QLS Classic: Ceelo Green Part 2

Episode Transcript
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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.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
Yep, se Lo Green.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
He talks about finding his boys, Goodie Mob, Naarls Barkley
and all the good stuff. It's so good that it's
a two parter. We know you love those. As 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 quests one on one with Andre three thousand. Yep,

(00:40):
it happened. So here is part two of se Lo
Green on Questlove Supreme.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
How does one?

Speaker 4 (00:53):
Well, it's actually two parter because you know you said
you didn't you really weren't with the direction of the record.
Who is the alpha, Who's the Who's who's the alpha?

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Goodie?

Speaker 4 (01:08):
That one is the anchor that brings everyone together to
have a meeting or or discussion about it or My
second question is how do you dissolve the situation?

Speaker 3 (01:24):
How?

Speaker 4 (01:25):
What was what was the process of you leaving the
group to start Your Perfect Imperfections and the Soul Machine projects.

Speaker 5 (01:34):
Well we had just done not too long ago maybe,
like you know, I think in March, you know, our
episode of Unsung had added and we kind of touched
on that, and you know me, it was me and
Timo that discussed very you know, very plainly that you know,
after that project, everybody wanted to venture out and do
solo solo projects. You know, everybody's always had an ambition

(01:59):
to do it, but like we kind of stumbled upon
our own synergy and became kind of you know, you know,
safeguarded by that, you know what I mean, Like, you know,
because we did ultimately have three consecutive Gold Reference but
we were only kind of like slated to do just
one record, I mean, being that it was just meant
to be a compilation. And then also we were friends

(02:20):
and and and you know, like and we were kind of,
you know, if you will, ganged in like you know
what I mean, Like we loyal like down with each other.
So it's like, you know, everybody felt a certain kind
of way by feeling anything ulterior to you know what
I mean, Like, uh, you know, goodie, you know what
I mean, like you know, but you know, I had
to be true to dying self, you know what I mean,
Like you know, because the fact of the matter is

(02:40):
I was always poised to be a solo artist anyway,
and that that point I really was ready, you know
what I'm saying, Like I can honestly say at the beginning,
I wasn't. But that after three albums and after touring
consecutively and accomplishing what we accomplished, I said, Okay, I
think we you know, I think we made out our
you know, our our impression. It's like this, so I
I knew somewhat, I mean, of what I could accomplish

(03:04):
if I applied myself outside of Goodie Mob.

Speaker 6 (03:07):
I mean, like you think the Santana record kind of
helped you get it?

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Did?

Speaker 5 (03:11):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (03:11):
It?

Speaker 5 (03:12):
Did it? Did? I gotta I gotta give thanks and
praise to miss Lauren Hill, you know, I mean, like
who reached out to me. We all befriended each other
on those first tours roots you know, uh, Goody Mob
and the Foujis. You know what I'm saying, Like you know,
it's so so with that she came and got me,
you know, and I didn't even really. I knew that

(03:32):
I had a I knew that I could sing, but
I wasn't really tripping, you know, but you know it
was her. Joy and Erica bad are the first. You know,
that's like the holy Trinity, right man? And I'm saying,
you feel me like I worked with them separately. I
remember going to to New York when Erica wants and

(03:53):
she and she wanted me to come out on stage
and just sing something. And I said, okay, well what
you want me to do? She said, just just do
whatever you want to do? And I just hommed and
moaned and wailed and then and then I sung background
vocals for Joy too.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
So still, have you done any so in your in
your evolution as a singer, have you done any maintenance
on your voice, any kind of coach like, because it
seems like as you evolved, got into that Narls bag
and stuff, and you started experimenting with the different things
in your voice that you know, it was shouting.

Speaker 5 (04:27):
Starting to come out. Well, damn question, What was your question? Again?
I just want to make sure I get it, you
know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (04:34):
How did you quit the group?

Speaker 5 (04:36):
It was? It was, it was agreed upon, we all
had an understanding. Now how it digressed into you know
what I mean, like a lot of a lot of
the internal riffings and you know, you know they kind
of you know, spilled over into the street. I really
don't know what I mean, Like I really wasn't emotionally
vested in that way. I mean, like because it was

(04:58):
my understanding that there was an understand I mean, like
you know, I was defaulted and I mean, like, you know,
like out of the group because I had always felt like, yo,
like we're gonna try these other things and then we'll
come back, you know, as we ultimately end up you know, doing.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
But yeah, me too, come back.

Speaker 5 (05:18):
And come back to it. And I mean so so
with that, you know what I mean, I just knew
that it was time for me to make a move.
And it's funny that man get talking about this recently.
He said, Man, well, you know you were right. I mean,
like it's not something that we could have foresaw, you
know what I mean, like, you know and give answers
that the best. On the episode of Unsong, he said,

(05:38):
I knew that, you know, that time would ultimately come
at some point, he said, But no matter when that
time came, it most likely wasn't gonna ever be the
right time for me, you know what I'm saying. And
I didn't. I didn't know that they cared that much.
You know what I'm saying. You feel me like, you know,
because I also looked at music as recreation. So when

(05:59):
I came out with Closet Freaking did that album, that's
just me, you know, having fun, just kind of like
peacocking and showing people. Hey, man, like I got other
stuff in me, you know what I'm saying. I could
do all other kind of shit.

Speaker 6 (06:12):
Me my favorite record, oh, my favorite song on that album,
Like it wasn't even like a full song, but I
love it to death.

Speaker 3 (06:19):
Base head Jazz. Yeah, I love that fucking song.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Man.

Speaker 3 (06:22):
That was the one for me. I played that shit
on repeat for hours.

Speaker 5 (06:24):
You want to know something double about bassa jazz And
a lot of people say that, man, like the reason
why the beat keeps cutting off because it got it
got erased and I just left it like that, like
you know, so uh, you know me because I produced
all of that stuff and a lot of people don't
know you know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (06:43):
Your own Well, it's that thing.

Speaker 5 (06:46):
It's that thing, bro, And I'm gonna tell you question.
I know you're trying to get me to dig into it.
It's like I will say, around that time, I didn't
really I didn't really ask for help. I just kind
of thought that help should be volunteered. And I thought that,
you know, at some point, everybody would want me to

(07:10):
realize my own potential. I mean, like you know, because
again I didn't really feel like I was diminishing myself
in any kind of way. I thought that it was
just a you know, a vetting process or like or
like a preliminary you know what I mean, like you know,
like you know, you know or you know some sort
some some type of you know, incubation kind of process

(07:32):
that I was going through to get to a certain point.
And that's not to discount or you know, be condescended
toward what we did or do collectively. Soing like I
love the crew our Lonely show, I only ever show solidarity.
And I'm saying you feel me like I'm built like that,
Like I'm a team I'm a team kind of guy

(07:52):
just like you. Anytime I look at Jimmy Fallon quest,
I love y'all because I've known y'all for so long,
and I'm like, I'm like, look at that man knowing
like that that man you know, his team trust him.
You know what I'm saying. You feel me like they
honor his word. I mean like they really need to
go in to battle with him when lose a draw.
You know what I'm saying, You feel me. And when

(08:13):
you ask who's that alpha male? I could? I could
you know that alpha individual? You know what I'm saying,
Like and our collective, no one wants to assume that position,
you know what I'm saying. Like, so therefore I will
say this honestly and transparence to just so I can
give you something wrong. You know what I mean, Like
there's a great deal of appeasement that goes on internally.

(08:33):
You know what I mean, Like, you know, to make
sure that everybody you know that no equilibrium is offset.
So I even I put my accomplishments on the shelf,
you know what I mean, Like when I come home
to the collective. You know what I mean, Like you know,
like I'm I'm I'm low. I'm saying like I'm baby brother,
I'm a little bro. All that you say you feel

(08:55):
me and I love that And I'm saying, like, because
I like having og. I'm saying like, you know, I'm
a luck that's just that's my hardwinery. You know what
I'm saying. You feel soul. I really don't mind, you
know what I'm saying, Like, because I know at the moments, notice,
I can go elsewhere and behold on command. I can

(09:15):
be whole, you know what I'm saying. And I'm only
whole because because because I because crew is inclusive, and
let me say that too, so the benefit of it
is bilateral. I'm not whole without the collective. I love
my guys.

Speaker 4 (09:30):
So in the time that you leave the group and
you start your solo career, of course you know outcasts,
you know, they create this this monstrous diamond album that's
in its capable to the world as far as an eclipse,
and then what happens with you is like, in my

(09:56):
mind at least in two thousand and three, thought hey,
I would just be a defining moment and that that
would eclipse everything. Yeah, and then you come here with
a new project with like the most I mean, I
would borderline say that the rival of crazy and the

(10:20):
the kind of the term viral, viral moments viral like Crazy,
I almost feel is the first viral song, at least
in the terms of which the word viral started to
be used in everyone's lexicon.

Speaker 5 (10:37):
And I'm not going to argue with.

Speaker 4 (10:40):
Me to the point where like where I mean, even
Paris Hilton had her her cover of it. How uncomfortable
was it for you to accept what I assume is
a very unexpected moment where I would assume that, like
Nols Barkley was just like, hey, let's just do a

(11:03):
little QT side project with my weirdo friend Brian here
and then I'll go do my third record, which, incidentally,
I mean, if anything, fuck you probably.

Speaker 3 (11:15):
Surpassed Crazy.

Speaker 4 (11:16):
I don't know, like numbers wise, what was more inescapable
as far as the bigger song.

Speaker 3 (11:23):
Was it uncomfortable for.

Speaker 7 (11:24):
You to finally get like the overdue kind of accolades
due to you, especially from the environment you came from?

Speaker 3 (11:35):
Yeah, because you.

Speaker 6 (11:35):
Were pretty much Andreeine, I.

Speaker 3 (11:41):
Like for real, you know, I mean, yes.

