Raheem DeVaughn

This week on R&B Money, Tank and J Valentine welcome the prolifically gifted Raheem DeVaughn to discuss his incredible musical journey. From his early days performing at open mics in the DMV, to singing background for Ginuwine, to becoming a multi-Grammy nominated solo artist, Raheem shares candid stories about the relationships and experiences that shaped him as an artist and a man. 
The guys dive deep into Raheem's musical influences, getting his start in the industry under the tutelage of legendary producers like Chucky Thompson and DJ Jazzy Jeff, and navigating the music business while staying true to his unique sound that blends classic R&B and neo-soul.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
R and B Money.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
We are.

Speaker 3 (00:07):
Thanks take Malachi. We are the authority on all things.

Speaker 4 (00:15):
R and B.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Land is a gentleman. My name is Tank.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
I'm Valentine.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
Oh and here's the old mother.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Come on real anyway on this oh no thing. Yeah,
alry be, come on with you.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
I've seen the cries of the people.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah, the customers, the customer, Yeah, yeah, they wanted to
see him.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
You you you you you you you you you and you.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Him who sings about a woman.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Huh, the mixtape man himself, him who.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Who loves you more? You don't know who loves you?
Who loves you more?

Speaker 4 (00:54):
Tell them my whole hotewn round John divide.

Speaker 3 (01:03):
Whatever.

Speaker 4 (01:04):
Oh, this one's special, broes, it is. This one's special, bro.
Like you know, being from the soil, bro and what
we come from, who we come from?

Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (01:18):
And to be able to have this conversation so many
years later and this conversation still matter, it's big, bro.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah, it's big.

Speaker 5 (01:30):
I often say, man, you know, when we're doing interviews
and still hitting radio stations or just you know, talking
doing blog blogs, podcast things of that nature, to just
have it, you know, it's it's you look, you look
up twenty years later, fifteen years later, eighteen years and
you're like, man, all right, my na ain't still in
the conversation. He's still in He's still in the conversation,

(01:52):
you know, top ten, top whatever, you know. I think
that that's I think that's the greatest gift, you know,
the gift of longevity, you know, and mastering that. And
sometimes we could get so convoluted and focus on other
things as artists, or feel the pressure of social media
and keeping you know, or or looking at what the

(02:15):
next person is doing that. You know, we sometimes we
don't celebrate even our smallest wins, you know what I mean,
or what somebody else might measure something that's not such
a big win for me. Around here, we celebrate all
the wins, you know what I mean. Here I am
r B Money Podcast.

Speaker 4 (02:34):
I also think, bro, like you've like even in you saying, like,
you know, keeping those blinders on and focusing on what
you do. You've been doing what you do consistently, and
everything you've added to that, every ancillary piece that you've
added to that, from foundations, your philanthropy, all that is

(02:57):
on brand with who you are, and it's not just artistry.
It's you the human being that has transcended time, which
is man. That's that's harder to do, you know what
I'm saying. It's easy to focus on one thing. I'm
just gonna try to nail these records. But now you're
existing in so many other spaces, and all of it

(03:20):
feeds each other, you know, And that's that's the congratulations
to you, brocase you you you do all of it,
and you.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Do it well.

Speaker 4 (03:27):
Thank you, Thank you, my brother. Give me the I wanted.
I've always want to ask you this.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
Where does Devon come from? You know?

Speaker 5 (03:34):
I mean, of course you know get that from. It's
the background of slavery, of course.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (03:40):
You know, I traced my roots back to being half
Camerony and the Guinea Basa and the Ticar Belanta tribes.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
You know, I think I think I say that again,
don't Yeah, so so African Ancestry dot Com. It is
some years ago.

Speaker 5 (03:57):
You know, I did the DNA s wid Man to
figure out you know, where I'm from, you know, so
so technically on West Africa. Yeah, you know, and uh,
you know, shout out to all my Cameroonian family and
you know, uh uh the Tea car and belong to
tribes Guinea Bassa. You know which is you know, both
are considered you know west, you know west the coast.

(04:20):
One is right on the coast of West Africa and
uh and I believe the other is what Cameroon is
on the other side of Nigeria for not mistaken. So yeah,
so that's so that's where that's you know, that's where
I realized that my people come from. On my mother's
and my father. On my father's side, a lot of
the Divans are like you know, my dad was the
youngest of uh of twelve based out of Cleveland, Ohio,

(04:44):
you know, and then my mom's side of the family
was down from like Florence, uh, Florence, the Carolinas and
Florence and uh.

Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, so I think we still kind of figured it out.

Speaker 5 (04:55):
I think definitely definitely the West Indies or the or
the or the islands like you know, Jamaica, the Caribbean Islands, definitely,
I think you know, with the where the where the
Devons uh routed from a lot of people think that
William Devn is my dad and we haven't when when
in actuality, we haven't been able to figure out any
relation to the William So William.

Speaker 3 (05:17):
Devon, Uh, what's what's uh dominant in the back?

Speaker 5 (05:23):
Yeah, yeah, William Devon, Like what's the name of the group. Yeah,
he was in a group as well as Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I think he from now from what I told you,
I think he lives in the d V Like he's
in Virginia or in that area.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (05:36):
So, but a lot of people have thought throughout my
career like that was my dad. My dad is actually
was a you know, child prodigy cellist who was heavily
known in the in the classical.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
Yeah, classical world.

Speaker 5 (05:51):
Yeah, he's you know, husic string of ranger, composer, like
crazy with that's why you're so music. The artist he's
known as. He has a lot of students that will
you know, reach out and you know, I'll be somewhere
and they pop up like, yeah, I'm such and such.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, I played the cello.

Speaker 5 (06:09):
I play with you know this, yeah this orchestra, and
your dad taught me, you know, how to play. So yeah,
so yeah man, you know.

Speaker 4 (06:17):
So, so listen, since we're going there, since we're going
to the beginning of the origin the bloodline, you know,
how early did this start for you, Where did you
just come out the wound?

Speaker 3 (06:28):
I'll be honest with you.

Speaker 5 (06:29):
So, so growing up, you know, Dad wasn't in my
in my household, but he was in my life, you
know what I mean. So you know, I do I
technically come from what would be a single parent household,
my mom, you know, between my mom and my grandmother
who raised me.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
You know.

Speaker 5 (06:44):
But I would spend summers with my dad, like going,
so I'd be back and forth from like DC to Jersey,
whether that was East Orange or Newark, New Jersey, Backe
Terrist projects, the colonnades just all kind of like landmarks, yeah, places,
you know. So, so I spent with my dad, you know,
going to gigs, wake up, I wake up to him

(07:04):
hearing him practice the cello, you know, that whole the type.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
Of vibe he was.

Speaker 5 (07:09):
You know, I didn't know I was doing music. If
I know what I know now, I would have learned
every instrument I had. I had, but I was very like, no,
I don't want to, you know, I just want to
go outside play, you know what I mean. You know, so,
so even me being a father now, you know, with
my boys, you know, different periods of their life you know,
things they may pick up they want to do. I

(07:29):
learned to just let them figure out what your child
likes to do and what they like to gravitate to,
and you support.

Speaker 3 (07:35):
It, you know.

Speaker 5 (07:38):
Absolutely, you know, you know, fast forwarding to like when
I became this, when I became this just this figure
rahiem Devone, like you know is you know, up until
the time he passed, like it was great to be
able to have conversations with him at least to be
you know, definitely have that support system for both parents,
but to have somebody that you can talk about, like

(08:00):
have conversations about publishing because of it, you know what
I mean, Like, you know, for him to be able
to come to a show and be like, yeah, you.

Speaker 3 (08:10):
Know, yeah you might need to get a new bass
player you.

Speaker 5 (08:17):
Just relate to, you know, or or or I could
event and have a conversation.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
You know.

