BJ The Chicago Kid

On this week's episode of The R&B Money Podcast, Tank and J Valentine welcome BJ The Chicago Kid, who shares his incredible journey from Chicago's church scene to becoming one of R&B's most soulful voices. BJ opens up about growing up with musical brothers, learning harmonies from his mother in the car, and hustling his way from singing background for Mary Mary and Usher to establishing himself as a solo artist. He discusses his collaborations with TDE, including the story behind his memorable hook on ScHoolboy Q's "Studio," and reflects on his evolution as a songwriter working with legends like Harold Lilly. Through heartfelt stories about his roots in Chicago and his perspective on the industry, BJ demonstrates why he's become such an important voice in modern R&B. Another illuminating conversation on The R&B Money Podcast.

 

Extended Episodes on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/RnBMoneyPodcast

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Tank: @therealtank  

J Valentine: @JValentine

Podcast: @RnbMoneyPodcast

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
R and money.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
We are.

Speaker 1 (00:10):
We are the.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
Authority, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Tank Valentine and
this is the Army Money Podcast, The authority.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
On all things are in by.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Yeah, my my my.

Speaker 4 (00:31):
My, yes, real going on listen here.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
We we we we have a special place here where
where special people we we. We are blessed when they
stop by amen, when they are in the midst in
the presence being who and what they are. This man

(00:57):
is a fine man man the cloth Uh, a man
of deep soil, deep soil. Yeah, keep the name him
uh and and and and his gift uh speaks.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Volumes throughout the musical universe.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I speak on.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
None other than as I bring guest preacher to the podium.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
I'm gonna use that when I go on my.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Next to you are you man? You are brother man.
I love you brother to be him man.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
I gotta shake out.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah. We've been doing this.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
A long long time, brothers for a long time.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah. And you know.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Along with the brotherhood, you know, today I feel like,
you know, we get to we get to talk to
talk about b J the Chicago kid.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
We get we get to we get to talk shipped.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
You know what I'm saying you know what I'm saying
you you you get to say you God, damn right, go.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Ahead and look who I mean it.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
Then you're damn right. Yes on who they say.

Speaker 3 (02:26):
I am multi faceted, multi talented. More importantly man, uh,
just a good brother man, Thank you man, good brother man.
You know there's that's universal, that's not just language we talk.
That's that's around the world. Very important to this thing.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Man.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
I think you are very important to this thing. Thank
you man, Thank you saying same. That's why I showed up.

Speaker 5 (02:52):
Man.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
I was at the Raphaels down the street, said let
me go ahead and try about with in between these
episodes and Tom and Jerry Snookie get my sweat out
the first off and shout out to the cooogie.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
You.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
You are not getting away from here without giving me
the connect I got.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
You say, let's the real, authentic o G not the
I don't want none of that new You want something
to put time in you. I want that real threading.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your lineage is crazy. If your family dynamics,
it's all it's all crazy. Like you know, we we
we could have you here for two days.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
We can going through the.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
Levels and the progressions. But let's at least let's at
least touch on the beginning of of what you come from, man,
and and and and where it all started for you?

Speaker 1 (04:06):
Where was a must.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
I'm the youngest of three boys, both parents in the home. Yeah,
born and raised in the same home that I left.
I was born here, moving to l A. Anything they touched,
I touched basketball, drums, bases in the house a couple
of times. With music in general, even my mom and dad.

(04:31):
My dad, he was a choir director in this earlier
Afro real Bell Bottom days, you know that that era.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
And he was directing the choir with the Afro.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I still got pictures. Yeah,
my dad was a choir director. My mom did the
same thing, and so they grew up in the same church.
Then she went to her mom's church for some time
and then came back to that church. So my mom
was was directing choirs pretty much the whole time as well,

(05:02):
learning how to harmonize, doing what harmony was, Knowing how
strong or how soft you had to sing that note,
all of that. Like my mom taught me that in
the car. Like I remember the first time I ever
had to sing at church. She made me sing with
my brother and she was gonna have to leave, so
it was pretty much three of us. We had to
sing that, and she gave my part in the car
before we went into church. That was my first sign

(05:22):
of pressure and getting through it. Of course, I was
about six or seven years old, bro and I and
I felt that pressure of have a responsibility of a part.
Nobody's singing this with you, so if you fall off,
you're gonna make the ship rocky.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
You know.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
It's like I understood what the musical responsibility was for
the first time, outside of a choir or a.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Group or something. It was just like us this way. Yeah,
And I.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
Was like all right, and we went in and we
did it. It was amazing, man. But just little things like
that takes me back. Even playing the drums for the
children's choirs. Just stuff like that, it takes me back. Oh,
for sure, I had gigs. I had church gigs.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
I actually when I moved to l A, I left
the church to come to LA to pursue writing and
you know, artistry and so forth, music on a different
level outside of the drums. So I left forget to
come here.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
Yeah, when you were in this church space. I mean
you talked about six and seven, already harmonized and already
feeling the pressure.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
My brothers they went on to play like for all
of the best choirs, the recordings and all like my
Scooter is Man recorded so many times with so many
groups and choirs throughout downloadable history. Aaron, Aaron, don't look
like it, but he the oldest. Everybody like who the oldest?

(06:41):
I was like, God, like the oldest, but he's the oldest.
School is next, Scooter is next, and then I'm the
youngest BJ. So it just man, bro, like my brothers
were and still is everything to be. They still remain
big brothers, even in me being an artist, like when
it comes to like away from all this, you know this, man,

(07:02):
they still be brothers. Just they they stayed my dogs
many just like that, and we stay locked. And was
best dressed in high school. So of course it's his
reason why I might want to be fresh every day?
You know?

Speaker 1 (07:14):
Was that because they were able to you know, I
mean you had a couple of things.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
I mean, yeah, of course, you know if they left
too long on leave their closet open. Yeah, the reason
why girls on the body line we met some girls
on the body line.

Speaker 4 (07:33):
Bob's close the ship I wantuposed to iron that it
got a hole in it there. That's not.

Speaker 2 (07:41):
One day Scooter walked in and not I got in
maybe ten minutes before him and not knowing he was
coming straight and he caught me with it on mom
and daddy wasn't.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
Mom, and daddy wasn't that.

Speaker 4 (07:52):
Yeah, it was like his hands.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah yeah, mano, mano, man Yeah, that dope. But but
I got it off in school. I got that fit off.
Though I got that fit off, was it worth it? Yeah,
especially for the times you didn't have that fit. Nigga
snuck in on the Wednesday would feel like, are you
in shopping yesterday?

Speaker 1 (08:15):
Huh?

Speaker 2 (08:15):
It ain't Monday, nigga. Niggas nigga, you know niggas go
shopping on the weekend. So here's a new fit on
the Wednesday night. Niggas just wait to figure something matter. Yeah,
you know how it is, man. I think that whole
competitiveness from even like you know, racing to the car
with your cousins as kids. Man, that whole competitiveness it
helped us form, like, you know, that other side of

(08:35):
life that you don't learn in the house, you know
what I'm saying, Almost like with basketball, can struw you
if you get beyond just hooping at the park and
you really get to understand what to do to you
and understanding of what teammates he is, and what survival is,
how to yeah, how to hold it down? Yeah, every everybody? Yeah,
yeah yeah. All of that was conditioning for surviving in
this game. Is still surviving in it. Reinventing myself again

(08:58):
to go again and have a little bit more fun
like our heroes have done. All of that stuff has
been seasoning to have a barbecue restaurant that we're trying
to make not but barbecue chicken.

Speaker 1 (09:10):
Did you?

Speaker 2 (09:11):
Did you?

Speaker 3 (09:13):
Because I know me in church, I didn't know what
this was. You know, I wasn't even in a space
where it was even allowed to consider m Like I
know my older cousins that would listen to to uh
the secular, that's the word, you know what I'm saying.

(09:33):
I thought that I thought they were like, they're going
to hell. Well I didn't think they were going to hell.
I thought they were I thought they were cooler.

Speaker 2 (09:45):
There was an interest, a curiosity.

Speaker 3 (09:47):
I was like, because I used to. You know, I
used to hang with all my street guys. But at
a certain point when my grandmother you screamed out the
rail back and you know what time it was. Everybody
on the block knew what time it was. Got to
go to church, That's what it was.

Speaker 2 (10:05):
Same with the sledge chiusehold and they laughed and joke.
We laughed in joke too, But Nigga, we ain't let
we ain't leave that that that that portray on cacking
is still nigga passing my cutback. I mean it. The
cross on the corner is very important for survival for
who we are, our understanding of ourselves. While we feel
those that had the same understanding of across the corner

(10:26):
before us, while we felt their music so stronger than
other artists, because Nigga, that's that's us. You listen to
your uncle yo, your musical pop show, your god daddy
in another way, but some type of ken to you
and it feels very familiar, and that that helps us
with who we are finding out, who we are growing
to be, what we want more of because they had
way less than we have but still gave us way

(10:48):
more than we give it.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
They no pro tools, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (10:56):
Yeah, Yeah, they had way less than what we had,
but gave more than what we give it for sure. Yeah,
because imagine that bassic player fucking up all god damn time,
and we recording this song today. The bass player keep
sucking up. They're like, Hi, nigga, war more nigga. We
be going in the alley right easy, my big ma
beery steak tonight. I ain't being late.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
You gotta be fed up, Jack.

