Maniac?
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yes, okay.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
Me and Tip were like play brothers too, so people
thought we looked alike, you know what I mean. But
like Tip is like he was just like me. He
like a real food and that's why he got his
nickname maniac, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 9 (34:29):
Like, so he's really talented to guy, just just you know,
just one of those over the you know, over the top,
you know, you know, one of those one of those torture.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Soul type type, you know, tragedy cats man, you know,
like a good guy though loving her death. But anyway,
so a small community in Atlanta, So I gotta say
this part so fact. He takes us over to the dungeon.
I remember, I'm recalling conversation from Dre and Big the
day that they said they were gonna get signed to
(35:04):
the face.
Speaker 6 (35:05):
So we go to the dungeon, Sleepy Brown sitting there.
Speaker 4 (35:07):
I recognized him from a You Boys picture. I sang
for him and he's like, okay, cool, I like it.
Then he comes Rico walking in the door with Dry
and Big. They had just stepped out to go and
get something to eat. Drace, you know, with excitement saying
that's my dude, That's what I was telling you about
this Sea Low. He's the one that does all of
the story raps because at that time, you know, our
(35:29):
rhyme like that, like I was on some you know
slick Rick. That was like saying, you know, so anyway,
that's it. So I sang again for Rico and then
you know we ended up you know, reconnecting and blah
blah blah left that night.
Speaker 6 (35:44):
And then two other homeboys of mine.
Speaker 4 (35:46):
This is like months later, Big j D and Killer Bee,
two of the homie hustlers from high school.
Speaker 6 (35:53):
You could tell they was getting money in high school.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
You know, he had to. He had that. He had
that black grand jeep Cherokee with the gold package.
Speaker 6 (36:01):
And the BBS is you know what I mean, like
in high school.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
In high school, like you remember the one Heavy It's
the one Heavy D pulled up in in the self
destruction video. He had a red one call that. So anyway,
so that so they was managing me at the time,
you know, because they met they even though I knew them,
they didn't know. Nobody knew I did music. Everybody knew
me for getting into getting into ship and like you
(36:27):
go get go, get Carlo, He'll he'll do it. That
was that kind of guy, you know. So we were
at we were at my homeboy Glenn Cook's house. I'm sorry.
Let me tell you.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
We're keep going keep I'm more amazed that you were
debo in this situation.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
I'm thinking, like that prince b out this mother then
from the.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
District. I was school the whole district. Plus I was
bowl like that whole you know, rabbing motherfuckers for starting
jackets and stuff like that. That was me. That's what
I say.
Speaker 8 (37:06):
Now it's coming. All right, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:08):
Here we go.
Speaker 4 (37:14):
It's true. No music.
Speaker 6 (37:15):
Music, music totally saved my life.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
Man.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
All right, wait, I just gotta, I gotta, I gotta
preface because the thing is my favorite verse you ever
did on on uh still standing the.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
Gutta but always yeah, he gave up the gut a butter.
And in my mind, I'm like, you look an tell
a tall tale, like.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
Can't about that life, But damn you play it well, motherfucker.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
You really is living.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
No dude, I'm telling you a question. If you just
probably do just an interview with anybody else from Atlanta,
they'll take you. I don't really like to talk about it, man,
but because I don't know, it's it's it's weird.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
I know, Jesus.
Speaker 4 (38:10):
Definitely, most definitely. So listen, I don't want to I
don't want to lose it. So so okay, they I
battled Koo Joe, Kujo and Big Gip pulled up to
our homie Glenn Cook's house. He was he was like,
who's the guy from American Pie? Uh Stiffler.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
So Cook was like Stiffler.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
He had He's the black stiffler the other neighborhood. Like
you know, if there was he was the one that
had to cut parties at his house. He could always
go at any point today, somebody was there, you know,
just bring some beer and and you know that's when
that's when we were still we were still going in
dollars a piece.
Speaker 6 (38:51):
On nickel, bands of weed and you know, just broke
and stuff, broke hood ship, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (38:57):
By you know, we couldn't even afford to buy the
whole pack of newports. Just go get four newports like
Loucy's and Duce Duce cold forty five old drinking forty ounces.
Speaker 6 (39:12):
It was that era. It was that era.
Speaker 4 (39:14):
Man, Okay, I battled, I battled Kujo because killer be
you know he I'll just say it, because he was
a wee guy at that time, but he was. He
ended up being my manager because they you know, and
so he played me Kujo and Timo's demo. So originally
they they were the goodie mob Lumberjacks, you know.
Speaker 6 (39:33):
And so I heard their demo and I was like, damn.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
You know.
Speaker 4 (39:37):
I knew Timo because he grew up a street over
from me. His family's house is a street over from
my grandmother's house that I grew up. So I've known
him my whole life too. He's like the second person
I've known the longest, him Dre and then Backbone I've known.
I've known them all my life, you know. So anyway,
I used to hear about Willie. I heard about his legend.
(39:59):
Let will Kujo. The girls called him. He was voted
most attractive. And you know, my sister that would come
home because she she graduated in their class. So Kujo, Timo,
and Gilt graduated with my sister. So I'm three, I'm
three years older than them, but I knew so. But
WILLI was just kind of like hunk of a dude,
what I'm saying, you know. But he was like a brawler,
(40:21):
like Patrick Swayzee and Roadhouse so like you know, so
around so around that time, it was about it wasn't
about games. It's most certainly about games in Atlanta now,
but it wasn't about games. It was about rival high schools.