Speaker 5 (08:22):
So it wasn't until later on in my career, you know,
discovering and figure out what it was, what it is
that I wanted to do that I that that I
realized the importance of the support that I had there,
you know, from you know, from musician fellow musicians to
musician and and even like now I'm finding out because
for me it was just like Dad, it was very humble,

(08:42):
you know, for for you know, he for a long
period of time he retired. You know, I feel comfortable
talking about it now, but uh, you know my dad,
My dad dealt with mental health most of his adult life,
you know, schizophrenia, which is something that that that you know,
the family, you know, we.

Speaker 3 (09:02):
Were highly supportive of.

Speaker 5 (09:04):
You had to get even now like even you know
now with the with the conversations of mental health and
how important it is like.

Speaker 3 (09:12):
Now, you know, back.

Speaker 5 (09:13):
Then even a decade ago, you know what I mean, Like,
you know, so.

Speaker 1 (09:19):
Was that ultimately why you decided to get into that space?

Speaker 3 (09:22):
Oh? Absolutely, I mean absolutely.

Speaker 5 (09:24):
You know it could be because that was something that
that that I was carrying safe from like man from
like high school, twelfth grade on.

Speaker 3 (09:34):
You know when when I first started to notice.

Speaker 5 (09:37):
That that there was yeah, that there was something there,
you know, trying to kind of figure it out. But
it wasn't until later on in my adult life where
where where it were like you know, you know, like
my sister, my cousins, my aunt like really broke down
to me, like what was going on? Where I was
able to connect the dots and say, oh, okay, ten
years ago, that's why this was happening, you know, you
know what I mean. So so yeah, it's definitely one

(10:00):
of the reasons why mental health is a is a
is AH initiative for me with the Foundation. Uh, you know,
it's an old saying, you know, never call anybody crazy
because you don't know what they've been through that, you know,
you know what I mean, So you know it definitely
I'm definitely been one of those people. Do not turn

(10:21):
a blind eye to, you know, the person that you
might see just just having a conversation with themselves or
you know, like like like like altered reality, you know
what I mean. Like, you know, mental health is like
a really it's a It's a real thing, whether whether
you're talking about from a space of uh, depression, anxiety, bipolar,

(10:42):
you know, whatever the case. You know, schizophrenia, you know
what I mean. I think that that's something in it.
And recently being at the White House right on a
panel for it, one of the things we just kind
of do. We were just chopping it up. It's like,
you know, for us in the black community, the we're
often taught or that's something that where they did where

(11:04):
they feel like, oh, we just we'll just pray it
off for you, you know what I mean, like it
you know, in some cases it may be something requires
uh you know, therapy, medication daily, you know.

Speaker 3 (11:17):
What I mean, to just get a grip on it.
And yeah, so.

Speaker 5 (11:22):
I think it's one of the things or the taboos
that a lot of times that we, you know, in
the passive, turn a blind eye to, especially in our community. Yeah,
and you know it's I'm glad that the conversations are
happening and I could be part of them.

Speaker 3 (11:37):
Absolutely well.

Speaker 1 (11:37):
We commend you on that for sure.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
And being able to have that conversation with pops like
that musical man like my father, Like I love my father,
but he's a know nothing about music. He's all air force, right,
So he walks up to me one day. But now
we talk more as a kid growing up yeah yeah, yeah,
we had no conversations. Yeah, he's like, I'm grown as man,
your last kid. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, don't

(12:00):
really have much time.

Speaker 5 (12:02):
Now.

Speaker 4 (12:03):
But once I assume responsibility of myself and he saw
me as a man, like our communication just went through
the roof. And he came to me one they said, so,
uh so, how you publishers doing. They're doing alright, how
they making it through? I just say, you know what, yes,

(12:23):
that my publishers of It's.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
Kind of like he might have heard pipeline.

Speaker 5 (12:28):
He thought publishers was some person for some people in
a room that was doing some cool ship.

Speaker 3 (12:33):
I want to know how they was, And I was
like that they good the real So when did you
actually start singing? When did you? When did that?

Speaker 5 (12:45):
I was told I always had a voice, like even
even young, Like there there are moments I remember, like
first grade cave elementary music teacher can't remember the name
and they're saying like me going up the scale and
her saying like you're going to do something amazing one day,
and like, okay, didn't really you know know that, you know,

(13:07):
I mean I didn't really until you know, I graduated
from high Point.

Speaker 3 (13:11):
You know you guys, reaated from County. He had a
good had a good game.

Speaker 5 (13:15):
Yeah, yeah, a seventy six years.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
That's like what I've been telling my son about my
dunk contest when I don't believe it.

Speaker 4 (13:33):
That was on I was on TV at the house.
You know, we be on TV. I was on TV.

Speaker 5 (13:40):
I was a distance runner. I did track of field.
This is runner cross country. It was pretty good at it.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
You really are Africa, I'm about to say, yeah, I
really am. Rather Yeah, they didn't know. He's just that's
just broth from down the block.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
Now.

Speaker 5 (13:57):
So I've always understood the concept of the marathon and
therrehip put it together. Never it's never been about a
sprint for me, you know what I mean. So even
even in that space, I acquired an athletic scholarship with
copp and State, got red shirted for S A T. S.
And never really and literally the first day on campus,

(14:21):
ran into some guys singing, and we decided we're going
to be a group. And we were skipping class. You're
doing all the things. Besides, you know, we enjoyed the
college experience, being away from home figuring it out. You know,
the original plan was to go in to to uh,
you know, criminal justice or law enforcement, and and you know,

(14:42):
and and and do my do my four years or
and and and and you know what they say, you
want to make your own you want to make God laugh,
make your own plans, right, And I didn't last three semesters.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
I dropped out. You know. Of course my mother was like,
what are you doing? You can't come back here?

Speaker 4 (14:58):
You you lasted almost one Yeah.

Speaker 5 (15:01):
Yeah that dad kind of got it, but I think
he really wanted me to finish as well. And then
from there, man, I just kind of just like started
figuring it out.

Speaker 3 (15:12):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (15:12):
You know infiltrated uh Chucky Thompson's camp at the time.
This is at the time this Chucky has Chuck life.
He's back in d C. He has artists like Frankie
and the Power Three, my Man Daoud and Constant and
those guys. Uh.

Speaker 4 (15:28):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (15:28):
Guru is at the time Young Guru is going to
Howard and.

Speaker 5 (15:33):
Working with and like DJ for like Tracy Lee and
working with Non Chamant.

Speaker 1 (15:41):
At this time.

Speaker 5 (15:42):
And I'm like, I'm like connecting the dots from like
reading the album credits and like I'm just trying to
get trying to figure out how much.

Speaker 1 (15:48):
You don't know any of them.

Speaker 5 (15:49):
I don't know any of them personal and Andre by
pure chance, I'm hanging out on on on on Hues campus.
I'm in the Howard area and and it used to
be the spot to just like I go hang out
with I didn't go to school there.

Speaker 3 (16:04):
I'm just like kind of hanging out.

Speaker 1 (16:05):
Are you still at Compen State? Are you gone?

Speaker 5 (16:08):
At this point, I'm gone back home and we and
so so you know, I'm doing like odd jobs here
and there and things like that. You give us one job,
oh man, I could get Look, I've been working since
I was fifteen sixteen because when I came back from
there was a period where I lived.

Speaker 3 (16:23):
With my dad, like.

Speaker 5 (16:24):
Like, hey, you got to go live with your dad,
like it's just you know, and I got into some
heavy trouble in Jersey, which in.

Speaker 3 (16:33):
Landing me back in with my mom.

Speaker 5 (16:36):
So we're talking like ninth grade, tenth grade, you know, transitioning,
summer school, that type of thing. So so I got
a job when I came back to Maryland. So I
so I worked from My first job was Giant Food.

Speaker 3 (16:50):
Yeah, so Giant So that's like a grocery store, grocery store,
partial pick up, you know what I mean. Then you know,
you learn the register.