Speaker 4 (11:21):
Stevie wonder whoof.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yep, yep, I can't see you, but I'm gonna find you. Yeah,
I'm gonna find you.

Speaker 1 (11:28):
I hear you, I hear you. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:30):
Somebody even told me. They was like, have you ever
like they said, they know, I love so New so much.
It said, have you paid attention to how the sound
changed from before Martin Luther King? And then when he died,
he said them basslines got needed them, drums can heave.
Your conversation got a little different. You can hear the frustration,
the anger, the pain, even if it's a happy song

(11:52):
that Sh'S slapping now, It's like it certain things changed
music without the recognition of it changing, because it just
do something to the people naturally, and if you feel
what we feel, it's gonna change you in what you do.
You know what I'm saying. The person that sell phones man,
when they go back in the they hey, how you doing. Yeah,
I know, I know it's some type of feeling that

(12:12):
it's some emotion something. Yeah, And I feel like those
things have always kind of helped translate the music differently
and help us change our creative illness in some type
of way. But I like that's why I like talking
to old heads.

Speaker 3 (12:26):
Man.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
They get you thinking with the other side of your
brain and it be the simplest stuff, you know, and
just just go of our heads sometimes.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
So yeah, I just because I used to watch my
uncle Leroy. I used to on his date night. I
used to watch him on his date night. He would
have the Blue Magic play whatever he had playing. He
had slow music. Yeah, and you know his room was
over here, but he had to walk across the kitchen

(12:53):
to get to the bath, so he'd be going back
and forth, robe on and he s just yeah, yeah,
just watching him, amazed by him. Got his magic shave on.
You know, you gotta get clean.

Speaker 2 (13:03):
You got close.

Speaker 3 (13:05):
Yeah, it's it's it's a bottle with some green spraying
and that's all I knows, spraying, watching them put on
clothes to d and the music in the background. It's
not music I'm I'm used to listen, used to hearing,
like my grandmother know me play the James Cleveland and
all of that.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
Master This is different.

Speaker 4 (13:25):
He's playing the secular music.

Speaker 1 (13:26):
I'm like, I'm like, I'm like what, I'm like, ugly,
where were you going? Got a date? I got a date?
I was like, what's that? What you listening? Though? You
know that's that's that's the music that you play when
you're on the date. I'm like, what you what you like?
What you got on? What is the clothes you wear
when you're going to date?

Speaker 6 (13:42):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (13:46):
The other side. And even then, it wasn't necessarily an
interest in R and B music. I was more interested
in just wanting to be like him. Yes, yes, you
know what I'm saying. I was came with that. I
was just a church.

Speaker 2 (13:59):
Kid, you define everybody'd be like man like at a
certain age. Man, I was like, man, I really just
want to be like my post and my uncles with
a little more money, a few more options.

Speaker 1 (14:10):
But who they were.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
Was it that that was it? That was it? That
was it. I couldn't wait till my uncles came in town
and just so I could just talk to him. Yeah,
just talk man, what you been man? Or he asked
me what I've been doing? And I want to sound
cool saying what I've been doing, because this nigga's cool.
You know what I'm saying, like nigga.

Speaker 6 (14:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
Like even when I said the clone, it's like, I
think we all love a fry flight, a fly fragrance
that kind of represent us because of that experience growing
up having somebody that we admired. It was so ill
and we knew it was like, that's a key component
to being fly, and it's about what you got on.
How you smell when you walk past and be like
I feel like sometimes if a woman don't smell like nothing,
I'd rather you just least smell your your hair products

(14:51):
or something something, but don't smell like nothing. You know something, Yeah, fly,
a flower smells like something? Yes, yes, yes, And all
those things are from I passed.

Speaker 4 (15:00):
Man.

Speaker 2 (15:02):
They say, what you didn't have a lot of when
you was little, When you get money, you get a
lot of that, right, So I got a lot of
sneakers in my house, all type of you know, you know,
because yeah, yeah, yeah, and it's true. But everything goes
back to when we were kids and what what we
were attracted to, what what what? What we thought was dope? Well,
we always wanted some people weat some people fifty some

(15:24):
years old, man still got stuff on that list when
they was a kid.

Speaker 7 (15:26):
Man.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
Some guys still want that rock and sock and robot.
Yeah yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (15:30):
And I saw I saw the Vultron lines for sale.
On the other thing, I'm about to buy the.

Speaker 1 (15:36):
Shield kill you. I bought a Megatron. I'm about to
buy a new Megatron that transforms on its own. I
gotta have it. I gotta have it.

Speaker 3 (15:47):
You did because I didn't. I used to lie to that,
lie about having it. Yeah yeah, I got Nintendo. I
was playing punch Out all night. Yeah, killing it. So
you talk about your big brothers and and obviously they're
getting the gigs and all of these things before you,

(16:09):
like they're like their God. Yeah, when when do you
get your opportunity to be to be a guy to
feel like you're at least kind of on their level
in that space.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
I had to be irritating first. I had to be
very irritating. First, I'm talking about school to be like Mama,
I used to call they the musicians. They have a
little shit over there. I'm like, I want to go.
I'm saying it out loud in the room.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
I was.

Speaker 2 (16:36):
You know what I was on?

Speaker 1 (16:44):
You gotta take BJ with you.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
I'm like, yeah, I immediately run to the room to
see what I'm about to throw on.

Speaker 4 (16:51):
How old are you at this point?

Speaker 2 (16:52):
Oh, nigga? That started. That started when I would have
to say I was at least thirteen. Yeah, And that
didn't stop till he got the fuck out the house
for real, because man, his life is so much more
cracking than mine.

Speaker 1 (17:08):
But I was.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
I knew I was a cool little brother man. Like
I used to shoot dice against my brother musician homies
and take their money.

Speaker 1 (17:13):
School.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
You were bet with me and like, Nick, come on,
make me some money, nigga. You know what I do,
nigga jump shots and dice. I shoot both of them.
You know what I'm saying. That was my air force
warm money. My mom was like this all you get
for shoes, This is gonna get for clothes going back
to school. You gotta make it work.

Speaker 1 (17:26):
I'm line. Let me take this.

Speaker 2 (17:27):
I'd be right back about thirty minutes. Yeah, go ahead
to go to Brander Park. Yep, we end up shooting
jumpers or shooting dice are probably both. And uh that
that was my way of like earning bread around that
time in my life. Yeah, in school, Hey, I would
be at school and be counted absent because I'd be
in the gym shooting jumpers for money. I come, I
got three fifty in my pocket coming home today, though,
fuck it. I I deal with it with my pops.

(17:51):
That list of all them days you went out the
house with. Some days you miss home people. Yeah, yeah,
but you deal with it when it comes. But having
a having the pop step was like that. Like uh,
like when he left directing in the church, like he
went to doing security and body Garden. Back then they
recalled the Bodyguarden Bodyguarden, like Eddie, Eddie Murphy, Muhammad, Ali, Oprah,
Winfrey Man. The list goes on and on. Every Bulls rally.

Speaker 4 (18:15):
They came through Chicago.

Speaker 2 (18:17):
Yeah, every Bulls rally, my daddy worked the stage where
the bulls walk on the stage. That like he would
make sure ain't nothing, nigga. I'll tell you what, the
Blues Fest, the Taste of Chicago, the Jazz Fest. Like
he was a part of that crew that did all
of security for that. And my dad was always on stage.
So one day I'm at the Gospel Fest. It's probably
like somebody like the Kent's spirituals probably up there. Somebody

(18:40):
got to walk across the stage. I saw my daddy
grab a grown man by here and here and turned
them sideways and walk them off. I say about beat
the ship out gospel because I know Uncle Ron. I
call him Uncle Ron, like my daddy buddies all in
my right there. I know they about the dog this way,

(19:00):
they about to dog this man on the side. But
I also said, if my daddy picked the grown man
up like that, I'm fucking up in school. I'm tripping.
So are you just bugging out?

Speaker 4 (19:13):
Are you just hooping to gamble? Are you? Are you
going to school and hooping for the team too?

Speaker 2 (19:17):
Are you just's what's crazy? I'll tell you this, this
is a real story. I went to school and I
was one of those kids that grew up in our neighborhood.
Basketball was always available. I don't care if he was
in the alley hoop and I don't care you went
to the park. I don't care we went to the park.
We ain't supposed to, Uh, hooping in Chicago, you gotta
go to parks that you know is the opposite of
how you grew up. You know what I'm saying. Far
as a gang wise or whatever, you notice in the

(19:39):
whole nother hood. You've been over here, you know this area,
but you don't hoop at this park. You ain't never
got You ain't got out the car and been around
these niggas, and the car is just as far away
from you because it is from him. Yeah, Like, nigga,
you gotta you gotta face the wolves. You gotta go
dance with the lions. And I think surviving in that city,
it makes you fearless, not being the enemy.