Speaker 5 (11:50):
I love it. No, but look man, okay, so no,
I thought that it was dope, you know what I mean?
Like you know that you know, those two dynamics could
come out come out of one crew. So therefore I
had always felt like it was, you know, it was faded,
you know what i mean, Like and it was and
we were favored, you know what I mean, Like you know,

(12:12):
I would love you know, I can appreciate more and
can benefit more with having him as an alliance as
opposed to an opponent, you know what I mean. Like
at least we were, you know, alongside of each other,
you know what I mean, like pushing our agenda forward,
you know, and waving our flag, you know what I mean,
Like you know, we shared the same flag. So like

(12:33):
it's just like you know, and I know that it's
typically just kind of one standout person. I mean, like
you got one Jordan on the on the ninety whatever
year fucking bulls, the ninety three bull or whatever, you
know what I'm saying. And I definitely don't didn't. I
didn't consider myself a Pippin, you know what I'm saying, Like,
and that's no insult, and so to him, so very seldom,

(12:55):
you know what I mean, Like you know, it seems
like chemically it would almost kind of blow up in
your face to have a Kobe, you know, And can
you imagine Kobe and Jordan on the same team. You know, yeah,
I think so. I think so. And even when we
talk about Outcast being a trio, I kind of actually

(13:16):
I could be rational and saying to myself like that
might be too much. What I'm saying, you feel me,
it might have been too much, you know, And so
I'm glad that whatever I could contribute was just enough
to signify Goodie Mob in the way that I hated it,
know what I'm saying, you know, because I did my partner,
and that's all that I'm there to do. So in
going forward, you know what I mean, Like, no, I didn't.

(13:37):
I felt like everything was happening kind of right on time,
you know what I mean. I feel like, you know,
as long as I could be a success at being myself,
I've got my whole life to do it. It didn't
have to be you know, it didn't have to be
a facade. I mean, like all a freak of nature,
you know what I mean. Like it's like, you know,
I got a chance to just you know, be that
genuine article, you know, individual account of interpretive arts. You

(14:00):
know what I'm saying, You I mean, like that that's it.
And what I mean, like you know I got with
Danger Mouse and I knew that he was, you know,
peculiar and eccentric, you know, much like myself, you know
what I mean, like in private, and I knew that.
You know, our misery gave each other company, you know
what I'm saying. You know, when I heard his music,
I think my only misery was the fact that you know,

(14:20):
I had not addressed this emotion sooner, you know what
I mean, Like you know in my repertoire get Yeah, yeah,
you know what I'm saying. But it but it was
the timing was you know, impeccable, you know what I mean,
because like, but how was the.

Speaker 4 (14:38):
Feeling of achieving a zenith and being number one? Like
is it a be careful for what you asked for
a moment? Like I'm certain that by week eighteen you
were tired or seeing that damn song?

Speaker 5 (14:54):
Well, I tell I tell you this, it happened because
you're right, it's one of those first viral moments, you
know what I mean, Like, uh, the first song to
go to number one by digital download. I mean, like
it's got it's got a Guinness World record. You know
what I'm saying, This record, You know what I'm saying.
And to be totally honest, it was it was it

(15:15):
was utterly uh calming uh and gratifying uh and relieving,
you know what I'm saying, like, you know, because the
the the the motive, the inspiration for the song was,
you know, all of those traumatic you know times that

(15:36):
I could recall of being treated and seen and perceived,
you know what I mean, like you know, as different
or crazy or you know, like all of that kind
of stuff, you know what I mean. And and and
then I could reflect on how it you know, uh
translated you know in my you know behavior at a time,

(15:59):
you know what I mean, Like you know, because us
that the video for Crazy is the raw shot test. Yes,
so I Sir Robert Hale, the director, I had a
conversation with him, and this is where it came from.
I was telling him about those times when I was
in elementary school, middle school, and I would get pulled
out of the class and taken into you know, an

(16:20):
office or empty room and they would do those tests
on me, you know what I mean, Like I didn't
know what it means. I wasn't really paying attention, you know,
and I didn't know if I don't know if and
I honestly can't recall it if I was pleasuling academically,
I don't know what I was doing besides the behavior
that I can recall that would make motherfucker think that
I was, you know, I mean like needed to be

(16:41):
prescribed writtling. I'm saying, Yes, so crazy. The reason why
it resonated in such a way because it was so
real and the resent was so deep in me. I
hated being, you know, like called crazy, you know, I mean,

(17:03):
like you feel me or considered crazy, and so therefore
that's why it cuts so deep for me, and I
meant it so much, and I was so sincere, you
know what I mean, And at that point I was relieved.
It's almost like I could have died, you know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (17:22):
Well, then I'll ask you, did it sort of irk
you a little bit? Once the song ran out of
control and everybody in their mom had to cover it.
I mean there was country versions and Charactis version and
like all these like did it take away from the

(17:43):
from the specialness to well, like.

Speaker 5 (17:46):
Like Dangel Mouse, he's what's the word, he's neurotic in
that way, he's uh what they call it? A purist,
you know what I'm saying, Like there's certain things he
won't do, like you know, he will take a picture
sitting on the left side of the you know, it's
he's really pocket protector type, like you know what I mean,

(18:07):
Like we're both kind of nerves in our own way,
but like like you know, he's he's he's he's a
specimen of a person.

Speaker 3 (18:16):
Like you know, so what lesson did you learn?

Speaker 4 (18:19):
And being in a group with him that you didn't
utilize and being with goodie mob that serves you better?

Speaker 5 (18:26):
Can I tell you he told me the greatest I
got two or three different things that he's told me.
That's the end. But he's a sweet guy, and you know,
you would think he was like some dude that sucking
is a vegan or something like that. But now, like
all he eats his pizza and hamburgers. It's so you know,
I mean, like right now he lives on the former Connecticut. Okay,

(18:56):
but I tell you what he told me when I
opened up the door, he said, Hey, so before we
get started, I want to say this, Hey, I am
you know, I'm obviously a fan of of you know,
most of the work that you do you know what
I mean? And he's he's that's that's what he says.
I'm most of what you do. He said, so, but

(19:23):
what I've noticed is there there's a reoccurring thing that
runs throughout your work, and there's this this person trying
to do uh and say so much good you know,
I mean, it's it's it's almost like you're trying to,
uh be redemptive for something. He said, so he said
it said, so, it's my thinking that anybody trying to

(19:46):
do that much good has done an equal amount of bad.
And I want you to talk about that. He called
me out. He called me out, and I said, oh, okay,
you know what I'm saying, and I just let it spill.
And I just felt like, Okay, he's a perceptive guy.

(20:06):
And I remember when he was first playing me the
tracks that ended up becoming Saint Elsewhere.

Speaker 2 (20:11):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (20:11):
North Barkley debut album A partner, good friend of mine
who I use as a baramo, the.

Speaker 3 (20:16):
Two Stam's minte. What's going on with He's still home?

Speaker 5 (20:23):
He with me, you know what I'm saying. Okay, but
but he he walked in the room to get something.
He said, excuse me, guys grab this recuse. I think
he got some keys or his phone or something in
the studio. And then you know, in his in his
own unique way, his personality, as he was walking out
the door, he didn't look back, and the door was
kind of slowly. You know those studio doors, they will
go back hard and they'll come back soft. So the

(20:43):
door was softly closed behind him. He said, By the way,
whoever produced that track is crazy, you know. Basically he
could feel the controlled uh chaos in that production. Because
I felt like that, I said, God, damn, you know,
I didn't say it to him. I said, but damn

(21:05):
this this guy is damaged in a genuine way, you know.
I mean, like I can tell. I'm like, who makes
this stuff? You know? And then why is it speaking
to me? So it spoke to my internal you know dialogue,
you know, I mean, my internal chaos, and I was
able to make some sense out of it, you know
what I mean, like, you know, alongside him, and I

(21:28):
just felt like he's like a real partner in crime.

Speaker 4 (21:31):
So one of my favorite songs in that record, which
I always wanted to know, if you'll ever explore more
singing in your baritone voice, I was on the line
and like, how come you haven't decided to explore your
your your little your little voice. When I heard that

(21:52):
there's a song that I did with Blow. Since I
heard that, I ran to bloud like I was going
to get with him in the studio and I played.

Speaker 3 (22:00):
It for him.

Speaker 4 (22:00):
I said, Yo, dude, like I want you to do
this song on your little register because it's just something
you never explored before, because everyone expects you to lose
your mind on every song that you do. That's right,
like a controlled song in your baritune. But yeah, like,
how but.

Speaker 5 (22:17):
Will you ever my favorite singers? He can sing so
goddamn good. He's so he's so trippy. I got just
to be out on a couple of different occasions, and
I told him. I was like, Yo, sometimes it's my
favorite record from you.

Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yes, all right, yeah.

Speaker 5 (22:40):
Anyway, yeah, I'm just shouting yes. No. So I was
just I was just trying to amuse us because I
tell you the story and it's not long, you know.
He he came to Atlanta. We had about eight days
to go in out of pocket independently, you know, and

(23:03):
amuse ourselves. And that's what those sessions were like. You know,
we're going through different tracks and this, that and the third.
You know, so if I couldn't get anything, like I
said that first day I came, I said, let me
hear this, blah blah blah blah. And I went home
and I wrote something, and then I wrote I think
just the thought and Necromancer and something else, and I

(23:27):
went back in and and and he would only have
these two minute loops, and I was trying to see,
can I can I can I complete a thought? Or
can I get to a point of realization within those confines?
You know what I mean? So that was I had
tasked myself in that way, but you know, he had

(23:48):
to go off to Iceland, so we were a little rushed,
not not really knowing really what to expect of each other,
just trying to hope him to get something. I mean, like,
you know.

Speaker 6 (23:56):
So the whole record in eight days, the whole album much, you.

Speaker 4 (24:00):
Know, I mean, like you know, sometimes the best work
is done without thinking it, and you just just.

