April 26, 2024 • 52 mins
On this week’s episode of STWLJ, we have music mogul Devyne Stephens. He delves in role in developing multiple superstars from Mary J Blige, to TLC to Usher as well as his partnership with Akon and their tumultuous falling out. This is an episode you don’t want to miss.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:16):
Now I got a question. I got a question to
find it. I always want to ask you, and I'm
gonna leave our names, but you know, you called me up,
you and Steve Rifkin and said, hey, we're flying down
in Miami, were having the studio session. I want you
to listen to the new Akon ALM. It was me
and U A Kon. We flew down. We met Steve
Rifkin down there in the studio. Probably remember, I know
(00:37):
you do. There was some folks that wasn't in our
immediate camp that was there at the studio.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
So was that an extortion play?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Extortion?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
It felt it felt like we were It felt like
I was reading the energy in the room of the people.
And I won't name it anything because they're going through
some legal shit now. But you know, these are cast
that's been around the music business and they're known for
other things outside of music. But I had the vibe
and I always want to ask you as much as
we talk over the years and all that, I felt
(01:10):
as though it was some extortion shit going on.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah, that happens a lot in the in the business,
and that was probably going on for sure around that time.
I mean I've experienced it at a high level.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Because those some big time characters in that.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, yeah, I've experienced it on a high level. And
and you know, through God's grace, I've been kind of
able to wiggle around that. But it's been times where
that's been institutions that actually give these extortions your itenerary
so they can be on your bumper.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Shum, so I'll give them motherfuckers. Was there at the
studio with us, like in the session, like, so.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Let me give you, let me give you. I used
to have to be at certain places and I kept
trying to figure out how they know where I'm at
everywhere I go?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
How is it somebody's feeding them that.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
They're giving them the information to push up on me.
But the only difference is, you know, I'm not saying that.
You know, I'm not againster. I don't want to be
a gainster. I'm from the streets. I'm from Red Oak
Housing projects. So the best thing I learned from Red
Oak Housing Projects and making it out of there is
(02:23):
how to avoid Yeah, not to entertain it, but to
avoid it. So once I see an I identify, I
know how to move around it because I moved around
East Lake Meadows, I moved around Carver Homes, I moved
around all of the projects. I moved around Capital Homes,
I moved around Mecannyville. So I know how to work
(02:47):
in those circumstances. But when I saw that the institution
was giving them the information, that was a step up.
And then that day in the studio d I and
I stopped lowing like, okay, this this is something. I
stop allowing them to book my travels. Okay, you know
what I'm saying, because I figured at that point, I
saw where I saw where it was going. You know,
(03:09):
even with the running you gotta think NBA All Star
in Phoenix. Yeah, you know, my guy got my My
guy ended up knocking Sugar out right, you know, like
big job, right, Yeah, But I wasn't even with them.
It was just Conn a big job.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But I'm what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
I was there.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I'm the guy that walked over. Now I'm not. I'm
at os with Akon. At this point in our career.
Akon comes in with seventy five guys. I mean, I
mean they entourage. I'm talking about, it's big time, you know,
don't you know what I'm saying it was that energy,
and it was a rooftop party. I think it was
my I don't know exactly what hotel might have been
(03:47):
to w So it was a rooftop party. So when
I seen a kon come in, I actly saw cash
money on one side. A kon comes in with the entourage,
and then shortly after that, I seen Sulk Knight walk in.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
So you knew, like, okay, here we go.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I'm in the corner. I'm over in the corner with
little Ronnie the producer, Me and Little Ronnie just kicking
it when thing was over there talking to Terrell Owens,
just kicking it. And then when Shuld came in there.
Shortly after that, I saw about fifty police officers come
in and just surround. They never came into the VIP
section where a coon was. They just surrounded the outside
of the party. So I looked im looking, I'm like, okay,
(04:25):
all right, I'm not even with this dude, but let
me let me just go over there. I go over
there in the midst of all the gang banging, the
conversations the police officers, and sat right next to Connor
whisper in his ear. I say, man, I think you
should get up and leave from this situation right now.
He looked at me. I said, yeah, he should get up.
(04:47):
He asked no questions. He says, she'll give me one second,
give me one second, shog and he got up and
he walked away with me, and I took him to
his room. He went to his hotel room, and when
I came back out, people was running everywhere, and I'm like, oh, snap,
what just happened? Oh oh. Then I see one of
the guys security guys to tease handcuffed downstairs, you know,
(05:12):
they had him downstairs. And then I've seen people. I
couldn't get on the main elevator, so I went and
got on the service elevator go back up to the rooftop.
So when I went up to the rooftop, I peeked
around the corner because people were running, and then I
saw the police had Jo and they had the tour manager,
which was Ron Bird. They had all of them detained.
(05:32):
So I was like, I'm like, you jaw.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yo jow jow trying to here just knocked Sugar out.
I ain't.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
But at the point I ain't see Sugar. I just
saw paramedics coming in and I'm like, but I saw
blood on his shirt, So I'm like, what happened. I'm
trying to figure out what happened. So I looked and
I'm like, what's going on over there? And then job
Joe was ignoring me. He looked over at me, but
he looked away. And then I was like, man, what
just happened? And the next thing, you know, the parameders
(06:01):
rolling Shug back over my way through the service that
wad At that point, that's when I knew that something
had took place. But yeah, but even at that moment
that was around the producer that we had signed, that
Shug felt like that producer was with ray j and
(06:22):
him and he was coming to collect because I think
it was some money or whatever. But because we signed
a producer, we we are responsible at that moment for
the producer's debt that we didn't know that the producer had, right,
So then when you're ask him for money for us
(06:46):
to pay somebody else's debt that we don't know that
we have. Yeah, and then it's in a public setting,
it's kind of like it just sparked something. So that
that's one incident, But then I had other incidents where
I got pushed up on. I was at mister Childs
and I didn't even know how to do even knew
I was even there. But we was having a listening
(07:07):
session upstairs, and.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
We ain't talking about Shoul. We just talking about.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Another person, another extortionist that you don't know.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
The same one that was in the studio when he's
in Miami.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Or different it's a different one.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
People probably like, who the We're not going to say
these people this.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
You know, this particular person is actually doing time. But
you know it's not that particular person. It's a system.
They have other people. It's like a it's it's you know,
this is their business, that's how they get down, that's
how they make their money. So I'm not going into
the name of these people. But at the at the
same time, I'm just talking about the act. So when
they pushed up on me, say oh, the god that
(07:42):
paid that god that got away with the money that
didn't pay his taxes, that was the conversation. And I said,
I looked at him. I was like, hmm, pay my taxes,
I said, I said, no, I pay who I need
to pay, Uncle saying and I'm looking, I pay who
I need to pay and he's like, oh yeah, and
I was like, nigga, whatever, excuse me. So I went
(08:04):
in the bathroom call my godfather. I said, Yo, this
would just happen. Well, is this dude pressing up on me?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
And how do you even know?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
He said, hey, man, listen his I want you to do. No, no,
I call made a call before that. My god told me.
One of my street dudes told me he said, if
he say something else to you, knock him out. And
I said, okay, got it. You know I already know
(08:34):
I'm nice with these hands. But I called my godfather
after that, and my godfather said, don't put your hands
on nobody. He said, well, I will suggest you do.
He said, did you drive there? I said yeah. He said,
go to get your car out of Valet, Get in
your car, run the first two lights, go back to
(08:56):
your hotel, check out, check out, go to the airport
and get on the first flight smoking ship. They know
exactly where you're at, where you're going, how you're moving.
I said, okay, So I got out of there. So
nothing happened that night.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Later on fast forward, the same guy, all this incident
that's going on.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
It happened.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Here in the a No, it happened at all stars knock.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Shit got so yeah, full circle all full circle pimp type.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So now what happens after that?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
See?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Now what you just did? You just you spark the
whole thing. You just added on another bill that you
don't have to add on. And then before I can
even get out of mister Childs, my phone is ringing
and I look at it. I'm like, no, it's calling
me from a number I don't recognize. So it kept calling,
kept calling back to back. So then I answered it.
I said, let me just pick it up. I don't
(09:59):
know who this. It was another gangster, another another street guy. Hey, man,
listen the so and so so on and so if
you got any issues man out here, you know, in
La whatever, just let me know.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Another semi extortion plus. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
So they was boxing me. They was trying to box
me in, and then I kept saying, I said, man,
you know, I ain't got no problems. Man, I don't
really have problems. He was like, well, I'm just letting
you know. If you have anything anything going on, you
just you holler at me. And then I thought about
it at that moment, you know, because like I said,
I'm from Red Oak. I can spot it. So it
(10:38):
was like, nah, I'm getting out of here. I'm gonna
get on the bird, go back to the A. So
I came back to Atlanta and that's what slowed my
process of going to LA. And then that's when I
realized a lot of famous people from LA was moving
to Atlanta because you know, they got a different culture
out there. Oh it's definitely different.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Now. The last time I saw Divine, the last time
I saw R. Kelly before he went in okay, was
with you out of the compound, out of the match
and that list, Yeah, yeah, yeah. How did y'all? How
(11:21):
did y'all come together? How did you R Kelly? Because
and what was your role? I mean at one point
I thought you was managing him. I used to see
him out of the compound all the time when I
came out there hooping in the gym, and and I
never me and you never sat down and just talked
about what all was going on. I just know you,
you know you had your hand in it, right, But
(11:43):
you and R Kelly, how how did all that come about?
And what was your role? And that toward the end,
because like I said that was the last time I
saw him before you know, all this stuff exploded and
he had to go sit down.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah, I think that the story with R. Kelly's is,
I mean, I gotta take you back. I answer your
question from how we got started, Well, I've known of R.
Kelly through years, but we never had any interaction. You know,
I've been in places where he's been or whatever. And
(12:15):
it wasn't until Lady Drew passed away, the lady who
ran my company with she she died, and when she
passed away, I think probably like two years, I end
up kind of going into a real dark place and
(12:37):
really like moving around like I used to. I think
when she passed away, half of me was roaming around
the other half like I got in the box with her.
So it was like I had to implement a new team.