Speaker 1 (19:57):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (19:58):
Like, if you know you ain't the enemy, you walking,
you about to go on the liquor store. It's about
six niggas out there, and that you out the car,
you get back, you go back in the car, You're
gonna look like everything. Yeah, you might well keep on
what's up? Brother, that's how y'all doing? Before they say something,
I'm in the mother fucking store. I ain't listening to
you come talk back. I'm just letting you know, Nigga,
I'm not the nigga killch your cousin. Nigga, I ain't
fight you in high school. Nigga, ain't the nigga that
and you hear my accent, Nigga, I am not. But

(20:19):
you gotta be fearless if you ain't got shit to hide.
It's like in a mob, bro, if you ain't got
it to hide him, since you shake and stutter or nothing,
and just speak your truth and shut the fuck up,
you know. And I think that was my way of
being fearless, of moving out here to La Hell. Yeah,
all that shit. It's like it. Keep it, keep you
tied in it, keep you focused too, cause sometimes you
might do the best out of three and then Nigga,

(20:40):
that's losing. Like Nigga, let's do one for one alright.
That means you gotta be so owned to the point
where if you know about jump shots, like Nigga, you
hit enough for them. It's a feeling. It's not even
how far you from the rim or nothing, nigga, it's
a feeling. And Nigga, I got really good. I got
used to that feeling. Very fast. And it's kind of
the same with music. Sometimes when you're on stage, this
song might be next on the list, but you got

(21:01):
some guys behind you.

Speaker 1 (21:02):
They can follow you black niggas, they won't.

Speaker 2 (21:04):
They want the one after that, and you're going out
there and you're black. I don't want to do something different.
Now they setting up for what did you just told him?
They getting ready so about and they.

Speaker 1 (21:13):
Know when they hit it.

Speaker 2 (21:14):
It's all of his basketball is knowing how to penetrate.
You see him over there, but the more you look
over there, it's gonna you gonna give him up. Theyga
don't look over there, but let then they keep moving
you on. That's what made magic so ill. He didn't
have to give up what he was about to do
so much and him that's why he got to know
the passes off and it it's like it's it's a
it's a certain concentration in penetration that you that you
get in basketball that you could assess to other things

(21:36):
in life.

Speaker 1 (21:36):
Yeah. So you following school around.

Speaker 2 (21:39):
Man and well when he get in the garage, boy
boom boom, just like them clothes. He call me with
the clothes. No, nah, I'll tell you this. If I'm like, Mama,
I want to go, She's like, you gotta take bj
I'm gonna take about two three hits in the chest
before we get in the kind of garage because he's like, niggas,
you know, I want to do me, Nigga, you're messing
up my flow. I'm like up, but I'm flying shit niggas.

(22:04):
By the time we get there, they his homies happy
to see me. Bro. Yeah, yeah, but I understand what
I was doing with my brother, like he probably wanted
to do some a little different than what he told
my mama, you know how. Yeah, but nigga, they got
a little sister, nigga, what's up? And that is that
that happened quite a few times. So it's like, you know,

(22:24):
I learned a lot from hanging out with my brothers
far more mature than me. So even when I got
back around people my age, it stood out in a
lot of ways. Having a father that I had, having
a mother that I had, helped me not be outside
to a certain point, to the point where certain shit
was only stories. Man, I heard when certain niggas got shot,

(22:45):
but I wouldn't there. It was it was the survival
of me. You know what I'm saying, dude, it was
just it was the illest Aaron being the oldest Aaron
was you know, he was the one of them. You know,
get a couple of dollars, man, he like, man, clean
them gym shoes for me.

Speaker 1 (22:58):
I got you. I'll be there like, yeah, try.

Speaker 2 (23:01):
To clean them souls in the ones. Just so you
know what I'm saying. I give me a little quick
ten fifteen dollars, twenty dollars man. I I've learned to
utilize my big big brothers is big brothers. You know
what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah, If an't working at the
store or something, nigga, you know, hit me up there.
You know what, I'm in school, Nigga. Y'all got to
shoot hook up at foot locker from the homie. They
can bring me some something back, Nigga. I'm a little
and I represent y'all. Nigga. Yeah yeah, nigga, yeah yeah,

(23:24):
Or nigga, just bring me to y'all level, nigga, because
I understand it. Y'all know I know how to put
it together. You got the link, nigga. You got five nigga,
give me one nigga And if you got five, you
could get six, especially if you tell Willie it's for BJ.

Speaker 7 (23:46):
So had your brothers did they leave when they turned
eighteen or did they stay in Chicago though?

Speaker 2 (23:51):
Yeah, I was the first one to move to LA,
but my brothers moved out the house.

Speaker 4 (23:55):
And but they still stayed in the city.

Speaker 1 (23:57):
But they still stay in the city. Yep.

Speaker 4 (24:00):
But what made you go to LA?

Speaker 2 (24:03):
Interesting question? So in high school, I I knew I
I you knew you were special musically, yes, people even
to get back to the basketball team.

Speaker 1 (24:16):
My bad.

Speaker 2 (24:16):
I'm all over the place. But when I went to
high school, nigga, I hooped so much every day. Nigga,
I'm just nigga. You hear basketball and then you looking
out the windows seeing who out that drilling. Nigga know
if you should go hoop? If it's time yet, Nigga
know what I'm saying. That's the neighborhood. So nigga, yeah,
I went in there to try to play. But when
I saw ja uh Varsiti, I was like.

Speaker 1 (24:32):
I don't know, motherfucker. These niggas go overhead jav.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
Real quick, try it out? What's crazy? I mean, it's
next try But nigga, I didn't even go back. I
didn't go back. I don't know why, but I still
hung with the Hoopers Shine Dock Reality and there was
my niggas, like these were my niggas. So nigga, I
I walked it in our school. The music side is
like this hallway. It's like it's like an extension to

(24:57):
the building. And to get over there, you know, wonder
over there. You Yeah, I said, I'm about to go
the church drummer.

Speaker 1 (25:05):
I'm about to go see what these thiggas overhead DoD nigga.

Speaker 2 (25:07):
My cousin. My cousin Charles was in the band. He
played drums at church. Uh something, about to go and
see what it's about here, Like nigga Actu you the
band nigga kind of cool? You should go. So I'm like, then,
I see you gotta walk past the choir room, the
piano room, in the band room. So I'm like, okay,
go in the band room. I got a class with

(25:28):
this nigga.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
I notice.

Speaker 2 (25:30):
Band coolest hell, it ain't no really nerdy ass band.
It's it's it's people that more book heavy than student heavy.
It was some nerds in the band, but the band
was actually niggas that'll beat your ass, come kick it
with you, nigga going out to eat nigga where the
girls at like. I was like, Nigga, I can rock
with this. So Nigga. I joined the band. I became
section leader within a month. It was a rule in

(25:54):
the band that you must know how to read music
to join this band and to excel in this band.
I never took music as a as a class, never
took music as a class.

Speaker 1 (26:03):
I learned.

Speaker 2 (26:03):
I was Nick Cannon.

Speaker 1 (26:04):
You play it, I can remember it.

Speaker 2 (26:07):
Because church is every genre, and one Sunday every genre
you might got, you got. The next day you're doing funk,
and next thing though you're doing this nigga, you're playing
R and B for offering. It's every freaking genre. Bro praise,
some worship, be country music.

Speaker 1 (26:25):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (26:26):
It's every So I adapted very fast, and people that
thought they were supposed to have that spot but never
look at me like so they make niggas battle. I'm
used to playing the whole set. You canna make. You
played this one thing. I'm playing the ram everything, but
I'm playing it in a way that you wouldn't play
it because you play it, you come from this way
of playing it. I come from a different way of

(26:46):
planning it.

Speaker 1 (26:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:46):
I played for my soul. That's how I can listen
to play. And they got never they never beat me.
I was sexually until I didn't want to be sexually
to no more.

Speaker 1 (26:54):
He ain't taking music as a class.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
I just sit back there and let mister Key tell him,
like to shut the fuck up and man their business.
Let him fight my battles. Just be a g what
you're saying the mob don't don't you got sation? But
my band leader was like one, two three four. He'd
be like, what the I love mister Key to this day,

(27:22):
mister Key, because when you're from the hood, majority of
us need to be talked like that, to be talked.

Speaker 1 (27:29):
Listen, listen, respect people.