Speaker 5 (24:05):
Didn't think, didn't didn't think about it, you know what
I mean. Like it was completely and totally unpretentious. I
promise it's the most honest, organic thing I've ever done.
What I'm saying that worked as well as it did.

Speaker 3 (24:20):
Were you a violent fin fin or was he a
violent fifth fin Well? I that shocked me. I was like, oh, ship,
that was.

Speaker 5 (24:28):
Definitely his idea. I was familiar with with with violent
him from Blistering the Sun. And then more more recently
around that time was a song they had put out
called breaking Up. You know, breaking Up right? Yeah? So
I like that record. So I don't know what got

(24:49):
in him to make him think that that. I don't
know what he was doing, but I trusted him in
a very uh uncanny way. He said what he said
to me, I knew that I could trust him. On
another occasion, he told me something else, great he said,
he said low. I guess because he was dealing with
the executives, and you know, people felt like you know,

(25:09):
sometimes when people are dealing with the producer, they think
they're dealing with the the texts and balances the math
of a situation. Like you know, songwriting is science, and
science is subject to interpretation. Math as a matter of fact,
it's exact. So therefore they'd rather talk to him than me.
Uh So he was dealing with them, and I think

(25:30):
he got a notion to say. He said, low, man,
everybody seems to be scared of you. I'm saying, like,
you know, because I was writing these songs and people
not knowing how genuine they are and me like it's
like goddamn, Like you know, like this got cool? Is
he all right? What I'm saying? You know what I mean? Like, uh,
he said, he said, everybody seems to be scared of you,
he said, but I'm not scared of you, he said,

(25:50):
as a matter of fact, when I'm with you, I'm
not scared of anything.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Wow.

Speaker 5 (25:56):
You know what I'm saying. So that's that's the you know,
that's that's I want to quote him out loud in
the world with that. I want that to reverberate. And
I'm saying like, you know, like all over because that's
one of the sweetest things anybody ever told me. You
know what I'm saying, Like and you know, I'm like,
I'm like Shrek in my own little way, you know
what I'm saying. You feel me like this? You know,

(26:20):
I'm like people have taken me to be because because
at certain at a certain point, like when we got
to the second Nolge Rock the album, you know, then
his ego started to kick in a little bit, and
he kind of felt like he was doctor Frankenstein, and
I was, of course Frankenstein, you know what I'm saying.
And I'm like, well, no, you know what I'm saying, like,
you know, like you know, I'm smarter than that, you know,

(26:41):
he says. And then then I then I always find
myself having to assert myself. And then then when I
get then when we got a problem.

Speaker 3 (26:49):
Was it made the opposite way?

Speaker 4 (26:51):
Did you guys spend more time thinking it over and
and kind of less the approach that you did with
the first record?

Speaker 5 (27:01):
Okay, let me say this. He had to leave through
through one of those sessions we were doing. We were
doing something else where. He came in the studio. He
gave me like two copies of the Gray album, which
was the mash up, and when that and when that
went out, it was like boom. You know what I'm
saying Like, it was like wow, And then on then

(27:23):
on the on, then on the other side. I ended
up writing and producing Don't You for the Pussycat Dogs?

Speaker 3 (27:33):
So we gotta get that story.

Speaker 6 (27:35):
I've never I always wanted to ask, Yeah, we gotta
get that story.

Speaker 3 (27:38):
Man like at that time.

Speaker 5 (27:40):
Well you know, after I remember and I had the two.
I had perfectin Perfections, I had Sole Machine. You know,
they were critically acclaimed. Perfect Perfections was nominated for a Grammy.

Speaker 2 (27:50):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (27:50):
Any Ir ended up beating me out of that Grammy
that year. I was dominated for a Grammy for that album.
Uh And she's my sister, so like it was a
good but I was kind of ready to walk away.
I'll fin yo, like because I'm never really tripping about
scene being seen or anything like that. Like you know,
as as extroverted as I am, I really I don't
really care rolling. I mean, like you know, like I

(28:11):
could just I could write songs and you know and
get quiet money and and checking up. You know, like
I don't know, I'm not shifting.

Speaker 3 (28:19):
Necessary for Brandy. I love that.

Speaker 6 (28:21):
I just wanted to say, for I forget the joint.
You wrote necessary Nigga, I love.

Speaker 3 (28:25):
That's my face.

Speaker 5 (28:29):
Hell yeah, So you know, I'm surprised that she loved
that record, but like you I mean, like you know
that that's something that I would sentimentally, I would write
for myself, but like she that record spoke to her,
and I'm like Brandy she's one of the greatest. Say
she's I love her voice. Ray J is my man,
so like I've known them for years and say, anyway,
that's that story. But no, you're right. So like I

(28:49):
so I went, I slipped into a songwriting kind of
space and I was like, well, I'll just do that
what I'm saying you feel me and I won't trip. Uh.
But the narge Rocky, I didn't know if it would work,
but again, it was just something recreational. I didn't really
you know, I didn't care. I mean, like you know,
and I wasn't as concerned, you know, But when you're

(29:10):
not looking for it, that's when you find it, you
know what I mean. And then y'all.

Speaker 2 (29:14):
Perfected y'all Live show to like levels of because I
remember y'all did the Roofs Picnic and it was amazing, Like.

Speaker 5 (29:22):
Yo, we started kicking ass y'all, like you know, and
that's what happened, you know, like that that journey that
took me on the journey of ten years, you know,
between those two albums and touring like you know, and
you know, then you're supplying you find it, and then
then it's not a dream anymore. It's reality. But then

(29:44):
you become you know, preoccupied with the with the demand,
you end up having to supply such a large demand.
You know. It's ironic in a way of like, you know,
you're working hard to kind of make that connection, you know,
and then once you make it, you got work three
times it was hard to supply. I mean, you feel
me like so anyway, no complaints.

Speaker 4 (30:11):
I believe you're the only human being I know that.
I don't know if it was at the height of
crazy or not? Where is it? Did spell this rumor?
Were you not in a room with both Prince and
Michael Jackson at the same time?

Speaker 5 (30:26):
Yes, heard the story? Did you hear what I am telling?

Speaker 4 (30:32):
No, I I don't. I don't know where I heard.
Maybe I read a blurb or something. But I heard
a rumor and I was like, no, impossible.

Speaker 5 (30:42):
Of course, I think what happened. You're probably the only
bigger Prince fan than me than I. Then I can
acknowledge if I have any knowledge of But yes, like
you know, princess, like my fairy godfather, Like, yeah, okay,
So the story goes, we were in Las Vegas doing something.

(31:07):
I don't know what we were doing. Maybe we were
on tour, but we ended up at a club and
there was this beautiful woman there. She was dressed like
what do you call those ladies in the courtroom who's
typing and stuff? Okay, she was dressed like a stenographer,
half back in a type bond and she was gorgeous

(31:27):
and like she didn't fit in whatsoever. Right, So we
walked to the back of the club and we're sitting there,
you know, Eroding City comes on, boom boom, and we're like,
oh shit, Prince, here we go, you know what I'm saying.
Next thing, you know, Prince walks through there and we're like,
oh shit, that was Prince. And if you know Prince,

(31:50):
like I know that, you know, he always does this
little smirk like you know what I'm saying, Like, it's
just a little smirk and that he does. And I
was like, damn, you know, like at first, the girl
seems so out of place, I'm like, what is she
doing here? So so anyway, it turns out that she
was with him and she was some artist that he
ended up putting a record out of her. She was gorgeous.
I don't remember her name though, but but but but yeah,

(32:15):
something like that like, so he he uh, he called me,
so he sent the security over. They called me over,
and he said that he loved Crazy. He said he
listened to the album and uh, he listened to the
same else where. He said it, he said, he said,
he said, must admit though it scared me a little,
and I said, it scared you. And I'm like, I

(32:38):
thought that that was so amazing because I'm like, that's
how I got into Prins because he scared the she
out of me when I was a kid, like you
know what I mean. Like, but I was drawn to him.
There's a song called Annie Christian that's scared Death. It
does thank you right, you know what I'm saying. So

(33:00):
that song was unnerving to me. I don't know why,
but you know, that's him. That's the that's the magic
of him. But anyway, so anyway, we changed contacts. He
gets it. He gets in contact with me, and he's
doing his Vegas residency at the Rio Hotel in the
round room. So this room is made like a circle. Okay,

(33:20):
so I'm there. I get invited down there to perform
Crazy with him at his residency. Me and Will were
cool too at the time. We were talking a lot
more frequently, and he said that he was going to
be there. So we got there and you know, Will
was in Vegas working with Michael Jackson, you know, doing something.

(33:41):
So we're there, we do you know, I do crazy
with Prince and Will does whatever he does. And I
don't know what it was. I don't know if I
can't remember what record. It was, just maybe some vamp
that they were doing. Prince gets on the base and
it looks like the longest neck bass I've ever seen,
Like it was funny.

Speaker 3 (34:00):
Prince is also like five foot zero, so exactly.

Speaker 5 (34:06):
So he walks out into the room and this is
before I knew Michael Jackson was there. So he walks
out and the spotlight is on him and he gets
right in front of Michael Jackson's table, and I promise
you the the tip of that base was touching Michael
Jackson's nose. And he said, there he slapped that base

(34:29):
by two or three minute. Bank bank bank bank bank.
Michael ain't no pump. And so that was that.

Speaker 2 (34:39):
But what did Michael's face look like? Because he ain't
no pump.

Speaker 3 (34:42):
He like, I'm Joe Jackson's son.

Speaker 5 (34:44):
Hold up, Michael Jackson ain't no pump and that's a fact,
you know what I'm saying. Like, but I guess he
was kind of looking like he was like, Yo, this
dude just won't quit. Man. You know this has been years, Prince.
I don't got no problem with you. I don't want
no smoke with you, little man. But I met you know,

(35:10):
so that was like my second physical time meeting Prince.
The first time at that club. That like the meeting,
the meeting agreement with him at the show. But that
was my first and only time meeting Michael Jackson and
Michael Jackson when he stood up Michael Jackson. For those
who don't know, he's like ten feet tall.