So at that moment, I end up hiring a lady
by the name was Cheryl Mack. And Cheryl Mack, I uh,
(13:04):
I was in business with R.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Kelly.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
So I ended up going over to Little Ronnie's house,
and Little Ronnie and we met there at Little Ronnie's
house and you know, just vibing or whatever, then vibing
the music and then he you know, then Sheryl put
it together, say yo, that's the vine you need to
holler and whatever. And she she always told me, she said,
I think you can help Rob with his career. She said,
(13:28):
I think where he's at right now, he really needs help.
And he they had been on the bench for by
eight years, like I think when a woman's fed up,
probably at that moment was his last was his last
thing that yeah, big record, and he was really at
a crossroad, wasn't really doing anything for eight years. And
(13:50):
she said, I think you can help him. And then
in my mind, I you know, I come from working
with Puff and Jay, so I already knew that that
was a bit of a battle there, and then I
knew he had a bit of a battle with with
cash money when when that split happened with him and Jay,
he went and did another album with Birdman that he
(14:14):
never put out, so Bertman spent his own money on
the album, and Bergman had issues with r Kelly because.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
He put that bird up and and robbed then do
the album.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
So at that point, it was a couple of things
that was going on, and I just felt like for
me to take it on, take on the projects. I
felt like I had the relationships in those areas where
I could fix those things. And you know, when you
in my position at that point, I'm always a giver
and I'm always trying to figure out how to help
(14:48):
people and help artists. So the relationship between and him
was really just trying to help him, understand. But when
I met him, you know, he had twenty three thousand dollars.
He stayed at Homestead Sweets, and he lived, yeah, and
he lived on a tour bus. So you know, I
(15:09):
felt some type of way about that. And I kept saying, Man,
the students, you know, one of the most prolific song right,
I guess you know, it's a legend. And I kept saying, man,
he kept saying, yeah, the vine. I don't really have
no tall flowers around me. Man, he said, it's just
a bunch of weeds and whatever. Man, I need you know,
I need tall flowers, you know whatever. And I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(15:31):
So I listened. I listened to everything. He got into
a creative part of it, and then I tapped into
the genius part of it. But I can tell you
it's like I was in a real dark space and
I walked into the darkness. But the only thing about
the darkness was it was the most creative time I
(15:52):
ever had in my life, working with a genius.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Where those records are, Man, I haven't how many R.
Kelly records you got it this under.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Your I probably got I probably got a thousand.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Man the fun out of here, Man, I.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Probably got a thousand. I got trapped in the closet,
I got, I got animations.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Divine statements. You have a thousand R. Kelly RECs that
he recorded over there at your spot. What you gonna
do with them?
Speaker 2 (16:31):
I mean, I don't I don't know what to do.
I think at the end of the day. I think,
at the end of the day, it's just a touchy situation.
Right now, it's too touchy for me to touch it.
And uh, you know, and I just think, yeah, you know,
and and and a lot of times people like they
(16:51):
asked me the question of divine what do you thought about?
You know, the girls, and you know the women and
all of those things, And you know, my heart goes
out to all of that. But I don't know what R.
Kelly do behind closed doors, just as well as I
don't know what you do behind closed doors, and you
don't know what I do behind closed doors. You know,
you don't know the level of my freakiness. You know
what I'm saying, and nobody knows. Right, So I never
(17:15):
seen a sexual act because that's not r. Kelly was
private in that sense. And if you talk to any
of the women, they'll tell you that he kept everybody
away from each other. Everybody's kind of separate, you know,
the way he did what he's what he's what, he
do his thing. So at the end of the day,
(17:36):
I've been in the music busin so long, I always
see women. They would say, well, you know, see young
girls around. I always have seen young girls around, and
with both of.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Us the time, and we've been in this zish we
see some sketchy as shit over the years with a
lot of different artists. But when this nigga was in
there with you recording in your spot, did you see
any sketchy shit where you was like, come.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
On, I mean, you always saw you saw women and
you come in, wouldn't look at you. I just thought
with some Chicago no, don't do that now. I don't
do that to the city mind. No, but I thought,
I mean, I just thought I mean I saw pimp
movies and things the way street people handle stuff. But
I don't know how Chicago operate, right, But I just
thought that that was a Chicago thing. I wouldn't think
(18:18):
like it was like, you know what, man, don't want
you want this woman looking at you. So I was like, okay, cool,
because they never looked at me. They will always look
at the floor, or if they was in a room,
I wait till they come out, or or he'll come out.
But it was never like we sitting there entertaining at
the same time. You know, we had parties. We've been
(18:39):
to parties, but I never seen a sexual act.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
When he what kind of term? Have you talked to
him since he been inside? Or are you all on side? Now?
Speaker 2 (18:47):
I haven't had a conversation with r Kelly, you know,
because because prior to that man R Kelly had already separated.
I've worked out quite a few deals, and then r
Kelly then compensate me for those deals. I mean, I
worked out some hell of a deals for R Kelly
and he ran off with the paper. So when he
(19:09):
ran off with the money man, I kind of stepped
away from it. And a year later I was watching
Surviving R. Kelly myself. You see how everything go well,
everything is for a circle. Yeah, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Call it whatever. You can call it carme or you
can call it the seas that you've planned and that
now so on.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Well, one thing I can say. I can say that
God was protecting me. That's all I can say. At
the time, I didn't feel like that. I wanted my
two point five million dollars. But you know, I had
a I used to have nightmares, you know, really bad
dreams mentally about the situation, because you know, it was
(19:50):
a dark space. And one night I had a nightmare.
I woke up out of the dream, want to use
the bathroom, came back and picked the nightmare up where
I am and continued it like it was on me
so bad that I said, and I just start praying.
(20:12):
I kept praying and praying, and then I think the
following day when I woke up, it felt like a
cloud had went over my head and God had came
to me and told me that nothing is going to
become of this. You're not going to prosper from this,
You're not going to gain any value. You did the
(20:33):
best that you could do. And then I let it go,
Let the two point five million goal, let the hate god,
let the anger go. And I sent a letter over
to the attorney saying, you know, I request my money,
and they sent me something back saying.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You don't have no money.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
No, they sent something back saying, mister Kelly, say don't
owe you anything, and if you plan on suing, get
in line. And my attorney said, you will be spending
about two hundred and fifty thousand going down a rabbit
hole and you get nothing taking that bread. So I
(21:15):
just walked away from it. And then, you know, like
I said a year later, I was watching Surviving r Kell,
produced by a young lady that was actually in the
house at the time.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
WHOA. Now, you and Puff used to be real, real tight.
I saw how y'all moved around and all that. And
you mentioned earlier in the interview that you know, he
opened a lot of doors to that New York space.
What's our relationship like? Now? I just saw y'all ever vote, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
He hit me up when he came to town. You know,
we we chopping it up. We're trying to figure out, Yeah,
we're trying to figure out you know what the next
move is you know, a lot has happened, you know,
what created y'all going separate. I think it was just success, man,
it was success. You know, he sees it a certain way.
And I and you know, and I was trying to
(22:01):
grow up, man, I was trying to grow up in
this thing. And I think in my efforts of growing up,
it wasn't providing a service at that point. So and
that's like anything, you know, It's like he you know,
it's good when you providing the service, you know, but
(22:21):
when you're trying to grow and become something else other
than serving, it turns into something different, which was okay.
So we both matured in that space and hopefully we
can put put it back together because our success rate
is like, man, it's like it's like belichicking and Tom Brady. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
And then right now, you know when I tell you man,
I set back and I used to watch you on puffing,
Like I said, y'all y'all together, y'all ship man.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yeah, we we did a lot for the culture. And
like right now, I'm just I'm just so happy that
you know, he was able to turn that pain into
some art and you know, and and and be out
here expressing itself, you know, and still being passionate about
music because for me, it you know, it got so
dark that I almost lost that passion for music because
(23:15):
I poured so much into people, and as I was
pouring into people, I wasn't getting a return, or I
felt like I wasn't getting a return, you know. But
then I felt like God isolated me so I can
get to him, so I can have a better understanding
that the gift wasn't mine in the first place. It
was for me to share. And so I'm cool with that.
(23:40):
I found peace. I made peace with myself. It was
more about me than it was about Yeah, it was
more about me than anything that I've been through because
you know, sometimes you can get caught up in the
perception of what you think something is versus the way
something should be. And you know, Gods showed me some
things and then he started protecting me from things. And
(24:06):
sometimes the protection comes in the form of no.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Shum y'all hear these gems, man, It's a story time
with legendary Jerry the number one podcast in America, Power
(24:33):
by iHeart. I got my brother Devine Stevens here, look
Len with everything is that that you've been going through
the last couple of years. How's your mental health with
your brother passing a few years ago? I know I
know about grief as far as Lady Drew, I was
a motherly figure, that was your business partner. How's your
(24:56):
mental health right now? Well? You always undercout you always
every time I see you, man, we laughed, Joe Pimp
tight hug your energy.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Man.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
You always you know, you always got good spirit, good
energy man. But I know a lot of times I
know from balance anxiety myself that you know, we'll be
going through it, like you just mentioned it, going through
some dark times. But I know with your brother, you know,
how how's everything with the situation you know, with your
brother passed, and how's your mental health?
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Well, that's a you know, it's an ongoing work in
progress type thing, you know. I think for for for
a while, I kind of like step back, you know,
and just starting to just now come out even feel
like talking about anything. But I had to realize that
(25:50):
and what I stand doing right now today is that
last time I made this lap around the track, I
didn't bring God with me. But this time he's with me.
So when I go now it's not it's not me
going to see what Jerry Clark has going on. It's
(26:13):
me going to see what God has for me. So
that's the difference, you know what I mean. So that's
why I can receive Jerry Clark now, because before, when
it was dark, I couldn't receive certain people because it's
all industry related, and you lump it together because just
because we're in the industry doesn't mean that there's a
(26:34):
union within the community. The community is divided. And then
I have to get I have to get back to purpose.