Speaker 3 (27:34):
It's so much floating around online that that people get
to judge from from from their private schools and and
and and from their higher learning and this upper eche
line of believing. When you don't come from that place,
you don't understand what it takes to get through to

(27:57):
a kid with the principal said, if you take him
home and never bring him back, I'll pass him. Get
him the fuck here. What are you gonna tell him?
You want to sit him down and have a conversation
with him? No, you nah, Pops needed to go upside

(28:18):
my head need that differently, Yeah, you need that real Badley.

Speaker 1 (28:21):
It was that. What's crazy is.

Speaker 2 (28:25):
We understood what we understood, what we had to do
every week in the house. He wants to he want
the house clean Wednesday. God damn Friday. If you don't
do a Friday, better be done before you leave Saturday
to do whatever your all day ship is, or you
got a problem when you return Saturday night, you got
a problem. And from responsibility to just knowing, like Nigga,
that ship was right. Nigga, who what the you got

(28:47):
three boys? My mom is the only lady in the house, Nigga.

Speaker 4 (28:50):
Yeah, Nigga yea.

Speaker 2 (28:54):
And nigg we watch her car. We have to do
all that, Nigga. We have to do all that. Nigga.
I still love and appreciate and Nigga, I praised my
mother man, she not just being a mother, but like
understanding what Sometimes it was important to me that really
what he's supposed to be like Nigga could be on
punishment and having a field trip you going to such
and such a nigga, one of them trips. Everybody need
need a new outfit my day. Like you ain't getting

(29:14):
she you ain't even going on trip. My mama like
give me that slip. She side a slip, nigga. One
of the trip niggas. She comeing able to little Nike
fit from coals, some super mess shorts with a knight.
You sound on that, nigga. Some socks. Nigga, You got
your shoes a nigga, And she like hurry up and
put it on while my daddy sleep and she give
me about it and I go to the trip. It's like, nigga,
my mom's just you don't beat that kind of love, bro.

(29:38):
You don't beat the display, the affection, the unconditional love.
That's like the first time to get of unconditional love
in the household with some of us. I understand something did,
but nigga, that was the first sign I ever had
an undditional love.

Speaker 1 (29:52):
Nigga. My mom will call me right a nigga, I give.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
Me five minutes, I'll be back, or slide the four
on the mice makes you everything all right? But my
mom is like that, yeah, but it was crazy. My
son share the same birthday as my mom. Wow, yeah, dude,
maybe even my magic was like, you know, like when
Pops passed away, my pop saw me. He's like, Nigga,
you gonna have a boy. I was like, Nigga's Thanksgiving.

(30:14):
We all drinking, niggas, playing dominoes, smack of the table, nigga,
the kids running around a matter of fact, she is again,
then we're gone and you're praying for the cow before
the milk. Milk for the cow passed away. Two years
after that, long and behore. Both my brothers got all girls.
I had the first boy of our generation. It's like, nigga, wow,

(30:37):
how to hell you? And he said it laughing. Atter
you feel this cup of black nigga? So how do
you know? It's just it's just that thing, man. It's
it's those things that mand you. The life is real
beyond your control. Yeah, some things in life. It really
is magical in a beautiful way.

Speaker 1 (30:54):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (30:55):
When you're moving to La is this is this? Are
you getting the blessings to make this move? Because I'm
sure it wasn't a it wasn't an easy one.

Speaker 2 (31:06):
Nigga, I ain't had luggage there it is, I ain't luggage.

Speaker 1 (31:10):
I know that, I know that move.

Speaker 4 (31:12):
Did you have luggage?

Speaker 1 (31:13):
Nigga?

Speaker 2 (31:14):
I had?

Speaker 3 (31:14):
I had whatever I had, Yeah, I had. I had
a thousand dollars in the car. Let me tell you
I had shoes. I bought shoes.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
Yeah, yeah, gotta have gotta have a kick or to
just so if you need to gowhere you like it, yeah, drip,
go back home.

Speaker 4 (31:32):
But you have something that you need.

Speaker 2 (31:33):
To get you yeah, yeah, yep, yep, yep. So Aaron
gets married, schoolter traveling. Both of my brothers had passports
before me, like traveling the world doing music, not just
doing some frivolus ship. Like doing music. That was one
of the first things that I ever saw that made
me believe that excuse me, that it really it happened,

(31:55):
happened beyond a gig.

Speaker 1 (31:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (31:57):
You know, when does it click for you? Like, Okay,
I really want to be an artist. I want to start,
you know, I want a record deal, because I'm sure
at this point now you're hearing about all the things
you hear about the record, that you hear about the
publishing deal you hear. You know what I'm saying like,
because once you're in it, yeah, now the world opens up.

Speaker 1 (32:14):
I was.

Speaker 2 (32:14):
I was low key for real, for I was running
more close to being a songwriter when I first first
got here being an artist. I knew I would be
an artist, never knowing when the time would come. Having
the job when I landed was a huge blessing. Working
with Mary and Mary I siting back ground for them.
I remember doing the church on a Friday with them
and Saturday week in New York at a baseball stadium
and bust the rhymes on the show.

Speaker 1 (32:35):
They would do.

Speaker 2 (32:36):
They would fit places, they were finished everywhere, Yeah, everywhere.
And it was really cool for me to have that
experience because and like I want so Nigga, I would
be the songs I'm working on. I would be giving
warrant c d's like tell me how can I write
and get better? Or tell me if you could use this.
I'm just trying to figure it out.

Speaker 4 (32:55):
And so he was mentoring you through a lot of
it early on.

Speaker 2 (32:58):
In a sense. Yeah.

Speaker 7 (33:00):
And then.

Speaker 2 (33:02):
They had like a Taco Sunday or something at their
crib and I went and Harrold was there. I was like, Nigger,
I heard a lot about you boy. And when I
saw how country and southern love and he was I
was like, bro, man, then give me your number. Bro,
I gotta call you, because is it cool if I

(33:22):
just bug you? Sometimes he was like, Shorty, you.

Speaker 1 (33:28):
Cool.

Speaker 4 (33:29):
He's probably all the twenty at the time.

Speaker 2 (33:32):
To put the pencil with a pencil. So it would
be times where during the week I would catch a
cab to Big John's office just to go in that
little blue studio back that would held and write, watch
him write all these songs Baby Mama for Fantasia and
all that type of stuff. I would begin to see

(33:52):
real product made in a real factory, in real place.
And I really didn't know who Big John well, I
knew what he did.

Speaker 1 (34:00):
I was.

Speaker 2 (34:00):
I didn't know, like to what, I'm just thinking the
blue here for her, and I'll begin to start like,
motherfuckers hair, can I come again, nigga? Yeah, you come again?
After Wire was like what you think about this bridge,
and He'll walk out and go to the cafeteria, come
back like you got something. I was like, what do
you want to here?

Speaker 1 (34:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (34:20):
I got something that So get that song get up
being Nikes fresh off the box Mario.

Speaker 1 (34:26):
Place.

Speaker 2 (34:26):
I wrote that Bridge. Not my first. That's my first
R and B placement for sure. My first placement was
with Ramsey Lewis Urban Nights. So Kevin Randolph was always like,
that's like Ramsey, Well rest the piece of Ramsey, but
that was like Ramsey's piano son, you know. And Kevin
thought my writing had got to a point where I

(34:49):
could at least like write that hook and let Ramsey
do that firse thing and you know, like NI, get
your feet wet, get your a check, learn how this go,
get your published name, started to just get it together.
And that was the beginning. That was like the first
So then Ramsey called us for the next one. And
then so I was like, alright, cool, now we in
and no, nigga, how about this my first R and

(35:13):
B placement. That's how I'm at tank Oh shit yeah,
ah shit right. So my brother School is singing background
for Dave Hollister and school to be playing like little
songs that make it with Kevin, like the Fireings he
be playing on the road, So day like who the
fuck is that? What is that? And Dave wanted to
meet me, So nig I come to the show when

(35:34):
they come to Chicago, Dave cool as fuck everything pan out.
He was like, man, I I'm working on the album
and I know you could get something for me. Man,
just just send me some shit, Send me some of
the best shit you got. So I went back to
my record some shit, got a song. Place came to
LA and I do not I wish I remember what
studio we were in h in Hollywood. It's Tank walks in.

(35:55):
Dave is working on the joint that Brandy ex husband
was working on.

Speaker 1 (35:59):
What big bird oh big b yeah yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 (36:03):
Thing came in, plugged that keyboard up, had the mother
fucks getting ship together. And when the keyboard was working,
I was like, this nigga crazy, This nigga crazy, you
know Dave Dave always looking around like the day he
was like like.

Speaker 1 (36:23):
And low key.

Speaker 2 (36:24):
Then I just begin to put everything together from music
you will put you were putting out. It was like, Bro,
those the days I will never ever, ever, ever, ever
fucking forget. That was before I even decided to be
an artist. I was still just trying to be an
amazing songwriter and learn more and he probably try to
be the next herold Lily if I could, you know,
that was one of my favorite songwriters in writing because

(36:44):
he knew how to take that thing. And and then
later understanding about the underdogs, and now I was like, God,
damn y'all motherfuckers and some dogs fuck.