So we grew up how like the movie Outsiders was,
(40:42):
you know what I mean, you know we we we
fought in that same part that that was at the
at the end of my street. All of the high
school fights would take it to the wreck, that's what
they call it. It was short for recreation center. Let's
take it to the wreck. So I stepped there and
I witnessed a handful of high school all battle royals.
(41:02):
And you know, but I was an underclassman, you know,
I was really looking for my turn. So I was
really making noise in my in my grade. And then
I eventually started hanging with the older dudes and started
going over there and getting into those fights and stuff
like that, you know what I'm saying. So so with
that cook, I battled so uh, killer B was selling
(41:23):
us the weed. But the end of the end up being
my manager. He witnessed He became my manager because he
witnessed me battle Kujo, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (41:32):
Like and I'll say that it was a draw, you
know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (41:35):
Like, you know it was it was friendly, you know
what I'm saying, Like, but you know I had the
secret weapon.
Speaker 6 (41:40):
I started singing on him and all kinds of ship
you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (41:43):
It was like that. But you know, a lot of
people like to give me the credit for being maybe
one of the first to do that, them to let
myself Lawrence Hill. But I'm like, nah, I'm going all
the way back to force some d's and UTR phone,
you know, cold crushing and all of those routines they
used to do with the harmony.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
So anyway, I was gonna say the one promo thing
that I've ever missed in the history of roots was
when they rent to a radio station.
Speaker 3 (42:11):
Do you remember this night?
Speaker 1 (42:13):
Yes, we freestyted, you know, I remember all y'all freestyle together.
Speaker 4 (42:17):
Yeah, comal.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Yeah, yeah, it was on YouTube.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
Okay, I'll admit it now.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
I met I met, I met a bad shorty in Atlanta,
and I I feigned sickness with the record label like,
oh man, I really got aheadache, I can't make this,
And they went to radio like normally I would. I'll
be the first to hide up good for you a
radio station, So.
Speaker 4 (42:50):
Question, can I can I can I get on another
one for a second.
Speaker 6 (42:53):
I used to love distortion to Static. Do you know that?
Speaker 4 (42:56):
I mean like I got that that maybe right before that,
I think I got maybe like the promo copy.
Speaker 6 (43:04):
Of do You Want More?
Speaker 4 (43:06):
You know what I'm saying. And I remember telling Tyreek
and you know, no you know him, like I say, like, yo,
I really liked the album, bro. He said, oh, yeah,
what song do you like? You know what I'm saying,
you feel me like?
Speaker 6 (43:18):
He was kind of like.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
Always stop asking people that, so and so you.
Speaker 4 (43:23):
Know, I'm not making it up because I remember, like
it was yesterday, and I said, oh, I like you
know the social static obviously you know what I mean,
like proceed and I said, like, and then I love
Lazy Afternoon.
Speaker 6 (43:33):
He was like, oh shit, I'm saying you.
Speaker 4 (43:39):
And I think I think that was kind of like
the beginning of a bond because then we ultimately didnt
end up doing one of our first our first tour together.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
Y'all, y'all made y'all made such an impression.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
I remember we we had spent we had spent a
good three years just in isolation living in Europe. So
when we finally came back to the state till ninety five,
like we didn't we didn't have friends yet, like there
was there was no common d'angela, Like there was none
of that like the click that we had. So we
were just kind of out there in the open. And
(44:09):
y'all were really the first people that we befriended, and
like that that shipment a lot, like y'all.
Speaker 3 (44:18):
Y'all came to that show.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
I think there was a show that we did with
the Far Side, and I think that you guys came
as like an outdoor show at one of those spots.
But the map, Yeah, but yeah, no, you you were
always That's how I know you're a hip hop ped
and and and into that. So how once you guys
(44:39):
got together, Like how especially now, like I can't even
imagine how it is to navigate in a group, Like
how do you determine who does what and concepts and
what you guys are?
Speaker 4 (44:55):
Okay, so I'll cap it off by saying kill it be.
And j D started to manage me after they witnessed
that battle, and then some months and then they were
trying to kind of show me that they were, you know, credible.
You know. They came and picked me up one night,
you know, and then they took me to Jermaine Dupree's house.
(45:15):
And this is when they were shooting the video for Crisscross. Uh,
everything's all right, it's the record they had. Yeah, so
that was at Jermaine's house and I.
Speaker 6 (45:26):
Remember that and I said, okay, so it's.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Like they were showing you things. We're introducing you exposed,
and we're like all right, you know, cool whatever, you know.
So then they ended up taking me to the Dungeon again.
And when we were pulling up on the dungeon, you know,
you know, I said, this place looks familiar. So long
story short, they brought me back to the dungeon and
everybody was there. So I said, I've been here before.
(45:50):
I go in the door, dre, big, sleepy ring, everybody
who I just met months prior because of Fat Keith
and Markquz they were all there, in addition to Gip
and t MO and everybody just pulling up and it
was just traffic over there.
Speaker 6 (46:05):
And I was like, wow, like this like my whole
neighborhood in this little bitty house, you know what I'm saying.
So that's how the Dungeon family came together. Now, as
far as the song structure, I'll be I'll be totally
and how we and what the system is. Man, what
happened was with the success of outcasts. You know, everybody
(46:27):
came in as individuals.
Speaker 4 (46:29):
Let's say, for example, Big Gip and Cool Breeze were
in a group called the East Point Chain Gang. So
Gip came over as a solo artist. Now, if you notice,
Gip had always had everybody was. Gip was poised to
be the next superstar, you know what I mean, Because
you know Dirty South, which which was the third single
(46:51):
off of Soul Food. You know, it featured him in
Cool Breeze. He was just paying a respect to his og.
