September 15, 2025 • 35 mins
The legendary CeeLo Green joins us for a profound conversation that travels deep into his spiritual journey, artistic evolution, and newfound mission as a healthcare advocate. With the wisdom that comes from turning 50, CeeLo reflects on his transformation from a self-described "destructive person" to becoming a voice for community wellness and purpose.
"Adversity is not your enemy. Adversity is a sparring partner," CeeLo shares, offering a perspective that reframes life's challenges as opportunities for growth. His poetic insights on mortality—"use your mortality as your motivation"—reveal an artist who has found deeper purpose beyond his musical accomplishments.
The Grammy-winning artist opens up about his spiritual awakening, describing himself as "a reincarnation of realist" and "a shaman for the spirit of soul" continuing the legacy of musical greats before him. This spiritual foundation drives his commitment to community service, particularly as the inaugural healthcare champion for the 100 Black Men of South Fulton. On September 20th at Old National Commons, CeeLo will help provide $20,000 worth of free health screenings, addressing the critical issue of preventable diseases in the Black community.
Music lovers will appreciate CeeLo's revelations about his creative process, musical influences from James Brown to Jackie Wilson, and his current work on "Gnarls Barkley GB3, the final frontier." His definition of success as "health, wealth and wellness... sustainability, a system of one" reflects the evolution of an artist who has transcended the boundaries of fame to embrace a more holistic vision of accomplishment.
Whether you're a longtime fan or discovering CeeLo's wisdom for the first time, this conversation offers valuable insights on resilience, purpose, and using your platform for positive change. Join us for this unforgettable discussion with one of music's most distinctive voices.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
My mother lives on.
I died.
The person I used to be didn'talways have some good shit to
say.
You understand Right?
Actually it's quite theopposite Very destructive person
, self-loathing, suicidal,psychotic.
But ignorance is a sickness, aparasite that they eat at the
person and personality, affectthe personality.
(00:22):
You have to be healed.
So adversity is not your enemy.
Adversity is a sparring partner.
It's a good sport.
It doesn't matter if it wins orloses, it's just something to
do.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
So you can beat adversity.
That was a good one.
Yeah, I'll go fight somebodyelse.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Thank you for joining us today.
Yes, the voice you just heardis Atlanta's very own, very
distinguishable CeeLo Green.
Ceelo is partnering with thementoring group, the 100 Black
Men of South Fulton to be theirinaugural healthcare champion On
(00:59):
September 20th at the OldNational Commons in South Fulton
.
At the Old National Commons inSouth Fulton, Emery Grady,
Kaiser Permanente and some otherbenefactors are giving away
$20,000 worth of free healthscreening.
It's an amazing event and CeeLois fighting for our community,
(01:20):
so definitely be there.
Bring someone you care about.
They start as early as 7 am.
Now, of course, you know, onthis podcast, I wouldn't have
CeeLo Green here and not have aconversation about the person.
He is the altruist.
As a fellow musician, I wantedto know about his art,
specifically in regards to himbeing a producer and a
(01:41):
songwriter.
We dive a little bit into hisspirituality, what he's got
going on today, his mindset anddaily philosophies.
Now that he's turned 50, what'snext for the next 50 years for
CeeLo Green?
This is a real coolconversation, as always.
Please don't forget to clickthat follow button and share
(02:03):
this episode with someone youknow, someone you care about, so
they can join us every Mondayfor thought-provoking
conversations.
Welcome to Manhood Matters.
Let's get to it.
Welcome to the podcast, brother.
Thank you, Welcome to thepodcast.
(02:24):
Ceelo Green in the flesh.
You know I've watched you on TVfor a long time.
I've been a huge fan of yours.
It's amazing to have you here.
Welcome back, Dre.
Yeah, that's right.
Yes, sir, I'm back.
My pleasure King, my pleasure,Absolutely.
Man, I'm glad to have seen.
(02:46):
For a super long time You'vebeen called everything from a
visionary, a rebel, a preacherwith a melody.
Befittingly, when you stripaway all these labels, who is
CeeLo Green today?
Speaker 1 (02:53):
I am a reincarnation, or reincarnation of realist.
As a matter of fact, I'mprobably more than that.
I'm probably a shaman for thespirit of all, the spirit of
soul, um a strength, aperspective, um an objective, uh
, path, a plight.
You know there are many othergreats um that.
(03:15):
I could name a long list of who.
I feel like I am continuing thework you know I'm saying within
the realm of their legacies, soI'm not the first coming.
You know I'm saying like of athing.
You know I mean like I am acontinuum of a thing yeah and so
I say that very humbly but,matter of factly, people may
even take it out of context if Iname names, but if what I'm
(03:36):
saying you paraphrase, you know,to the point of a person,
singular individual that you canthink of, that has tried to
move something like our needleand push us forward, then yeah,
I will be in, aligned with thataction.
That's what's up.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yes, sir, and that attitude yeah, I have a whole
lot of other questions, but nowthat you started talking that
way and you speak in my language, talk to me about that
spiritual side of you.
You're more of spirit, having ahuman experience, than a human
who knows that they have aspirit.
Oh, absolutely so.
It sounds to me like you're weall are, but it sounds to me
like you're aware of it, andthat awareness is really what I
(04:11):
want to touch on right now, soyou can expound on that a little
bit.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yes, I think what people bear witness to is my
relationship with the spirit.
Uh, it has been a friendlyghost, you know.
I mean, um, I was frightened byit because it came to meet me.
You say it introduced itself tome very early on.
It's one of those kids, youknow, when you're like afraid of
the dark and sound like youknow.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
And claire for wines.
Is that what she's talkingabout, or?
Speaker 1 (04:34):
maybe not as strong.
So, like you me, but thatprobably wouldn't be the word
that I would use if I'm goingback to my inner child, the way
that I'm recalling it.
It was just about believing.
I believed, you feel me.
There was something beyond myrealm of understanding.
You feel me, but I wasconscious enough to have an
internal dialogue with myself.
(04:55):
So I'm always accounting for andbeing made aware of things,
whether it's numbers or whetherit's vibrations, whether it's
inclinations and voices andthings of that nature.
It would strike a chord with meand I would be able to
determine whether or not it wassomething really real and
genuine and authentic.
So a lot of my benefactors were.
So a lot of my benefactors were, you know, big brothers were
(05:17):
the voices of, you know, mauriceWhite, philip Bailey, bobby
Womack, johnny Taylor, bobbyBlue, bland you know stuff like
that.
So for a young man, you know,man child, I had an old soul, I
had old taste, I liked old music, old cars, older women you know
(05:37):
what I'm saying.
Like I used to think I could gowith my mother's friends and
stuff like that.
So I would try to talk withthem and I would try to be par.
You know what I'm saying, likeyou know, with my personality,
and actually convey aconversation that was worthy of
an adult woman in that scenarioof a conversation.
Does that sound strange?
No, not at all, it's true, so,but when I knew that I was being
(05:59):
effective, I was definitelybeing intentional.
But when I knew that I wasbeing effective is even I could
see that slight of consideration, like that look of like.
Are you serious?
I'm saying, did you just saythat?
Or like like, almost like, waita minute, wait a minute, man,
like you said, let me right, youknow something like that.
So again, I don't even know ifI'm being too honest about that.
(06:20):
I don't know if I'm going toofar down that line but not at
all.
I'm saying that to say that I'vebeen, um, I don't really
remember being a child, I don'tremember being needy.
I always remember beingindependent, being hyperactive,
uh, some hypersensitivity,awareness, um, extroverted, you
know, outgoing, outrageous overthe top.
(06:40):
You know, I'm born under thesign of Gemini.
So, like you know I mean, ifyou know anything about that
Zodiac and all of the traitsthat come along with the
territory of that I am a trueembodiment and personification
of those things.
And you know, before you canget a gauge on it, you're just
kind of throwing color at thepalette.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yeah, with that being the case, is there at some
point, maybe a time or a sectionof your career, where you felt
that you might've been eitheroverlooked or misunderstood
because of that?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, of course, but I happen to believe that true
art is meant to be misunderstoodbecause it's to be subjected to
interpretation.