Speaker 4 (36:53):
Under Did you get a publishing deal?

Speaker 2 (36:57):
No? I did not do it.

Speaker 1 (36:58):
You didn't.

Speaker 4 (36:58):
You didn't do one?

Speaker 2 (36:59):
Nope, I didn't. I didn't. Harold also told me it
wasn't best for me to do a publishing deal, and
he also explained to me the difference between a publishing
deal and at men deal and so forth, and then
explain what I should do when I when it was
best for the time. One of the most solid people
that I met in this music game, because he's not

(37:21):
just the I know the same herold you know, and
you know you know the same hero he knows. You know,
people like that in the game one nigga Ralph with
another nigga. You know, if very few people know the
same person in that person.

Speaker 1 (37:36):
First the start of it, niggas be.

Speaker 2 (37:42):
Switching up and it's not too many people. That's the
same person with everybody, And what everybody know was a
good person. Everybody can know the same asshole, you know
what I'm saying. But man like Harold was just he
wasn't just informative, but he gave me something to do
to keep me busy, to understand how it works, and
just giving me advice. Ended up getting my own songs

(38:05):
placed on Mario and some time after that, and but
Mario was one of the first albums that I really
wanted to be a part of at one point once
I met him at Record Plant and we both found
that like Nigga, that we loved the same style of
R and B singing. It was like super R and B.
But Harold got that soul and Warn't got that soul

(38:26):
in on Mario. And then that's when you got to
brave my hair. When you look at me, I know
all that soulfulness into the R and B. It adds
and helped him form what he has because the nigga, Honestly,
him and Eric Doggins are two of the craziest motherfuckers
I've ever sat and watched cut vocals like dog I'm

(38:48):
about to go, I'm about to go Yeah. But yeah,
I really wanted to work with Mario. Seeing somebody young
like that, with vocal talent, with vocal understand and with
musical understanding like that, and being around people that I've admired.
I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted
to take part in his legacy in a sense because

(39:11):
even back then I only wanted to work with magical things.
I wanted to work on something that I knew I
could stand out in because of what I've listened to
and what niggas played before. I could control that radio.
You know, you better not touch my radio. What they
planning after listen to that? But that babyface, that right,
and that simplicity something else and that anytime he played
that and we was going out to eat to the

(39:32):
steakhouse or the buffet or something, and I'm in the
back of that stanking lanker and he playing that babyface,
I'm like, this nigga really good and I'm gonna get it.
We'll say about being young with those antennas being.

Speaker 1 (39:42):
Uplay, let it play, don't touch nothing?

Speaker 2 (39:45):
Can you stand the ring?

Speaker 1 (39:46):
Same thing, exact same thing.

Speaker 2 (39:49):
That Minnesota period is so special musically. People do not
give Minnesota the credit. It's just the Jimmy Jam Terry
Lewis the Purple one and I'm men condition next I
got Come on, I'm sure people, I don't even know.

Speaker 4 (40:02):
The coldest songwriters I believe.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
Yes, sir, yes, sir. I didn't know they was from Minnesota.
From Minnesota just sucked me up with that next that's
what's up. Yeah, man, the Midwest. It's very very special musically, man.
But yeah, I had the job with Mary and Mary
and I'm shopping the songs around, got the got to
end up end up in the studio with Warren, Lily
and Mario and.

Speaker 1 (40:27):
I was addicted. Bro. Yeah, oh my god.

Speaker 2 (40:30):
I never felt I highlight that over in my life
musically from Chicago being here like that, knowing you just
pull up to the studio, seeing how it happens. Being apart,
I was like, oh, nigga, I ain't going back for nothing.
I'm here.

Speaker 1 (40:44):
I think.

Speaker 2 (40:45):
I think that's the feeling that we all get, and
that we all got honestly when we all came here.
Is it's very real mm hmm, right, Like it's it's tangible.
You get here and you're like, oh, that song that
this random nigga just played me a month ago is

(41:05):
now the biggest song in the world.

Speaker 4 (41:08):
Crazy, and that don't happen nowhere else.

Speaker 1 (41:10):
Yeah, not at that time.

Speaker 4 (41:12):
You know what I mean? For me? You know what
I mean.

Speaker 1 (41:14):
I didn't.

Speaker 4 (41:14):
I didn't go to New York, I didn't go to Atlanta.

Speaker 7 (41:16):
I came to La Obviously it was closer for me
coming from San Francisco.

Speaker 4 (41:19):
It was the closest place for me to go.

Speaker 7 (41:21):
But in San Francisco, I didn't know nobody that literally
placed records, you know what I mean, Like you knew
niggas that have local records, that you got a record
that that blew up out the city that became you
know what I'm saying, Like we had rapid fote, you
got the Players Club and go Platum and we're like.

Speaker 4 (41:36):
Oh, this is amazing. But you didn't. I didn't know
niggas that were literally.

Speaker 7 (41:43):
Really placing records somebody in the system. In the system,
you know what I mean, the Who's Looking List, you
remember them. Shit, they used to sit out like I
don't even know it exists.

Speaker 1 (41:52):
Ever, the first day to act sing.

Speaker 7 (41:54):
When I was like, wait, so okay, so they want
this type of song and they want this is it?

Speaker 4 (41:58):
And then you realize, like all that shit, they don't
want none of that ship that's on those papers.

Speaker 1 (42:03):
Later, yes, yes, yes, like it together.

Speaker 2 (42:07):
It was so exciting to be that close to it
to to touch it to Philly, it was. It was
super exciting, man, and that kind of started the the hunger.
What kind of started the ship for the artistry.

Speaker 4 (42:18):
It was.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
I don't know what album.

Speaker 2 (42:21):
I think it was the damn the album after Confessions.
It was a Hero I Stand or something like that.

Speaker 4 (42:29):
Yeah, and d No, Yeah it was.

Speaker 1 (42:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:35):
So at this time, my mom, I'm in Philly working
with Drave for Dow a lot, like to the point
where I'm out there so long, I'm sending my rent back.

Speaker 1 (42:41):
I'm not even coming back, like, I'm just out there.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
And I had songs that I brought out there to Philly,
and I worked on songs in Philly with dan Va
Dow for Usher and a few other artists they were
working for. We came up with some very unique records
that we thought were dope. When you're a young writer
and you don't know exactly what a nigga wont if
it's if it's unique enough, you're willing to play it

(43:05):
to see if a nigga can over like sell it,
because it's the unique with the nigga.

Speaker 1 (43:09):
That could sell it. Oh shit, you know.

Speaker 2 (43:11):
So were trying to wait for that other half of
the math to add up, but it wasn't adding up.
I was like, man, what y'all think about me just
keeping these motherfucking records? I was like, for you, I
was like, yep, Like Nigga is all, what the fuck
us we're gonna do with them? I was like, yup,
Like just give me a monk with them, Like, let

(43:33):
me chucklet's put these motherfuckers out, just see what happened.
I was like, all right, those the records that kind
of started the the whiff after Pineapple, because Pineapple was
like Pineapple was the time that I was singing in
our background for Usher. I left Mary Mary and went
to Usher.

Speaker 4 (43:52):
And you were Usher during confessions.

Speaker 1 (43:54):
Yeah shit, that's crazy.

Speaker 2 (43:56):
Yeah yeah, pantees the on you. I've never seen nothing
like that in my life. I went to the mall
with them one day just to see what then happens.
I wanted.

Speaker 1 (44:12):
I said, how the fuck do you go to the mall.

Speaker 4 (44:16):
To you to the ma shut it down?

Speaker 2 (44:19):
Yesther reason Nigga we took a break from sound check
was what he was doing.

Speaker 1 (44:25):
He's uh.

Speaker 2 (44:28):
Live in Puerto Rico, live on showtime in Puerto Rico,
and my nigga, Ryan, love it, Ryan, love it man.
He came back like he did a nigga that Wu
was school me how us would be like certain ships,
saying or he would like give me the details so
I can because we clicked verywhere, like, nigga, I know
you would kill this. I just want to tell you
what he liked so you could just already like I'm
like all right, ben, So Ryan put me on the game.

(44:48):
Me and Ryan became really close, so he so he
went over there to see what they was talking about. He
was like, go to the mall when we take a break.
I said, nigga, I'm going to We're going to. You
ain't tell me for me to get this information and
drink a gateorway till y'all get back.

Speaker 1 (45:05):
You gotta be fucked up.

Speaker 2 (45:07):
So nigga, I went to the mars like you going too.
So it's maybe but myself, Elijah USh, Terrence, Ryan is
probably about seven eight of us. We're getting to tomorrow.
First maybe four people see us, then thirty. It was
from four to thirty, and then thirty went from thirty.

Speaker 1 (45:24):
To three hundred.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
To the point where to the point where we came in,
we were just close. Now I'm on the other side
of that wall.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
And people between us. So me and Ryan like.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
Nigga, we gotta get back because if they move and
go through a door, then you let Nigga. So we
get back and now we we holding on like Elijah
Jacket like Nigga. They walker were walking.