Speaker 5 (16:59):
But as far as jobs, man, Giant Food, Chevy, Chase Bank, telemarketing,
long Fence, I hated that job, like long Fence literally,
so you literally get dropped off like they would they
would basically put jump in the van, you go to
the office, they say, okay, we're gonna take you in
this neighborhood and just basically you go knock on strangers doors,
You're getting chased by dogs.

Speaker 3 (17:19):
You get your people. Who is it are you selling?
You're trying to sell. You're trying to sell people fences, doors, windows.

Speaker 1 (17:27):
So people can't knock on your doors. Yeah, so y'all
don't want me coming back knocking on the door. Let me.

Speaker 3 (17:34):
Listen. I wouldn't be here if you have for action.
That was a great job. You from the house.

Speaker 5 (17:42):
So that's definitely, that is great. It's gonna be some cougars.
We're gonna be fly. My last job probably was my dopest,
was Tower Records, The last job I had before I
went full time musician.

Speaker 3 (17:59):
I would I could. I couldn't say I.

Speaker 5 (18:01):
Would have wrote the script any better than that because
I learned a lot about music. The consumers who buys,
you know, how they buy. I learned a lot about music.
I was just around music the entire time, you know,
so that was cool.

Speaker 3 (18:16):
You know. I went from the register to LP Lost Prevention.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
Just catching niggas stilling. Did you chase anybody.

Speaker 3 (18:30):
I'll tell you this, man, we got to get the
table the people. It be the people you think that
you think are the thieves or not.

Speaker 5 (18:38):
That Like my first, my first, my first, my first,
uh person I grabbed and like chased down was a
he was a professor at like g W what Yeah,
he was like he was he was he was still
in some gay porn. I guess he didn't feel comfortable
going to the playing porns.

Speaker 3 (18:55):
So he was coming. So his thing was he was
coming and he was coming there.

Speaker 6 (18:58):
With with with a newspaper right under on and he
and he windows shop and when he you know, we're
talking DVDs right.

Speaker 5 (19:09):
And he would just put the DVD in between the
NewSpace stuff and just walk out.

Speaker 3 (19:14):
So my first day, I'm like, oh, go on, got what?
Oh man? That was exciting man, like that job was
like you have to like chase that. I didn't realize
the days. Yeah, he tried to run. I had to
chase him like.

Speaker 5 (19:31):
On them, I'm on coming back, come on, please please
don't please.

Speaker 1 (19:36):
Don't nespaper opens so.

Speaker 5 (19:39):
So so a boy so so Tower Tower had a
policy that like if it was over fifty dollars that
you call those people. You gotta go. Yeah, you go,
they come pick you up. You know, you go through
the whole process, right, you're going to four A D,

(19:59):
three D whatever. So it just so happened that where
he where he had taken and when they did the
tax on it, it came up to little like forty
No way, you had.

Speaker 3 (20:10):
To let him go. So we had to let yeah.

Speaker 5 (20:12):
So so so you do a paperwork, you take a picture,
they put the now your you.

Speaker 1 (20:17):
Can't come around here, no more. You can't come around here.

Speaker 5 (20:19):
No more. Professors can't come Yeah, you can't come around here,
no more professor.

Speaker 3 (20:23):
And wow.

Speaker 5 (20:23):
So that was but yeah, that was my last job,
me and Tower Records, you know, you know. In between
that again, just like moving around, I would hang out
with these with these girls that went the Howard and
they put me on it.

Speaker 3 (20:36):
It's like it's like ninety five.

Speaker 5 (20:38):
And the reason I remember, you know music time timeline
wise Badu had by Dude's album had dropped, and this
was that was like the bible for like they playing
they playing space, they got the wig burning.

Speaker 3 (20:52):
It's just the vibe.

Speaker 5 (20:53):
So we would just go there to just kind of
like hang out and those group of those group.

Speaker 3 (20:57):
Of individuals who I'm still with ends with some to this.

Speaker 5 (21:00):
Day, Remy and you know I met, I met artists
like West Felton, who we now are you know we
we We've put out various projects together under the group
named Crossroads Bar None Open Mics was happening around at times,
so U Street, you know, so I'd be I'd go
there work on my craft. In fact, I think that's

(21:21):
how we kind of got cool. I go by the
house and one of they ended those those those those
sisters from the house, they ended up like interning for
Chucky CHUCKI Thompson. So then that became so like one
day I just somebody just like randomly, I can't remember who,
like yo, come over. Chucky had the studio on uh
in Southeast on Pennsylvania Avenue, right down in the Eastern

(21:43):
Market area, and I just kind of just would just
like go and then like I never left. I'd go,
I'd sleep on I sleep on the couch, you know, man,
you know there there and at some point, you know,
if you know.

Speaker 3 (21:59):
Chuck, you was like, hey, what what what what you do?

Speaker 4 (22:03):
Mo?

Speaker 5 (22:03):
So so I was, you know, my thing was songwriting,
and uh he had a few groups that I started
to write for, you know, took a couple of trips.
First time I ever met Mary, her mother, you know,
sitting in on Faith ev you know Faith Faith Eving sessions.
Chucky was like the he was he was he was
just to me, it was like he was he was

(22:23):
the R and B like he was, he was the guy.
He was like the producer God like you know what
I mean. It's like so it's like this is the guy,
Like he's right here in the city, and and and
and and now I got that connection. I can sit
here and just like learn, like like leave and I
ain't leaving. I'm gonna be right here, sleep something, and
I'm gonna get Yeah, I'm gonna be like you you

(22:43):
know what I mean. So yeah, man, that that that
became like my I think between those things, you know,
doing doing bar none Monday nights became like the Bible
for me. Doing one Wednesday open mics in Baltimore and
then Black Lilies and Philly. So I would just rotate
and hit that circuit. So after a while people thought
I was from Baltimore because I was in Baltimore at

(23:06):
least like once a week. I was in Philly at
least once a month, you know, a few times a month.
And it was my ties to bar None on Monday
night producer underground producer by the name of cav Brown
who approached me with the indie artist Si Young and.

Speaker 3 (23:20):
Said, hey, you know who DJ Jazzy Jeff is.

Speaker 5 (23:25):
I'm like yeah again because I'm reading the credits and
they're like, well, yeah, we've been working on an album
with him up in Philly and we just want to
take you to me and we think he would really like,
like really.

Speaker 3 (23:37):
Like to get to know you.

Speaker 5 (23:39):
So they take me up and I go up and
I meet Jeff and it's like jackpot because this is

(24:02):
a this is at the time when like the whole
touch of jazz movement has already been moving though, Like
this is like Jill's already out platinum selling artists. I
want to say, like yeah, like I think music is
out there, he is already out at this point of course,
by do me being a huge roots fan, this is it.

(24:23):
And I had never been in an environment where you
go into a building and it's like seven, eight, ten
studios going at the same time you can go the
first first time I ever I ever met Eric Roberson
was was was in this advice. You got, you got,
you got, you got, you got carving, and I even

(24:44):
in one room you got the dall and dre. In
another room, you got oh my god. Like this was
like this was like R and B neo soul, hip
hop heaven.

Speaker 3 (24:58):
And I didn't.

Speaker 1 (24:59):
Leave one deal once again.

Speaker 3 (25:03):
Let me go ahead.

Speaker 5 (25:04):
You know, I got me a tooth fresh. I got
me some wet whites, you know what I mean. Like,
but I'm you know, saying close, I'm ten toes down,
I'm you know, back and forth.

Speaker 3 (25:17):
You know. At this time, I have an indie group
that I'm part of called Urban.

Speaker 5 (25:21):
After thirty one. We're doing college. We're doing a college circuit.
So I'm making enough money to you know, to to
to perform as an independent artist. But I never had
that desire to stop pursuing to be a soul and
R and B artist, you know. And I always kind
of just like straddled the line like I was. I
felt like I was just as much as an R
and B singer as a.