Okay, art is meant to bemisunderstood, not mass produced
.
You know, and there's a greatquote from Andy Warhol that says
art is what you can get awaywith.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
And he's gotten away with a lot arguably.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
But let's talk about misunderstanding.
Lot arguably, but let's talkabout misunderstanding.
There's an irony in the acts ofGod that really give light to
this statement.
It's not truly a miracle unlessit doesn't make complete and
total sense.
Give you an example.
So a minister said somethingthat stuck with me once and I
live by it.
It's become a practice.
(07:55):
Fundamentally, he said let metell you something about the God
I serve.
The God I serve created what'sknown as a cumulus cloud, and
this cloud houses thunder,lightning and precipitation, but
a physical plane can flythrough it it's transparency and
not get struck or wet.
Does that make any sense?
He said it doesn't have to makesense because my God is all
(08:15):
powerful, Right on, yeah, and soI like that God uses you know
what I'm saying like theillogical to prove his point.
And so a young man from Atlanta, Georgia, fairly odd, fairly
peculiar and eccentric, but tobe able to accomplish some
remarkable things, doesn't makemuch sense, because I didn't
have help necessarily, but I didhave guidance and I saw the
(08:40):
signs and the help I've beengiven was interceded in me.
The willful obedience you knowwhat I'm saying the knowingness,
the Wernthal, I'm endowed withthose things and that's what I
honor.
It's the weight of the duty.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
You know what I'm saying, Like the responsibility
that keeps me grounded you know,speaking of those things that
you've accomplished and you'vedone some remarkable things that
you just stated, we all knowthis right, we've, we follow
your career, we watch you, butwhat are you personally most
proud of?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
I'm proud of being able to string those words into
a sentence and be able to conveythat to you as a matter of fact
.
I mean like I'm very proud thatthat has been my reality,
that's been my experience.
You know what I'm saying, andI'm proud that I have a
selflessness to songwrite forpeople who are putting
(09:30):
themselves together and I stillam too.
But I do realize that life islike a puzzle.
There's no existence that isunpurposed.
Nothing or no one is in vain.
You have purpose, even if yourpurpose is to just listen and
interpret and then bear witnessand remark upon or support or
(09:50):
draw attention, to draw directtraffic toward the message.
You know what I'm saying.
You can be effective in thatway as well.
So what's the point in having asignal with no receptor?
You know what I'm saying.
Gotcha, it's just going todissipate into nothingness.
No, it has to be caught Withthat.
You know.
I'm just grateful that I couldmake some sense of some of this,
(10:14):
because for most people reallife does not rhyme.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Make some sense of some of this because for most
people, real life does not rhyme.
And I just want to saysomething real quick.
You know, uh, silo, this is oursecond time working together.
Last year we worked with theagency man.
We were at the mlk uh centerover at morehouse and you and I
got an opportunity to speak thenand uh, you know, at that
moment you know, I was trying toyou know, respect you, because
I know that you were there.
You probably have people talkto you all the time, but you
(10:39):
probably didn't notice, man, Isaw you at Fellini's, like two
years earlier than that, and Isaw you eating.
I was like man, you know what?
Something in that moment Godtold me.
In that very moment I didn'thave to come up to you at
Fellini's because there wasgoing to be a time where you and
I were going to have anopportunity to come together and
I'd have an opportunity to talkto you.
And so, like last year, weworked on that project together
(11:01):
and then this year, when we gotready to do it with 100 Black
Men, the first person I thoughtabout was you.
But I want to tell yousomething real quick about you.
You talk about effectiveness.
There's a story I want to tellyou about my actual journey
through this world and how youmade a contribution to that.
The voice that God gave youhere in Atlanta made it down to
a place called Matt ChapelFlorida.
Now y'all can't find it on themap.
(11:21):
You ain't gonna find MattChapel Florida on the map, but I
promise you is there, somewherebetween Pensacola, somewhere
between Tallahassee and SouthAlabama.
We're right there, right.
One traffic light grew up on afarm.
But the tape, the CD made it tous, and the things that you were
speaking about, what you werepreaching about, what you were
(11:42):
teaching about, gave a countryboy With neither one of our
parents had education, nor hadhe ever gone to college before.
Gave me the belief In thethought process that I could be
able to Reach outside of what Isaw in those woods and that
whatever in life that I wantedto achieve, it was really up to
(12:03):
me.
And not only was it up to me, Ihad a responsibility to do that
and to be able to get to thepoint to where I could be a
voice, to be able to help andenlighten my people.
So I just want to saypersonally, man, thank you for
you know, being obedient to yourcalling because guess what.
So I just want to saypersonally, man, thank you for
you know, being obedient to yourcalling, because, guess what,
when I got to FAMU, there's awhole other generation of
(12:25):
brothers that heard the samething.
That's right, and we were ableto talk about that and we had
that in common.
And then, as you continue to getolder, you meet other people.
We all go back to that.
Something we have in common isthat how your message and your
obedience and your spirit wasable to help guide us and to be
able to think beyond where weinitially were and to be able to
(12:46):
see what other people thoughtwas impossible.
So I just want to say thank youfor that.
Yes, sir, I appreciate that man.
Bottom of my heart.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
So, dre, you mentioned almost feeling like
this was destined to happenRight, and now you're working
together.
Talk to us about the capacityin which you're working together
and how CELA is going tocontribute to the organization.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Right.
So because of what we did lastyear the work that he did, I
mean because him just showing upand being so free of his time
and giving and being who he isand taking time for us we were
able to screen so many peoplethere were 25% of the men we
screened last year were atstroke level Wow.
(13:25):
And we got them to the hospitalbecause they saw CeeLo on a
flyer, they saw CeeLo in a videoand they came out and wanted to
be a part of it.
So now, as we're going forward,we're this year September 20th,
down at Old National Commons,the 100 Black Men, the city of
South Fulton we're doing agiving away $20,000 worth our
inaugural health care champion.
(13:45):
So it's not just about us askinghim to do something for us.
We recognize what he's pouringinto us and helping us to do, so
we want to pour into him aswell, because, I mean, he gets
(14:07):
flowers but hey, we don't thinkthere's any such thing as too
many flowers.
We want to give him all theflowers we can, because we know
what he means to this community,what he's meant to our culture
and how he's helping us now beable to get that message out
there.
So we just appreciate him.
So again, thank you, brother,for just being willing to step
up to the call, of course.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
So with the new trend these days, I guess the past
five years or so, everythingthat is done that is supposed to
be altruistic is always done oncamera.
No one knows about this.
Why does this particular eventmatter to you?
Why does this cause matter toyou?
Can you tell us about this?
Do you just feel like, hey, Ijust want to make sure that I
(14:46):
take care of these brothers andhelp as much as I can.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Definitely want to help, I want to enlighten, I
want to earn a rites of passagefor myself as well.
And so each cause you can'tdisassociate and certainly can't
discount the cause, because ithas immediately to do with who
we are and who we are actually.
And who we are is consequential, because black men are under
(15:13):
attack, because black men areunder attack.
And so, therefore, if we couldnavigate you know what I'm
saying like through thiswar-torn territory you know what
I mean like of small society,you know what I mean like
against the empire, maybe wecould die more honorably, as
opposed to casualties of war andcollateral damage.
(15:35):
Maybe we could all earn somePurple Hearts out here.
Well right man, listen, it'swith valor, it's with dignity.
You know what I'm saying, theintegrity that I say this, I
mean this.
You know what I'm saying.
Like, I'm going to commit mylife, that's all I have.
It is not my most prizedpossession.
My life is a sacrifice.
You know what I'm saying is asacrifice for the glory of God.
(15:57):
You just do what you can, andthat's maybe the least you can
do If you cannot just seek theknowledge you know what I mean.
And be inspired and notintimidated by the example.
There's a difference betweenhaving pride and being proud.