In order to get to my purpose, I had to
find God. Hey man, brother, And now that I have
that peace, I'm back. I'm back with a whole new
(26:55):
understanding and I'm back.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
And that's the dangerous divine Stevens.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Yeah, and so far as my brother goes, it's like,
you know, I lost my childhood hero in prison. You know,
he served thirty three years before it's passing. He died
in prison of an overdose. So I don't know how
that works. I don't know how it played out.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I didn't dig too deep into it. I know God
has his own method, but only that I can tell
you is when they delivered my brother too on Cascade,
I think I forget.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
The Murray I'm not Murray bro.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
I forget the funeral home. I wanted to give him
a shout out to but I'm drawing a blaze. It's
gonna come to me. And those are my people over
there too. I'm sorry about that. Murray brothers NA it's
on castcade of blank, but I want to give them
a shout out. But when they when they rolled my
brother over there, I was standing outside our I was
(28:08):
waiting all day, you know. They said the cardinal said
we're going to bring him that way. So I was
out there probably an hour ahead of time, and a
sense of joy came over me because it was the
first time that I seen.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Him free in thirty three years.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
In thirty three years, so and I know God got
a plan and I and and I can't say that,
you know, serving three consecutive life centers for a crime
he didn't commit, you know, no evidence, no DNA, only hearsay.
(28:48):
And at the time, being from Red Oak Housing Project,
we had no money. So going to try with a
public defender was you know, it was tough, and this
was it was weird. Because it happened in nineteen ninety
while he was on trial. I was doing my deal
(29:11):
with Little Face Records, So to see him free Cascade,
whatever I met. My mom had just saw him two
weeks before that, and he didn't look well. But this
was like kind of right up the COVID. So I'm thinking, like, okay,
you all right, you know, you know, and he just
you know, he just wasn't himself. So even when my
(29:31):
mom we were sitting there, we both was trying to
hide our tears. She would get up and go to
the to the vending machine. She crying over at the
vending machine because he didn't look like, you know, he
was He looked like he was done with it. It
(29:52):
didn't looked like he was doing time. It looked like
the time had started doing him.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
And you know, my brother is a real warrior. So
it's like like, you know, this is Changin Shane. He
can handle this prison thing. But it took a toll
on him. And uh and it definitely was taking a
toll on my mom. You know, that's that's my mom's
favorite child. I always say that, you know, she begged
(30:18):
the different now, you know, because you know, you know,
I handle all my responsibility, but but that was a
favorite child. That was that was her first born. You know,
I'm the second, you know, I'm the second. She actually
probably wanted a girl, but there was another boy.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
You know.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Okay, so you know, big shots out to my mom
because you know my mom, you know, single mom. You
know my mom you know, raised us, uh, you know,
pretty much by herself, you know, in red, red old house,
in red old house and projects. You know. Then I actually,
(30:57):
you know, she she met a man and had to
you know how a step father. And yeah, she met
a man, step father. When she met him, I thought, like,
you know, the man was gonna come in and he
was gonna take us out of the projects. Homeboy moved
in with us. Man and uh, man, we hated that man.
We hated that and we gave that man. I mean,
we gave that man pure hell. He passed away.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Man.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
We gave him hell. And uh he was giving us
hell too. He was you know, he was from the
military whatever. And he came in the Yeah, I thought
he was coming to add value.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Man.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
My man came in and he used to walk around
the house with his gun on him, you know. And
we didn't have guns back then. We looking at him
like like, man, you know what, we're gonna get you
in your sleep, bro, Like you know what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
So he was yeah, yeah, he was abusive, and you know,
my mom was taking it ship.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
So and it was crazy because right around this in
that time period, you know, it was it's the it
was Dwayne Williams era.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
So we used to be outside and some if you
don't come in the house by time the street lights
come on, don't come knocking on the door. So if
six o'clock then it got dark and I may have
been playing too long. And then six ' ten and
I come knocking the door, he won't let me in,
so I would have to go sleep in an empty apartment.
For for some cases, I slept on the school bus.
(32:29):
You know how they parked the school bus at the
top of here. I just sneak on the school bus.
And later and in the morning, I'll here the you know,
the driver when she comes in, you know, shaking the
keys and drinking her coffee. I hopped back off the
back of the bus and run back down to the
house change get ready to go to school. Damn so
(32:49):
it was you know.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
You as as as the person divine Stevens as that
as the major force, and putting helping, putting that line
and pushing his car all that place.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
All of it is what we call the perseverance, being
able to press through no matter what the circumstances are.
And I think every step helped me. You know, even
even even getting dropped from the face helped me because
(33:23):
at that moment, that was one of the darkest moments
because I was riding so high and I was young.
I'm like the first guy riding around hearing the Mercedes
bends with the a MG kid with the mobile phone,
with the all that I'm talking about. I'm talking about
(33:44):
just riding high, coming off of performing with Pebbles at
the center of your hall and doing Natalie Cole Big Break,
you know, doing some of the some of the big tours.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
Then your label tell you we're not gonna move forward
with you, you know, longer part of the light.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Then they had a gentleman. I always got to give
him props. Man. It was a guy by the name
of La Month. Bowls lamonth bowls hurt my feeling so bad, man, Damn. Yeah,
he put the battery pack in me though he hurt
my feeling so bad. He was like, yo, don't call
up it La, don't want you, no, no ever call
this building again. And I was like cool. And I
(34:26):
cried and I was like, okay, not a problem, not
a problem. And then I left Atlanta. I left Atlanta
and moved to Los Angeles with my aunt. I stayed
in South Central. Yeah it got worse. Yeah, I am yeah.
And I used to be there and I used to
see and I kept wondering, like you know, I ain't know.
(34:47):
The culture kept saying why the guys crossed the street.
They all gathering, the helicopters flying over and they are
to just talking and pulling liquor on the street. God
just got killed down the street at a traffic like
at the Burger king. Some guys pulled up hanging out
the window. Dump dump dump dump dumped on him.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Boom said, let me get back to Atlanta, man.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Nah, I didn't say that. I My purpose was going there.
I was trying to meet some of the dancers that
was on soul train. I was trying to be a
soul trained dancer.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
At that point. Any how long did you stay in
a man, I might have been there a year. So
like I say, then you said, let me get my
mother ass back today. Nah.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
So so I only came back. I came back to
Atlanta because Dallas Austin brother passed away. When Claude passed, Yeah,
Claude was Austin. Yeah, Claude was one of the guys
that kind of rallied for me at the beginning. So
when Claude passed away, I came back to Atlanta and
then I bumped into t Bars outside of the funeral
(35:49):
and she was like, yo, man, what what you What's
going on? What's you up to? Some man moved to
La and she was like what She's like, Nah, man,
you gotta come help TLC man, you got come help me.
I was like, I bet. So I came back and
started working with her, and then it you know, then
that got me back in gear, back in motion. So
(36:10):
the NTLC started bubbling, became super hot, and then that
got me the other things. And then I finally had
a conversation with La because I didn't know what had happened,
why it happened, you know, there was some eternal things
going on. And then I do know that Clarence Avons
came to rescue the situation. So rest in peace, you know,
(36:36):
to the god. So he came in and put some
things in place to protect the face at that time,
because there was about three acts that didn't work, so
they had signed Jermaine Jackson, Damien Dame and then Us
so that was three. So as a young production company,
(36:56):
they probably only had budget for three artists and.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
None of those pops.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
None of them pop, and then they have to probably
go get not probably they have to get it refecast.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
Get some more funding to get more funding.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
So I think at that moment, Clarence stepped in and
you know, and Pebble stepped in. Yeah, but that's that story,
and I know I jumped up.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
It's cool. So look, let me ask you something. Fine,
all these artists you work with, groups, individuals, solo artists.
If you had to create a four person, four members
supergroup out of everybody you've worked with over the years,
who would it be?
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Can I just do the males because I do a
male group. Okay, I would have Usher in the group,
Puffy in a group, mm hmm, one in a group,
and Teddy Riley Wally group. That would be my Super's
(38:02):
motherfucking supergroup. Yeah, I'm trying to think from a vocal standpoint.
Hold on, you said, y yea puff Okay, so ain't
gonna have to carry They're gonna carry the notes one,
you ain't gonna carry the whole.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
I was gonna say the whole.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Thing by himself. Us you're gonna blend and do somebody.
And then you got puffing and Teddy Roby. Absolutely, that's
a hell a group. Boy, Dad, I would be mine.
So what about the females. What a female would be? Simple,
It'll be Beyonce, It'll be t Bars, Monica h and
Mariah Carey. I would say, with Whitney's fasts piece.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
And Whitney is an honorary she would be definitely that.
But that would be Mariah Carey. Boy, ladies, and and
and and here's the thing, that's the supergroup. I would
never put Mary J. Blige in the group. I was
wondering because she's just such a I was wondering when
I was I was wondering, like, damn, you let me now.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Now, Mary, it's just a unique soul. You know, Mary
will be in that. Mary probably go solo first. She
wouldn't even probably be the first album.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
And because, like I said early on in this interview,
when she brought you up on stage, man, it was
just so good and refreshing to watch you up there
and for her to give you those flowers like she
did when she said there will not be no Mary J.
Without this brother, divine Stevens. Man, I was sitting out
there like a proud little brother.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
I said, look look at but I'll tell you a
story about Mary that people don't know. I was signed
to Electra Records and then that situation didn't work out,
and uh, I'm the first artist signed to Matriarch, which
(39:48):
was Mary J. Blige record company. We never put.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
As much as I've been involved in the industry and
as much as I think I know, I did not
know that.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was a part of you know.
Mary was like, Nah, let's do it, let's do it.
She wanted to make a huge announcement in the Hamptons
with Puff Party. I said, Mary, let's just do the
records first. I don't want to do an announcement and
then you know, we never we never.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Yet to record, no records or nothing. Nah.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
I mean there was a lot of touring, a lot
of you know, it's a lot of stuff had, you know,
but Mary was definitely like one of the sweetest souls
that showed compassion for my artwork. So I'm forever grateful
for Mary.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
Once again, y'all, y'all are here with story time with
legendary Jerry with Divine stevens uh Man. This has been
an incredible interview Divine, but before we get out of here,
I have to bring all my brother who has been
so incredibly instrumental so the culture and moving it forward.