Cool Breeze is his og, and Cool bree came up
with the key coin the phrase dirty South. But technically
otherwise that would have been a gift solo song because
it's Ghip, Koobre's and Big Boy.
Speaker 6 (47:10):
And then the second.
Speaker 4 (47:11):
Album, Black Ice, which was a second single because I
well know nobody, nobody was on it. It was just
get big and get big and dre you know what
I'm saying. So they were really looking for him to
really be the next the next big thing. So with
that being said, goodie mom. You know, the Soul Food
album was essentially meant to be intended to be a
(47:34):
compilation album to get everybody out at the same time.
Speaker 6 (47:39):
So we weren't even formally a group.
Speaker 1 (47:41):
So if you'll just put together.
Speaker 6 (47:46):
So yeah, if you basically, but it's it's kind.
Speaker 4 (47:49):
Of like the practicality of a Rico Wade and the
vision of a Rico Wad because you know, let's say
I was featured on Get Up, Get Out, you know,
which was another outcast song off of their album, and
Kujo t won't call it a while me and Big
Gibble on get Up, Get Out.
Speaker 6 (48:10):
Get Up get Out ended up being a single, but
us being so totally ignorant and naive about radio format
that song.
Speaker 4 (48:18):
Lyph this minutes. Yeah, we didn't know. We really didn't know, right,
So they had to put out an outcast version of
a goodie my version. So anyway, there was some interest
in me as a solo artist, but I was kind
of new over over to the dungeon, so.
Speaker 6 (48:38):
You know, if it would it would have been wrong.
Speaker 4 (48:40):
And to be totally honest, I can, I can I
can say that I wasn't prepared to be a solo artist,
but they wanted to give me a solo.
Speaker 6 (48:47):
Deal, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (48:49):
So I was all up to get in a group
with the Homeboys that I had known from the neighborhood,
you know, I mean, like, so that's what goody mother
I said.
Speaker 6 (48:56):
You know, you know this is easy enough.
Speaker 4 (48:58):
I know the.
Speaker 6 (48:58):
Homeboys, so but you know, I'm the baby that group.
Speaker 4 (49:02):
I'm a lot. I tend to be more vocal than
just about everybody, so people kind of like misconstrue that.
Speaker 6 (49:08):
But like now everybody's older than me, you know what
I mean, and.
Speaker 4 (49:14):
Like three years.
Speaker 3 (49:16):
Okay, well that could be ship and that's a lot
make a difference to me too.
Speaker 2 (49:21):
Now it makes sense when I because I went to
Clark By the time all this was happening, I was
at CEU, and I used to see Selo on Spelman
campus and stuff all the time, just like chilling, because
that's what people did.
Speaker 4 (49:30):
You used to see me down there in the in Pola.
Speaker 8 (49:32):
Yeah, like sitting on the.
Speaker 4 (49:33):
Wall, that's it.
Speaker 6 (49:34):
Yeah, I was down there.
Speaker 2 (49:37):
Because I was like, I wanted you to talk about
like so you talked about the beginnings of how y'all
all got together?
Speaker 8 (49:42):
But by the time I got.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
To Atlanta, it was a scene that was being set
that was like no other pre like black black, Black Lily,
like with you guys, funk.
Speaker 4 (49:50):
Jet are you telling y'all? Because like you know, Spike
Lee filmed school days there, so it's like, you know,
the au that was popping, It's like that was like
the strip. I mean, like if you had a nice
whip or something like that, you ride through that, you know,
hollering at the college girls and this that and the
third so like it was just this little vicinity, you
(50:11):
know what I mean, like you know of just like socialization,
you know what I mean. And it's like right next
to the hood. So it's like, so whatever you want.
Speaker 8 (50:24):
We don't have Morris Brown at the time.
Speaker 4 (50:26):
But so look, no, no, your question, answer your question.
I want to make sure that I'm clear, all right.
So with that being said, I just me. You know,
I'm like I write songs like playwrights, like screenplays, you
know what I mean, So like I have to have
a visual, I mean, like something to anchor me down,
(50:47):
you know what I'm saying, Like you know, okay, like
we're talking about this, we're talking about that, and then
I know how to summarize, and I know how to paraphrase.
But you then you got artists like you know Kujo
who you know this, and I mean this with the
utmost respect. He's like fucking Hannibal Lecter, you know, man,
where he could he could, he could take his When
(51:07):
I first met Kujo, he was we would go to
the liquor store, have a forty yars old English. He
would finish the forty and take the brown paper bag
and write a rhyme on the paper bag. Or I
saw him write rhymes on a roll of toilet tissue.
So he would do really cool you know, you know,
swageristic eccentric shit like that, which made everybody be like
(51:30):
taking a notice to you know, like this big Kujo,
you know what I mean. So you know, so you know,
you know, I thought that kind of stuff was amazing,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (51:41):
And you remember, know what their role was in the
group or how they were perceived.
Speaker 4 (51:45):
Well, I'm kind of like that. I was kind of
like project manager, you know what I mean, Like you know,
I you know, I came up with the the concept
of the soul food, uh you know, I came up
with that title. I came up with the concept of
know Kujo being the meat because things that he was
saying was kind of tough to chew, you know what
I'm saying, like, you know, uh t. Timo was the
(52:08):
bread because Timo was just kind of like independent dude,
you know, I'm saying, like, but man, can I live
off bread alone? And Get was the vegetables because Gip
is like, you know, this politician. He knows how to
you know, wrangle and galvanize and get people together and like,
you know, and I'm like the water because I'm there
to be the transparency and the clarification because everybody was
(52:30):
trying to you know, interject with new slang and you know,
it was a whole new identity and even I, even
I didn't understand what some some of what was being said.