Speaker 3 (25:40):
Soul artist, you know what I mean.

Speaker 5 (25:41):
I just had this appreciation for different genres of music,
and being with Jeff just just intensified it because you know,
touring and going going overseas, eventually meeting Kenny Dope and
Louis Vega, who were like incredible DJ's matches at work,

(26:01):
DJ Terry Hunter, who actually produced you.

Speaker 3 (26:06):
It just that period of my life it was. I'm
so thankful for it.

Speaker 5 (26:10):
As a as a as a songwriter and as a musician,
as an entertainer because I got a chance to see
the world. I would me and Me and Me and
Va Skills Mass Skills hosted Jeff's like parties like.

Speaker 3 (26:24):
He would, he would, he would.

Speaker 5 (26:27):
I remember I remember him taking us to Spain the
first time were in Spain.

Speaker 3 (26:30):
We're on the beach.

Speaker 5 (26:31):
It's like m t V taping and he's DJing and
like me and Skills are like the the I guess
you could say that the MCS ceremonies for the You know,
there be things I kind of like follow with and
I'd be like, in all honesty, like you know, I
always had a I think, a natural thing for the stage,
but I was like following Skills, leading a lot of

(26:53):
spaces and Jeff would give me a moment. You know,
y'all was learning while in the process. You know what
I mean and yeah, man, I like just thankful for
those those those connections, so many, so many great relationships
like brotherhoods, sisterhoods, and music has come from those connections,

(27:13):
you know, when I when I when I, you know,
back from like Lincoln with Chucky, back from you know,
Lincoln with Jazzy Jeff, you know, those are definitely like
my ogs, you know, me and Kenny, Kenny Dope was
like a big brother to me, you know what I mean,
I wouldn't know Ken if it wasn't for Jeff.

Speaker 3 (27:28):
You know.

Speaker 1 (27:29):
Legends, yeah, man, and they just legends.

Speaker 5 (27:31):
Man. It's just like you know, so, so I've so
I've always been able to thrive in other genres or
be part of things that unconventional things, you know what
I mean.

Speaker 1 (27:42):
So you were so was your main thing at Touch
of Jazz was to be a writer for the stuff
that they were working on.

Speaker 3 (27:48):
Yeah, it was.

Speaker 5 (27:48):
It was writing. It was it was writing, definitely. I
was just kind of just going with the flow. It
was definitely writing because like you, I wasn't signed. I
was and at the time at the time I still
was going back to d C because I also was
being was at this point, I was being managed by

(28:10):
by By Juke, By Jerry and cliff you know what
I mean.

Speaker 3 (28:15):
Now I met Clifford Jerry. I met Clifford Jerry. I
want to say that. I mean I met Bob and
Kurk first.

Speaker 5 (28:22):
I'm trying to remember how we I think we maybe
met at maybe like maybe like knife Flight. It could
have been like Knife Flight. I'm trying to remember the
whole how I actually met Kurt and Bob.

Speaker 3 (28:34):
But it was Curt and Bob.

Speaker 5 (28:35):
That like took me under date, like like oh yeah,
we gotta we gotta get him to the backwoods, you
know what I mean. So this is so this is
like you know, this is this is like uh, this
is like they got the pub deal, you know what
I mean. They've been you know, working with g you know,
I'm seeing so I'm like you got your motion going,

(28:56):
you know what i mean. So I'm so I'm just
kind of just like and I would just like meet
Kurt like at like random places, Like Kurt would be
like I was living like a law at the time,
and he would be like, yo, meet me at meet
me at Capitol Heights station. So I'm like taking the
bus to the train. I'll get you back, but you

(29:17):
gotta you know, testing me, see like how bad I wanted,
you know what I mean. So I'd get there right
and and and they were just it was just it
was just cool because it was an environment where one
I had to pay for studio time, I was gonna
learn something. And I think they were, I think they
were they were early impressed by the way I worked

(29:40):
because of the the fact that, like I didn't write
anything now, so the process is just like I would
just go in and listen and then go in the
booth and then just start to create this storyline or whatever,
and then and and and then and then and then
we knock one out and be like, hey can we
do another one? And they're like yeah, yeah, Like.

Speaker 3 (30:03):
Hey can we do another?

Speaker 5 (30:05):
And it might be like you know, it may so
so in some days it might be two or three
you know for.

Speaker 3 (30:12):
Crash out and wake up, you know what I mean.

Speaker 5 (30:17):
And it was just it was just, you know, it
was they provided a space that was just like where
I could just like shed and learn and grow. And
it wasn't too many times that like they would shot
shoot an idea down and be like, oh that's whack.

Speaker 1 (30:31):
It was just you rock out.

Speaker 3 (30:33):
Just let me rock out. Yeah, that track wack. So
you got to work on your drums. And I think
it's probably you know, well you had you had.

Speaker 4 (30:51):
What you had done is you had been to a
different kind of school already that I hadn't been to.
You know, when I got with Cliff and Jerry, I
was literally fresh out of chick man, I know, you
know what I mean. So in terms of like, you know,
my R and B production and figuring out even my
identity in an R and B space.

Speaker 1 (31:11):
I had none can play a different sounds completely different.

Speaker 5 (31:14):
And I'd say this like, you know, be like that
environment versus like a jazzy Jeff, It's like night and day,
and you would you would back then, there was already
a division that had kind of been created in black
music where it was like, okay, either you R and
B or you neo.

Speaker 3 (31:35):
And my thing was like why can't can't I'm both?
Like why can't you? Why can't you be both?

Speaker 5 (31:41):
So you got this so so so there was always
this very R and B backpack I guess you know,
R and B back that was there was this there
was this very I had this very R and B
one side is very jiggy vibe and then there's a
but then there's a there's a very conscious vibe to

(32:02):
me too, you know what I mean, Like you might
you might catch me with some stones on one day,
you might see me with some diamonds on the next day,
Like you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (32:10):
Like if that, it's just really about the vibe.

Speaker 5 (32:12):
Of what you know what I'm on a creative yeah,
but so so musically again, to be in those two
different environments like simultaneously, like kick it, you know, be
in the studio with Curtain Bob for two or three
days and then and then jump on the train and
then be up in Philly with Jeff in them for
a week. Yeah, it's just yeah, and and and and

(32:34):
and and and and and the thing with like with
the Jeff, with the environment, with like Jeff being being
as though that he's a DJ, and the peers and
a lot of his peers that he put me onto
our DJs.

Speaker 3 (32:46):
I learned. I learned.

Speaker 5 (32:47):
I started to learn about this different like tempos and
just music beyond just the things that the DJ.

Speaker 1 (32:55):
It's so important in music.

Speaker 2 (32:58):
And I you know, it's funny because people when you
talk about it it's like, oh yeah, but I still
don't feel as if the DJ gets the respect that
they deserve. I mean, I mean ultimately there in other
spaces they get it. Yeah, but they're also they're really
they're the producers because they hear so much music, and

(33:19):
they hear so many transitions, and they know how what
what matching, what sound right on the radio and what
they take record.

Speaker 5 (33:26):
Before the politics of you know, things everything getting corporated
out and including you know, radio and to rest your
radio the like DJ's that you know, they set the
tone for the culture, like they diy tate, you know,
even if it's to bring it back, you know, you know,
to bring that good feeling back right to say, hey,
this is the this is the BPM that that matters

(33:47):
right now, you know, the ones that break the records
and just just all of that. You know. So just
being in those two environments was just like it was dope,
man and really important, you know. But I but I
still didn't, you know, going and working it just wasn't enough.
So so one day I cornered Cliff and Jerry. I
think I cornered Jerry at like Omega Studios in Rockville, Maryland,

(34:10):
and I'm like, you know, I'm still kind of in
between odd jobs. I just know it's something more and
I know that I know the data plug, you know
what I mean. So so I'm like, yo, I want
to I want to do music like I want you to.
I want you to manage me like I want you
to manage me. And he was like, I, you know,
kind of I think he was came him out of

(34:32):
conversation with or like let me think about it, whatever,
and and and then I just jumped out and I
was like, and if it's any opportunities to same background
vir ginuine, I want to do that too, or whatever.