You can have pride, but don'tbe too proud to ask for help.
(16:17):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
I'm saying yeah, yeah , that's something that you and
I talked before.
That's something.
I always struggle with yeah mepersonally, and I got to say a
quick side note.
One of the songs you've writtenwas like my breakup song on my
first marriage.
It was Don't Ya Ah.
(16:38):
So on a much lighter note, Iremember just like being
facetious as hell I rememberevery time a song came on I was
just like blasting it.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
But that's the thing.
Though, like a lot of peoplearen't even immediately familiar
with me as a songwriter like I,you know I can get in those
spaces and write for otherpeople yeah like you know, um,
and of course you know that oneand mentioned you know I wrote
and produced, don't you for thepussycat dolls?
you know I wrote and produced,don't you For the Pussycat Dolls
?
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Those are women.
So it was like you know what Imean.
Like I just try to master space, plant a flag and say I was
(17:03):
there and then we move on to the.
It's like what's my man's name?
I can't remember his actualname anymore.
Right off the top of my time,bro, y'all old enough to know
that.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
No, I remember, but I can't remember the dude's name.
I know he's talking aboutdidn't he play in Kill Bill?
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yeah, so whatever his face is, but the dude who
played Kill Bill, who?
Speaker 1 (17:25):
was Bill.
So Bill, that's right.
Okay, I got you David Carradine.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
That's his name.
Yeah, you better CD yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
That's right.
Y'all See y'all.
This is all about history andstoring that data and
information.
I mean, like I'm a bookkeeperabout certain things.
I mean like, so I alwaysrelated to that.
You know what I'm saying.
Like I always saw myself as anomadic.
You know what I mean, like awanderer.
You know what I'm saying, like,even if just in your mind,
(17:53):
because I did realize earlierthat you didn't just have to be
a product of your environment.
You can be a product of yourimagination, because your
imagination is IP.
It's actually an intellectualproperty, and when that thought
can become a thing, it becomesreal estate.
Can you dig that?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, sir, I have a question really quickly.
There have been, I guess, otherartists in the space to talk
about.
As time goes on, they mature.
What they talk about isdifferent.
I guess the mindset isdifferent.
Have you two also evolved as itrelates to the stages of life
(18:32):
that you are in and what God isshowing you, what downloads that
you've got?
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Yeah, you think about what you just said to me when
you were, because how old areyou now?
I just turned 50 this year, 43.
Okay, so technically, when youwere a child, I was still a
child, right on.
I was speaking an adult man'swisdom, but it wasn't my wisdom,
it was my mother's wisdom,right, and that's where the
compassion comes from, you know,because my mother and father
(18:57):
were both ministers and theyboth passed.
My mother passed on.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Sorry to hear that, bro.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
No, don't be, you know what I'm saying Like
greatest gift I ever got.
You know what I'm saying?
Like if I could just wake uponce more just to say one thing,
I'd just say thank you, andthen I'd let her rest, yes, sir,
and would apologize for Right,right right, that's right on.
But my mother lives on.
I died.
The person I used to be didn'talways have some good shit to
(19:27):
say.
You understand Right?
Actually it's quite theopposite Very destructive person
.
You know what I'm saying?
Self-lowly, suicidal, psychotic.
But ignorance is a sickness, aparasite that they eat at the
person and personality, affectthe personality.
You have to be healed.
So adversity is not your enemy.
(19:47):
Adversity is a sparring partner.
It's a good sport.
It doesn't matter if it wins orloses, it just needs something
to do.
You know, what I'm saying.
So you can beat adversity.
That was a good one.
Yeah, I'll go fight somebodyneed something to do.
You know what I'm saying.
So you can be that person.
He's fine.
That was a good one.
I ain't going to fight somebodyelse.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, so with that, I took onmy mom's spirit and I took on
her work.
Thank you, bro.
So I can't even really take thecredit, and I don't mean for
(20:08):
this to be a heavy situation.
Always thought to myself hey,man, the inevitability is that
we get older.
You can either get better orget older.
You know what I'm saying.
You feel me Like getting betterand getting older, like
maternal twins want to just comea little bit before the other.
Now you can get older, you feelme, but that means you're going
(20:31):
to end up leaving better behind.
You know, you can get betterand then you can age more
gracefully.
Yes, sir, it becomes secondarybecause, like you know, like
your action is the motivatingfactor, the juice, the
rejuvenation.
So like the, not velocity butvitality.
Vitality, yeah, Keeping youalive, and people want their
lives to be straight lines.
No, no, no, no such thing.
(20:52):
I believe in up and down, right, even in vital signs.
Vitality, a straight line meanswhat?
Speaker 2 (20:57):
You're dead.
You're dead, it's over.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You go up and down what you doing, you're living.
You're living.
Peak and valley, peak andvalley, that's how it go.
Sound waves move in that waytoo.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, so just correlating allthese mosaic painting.
God is an artist, absolutely,and the music that's reflected
these days is fear.
(21:19):
And these are the generationalcurses and cycles and systems
that we continue to go throughover and over and over again.
You know why.
Everybody is in contempt oftheir own immortality.
Nobody wants to go straight.
They don't want to take thestraightest distance between
point A to point B.
You're going to get beforeyou're going to get the guy,
before you even have some fun.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
So they stop, pull over to the side, go to sleep,
carpool, get lost, run out ofgas, you know, like all kind of
stuff.
Only so they don't have to beaccountable for the inevitable
with the creator themselves.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Yeah, speaking of that because you talked about
mortality now, and it's funnybecause you know, you and I are
the same age and I've had tocontemplate that as of late, not
in fear of it simply becauseI've lost people.
Yeah, you know, the past coupleof years, people younger than I
am they just pull over on theside of the road, not feeling
well, died in the car of a heartattack.
People find the next day it'ssomething that I not only not
(22:19):
fear but totally embrace it.
My concern is not for me, it'sfor the people I leave behind,
absolutely.
Where are you with that?
Because you talk.
I hear you when I hearsomething more elevated than
just having a regularconversation.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Oh yeah, exactly.
So where are you with that?
I'm right, exactly where youare, and I have this coined
phrase that says use yourmortality as your motivation.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
You don't have forever to do it, you got a
window.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
For however long that may happen to be, time is
finite.
Time is finite, and so,therefore, in prayer and
meditation, don't just ask anddon't just pray, but plead that
God give you something great todo.
It may just extend your life.
I want the weight of theresponsibility.
Put it on me, I do it.
I do it.
Keep me alive long enough so Ican really make an impact, and
(23:06):
when I'm tired, I ask to go.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Speaking of that impact and that thing that
you're asking for, what'sdriving you?
What's that purpose?
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Oh, I'm definitely about community, about culture
and about keeping my word.
So I'm down with it.
I'm down with us.
I don't give a damn how shinyit look.
You know what I'm saying.
Like you know none of the otherthings I've been fortunate to
be able to do.
I've been able to be diverseand varied, textured,
genre-bending enigmatic.
(23:35):
You know what I'm saying?
Like I've been able to beincredible in real life bending
enigmatic.
You know what I'm saying.
Like I've been able to beincredible in real life, I've
done some impossible.
shit yeah, let them tell it.
But at the bottom line I'm verycomfortable right here on the
ground.
I got on flip-flops.
I don't live in fear.
If you want me that bad, comeget me.
You know what I'm saying, youfeel me.
And if you think something'ssweet, what are you waiting on?
(23:58):
Straight?
Speaker 3 (23:59):
up.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
I don't think you ready.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
So that's my confidence.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And you know it keeps a lot of bullshit at bay.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
I got something to do now.
Don't get in the way of that.
And I'm God's child too.
Yeah, and I like how people sayhe don't play by me, and he
really don't, and that's why Iglorify God and I give him all
of the credit and praise duewhenever I'm doing my thing, so
when I'm doing something great,something greater than me, than
(24:27):
he is doing in the world.
You know what I'm saying, soI'm not really tripping.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
So you've mentioned God several times so far
throughout this conversation.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Talk to me about spirituality.