So I kind of like assumed the position to just
make sure that we were translating, you know, the right way,
because I knew what we were doing was important, you
know what I'm saying, you feel me, And it was
(52:52):
imperative that you know, like we were received, you know,
and seeing in the right light. I mean, so that's
kind of like me. I'm still like that to this day.
But you know, you know, it's it's hard to know
a lot without being seen as a know it all?
Can you dig it? And I can be I can't.
I can be a little controlling, but it's but it's
(53:15):
always about the quality control, you know what I mean,
as long as you know yeah, I know, I know,
And it ends up being a louisence a little bit,
but like it's for the greater good, you know what
I mean, like just trying to make sure that we're good,
appreciate product, see question, That's what you gotta be for
the you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (53:32):
I know that I know you can relate to that.
Speaker 3 (53:34):
I would say.
Speaker 5 (53:35):
So I kind of caught hell, uh a little hell
on the on the on the internet. Couple out of
a month or so ago. I did an interview me
and Phoo, We did an interview with my man Piso
h out of hip hop site out of Vegas.
Speaker 4 (53:48):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (53:48):
Well, we just were naming our favorite records and they
would play the records, you know what I'm saying. We
talked about it, and so one of the records that
Phoo named was at Lings, and so he brought up
at Alings and we were talking about it what ever,
and they got on me because I said, well, now
is it time to admit And you don't have to
weigh in on this, se Lop, but this was just
my thought. Can we admit now that Soul Food was
(54:11):
a better album than at Aliens?
Speaker 3 (54:13):
Oh my gods was hot?
Speaker 4 (54:21):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (54:23):
Right, you know what he was?
Speaker 1 (54:25):
And what I want to tell you, man, like specifically
just to you as an MC, you know, And let
me be clear, I love atl I mean that's a
classic fucking record.
Speaker 3 (54:32):
Like I love that album. But for me the way
I came into Goodie Mob when I bought that album.
Speaker 5 (54:38):
First off, and I've told this story show before, Like
I actually broke the law to like get y'all's album.
Like I drove, I ain't have no license, I'm driving
to the Rex store to buy Soul Food.
Speaker 6 (54:47):
So I bought it.
Speaker 5 (54:49):
So so I bought it, you know, man. So like
when I first heard Cell Therapy, it was that was
kind of weird. I was like, Okay, I like this
this is is kind of weird. And then the B
sides I had the we had to single first and
the B side was Soul Food on like the CD,
you know, and so you had like Soul Food and
I was like okay, like they say, I was like okay.
(55:09):
But then when I heard when that ship opened up
with you singing and then going into thought Process, I
just thought that was just such a crazy like to
open an album on such like, because most rap albums
always started with like the hype that just hitting you
over the head. To just go into something just so
like slow and meditate like that ship was fucking haunting.
Speaker 4 (55:33):
Bro.
Speaker 3 (55:33):
I was like, yo, this record, these niggas has got
it and.
Speaker 1 (55:36):
So down I would throw it down and say that
the day I got the CS Free, I'm sorry you
was so Free was so to me.
Speaker 3 (55:53):
It was I was so jealous that we didn't create
some ship like that.
Speaker 1 (56:00):
I think I spent a day listen to Free on
loop before I even got pat.
Speaker 3 (56:07):
By day two, then I went to Thought Process like
the whole rest of the record.
Speaker 5 (56:12):
But to me, oh man, that nah, that album, that shit,
the setting it off like that was amazing.
Speaker 3 (56:19):
And so the thing for me was when I heard
Soul Food, that was for me just as an MC.
Speaker 5 (56:26):
I never heard anybody be that honest, Betimes, I don't
even know how I'm gonna eat by twenty dollars away
from being on the street. I'm like, Damn, these niggas
is really spitting that shit. And then like your verse
on guests who like talking about your mom, Yeah, and
just you know what I mean. So when I heard
soul Food, I mean, by the time Atlings came around,
(56:47):
I mean, I liked at Aliens, but the initial punch,
it kind of felt like y'all had beat them to
the punch in terms of what I was looking for
in the next Outcast album.
Speaker 3 (56:57):
Just the soul, the honesty, just every thing.
Speaker 4 (57:03):
For me to be, to be totally honest, I will
say this, Our Cast has always been our flagship as
far as Dungeon family is concerned, you know, but we
had always been fundamentalist, you know, and an even more effective.
Speaker 6 (57:19):
Uh hypothetic.
Speaker 4 (57:22):
Well example is I've described it as this if if
Dre and Big were Chuck and Flave, we were the
s one w's yes, yes, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (57:37):
That that's that's the relationship, you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (57:39):
Like even though me being and Dre are the same age,
you know, and I was supposed to be an outcast originally,
how hard.
Speaker 1 (57:57):
Is it to to sell this concept and this idea
in your own hometown because image wise, you guys aren't
aren't what an outsiders view would think of as traditional
Atlanta hip hop, and yet you are, I mean, you're
(58:20):
actually establishing it. Like how how open was the Atlanta
natives into this concept?
Speaker 3 (58:30):
Was it like you guys are weirdos? Or was it
like yeah, I feel that shit.