Speaker 3 (34:44):
Like I was feeling balls.

Speaker 5 (34:47):
And then I got the call and it was let's
say it was on a Tuesday, and it was like
and I think I I think I kind of been
you know, I went around, I met G. I had
met G know G at this point, you know, and
and and and and you know and G and Jerry
used the introduction as a means to say like, hey,

(35:09):
this is this like this the kid I've been telling
you about. He may be interested, you know, we may
bring him on to do some work that. So then
I get the call. They had a show like in Baltimore,
and it was like a Tuesday was like, Yo, so
there's a show tomorrow night.

Speaker 3 (35:23):
It's gonna be there.

Speaker 5 (35:24):
You're gonna this is you want to sing background, it's
your opportunity. Like so, I'm like, is there a rehearsals? Like?

Speaker 3 (35:29):
Nah, what I need to learn? All three albums?

Speaker 5 (35:34):
I was already I was already a fan the music. Yeah,
I knew the music. I knew the music. I'm reading again,
you know, I'm looking at the who did what static?
I'm like trying to figure out who you know what
I mean, I'm trying to figure it all out right.
So I pull up, we we we, I.

Speaker 3 (35:51):
Pull up to the show. You know, they got the
hand dog flying. It's like.

Speaker 5 (36:00):
And I'm like yo, and and so so that was
my ricking red with this was this was this was
this was my this was my audition.

Speaker 3 (36:12):
Our whole Lives concert.

Speaker 5 (36:16):
Yeah it is and and and and uh and then
you know, after we were done. I remember coming in
and she was like he was like he was nervous,
he was scared.

Speaker 3 (36:27):
He was he was like, Noah, you did you did good.

Speaker 5 (36:31):
He was like man, he was like he's all right, man,
you win or whatever and then and then you know,
and that and that was my in my introduction to
the music business singing background from GST Listen.

Speaker 1 (36:48):
Podcast.

Speaker 5 (36:48):
And and I already know the history, so I already
know you know, like you know, you had already went
through the machine of that, you know what I mean.
So I'm like, oh, man, I want that, I said,
so so on my mom, I'm like, yo, if he
could do it, I could do it too, Like you
know what I'm saying, you know, you know, you know
what I mean, And and and and and man, man,
I learned a lot. I had a lot of fun.

(37:10):
And this is and this say, this is g like
in this prime. This is like before we go on
tour with like Jaded Jackson and Seek and just like
all all the things, you know what I mean. Yeah, man,
that experience man, and I and you know, and to
go on the record and say that like he is
one of the greatest entertainers man. That like if you're

(37:30):
talking about Roses in terms of stage performance and being
on and just like you know, like I had a
front row seat and and and definitely I think I
think a combination of that.

Speaker 3 (37:44):
Of course, our ties at home and as it relates to.

Speaker 5 (37:48):
The go go community and just and knowing the energy
of the room when go gos happened, and and and
how how how the bar is set for the entertainment aspect,
the exchange of energy that like you know, from artists
to music lever and back and forth. Like I've been
able to pull from pull from that, and and and

(38:10):
and and and put it into what I do, you know,
like you know, the artistry of being on stage and performing.

Speaker 1 (38:17):
How long were you on the road with you, man?

Speaker 5 (38:19):
I think we I think what he did, I did.
I was on the road with g at least for
like I want to say, maybe two years, like you know,
off and on, you know, talking about touring, spot date stuff.
And then I remember doing a tour and there was
a there was there was another young brother.

Speaker 3 (38:40):
That came in to do background singing.

Speaker 5 (38:43):
And he came in and he was the new guy,
so he was like the rookie, and I remember kind
of taking him in under the wing and he yeah,
he kind of like falling my you know, kind of
fall on my hands, you know what I mean. And
and and then I remember seeing like the process of
where you can be out there and that shit can

(39:03):
change you too, you know what I mean? And and
and I and I also and I also I also
quickly learned that, like, you know, being in a position
like that, you're gonna have people that like really depend
on you, right, And I had to make a decision
to say whether or not, you know, do I want
to be Is this something that I want to do permanently?

(39:24):
Is it something that I want to do for three years?
Is this something that I want to like like not
do and pursue like figure figure figure out my thing?
And I just remember being on that that particular tour
and just having an epiphany that like, like, yo, this
is gonna be my last you know, this is gonna
be my last tour, like like I wanted, like it's

(39:47):
trying to you know, they had to push him out.

Speaker 3 (39:49):
You're better than me, I had and look and I
and I and I and I and I and I
and then it.

Speaker 5 (39:56):
Was some stuff that happened, you know what I'm saying, Well,
it it's like yo, like, yeah, I ain't trying to
do this no more not And it wasn't for it
wasn't because of g you know what I'm saying. It
was just like, yeah, this ain't this ain't I want
to be I want to see what the other side
of this feel like too, you know what I mean.
And that ain't no disrespect to nobody that stays because

(40:19):
you know, just jumping off of this tour with Lettocy, right,
you realize and I'm sure you can relate to this
that whether whether it's the band or the Light Man
or the m D or like, like, man, we can't
do this ship without ourselves. I mean, we can't do
this shit without other people.

Speaker 3 (40:35):
Being being involved. You know what I mean. It's no
it's no I in the world tea.

Speaker 5 (40:39):
Yeah, so so so to have you know, you know,
there's some there's people in my circle that I look
up that's like, you know, been around a decade longer whatever.
They see me go through management, they see me work,
go through these different business.

Speaker 3 (40:51):
Transitions, and they're still here.

Speaker 5 (40:52):
And I'm like, I'm like, man, it's crazy to see
you dedicate your life to me in this way.

Speaker 3 (40:59):
Mm hm, you you know what I mean, Like that that.

Speaker 5 (41:01):
Level, that level of commitment, you know what I mean.
And and again, so I think you know, the time,
for the period of time that I was out there
with g it served its purpose, Like I look, you know,
I'm so thankful for it to that ship. It ain't
I can hear, I could be in the I can
be in a I can be anywhere, and A and

(41:23):
a dude and a G record to come on. It's
like it's like it's like being shell shocked, man. But
but like some of the best times of my life
on the road total rock star R and B rock

(41:44):
star moments. Man, like this before, the before, the the
you know, the I G before and the social media
and the phones and just like all of that, man,
like just you know, just memories man.

Speaker 3 (41:59):
You know valuable though, yeah yeah, yeah yeah, because that
was a that was a that was a.

Speaker 4 (42:04):
Real school genuine wasn't a guy that that hoarded the
information or even the spotlight for that matter.

Speaker 3 (42:12):
He was like he genuine was like, let's get it.

Speaker 4 (42:15):
That's giddy. Yeah, it's giddy. You get some of this.

Speaker 5 (42:19):
My first video he pulled up, Yeah, did a cameo
in the video. I feel like we needed we needed,
we needed a vehicle for I think another another video.

Speaker 3 (42:30):
He gave us a car to youse Like he just.

Speaker 5 (42:33):
Always been solid man, you know, and and you know,
I definitely you know again you want you can't you know,
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (42:41):
I'll say it. You can't.

Speaker 5 (42:43):
You can't talk Usher Chris Brown. We can go down
the list and not talk about g.

Speaker 3 (42:53):
Chimberlake.

Speaker 4 (42:55):
They finally got in the same room in Atlanta and
seeing Genuine and Chris Brown in the same moment at
the same time, like like I almost got emotional because
of how how close in spirit and animal them two.

Speaker 3 (43:13):
Guys are bro Like, yeah, you want to talk, you
know you want.