Well to me.
I did a song with Common.
I just talked to him recently.
We did a song called God, butit was an acronym for gaining
one's definition.
Okay, and that's the way Idefine it.
You know what I'm saying.
Like things have to be brokendown, you have to think
critically.
God doesn't want anything to beassumed of him.
Read about me, seek me, I'lltell you about me.
Or I have this, tell you.
(24:58):
Or that tree Right, or thatanthill, you don't think I'm in
them.
It's everything.
You know what I mean, right?
So you'll be able to appreciatethe life source that's in all
things.
A plant, water is alive,everything, the air is alive.
We are inside the mind of God.
You, we are inside the mind ofGod, you know, I believe.
(25:19):
I believe it's bigger than wecan possibly imagine.
And then, when we cantransition and we're speaking
about preventable diseases andhealing, that you feel me like.
You don't want the ignorance tokill you, you feel me not
knowing that's just terriblethat's our community.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
We don't want To go to the doctor.
We don't want to.
I'll be fine, you know Willfulignorance, yeah, the enemy.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
They feed on that, they feed on that, they rich on
that, and you broke on that andsick on that and gonna die About
that.
Right, you're gonna die.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Right, I remember you saying Something about Food.
Right, I remember you sayingsomething about food being
affordable in the neighborhood,because that's what they want
you to eat, because it makes yousick and it kills you.
That's right.
You know a line or somethinglike that yeah, that's what Soul
.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Food was about.
Yes, sir, absolutely,absolutely that whole album was
conceptualized off of thattheoretical statement.
Yes sir, you know what I'msaying and I'm just, I'm glad
that.
What did it say Out of themouths of babes?
You know what I mean?
Like we were young boys and weweren't no saints, like we were
just coming in out of the cold.
The dungeon was a bomb shelterfor us, you know what I mean.
(26:31):
And we sought refuge there.
And thank God Almighty for RicoWade.
Bless his life, bless his life,bless his soul.
He gave it to me, man, gave itto me.
I get misty.
Think about that stuff.
I'm almost like I'm justremembering, even as I'm talking
to you.
I'm like, oh, I can't quit, Istill can't quit.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
And bless my brother hard man.
So we here, man.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
We here.
You have a voice that is veryunique, you know, and I wish I
could think of the name of thatsong.
I'm embarrassed to say I can'tthink of it.
It was something to Mother Marythat you were singing.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Mary did you know.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Yeah, oh my God, it's very impressive.
You have a very unique voicethat cuts through and basically
disrupts.
So the reason I bring that upis because in this particular
industry from peeking behind thecurtain a little bit, from what
I know about it there's a lotof hey, this is what's working
and I need you to sound this way.
How did you fight that and pushaway the naysayers so that you
(27:36):
could come off as unique as youare and not sound like anybody
else?
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Well, there's two things.
You can't insist you just haveto persist.
Okay, nothing guarantees aresult better than repetition.
You got to keep doing it, yougot to persist.
And then in that you have yourPOC, your proof of content.
You know what I'm saying.
(28:02):
You feel me, so I knew I hadsome good intention.
I feel like the firstingredient to being great, or
doing anything great, is havinggreat taste.
I mean so.
Oscar Wilde has a great quotethat says talent borrows and
genius steals.
I got great taste.
So James Brown is not with usanymore, but he was my godfather
.
Guess what?
(28:25):
I inherited his shoes.
Now I can fit them.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Wow, okay, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Yeah, I look at him like a daddy too.
You know all the big bros, theyain't do this for nothing.
Jackie Wilson was my favorite,my first.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Lonely teardrops my first Lonely Teardrops, come on.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Lonely Teardrops Can sing, sing, sing, good gracious,
yeah.
That's the first, the firstvoice.
I ever loved Jackie Wilson, himand I'm the rainbow, I'm the
rainbow, I'm the rainbow In myheart.
(29:06):
You remind me Gene Chandler,that's right.
We gotta give it up for GeneChandler.
I think he came back and sangJoy and Pain, which was the rest
in peace of Frankie Valli too.
He was the big homeboy for metoo.
He had love for me.
(29:26):
I actually talked to Maze.
I was actually maybe Ishouldn't announce this, but we
were going to attempt at mecoming in and doing some shows,
something like filling in.
I can't never replace Frankie,but I can sing his songs.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
So just a couple of quick questions.
I know we've got to wrap up.
Tell me about the projectyou're working on now.
What's keeping you up at night?
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Oh yeah, man, I'm doing Nars Barkley in this GB3,
the final frontier.
I mean, it's our last recordtogether contractually.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
And, if God willing, we succeed at something again.
There are really noexpectations.
We can't help but succeedbecause there's no expectation.
Maybe there's a little bit ofanticipation because I have
announced here and there that wewill become it, but it's been
over the last 17 years.
It's hard to believe that crazyand that kind of stuff like
(30:24):
that is, that is, that's, that'saged, that well, it's been
around that long.
I can't believe it.
Yeah, it's still thumping andwhen, every day of your life,
man, you could just slip awaybehind something, nobody was
ever ready.
I Nobody was ever ready.
You know what I mean Like.
And God has just sustained mefor purpose.
I'm happy about that.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
So, yeah, so I'm doing that, okay, yeah, how has
your definition of successshifted from when you were first
starting out, when peoplestarted to know who you are as
an artist, versus now?
What is that definition ofsuccess and what does it mean to
you?
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Well, success, of course, is health, wealth and
wellness.
You know what I mean.
Success is sustainability, asystem of one, I mean.
So it's infrastructure, it'sinformation, you know, it's
appliance, it's inheritance, andit's being able to convey that
knowledge.
You know what I mean likecapsulate that knowledge.
When your children can swallowdown the spoonful of sugar, it
(31:15):
helps the medicine go down, youfeel me.
So it then ends up resulting inthat financial literacy and
things of that nature, Becauseit's about management and going
about it proper, Not wingingeverything, but reading the
instructions, you feel me.
Every working product got someinstructions that you got to go
by Decide works.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
Maybe black people do have a God complex.
We just think everything is agiven, it's like no, you got to
study a little bit.
It's like I hate to say thatbut it's true, yeah, and you got
to go to the doctor too.
Yeah, let's bring it backaround full circle.
That's why we're here.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
When is that happening?
Tell us one more time, Dre.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
We are September the 20th at Old National Commons.
Out there you got Harold'sChicken and Ice Bar, you got
grown folks out there in theparking lot and we have some
powerful, powerful people.
Michael Hightower serves as ourhonorary chair and we have, of
course, you know, mrs CeeLoGreen is our inaugural
healthcare champion.
We have Emory Grady, piedmont,kaiser Permanente.
(32:18):
Lord, forgive me y'all if Iforget anybody, but I mean it's
just so many people Morehouse,school of Medicine, so many
people that are pouring into ourcommunity on that day to make
sure that we get out there andwe screen these black men and we
screen these black women.
And again, like, don't thinkit's just for black men, it's
for black men and women.
There are going to bescreenings out there for women.
(32:38):
So it's a community, it's afamily affair, so bring
everybody out.
Man, 7 am to 12 pm is going tobe something like Southfield has
never seen before.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Yeah, we're just a lot more stubborn as far as
going to the doctor.
That's why we emphasize blackmen, because I don't think I've
been to the doctor more thanthree times in my life, and you
see my age.
I mean, I'm a prime example ofthat because I'm walking around,
going, I'm fine, you know.
So I know exactly what you mean.
So one last question before wedo the outro.
Um, I want to ask, silo, ifmusic disappeared and you were
(33:10):
not able to do music anymore andyou had to leave a message for
this world using another artform, what would you use in
hawai?
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Hmm, that's a good question.
My other interests happen to beinterior design and
architecture and, of course,clothing and stuff like that,
and I guess there are differentfacets of industry that I could
probably excel in too.