Speaker 4 (58:35):
Too, or like I'll say this, we were like the
Zulu nation, you know what I mean, Like let's say
when you know that Africa Bambada, you know what I
mean that the souls on the forest were the black
spades just prior you know what I mean? You feel
me it was kind of like that. It's like, you know,
everybody realized that we were using the opportunity for a
(58:58):
greater good, were not relishing in you know, any of.
Speaker 6 (59:03):
The wrongs that we were you know that we had done,
you know.
Speaker 4 (59:06):
And that people knew it could have could have attested
to like you know what I mean, you know, it's
like damn, like you know, like if anything, we caught
people by surprise because we were addressing uh, certain issues
topically trivially, you know, I mean, like you know just
trying to expound upon who we were, you know, like
(59:27):
as artists and as individuals, as men, as black men,
as as activists because I always say that we were
fighting for the civil rights of southern hip hop at
that time, you know what I mean? And you know,
we recorded Soul Food in Curtis Mayfield's home studio, so
our icons, you know, I mean, like they were alive
and well, and we knew that they were watching, and
we knew that we needed to do something with some
(59:50):
reverence and some respects.
Speaker 5 (59:53):
On uh on the did you say Mayfield on the
New World Order album? The one did you co write?
One of those records?
Speaker 4 (59:59):
That? No, I didn't, but some of the stuff that
I wrote it didn't really make it. But I was
working at the time with with the O G.
Speaker 6 (01:00:08):
Cool Ace, you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (01:00:10):
You feel me? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (01:00:11):
You so for those I gotta shout out kool Aids Man,
kool Aids.
Speaker 4 (01:00:18):
Yeah, cool as cool as was Gibbs lieutenant in the
in the Nation of Islam early so, but then he
(01:00:39):
digressed and he became a bona fide pimp.
Speaker 3 (01:00:42):
Oh okay, yeah, how are you so that you just like?
And then he said it makes sense.
Speaker 8 (01:00:52):
I was, you know, ordinary to see. I just wanted
you know, that's normal.
Speaker 6 (01:00:56):
So so, but he's super duper, duper talented and I love. Hey,
he's a good guy, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (01:01:05):
He's still around, He's still alive.
Speaker 4 (01:01:07):
He's still he's still around. He's like he's one of
those dudes, like you know, he holds the amateur knights
at the strip clubs and stuff like that.
Speaker 6 (01:01:16):
That's his state. But that's you know, that's not that's
not even be condescended.
Speaker 4 (01:01:20):
That's where he wanted to be.
Speaker 6 (01:01:21):
That's his community.
Speaker 4 (01:01:22):
You know. It's like that's that's that's what he loved,
That's what he loved to love, and that's what he
want to be.
Speaker 2 (01:01:28):
You think that since you guys came out and such well,
because Atlanta also is such like a large college town,
not just in a sense of like the AUC but
all the colleges there, do you think that that attributed
to to some of the extra fantage that you had
at home?
Speaker 4 (01:01:42):
It did, It did, and and everybody was at that
time because I'll cast struck a chord because it had
given Atlanta an identity, you know what I'm saying, Like,
you know, kingos and you know guess gene shorts and
pump Pum footies and Stan Smith. I don't know if
(01:02:03):
y'all know what I'm saying. So it was that's how
we dressed in Atlanta, you know what I mean. So
they hit the nail on the head with the imaging.
But you know, we we represented like an underbelly, you
know what I mean, like you know, you know, and
(01:02:24):
an attitude, you know what I mean, Like an aggression
I mean, and a progression you know, because again we
felt like we needed to. We knew that we were
in some regard like front lining. I mean, like you know,
for for Southern hip hop to be counted, to be
heard and to be respected. And so you know, I
believe that Cell Therapy it won with with Atlanta because
(01:02:50):
it won with New York first, you know what I mean.
That's the record that got us into the tunnel and
stuff like that, you know what I mean, Like and
we out there, you know, freestyle and with the boot
camp click and you know, as I got to get
to meet all of them early, you know, Rock and
Shine Price and you know the strange wonder, you know
(01:03:11):
what I mean.
Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
Like I was going to ask if you had any
opinion or reservations about New York Post that source moment
for Outcast where the South had something to say.
Speaker 6 (01:03:26):
To be totally honest, can I tell you what I
was distracted by.
Speaker 4 (01:03:30):
I heard the booze, but I wasn't really tripping off
of it, man, Like it was like suspended animation on
that evening. You know, there was a lot of tension
because of the East coast West coast thing, but US
being neutral and us being acknowledged, you know enough to
(01:03:50):
even have been there and been in the building. I
was trying to riding high on that. I had gotten
some outfit tailor made for it, and I'm saying that
and I'm gonna take something else that's really cool. Big
Biggie Smalls was on our was one of our first supporters,
you know what I mean, Like he championed us, you
know from the inception and off the top. Biggie Small's
(01:04:13):
first shows were opening up for us in Atlanta, you
know what I mean. Puffy Puffy shot and directed players
ball for Outcast. So we all started together almost signed
a bad boy. Andre Horal was my mentor, and I
(01:04:34):
mean like it has been like, you know, so resting
soul so with that. I still remember vividly when we
were walking up on that stage. I heard the boos
in my perihew kind of hearing, but I got distracted
by the sound of BIG's voice sitting right there on
the front road saying yo, yo, see lo. You know
(01:04:55):
what I'm saying, holl hollering at me, you know, and
showing us love and letting us know that he that
he rocking with us. And I remember outcast first show
in New York. We all went together as a crew
and we were performing. I think it was do you
remember somebody named called Grandma Funk.