Speaker 3 (35:31):
He's tall.

Speaker 5 (35:33):
He's tall with huge hands. He's like an alien dude
like you, I mean like he looks like the Predator. This
is a big dude. I got another crazy for Surry too.

Speaker 3 (35:47):
I tell you it, run it.

Speaker 5 (35:51):
Oh no dude, Okay. So one time it was you know,
he would do these after Grammy parties and so you know,
this was this was the year that I did the
I did fuck you, Uh. I did it with Gwyneth
foul Trail and had on the chicken suit.

Speaker 3 (36:06):
You remember, like.

Speaker 5 (36:08):
I was. I was my homage to the el Joint. Okay.
So I was sitting on the audience watching the rest
of the show, and he had somebody come around tapping
different people who he felt like, you know, he wanted
to invite to the house. So we ended up we
got we got the address. Yeah, so we got the
address and we ended up going over there. Like I

(36:30):
remember Maxwell was there, Dave Chappelle was there, and you know,
so you can hear the music downstairs, and we were
just kind of talking, you know. I didn't rush right downstairs,
and I'm looking around and see Prince. He's like, well,
he's down there playing music. So we get go downstairs.
And as soon as I come in the door, it's

(36:51):
like a path that's made for me and Princess directly
in front of me. But he's playing bass. He's like,
come here. He's justice to me to come here. He says,
pick us. So anytime he's ever been depicted a certain
kind of way, like Dave Chappelle doing him on on show,
that's exactly how he is, you know what I mean.
Like she said pick a song, I'm like, okay. So

(37:13):
it's this big book, this big book of song lyrics
printed out, and you know, I picked something easier that
I knew, and it was Superstition. So I sang Stevie
Wonders Superstition, you know. And so in the process of
me you know, that song was four minutes long, you
know what I mean, like, you know, give or take.
And in that process, he got off the base, got

(37:35):
on the drums when it mixed my vocal, and did
some other shit. What I'm saying, you feel me? So
I was like, damn, you know what I'm saying. And
so so I had some friends with me and he
was gracious enough to have us there. So as the
night went on, we're partying, you know, and you know,
people kind of started thinning out. So we ended up

(37:59):
staying all night, you know what I mean. Like, so
I sat and talked with him and blah blah blah
and you.

Speaker 3 (38:05):
Know, convert you to to hand down jo Joel Witness. Yeah,
you fell on the track. Whenever he starts that, I'm like,
I'm out.

Speaker 5 (38:20):
That's what. We sat there and talking about Jehovah's Witness.
I said, okay, you know, so so that was that.
And then look, so this is run of the time question.
I'm sure you'll know. He had that little two door
black Cadillac, look like the black the Batmobile, remember that one.
It's it's it's six or seven o'clock in the morning.
It's that it's that real hazy looking like Hotel California.

(38:44):
You know what I'm saying, Like coming out, you know,
we drunk and been high and all that kind of stuff.
You know what I'm saying. So not not him but us.

Speaker 3 (38:53):
Yes, I know, trust me, everyone knows.

Speaker 5 (38:56):
So with that, we're coming out of the door. And
then my homeboy says, yo, did y'all see Prince? I said, no,
where is he? He was jumping into the car. So
the garage door was up. You could see the car,
the Cadillac he gets, he said, he said, he just
got their Cadade right there. Okay, so imagine if we're

(39:20):
parking immediately across the street, so the driveway is here,
you know, the car is right there, the mailboxes right here.
He takes off out of the garage. He almost runs
us over. Man, Look, I wish it could be it's

(39:44):
kind of crazy that I'm saying it, but like it
was funny for us then because it was just amazing,
like what is he doing? Where's he going? In this
his house? Where's he going?

Speaker 2 (39:55):
It's all right?

Speaker 5 (39:56):
So but he wasn't trying to hear the us. But
so he cuts out of the driver real quick. Woo.
He makes a left, and we're parked like facing up
the hill because we only know of one interest into
that subdivision, right we I don't know what he was going,
if he was gonna make if he was making.

Speaker 3 (40:16):
A left, you know what I'm saying, like, right, where
could you go?

Speaker 5 (40:20):
Where are you going? Man?

Speaker 3 (40:24):
The right? Why is he going to the left?

Speaker 5 (40:29):
I just think the reason why. It's just cool because
I just think that it was just to give us
kind of something to be talking about right now, you know,
twelve years later. I mean like he just he just
gave us a little question mark, a little mystery. It
was great.

Speaker 3 (40:43):
He always does that, does weird ship just to I
know it'll be a story later.

Speaker 4 (40:49):
He did a shit to us once where I think
the last time I saw him he changed his outfit twice?

Speaker 3 (40:55):
Did he for no reason?

Speaker 4 (40:57):
It was literally just he had one outfit on, came
back in, had another outfit on, and then like ten
minutes later, came back with another outfit on as if
as if it were nothing, and yeah, that was the
strangest ship to me. So he's going to get you
your your newest album. Okay, now you this this is

(41:21):
produced by From the first of all, I hear a
lot about Memphis, Tennessee. Brian Danger Mouse himself has try
to sell me on how amazing it is in Tennessee
and how there's a music community down there and how
there's all this, you know, the songwriting community and musicianship

(41:45):
and studios and vintage studios.

Speaker 3 (41:48):
So yeah, why why the the move to record in Tennessee.

Speaker 5 (41:53):
Well it's Nashville actually, and uh he we befriended each
other because they they came and supported us and checked
out the show. One year we were doing south By
Southwest in Austin, Texas, and that's how we befriended the
Black Kids. And then and then shortly thereafter, uh, Danger

(42:14):
ended up producing their album Brothers Alone. Uh you know,
so that he produced that album with them or for
them or something like that. So anyway, I ended up
bumping into him some years later in London. We both
were performing on Jules Holland if you're familiar, Yeah, so

(42:40):
we were doing that and we exchanged numbers because his
set was so cool. He had this all female mariachi
band and I was like, great, yes, I befriended them too,
you know what I mean. So so with that, then
he reached out to me maybe like you know, six
months or four months something later, and just asked me
to come to Nashville, you know, to write, he said,

(43:03):
He said, I really I appreciate you as a songwriter,
you know what I mean, and maybe we can get together,
get in the room, collaborate on some stuff. And you
know that's basically you know, the gist of it. And
then I said, okay, cool, this is this is damn
from the black kids. I mean, like I dig them.
You know. You know, the time was right, I was available.

(43:23):
You know, it's a thirty minute flight from Atlanta. I
was like cool. I mean, like, so I went and
it was strange because I wasn't really sure, like you know,
but you know, everybody was there at it.

Speaker 3 (43:33):
You know.

Speaker 5 (43:34):
Check in was like eleven o'clock in the morning, of
which I've never recorded anything that early in the day,
you know what I mean. Like, you know, so I'm like, okay,
eleven o'clock. But we will only go from like eleven
to four, you know what I'm saying, eleven to four
or five. And I didn't understand, you know what I mean,
And I kind of was getting a little little irritated
with it for the first few days. I'm like, I

(43:54):
don't really know what's going on. We just kind of,
you know, so we would sit around the table and
you know, of writing songs and recording voice memos into
the phone and you know, with either with a ukulele
or an acoustic guitar or warletton, you know. So you know,
it was really quaint, you know, I mean, like you

(44:15):
know and simple, you know, country living. What was the approach,
you know, and so so over the over six months,
I would make maybe like a week about four weeks total,
so maybe like a month out of the six months.
I went and sat and went down there for a
week and I asked him, I said, yo, I said
what I said? What I said, what's what eleven o'clock

(44:36):
in the day, And like, I said that like the
magic hour or like what's that? Then he was like no,
he said, well, all of these musicians, man, you know,
they're in there the seventies. You know what I mean,
he said, so like you know, he said, man, he said,
they're quite frankly man, like you know, they like to
be done early. And uh, you know, I kind of
got to, you know, need to try to get as
much as I can get out of them. Man, you know,

(44:56):
we don't have them forever, I'm saying. I was like, God, damn,
I didn't realize that because I didn't really realize who
they were, because he didn't really give me any disclaimer
that in his mind he was recording the greatest soul
album of all time on se Lo Green. You know,
so he only told me that he wanted to write songs.

(45:17):
So I'm thinking, I'm like, yeah, we're gonna get some
of this country music money and blah blah blah. You know,
I'm thinking of it like I'm thinking of it like that,
you know. And and again I was again at another
point in my career where like, I don't want to
be I'm tired of being Selo Green. I just kind
of want to be me. I mean, like you know,
like you know, I'm older, I'm an older statesman, you know,

(45:39):
you know, I want to be refined in a way
of where now you know, I could just go by
my name. So I had contemplated doing the Prince and
not being referred to as Selo Green anymore. I'm like,
I'll just be I just be Calaway and said, look
the way that my granddaddy was called, like you know,
I mean Thomas Caliway, I said, because you know, it's
about legacy. Now, anything I do from this point on
is about legacy. And you know the legacy isn't last name,

(46:02):
you know what I mean. So I've been telling press
that Thomas Calloway writes the songs that CeeLo Green sings.
So I only went as Thomas Callaway to be a writer.
And then so that last week he said, hey, man,
I was thinking, you know, we've got some good ideas.
You know, you think maybe you could come back and maybe,
like you know, cut cut a few of them, just

(46:23):
kind of see how your voice sounds on him. And
I was like, you know, that's not really what we discussed,
but I'm like, cool, you know, I'll sing them. And
I'm saying, you know, why not. You know, I mean,
I went down and unbeannoys to me. He's got a
studio full of all of these great legendary Nashville muscle shows,
you know, musicians who played on all of this wonderful music,

(46:44):
you know what I mean. And I really didn't know
because he didn't give me any disclaimer you know, about
who they were, nor did he give me a disclaimer
about that he was secretly recording an album on me.