Speaker 5 (43:17):
We're talking roses and we're talking like talent and we're
talking dancing and we're talking like entertaining and diving out
in the crowd and just like like we're talking. We're
talking like you pull up to the hotel and they
wrapped around the ready.

Speaker 3 (43:33):
Read it's hell left, Hell left.

Speaker 5 (43:38):
Like you're talking, you talking, You're talking like R and
B movie the nineties, what you see or what you
would think.

Speaker 3 (43:45):
It has to be a movie. Man, Listen, I'm doing Listen.

Speaker 5 (43:56):
Week between the two of us, we like we got movie.

Speaker 3 (44:01):
Yeah on the wine and me to the grade with it.

Speaker 5 (44:04):
You know what I'm saying, It's understood, don't need to
be Yeah, we gotta we gotta tell tell the movie.

Speaker 3 (44:11):
Yeah, the saving for the for the movie.

Speaker 5 (44:15):
What we do because he's he's one of one, Yeah
for sure.

Speaker 4 (44:18):
Man, So get me from because you said genuine pulled
up to the first video, Get me to the first love?

Speaker 3 (44:25):
How do we get how do we get the deal?

Speaker 5 (44:27):
So so okay, So so again I'm going back and
forth from I'm I'm working on what what what would
be the love experience at the time, not knowing, you
know what I mean. A lot of the songs that
I recorded with Curtin Bob in the Backwoods made that,
you know, work that that was a love experience, and
and and the reject and and and the other half
of us what I did in Philly, you know, like

(44:48):
with Jeff you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (44:51):
Cliff Cliff Jones goes into.

Speaker 5 (44:54):
Uh Job Records at the time for a totally different meaning,
like to a whole nother artist. And he was meeting
with Jamie Jimmy Mainis at the time and who who
eventually became my A and R. They meet, he's playing records,

(45:15):
he plays he plays a record that I that I
did or demo, don't know what the record was, and
and and then he plays something else and He's like, yo,
go back to the other thing, like what was that?
And that kind of kept happening in the meeting, and
you know, I think Jimmy kind of like simultaneous like
steps out, makes a call to DC, you know, hey,

(45:38):
yours anything about this kid, Rahien? And and at this point,
like I'm buzzing like the piece of man at home
because because I'm already moving around like I'm moving around
like I'm doing, people are already familiar with me with
the open mics, like you know, I'm in this, I'm
in I'm in two groups that's like socially conscious groups. Yeah,

(45:59):
I'm in Urban at thirty one. I'm in the Crossroads
with West Felton, which is a duo group. I'm hitting
this open mic. I'm up in Philly with Jeff. I'm
in the Backwoods with Kurt. Yeah, so so so so
so they say, Yo, we want them to come up

(46:20):
and do a showcase.

Speaker 3 (46:20):
So I get a call and Mayo.

Speaker 5 (46:22):
This is after we've hit like every label, like you know,
a couple of times we thought we had to deal already.

Speaker 3 (46:29):
Yeah yeah, yeah, so I'm calling. So I'm so why
all this is going up going on?

Speaker 5 (46:33):
You know, every so often I'm getting a call from
like Juke or Cliff and it's like, yo, r c
A want to come once you come meet with him
due showcase. So we're getting up, were calling up Bob,
were taking the train up, we do the showcase. And
they'll be like yeah, you know, and then and then
and then and if they be like right there and
it don't happen. Right, So at this point we think
we pretty much have exhausted all the possibilities of who

(46:56):
can call and who wants to meet and then and
then job record says they.

Speaker 3 (47:00):
Want me to come do the showcase.

Speaker 1 (47:02):
So do you second guess that?

Speaker 3 (47:04):
Never?

Speaker 5 (47:04):
Not, not at all because because this again love that
like I'm on five, I'm already doing shows, our show,
sixty minute joints for you. It's just another yeah, it's
just another thing. So it's just like so it's an opportunity.
So they so they say so they kind of like
pre prap me, like, hey, this is you know, this
is it. This is just just you know this, you
know you you don't get no bigger than this. And

(47:25):
the people that's in the meeting at the showcase, you're
only going to do like three tunes.

Speaker 3 (47:30):
That's it.

Speaker 5 (47:31):
I end up performing for like sixty minutes where they
were just like, yo, don another another, listen more they
and at that point they were like, yo, we want
to do a deal with you, Like we want to
offer you a deal. When to offer you a record deal?
When your publishing deal. I think I said something like

(47:51):
I said something like all right, cool. All I'm saying
is like, you know, if y'all make fifty, can I
at least make five or something like that? Everybody can'd
bust out laughing and then and then yeah, man, like
it really, you know, it got real.

Speaker 3 (48:08):
We got real, We got real.

Speaker 5 (48:19):
Okay, my brother, she got over there. Man, listen, man,
you know Raheem is here man, so.

Speaker 1 (48:24):
You know I had you know, he got the information.

Speaker 4 (48:28):
You don't have to get to this Piana, the Piana
brother Raheem.

Speaker 5 (48:39):
M hm.

Speaker 4 (48:51):
You've been privy to a lot of great music as
you are from the soil. Indeed, you've written some of
your own break music. But now we want to talk
about the music.

Speaker 5 (49:04):
That has.

Speaker 3 (49:07):
Inspired the divine. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (49:09):
Yeah, the people want to know what they want to know.
What the people want to know?

Speaker 3 (49:14):
People want to.

Speaker 1 (49:15):
See people me.

Speaker 3 (49:25):
Yeah, top fun yeah, your top five.

Speaker 1 (49:32):
That's right, that's where we at. That's where we at.

Speaker 4 (49:35):
Fun.

Speaker 3 (49:37):
Come on saying your top fun.

Speaker 1 (49:40):
That's what the sing Yeah what else are so come on?

Speaker 5 (49:48):
We all to know you got to show West.

Speaker 3 (50:00):
Yes, R yes.

Speaker 5 (50:15):
Five yeah yeah, and this is your top five moment
with the Less King of sold R and B rahoem
divie dialog dialog dialog R.

Speaker 3 (50:39):
Yes, your top five R and B singers.

Speaker 5 (50:43):
Oh man, I'm gonna play in no particular, no particular
your world.

Speaker 3 (50:54):
I'm gonna play.

Speaker 5 (50:56):
I'm gonna put a ritha Franklin on there. Yeah yeah,
but you better bea Franklin on there. I'm gonna put
I'm gonna put Mic on there.

Speaker 3 (51:06):
Why not all four voices? Mm hmmm.

Speaker 5 (51:10):
I'm putting Mic on there for for for for a
couple of reasons. I'm gonna put a wild card and
I'm gonna put Bob Olly on there.

Speaker 3 (51:19):
Yeah mm hmm yeah, i'mnna put the infectious vocal man.
That's three right, Yeah, damn.

Speaker 5 (51:36):
I realized the hardest well episodes was like run it off.

Speaker 3 (51:42):
Once you're in the hot seat.

Speaker 1 (51:44):
It's different, it's different.

Speaker 3 (51:46):
It is different.

Speaker 5 (51:46):
It's different when you're in the hot seat. I mean,
these are my top five. I gotta put prints on there.

Speaker 1 (51:56):
Yeah, mm hmmm.

Speaker 3 (52:02):
And I got and then I gotta put Margaret.

Speaker 4 (52:05):
I was waiting for that. Yeah, I was waiting for
you to say Mark, and.

Speaker 5 (52:09):
It's and it's and you know it's personal. Yeah, reasons,
you know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (52:14):
Yeah, Okay, your top five.

Speaker 5 (52:16):
My uniable mention, I mean seven, I mean I gotta
do you know Stevie? Yeah, yeah, And I'm gonna stop there. Okay, okay, stop, okay.

Speaker 3 (52:33):
That was good. That was good.

