The Professional Homegirl: UNLOCKED: We're A 90's R&B Girl Group

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome one and all to the Professional Homegirl Podcast. Before
we begin today's episode, we want to remind you that
the views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those
of the host and guests and are intended for educational
and entertaining purposes. In this safe space, no question is
off limits because you never know how someone's storyline can
be your lifeline. The Professional Homegirl Podcast is here to

(00:22):
celebrate the diverse voices, stories and experiences of women of color,
providing a platform for authentic and empowering conversations. There will
be some key king, some tears, but most importantly a
reminder that tough times don't last, but professional homegirls do
enjoy the show.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Hey, Professional Homegirl, Ishagura ebine here and welcome back to
the Professional Homegirl Podcast. Now, before we dive into this
week's episode, I want to give a huge shout out
to all of our new listeners joining us. Hey girl, Hey,

(01:12):
what's up boom? Since you are new here. Even though
all of my guests are anonymous, if you are interested
in learning more about them, or you want to support
them by purchasing their books, please shoot me an email
at hello atpsgpodcast dot com. Also I am gearing up
for my very first Turkey drive in Memphis, Yes, the

(01:36):
city where I was raised, and I would love for
you all to help and support. If you are able
to donate, please click the link in the show notes below.
I am super excited to introduce a brand new series
called PG Unlock Now. In this series, I'll be sitting
down with some notable figures, celebrities and more. But with

(02:00):
a twist, my guest gets to choose whether or not
they want to conceal or reveal their identity and yes, child,
we will be distorting their voices so there's no cheating.
You don't want to miss out on these exclusive conversations
where we dive deep into their stories, all while keeping
you guests and who's really behind the voice. Get ready

(02:22):
to unlock some incredible stories only here on a professional
Homegirl podcast Now. In this PHG Unlock episode, we dive
into the dynamic world of the nineties. R and B Spotlighten,
a group that made waves with their unique blend of
soulful harmonies and unmistakable style. Known for their unforgettable hit

(02:44):
exploring love, loyalty, and heartbreak, these ladies redefine the sound
of the error, leaving a lasting mark on the music scene.
They were fierce, they were real, and their voices resonated
with listeners across the world. Together, we revisit the memories,
the music, and we dig into the untold story behind

(03:06):
our success and.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
Why they parted ways.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Will our guests conceal or reveal their identity? Get ready
for an unforgetable conversation with this legendary R and B
trio because we're a nineties girl group. Starts now. All right,
to my guests, thank you all so much for being
on the show. How y'all doing, how y'all feeling.

Speaker 4 (03:28):
You're doing great?

Speaker 3 (03:29):
Thank you for having us.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Yes, yes, y'all. I am super excited to have my
guests on because we are with some legends. So once again,
thank you all for being on the show. And let's
start from the very beginning. Yeah, So, why do you
think the nineties hold such a special place in people hearts,
especially when it comes to music.

Speaker 4 (03:47):
I feel this, I feel that it holds a good
place because I feel that way because I think, you
know why, A lot of music in the nineties was
very authentic and live.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
Like.

Speaker 4 (03:59):
When I say live, not athetic, I mean people were
recording without like a lot of reverb, you know, so
you can really hear the people voices, and a lot
of stuff is like kind of like now, it's like
more you can hear a reverb means like you can
hear like auto tune.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
Auto tune. You can hear a lot of that in
the music.

Speaker 4 (04:16):
So just for people who don't know what I mean
by that, it's like auto tune where you can actually
help the scene. I'm not knocking you, but nineties that's
why I hold the place on your heart because you
hear every artist and you can tell who it is
because it's their real voices live. Yes. And also in
addition to that, you had variety of artists. You had groups.