(41:07):
My brother New Face we call him, or he calls him,
or everybody calls him the hip hop horder. But this
guy is really, really, and I'm gonna say it again,
he's really been instrumental to this whole our whole culture. Man.
So he said every segment. You can't get up out
of here without him asking you some special shit man. Awesome.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
I'm usually known for having memorabilia, magazines and CDs. In
that case, Jerry would pull me on and I don't
have that.
Speaker 3 (41:35):
But what I do have.
Speaker 4 (41:36):
Is the memory of being in these rooms with these
people that you name, and your name being brought up
in podcasts, books, album credits as well. Synonymous with Atlanta
culture history, solid, respectable, adding value.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
To the brand. I just wanted to know, and that's
always been a goal of mine. Clarence A.
Speaker 4 (41:55):
Vine as well, names like a Jerry Clark, Kawan Praser,
like these names that just add value to people, And
I just wanted to know start first of all, like
where did that drive come from for you?
Speaker 3 (42:05):
Or was that the goal?
Speaker 2 (42:07):
I think it started at childhood. You know, I grew
up that way. I grew up watching my father and
his brothers entertained. And I think you know, if you
grew up with like the Jackson Fires or the Commodorees,
that's what it was like at my grandmother's house, watching
that every day, but then seeing that not flourished, not
(42:27):
go anywhere, seeing the drugs and alcohol tear that apart,
kind of built something and did something to me to
make me strive and even have this desire to want
to achieve.
Speaker 4 (42:41):
And then also like the importance of speaking someone's names
and rooms that they're not in again, Jerry Clark does that.
Numerous times you said Monica has done that for you
with the meetium with Clive Davis. Have you been able
to pay that type of thing forward with any artist
that we may know.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Yeah, I do that every day.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I have.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
I have an academy, the Von Stephens Academy, where I
teach kids from you know, K through twelve. I'm always
passing the torch always.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
And you talk about the names you listed off the
biggest artists. What about the biggest stages? We got Usher
doing the Super Bowl?
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (43:20):
Man, So what does.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
That look like?
Speaker 1 (43:23):
Proud?
Speaker 3 (43:25):
First of all?
Speaker 4 (43:25):
Yeah, again, it has to be proud moment and applause
for Usher for that.
Speaker 3 (43:29):
And I'm sure you've seen that.
Speaker 4 (43:31):
But what would that look like if divine Stevens got
that call.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
Already got the call man and and and the call
is simple. Then his biggest performance and some of his
biggest numbers already did the choreography for.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
So he has to.
Speaker 2 (43:48):
Emulate that, you know, And I can whether I'm watching
it on TV, or whether I'm watching it on the
fifty yard line or whether I'm watching it on the green.
Those are numbers that are already put together, and the
world wants to see those numbers live. So and he
does it every night in Vegas already. So I'm already
applauding them. I'm already happy for him. You know, and
(44:14):
the team that he has around him, A lot of
the young cats already I put in place. So I'm excited.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
Man, oh man, that is awesome and I can't wait
because that I mean super Bowl, Like, that's the biggest stage,
right is that the biggest stage.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Well, I think it's the biggest viewing stage. Yeah. I
think it's the biggest fear in stage.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Don't get no bigger than the super Bowl. You got
big as and people around the world. That's the most
wild outside of the World Cup, that's washed event.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
Yeah, it's the biggest fearing stage. But you know the
polo is big too.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
If you don't make it off the apollo yeah so yeah, yeah,
so I get it in your face.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
He had his hands in the early young charraiment.
Speaker 2 (44:58):
Yeah. Yeah, I started out at the very very beginning.
Just call Me a Mac was the first song, and
that was the director was f Gary Gray.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
I remember that.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
Yeah, And you know.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
That was.
Speaker 2 (45:16):
Watching him at you know, at fourteen, you know, still
had this charisma and this desire that he has and
this work ethic that he is beyond. I always knew
that one day it was gonna all connect and uh, it's.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Gonna be the superstar that he's turned out to be.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Yeah, yeah, But I watched him work through all the adversity,
the the work ethic and the things that he went through,
and how we survived the business aspect of it and
still able to keep his sanity and perform every night
and not fall to drugs, to alcohol, to women, to
(46:02):
the things that could easily distract you. He stayed the course.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
Because this industry will chew you up and spit you
right out.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Well, the fame monster is nothing to play with, you know.
The fame monster gets everybody. Nobody escapes the fame monster.
It's just how the fame monster spits you out.
Speaker 3 (46:21):
And I heard you you're speaking about like money.
Speaker 4 (46:24):
Oh and I wanted to ask that too, like and
we don't have to discuss the amount of money, but
the way you're able to steal walk in rooms with
your head up high, full of purpose, and still do
what you do. Where does that driving that faith comes from?
Where you don't put the money over your true passion
and your purpose.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
That comes from my mama, you know, it comes from
watching her not have nothing. That comes from Section eight.
That comes from food stamps, that comes from not being
able to have what you want when you want it,
you know what I mean. So I can sit here, Yeah,
I want millions and millions. I want my money. I
(47:02):
want my money. But I come from zero, and my
mom shows me every day how to work from zero.
So long as I'm able to have role models and
things that I look up to and believe because I
look up to my mom. I don't look down at
my mom because she didn't have I looked up to
my mom based off watching how she figured it out.
(47:24):
And so that's what I'm left to do. I got
to figure it out for my kids.
Speaker 4 (47:28):
And one of the blueprints from this episode that I
take away from is no is like a I call
it rejectionist protection. And how you've bounced back from your nose.
Can you give our listeners how you were able to
push through those nose, like you know you first to
the face you said first on Mary J. Blige's like
(47:48):
that could be the top of the world for some people.
And you get this no, but you're able to say, Okay,
we're still gonna keep it moving.
Speaker 3 (47:55):
Where does that come from?
Speaker 1 (47:57):
All?
Speaker 2 (47:57):
No's not bad. Some noses that are teke you. Some
doors you don't even need to go behind some doors
you can look at and me it's the most beautiful thing.
It's like this woman, I want this, oh my goodness
all but then as soon as you get it, and
all health break loose because you can't keep it because
you can't keep up. And then I ask stress and
(48:18):
then ass all anxiety as all these different things. So
everything you look at that you think you want is
not really good for you.
Speaker 3 (48:24):
May not be for you, you.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
Know, So it's not even healthy for It's like the
food you know, I grew up eating, you know, survival
food whatever. But you know, but today I can say
that's happy food, you know, but it ain't good for me,
you know. So at the end of the day, them noses,
you know, they're therefore purpose and it on and I'm
(48:48):
here to live out my purpose. It's not the yes
other No.
Speaker 1 (48:51):
Got well when I tell you, man, divine like seriously, man,
truly speaking on behalf of the legendary Jerry showed myself
my brother face. Man. I truly enjoyed this interview.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
Man.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
We could sit here and talk man, with your history
and our history. We can sit here and talk for hours. Man. Yeah, Man,
the people need to know who Divin Steves is and
guess what you all know now only on the Storytime
with Legendary Jerry Show. Before we signed off, I just
want to tell you make sure you please go subscribe
on our YouTube channel, Legendary Jerry Clark. Subscribe. Subscribe, and
(49:28):
also my brother New Face. Give them your social media handles.
Speaker 4 (49:32):
We're at New Face, you know, on all social media platforms.
But I'm gonna be right on the side with my brother,
Legendary Jerry.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
Man exactly, Divine, give everybody your socials.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
Man at the Von Stevens Man, I just want to
say thank you, guys.
Speaker 1 (49:46):
Man.
Speaker 2 (49:46):
This has been a walk down memory listen and also
a reflection of what life could and should be. Hey man,
so I just want to say thank you.
Speaker 1 (49:57):
And the story Time with Legendary Jerry. Let me tell
you something. We're gonna dedicate this episode to uh miss
Lady Drew.
Speaker 2 (50:04):
Yeah man, and my brother, my brother change, Gang Shane Man.
Speaker 1 (50:10):
And Gang Shane rest in peace, Rest in peace, my
daddy Thomas Clark, and a great Shaki Steward.
Speaker 2 (50:16):
I love you, yeah yeah, but hold on, since you're
going there, man, I can't. Robin Simms, yes, Robin, yeah man.
Robin was very We had.
Speaker 1 (50:25):
So much history and people that have been instrumental on
both of our success. Robin Sims rest in peace.
Speaker 3 (50:31):
So this I'm gonna do man for Clay Evans Man,
Yes see.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
Y'all about to go there. Man, There's so many great
ones that passed away a part. I gotta say, the
great Biggie Smalls.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
Just some great ones, man, they sure.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
I just seen some photos with me standing outside Biggie's
homegun coming homegoing service.
Speaker 1 (50:51):
Same.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
I saw some pictures of me outside of the Left
Eyes and just all these great artists, you know, even
you know, I had a chance to work well, even
Mike Jackson. So it's just, you know, I didn't really
want to go down memory lane like because that's a whole.
Speaker 1 (51:09):
Just kind of take it, you know. But I definitely
want to make sure I acknowledge Lady Drew and your
brother Yang Shane hey Man, and Vine. Thank you man,
thank you for your contribution to the culture. Thank you
for coming on Storytime with legendary Jerry. Make sure y'all
tune in every week because we got people like this. Man.
Speaker 2 (51:25):
I'm not done yet. I'm not done yet. I'm not
We're gonad to have him coming up.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
Yeah, he gotta come back because when I tell y'all, man,
he got so much ship the upcoming. But but these.
Speaker 3 (51:36):
The type of stories we need you right, this story.
Speaker 1 (51:39):
Hey man, this story Time of legend j This is it.