Speaker 4 (46:55):
David Rode, Bobby Wood, you know, I know Bobby Wood
played on Chris Yeah exactly stuff and uh yeah, Russ
yeah as well.

Speaker 5 (47:08):
Yep, yep, yep. So so with that, you know, that
was my first time recording with charts. So I was
I was familiar with all of the songs that we
had written over the last three weeks, you know, but
I had never sung them besides those kind of voice
references you know, in his phone. But you know, he
had went and printed out sheet music, I mean, charts

(47:30):
and everything. I mean, like, so by the time I
got there, you know, I'm looking at the songs, I'm like, okay,
look I remember this one. And then so I got
one eye on the on the paper, the lyrics sheet,
and then I got one eye on watching them play
it all down flawlessly, you know what I mean. So
it gave me my disposition was really humbled. You know,
as opposed to going in there with any airs or

(47:53):
any ego. I mean, so, like, you know, this album
is completely unpretentious. That's why I like it so much,
you know what I mean. So it's basically like Dan,
our best gift to me.

Speaker 3 (48:03):
So you made it down without knowing you were making
a record.

Speaker 5 (48:06):
Absolutely, and I recorded that album in two days because
I just sung the songs we had. It was just
like do I wish I could do everything like that?

Speaker 3 (48:15):
Man?

Speaker 6 (48:16):
I wanted to ask you always about Straight Bullets. That's
one of my favorite projects of yours.

Speaker 5 (48:20):
Man, come on, bro, you knowing about that?

Speaker 3 (48:23):
Come on man? You singing over the Stero ship the like, dude,
man talk about that? What was record?

Speaker 5 (48:31):
I was just talking to my management. I said, like, yo,
I need to re release Straight Bullets.

Speaker 6 (48:37):
Yes, like people didn't hear it, okay, So what it
was where I found out that Zelo I mean that
see that, uh, that Kujo could play the sacks because
you had him.

Speaker 3 (48:48):
Anymore?

Speaker 5 (48:49):
Well, I got I got to ruin it for you
because I was just teasing. I said that because at
that time, you know, we were kind of all estranged
from each other, and Kujo was just dealing with the accident,
you know what I mean. Yeah, So I just was

(49:12):
I was loving on him in that way who's wild
sack sy'all, you know what I'm saying. So I went
to London to do Lady Killer, that record, you know,
and it was all of this northern blue eyed soul,
you know what I mean, the kind of like sold

(49:32):
by numbers. I didn't particularly enjoy it, nor did I
really you know, did I think it was good?

Speaker 3 (49:37):
I mean, like you know, but the biggest hits came
from it.

Speaker 5 (49:41):
No, absolutely, No, I was wrong.

Speaker 3 (49:43):
I was totally wrong, by the way, like like, what
was the impetus of that? You just said? I got
a great song type of fuck you, and the label
was like, yes, we see it, this is a hit.

Speaker 5 (49:54):
Okay, now I'm gonna tell you. I wanna tell you
about that too, so check this out, all right. So
I tell the first story. You know, I was trying
were recorded for like three years trying to get that record,
you know what I'm saying. And I had done all
of that stuff. So when I was like straight bullets,
I got that idea from a a Devo album called
Greatest Missus instead of Greatest Hits. You know what I'm saying.

(50:18):
And Straight Bullets was just like, Yo, I'm just gonna
bust these off, you know, like and they hit somebody.
You know what I'm saying. You feel me? But I
had I had done a lot of music and I
really wasn't getting that. I wasn't having it reciprocated. I mean,
like by the label the way that I wanted. And
I'm just like, damn, y'all ain't fucking with none of this.
And so I put that mixtape out to spike them

(50:38):
of all of that material because it was the last
album it was supposedly you know at that time with Atlantic,
you know what I mean, But they ended up kicking
up the option. I ended up doing one more album
with them, heart Blunch. So I just said like, well, yo,
I mean like I just do a mixtape and I
just leaked it. You know what I'm saying. You feel me?
And that's why I didn't really get any kind of

(51:00):
That's why I'm surprised you even mentioning it. But Tyler,
the creator loves it too, you know what I mean, Like,
that's one of the dopest projects I ever did. So
I found all of this public domain library music, you
know what I mean, like to why it wasn't really
you can really have any copyright in friends with like
causes and something like that. So I just did songs
to that stuff, and just you know, they're just amusing myself,

(51:22):
no different than I put out a project called TV
on the radio to.

Speaker 3 (51:27):
The ship you sung over the Peanuts thing.

Speaker 5 (51:32):
I love that your quest I'll send it to you man,
Like you know, some of it is out there like
on YouTube, but they snatched it down because of course
you know, I didn't clear it or nothing like that.
And I'm saying, like it was just ingenious, you know
what I mean. Like I just and sometimes I have
to almost like that's my little sparring match with myself

(51:53):
to kind of get something out before I try to,
you know, be so subservient to what they you know,
all of the many cooks in the kitchen with the
major label ship, Like I didn't enjoy it. So I'm
much happier, you know, being an independent artist again. Last
time I was independent, you know, Narls and don't you
and all that kind of stuff came from being able
to have enough space, you know what I mean, like
to do what I want to do.

Speaker 3 (52:18):
What happened with the record.

Speaker 6 (52:19):
So you had a project, You had a bunch of
other side projects that I won't ask you about. You
had the heart Attack, a heart attack heart Attack with
Jack Splash, but then the Jazzy Faye record.

Speaker 3 (52:31):
The I had it. It was the Happy Hour, had
the joint to enjoy yourself with you, Jazzy and Nate Dog.

Speaker 5 (52:39):
Yeah, look that project is. I love that album so much.

Speaker 3 (52:47):
I told him them today.

Speaker 8 (52:48):
I called and I said, you like yo, since everybody
is going on zoom and ship, I said, like, let's.

Speaker 5 (52:53):
Do Let's go on and call it out the Happy
Hour and just play the unreleased album. You know what
I mean we're supposed to do. He might he may
still be up for it, but we didn't do it.
But anyway, I'll tell you what happened with that. I
was recording that at the same time as I was
recording Narles Barkley.

Speaker 3 (53:09):
Oh okay.

Speaker 5 (53:10):
So he had to deal with Capitol Records. That was
supposed to be for a solo album with him or
accompliation album Jazzy Fair and Friends. And then we met
up in Miami and we did a couple of songs.
He was like, oh, shit, like, no, this is the
this is the move. So he switched it out and said,
like now I'm gonna do a Selo you know, Me
and Celo album or this, that and the third. So

(53:30):
the album is so dope, it still holds up even
after all of these years. But what he did was,
you know, we recorded it all just at our leisure,
but we never signed it. We never signed a deal
for it, you know what I mean, Like, you know,
by the time we had a whole album done, we
wanted a promo tour, We did sol trained, we shot

(53:51):
a video, you know, but we never signed a deal.
And but and so, so I'm going across the street.
I'm leaving those sessions like going to see see Danger
Mouse for a couple of hours, you know. And I
always get a little get a little irritated with it because,
like you know, after a while, you want to go
into it optimistically and diplomatically, but like you know, sometimes

(54:11):
I'm just like like yo, like I don't know what
I'm saying. You feel me like, you know, I don't
want to you know whatever I mean.

Speaker 3 (54:18):
Like, So that was that.

Speaker 5 (54:19):
But when when Narlsbrocky hit because it remember it just
hit all of a sudden, it was like boom, and
then they had they had to shelf the project because
it was no deal, you know what I mean, Like
and quite frankly, it just couldn't compare. I mean like
that now to ask a question about fuck you? All right,
So what happened was when I was in La, I

(54:41):
recorded Lady Killer in Miami, La and London. They gave
me a blank check to do whatever I wanted to
do after crazy. So I was everywhere trying to get
that record and we ended up getting it, you know
what saying. Like, So Mike Karen introduced me to who's

(55:01):
now known famously as Bruno Mars. At the time, they
were introduce to me as Phil and Bruno. That was
how they were kind of circulating. Phil Lawrence was his
writing partner at that time, you know what I mean.
So I was working at night Bird Studios at the
Sunset Marquis in LA. They came over and I'm like,

(55:23):
what's up, you know what I mean? Like, you know,
I didn't really know them, I didn't know what they did,
and I just was kind of let them hear some
of the stuff that I was working on. My brother.
They're like you know, maybe you could try this. So
this sir, blah blah blah, I'm like, man, who the
fuck is yall that sound like? You?

Speaker 3 (55:38):
See?

Speaker 5 (55:41):
So I told him, I said, you know what, bro,
I'd be right back. I'm gonna good, I'm i gotta
use restroom. So I went upstairs to the room and
I just never came back. And I just left him
in the studio. And I've said, I've said this a
couple of times because I was being really rude. I
didn't really know. I didn't know them, I didn't know
them to respect them. But but then we rectified that

(56:01):
we got back together. Brue had a lot of love
for me, and you know, kind of looked at me
as a mentor. And if you guys pay attention, you
will realize that, you know, he was kind of built
off of my back. You know what I'm saying. You know,
because you know he wrote just the way that you
are for me? Well, yeah, because I didn't. I didn't,

(56:27):
you know, I didn't. I didn't think it was for me,
but but I didn't see it for me, no different
than you know, he started to fuck you. And then
we we ultimately, you know, me and Phil came in
because he had to the the're the session, and we
went over and saying like, yo, I got this idea.
He said, Man, you know it's a little little crazy,
but just bear with me. And it was like, you know,

(56:48):
it was just a hook. I see you driving around
time with the good I love and I'm like fuck you,
and I'm like okay, But see, at that time, this
is bring straight bullets back into the conversation. At this time,
I was trying to piss this three years later and
I'm like, yo, I can't get no satisfaction. I'm so
ready to say fuck you to the label, to everybody.
So to me, fuck you was essentially a protest song

(57:12):
to the label. You know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (57:14):
I thought it was.