Speaker 3 (01:05:17):
Oh my god, Grandma. I think, okay, you pulled the
glass from the past, Grandma.
Speaker 4 (01:05:28):
So who's up there for Grandma Funk? Brod damn? So
Big out. He showed me love because Big was right
there in front of the stage, wrapping every word to
get up, get out with me. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (01:05:45):
He showed me a lot of love.
Speaker 4 (01:05:47):
He showed me a lot of love. I was even
invited me to be all ready to die. I don't
really know what ever happened with that, what I'm saying, like,
but I was completely naive and new to the game.
I didn't even know what he was talking about because
I didn't really know how to receive a don't even
appreciate the invite because big wasn't big at that time,
right you know what I mean? Yeah, this was, but
(01:06:08):
he was just ready to die. Yeah, it's like Party
in Bush and Who's the Who's the Man? Soundtrack?
Speaker 3 (01:06:16):
That was a slow burn man.
Speaker 5 (01:06:17):
It wasn't like a record that just did big numbers
out the gate, like absolutely minute.
Speaker 4 (01:06:22):
Yeah, you're absolutely right, you know what I mean, Like
because I didn't even really like partying bullshit all of
the way, like I liked, uh the house Opainian record
off that soundtrack? Right, Uh?
Speaker 3 (01:06:34):
He was Who's the band Who?
Speaker 4 (01:06:37):
Because I was I was still.
Speaker 6 (01:06:39):
Around that time.
Speaker 3 (01:06:41):
DJ Muggs.
Speaker 6 (01:06:42):
Yeah, DJ Muggs, So thats what's up? It's safe?
Speaker 3 (01:06:45):
Oh yeah that Joints. Y'all got a record on the
I love that record, y'all did joint?
Speaker 4 (01:06:50):
I see them the first homies that took us in
when we went to l A. So we all got
tagged from cartoon you know. So you know that that's
why we be really down with the brown and black,
you know what I'm saying, Like making sure we keep
the peace and we advocates of that because they they
showed us nothing. Beloved. Man be Real just did a
song recently with Kujo on one of his independent projects,
(01:07:12):
So the love is still there. It's for main man
almost thirty years. Man.
Speaker 3 (01:07:17):
It was a producer y'all had on Soul Food that
I never saw on anything else.
Speaker 4 (01:07:21):
Mix Well, you know, we're in the process of doing
another Goodie Marvel album right now as we speak, actually,
and it's funny that quest even asked that that question
of how we get songs done, and it's you know,
it's tedious, and I'm saying, you know, because like you know,
we're older sing like you know, like you know, everybody's entitled,
(01:07:44):
you know what I mean, Like you feel me. But
it's always been that kind of combustible kind of thing,
you know what i mean, Like you know, but Mixo
mix so was he was Kujo and Timo's original producer.
So he was producing the Lumberjacks, okay, and you know,
they had a other couple of dope songs that it
was supposed to make the album, but they were in
(01:08:05):
in a legal suit with their former management and they
couldn't use that material. So you know, everybody just wanted
to honor mient So because of that sound. And I
just spoke to him the other day. I said, man, dude,
you're the only other producer besides Organized Noise who made
that original one the o G I said, So therefore,
you know, because I bumped into him and I was like, yo, man,
(01:08:27):
we gotta we got to get on the same page.
I got to get you back in the mix, man, like,
it's only right that we acknowledge you. And he was dope,
I mean, like he reminds his stuff will remind you
of Rizza, all dark and dusty and like just dope.
I mean, like, you know, so you know big Wu
Tang fan over here too, and people liking us, to
the people liking us to the Southern Wu Tang and
(01:08:47):
all of that.
Speaker 2 (01:08:49):
Ps I just thought something, y'all, we need to put
a bookmark on when the Goodie Mob album comes out,
because Feo, you don't know this, but we had been
planning a trip to Atlanta to just grab everybody for
question free, like we was gonna Rico, we was gonna
see Drama.
Speaker 8 (01:09:01):
We was just gonna see everybody. But you know, considering
the time I'm like, well, maybe when that.
Speaker 2 (01:09:06):
Album comes out, we'll all be able to come out
the house and get the whole goodie help.
Speaker 1 (01:09:11):
And touring with that record, which is the first time
that we uh toured together, explain that process because.
Speaker 3 (01:09:20):
You guys used the band.
Speaker 1 (01:09:21):
You guys used, Uh, I'm enjoyed with singing with y'all
at that point, Like, yep, you guys have a Little
John in the Chronicle as as your band, Like were
you guys always presented in kind of like I saw
y'all as almost like new p funk yall put it together.
Speaker 4 (01:09:41):
That's funny that you said that. Well, we we got
introduced to Little John in the Chronicle because we did.
I think we did like maybe like a listing party
or once or a release party at a club called
Kaya back then.
Speaker 8 (01:09:55):
As Frank Ski. Sorry, you know what I'm.
Speaker 4 (01:09:57):
Saying, shouts out to Frank Ski and and the Chronicle
was the band and it just kind of went over
so well, you know, it just I'm sure that there
was management that suggested it at that time. You know
that we kind of go in the live direction and
you know, and you know that was all good. And
(01:10:18):
then you know, George Clinton speaking of Parliament. He was
one of our earlier mentors and supporters too. He's the
one that christened the Dungeon family as the young Parliament
for Padelics. So when you start seeing us breaking out
with all of the outfits and stuff like that, it
came from him, you know what I'm saying, Because he
because he said, you can't just say you're to an exceptional.