(04:39):
You had different girl groups, you had different male groups.
Even the rap you had different sounds of raps. So
you have a lot of different genres. Everything didn't sound
so much alike. You though, it's some good music now,
but you had different types of groups with different genres,
you know. And so and I think because of that
realness that David, that that different genre, that different articity

(05:05):
to the to that era, it was a good, feel
good era.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
I feel like, yes, I feel like when y'all hear
the music now, you'll probably be like, what the.

Speaker 4 (05:13):
Hell, it's a lot I'm gona keep I'm gonna keep
it one I do with some of it because some
of me sound alike.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
I'm like, now, who is this person? It's like you
hear the same sound.

Speaker 4 (05:24):
It's not a lot of you know, uniqueness to be
real and you know, and honestly, music, you know it's
a form of copy you know, you do copycat people.
You know, it's it's not like it's abnormal. But when
it's done and you are not using your voice, it's
one thing to like an artist, but if you're gonna
copy him, you still should come in your own authentic voice.

(05:46):
You know, we can understand how you what you bring
to the table, instead you taking over somebody's hard work.
Like artists from the nineties, we work really hard. Like
seventies artists. They work really hard to be unique, to
do what they love. So when you hear their music
and nineties music, that's why you feel that whole energy
of uniqueness and you write the new music, I'll be like,

(06:08):
there's some people that got it right.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
Though, Nah, I know you'd be like, girl, what is that.

Speaker 1 (06:14):
Right?

Speaker 4 (06:15):
And you know what, also, we had artists development too.
There was artists development too back now. And that's that's
thing I think that hurts a lot with a lot
of people. You know, the artists development is it lacks.
People think they can be a YouTube star that quick
and they aren't making they money from it or TikTok
stary they want to call it.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yeah, I feel like back in the day, like it
was like a real boot camp, like they wasn't playing.

Speaker 3 (06:38):
Or y'all was gangs straight boot camp.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah, So what was it like being a part of
the nineties R and B scene?

Speaker 4 (06:47):
It was bomb because we didn't have phones back then
and we are also you know, we got to really
get intimate with the people, the different artists that we
was connected with. If we was doing like a tour,
any type of thing we was involved in, you got
to really connect better. I think in the nineties you
got to really know the artists and you know, the
scene was hot, it was dope, and you know what,
I think people really did lose a lot because we

(07:09):
have like people recording us. It was like a private
you know, a private little I don't want to say,
like a private sorority or fraternity, but like it was
that energy like you would nobody can be in your business.
It was like everybody with stays like you know they
say with stays in Vegas whatever they say, what you
do in Vegas States, Right, That's the kind of vibe

(07:29):
was for the nineties scene, like you are really in
the moment and getting connected with the people that you know,
that you work with, that you got the same love with.
And it was really fun too. It was like fun times.
People would didn't have no high anxiety or you know,
like just that energy where you know, it was a
lot of confidence in the air, but it wasn't that

(07:49):
energy like I'm better than you. It was like we
both about the top of the stations, not you know.
We would see people backstage with crossing cities, crossing states.
We'll see Mary, will see oh Josy, little Kim. We
would be passing.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
It took like, hey, what's up, y'all, how y'all doing.

Speaker 4 (08:07):
They'll be getting on the bus, We're getting on stage.
They leaving the stage, We're getting on. So it was
always it was very carefue and fun and it wasn't
no like no tension, no like some tension in the
end true. And to add to that, I enjoyed the
fact that when we used to be performing any artists,
people really stay back and watch the other, you know,

(08:28):
the other, you know, like more supportive yet support Now
it's hot, that's dope, that got the tip.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
That's segue into my next question. How do you think
the industry industry has changed since then?

Speaker 4 (08:43):
Well, I think a lot of people keep to themselves
and who you know is who you know. It's like
it's more cliquish, like even though it was clicking back
in the time, but clicks new clicks and they was
you interacted, but now more backstage is more like if
you know somebody, you'll see them.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
But people so.