Speaker 5 (57:15):
I thought it was ridiculous enough for them to drop me.
That's why I was so enthusiastic. It was. Can I
tell y'all how quick it worked, bro, I'm gonna tell you.
We had to go to London to do some fucking
promo or something. They and I think you may have

(57:36):
been the first song to introduce lyric sheets with printing
out the lyrics at the with the music. I had
never seen it. Yeah, so so with that I think.
I want to say it was the first one, Brom.
You know, I'm not tripping, but but.

Speaker 6 (57:56):
It came, it came fast, and it came so fast, Bro,
it came like okay, so we had to get on
a plane and go to London.

Speaker 5 (58:05):
By the time we landed in London, it was a hit.

Speaker 3 (58:10):
Wow.

Speaker 5 (58:10):
So that's eight hours. So like basically like in eight hours,
that ship was a hit.

Speaker 6 (58:16):
When you talk about songs that you you know that
you didn't think were for you, is there a version
of you singing happy but for real?

Speaker 5 (58:24):
It is? Okay? So we were you know.

Speaker 3 (58:27):
Yeah, my homie Amir a mere Wyndham, he was working
with for other time.

Speaker 6 (58:32):
But I heard that I wasn't heard that it was
originally Pharrell wrote it for you, and so I always
wondered if if there was a version of you singing
it of a reference or whatever.

Speaker 5 (58:40):
I tell you the story man Pharrell been friends and collaboratives,
collaborators for a long time.

Speaker 3 (58:45):
Yeah, he was on the second album, he was on
the on the Machine so with that, he he.

Speaker 5 (58:54):
Was doing Despicable Me Too. And I was in the
Bahamas in Eluthra recording heart Blunch. That's I think Lenny
Kravitz owns that island because he was there. He came
by the house.

Speaker 3 (59:07):
Yeah, I know, I know he lives there.

Speaker 5 (59:08):
I don't know if he owns it, but so we
was there and he came down on his own dime,
you know, to to kick it and be a part
of it. And he played it for me, and you
know me, it was just he played for me with
the disclaimer that it was about to be a part
of a Disney Pixar movie, you know what I mean, Like,

(59:29):
you know, I wasn't really I didn't see it like
for what it became. But there is a version of
where I sang it, you know, and the and the
version that you hear is the demo that he made
basically his emulation of my voice.

Speaker 2 (59:46):
You know.

Speaker 5 (59:47):
So I don't know if I sound like that, but
maybe I do, maybe, you know whatever. So yeah, we
got that version. Yeah, but I said, you know, in
the press, I was just like, I know that for
real has had a you know, some solo success as
an artist, but you know, mainly as a producer. But
for what that record ultimately end up becoming, I'm like,

(01:00:10):
you know, and he was about to be generous enough
to give that record away, I said, So I believe
that that's the universe rewarding his selflessness, you know what
I'm saying, you know, because he was you know, he
was definitely pushing forward for to be my record and
the late. But the politics behind it, I tell you,
Atlanta Records they wouldn't clear it for whatever reason. I

(01:00:33):
think because we were about to go with another single,
and you know, I think Despicable Me wanted single rights
for it at the time, and they didn't want it
to conflict. So you know that it was logical their decision,
but of course you can't you can't win them all,
you know what I mean. Like, and that's really what happened,

(01:00:53):
you know what I mean. And so I guess he
decided to just put it out and then it kind
of you know, it worked as a record on the soundtrack,
But then I guess when he shot I think he
said when he shot the visual, that's when the record
it came.

Speaker 6 (01:01:04):
That's when because he had had and then he had
people all over like the world kind of doing it like.

Speaker 3 (01:01:11):
Twenty four hour video that's for our joint. Yeah yeah, man,
yo yo, it was a record. I wanted to ask
you that is the ship record that.

Speaker 5 (01:01:23):
Had been mine. Oh by the way, you think so,
it would.

Speaker 3 (01:01:26):
Have been over killed.

Speaker 5 (01:01:28):
It would have been oh thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
I wanted to hear that much happiness from se Loan.

Speaker 5 (01:01:32):
They would have hated me.

Speaker 3 (01:01:34):
I knew it.

Speaker 5 (01:01:35):
I knew. I'm so glad. I'm so glad. I just
remember to say that I said, I said, I'm glad
it's not mine. I said, that's his record, that's his record.

Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
The things that Pharrell had to do around that record,
like the promo, the stage that he had, I was.

Speaker 3 (01:01:49):
Like, he was a lot, a lot.

Speaker 5 (01:01:52):
I'm sure he probably doesn't enjoy doing that record to
this day. I'm sure he.

Speaker 3 (01:01:58):
Record.

Speaker 6 (01:02:00):
Yo, man, tell us about the record you did with
it just came out. I think like last year intentions
you big boy and uh sleepy.

Speaker 3 (01:02:11):
Man. Dude, all right, I need more of that. I
love that fucking song.

Speaker 5 (01:02:16):
Okay, so check this out. We were all in the room,
the entire Dungeon Family, dre three thousand included. You know,
he was about to come on board to do another
Dungeon Family album and we were going to do it.
But exactly we were even like fingers crossed, Like really,

(01:02:36):
Trey so after that, La read and everybody we want
to do LA read and hit call. So I'm telling,
I'm telling. I'm telling this story for the first time.
So we were all that everybody's there, you know, and
so just to you know, on good faith, you know,

(01:02:57):
after La left the meeting, you know, Ray organized started
pulling up some tracks like we all at the studio,
we all up at stink only you like playing some tracks.
And I said, oh, what's that like the Stueper Brown
said me yo? He said, actually, I got a I
already got come like a little idea today that he
got in my ear, like yo.

Speaker 8 (01:03:19):
Right, So I said, okay, I said, I like that.
I said, like I said, let me let me, let
me let me dance with you on it.

Speaker 5 (01:03:25):
Know what I'm saying.

Speaker 8 (01:03:26):
That said, I got I got something someone going to
just just rock real quick. So just off the top
of the head because it felt like loose ends.

Speaker 3 (01:03:33):
To me, you know what I mean, cold blooded by
Rick James like that, right.

Speaker 5 (01:03:43):
So that's how I ended up having those two parts
on there. I had the uh, the top part and
then the end verse. Yeah, we but we thought that
it would probably just kind of it was a little
instant to for the Dungeon Family project. I'm saying, like,
you know, but Sleepy Brown and Big Boy were working

(01:04:06):
on the project simultaneously called The Big Sleepover at the time,
and that's where that's where the original idea came from.
So all of a sudden in days times, you're like, yo,
were gonna shoot the vehicle to make this to say,
I'm like really, I'm like, then we've just sucking around.
But I'm like, but okay, I'm glad y'all like it.
And that's kind of where it came from. And then
we were we were we were slated to do the

(01:04:27):
Dungeon Family album. But then again, you know, I think
Drake ended up having to go off and film It's
a show that he's that he's.

Speaker 3 (01:04:35):
Doing dispatches from everywhere.

Speaker 5 (01:04:40):
Yeah. Yeah, they kind of that took the It kind
of took the win out of the sales. I gotta
say that.

Speaker 2 (01:04:45):
But he was already slated to do it, you know
what I'm saying, the Sleepy Brown understand that people want
more to be Brown in their life. Does he really
understand that? Like because he put that one album out
and maybe he didn't get the response he wanted, but
like people fucking love Sleepy Brown.

Speaker 5 (01:05:00):
No, for sure, he's a leisend man. Like you know,
he's he's a part of so many iconic things. Pretending
to Goodie I mean, excuse me, pretending to dungeon like you.
I mean, like that's big grow what I mean, Like,
you know, I loved it. But he's one of my
close friends.

Speaker 2 (01:05:12):
But he just needs to know tell him the people
want it. I'm just saying I'm.

Speaker 5 (01:05:15):
Gonna tell you, I'm gonna let him know.

Speaker 3 (01:05:16):
Yeah, yeah, all right.

Speaker 4 (01:05:23):
I'm going to tread on very careful ground with this
last question, okay, because this is sort of a comeback
for you, and yes, not to mention, I guess the
motif of your life is kind of series of second
chances or another chance or another you know, like you

(01:05:44):
escaping situations because we live in a time right now
with what's going on in the world today, and you know,
we live in the era of cancel culture. Yes, and
it's almost it's almost like what it seems is though,
Like I guess the idea of cancel culture is like, well,

(01:06:05):
you can never come back or you can never redeem yourself,
where you could never return to your your prominence to
what it once was.

Speaker 3 (01:06:13):
How are you able to navigate the last ten years
of your life?

Speaker 4 (01:06:17):
Just in terms of because usually when when a person
has to go through that process, and it's a nightmare,
Like even now, I wake up every morning at five
am just to look at trending top is to make
sure I'm not on that list, Like.

Speaker 3 (01:06:33):
No, because I'm thinking, like this, is there an interview
I did? Is something that you know? And I know
you know, but that's literally how you.

Speaker 4 (01:06:42):
Know I'm not exaggerating when I'll say at least five
times a day, I gotta.

Speaker 3 (01:06:49):
Check this to make sure, Okay, no, I got you,
I got you good, got you so and.

Speaker 4 (01:06:55):
And and it's and it's stressful and it's stressful, but
it's it's very real.

Speaker 3 (01:07:01):
How are you how are you able.

Speaker 4 (01:07:04):
To navigate your life in the last ten years with
your loved ones, with your family, with yourself.

Speaker 3 (01:07:13):
To get to this place? Like what have you learned
in the last ten years?