(01:10:39):
You have to be exceptional. That's why they call it
a fashion statement. If you if you can speak there,
then you can say less. You know what I'm saying. Ship, Yeah,
and we went, we went, and obviously we went wild
with that. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:10:59):
I was gonna say, for your the second album for
Still Standing, what happened with what?
Speaker 3 (01:11:05):
I got ques by that album?
Speaker 5 (01:11:07):
So they don't dance no more? I love that fucking song,
What what Happened with Little Will?
Speaker 4 (01:11:14):
Okay? So uh, they don't dance? The version that you
hear is a replay, but the original version was done
with the sample of Aaron Smith's dream On, So that's
what that is. It's really dream On right. So Little
Will was a hoodster, you know what I mean, Like
(01:11:37):
you know around Atlanta, super duper talented, you know what
I mean like great voice, and he was signed to
Organized Noise's label, Imprint at Interscope Organized Noise Records, and
you know it was just it was just circumstance and
inexperience that kind of overshadowed. I mean, like all of
(01:11:57):
the promise and potential that he had as an artist.
But like I just saw him recently, maybe like a
year ago. I had a birthday uh party out here,
and he'll still hit my line every now and again.
But like he's just a real one, you know what
I'm saying. Like you know, you know because he's he's
that's him singing so you know Gucci Man and and
(01:12:22):
and Jez's first breakout record together, so Icy, that's Little
Will singing the record, singing the hook. So you know,
we we're responsible for a lot of careers man, you know,
like and you know he's forever done.
Speaker 5 (01:12:34):
Your family on the record on still Standing just about over?
Was that U was that David Wild that Wild Peach.
Speaker 6 (01:12:45):
David and Wild Peach rest in peace to this Peach.
Speaker 3 (01:12:49):
Yeah is still.
Speaker 4 (01:12:53):
Yeah Dave David still whenever Big go while and he
take the band, he takes he takes uh, he take
Peach and he take Deborah killers with him.
Speaker 5 (01:12:59):
He's always kept them, That's what's up.
Speaker 4 (01:13:05):
Yeah, he's so solent for that.
Speaker 3 (01:13:07):
Well you answered my gutter butter question. But also.
Speaker 1 (01:13:12):
I remember like up in Philly, like Beautiful Skin was
also it for for every coffee shop joint I knew.
Speaker 3 (01:13:20):
Yeah, that wound up on their mixtapes for World Party.
Speaker 1 (01:13:28):
Was what was the chemistry with you guys in the
making of that album that was different from the first
two records.
Speaker 6 (01:13:37):
Well, I tell you this, you know what I mean,
Like it's never a problem.
Speaker 4 (01:13:41):
You know, I could, I can rhyme cat and hat,
you know what I'm saying, you know, so like I
can I can just still be you know, I could
just still come in and just do you know whatever
we're doing what I'm saying, you know, but let me try,
let me try, let me try to, let me try
to give it some poetic justice, you know. I you know,
it's it's documented that I had a great disdain for
(01:14:05):
that project because you know, you know, even though we
were we were marginally you know, successful, you know at
that point, you know, two consecutive gold records, you know it,
It's it's only right, I mean, like that you want
to go to the next natural progression and you know,
like you know, and shoot for high and mark you
(01:14:27):
know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (01:14:28):
Like so like you know, I think you know, and
I know that that was the ambition for the label, which.
Speaker 4 (01:14:34):
Is why for that for that third and you know
project with them and final project with them, it's the
one where they wanted to come in and interject with
their opinion about direction, you know, and things.
Speaker 1 (01:14:50):
Can I get rich to this the last song recorded
for that record?
Speaker 3 (01:14:55):
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:14:59):
I it was. It definitely wasn't And I'm gonna tell
you why because it wasn't even our record.
Speaker 3 (01:15:04):
It was bad.
Speaker 4 (01:15:05):
It was a what why That's what. That's why Backbones
versus first and he's doing the hook. It was his record.
It should have it would have been a hit for
him because Backboners, you know, the Dungeon family was comprised
of you know, you know, teachers and philosophers and you know,
the hustlers and killer every everybody, you know, all that
(01:15:27):
shit came with it them saying, you know, but you
know he was you know, Backboners. When I on our
real live bone offire hustlers that come out that come
out of the out of the crew that really represent
on the street side, you know, I mean like and
we needed that to make sure that all of the
all of the bases were covered, you know what I'm saying.
So that would have been that would have been a
great record for him, this as a solo record. But
it was so hot or so we thought, you know
(01:15:48):
what I mean that, you know, it was organized noise
is you know, decision to say, hey, we're gonna go
take that record if they use the platform, you know,
a goodie mob, you know, to propel you or your
solo effort.
Speaker 6 (01:16:01):
Shortly thereafter, I'm saying, you feel me?
Speaker 5 (01:16:04):
But yeah, man, you know I didn't fit like fitde.
Speaker 4 (01:16:10):
It wasn't people. People were so disappointed and I knew it.
I mean, like, if you want to go back and
dig up any of those bones, you'll see I said
it out loud. I was very playing, very I was
very frank, you know, I mean about my disconnect with it.
And Mom was like, man, that's not what the what
the people want. And hey man, you know like, but hey,
if we win, then we win. I say, you feel me.
Speaker 6 (01:16:33):
Like if we don't, I'm gonna move on.
Speaker 4 (01:16:35):
I say, you feel me.
Speaker 3 (01:16:37):
Technically. I mean the album went cold, it did better.
Speaker 4 (01:16:41):
It's so it's so more represented than any other other ones,
than the other joints.
Speaker 3 (01:16:45):
Okay, so, and it still didn't feel like a win
to you.