Just hit right here, sign it off myself, Jerry Clark,
new Face, Divine Stevens. We out of here.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
Powered by iHeart You see it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
Story Time with the Legendary Jerry is hosted by me,
the one and Only Jerry Clark. Music has been provided
by July the Producer. If you haven't already, please please
make sure you subscribe to Storytime with the Legendary Jerry
on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and make
(52:17):
sure you follow us on all social media platforms at
the Legendary Jerry podcast. For more podcasts from my iHeart Media,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Now I got a question. I got a question to
find it. I always want to ask you, and I'm
gonna leave our names, but you know, you called me up,
you and Steve Rifkin and said, hey, we're flying down
in Miami, were having the studio session. I want you
to listen to the new Akon ALM. It was me
and U A Kon. We flew down. We met Steve
Rifkin down there in the studio. Probably remember, I know
(00:37):
you do. There was some folks that wasn't in our
immediate camp that was there at the studio.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
So was that an extortion play?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Extortion?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
It felt it felt like we were It felt like
I was reading the energy in the room of the people.
And I won't name it anything because they're going through
some legal shit now. But you know, these are cast
that's been around the music business and they're known for
other things outside of music. But I had the vibe
and I always want to ask you as much as
we talk over the years and all that, I felt
(01:10):
as though it was some extortion shit going on.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah, that happens a lot in the in the business,
and that was probably going on for sure around that time.
I mean I've experienced it at a high level.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Because those some big time characters in that.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, yeah, I've experienced it on a high level. And
and you know, through God's grace, I've been kind of
able to wiggle around that. But it's been times where
that's been institutions that actually give these extortions your itenerary
so they can be on your bumper.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Shum, so I'll give them motherfuckers. Was there at the
studio with us, like in the session, like, so.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Let me give you, let me give you. I used
to have to be at certain places and I kept
trying to figure out how they know where I'm at
everywhere I go?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
How is it somebody's feeding them that.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
They're giving them the information to push up on me.
But the only difference is, you know, I'm not saying that.
You know, I'm not againster. I don't want to be
a gainster. I'm from the streets. I'm from Red Oak
Housing projects. So the best thing I learned from Red
Oak Housing Projects and making it out of there is
(02:23):
how to avoid Yeah, not to entertain it, but to
avoid it. So once I see an I identify, I
know how to move around it because I moved around
East Lake Meadows, I moved around Carver Homes, I moved
around all of the projects. I moved around Capital Homes,
I moved around Mecannyville. So I know how to work
(02:47):
in those circumstances. But when I saw that the institution
was giving them the information, that was a step up.
And then that day in the studio d I and
I stopped lowing like, okay, this this is something. I
stop allowing them to book my travels. Okay, you know
what I'm saying, because I figured at that point, I
saw where I saw where it was going. You know,
(03:09):
even with the running you gotta think NBA All Star
in Phoenix. Yeah, you know, my guy got my My
guy ended up knocking Sugar out right, you know, like
big job, right, Yeah, But I wasn't even with them.
It was just Conn a big job.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
But I'm what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
I was there.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I'm the guy that walked over. Now I'm not. I'm
at os with Akon. At this point in our career.
Akon comes in with seventy five guys. I mean, I
mean they entourage. I'm talking about, it's big time, you know,
don't you know what I'm saying it was that energy,
and it was a rooftop party. I think it was
my I don't know exactly what hotel might have been
(03:47):
to w So it was a rooftop party. So when
I seen a kon come in, I actly saw cash
money on one side. A kon comes in with the entourage,
and then shortly after that, I seen Sulk Knight walk in.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
So you knew, like, okay, here we go.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I'm in the corner. I'm over in the corner with
little Ronnie the producer, Me and Little Ronnie just kicking
it when thing was over there talking to Terrell Owens,
just kicking it. And then when Shuld came in there.
Shortly after that, I saw about fifty police officers come
in and just surround. They never came into the VIP
section where a coon was. They just surrounded the outside
of the party. So I looked im looking, I'm like, okay,
(04:25):
all right, I'm not even with this dude, but let
me let me just go over there. I go over
there in the midst of all the gang banging, the
conversations the police officers, and sat right next to Connor
whisper in his ear. I say, man, I think you
should get up and leave from this situation right now.
He looked at me. I said, yeah, he should get up.
(04:47):
He asked no questions. He says, she'll give me one second,
give me one second, shog and he got up and
he walked away with me, and I took him to
his room. He went to his hotel room, and when
I came back out, people was running everywhere, and I'm like, oh, snap,
what just happened? Oh oh. Then I see one of
the guys security guys to tease handcuffed downstairs, you know,
(05:12):
they had him downstairs. And then I've seen people. I
couldn't get on the main elevator, so I went and
got on the service elevator go back up to the rooftop.
So when I went up to the rooftop, I peeked
around the corner because people were running, and then I
saw the police had Jo and they had the tour manager,
which was Ron Bird. They had all of them detained.
(05:32):
So I was like, I'm like, you jaw.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yo jow jow trying to here just knocked Sugar out.
I ain't.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
But at the point I ain't see Sugar. I just
saw paramedics coming in and I'm like, but I saw
blood on his shirt, So I'm like, what happened. I'm
trying to figure out what happened. So I looked and
I'm like, what's going on over there? And then job
Joe was ignoring me. He looked over at me, but
he looked away. And then I was like, man, what
just happened? And the next thing, you know, the parameders
(06:01):
rolling Shug back over my way through the service that
wad At that point, that's when I knew that something
had took place. But yeah, but even at that moment
that was around the producer that we had signed, that
Shug felt like that producer was with ray j and
(06:22):
him and he was coming to collect because I think
it was some money or whatever. But because we signed
a producer, we we are responsible at that moment for
the producer's debt that we didn't know that the producer had, right,
So then when you're ask him for money for us
(06:46):
to pay somebody else's debt that we don't know that
we have. Yeah, and then it's in a public setting,
it's kind of like it just sparked something. So that
that's one incident, But then I had other incidents where
I got pushed up on. I was at mister Childs
and I didn't even know how to do even knew
I was even there. But we was having a listening
(07:07):
session upstairs, and.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
We ain't talking about Shoul. We just talking about.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Another person, another extortionist that you don't know.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
The same one that was in the studio when he's
in Miami.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Or different it's a different one.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
People probably like, who the We're not going to say
these people this.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
You know, this particular person is actually doing time. But
you know it's not that particular person. It's a system.
They have other people. It's like a it's it's you know,
this is their business, that's how they get down, that's
how they make their money. So I'm not going into
the name of these people. But at the at the
same time, I'm just talking about the act. So when
they pushed up on me, say oh, the god that
(07:42):
paid that god that got away with the money that
didn't pay his taxes, that was the conversation. And I said,
I looked at him. I was like, hmm, pay my taxes,
I said, I said, no, I pay who I need
to pay, Uncle saying and I'm looking, I pay who
I need to pay and he's like, oh yeah, and
I was like, nigga, whatever, excuse me. So I went
(08:04):
in the bathroom call my godfather. I said, Yo, this
would just happen. Well, is this dude pressing up on me?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
And how do you even know?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
He said, hey, man, listen his I want you to do. No, no,
I call made a call before that. My god told me.
One of my street dudes told me he said, if
he say something else to you, knock him out. And
I said, okay, got it. You know I already know
(08:34):
I'm nice with these hands. But I called my godfather
after that, and my godfather said, don't put your hands
on nobody. He said, well, I will suggest you do.
He said, did you drive there? I said yeah. He said,
go to get your car out of Valet, Get in
your car, run the first two lights, go back to
(08:56):
your hotel, check out, check out, go to the airport
and get on the first flight smoking ship. They know
exactly where you're at, where you're going, how you're moving.
I said, okay, So I got out of there. So
nothing happened that night.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Later on fast forward, the same guy, all this incident
that's going on.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
It happened.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Here in the a No, it happened at all stars knock.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Shit got so yeah, full circle all full circle pimp type.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
So now what happens after that?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
See?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Now what you just did? You just you spark the
whole thing. You just added on another bill that you
don't have to add on. And then before I can
even get out of mister Childs, my phone is ringing
and I look at it. I'm like, no, it's calling
me from a number I don't recognize. So it kept calling,
kept calling back to back. So then I answered it.
I said, let me just pick it up. I don't
(09:59):
know who this. It was another gangster, another another street guy. Hey, man,
listen the so and so so on and so if
you got any issues man out here, you know, in
La whatever, just let me know.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Another semi extortion plus. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
So they was boxing me. They was trying to box
me in, and then I kept saying, I said, man,
you know, I ain't got no problems. Man, I don't
really have problems. He was like, well, I'm just letting
you know. If you have anything anything going on, you
just you holler at me. And then I thought about
it at that moment, you know, because like I said,
I'm from Red Oak. I can spot it. So it
(10:38):
was like, nah, I'm getting out of here. I'm gonna
get on the bird, go back to the A. So
I came back to Atlanta and that's what slowed my
process of going to LA. And then that's when I
realized a lot of famous people from LA was moving
to Atlanta because you know, they got a different culture
out there. Oh it's definitely different.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Now. The last time I saw Divine, the last time
I saw R. Kelly before he went in okay, was
with you out of the compound, out of the match
and that list, Yeah, yeah, yeah. How did y'all? How
(11:21):
did y'all come together? How did you R Kelly? Because
and what was your role? I mean at one point
I thought you was managing him. I used to see
him out of the compound all the time when I
came out there hooping in the gym, and and I
never me and you never sat down and just talked
about what all was going on. I just know you,
you know you had your hand in it, right, But
(11:43):
you and R Kelly, how how did all that come about?
And what was your role? And that toward the end,
because like I said that was the last time I
saw him before you know, all this stuff exploded and
he had to go sit down.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah, I think that the story with R. Kelly's is,
I mean, I gotta take you back. I answer your
question from how we got started, Well, I've known of R.
Kelly through years, but we never had any interaction. You know,
I've been in places where he's been or whatever. And
(12:15):
it wasn't until Lady Drew passed away, the lady who
ran my company with she she died, and when she
passed away, I think probably like two years, I end
up kind of going into a real dark place and
(12:37):
really like moving around like I used to. I think
when she passed away, half of me was roaming around
the other half like I got in the box with her.
So it was like I had to implement a new team.