I mean, like it could be artistmanagement, it could be stage
direction, tech stuff, yeah, butI think I think, at large, I
(33:41):
would always be an industrialistin some form or fashion.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
All right.
So typically on the show whenwe do the outro notes, we have
someone read just like three orfour bullet points.
It would be my honor if youwould do that for me.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Or, if you feel so inclined, like I said, I'm going
to reiterate that the ReverendoGoodlove that's one of my
favorite guys of all time, andtake us out.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Now listen here y'all .
This is Reverend Rollo Goodlove.
I need you to do me a favor.
Please support us by followingthe show.
Leave us a five-star review onthe Apple Podcast Now.
Thank you so much for listening, and next week we'll share the
conversations surrounding realissues we deal with every day.
(34:23):
Manhood matters now, Womanhoodtoo, but manhood definitely
matters we out of here, let's go.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Yeah, yes, thank you, thank you.
My mother lives on.
I died.
The person I used to be didn'talways have some good shit to
say.
You understand Right?
Actually it's quite theopposite Very destructive person
, self-loathing, suicidal,psychotic.
But ignorance is a sickness, aparasite that they eat at the
person and personality, affectthe personality.
(00:22):
You have to be healed.
So adversity is not your enemy.
Adversity is a sparring partner.
It's a good sport.
It doesn't matter if it wins orloses, it's just something to
do.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
So you can beat adversity.
That was a good one.
Yeah, I'll go fight somebodyelse.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Thank you for joining us today.
Yes, the voice you just heardis Atlanta's very own, very
distinguishable CeeLo Green.
Ceelo is partnering with thementoring group, the 100 Black
Men of South Fulton to be theirinaugural healthcare champion On
(00:59):
September 20th at the OldNational Commons in South Fulton
.
At the Old National Commons inSouth Fulton, Emery Grady,
Kaiser Permanente and some otherbenefactors are giving away
$20,000 worth of free healthscreening.
It's an amazing event and CeeLois fighting for our community,
(01:20):
so definitely be there.
Bring someone you care about.
They start as early as 7 am.
Now, of course, you know, onthis podcast, I wouldn't have
CeeLo Green here and not have aconversation about the person.
He is the altruist.
As a fellow musician, I wantedto know about his art,
specifically in regards to himbeing a producer and a
(01:41):
songwriter.
We dive a little bit into hisspirituality, what he's got
going on today, his mindset anddaily philosophies.
Now that he's turned 50, what'snext for the next 50 years for
CeeLo Green?
This is a real coolconversation, as always.
Please don't forget to clickthat follow button and share
(02:03):
this episode with someone youknow, someone you care about, so
they can join us every Mondayfor thought-provoking
conversations.
Welcome to Manhood Matters.
Let's get to it.
Welcome to the podcast, brother.
Thank you, Welcome to thepodcast.
(02:24):
Ceelo Green in the flesh.
You know I've watched you on TVfor a long time.
I've been a huge fan of yours.
It's amazing to have you here.
Welcome back, Dre.
Yeah, that's right.
Yes, sir, I'm back.
My pleasure King, my pleasure,Absolutely.
Man, I'm glad to have seen.
(02:46):
For a super long time You'vebeen called everything from a
visionary, a rebel, a preacherwith a melody.
Befittingly, when you stripaway all these labels, who is
CeeLo Green today?
Speaker 1 (02:53):
I am a reincarnation, or reincarnation of realist.
As a matter of fact, I'mprobably more than that.
I'm probably a shaman for thespirit of all, the spirit of
soul, um a strength, aperspective, um an objective, uh
, path, a plight.
You know there are many othergreats um that.
(03:15):
I could name a long list of who.
I feel like I am continuing thework you know I'm saying within
the realm of their legacies, soI'm not the first coming.
You know I'm saying like of athing.
You know I mean like I am acontinuum of a thing yeah and so
I say that very humbly but,matter of factly, people may
even take it out of context if Iname names, but if what I'm
(03:36):
saying you paraphrase, you know,to the point of a person,
singular individual that you canthink of, that has tried to
move something like our needleand push us forward, then yeah,
I will be in, aligned with thataction.
That's what's up.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yes, sir, and that attitude yeah, I have a whole
lot of other questions, but nowthat you started talking that
way and you speak in my language, talk to me about that
spiritual side of you.
You're more of spirit, having ahuman experience, than a human
who knows that they have aspirit.
Oh, absolutely so.
It sounds to me like you're weall are, but it sounds to me
like you're aware of it, andthat awareness is really what I
(04:11):
want to touch on right now, soyou can expound on that a little
bit.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yes, I think what people bear witness to is my
relationship with the spirit.
Uh, it has been a friendlyghost, you know.
I mean, um, I was frightened byit because it came to meet me.
You say it introduced itself tome very early on.
It's one of those kids, youknow, when you're like afraid of
the dark and sound like youknow.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
And claire for wines.
Is that what she's talkingabout, or?
Speaker 1 (04:34):
maybe not as strong.
So, like you me, but thatprobably wouldn't be the word
that I would use if I'm goingback to my inner child, the way
that I'm recalling it.
It was just about believing.
I believed, you feel me.
There was something beyond myrealm of understanding.
You feel me, but I wasconscious enough to have an
internal dialogue with myself.
(04:55):
So I'm always accounting for andbeing made aware of things,
whether it's numbers or whetherit's vibrations, whether it's
inclinations and voices andthings of that nature.
It would strike a chord with meand I would be able to
determine whether or not it wassomething really real and
genuine and authentic.
So a lot of my benefactors were.
So a lot of my benefactors were, you know, big brothers were
(05:17):
the voices of, you know, mauriceWhite, philip Bailey, bobby
Womack, johnny Taylor, bobbyBlue, bland you know stuff like
that.
So for a young man, you know,man child, I had an old soul, I
had old taste, I liked old music, old cars, older women you know
(05:37):
what I'm saying.
Like I used to think I could gowith my mother's friends and
stuff like that.
So I would try to talk withthem and I would try to be par.
You know what I'm saying, likeyou know, with my personality,
and actually convey aconversation that was worthy of
an adult woman in that scenarioof a conversation.
Does that sound strange?
No, not at all, it's true, so,but when I knew that I was being
(05:59):
effective, I was definitelybeing intentional.
But when I knew that I wasbeing effective is even I could
see that slight of consideration, like that look of like.
Are you serious?
I'm saying, did you just saythat?
Or like like, almost like, waita minute, wait a minute, man,
like you said, let me right, youknow something like that.
So again, I don't even know ifI'm being too honest about that.
(06:20):
I don't know if I'm going toofar down that line but not at
all.
I'm saying that to say that I'vebeen, um, I don't really
remember being a child, I don'tremember being needy.
I always remember beingindependent, being hyperactive,
uh, some hypersensitivity,awareness, um, extroverted, you
know, outgoing, outrageous overthe top.
(06:40):
You know, I'm born under thesign of Gemini.
So, like you know I mean, ifyou know anything about that
Zodiac and all of the traitsthat come along with the
territory of that I am a trueembodiment and personification
of those things.
And you know, before you canget a gauge on it, you're just
kind of throwing color at thepalette.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yeah, with that being the case, is there at some
point, maybe a time or a sectionof your career, where you felt
that you might've been eitheroverlooked or misunderstood
because of that?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, of course, but I happen to believe that true
art is meant to be misunderstoodbecause it's to be subjected to
interpretation.
Okay, art is meant to bemisunderstood, not mass produced
.
You know, and there's a greatquote from Andy Warhol that says
art is what you can get awaywith.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
And he's gotten away with a lot arguably.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
But let's talk about misunderstanding.
Lot arguably, but let's talkabout misunderstanding.
There's an irony in the acts ofGod that really give light to
this statement.
It's not truly a miracle unlessit doesn't make complete and
total sense.
Give you an example.
So a minister said somethingthat stuck with me once and I
live by it.
It's become a practice.
(07:55):
Fundamentally, he said let metell you something about the God
I serve.