Speaker 5 (52:34):
Now now now, if you're talking entertainers and just the
other different your top.

Speaker 3 (52:41):
Five R and B songs mm hmm. I'd go with.

Speaker 5 (52:50):
Blame It on the Sun mm hmm by Stevie, Wonder
What's going On by Marvin Gay mm hmm.

Speaker 4 (53:04):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (53:08):
I don't know if that counts R and B. I'm
gonna go with Uh. I'm gonna go with.

Speaker 5 (53:17):
H Let's fall in Love by the Ozzie Brothers, which
I just remade top top fifteen right now, top ten.

Speaker 3 (53:27):
Take it out the way he is, the way.

Speaker 1 (53:32):
He's always in the way.

Speaker 3 (53:34):
It's a D n B thing. You know what I'm saying.
You know, what I mean. All right, So so those
are what that three? That's three? What was my three?
Just now?

Speaker 5 (53:48):
It's just like, uh, I used to smoke a lot
of weeta. Uh wonder yeahs blaming on the sun.

Speaker 1 (53:55):
What's going on?

Speaker 3 (53:56):
What's going on? Going on? Marvin Gay? Uh? Brother brothers.
We are the world? Wow?

Speaker 2 (54:05):
Yeah, Fire, You're the first person in the name we are.
We are the work Yeah yeah, yeah, I mean the
greatest selling all times.

Speaker 3 (54:15):
Big Yeah.

Speaker 5 (54:16):
We are the technical and the commodore zoom, the common door.

Speaker 3 (54:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (54:26):
And I'm so mad because I want to say, like
I got like I got like Switch records.

Speaker 3 (54:34):
You're making him happy. I got switched right, I got
I got, I got I got.

Speaker 5 (54:44):
Uh not that I got Spinners, I got the Spinners.

Speaker 3 (54:53):
What's the least single from the Spinners?

Speaker 1 (54:54):
We're talking about Cadillac?

Speaker 5 (54:55):
He was, he was, he was, He was like a finisher.
I think I feel like Rob study him a lot.

Speaker 3 (55:01):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (55:02):
The lead singer from the Spinner from Yeah, from you,
not from the Spinders from because the Spinners.

Speaker 3 (55:08):
Was Yeah, no is the Spinners. It was a mighty love.
What's the lead singer on the Spinners?

Speaker 5 (55:14):
Man?

Speaker 3 (55:14):
I can't it won't come to me, right. But I saw,
I saw, I saw, I saw, I saw.

Speaker 5 (55:21):
There was like a documentary on him and the Spender.
But the finisher Man, he's the finisher of records.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
I mean, you know, I think, I think, I think,
I think. You know those.

Speaker 4 (55:35):
Bobby Steel Smith, Yeah, was it Bobby maybe Bobby Smith
principal lead singer, Yeah, for the Spinner, Yeah, yeah, Googles.
But I think you know, we're in, We're we're in.

Speaker 5 (55:53):
We're in the era now it's kind of harder to
termine who's who because things are like sonically a lot
the same. We talked the newer R and B you
know what I'm saying, the vibe, whereas like the bbs,
you know what I'm saying, and and and but but
but but but there was an error you know with artists.

Speaker 2 (56:14):
Just sounds like very distinct, you know what I'm saying,
Like like there was a time where it wasn't like woman.

Speaker 3 (56:21):
He wasn't gonna catch Rick James sounded like Prince, you
know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (56:24):
And if you call Prince sounded like Rick James, James
is gonna pull.

Speaker 5 (56:27):
Up closer, like the closest thing you they may have
in common is the heels or the you know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (56:37):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
I know you stole left from nigga.

Speaker 3 (56:39):
Yeah, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (56:40):
So yeah, stepping on my toes.

Speaker 3 (56:44):
You heard stepping on my toes nigga. Yeah, Yeah, Jerald
was cold. We got to get back to that Jerald.
I seen Gerald rest is soul. Jerald.

Speaker 5 (56:53):
We was I forgot. We was like an ample theater.
And Gerald used to have him teddy bears. So he
get those cheddy bears out and girl went from one
into the stage and.

Speaker 3 (57:01):
He rolled.

Speaker 5 (57:04):
What you mean like like like like roll like yeah,
like like he was on fire, like like from one
up the state and singing, singing the whole time.

Speaker 4 (57:17):
I will be rolling on the Army Money Tour and
the big homie crazy bro to roll. Yeah, he was
the one, not the two man. Let's build your Vultron,
your super r and b artists. I want to know
who's gonna get who You're gonna get the vocal from
the performance style, the styling, the passion of the artists.

(57:39):
And since you are a song writer, who's gonna write
for this artist? We're gonna get the one vocal from
to build your super R and B artist in terms
of like who's building a super artist?

Speaker 3 (57:50):
What voice? What voice? You still in the building. I'm still.

Speaker 1 (58:00):
Ship man.

Speaker 5 (58:01):
You asked all the other people this, Yeah, who vocals?

Speaker 3 (58:06):
Whose voice? I'm stilling to do it? Build it, you
build it, build it.

Speaker 2 (58:10):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (58:14):
Ship let's be let's live out the box. I'm gonna
I'm gonna take's voice.

Speaker 3 (58:20):
No box. Yeah yeah, yeah, I mean like you know, yeah,
that's that's that's international.

Speaker 1 (58:27):
You want to heal somebody.

Speaker 4 (58:28):
Let's do you talk about a vibe before it was
even called a vibe, we.

Speaker 3 (58:34):
Don't even know what to call the angel. There's something.

Speaker 5 (58:39):
So let's do performance style on stage, performance style on stage.

Speaker 1 (58:46):
Let's do Prince Okay's voice Prince performance. So it's gonna play.

Speaker 4 (58:54):
Because listen, because Prince said, the vibe a lot of
different vibes though I used to get hes gonna set
the vibe.

Speaker 3 (59:01):
He's gonna take you on a on a He's gonna
make you wanna play patty Cake.

Speaker 5 (59:07):
He gonna he's gonna you know what I'm saying, He's
gonna make you wanna touch yourself. Yeah, he's gonna know
but he's gonna also get You're gonna give you moment.
He's gonna give you tear Jersey, the moments where you cry,
you're gonna you're gonna you know, you're gonna connect with
God up in there, you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (59:27):
Uh yeah, he's gonna give you.

Speaker 5 (59:30):
He's gonna give you moments if do you appreciate the
instrumentation and there's no vocals.

Speaker 3 (59:35):
You don't get your rock and roll ro like, you
know what I mean?

Speaker 5 (59:38):
So yes, I would So I would say styling, styling.
I would say, Briar Stinson, who is good my people?
If you know real styling? Yeah yeah, yeah, she made
this this leather piece right here.

Speaker 2 (59:58):
Yeah yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:00:02):
Yeah, so b I would say, you know she came
up under like Tamika Foster. Yeahma as well, you know
what I mean. So like, yeah, I would think, yeah,
she would have her taking care of her, taken care
of the stops. She's gonna have a band, she's gonna
have an artist looking like yeah, you know from you
name it, from us.

Speaker 3 (01:00:20):
The Lizo or whoever.

Speaker 5 (01:00:21):
Like she's killing it and she she's a black own business.
So you know, shout out the bridge bre he.

Speaker 4 (01:00:26):
Look piece, the passion of the artist, heart of the artists,
the passion of the artists.

Speaker 5 (01:00:38):
Does it have to be an R and B artist
could be Okay, so your ship, the passion of fantage shoes,
fantas shoes, kick them off, fan.

Speaker 3 (01:00:57):
Swept the hair outage.

Speaker 2 (01:01:00):
Hit every note while you're doing crazy legendary get on
my nerve?

Speaker 4 (01:01:08):
Yeah, so cold? And who's writing for this artist?

Speaker 3 (01:01:13):
Leon Ware?

Speaker 5 (01:01:15):
You're gonna write this drops Mike, the sensual Minister. Yeah,
rest in peace, he said.