So at that moment, I end up hiring a lady
by the name was Cheryl Mack. And Cheryl Mack, I uh,
(13:04):
I was in business with R.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Kelly.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
So I ended up going over to Little Ronnie's house,
and Little Ronnie and we met there at Little Ronnie's
house and you know, just vibing or whatever, then vibing
the music and then he you know, then Sheryl put
it together, say yo, that's the vine you need to
holler and whatever. And she she always told me, she said,
I think you can help Rob with his career. She said,
(13:28):
I think where he's at right now, he really needs help.
And he they had been on the bench for by
eight years, like I think when a woman's fed up,
probably at that moment was his last was his last
thing that yeah, big record, and he was really at
a crossroad, wasn't really doing anything for eight years. And
(13:50):
she said, I think you can help him. And then
in my mind, I you know, I come from working
with Puff and Jay, so I already knew that that
was a bit of a battle there, and then I
knew he had a bit of a battle with with
cash money when when that split happened with him and Jay,
he went and did another album with Birdman that he
(14:14):
never put out, so Bertman spent his own money on
the album, and Bergman had issues with r Kelly because.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
He put that bird up and and robbed then do
the album.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
So at that point, it was a couple of things
that was going on, and I just felt like for
me to take it on, take on the projects. I
felt like I had the relationships in those areas where
I could fix those things. And you know, when you
in my position at that point, I'm always a giver
and I'm always trying to figure out how to help
(14:48):
people and help artists. So the relationship between and him
was really just trying to help him, understand. But when
I met him, you know, he had twenty three thousand dollars.
He stayed at Homestead Sweets, and he lived, yeah, and
he lived on a tour bus. So you know, I
(15:09):
felt some type of way about that. And I kept saying, Man,
the students, you know, one of the most prolific song right,
I guess you know, it's a legend. And I kept saying, man,
he kept saying, yeah, the vine. I don't really have
no tall flowers around me. Man, he said, it's just
a bunch of weeds and whatever. Man, I need you know,
I need tall flowers, you know whatever. And I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(15:31):
So I listened. I listened to everything. He got into
a creative part of it, and then I tapped into
the genius part of it. But I can tell you
it's like I was in a real dark space and
I walked into the darkness. But the only thing about
the darkness was it was the most creative time I
(15:52):
ever had in my life, working with a genius.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Where those records are, Man, I haven't how many R.
Kelly records you got it this under.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Your I probably got I probably got a thousand.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Man the fun out of here, Man, I.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Probably got a thousand. I got trapped in the closet,
I got, I got animations.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Divine statements. You have a thousand R. Kelly RECs that
he recorded over there at your spot. What you gonna
do with them?
Speaker 2 (16:31):
I mean, I don't I don't know what to do.
I think at the end of the day. I think,
at the end of the day, it's just a touchy situation.
Right now, it's too touchy for me to touch it.
And uh, you know, and I just think, yeah, you know,
and and and a lot of times people like they
(16:51):
asked me the question of divine what do you thought about?
You know, the girls, and you know the women and
all of those things, And you know, my heart goes
out to all of that. But I don't know what R.
Kelly do behind closed doors, just as well as I
don't know what you do behind closed doors, and you
don't know what I do behind closed doors. You know,
you don't know the level of my freakiness. You know
what I'm saying, and nobody knows. Right, So I never
(17:15):
seen a sexual act because that's not r. Kelly was
private in that sense. And if you talk to any
of the women, they'll tell you that he kept everybody
away from each other. Everybody's kind of separate, you know,
the way he did what he's what he's what, he
do his thing. So at the end of the day,
(17:36):
I've been in the music busin so long, I always
see women. They would say, well, you know, see young
girls around. I always have seen young girls around, and
with both of.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Us the time, and we've been in this zish we
see some sketchy as shit over the years with a
lot of different artists. But when this nigga was in
there with you recording in your spot, did you see
any sketchy shit where you was like, come.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
On, I mean, you always saw you saw women and
you come in, wouldn't look at you. I just thought
with some Chicago no, don't do that now. I don't
do that to the city mind. No, but I thought,
I mean, I just thought I mean I saw pimp
movies and things the way street people handle stuff. But
I don't know how Chicago operate, right, But I just
thought that that was a Chicago thing. I wouldn't think
(18:18):
like it was like, you know what, man, don't want
you want this woman looking at you. So I was like, okay, cool,
because they never looked at me. They will always look
at the floor, or if they was in a room,
I wait till they come out, or or he'll come out.
But it was never like we sitting there entertaining at
the same time. You know, we had parties. We've been
(18:39):
to parties, but I never seen a sexual act.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
When he what kind of term? Have you talked to
him since he been inside? Or are you all on side? Now?
Speaker 2 (18:47):
I haven't had a conversation with r Kelly, you know,
because because prior to that man R Kelly had already separated.
I've worked out quite a few deals, and then r
Kelly then compensate me for those deals. I mean, I
worked out some hell of a deals for R Kelly
and he ran off with the paper. So when he
(19:09):
ran off with the money man, I kind of stepped
away from it. And a year later I was watching
Surviving R. Kelly myself. You see how everything go well,
everything is for a circle. Yeah, yeah, I mean.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Call it whatever. You can call it carme or you
can call it the seas that you've planned and that
now so on.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Well, one thing I can say. I can say that
God was protecting me. That's all I can say. At
the time, I didn't feel like that. I wanted my
two point five million dollars. But you know, I had
a I used to have nightmares, you know, really bad
dreams mentally about the situation, because you know, it was
(19:50):
a dark space. And one night I had a nightmare.
I woke up out of the dream, want to use
the bathroom, came back and picked the nightmare up where
I am and continued it like it was on me
so bad that I said, and I just start praying.
(20:12):
I kept praying and praying, and then I think the
following day when I woke up, it felt like a
cloud had went over my head and God had came
to me and told me that nothing is going to
become of this. You're not going to prosper from this,
You're not going to gain any value. You did the
(20:33):
best that you could do. And then I let it go,
Let the two point five million goal, let the hate god,
let the anger go. And I sent a letter over
to the attorney saying, you know, I request my money,
and they sent me something back saying.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You don't have no money.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
No, they sent something back saying, mister Kelly, say don't
owe you anything, and if you plan on suing, get
in line. And my attorney said, you will be spending
about two hundred and fifty thousand going down a rabbit
hole and you get nothing taking that bread. So I
(21:15):
just walked away from it. And then, you know, like
I said a year later, I was watching Surviving r Kell,
produced by a young lady that was actually in the
house at the time.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
WHOA. Now, you and Puff used to be real, real tight.
I saw how y'all moved around and all that. And
you mentioned earlier in the interview that you know, he
opened a lot of doors to that New York space.
What's our relationship like? Now? I just saw y'all ever vote, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
He hit me up when he came to town. You know,
we we chopping it up. We're trying to figure out, Yeah,
we're trying to figure out you know what the next
move is you know, a lot has happened, you know,
what created y'all going separate. I think it was just success, man,
it was success. You know, he sees it a certain way.
And I and you know, and I was trying to
(22:01):
grow up, man, I was trying to grow up in
this thing. And I think in my efforts of growing up,
it wasn't providing a service at that point. So and
that's like anything, you know, It's like he you know,
it's good when you providing the service, you know, but
(22:21):
when you're trying to grow and become something else other
than serving, it turns into something different, which was okay.
So we both matured in that space and hopefully we
can put put it back together because our success rate
is like, man, it's like it's like belichicking and Tom Brady. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
And then right now, you know when I tell you man,
I set back and I used to watch you on puffing,
Like I said, y'all y'all together, y'all ship man.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yeah, we we did a lot for the culture. And
like right now, I'm just I'm just so happy that
you know, he was able to turn that pain into
some art and you know, and and and be out
here expressing itself, you know, and still being passionate about
music because for me, it you know, it got so
dark that I almost lost that passion for music because
(23:15):
I poured so much into people, and as I was
pouring into people, I wasn't getting a return, or I
felt like I wasn't getting a return, you know. But
then I felt like God isolated me so I can
get to him, so I can have a better understanding
that the gift wasn't mine in the first place. It
was for me to share. And so I'm cool with that.
(23:40):
I found peace. I made peace with myself. It was
more about me than it was about Yeah, it was
more about me than anything that I've been through because
you know, sometimes you can get caught up in the
perception of what you think something is versus the way
something should be. And you know, Gods showed me some
things and then he started protecting me from things. And
(24:06):
sometimes the protection comes in the form of no.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
Shum y'all hear these gems, man, It's a story time
with legendary Jerry the number one podcast in America, Power
(24:33):
by iHeart. I got my brother Devine Stevens here, look
Len with everything is that that you've been going through
the last couple of years. How's your mental health with
your brother passing a few years ago? I know I
know about grief as far as Lady Drew, I was
a motherly figure, that was your business partner. How's your
(24:56):
mental health right now? Well? You always undercout you always
every time I see you, man, we laughed, Joe Pimp
tight hug your energy.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Man.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
You always you know, you always got good spirit, good
energy man. But I know a lot of times I
know from balance anxiety myself that you know, we'll be
going through it, like you just mentioned it, going through
some dark times. But I know with your brother, you know,
how how's everything with the situation you know, with your
brother passed, and how's your mental health?
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Well, that's a you know, it's an ongoing work in
progress type thing, you know. I think for for for
a while, I kind of like step back, you know,
and just starting to just now come out even feel
like talking about anything. But I had to realize that
(25:50):
and what I stand doing right now today is that
last time I made this lap around the track, I
didn't bring God with me. But this time he's with me.
So when I go now it's not it's not me
going to see what Jerry Clark has going on. It's
(26:13):
me going to see what God has for me. So
that's the difference, you know what I mean. So that's
why I can receive Jerry Clark now, because before, when
it was dark, I couldn't receive certain people because it's
all industry related, and you lump it together because just
because we're in the industry doesn't mean that there's a
(26:34):
union within the community. The community is divided. And then
I have to get I have to get back to purpose.