The God I serve created what'sknown as a cumulus cloud, and
this cloud houses thunder,lightning and precipitation, but
a physical plane can flythrough it it's transparency and
not get struck or wet.
Does that make any sense?
He said it doesn't have to makesense because my God is all
(08:15):
powerful, Right on, yeah, and soI like that God uses you know
what I'm saying like theillogical to prove his point.
And so a young man from Atlanta, Georgia, fairly odd, fairly
peculiar and eccentric, but tobe able to accomplish some
remarkable things, doesn't makemuch sense, because I didn't
have help necessarily, but I didhave guidance and I saw the
(08:40):
signs and the help I've beengiven was interceded in me.
The willful obedience you knowwhat I'm saying the knowingness,
the Wernthal, I'm endowed withthose things and that's what I
honor.
It's the weight of the duty.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
You know what I'm saying, Like the responsibility
that keeps me grounded you know,speaking of those things that
you've accomplished and you'vedone some remarkable things that
you just stated, we all knowthis right, we've, we follow
your career, we watch you, butwhat are you personally most
proud of?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
I'm proud of being able to string those words into
a sentence and be able to conveythat to you as a matter of fact
.
I mean like I'm very proud thatthat has been my reality,
that's been my experience.
You know what I'm saying, andI'm proud that I have a
selflessness to songwrite forpeople who are putting
(09:30):
themselves together and I stillam too.
But I do realize that life islike a puzzle.
There's no existence that isunpurposed.
Nothing or no one is in vain.
You have purpose, even if yourpurpose is to just listen and
interpret and then bear witnessand remark upon or support or
(09:50):
draw attention, to draw directtraffic toward the message.
You know what I'm saying.
You can be effective in thatway as well.
So what's the point in having asignal with no receptor?
You know what I'm saying.
Gotcha, it's just going todissipate into nothingness.
No, it has to be caught Withthat.
You know.
I'm just grateful that I couldmake some sense of some of this,
(10:14):
because for most people reallife does not rhyme.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Make some sense of some of this because for most
people, real life does not rhyme.
And I just want to saysomething real quick.
You know, uh, silo, this is oursecond time working together.
Last year we worked with theagency man.
We were at the mlk uh centerover at morehouse and you and I
got an opportunity to speak thenand uh, you know, at that
moment you know, I was trying toyou know, respect you, because
I know that you were there.
You probably have people talkto you all the time, but you
(10:39):
probably didn't notice, man, Isaw you at Fellini's, like two
years earlier than that, and Isaw you eating.
I was like man, you know what?
Something in that moment Godtold me.
In that very moment I didn'thave to come up to you at
Fellini's because there wasgoing to be a time where you and
I were going to have anopportunity to come together and
I'd have an opportunity to talkto you.
And so, like last year, weworked on that project together
(11:01):
and then this year, when we gotready to do it with 100 Black
Men, the first person I thoughtabout was you.
But I want to tell yousomething real quick about you.
You talk about effectiveness.
There's a story I want to tellyou about my actual journey
through this world and how youmade a contribution to that.
The voice that God gave youhere in Atlanta made it down to
a place called Matt ChapelFlorida.
Now y'all can't find it on themap.
(11:21):
You ain't gonna find MattChapel Florida on the map, but I
promise you is there, somewherebetween Pensacola, somewhere
between Tallahassee and SouthAlabama.
We're right there, right.
One traffic light grew up on afarm.
But the tape, the CD made it tous, and the things that you were
speaking about, what you werepreaching about, what you were
(11:42):
teaching about, gave a countryboy With neither one of our
parents had education, nor hadhe ever gone to college before.
Gave me the belief In thethought process that I could be
able to Reach outside of what Isaw in those woods and that
whatever in life that I wantedto achieve, it was really up to
(12:03):
me.
And not only was it up to me, Ihad a responsibility to do that
and to be able to get to thepoint to where I could be a
voice, to be able to help andenlighten my people.
So I just want to saypersonally, man, thank you for
you know, being obedient to yourcalling because guess what.
So I just want to saypersonally, man, thank you for
you know, being obedient to yourcalling, because, guess what,
when I got to FAMU, there's awhole other generation of
(12:25):
brothers that heard the samething.
That's right, and we were ableto talk about that and we had
that in common.
And then, as you continue to getolder, you meet other people.
We all go back to that.
Something we have in common isthat how your message and your
obedience and your spirit wasable to help guide us and to be
able to think beyond where weinitially were and to be able to
(12:46):
see what other people thoughtwas impossible.
So I just want to say thank youfor that.
Yes, sir, I appreciate that man.
Bottom of my heart.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
So, dre, you mentioned almost feeling like
this was destined to happenRight, and now you're working
together.
Talk to us about the capacityin which you're working together
and how CELA is going tocontribute to the organization.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Right.
So because of what we did lastyear the work that he did, I
mean because him just showing upand being so free of his time
and giving and being who he isand taking time for us we were
able to screen so many peoplethere were 25% of the men we
screened last year were atstroke level Wow.
(13:25):
And we got them to the hospitalbecause they saw CeeLo on a
flyer, they saw CeeLo in a videoand they came out and wanted to
be a part of it.
So now, as we're going forward,we're this year September 20th,
down at Old National Commons,the 100 Black Men, the city of
South Fulton we're doing agiving away $20,000 worth our
inaugural health care champion.
(13:45):
So it's not just about us askinghim to do something for us.
We recognize what he's pouringinto us and helping us to do, so
we want to pour into him aswell, because, I mean, he gets
(14:07):
flowers but hey, we don't thinkthere's any such thing as too
many flowers.
We want to give him all theflowers we can, because we know
what he means to this community,what he's meant to our culture
and how he's helping us now beable to get that message out
there.
So we just appreciate him.
So again, thank you, brother,for just being willing to step
up to the call, of course.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
So with the new trend these days, I guess the past
five years or so, everythingthat is done that is supposed to
be altruistic is always done oncamera.
No one knows about this.
Why does this particular eventmatter to you?
Why does this cause matter toyou?
Can you tell us about this?
Do you just feel like, hey, Ijust want to make sure that I
(14:46):
take care of these brothers andhelp as much as I can.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Definitely want to help, I want to enlighten, I
want to earn a rites of passagefor myself as well.
And so each cause you can'tdisassociate and certainly can't
discount the cause, because ithas immediately to do with who
we are and who we are actually.
And who we are is consequential, because black men are under
(15:13):
attack, because black men areunder attack.
And so, therefore, if we couldnavigate you know what I'm
saying like through thiswar-torn territory you know what
I mean like of small society,you know what I mean like
against the empire, maybe wecould die more honorably, as
opposed to casualties of war andcollateral damage.
(15:35):
Maybe we could all earn somePurple Hearts out here.
Well right man, listen, it'swith valor, it's with dignity.
You know what I'm saying, theintegrity that I say this, I
mean this.
You know what I'm saying.
Like, I'm going to commit mylife, that's all I have.
It is not my most prizedpossession.
My life is a sacrifice.
You know what I'm saying is asacrifice for the glory of God.
(15:57):
You just do what you can, andthat's maybe the least you can
do If you cannot just seek theknowledge you know what I mean.
And be inspired and notintimidated by the example.
There's a difference betweenhaving pride and being proud.
You can have pride, but don'tbe too proud to ask for help.
(16:17):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
I'm saying yeah, yeah , that's something that you and
I talked before.
That's something.
I always struggle with yeah mepersonally, and I got to say a
quick side note.
One of the songs you've writtenwas like my breakup song on my
first marriage.
It was Don't Ya Ah.
(16:38):
So on a much lighter note, Iremember just like being
facetious as hell I rememberevery time a song came on I was
just like blasting it.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
But that's the thing.
Though, like a lot of peoplearen't even immediately familiar
with me as a songwriter like I,you know I can get in those
spaces and write for otherpeople yeah like you know, um,
and of course you know that oneand mentioned you know I wrote
and produced, don't you for thepussycat dolls?
you know I wrote and produced,don't you For the Pussycat Dolls
?