Speaker 5 (01:07:17):
I've learned the circumstance of celebrity and fame and fortune.
All of these things are very fragile and precious. You know,
it must be handled with care and consideration and cognizance
that I mean, And so it is an intoxicating experience

(01:07:40):
all throughout, especially to succeed in that space. And it's
a surreal it's a surreal experience, and you know, it
could be dizzying, and you can oversite things that are
you know, or things that could very well possibly put
you in commiser positions, you know, because you know, famous

(01:08:04):
celebrity is a compromising position, you know what I mean.
That's what that's what it qualifies as you know. What
I've learned, you know, over the last several to ten
years is to be still, you know what I mean, Like,
you know, I reconnected, you know, with community. I reconnected

(01:08:26):
with the these social conscious themes and and aspects of
myself that were purifying and refining, you know, and I
realized that success had taken me so far away from
those things. You know, I spend an awful lot of time.

(01:08:50):
But my son, you know what I mean, Like you know,
I'm I'm really making up for a lot of lost
time with him because you know, soils he's nineteen, wow man, Yeah,
you know, so the spoil, the spoils of success, you
can share in the wealth, you know what I mean,
Like monetarily materially, you know, but it does not equate

(01:09:16):
to tangible time, you know what I mean. And so
I just got close to family, I got close to
calls uh philanthropists, you know, philanthropy and charity, and associated
myself with different causes that I was passionate about, and
started to lose sight of myself uh or the or

(01:09:38):
share the celebrity skin, you know what I'm saying, and
give myself away to those things that I deemed to
be greater than what I had even accomplished, because you know,
it's not it's not an end all, be all to
be alone, you know what I'm saying, Like to be

(01:09:59):
you know, accomplished, or the loan and alienated, you know
what I mean, Like I did not. I did not
start out on this journey to look back and no
one be there and no one to share it with,
you know what I mean. If anything, if anything, I
had experienced, you know, far too much alienation as an adolescent,

(01:10:21):
and the music was a way to express and and
make and make myself relative, to connect to people, to
be to finally be counted as a part of a collective,
you know what I mean, like or a community and
belong you know, you know what I'm saying, because I
wouldn't really make me feel like that as a kid. Yeah,

(01:10:41):
you know what I'm saying. So I just I just
reconnected with those things and was really and and and
if you know, like even with we mentioned beautiful skin earlier,
you know what I'm saying, like in a way that
that was effective in Philly. It's like I was really
expecting people to know me and know my history and
where I'm coming from and know that like I don't

(01:11:03):
got nothing but love in my heart and decency, you
know what I'm saying, and humanity and humility. I'm one
of the most well rounded and grounded people you'll ever meet.
You know what I'm saying, Like loving and generous and selfless.
You know what I mean. And I could only hope
that it translates in song. You know what I mean,

(01:11:24):
Like you know, and then I'll go in the extra
mile what I mean, like you know, for good measure
to make sure you know that I'm under the skin.
I mean, like you know of those that you know
to whom it may concern, I mean, like all of
my music has just been a love letter to those
to whom it may concern, you know what I mean.
So I'm glad for and I'm very fortunate for it

(01:11:47):
to start off as a you know, pretty much a
black nationalist, you know what I mean, Like damn near
borderline racist, you know what I'm saying, Like with goodie mob,
you know what I mean, Yes, you know what I'm saying,
you know, but to ultimately uh evolve into a you know,
that universal appeal, you know what I mean, Like you know,

(01:12:09):
like and I'm telling you it's not it's it's almost impossible,
you know, to to fake it, like to you know,
to fake that. Then. So like with these audiences that
I've encountered and that I've acquired, you know what I mean,
like your.

Speaker 2 (01:12:25):
Good you feel like your goodie mob audience holds you
accountable for things in a way because probably the Noll
Barkley audiences a you got different audience.

Speaker 5 (01:12:32):
Yeah, Well, the thing, the thing of it was I
just should have just dealt with I should have just
worked in double shifts like that's that's kind of That's
kind of what I was meaning earlier when I said
I had to go out into the world and supply
that large demand. You're talking about I could have moved
to London. If you go to London, you know all
they gonna all you're gonna hear is you know, from

(01:12:55):
everything from Amy wine House to Edda James on just
regular radio and not even categorized like all in one mix.
It's just like open format radio. Chus knows I'm right,
he knows I'm telling the truth. So so I love it.
I loved it it in London. And when I got
there and I got a chance to spend a considerable

(01:13:17):
amount of time there, I understood why they loved me.
And I said, God damn it, like this is where
I belong. And I heard Lenny Kravitt say years ago
in an interview, he said, Man, like I know that
I've accomplished a great deal. He said, but if there's
any one thing that I can say that I truly
wanted that would make me happy is to make music
that my own people. And I'm saying I can appreciate,

(01:13:39):
you know what I'm saying. And that's what I felt like,
I mean, like because when it was time to be black,
you know what I mean? Like, you know, I felt
like I would me goodie mob, you know, beautiful skin,
I feel like we was making the blackest music you
can make.

Speaker 2 (01:13:52):
I was about to say, but don't you feel like
you had that privilege over Lenny in a way because
you usher in your goodie mob audience to everything that
you did. Everybody didn't come, but a lot of people did,
which is the difference between you and Lenny in that way, right,
because they have no audience evolved with you.

Speaker 5 (01:14:06):
It's true, it wasn't. It wasn't a definitive separation of
church and state. It was a bridge between church and state.

Speaker 3 (01:14:13):
Absolutely, and I'm fortunate for that.

Speaker 5 (01:14:15):
I'm very fortunate for that. So it's no different than
fuck You is the leadoff single. But I got two
Grammys for Food for You with Melandy.

Speaker 3 (01:14:25):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (01:14:28):
That's the big homie salam Remy, you know what I'm saying.
So the way back album started it was it was
it's supposed to be my big black R and B record,
Fuck you bodies, Uh, you know, food for You and
I get some of the stuff that you heard on
you know, That's that's what it would have been like,
you know what I mean. But again, I don't have

(01:14:50):
any regrets in retrospect because like it all worked out
so well, you know what I mean, And I and
even questions to to to cap off the question, you know,
like even with everything that I've been doing through you
know what I mean, like, you know, good, bad, and indifferent,
I have very few complaints something like because there's truly

(01:15:14):
no testimony without the test.

Speaker 2 (01:15:16):
Not even marriage boot camp what about.

Speaker 5 (01:15:24):
Well, you know what, guess what though, Marriage boot Camp
was almost kind of like a re entry point for me,
and people got a chance to see me, you know,
in a light that they had not them saying like
you know, like you know me domestically and with my woman.
Like you know, I'm gonna say this straight up to y'all,
like you know, there was a period of time when
people maybe I was gay or something, you know what

(01:15:46):
I'm saying, you know, like because of the outfits and
the wigs and you know, stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (01:15:50):
The over masculinity of hip hopa yeah, over massiminization of
hip hop, yes.

Speaker 5 (01:15:57):
But.

Speaker 6 (01:15:59):
A little bit a little bit no, I mean because
it's well, I mean for starters, I never thought that
Selo was gay, you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (01:16:06):
But to me, when I saw the big outfits, it
was just like you know, it was like you know,
earth wind and fire.

Speaker 2 (01:16:15):
With different people. He might have had a moment like
what the fuck that ain't you know, but see the
thing of.

Speaker 5 (01:16:22):
It was, it was just like people. And that's the
love and affinity people have for Goodie Mom and that
era of my career. And it's like, you know, they
ain't letting that ship go easily because we were affected.
We touched people, and that's why, you know, that's why
I always return to it, you know what I mean?
Like I could never I could never sleep easy, arrest well,

(01:16:46):
and letting any any any of my extended family down.
I got to just do it all, you know what
I'm saying. And that goes back to what I was
saying basically, like I just the only thing I didn't
do right is just work double ships. Make sure that
both sides of the brain what tended to and both
sides of the spectrum were satisfied. You know what I'm saying.
You know, because I got so overwhelmed and preoccupied with

(01:17:10):
such a big deal on one side of it that
it just took the scale one way. And that's what
happened with me.

Speaker 2 (01:17:16):
Well from a family sectim, I'm gonna tell you. We
just happy to hear that you admit to that, like
that's the absolute Oh, I was just was.

Speaker 3 (01:17:22):
That an alienating time for you?

Speaker 6 (01:17:24):
Like how like when you have an incident and then
you know everyone is just you know, you kind of
go through the cancel culture thing when you're by yourself,
you know what's going through your mind like during all
of that.

Speaker 5 (01:17:37):
To be totally honest, I mean, you know, I didn't
really it was embarrassing what I'm saying. Like, you know,
I mean like I wasn't completely overwhelmed because I was innocent.

Speaker 3 (01:17:50):
For one, and what I'm saying you feel me, gotcha.

Speaker 5 (01:17:53):
But I was always you know, I was humbled and
appreciative for such a grounding experience, you know what I mean. Like,
and I just felt I just felt renewed in my
faith in feeling like, Okay, I have deliberately and intentionally

(01:18:15):
done the good I have done, you know, I mean, uh,
to guarantee in some regard, you know, I mean a victory,
a greater victory in my personal life and professional life,
and be a means of motivation and inspiration and other
people of whom are my passion and whom I care

(01:18:36):
about what I'm saying, you feel me more so than myself,
you know what I'm saying. I you know, that's why
I said I was all willing to die a revolutionary
because I wouldn't given my life.

Speaker 8 (01:18:47):
I did not I didn't value my own life in
that way I value you know, I'm saying, the legacy
of a people, you know what I mean, Like you
feel me dis enfranchised? I mean like you know, and
I just felt like those things that were put on
my heart and on my spirit to speak on, you know,
and and the fact just the real fact that I
was being affected and people.

Speaker 5 (01:19:05):
Were listening, and people were being changed because of it.
You know. I felt like you know, when my when
my my mothers and fathers, the associate pastors would say
to me as a child, you're going to be a minister.
You know. I felt like prophecy was coming to pass
because of music, you know what I'm saying. So I
felt like I was doing Yeah, I felt like I

(01:19:26):
was doing what I was always meant to do, you
know what I mean, Like you know, I just wanted,
you know, I wish it was just some kind of
way that I could remind people to refer them back
to what I had done. I'm like, man, please don't
please y'all, don't forget about what I did. I did this,
you know, like for no money. You know what I'm saying.
You feel me want no money? And what we were
doing as good as mind we we were writing songs

(01:19:47):
about Marshal Law in nineteen ninety five.