Speaker 1 (45:46):
We all like Nigga, we together.

Speaker 2 (45:48):
I remember Nigga one time. This girl they was like
she kept like trying to put the phone in his
fucking like touch his nose with the phone. Life just
like yo, chill out. Somehow she get back phone. Feel
imagine a seat of five hundred people in the phone
is kicked through the gaps of everybody's and then you

(46:12):
ain't gonna see them pictures. So with just to see
that that level of pandemonium, bro, and really like of
somebody in one of the pinnacles of their musical career,
blew my fucking mind.

Speaker 1 (46:26):
I got back to the sound check, like, how the.

Speaker 2 (46:27):
Fuck this nigga be doing that ship?

Speaker 1 (46:29):
Wow?

Speaker 2 (46:31):
Because Nigga everywhere he go, Bro, it was. It was
such an amazing experience. Man. I learned so much from Mary,
Mary to from the details of singing need that track
you all the details they sing and them girls got
some ship inchapellas they talk about. Man, listen them girls.
If you if you get Mary Mary acapellas, it'll bless

(46:53):
your soul just as much as the album with all
the music and not only learning what they were singing,
but how to sing it, how to project yourself where
it comes out right, even with background vocals and the
band and their vocals, that I learned so much of
how to do it right in a real productive and
production type of way versus at church just singing. Churches

(47:15):
have just now begin to elevate it. And it feels
like in yes, yes, yes, yes, because I came from
the same type of church like you as an old
man in there or an old lady and there, singing
before any musician theyver you donna get there. It's called devotion.
Huh yeah, so.

Speaker 1 (47:29):
It's called devotion.

Speaker 2 (47:31):
Yeah, well, usher, I learned how to the inflections that
I learned with Mary Mary, how to take that times ten,
because fuck what your personal what your favorite part is?
Sing this song?

Speaker 1 (47:44):
Sing damn song? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (47:46):
Fuck what your favorite part is? Sing this whole motherfucker
like it's your favorite part. And that's what like elevated,
and then me and Usher got cool to them, like, Nigga,
what you did, Nigga that last take? Nigga, that shit
called like you should do that shit. I'm not even
like I'm talking to the boss, but I'm like, Nigga,
that shit was yet because Nigga, I feel like I've
connected with that is.

Speaker 3 (48:05):
Your your your your gift qualifies you in the space
within the conversation.

Speaker 1 (48:14):
You know what I'm saying. It's not like suggestion. You
told me.

Speaker 2 (48:22):
I feel the same way. But you know, sometimes when
it's working, you ain't been here long, you ain't you know,
but I didn't care.

Speaker 1 (48:29):
I feel comfortable. But but but but killers no killers.
You know what I'm saying. We know we we know
when it's a.

Speaker 3 (48:39):
Nigga that is this that singing backgrounds or you know
what I'm saying, or Nigga's that's not really in this space.

Speaker 1 (48:46):
He ain't selling records, he's not doing this. But you
can look at him like this. That's they look that
Nigga would do.

Speaker 2 (48:53):
That's the fun that it would do. I swear, god, bro,
that's to look like, you know, between songs, Babby playing
niggas just be singing around and it turned to something.
Now he's singing the song we singing, just playing around
that look black. Yeah, because you're you're in his ears, nigga, Yeah,
you're in his ears. No, man, those relationships and it's

(49:14):
so what I'm asking about for you is like Mary
Mary now usher And of course you've you've, you've you've
banded and bonded with you know, other background singers and
other musicians. Are you now when you say you go
to drama Dad say hey man, maybe maybe maybe me?

Speaker 1 (49:32):
Right?

Speaker 3 (49:32):
Are you starting to feel like, as you've been around
this level, that you're like.

Speaker 1 (49:39):
I can do it. Oh I belong here?

Speaker 8 (49:41):
Yeah yeah, uh huh that thing work?

Speaker 4 (49:56):
Huh. Yes, make sure you play like you're playing for
Dave Pallas the back of the day. Man, don't let
him down.

Speaker 2 (50:07):
Now, Tant tant Tank Definitely. I forgot which dog he
had on the album. He had a dog on the album.
Him and I used to listen to watching Mill Soup
Joint those on that too.

Speaker 1 (50:14):
Yeah, it's some jam water BJ the Chicago kid. You
come from a place.

Speaker 5 (50:32):
Yeah, well we know it's in your blood, so also
in your clothes and such waiting early.

Speaker 1 (50:49):
As you've been able to create great music.

Speaker 3 (50:51):
There's great music that has also inspired you to be
who you are.

Speaker 1 (50:59):
We want know your favorites. Okay, the people do too.
We call that here. You're well. We called m hm.
Top five your top five? Okay, top your top five

(51:27):
ould be missing ory okay, yes, we got to do
did not you go there wrong?

Speaker 6 (51:40):
Is you?

Speaker 2 (51:47):
Yes?

Speaker 6 (51:49):
Ye?

Speaker 2 (51:57):
Yes, sir?

Speaker 6 (51:58):
You yeah?

Speaker 5 (52:13):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 1 (52:16):
B j the Chicago kids, Yes, sir? What's that? Your
top five.

Speaker 2 (52:24):
R and B singers, Top five R and B singers
and no order, no particular order.

Speaker 1 (52:40):
Joe, Yeah, favorite, Yeah, one of my favorites. Kick this
ship off. Talk to talk about.

Speaker 4 (52:51):
Joe.

Speaker 1 (52:52):
Joe. They don't talk about Joe enough. Joe. This is
hard because I only got four left. God damn this.
It's tough.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
Joe. The music exists. R Kelly, The music exists. I
don't I don't condone.

Speaker 1 (53:10):
The music exists. Joe.

Speaker 2 (53:14):
I'm going to say usher, m and I'm gonna say
usher because it's a time where I seen him hit
the gas again.

Speaker 1 (53:25):
Yeah. Yeah, Nigga.

Speaker 2 (53:34):
His verse on that Chris Brown record. I said, Nigga,
I hear your precisest I see what you're trying it's quick. Yeah,
that's quick. A surgeon for sure, for sure and precise
to be quick. Yeah, you could be quick and slide.
That's not that it was like, no, give me, I

(53:54):
could tell yeah Stokely, Yeah, Stokely's real range, his real authentic.

Speaker 3 (54:03):
Range is messing around, and that Stevie Wonder range.

Speaker 2 (54:07):
Yes, yeah, yes, And I don't feel like I got
to say Stevie. That's what we all know that certain
people above this they see on top of the Yeah. Yeah,
I don't got to say that, Donny, we already know. Yes, yes, yes,
so I said it kills Joe Usher, Stokely.

Speaker 1 (54:25):
Stokely, Jesus Christ.

Speaker 2 (54:27):
Only one more?

Speaker 1 (54:28):
Only one? Will there be one? Bro?

Speaker 2 (54:32):
It's too many. This nigga next to me is nigga
a fucking problem? Did y'all just hear the intro of my.

Speaker 1 (54:40):
It's a problem.

Speaker 2 (54:42):
Intro intro problem, That's what I'm saying. Only one, God
damn bro. All right, I'm gonna do this right. For
my fifth I'm gonna say, Reggie Lewis, here's Chicago legend.

Speaker 1 (54:59):
He like.

Speaker 2 (55:03):
You like when the nigga's in the NBA. Still remember
like the nigga that gave him problems. He know they
was real fucking problems. Some of the problems that Nigga
gave him, niggas these days can't even give them that day.
Reggie is that type of nigga. I'll be damned if
I say everybody that people know Chicago has so many
incredible ier freaking monster she is like when I first

(55:29):
heard of I was like Nigga Caes.

Speaker 4 (55:31):
She never leave.

Speaker 2 (55:34):
Nigga sung the background for a one time during one
period of my life, my brother Aaron, myself and iSER
we three saying background for a five wasn't the biggest
paying gig I've ever had, but one of the funnest
because I was singing with three two other sons. Yeah,
Anthony Hamilton was one of those gigs where I got
to sing with some sangers singers. Anthony Hamilton was that

(55:56):
gig where you could actually do the soulful like Jodasyes,
but through a background and your mic is on on.
That was that gig for me, believe it or not,
I tell you a gym that very two people know.
I got signed to Motown and that night I got
a call the same background for D'Angelo during that for

(56:17):
that tour he did. I was like sick because D'Angel
was somebody I always wanted to work with, and to
know I got that call when God called me up.
It's like, hey, do I got two minutes to think
about this in the morning. Let me just ponder on
this for a minute, because I can't say no yet.
It's not easy to say no when it's somebody you

(56:38):
really admire, and you get to learn from inside the clock,
like fuck being out Now it's a door and you
can walk in this clock and look up and see
all the fucking mechanisms, and like, that's one of the
artists I would have loved to see because I'm such
a Prince fan. He's a stuteent love. I'm a student
of both of them. I love to see how people
think beyond what they choose to give us.