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Those are women.
So it was like you know what Imean.
Like I just try to master space, plant a flag and say I was
(17:03):
there and then we move on to the.
It's like what's my man's name?
I can't remember his actualname anymore.
Right off the top of my time,bro, y'all old enough to know
that.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
No, I remember, but I can't remember the dude's name.
I know he's talking aboutdidn't he play in Kill Bill?
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Yeah, so whatever his face is, but the dude who
played Kill Bill, who?
Speaker 1 (17:25):
was Bill.
So Bill, that's right.
Okay, I got you David Carradine.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
That's his name.
Yeah, you better CD yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
That's right.
Y'all See y'all.
This is all about history andstoring that data and
information.
I mean, like I'm a bookkeeperabout certain things.
I mean like, so I alwaysrelated to that.
You know what I'm saying.
Like I always saw myself as anomadic.
You know what I mean, like awanderer.
You know what I'm saying, like,even if just in your mind,
(17:53):
because I did realize earlierthat you didn't just have to be
a product of your environment.
You can be a product of yourimagination, because your
imagination is IP.
It's actually an intellectualproperty, and when that thought
can become a thing, it becomesreal estate.
Can you dig that?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, sir, I have a question really quickly.
There have been, I guess, otherartists in the space to talk
about.
As time goes on, they mature.
What they talk about isdifferent.
I guess the mindset isdifferent.
Have you two also evolved as itrelates to the stages of life
(18:32):
that you are in and what God isshowing you, what downloads that
you've got?
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Yeah, you think about what you just said to me when
you were, because how old areyou now?
I just turned 50 this year, 43.
Okay, so technically, when youwere a child, I was still a
child, right on.
I was speaking an adult man'swisdom, but it wasn't my wisdom,
it was my mother's wisdom,right, and that's where the
compassion comes from, you know,because my mother and father
(18:57):
were both ministers and theyboth passed.
My mother passed on.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Sorry to hear that, bro.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
No, don't be, you know what I'm saying Like
greatest gift I ever got.
You know what I'm saying?
Like if I could just wake uponce more just to say one thing,
I'd just say thank you, andthen I'd let her rest, yes, sir,
and would apologize for Right,right right, that's right on.
But my mother lives on.
I died.
The person I used to be didn'talways have some good shit to
(19:27):
say.
You understand Right?
Actually it's quite theopposite Very destructive person
.
You know what I'm saying?
Self-lowly, suicidal, psychotic.
But ignorance is a sickness, aparasite that they eat at the
person and personality, affectthe personality.
You have to be healed.
So adversity is not your enemy.
(19:47):
Adversity is a sparring partner.
It's a good sport.
It doesn't matter if it wins orloses, it just needs something
to do.
You know, what I'm saying.
So you can beat adversity.
That was a good one.
Yeah, I'll go fight somebodyneed something to do.
You know what I'm saying.
So you can be that person.
He's fine.
That was a good one.
I ain't going to fight somebodyelse.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, so with that, I took onmy mom's spirit and I took on
her work.
Thank you, bro.
So I can't even really take thecredit, and I don't mean for
(20:08):
this to be a heavy situation.
Always thought to myself hey,man, the inevitability is that
we get older.
You can either get better orget older.
You know what I'm saying.
You feel me Like getting betterand getting older, like
maternal twins want to just comea little bit before the other.
Now you can get older, you feelme, but that means you're going
(20:31):
to end up leaving better behind.
You know, you can get betterand then you can age more
gracefully.
Yes, sir, it becomes secondarybecause, like you know, like
your action is the motivatingfactor, the juice, the
rejuvenation.
So like the, not velocity butvitality.
Vitality, yeah, Keeping youalive, and people want their
lives to be straight lines.
No, no, no, no such thing.
(20:52):
I believe in up and down, right, even in vital signs.
Vitality, a straight line meanswhat?
Speaker 2 (20:57):
You're dead.
You're dead, it's over.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
You go up and down what you doing, you're living.
You're living.
Peak and valley, peak andvalley, that's how it go.
Sound waves move in that waytoo.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, so just correlating allthese mosaic painting.
God is an artist, absolutely,and the music that's reflected
these days is fear.
(21:19):
And these are the generationalcurses and cycles and systems
that we continue to go throughover and over and over again.
You know why.
Everybody is in contempt oftheir own immortality.
Nobody wants to go straight.
They don't want to take thestraightest distance between
point A to point B.
You're going to get beforeyou're going to get the guy,
before you even have some fun.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
So they stop, pull over to the side, go to sleep,
carpool, get lost, run out ofgas, you know, like all kind of
stuff.
Only so they don't have to beaccountable for the inevitable
with the creator themselves.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Yeah, speaking of that because you talked about
mortality now, and it's funnybecause you know, you and I are
the same age and I've had tocontemplate that as of late, not
in fear of it simply becauseI've lost people.
Yeah, you know, the past coupleof years, people younger than I
am they just pull over on theside of the road, not feeling
well, died in the car of a heartattack.
People find the next day it'ssomething that I not only not
(22:19):
fear but totally embrace it.
My concern is not for me, it'sfor the people I leave behind,
absolutely.
Where are you with that?
Because you talk.
I hear you when I hearsomething more elevated than
just having a regularconversation.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Oh yeah, exactly.
So where are you with that?
I'm right, exactly where youare, and I have this coined
phrase that says use yourmortality as your motivation.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
You don't have forever to do it, you got a
window.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
For however long that may happen to be, time is
finite.
Time is finite, and so,therefore, in prayer and
meditation, don't just ask anddon't just pray, but plead that
God give you something great todo.
It may just extend your life.
I want the weight of theresponsibility.
Put it on me, I do it.
I do it.
Keep me alive long enough so Ican really make an impact, and
(23:06):
when I'm tired, I ask to go.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Speaking of that impact and that thing that
you're asking for, what'sdriving you?
What's that purpose?
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Oh, I'm definitely about community, about culture
and about keeping my word.
So I'm down with it.
I'm down with us.
I don't give a damn how shinyit look.
You know what I'm saying.
Like you know none of the otherthings I've been fortunate to
be able to do.
I've been able to be diverseand varied, textured,
genre-bending enigmatic.
(23:35):
You know what I'm saying?
Like I've been able to beincredible in real life bending
enigmatic.
You know what I'm saying.
Like I've been able to beincredible in real life, I've
done some impossible.
shit yeah, let them tell it.
But at the bottom line I'm verycomfortable right here on the
ground.
I got on flip-flops.
I don't live in fear.
If you want me that bad, comeget me.
You know what I'm saying, youfeel me.
And if you think something'ssweet, what are you waiting on?
(23:58):
Straight?
Speaker 3 (23:59):
up.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
I don't think you ready.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
So that's my confidence.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And you know it keeps a lot of bullshit at bay.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
I got something to do now.
Don't get in the way of that.
And I'm God's child too.
Yeah, and I like how people sayhe don't play by me, and he
really don't, and that's why Iglorify God and I give him all
of the credit and praise duewhenever I'm doing my thing, so
when I'm doing something great,something greater than me, than
(24:27):
he is doing in the world.
You know what I'm saying, soI'm not really tripping.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
So you've mentioned God several times so far
throughout this conversation.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Talk to me about spirituality.
Well to me.
I did a song with Common.
I just talked to him recently.
We did a song called God, butit was an acronym for gaining
one's definition.
Okay, and that's the way Idefine it.
You know what I'm saying.
Like things have to be brokendown, you have to think
critically.
God doesn't want anything to beassumed of him.
Read about me, seek me, I'lltell you about me.
Or I have this, tell you.
(24:58):
Or that tree Right, or thatanthill, you don't think I'm in
them.
It's everything.
You know what I mean, right?
So you'll be able to appreciatethe life source that's in all
things.
A plant, water is alive,everything, the air is alive.
We are inside the mind of God.
You, we are inside the mind ofGod, you know, I believe.
(25:19):
I believe it's bigger than wecan possibly imagine.