Speaker 2 (01:19:50):
What are you doing that I talk about Atlanta?

Speaker 3 (01:19:52):
Oh shit, you are in Atlanta.

Speaker 5 (01:19:54):
Yes. I wasn't trying to say nothing, you know what
I'm saying, Like, we weren't doing nothing. We're trying to share,
you know what I'm saying, Like and be out and
be our highest selves. You know what I mean with
that opportunity because we all had a deep sense of appreciation.
H And you know, hey, man, I was married to
a black woman, got a black son. You know what

(01:20:15):
I'm saying, Like you know my mother was one of
the first several black firefighter fire women in Atlanta, Georgia.
And I got some wonderful, some gigantic women around me
who I come from, you know what I mean, Like then,
I would never do such a thing, you know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:20:32):
How did you the conversation with your son?

Speaker 6 (01:20:36):
Because I get Well, he's nineteen now, but I mean
he was, you know, a little younger at the time.
How how do y'all have that conversation in terms of
what it was you know, just you know, it was hard, man.

Speaker 5 (01:20:46):
It was hard than when they were younger, man, because
they become victimized. And I'm saying, like you know, and
and the guilt by association, just the embarrassment man, Like
you know, you can you can't even I can't even
really put that into words. It's just to time, you
know what I'm saying, Like you know what I mean,
like time and and tangibility of just me being there
me we haven't been able to touch and feel what

(01:21:07):
I'm saying, like you know. And you know a lot
of people would say that, you know, hey, man, my
kids know me, but you gotta gotta.

Speaker 3 (01:21:16):
They really don't.

Speaker 6 (01:21:18):
And they've been watching you to think I've learned just
in fatherhood, Like they've been watching the things, the things
that you don't think they see or like like you've
been telling them one thing whatever, but they've been watching
everything else. And they've been picking up on stuff that
you might not even think that they was looking at.
And it's like damn you absolutely, you know what I'm saying, No, no, man,

(01:21:39):
but but my son, y'all, y'all watch for him too.

Speaker 5 (01:21:41):
Man, Like he's been producing me, you know what I'm saying,
like as of Blake and he is he is. Uh
you know we we we did. We did on my
I G you can check it out. We did like
some Callaway Family band posts, you know, like he taught
my fiance Sean how to play bass and guitar. Wow,
we would. We were doing that a lot throughout the quarantine.

(01:22:03):
So no, he's accomplished and he's dope. And I mean
like so like he's like me when I was a kid,
Like I like Judas Priests and Motley Crue and Black
Sabbath when I was a kid. So he's like he
likes System of a Down and Slip Knot and stuff
like that.

Speaker 2 (01:22:17):
Just produce their name.

Speaker 5 (01:22:19):
His producer name is Points Setup. His I is Points
center Guard And he doesn't he don't really post a lot.
But you know, like he's a quiet kid and he's reserved,
but like he's a he's really talented.

Speaker 3 (01:22:35):
So is he with you? Like full time? He's with
his mom? Like how do y'all work that out.

Speaker 5 (01:22:40):
You know, any place I got, he got you know
what I'm saying, So like you know any you know,
I would never get a one bed room somewhere. Like
it's like I'm make sure I got to so he
got some.

Speaker 3 (01:22:51):
U how that go?

Speaker 5 (01:22:52):
Hey?

Speaker 4 (01:22:53):
So well, anything can happen in hours. That's that's the
times that we live in right now, anything could happen.
How what do you feel like right now seeing what's
happening in Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker 5 (01:23:07):
Man, it's kind of like what we was talking about,
you know earlier, men, just like with the music and
the way that you know, activism had always been, you know,
our unified front. You know what I mean. I feel saddened,
and I feel disappointed, and I feel angered, and I
feel but I feel impassioned, and I do feel like
you know, you know, you know we're worked against you

(01:23:31):
know what I mean when I said when I say we,
I mean in terms of like conscious music, you know
what I mean, Like there's really no outlet, there's no platform,
you know, I mean, like you know for it. It's
like but but that's what we're supposed to be thriving,
you know, I mean, like there hasn't there hasn't been
a movement, you know, of an era of a generation
where the music didn't reflect the sign of the times,

(01:23:53):
you know what I'm saying. And I believe that there's
just a large disconnect, you know what I mean. It's like,
but how can we make not only those protest songs,
but like those those historical timeless songs, you know what
I mean, like that that last you know, uh, that last,
you know? And going forward? I mean like because I

(01:24:13):
do see that people addressing the issues with sound bites
and uh, montages of the current events and things of
that nature. You know, you know what I mean. But
like sometimes it's a little disheartening to me because like
you know, I hate for any of us as as
as artists to have to be you know, conveniently black
or you know what I mean, Like you know, you know,

(01:24:35):
you know, in any kind of way, man, Like I
really would like for that to be you know, our disposition,
you know what I mean, Like in our narrative, you know,
going forward, you know what I mean, Like, you know,
we've got to we've got to create counterbalances, you know
what I mean, Like you know, like for our culture
or else we will be defined you know what I'm saying,

(01:24:55):
like you know, like you know, as it stands, you
know what I mean, And so I have my opinions,
but you know, like it's it's it's it's sometimes it's
you know, I hate to cop out and by saying
like it's ultimately what the people want, you know what
I mean, like you know, giving people what they want,
you know what I mean, it's just like just.

Speaker 2 (01:25:12):
Because I think people are looking at it here as
you talk about you know, you have a nineteen year
old son, and you a black man, and you were
in Atlanta and we just saw what happened with Raynard,
and that's you thought that George Floyd was going to be.

Speaker 5 (01:25:22):
The you know, do y'all know that I was coming
home from a meeting, and you know, I just saw
that the traffic was grid locked, and I knew, I mean,
like I know it now in the traffic, I'm like this,
I said this same movement, But I didn't realize what
had happened until I got home because I was coming
through the city and I still had like another forty
five minutes to travel to get home. And then I

(01:25:45):
realized the incident, you know, in the tragedy that had
just taken place and they were rioting right there. So
like you know, I mean seventy yeah, you know what
I mean, Like university, Yeah, man, like you know that's
you know, that's that's damn it. You know, that's home
for me, you know what I mean, Like I'm from here,
you know what I mean, So like you're seeing it firsthand.

(01:26:05):
You know, we've had you know, even going back, you
know a few weeks to COVID in March, you know,
since Shanni and my fiancees, you know, her her father
and her uncle passed within days apart. You know what
I mean, due to unrelated health issues. But we took
I mean, like we've taken real losses. You know what
I'm saying. We continue to take losses.

Speaker 2 (01:26:25):
Amount of time right now.

Speaker 5 (01:26:27):
Yeah, I'm just like, damn, you know what I mean.
So like we can't go back to perpetuating and celebrating
our stereotypes and our and reveling in our ignorance and
our you know, inaccountability. You know what I mean. You
feel me like we've got to be responsible, you know
what I mean, Like you I mean, like about the
things we say and the images we portray and going forward.

(01:26:48):
I mean like and you know, I don't know we needed,
but like you know that kind of music, that kind
of content, you know what I mean, Like that's that's
independent action. I mean, like it's apost certainly not affirmative action.
So we have to we have to support you know,
that balance, you know, I mean, like you know, and
sustain that balance for ourselves because I mean literally our

(01:27:09):
lives are depending on it. I mean, because music is
you know, it is in my opinion me being an artist,
I consider it to be a central work, you know
what I mean, Like I believe that should be considered
as a central workers.

Speaker 6 (01:27:22):
DJs have been getting people through this shift like all that,
like for real, for real, you know, well, thank you,
uh brother brother, see, thank you very much for your time.

Speaker 3 (01:27:34):
This is epic, all of your time the year.

Speaker 6 (01:27:38):
Appreciate that, amazing man and just as and as just
from MC to m C and just you know, you
were just a huge inspiration and still are, you know,
Huger inserration for me just to transition to using your
singing voice and just hearing you talk about it like
it's it's so many parallels to my career and I
just thank you just for the inspiration and for the
work brothers for real.

Speaker 5 (01:27:59):
Well, you've callted me so many times in this interview. Man,
I really can't believe it. Man, I had no idea
that you you know you you you cut that as
we said, you cut that hard for me. Man, I
really it was a pleasure to meet. Sure, you look
just like a good friend of mine named Kim Uh Steve,
you know, and and of course the almighty Quest Love.

(01:28:21):
You know what I mean. Thank you for having me.
You know. Thank I got more bluff of y'all. So
I hope you know that the content that we got
here is of some of you. It's not just an.

Speaker 3 (01:28:32):
This is a typical episode, but not so much because
it's you.

Speaker 2 (01:28:37):
And I hope that you enjoyed your experience too.

Speaker 3 (01:28:39):
I hope you did.

Speaker 5 (01:28:40):
I did. I thank you'all for having me. Man, I didn't.
I didn't have no idea. I just knew I was
talking to Quest.

Speaker 4 (01:28:45):
Today, so I will say she will. Thank you very much,
uh for doing our show. This has been long overdue.
I hope you enjoyed this. Yes, so on behalf of
sugar Steve, you cool sugar Steve.

Speaker 3 (01:29:03):
Yes, Yes, I am thank you exactly. Bill.

Speaker 4 (01:29:06):
Bill's over there, just yeah, I'm doing pretty Cain over there.

Speaker 3 (01:29:11):
Pretty great, yo, y'all. We will see you on the
next proground of Quest Love Supreme. We appreciate you. Stay safe,
all right, see aladays.

Speaker 1 (01:29:24):
Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. For more
podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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Episode Transcript

Hosts And Creators

Laiya St. Clair

Questlove

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