Speaker 1 (57:00):
Basically because there is a difference.

Speaker 3 (57:03):
Yes, yes, there there are levels to being behind that
veil and be like you're not gonna use that, Yes,
you're gonna deviate from Yeah, it'd be so many things.
Was like, I'm not gonna understand that. Let me just
let me just stay right in here.

Speaker 2 (57:21):
Got a song, right, I still got another five?

Speaker 1 (57:24):
Your top five.

Speaker 2 (57:26):
Still got another five like you, I ain't here, none
of the women.

Speaker 1 (57:29):
Yet your top five R and B songs? Oh man,
mm hmm. Can the ring easy? That's easy?

Speaker 2 (57:44):
As we lay it because we're gonna be.

Speaker 4 (57:49):
Here thirty minutes.

Speaker 1 (57:52):
Pinpoint them as we lay?

Speaker 2 (57:54):
Can you stand the Ring Landslides by the Dissey Chicks?

Speaker 1 (58:00):
Mm hmm. I think.

Speaker 2 (58:01):
Don't your music have some of the illness harmony of
the best storytelling but placed perfectly white.

Speaker 1 (58:09):
White Nigga R and B.

Speaker 7 (58:11):
Yeah, but same emotions, same I mean, yes, it's just say.

Speaker 1 (58:16):
They have a way with still tones, yes.

Speaker 2 (58:20):
No verbrato sometimes and when they find you like yo.

Speaker 3 (58:22):
What they have a way with still tones and moving
just the middle note too to clash with the lower.

Speaker 1 (58:30):
Note or drop on you to.

Speaker 3 (58:36):
Okay, it's there, it's it's for them, it's soul for
for for the outside looking in. There's a technicality to
that that if you don't know the technical part of
what they're doing, you're not going to be able to
pull it off.

Speaker 2 (58:52):
And you won't even probably really know that they You.

Speaker 3 (58:54):
Won't understand what some of the craziest ship it's a
different language, Yes, it's a different I studied that ship
and I'm like this, that's not easy.

Speaker 1 (59:03):
Exit.

Speaker 2 (59:05):
Exit is one of the coldest.

Speaker 1 (59:09):
Fourth.

Speaker 4 (59:10):
That was four, that's for That was because you had
Disney Chicks as a landslide.

Speaker 2 (59:15):
I take it. It wasn't R and B, but I
just had to gotta take it. So fifth, last, but
not least, D'Angelo, how does it feel?

Speaker 1 (59:23):
Man?

Speaker 2 (59:25):
It's too many. I know I left some off, y'all.
I know put them in the comments.

Speaker 3 (59:31):
In my opinion, that's one of the greatest songs of
all times.

Speaker 1 (59:36):
I do too. I think so too.

Speaker 3 (59:37):
Berother everything in that sect it's perfect, every perfect song.

Speaker 1 (59:44):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (59:45):
I heard Rafael tell me the story of it, and
there's so many imperfections in what we consider right.

Speaker 1 (59:52):
But that's that's perfection. Yes, yes, it is coming together.

Speaker 4 (01:00:00):
James Brown said, you feel this. I feel.

Speaker 2 (01:00:06):
Hum hm.

Speaker 1 (01:00:08):
M hm hm hmm. Yeah. Let me go on. I said,

(01:00:30):
no next, I'm saying no names. I'm saying no names.
Come on, I saying no name. He was we used
to leave what you need, don't say. She ain't saying
no names.

Speaker 4 (01:00:51):
Yeah, so we're here now.

Speaker 7 (01:01:00):
Now, very that's your part of the show.

Speaker 4 (01:01:03):
Come on, man, I know you listen. I know you
don't watch the show. You know the segment.

Speaker 1 (01:01:06):
You know it, you know it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:08):
I'm here, what's up? What's up?

Speaker 1 (01:01:09):
You know? All right?

Speaker 7 (01:01:11):
Well we we play this game, all right, card I
ain't saying no names. Will you tell us a story?
Funnyer fucked up a funny and fucked up? The only
rule to the game. Okay, you can't say no names.
You can't say no names. I didn't think of a
good one.

Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
I was on tour some years ago, and uh, I
was talking to a young lady over time, never met
her face to face two a time, close by, pop up?
Say cool, no problem? Yeah, two tickets?

Speaker 4 (01:01:51):
Here you go?

Speaker 2 (01:01:52):
You only use one?

Speaker 6 (01:01:53):
Cool?

Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
No problem? Even better? Ain't nobody with you? Cool?

Speaker 1 (01:01:57):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (01:02:00):
Get off stage? Incredible show. I don't really have a
lot of people backstage unless it's like because you know, yeah,
because when I get offstage, my brain is like the
TV with no cable, just like, sh let me come back,
get some channels back in this bitch.

Speaker 1 (01:02:14):
You need me laying It's like, Yo, did you do
you enjoy the show?

Speaker 2 (01:02:18):
She's like, yeah, I enjoyed the show. Can I see
before I need I drive out? Yeah? Send the address?
Maybe get the address we get there, I go on
my bag. I don't take my whole bag out, have
like a little duffel of something I put when I'm
about to put on to the trees, I ain't taking
that bag.

Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
Some stairs to do one thing. I'm on tour. Man,
you gotta be fucked up.

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
Who gonna being these bitches down?

Speaker 1 (01:02:43):
I mean.

Speaker 2 (01:02:46):
When I get out the when I get out the
back of the vehicle with my bag, I see a
car in the driveway. I see a female dude. I
watched everything. I keep walking. As I get in the

(01:03:08):
front lobby, I hear a voice get out of a car.

Speaker 1 (01:03:13):
I turn around.

Speaker 2 (01:03:14):
The face looked for me, and man, mind, we never
met in person. So but I'm not I'm I'm gonna
let you. I think it could be somebody look just
like you. But I'm that player. I don't got it.
So she's like, hey Bees, and I'm like when she
got across that, hey Bee said, I remember what the
nigga looked like in the car. So I was like,

(01:03:35):
all right, it's like you cool, your your people wait
for you or something. She's like no, I was like,
all right, cool, remember having my shower shit with me?
So we got upstairs, and she was like, no. I
offered her a drink. Somebody had brought me some Hennessy
Pure white brand new bottle. Hey man, I had poured

(01:03:58):
a little bit, poor me, a little bit. I said, cheers.
When I cheers that glass. I drank it.

Speaker 1 (01:04:04):
But I drink on my eyes open. I drink it.
I looked at her.

Speaker 2 (01:04:07):
She threw what was in the cup out like it's
a carpeted room, bro, she just do this first first,
wod nigga think like you just saw me open, take
the thing off. You didn't want it, just don't drink it.
But this this n C pre white fuck you wasting
for But anyway, that was just weird for so many reasons,

(01:04:30):
more than what I just said. I don't got time
to a lie mind you. I just got out of stage.
I'm sweating and everything. I'm not about to go in
the shower because that was weird. So what I did
was I stood up start getting shot in the bag,
you know, trying to waste time to really like assess
with the fuck nigga. Some ship is too red. Something

(01:04:52):
is burging, ye, some shit is burging, yeah, like ain't
no red? So long and behold she said something that
was like so wild. I was like, you wanna know what.

Speaker 1 (01:05:05):
I'm about to leave.

Speaker 2 (01:05:07):
I'm about to go you you. So I got up,
got my shit, I walked out. She didn't move, she
didn't do nothing. So what I did was like a
g I went to the front desk. I was like,
I'd like to close out of uh eight seventeen and
that's anything in there. Police clear the room because nobody's
The guy at the front there says I'm the only

(01:05:29):
one working tonight. I was like, I will and I
looked at him like you need to go clear the room.
And I went back to the same vehicle I got
out of. My manager comes downstairs and he's like my
role manager. He's like, so, what do you know what's
going on? I was like, Nigga. I don't know what
she owned, nigga, but I just know she's she she

(01:05:53):
not what her thumbs was given. You know what I'm
saying and type of messaging. And the guy says from
the front desk, I'm about to go up there because
while I'm talking to the road manager, he's on the
phone calling up to the room. So she answers the
phone why I don't be dealing with this type of shit.
That's why immediately had a no, a zero tolerance for it.

(01:06:16):
He said, I'm about to go up there. I was like,
all right, so now me and the road managers walking
back to the vehicle. By the time we get to
the vehicle, the police is pulling up to the hotel
for her. I'm not knowing. I'm just like watching everything
after vehicle after the nigga.

Speaker 1 (01:06:33):
So the police pull up.

Speaker 2 (01:06:35):
And when the police pull up, I was like, so,
you know, when you're on tour, you got that one
text of everybody. Yeah, I said, y'all, we out of
here in the next five minutes. Get your shit and
we I don't got time to I don't blend them
two worlds and two niggas like me being an artist.
I'm not your father, but I would definitely have to

(01:06:55):
explain some shit to your family if anything ever happened
with in any kind of form. And I'm just not
of that, you know. I'm so niggas came downstairs. I said,
splash into y'all when we leave. So these niggas coming down,
they was like, who was that girl they had hog
tied bringing off? So they had to cuff her legs
in her hands. What because she didn't want to leave
the hotel?