Speaker 3 (01:01:26):
Forever forever with the sensual Minister leon Ware. I spent
that I spent the old day.

Speaker 1 (01:01:31):
Will Yeah, what she got over there champ.

Speaker 3 (01:01:36):
Here?

Speaker 1 (01:01:36):
It's that time.

Speaker 3 (01:01:40):
I ain't saying no, nick, I ain't saying no. Next
saying no. I ain't saying no. Was what you did? No,
I ain't saying no name.

Speaker 1 (01:02:03):
I think you got to make a go go version.

Speaker 3 (01:02:05):
I sharing no name you give me.

Speaker 1 (01:02:07):
I think you gotta make a go go version of
that song too.

Speaker 5 (01:02:16):
Oh yeah, yeah, we gotta take up in here.

Speaker 3 (01:02:21):
I say what I said, what now? No no name?
Hold it now now, no name?

Speaker 5 (01:02:35):
Say no names out side of here?

Speaker 3 (01:02:41):
Say what now? No name? Shout the big G from
B y B.

Speaker 2 (01:02:52):
The go go version man, I listen, I'm here with
my brothers from the DV.

Speaker 3 (01:02:55):
But I had to requested answers to say what say
what now.

Speaker 1 (01:02:59):
To start saying sexy ladies.

Speaker 3 (01:03:01):
Yes, indeed, just hold sexy ladies out there. Yes, indeed,
that's the old school talking boy. You gotta do what
you know. I got go go band, Go go man?
How many group I gotta go? God?

Speaker 1 (01:03:18):
Even any more groups than Johnny Gills?

Speaker 5 (01:03:20):
Like Yo, got I got a go go band. We
called the Crank Crusaders. We do shows when I'm off.
You know when I crank Cruise Crusaders.

Speaker 3 (01:03:28):
I know you're cooking too. Bob just sent me some
some joints from backyard to do too. Yeah, that's got
the cook Okay, give me get so.

Speaker 2 (01:03:41):
Yeah, we're at the very important segment of the show.
I ain't saying no names. Will you tell us a
story funny or fucked up? Are funny and fucked up
throughout your travels in this thing, man, in all your
fifty seven groups that you'd have been in.

Speaker 3 (01:03:57):
I ain't saying no names.

Speaker 1 (01:03:59):
Oh he could, right, but but but I can't.

Speaker 3 (01:04:01):
But but I could have been on.

Speaker 5 (01:04:05):
I was, I was, I was I was baited to
be on one of the largest reality shows to play
someone's boyfriend.

Speaker 3 (01:04:17):
Okay, and.

Speaker 5 (01:04:20):
The woman that I was dating at the time that
I'm not saying her name that everybody on the planet knows,
was like what.

Speaker 3 (01:04:31):
You was not fit to go do that? Like, you
ain't going to do that reality show?

Speaker 1 (01:04:37):
Like that ain't happening, So you thought about doing the show?

Speaker 3 (01:04:40):
Now you know what it's like.

Speaker 5 (01:04:43):
I never, I never, I never considered doing the reality show.
It was it was the thought of what it gave me,
what it would give me, access to visibility, you know
what I'm saying. And that's always a challenge, right. And
as bad as I and I am doing some this
some some television and things happening films, you know, I've
done a few movies and stuff like that, right, But

(01:05:07):
it ain't about you know, typically when you do reality TV,
it's for one of three reasons. It's one, it's for
the visibility, of course, if it's something involving dating, it's
because you're actually looking to to publicly date and you
want to be part of that machine. Right, And it's
for money, you know what I mean, right, And you know.

Speaker 3 (01:05:30):
Money.

Speaker 5 (01:05:30):
Never I've never been I never made a decision based
upon like money, Like that's you know, when you make
a decision based upon the bag, you might make some
of the worst decisions of your life, you know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:05:42):
So just saying like you know about the money, right, And.

Speaker 5 (01:05:47):
Then you know, I've always just been, like I think
because of being a parent, being you know, so I've
been conscientious about just what I want to be perceived,
and just like having a have a conversation, you know
what I'm saying with my son, Uh, that might but
you know, anything that's compromising in that space. And and

(01:06:07):
then more poorly though, like you know, I know what
I want to be, and in every other aspect of
my career, I make control. Like I'm my own boss,
you know what I'm saying, own masters, you know, you
know what I mean, you know what I mean. And
then and then and then I still understand the culture

(01:06:28):
of like the mystique of you know, there's something that's
there's an art to still there's an art to being
to being accessible but not accessible that comes with you know,
with what we do in social media. And it's crazy
because people can just like you know, it's this concept
of like oh, I follow you, I like your picture,

(01:06:51):
and then somebody run up on you and be like, yo.

Speaker 3 (01:06:54):
Hey you remember me, Like hey, I'm your friend or whatever.
And it's not that.

Speaker 5 (01:07:01):
It's not that that that's not the case, right, but
you know, a lot of what we do and see
is the perception of the reality of it.

Speaker 3 (01:07:10):
You know what I'm saying. So you know what I mean.
You know, at the end of the day, we're just
all human trying to exist, and but we also like
being a public figure is a different thing. You know
what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (01:07:25):
You gotta you gotta think it out, you know what
I'm saying. I just try to think out the worst
case in best case scenario and everything. So you know
what I'm saying, not knocking nobody who's done one or
or you know, you got you know, do to just
how we talk about using it, using you know, the
DSPs to the you know smarter or wiser, you know,
algorithm wise or what platform works best for us musically,

(01:07:47):
you know, we have to that that applies to you know,
television and the decisions that I'm gonna make that like
especially if you're going like this, because you make the
wrong move and then you're looking crazy. Crash they all
come crashing down, you know what I mean. So shout
out to her and them and all the names we never.

Speaker 3 (01:08:05):
Mentioned ye.

Speaker 4 (01:08:09):
With my brother Raheem Devon. Yeah, you know, I appreciate you, man,
We appreciate you. You know, I've I've always looked at
you as a brother, you know what I'm saying, As
I mean as a family member more so because it's
like we literally we literally walked damn near the same

(01:08:33):
same walk and journey, and I think I think, you know,
I think you were smarter early on in your journey
than I was, Like the way you were able to
utilize things and create the mixtapes and things like that.
Like I commend you for that, brother, like you you
really like you really like took control of that thing
in a way that I had no concept about that

(01:08:54):
early in the game.

Speaker 3 (01:08:54):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (01:08:55):
But you know, we come from that terrain and we
come from that place man where you know its like
you said, it's like a love hate relationship, you know
what I'm saying, depending on how you can view it,
and as a as a brother from that place.

Speaker 3 (01:09:10):
With you, I love you brother than you I love
you too, man, and and thank you for that.

Speaker 4 (01:09:16):
I want nothing but the best for you. And and
at some point, you know what I'm saying, we got
to figure out how to this is. This is the
first step in the people seeing us together, no doubt,
you know what I'm saying. And now I think the
city needs to see more of that. Oh no, for sure,
you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:09:33):
And here we get in that. We get in that
dojo and put something but also do some touring and yeah,
man like like they deserve that. Man.

Speaker 4 (01:09:42):
And we done worked hard enough man, in between the
both of us, man to put something cool together, something
ship man.

Speaker 3 (01:09:48):
So you know, I think I think I get people
what they want. Get people. Man, that's the gentleman.

Speaker 1 (01:09:54):
Not even take Valentine.

Speaker 3 (01:09:55):
And this is the R and B Money podcast, the
authority all things R and B. And this has been him, man,
This has been my brother from another mother.

Speaker 5 (01:10:07):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:10:07):
This is one of the MP's finance of all times,
rocking Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, R and B Money.

Speaker 1 (01:10:18):
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
Jay Valentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode,

(01:10:40):
subscribe to YouTube dot com, Forward, slash r, and b
money