In order to get to my purpose, I had to
find God. Hey man, brother, And now that I have
that peace, I'm back. I'm back with a whole new
(26:55):
understanding and I'm back.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
And that's the dangerous divine Stevens.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Yeah, and so far as my brother goes, it's like,
you know, I lost my childhood hero in prison. You know,
he served thirty three years before it's passing. He died
in prison of an overdose. So I don't know how
that works. I don't know how it played out.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I didn't dig too deep into it. I know God
has his own method, but only that I can tell
you is when they delivered my brother too on Cascade,
I think I forget.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
The Murray I'm not Murray bro.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
I forget the funeral home. I wanted to give him
a shout out to but I'm drawing a blaze. It's
gonna come to me. And those are my people over
there too. I'm sorry about that. Murray brothers NA it's
on castcade of blank, but I want to give them
a shout out. But when they when they rolled my
brother over there, I was standing outside our I was
(28:08):
waiting all day, you know. They said the cardinal said
we're going to bring him that way. So I was
out there probably an hour ahead of time, and a
sense of joy came over me because it was the
first time that I seen.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Him free in thirty three years.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
In thirty three years, so and I know God got
a plan and I and and I can't say that,
you know, serving three consecutive life centers for a crime
he didn't commit, you know, no evidence, no DNA, only hearsay.
(28:48):
And at the time, being from Red Oak Housing Project,
we had no money. So going to try with a
public defender was you know, it was tough, and this
was it was weird. Because it happened in nineteen ninety
while he was on trial. I was doing my deal
(29:11):
with Little Face Records, So to see him free Cascade,
whatever I met. My mom had just saw him two
weeks before that, and he didn't look well. But this
was like kind of right up the COVID. So I'm thinking, like, okay,
you all right, you know, you know, and he just
you know, he just wasn't himself. So even when my
(29:31):
mom we were sitting there, we both was trying to
hide our tears. She would get up and go to
the to the vending machine. She crying over at the
vending machine because he didn't look like, you know, he
was He looked like he was done with it. It
(29:52):
didn't looked like he was doing time. It looked like
the time had started doing him.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
And you know, my brother is a real warrior. So
it's like like, you know, this is Changin Shane. He
can handle this prison thing. But it took a toll
on him. And uh and it definitely was taking a
toll on my mom. You know, that's that's my mom's
favorite child. I always say that, you know, she begged
(30:18):
the different now, you know, because you know, you know,
I handle all my responsibility, but but that was a
favorite child. That was that was her first born. You know,
I'm the second, you know, I'm the second. She actually
probably wanted a girl, but there was another boy.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
You know.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Okay, so you know, big shots out to my mom
because you know my mom, you know, single mom. You
know my mom you know, raised us, uh, you know,
pretty much by herself, you know, in red, red old house,
in red old house and projects. You know. Then I actually,
(30:57):
you know, she she met a man and had to
you know how a step father. And yeah, she met
a man, step father. When she met him, I thought, like,
you know, the man was gonna come in and he
was gonna take us out of the projects. Homeboy moved
in with us. Man and uh, man, we hated that man.
We hated that and we gave that man. I mean,
we gave that man pure hell. He passed away.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Man.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
We gave him hell. And uh he was giving us
hell too. He was you know, he was from the
military whatever. And he came in the Yeah, I thought
he was coming to add value.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Man.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
My man came in and he used to walk around
the house with his gun on him, you know. And
we didn't have guns back then. We looking at him
like like, man, you know what, we're gonna get you
in your sleep, bro, Like you know what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
So he was yeah, yeah, he was abusive, and you know,
my mom was taking it ship.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
So and it was crazy because right around this in
that time period, you know, it was it's the it
was Dwayne Williams era.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
So we used to be outside and some if you
don't come in the house by time the street lights
come on, don't come knocking on the door. So if
six o'clock then it got dark and I may have
been playing too long. And then six ' ten and
I come knocking the door, he won't let me in,
so I would have to go sleep in an empty apartment.
For for some cases, I slept on the school bus.
(32:29):
You know how they parked the school bus at the
top of here. I just sneak on the school bus.
And later and in the morning, I'll here the you know,
the driver when she comes in, you know, shaking the
keys and drinking her coffee. I hopped back off the
back of the bus and run back down to the
house change get ready to go to school. Damn so
(32:49):
it was you know.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
You as as as the person divine Stevens as that
as the major force, and putting helping, putting that line
and pushing his car all that place.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
All of it is what we call the perseverance, being
able to press through no matter what the circumstances are.
And I think every step helped me. You know, even
even even getting dropped from the face helped me because
(33:23):
at that moment, that was one of the darkest moments
because I was riding so high and I was young.
I'm like the first guy riding around hearing the Mercedes
bends with the a MG kid with the mobile phone,
with the all that I'm talking about. I'm talking about
(33:44):
just riding high, coming off of performing with Pebbles at
the center of your hall and doing Natalie Cole Big Break,
you know, doing some of the some of the big tours.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
Then your label tell you we're not gonna move forward
with you, you know, longer part of the light.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Then they had a gentleman. I always got to give
him props. Man. It was a guy by the name
of La Month. Bowls lamonth bowls hurt my feeling so bad, man, Damn. Yeah,
he put the battery pack in me though he hurt
my feeling so bad. He was like, yo, don't call
up it La, don't want you, no, no ever call
this building again. And I was like cool. And I
(34:26):
cried and I was like, okay, not a problem, not
a problem. And then I left Atlanta. I left Atlanta
and moved to Los Angeles with my aunt. I stayed
in South Central. Yeah it got worse. Yeah, I am yeah.
And I used to be there and I used to
see and I kept wondering, like you know, I ain't know.
(34:47):
The culture kept saying why the guys crossed the street.
They all gathering, the helicopters flying over and they are
to just talking and pulling liquor on the street. God
just got killed down the street at a traffic like
at the Burger king. Some guys pulled up hanging out
the window. Dump dump dump dump dumped on him.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Boom said, let me get back to Atlanta, man.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Nah, I didn't say that. I My purpose was going there.
I was trying to meet some of the dancers that
was on soul train. I was trying to be a
soul trained dancer.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
At that point. Any how long did you stay in
a man, I might have been there a year. So
like I say, then you said, let me get my
mother ass back today. Nah.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
So so I only came back. I came back to
Atlanta because Dallas Austin brother passed away. When Claude passed, Yeah,
Claude was Austin. Yeah, Claude was one of the guys
that kind of rallied for me at the beginning. So
when Claude passed away, I came back to Atlanta and
then I bumped into t Bars outside of the funeral
(35:49):
and she was like, yo, man, what what you What's
going on? What's you up to? Some man moved to
La and she was like what She's like, Nah, man,
you gotta come help TLC man, you got come help me.
I was like, I bet. So I came back and
started working with her, and then it you know, then
that got me back in gear, back in motion. So
(36:10):
the NTLC started bubbling, became super hot, and then that
got me the other things. And then I finally had
a conversation with La because I didn't know what had happened,
why it happened, you know, there was some eternal things
going on. And then I do know that Clarence Avons
came to rescue the situation. So rest in peace, you know,
(36:36):
to the god. So he came in and put some
things in place to protect the face at that time,
because there was about three acts that didn't work, so
they had signed Jermaine Jackson, Damien Dame and then Us
so that was three. So as a young production company,
(36:56):
they probably only had budget for three artists and.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
None of those pops.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
None of them pop, and then they have to probably
go get not probably they have to get it refecast.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
Get some more funding to get more funding.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
So I think at that moment, Clarence stepped in and
you know, and Pebble stepped in. Yeah, but that's that story,
and I know I jumped up.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
It's cool. So look, let me ask you something. Fine,
all these artists you work with, groups, individuals, solo artists.
If you had to create a four person, four members
supergroup out of everybody you've worked with over the years,
who would it be?
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Can I just do the males because I do a
male group. Okay, I would have Usher in the group,
Puffy in a group, mm hmm, one in a group,
and Teddy Riley Wally group. That would be my Super's
(38:02):
motherfucking supergroup. Yeah, I'm trying to think from a vocal standpoint.
Hold on, you said, y yea puff Okay, so ain't
gonna have to carry They're gonna carry the notes one,
you ain't gonna carry the whole.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
I was gonna say the whole.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Thing by himself. Us you're gonna blend and do somebody.
And then you got puffing and Teddy Roby. Absolutely, that's
a hell a group. Boy, Dad, I would be mine.
So what about the females. What a female would be? Simple,
It'll be Beyonce, It'll be t Bars, Monica h and
Mariah Carey. I would say, with Whitney's fasts piece.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
And Whitney is an honorary she would be definitely that.
But that would be Mariah Carey. Boy, ladies, and and
and and here's the thing, that's the supergroup. I would
never put Mary J. Blige in the group. I was
wondering because she's just such a I was wondering when
I was I was wondering, like, damn, you let me now.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Now, Mary, it's just a unique soul. You know, Mary
will be in that. Mary probably go solo first. She
wouldn't even probably be the first album.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
And because, like I said early on in this interview,
when she brought you up on stage, man, it was
just so good and refreshing to watch you up there
and for her to give you those flowers like she
did when she said there will not be no Mary J.
Without this brother, divine Stevens. Man, I was sitting out
there like a proud little brother.
Speaker 2 (39:27):
I said, look look at but I'll tell you a
story about Mary that people don't know. I was signed
to Electra Records and then that situation didn't work out,
and uh, I'm the first artist signed to Matriarch, which
(39:48):
was Mary J. Blige record company. We never put.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
As much as I've been involved in the industry and
as much as I think I know, I did not
know that.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was a part of you know.
Mary was like, Nah, let's do it, let's do it.
She wanted to make a huge announcement in the Hamptons
with Puff Party. I said, Mary, let's just do the
records first. I don't want to do an announcement and
then you know, we never we never.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Yet to record, no records or nothing. Nah.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
I mean there was a lot of touring, a lot
of you know, it's a lot of stuff had, you know,
but Mary was definitely like one of the sweetest souls
that showed compassion for my artwork. So I'm forever grateful
for Mary.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
Once again, y'all, y'all are here with story time with
legendary Jerry with Divine stevens uh Man. This has been
an incredible interview Divine, but before we get out of here,
I have to bring all my brother who has been
so incredibly instrumental so the culture and moving it forward.