And then, when we cantransition and we're speaking
about preventable diseases andhealing, that you feel me like.
You don't want the ignorance tokill you, you feel me not
knowing that's just terriblethat's our community.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
We don't want To go to the doctor.
We don't want to.
I'll be fine, you know Willfulignorance, yeah, the enemy.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
They feed on that, they feed on that, they rich on
that, and you broke on that andsick on that and gonna die About
that.
Right, you're gonna die.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Right, I remember you saying Something about Food.
Right, I remember you sayingsomething about food being
affordable in the neighborhood,because that's what they want
you to eat, because it makes yousick and it kills you.
That's right.
You know a line or somethinglike that yeah, that's what Soul
.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Food was about.
Yes, sir, absolutely,absolutely that whole album was
conceptualized off of thattheoretical statement.
Yes sir, you know what I'msaying and I'm just, I'm glad
that.
What did it say Out of themouths of babes?
You know what I mean?
Like we were young boys and weweren't no saints, like we were
just coming in out of the cold.
The dungeon was a bomb shelterfor us, you know what I mean.
(26:31):
And we sought refuge there.
And thank God Almighty for RicoWade.
Bless his life, bless his life,bless his soul.
He gave it to me, man, gave itto me.
I get misty.
Think about that stuff.
I'm almost like I'm justremembering, even as I'm talking
to you.
I'm like, oh, I can't quit, Istill can't quit.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
And bless my brother hard man.
So we here, man.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
We here.
You have a voice that is veryunique, you know, and I wish I
could think of the name of thatsong.
I'm embarrassed to say I can'tthink of it.
It was something to Mother Marythat you were singing.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Mary did you know.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Yeah, oh my God, it's very impressive.
You have a very unique voicethat cuts through and basically
disrupts.
So the reason I bring that upis because in this particular
industry from peeking behind thecurtain a little bit, from what
I know about it there's a lotof hey, this is what's working
and I need you to sound this way.
How did you fight that and pushaway the naysayers so that you
(27:36):
could come off as unique as youare and not sound like anybody
else?
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Well, there's two things.
You can't insist you just haveto persist.
Okay, nothing guarantees aresult better than repetition.
You got to keep doing it, yougot to persist.
And then in that you have yourPOC, your proof of content.
You know what I'm saying.
(28:02):
You feel me, so I knew I hadsome good intention.
I feel like the firstingredient to being great, or
doing anything great, is havinggreat taste.
I mean so.
Oscar Wilde has a great quotethat says talent borrows and
genius steals.
I got great taste.
So James Brown is not with usanymore, but he was my godfather
.
Guess what?
(28:25):
I inherited his shoes.
Now I can fit them.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Wow, okay, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Yeah, I look at him like a daddy too.
You know all the big bros, theyain't do this for nothing.
Jackie Wilson was my favorite,my first.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Lonely teardrops my first Lonely Teardrops, come on.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Lonely Teardrops Can sing, sing, sing, good gracious,
yeah.
That's the first, the firstvoice.
I ever loved Jackie Wilson, himand I'm the rainbow, I'm the
rainbow, I'm the rainbow In myheart.
(29:06):
You remind me Gene Chandler,that's right.
We gotta give it up for GeneChandler.
I think he came back and sangJoy and Pain, which was the rest
in peace of Frankie Valli too.
He was the big homeboy for metoo.
He had love for me.
(29:26):
I actually talked to Maze.
I was actually maybe Ishouldn't announce this, but we
were going to attempt at mecoming in and doing some shows,
something like filling in.
I can't never replace Frankie,but I can sing his songs.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
So just a couple of quick questions.
I know we've got to wrap up.
Tell me about the projectyou're working on now.
What's keeping you up at night?
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Oh yeah, man, I'm doing Nars Barkley in this GB3,
the final frontier.
I mean, it's our last recordtogether contractually.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
And, if God willing, we succeed at something again.
There are really noexpectations.
We can't help but succeedbecause there's no expectation.
Maybe there's a little bit ofanticipation because I have
announced here and there that wewill become it, but it's been
over the last 17 years.
It's hard to believe that crazyand that kind of stuff like
(30:24):
that is, that is, that's, that'saged, that well, it's been
around that long.
I can't believe it.
Yeah, it's still thumping andwhen, every day of your life,
man, you could just slip awaybehind something, nobody was
ever ready.
I Nobody was ever ready.
You know what I mean Like.
And God has just sustained mefor purpose.
I'm happy about that.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
So, yeah, so I'm doing that, okay, yeah, how has
your definition of successshifted from when you were first
starting out, when peoplestarted to know who you are as
an artist, versus now?
What is that definition ofsuccess and what does it mean to
you?
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Well, success, of course, is health, wealth and
wellness.
You know what I mean.
Success is sustainability, asystem of one, I mean.
So it's infrastructure, it'sinformation, you know, it's
appliance, it's inheritance, andit's being able to convey that
knowledge.
You know what I mean likecapsulate that knowledge.
When your children can swallowdown the spoonful of sugar, it
(31:15):
helps the medicine go down, youfeel me.
So it then ends up resulting inthat financial literacy and
things of that nature, Becauseit's about management and going
about it proper, Not wingingeverything, but reading the
instructions, you feel me.
Every working product got someinstructions that you got to go
by Decide works.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
Maybe black people do have a God complex.
We just think everything is agiven, it's like no, you got to
study a little bit.
It's like I hate to say thatbut it's true, yeah, and you got
to go to the doctor too.
Yeah, let's bring it backaround full circle.
That's why we're here.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
When is that happening?
Tell us one more time, Dre.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
We are September the 20th at Old National Commons.
Out there you got Harold'sChicken and Ice Bar, you got
grown folks out there in theparking lot and we have some
powerful, powerful people.
Michael Hightower serves as ourhonorary chair and we have, of
course, you know, mrs CeeLoGreen is our inaugural
healthcare champion.
We have Emory Grady, piedmont,kaiser Permanente.
(32:18):
Lord, forgive me y'all if Iforget anybody, but I mean it's
just so many people Morehouse,school of Medicine, so many
people that are pouring into ourcommunity on that day to make
sure that we get out there andwe screen these black men and we
screen these black women.
And again, like, don't thinkit's just for black men, it's
for black men and women.
There are going to bescreenings out there for women.
(32:38):
So it's a community, it's afamily affair, so bring
everybody out.
Man, 7 am to 12 pm is going tobe something like Southfield has
never seen before.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Yeah, we're just a lot more stubborn as far as
going to the doctor.
That's why we emphasize blackmen, because I don't think I've
been to the doctor more thanthree times in my life, and you
see my age.
I mean, I'm a prime example ofthat because I'm walking around,
going, I'm fine, you know.
So I know exactly what you mean.
So one last question before wedo the outro.
Um, I want to ask, silo, ifmusic disappeared and you were
(33:10):
not able to do music anymore andyou had to leave a message for
this world using another artform, what would you use in
hawai?
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Hmm, that's a good question.
My other interests happen to beinterior design and
architecture and, of course,clothing and stuff like that,
and I guess there are differentfacets of industry that I could
probably excel in too.
I mean, like it could be artistmanagement, it could be stage
direction, tech stuff, yeah, butI think I think, at large, I
(33:41):
would always be an industrialistin some form or fashion.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
All right.
So typically on the show whenwe do the outro notes, we have
someone read just like three orfour bullet points.
It would be my honor if youwould do that for me.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Or, if you feel so inclined, like I said, I'm going
to reiterate that the ReverendoGoodlove that's one of my
favorite guys of all time, andtake us out.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Now listen here y'all .
This is Reverend Rollo Goodlove.
I need you to do me a favor.
Please support us by followingthe show.
Leave us a five-star review onthe Apple Podcast Now.
Thank you so much for listening, and next week we'll share the
conversations surrounding realissues we deal with every day.
(34:23):
Manhood matters now, Womanhoodtoo, but manhood definitely
matters we out of here, let's go.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Yeah, yes, thank you, thank you.
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