Speaker 4 (01:16:48):
Well, but see, like I guess at that time, quest
Man real, really bro I wasn't.
Speaker 6 (01:16:55):
Even really money conscious and none of that I wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (01:16:58):
I wasn't.
Speaker 6 (01:16:58):
I wasn't chipping off under that.
Speaker 4 (01:17:00):
I was just about trying to make history, and everything
I was doing was for the glory, you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (01:17:07):
That's how I saw it.
Speaker 4 (01:17:09):
I consider myself a real, live revolutionary, you know what
I mean? Like, you know, that's what I wanted to
live and die for. What I'm saying, you feel me
it would have been an honor. I mean like, so
that was my my logic. And and now in retrospect,
you know, you know, I sometimes I feel disappointed. I
feel like I don't know, I'm.
Speaker 6 (01:17:30):
Forty five years old. I survived.
Speaker 4 (01:17:31):
I mean maybe maybe I didn't, Maybe I didn't cause
enough damage or something, you know what I'm saying, Like,
I feel like that, you know what I'm saying. Is
that real? For me to say?
Speaker 8 (01:17:40):
No, that was something when your career started with like
self therapy.
Speaker 6 (01:17:44):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (01:17:45):
So, like I look around at what we're living through
right now, I'm like, God, damn, you don't think that.
Speaker 2 (01:17:53):
You make you you a influenced and especially some of
these these young you know, protests and revolutionaries coming up.
Speaker 8 (01:17:58):
You don't think you the soundtrack today?
Speaker 6 (01:18:00):
Oh most most certainly, most certainly, I raised over a
thousand sons.
Speaker 4 (01:18:04):
I'm sure that.
Speaker 8 (01:18:05):
That's all I'm saying, you know, And I'm proud of that.
Speaker 4 (01:18:07):
And now I'm a declarated soldier, you know, and higher
ranking officer, like you mean, like you know, so like
I'm gracious, I'm gracious and very humble, you know what
i mean. But I'm just saying like it's just a passion,
you know what I mean. But and and you know,
of course I mean it on an on an artistic front.
I mean, like you know that's how I mean it,
you know, I mean, I just want to do that
(01:18:28):
ship that last I mean, like you know, you know,
I don't I don't want to do I don't want
to do anything disposable or forgettable or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:18:35):
So, yeah, records, I like the dip I thought like
you as a producer. That was the one.
Speaker 4 (01:18:42):
I was like, Yo, this is I thought, And I
tell you the truth about the broke. Tim Mo produced
the dip and he was starting to he was starting
to ventru but no, like I came in and I
did all those string arrangements and stuff like that, and uh,
you know, and you know, so we were growing and
so like, you know, I wanted all of that exuberant
(01:19:04):
you know what I mean, like over the top stuff
that I ultimately went on to do. You know what
I'm saying, You feel me, But like you know, it's
it's almost like people that that that start with you.
You know.
Speaker 6 (01:19:13):
I hate to say it like this, but it's like
people either almost either want you to be or expect
you to be like poor righteous teachers. And I'm not
just talking about the group. I mean literally, it's like
it's like no, but I'm like but in my mind,
I'm like, nah, like I'm too, I'm too, I'm too
intelligent about music and about industry. It's like I know
better what I'm saying, Like if you guys and at
(01:19:35):
that time, you know, Cash Money and No Limit records.
Speaker 4 (01:19:37):
They were coming in and then they were showing how
to they were just they were they outworked everybody. Their output,
you know what I'm saying, like was just immense, Like
you know, you couldn't really compete. The motherfuckers was dropping
so much music, you know what I'm saying, Like they dropped.
Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
With all the albums coming out.
Speaker 4 (01:19:56):
That that changed the lexicon to where you know, they
dropped so much material that you could even call it
music in the morning, you have to call it content.
Speaker 3 (01:20:05):
It was product. Yeah, yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (01:20:08):
So we couldn't you know, we were still trying to
make opuses and stuff like that, So we were taking
two and three years to make an.
Speaker 6 (01:20:15):
Album and shit like that.
Speaker 4 (01:20:16):
But like no, no, no, So we really couldn't compete,
and so I think everybody just felt a certain kind
of way. It really just wanted to be competitive at
the end of the day, and showed that we want
this straight laced button up you know, like quartette of
squares or you know what I mean. Like you know,
like that we were cool and we liked women, and
we you know, we liked the party.
Speaker 6 (01:20:34):
And other and other kind of stuff, which was true,
like like some of the biggest parties out there.
Speaker 2 (01:20:40):
At the time the earth the earthy label was on
folks too. It was like, either yeah you shiny, Yeah,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (01:20:47):
So.
Speaker 3 (01:20:49):
Yep, yep, yep. Sorry, you knew it was coming. You
guys knew it was coming.
Speaker 1 (01:20:55):
You knew I was going to interrupt this moment to say.
That's the conclusion of part one of our interview with
Celo Green. We'll come back next week for part two
of our interview with Celo Green, and trust me, Part two,
we really get into it.
Speaker 3 (01:21:11):
We get into everything. Whereas life has.
Speaker 1 (01:21:13):
Been lessons, he's learned, journeys he's going to make, and basically,
you know, we get into it. So please join us
next week, ladies and gentlemen for part two of our
interview I Want to Know me Legendary Celo Green.
Speaker 3 (01:21:30):
See you next week.
Speaker 1 (01:21:39):
Mus Love Supreme is a production of iHeart Radio. For
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Laiya St. Clair
Questlove
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