Speaker 1 (01:07:17):
Wow? Bro wow wow Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:07:20):
So it doesn't matter if you plan the smash, don't
plan the smash whatever. Know who you're talking to, because
when you come from a different era of meeting people,
you meet them the best comfortable, understandable way.

Speaker 1 (01:07:33):
For your protection. Yeah, so.

Speaker 2 (01:07:37):
Lo and behold everybody come downstairs.

Speaker 1 (01:07:39):
They're like, who is that girl? They had hog tie bringing?

Speaker 2 (01:07:41):
So now the police got her literally feet and hands
together like she about to go on the grill on
America's best barbecuer.

Speaker 1 (01:07:47):
And we get all getting a vehicle.

Speaker 2 (01:07:49):
Nigga, I ain't even take my shot to get in
the next sit like got I don't give nigga what
my safety? All that is way more putting any goofy shit.
I didn't seen enough goofy.

Speaker 1 (01:07:57):
Shit in my life.

Speaker 2 (01:07:58):
I'd have heard enough goofy stores for my friends for
me to even play any role in anybody else's goofy movie.
What what hell?

Speaker 1 (01:08:07):
Now?

Speaker 2 (01:08:08):
So as soon as we get right before the freeway,
the car in front of us have an accident where
they hit the joint boom and hit the fucking roof.
They so now we like, nigga, we leaving the police.
We see an accident in front of us. He was like, yeah,
this is one of those days where you just got
to get the fuck out this city, this whole this
whole city, is this whole stuff. Yeah, we're out of here.

(01:08:29):
You know what bad vibes feel like. And that was
enough for me to get out the hotel. But we
low key tried to get out and help the guy
that that was laying on his roof. This roof was
ship the cars upside down. Nigga like, I'm good, I'm good.
He was like, yep, you're good.

Speaker 1 (01:08:45):
We out there. Good luck, that's all makes you good.

Speaker 2 (01:08:51):
Brobody would sleep. We see the accident.

Speaker 1 (01:08:55):
Now the nigga died there. Now then he was like.

Speaker 2 (01:08:58):
We good and he was. I was like, nobody opened
the door, touch the cord of you see that?

Speaker 1 (01:09:04):
Yeah, y'alla be careful out here, man, go more than careful,
more than careful. And that was.

Speaker 2 (01:09:10):
I'm gonna tell you, man, I just I seen too much.

Speaker 4 (01:09:14):
Nigga.

Speaker 2 (01:09:15):
You didn't even have to drink the liquor. Why did
you throw it in this nice hotel with this cut?

Speaker 1 (01:09:19):
You're weird though, poor execution.

Speaker 2 (01:09:22):
Yeah, White Flag was really ten because like whatever question
you can ask if.

Speaker 7 (01:09:27):
You trying to set me up, cause she go do
your show and go.

Speaker 1 (01:09:32):
And go to slip.

Speaker 2 (01:09:33):
Yeah, even being that many years ago, bro, you you
gotta you gotta understand, like I've seen, I've seen background
many years before even being an artist. So and a
lot of friends I grew up with I still have.
This didn't excite me or bringing any extracurricular activity to
me that I never had before, even before a single
back background with ushers like nigga, I have friends, I

(01:09:54):
had a prime date. She was bad. It was I
have Yeah, I was I had enough person. I need
myself to, you know, have a good life and and
not really have to. But from the conversation, the conversation
Nigga the coolest fun like.

Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
But the the Lord to sleep.

Speaker 3 (01:10:16):
Is a thing. It is a real thing. Like these
these these this especially with this new internet.

Speaker 2 (01:10:26):
The Internet. Oh just keep being venting himself. Man, what
same old soul just to new.

Speaker 3 (01:10:32):
I'm gonna tell you what Floyd Mayweather say, protect yourself
at all times.

Speaker 2 (01:10:35):
And he ain't say that he gotta do it, but
he probably said the niggas been saying that before him,
but everywhere every where.

Speaker 3 (01:10:41):
I'm just saying, you know, nigga head butted him in
the face and then wanted to hug.

Speaker 1 (01:10:48):
You're gonna get these.

Speaker 2 (01:10:51):
I was so happy he did that, Bro, I was
so happy he did that because I'm.

Speaker 1 (01:10:55):
Get these point protection. At some point, I don't want
to hug you.

Speaker 3 (01:11:00):
I don't want Yeah, you don't get to you don't
get to disrespect me, offend me, and not get some
of that back.

Speaker 2 (01:11:08):
That's how I look at the world. And that's what
I'm gonna teach my son. What yeah, and too, don't
you ain't you ain't always You ain't always got to
give it out to get it back. Some time you
could just be that type of day. But nigga, keep
your head on the swivel. You would be able to
still be the You could keep the controller in that
situation at all times.

Speaker 1 (01:11:25):
You keep your head on.

Speaker 3 (01:11:26):
You know, the world is just such a crazy place,
and the world is the world is looking. People are
always looking for an advantage and and and I don't
I don't mean to tell my son like this, like
my wife gets on me, like I don't tell him that.
But in this new world, I have to tell him that. Yeah,

(01:11:47):
if you smell it, yeah, get off. You can apologize
after I thought I thought y'all was on something. Yeah yeah,
I felt like felt like I was I.

Speaker 1 (01:12:00):
Was gonna get the bad end of that. Yeah, so sorry,
but I had to go first.

Speaker 2 (01:12:06):
Yeah, because sometimes you niggas don't even realize they could
have done it until the ship that already happened.

Speaker 3 (01:12:17):
We used to fight back in the day. We used
to throw some punches and then somebody would win, somebody
would lose or be a tie, and then that was
the end of it. Go home and come back the
next day. Pa, you actually cool, dog, I really I
rock with you. You know what I'm saying, Go for
a fight to be a best friend.

Speaker 1 (01:12:33):
Now.

Speaker 3 (01:12:34):
It's so unpredictable because crashing out is a sports is sports.
It's part of the conversation.

Speaker 1 (01:12:44):
It really is. It's famous, it's part of it's it's famous.

Speaker 3 (01:12:50):
So you know you you're not gonna crash first on minds.

Speaker 2 (01:12:56):
And too, Bro, you only got one life, man, it
ain't even about being you.

Speaker 1 (01:13:00):
You got to be smarter, bro. Smart.

Speaker 2 (01:13:01):
Being smart it's coding and being stronger.

Speaker 3 (01:13:04):
At all times made you better believe it assess. Yeah, smartest,
this feels like a track, like a track moment. Yeah
funk that I would be a lot. I'm making it
home one way or anohing.

Speaker 2 (01:13:26):
To man, Nigga has been through too much, too much.
I don't seen too many movies, documentaries, nigga stories in
front of my face. I'm good.

Speaker 3 (01:13:36):
I mean yeah, brother, brother b Chicago kid. I'd like
to say your whole name. I like to you know
what I'm saying. I like for your flowers to be
addressed to you. Appreciate, Thank you, brother, thank thank you
for your time, thank you for your gift. You know
what I'm saying, your continued contribution to this, to this

(01:13:59):
you universe, which is also inspiring to us. You see
what I'm saying. And we're home for you. You know, I
just want to make sure we express that to you.
We're a home for you. This ain't just about you
being a guest or you know, any any anything superficial
or anything industry. My brother, you are brother, this is
home for you. You want to come up here and
just put your feet up on the table and just

(01:14:20):
talk shop and and be do you know I say
I'm saying, And be a resident and think. Man, Carl Blanche,
my brother, you know that. I just want to make
sure I guess you take that off. You might not
get that back.

Speaker 2 (01:14:37):
Keep keep it.

Speaker 1 (01:14:41):
That you want to take.

Speaker 3 (01:14:43):
And this is the Army Money podcast, the authority on
all things R and B. And this is our loved
one man, This is our brother man and anything that
he's doing. I want you to put your ears and
your eyes on it.

Speaker 1 (01:15:00):
Can you give them the gram? Oh man?

Speaker 2 (01:15:02):
BJ to Chicago kid, no numbers, just let us, no
funny spelling, just it is what it is.

Speaker 1 (01:15:06):
BJ the Chicago Kid.

Speaker 3 (01:15:08):
I promise you you will not be disappointed. If you
love music, you're gonna love BJ in Chicago Kid, we.

Speaker 1 (01:15:15):
Love your man. R and B Money, BJ care about there, Sir.

Speaker 7 (01:15:25):
R and B Money is a production of the Black
Effect podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows. Don't forget to subscribe to and rate our show.
And you can connect with us on social media at
j Valentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode,

(01:15:47):
subscribe to YouTube dot com or slash R and B
Money