(41:07):
My brother New Face we call him, or he calls him,
or everybody calls him the hip hop horder. But this
guy is really, really, and I'm gonna say it again,
he's really been instrumental to this whole our whole culture. Man.
So he said every segment. You can't get up out
of here without him asking you some special shit man. Awesome.
Speaker 4 (41:28):
I'm usually known for having memorabilia, magazines and CDs. In
that case, Jerry would pull me on and I don't
have that.
Speaker 3 (41:35):
But what I do have.
Speaker 4 (41:36):
Is the memory of being in these rooms with these
people that you name, and your name being brought up
in podcasts, books, album credits as well. Synonymous with Atlanta
culture history, solid, respectable, adding value.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
To the brand. I just wanted to know, and that's
always been a goal of mine. Clarence A.
Speaker 4 (41:55):
Vine as well, names like a Jerry Clark, Kawan Praser,
like these names that just add value to people, And
I just wanted to know start first of all, like
where did that drive come from for you?
Speaker 3 (42:05):
Or was that the goal?
Speaker 2 (42:07):
I think it started at childhood. You know, I grew
up that way. I grew up watching my father and
his brothers entertained. And I think you know, if you
grew up with like the Jackson Fires or the Commodorees,
that's what it was like at my grandmother's house, watching
that every day, but then seeing that not flourished, not
(42:27):
go anywhere, seeing the drugs and alcohol tear that apart,
kind of built something and did something to me to
make me strive and even have this desire to want
to achieve.
Speaker 4 (42:41):
And then also like the importance of speaking someone's names
and rooms that they're not in again, Jerry Clark does that.
Numerous times you said Monica has done that for you
with the meetium with Clive Davis. Have you been able
to pay that type of thing forward with any artist
that we may know.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Yeah, I do that every day.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
I have.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
I have an academy, the Von Stephens Academy, where I
teach kids from you know, K through twelve. I'm always
passing the torch always.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
And you talk about the names you listed off the
biggest artists. What about the biggest stages? We got Usher
doing the Super Bowl?
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (43:20):
Man, So what does.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
That look like?
Speaker 1 (43:23):
Proud?
Speaker 3 (43:25):
First of all?
Speaker 4 (43:25):
Yeah, again, it has to be proud moment and applause
for Usher for that.
Speaker 3 (43:29):
And I'm sure you've seen that.
Speaker 4 (43:31):
But what would that look like if divine Stevens got
that call.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
Already got the call man and and and the call
is simple. Then his biggest performance and some of his
biggest numbers already did the choreography for.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
So he has to.
Speaker 2 (43:48):
Emulate that, you know, And I can whether I'm watching
it on TV, or whether I'm watching it on the
fifty yard line or whether I'm watching it on the green.
Those are numbers that are already put together, and the
world wants to see those numbers live. So and he
does it every night in Vegas already. So I'm already
applauding them. I'm already happy for him. You know, and
(44:14):
the team that he has around him, A lot of
the young cats already I put in place. So I'm excited.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
Man, oh man, that is awesome and I can't wait
because that I mean super Bowl, Like, that's the biggest stage,
right is that the biggest stage.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
Well, I think it's the biggest viewing stage. Yeah. I
think it's the biggest fear in stage.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Don't get no bigger than the super Bowl. You got
big as and people around the world. That's the most
wild outside of the World Cup, that's washed event.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
Yeah, it's the biggest fearing stage. But you know the
polo is big too.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
If you don't make it off the apollo yeah so yeah, yeah,
so I get it in your face.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
He had his hands in the early young charraiment.
Speaker 2 (44:58):
Yeah. Yeah, I started out at the very very beginning.
Just call Me a Mac was the first song, and
that was the director was f Gary Gray.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
I remember that.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
Yeah, And you know.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
That was.
Speaker 2 (45:16):
Watching him at you know, at fourteen, you know, still
had this charisma and this desire that he has and
this work ethic that he is beyond. I always knew
that one day it was gonna all connect and uh, it's.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Gonna be the superstar that he's turned out to be.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Yeah, yeah, But I watched him work through all the adversity,
the the work ethic and the things that he went through,
and how we survived the business aspect of it and
still able to keep his sanity and perform every night
and not fall to drugs, to alcohol, to women, to
(46:02):
the things that could easily distract you. He stayed the course.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
Because this industry will chew you up and spit you
right out.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Well, the fame monster is nothing to play with, you know.
The fame monster gets everybody. Nobody escapes the fame monster.
It's just how the fame monster spits you out.
Speaker 3 (46:21):
And I heard you you're speaking about like money.
Speaker 4 (46:24):
Oh and I wanted to ask that too, like and
we don't have to discuss the amount of money, but
the way you're able to steal walk in rooms with
your head up high, full of purpose, and still do
what you do. Where does that driving that faith comes from?
Where you don't put the money over your true passion
and your purpose.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
That comes from my mama, you know, it comes from
watching her not have nothing. That comes from Section eight.
That comes from food stamps, that comes from not being
able to have what you want when you want it,
you know what I mean. So I can sit here, Yeah,
I want millions and millions. I want my money. I
(47:02):
want my money. But I come from zero, and my
mom shows me every day how to work from zero.
So long as I'm able to have role models and
things that I look up to and believe because I
look up to my mom. I don't look down at
my mom because she didn't have I looked up to
my mom based off watching how she figured it out.
(47:24):
And so that's what I'm left to do. I got
to figure it out for my kids.
Speaker 4 (47:28):
And one of the blueprints from this episode that I
take away from is no is like a I call
it rejectionist protection. And how you've bounced back from your nose.
Can you give our listeners how you were able to
push through those nose, like you know you first to
the face you said first on Mary J. Blige's like
(47:48):
that could be the top of the world for some people.
And you get this no, but you're able to say, Okay,
we're still gonna keep it moving.
Speaker 3 (47:55):
Where does that come from?
Speaker 1 (47:57):
All?
Speaker 2 (47:57):
No's not bad. Some noses that are teke you. Some
doors you don't even need to go behind some doors
you can look at and me it's the most beautiful thing.
It's like this woman, I want this, oh my goodness
all but then as soon as you get it, and
all health break loose because you can't keep it because
you can't keep up. And then I ask stress and
(48:18):
then ass all anxiety as all these different things. So
everything you look at that you think you want is
not really good for you.
Speaker 3 (48:24):
May not be for you, you.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
Know, So it's not even healthy for It's like the
food you know, I grew up eating, you know, survival
food whatever. But you know, but today I can say
that's happy food, you know, but it ain't good for me,
you know. So at the end of the day, them noses,
you know, they're therefore purpose and it on and I'm
(48:48):
here to live out my purpose. It's not the yes
other No.
Speaker 1 (48:51):
Got well when I tell you, man, divine like seriously, man,
truly speaking on behalf of the legendary Jerry showed myself
my brother face. Man. I truly enjoyed this interview.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
Man.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
We could sit here and talk man, with your history
and our history. We can sit here and talk for hours. Man. Yeah, Man,
the people need to know who Divin Steves is and
guess what you all know now only on the Storytime
with Legendary Jerry Show. Before we signed off, I just
want to tell you make sure you please go subscribe
on our YouTube channel, Legendary Jerry Clark. Subscribe. Subscribe, and
(49:28):
also my brother New Face. Give them your social media handles.
Speaker 4 (49:32):
We're at New Face, you know, on all social media platforms.
But I'm gonna be right on the side with my brother,
Legendary Jerry.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
Man exactly, Divine, give everybody your socials.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
Man at the Von Stevens Man, I just want to
say thank you, guys.
Speaker 1 (49:46):
Man.
Speaker 2 (49:46):
This has been a walk down memory listen and also
a reflection of what life could and should be. Hey man,
so I just want to say thank you.
Speaker 1 (49:57):
And the story Time with Legendary Jerry. Let me tell
you something. We're gonna dedicate this episode to uh miss
Lady Drew.
Speaker 2 (50:04):
Yeah man, and my brother, my brother change, Gang Shane Man.
Speaker 1 (50:10):
And Gang Shane rest in peace, Rest in peace, my
daddy Thomas Clark, and a great Shaki Steward.
Speaker 2 (50:16):
I love you, yeah yeah, but hold on, since you're
going there, man, I can't. Robin Simms, yes, Robin, yeah man.
Robin was very We had.
Speaker 1 (50:25):
So much history and people that have been instrumental on
both of our success. Robin Sims rest in peace.
Speaker 3 (50:31):
So this I'm gonna do man for Clay Evans Man,
Yes see.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
Y'all about to go there. Man, There's so many great
ones that passed away a part. I gotta say, the
great Biggie Smalls.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
Just some great ones, man, they sure.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
I just seen some photos with me standing outside Biggie's
homegun coming homegoing service.
Speaker 1 (50:51):
Same.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
I saw some pictures of me outside of the Left
Eyes and just all these great artists, you know, even
you know, I had a chance to work well, even
Mike Jackson. So it's just, you know, I didn't really
want to go down memory lane like because that's a whole.
Speaker 1 (51:09):
Just kind of take it, you know. But I definitely
want to make sure I acknowledge Lady Drew and your
brother Yang Shane hey Man, and Vine. Thank you man,
thank you for your contribution to the culture. Thank you
for coming on Storytime with legendary Jerry. Make sure y'all
tune in every week because we got people like this. Man.
Speaker 2 (51:25):
I'm not done yet. I'm not done yet. I'm not
We're gonad to have him coming up.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
Yeah, he gotta come back because when I tell y'all, man,
he got so much ship the upcoming. But but these.
Speaker 3 (51:36):
The type of stories we need you right, this story.
Speaker 1 (51:39):
Hey man, this story Time of legend j This is it.
Just hit right here, sign it off myself, Jerry Clark,
new Face, Divine Stevens. We out of here.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
Powered by iHeart You see it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
Story Time with the Legendary Jerry is hosted by me,
the one and Only Jerry Clark. Music has been provided
by July the Producer. If you haven't already, please please
make sure you subscribe to Storytime with the Legendary Jerry
on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and make
(52:17):
sure you follow us on all social media platforms at
the Legendary Jerry podcast. For more podcasts from my iHeart Media,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
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