Speaker 4 (09:00):
Now much beatable with their own click that came with
them and stick in their own rooms. So they kind
of just be more private for whatever reason. Some reasons
are good, some reasons or not to stay out of trouble,
or you know, just they feeling themselves either though I
don't know, but it seems a little bit more where
everybody it's kind a little bit more distant. Yeah, yeah,

(09:22):
a little bit more distant. I think a little bit
more distant. And I think even like like like when
I was you mentioned about the difference, you know, the
whole what do you call it? Like auto tune energy?
You know, like like I was talking about the auto
tune situation too, people will not are not as authentic
like we were back then in the nineties. The autotune

(09:44):
you don't really know who it is. They everybody soundless
so and it's like, you know, and it's like who
is this person? Like you don't even know. And like
in the nineties, if you go and put the nineties
that feel good music, and you also can tell, oh
that's such and such ah, that's you know, oh the
difference you really do?

Speaker 3 (10:01):
I know, I do. I definitely know the difference. When
I hear the nineties artists, I can hear the.

Speaker 4 (10:06):
Difference meaning difference between like two different artists.

Speaker 3 (10:13):
You know that artist, you know that this is this artist,
I mean, and I miss that.

Speaker 4 (10:17):
And to think about new music, it's like you don't
you don't get that from that, you don't get that.

Speaker 3 (10:22):
It's like micro waverbo.

Speaker 4 (10:25):
People are like jumping in the game, getting that quick fixed,
getting them everybody like I want to get the bag.
I'm getting that bag. You know, they gonna get that back.
But you know, we all want the bag too, but
we what we love what we do too, right.

Speaker 2 (10:40):
And I also feel like back then in the nineties,
like not only did we we felt the emotion, but
it was just you could just feel it, like you
knew when somebody was happy, you knew when somebody was sad,
you knew what somebody was like. I feel like theneties
nineties was just the time that you just had to
be there.

Speaker 4 (10:55):
You know, we didn't have phones and Instagram and all that,
so you didn't have no other distress actions. You were
able to be in the moment with that person if
you had something to say. You either have to wait,
like say, if we came out with a video, you
wasn't gonna see any footage beforehand. You really had to
wait to the video to see who was gonna cop
the blue lipstick first, or you know, you got so

(11:16):
it wasn't a lot of distraction distraction or copycap like
a lot of copy cap too, you know, because you
know people you know you are because let me tell
you someone, once you shoot a video, you got your
video going and you would be able to know who
copied off for you because you didn't have once to
get dropped.

Speaker 3 (11:33):
You know that you did it first.

Speaker 4 (11:35):
Yeah, because you have to wait for it to come
out too.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
You have to wait. You gotta wait, editing and all
of that.

Speaker 2 (11:42):
Now, y'all, I guess they look they look super good.
Mad fied brownskin for the win. So being at the nineties,
was the golden era? Who was trying to talk to y'all?

Speaker 4 (11:52):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (11:56):
I think for me?

Speaker 4 (11:56):
I think on my end, I had like comedians trying
to like me and like more on the comedian side,
and a couple of rappers, But no R and B
dudes was talking to me like that, maybe because I
had a little thug in me something that might have been.

Speaker 3 (12:08):
Too much for the R and B cats. But more
but more rapping.

Speaker 4 (12:11):
I think more rapping, and yeah, I feel like more
rappers and comedians on my end, or a couple of athletes.
I think I didn't have a couple of athletes.

Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yeah, think about it.

Speaker 2 (12:23):
So wait, so name one comedian and one athlete and
one rapper that was trying to talk to you. That's
current now.

Speaker 3 (12:28):
Well, I wouldn't say they're name because they're married.

Speaker 2 (12:30):
Now, it's somebody we know because yeah, y'all know, but.

Speaker 4 (12:36):
They're married now, so I wouldn't even like put them
out there like that. But if they were single, I
would bet I would bust them out. But they're married,
got a whole family, got.

Speaker 3 (12:43):
A whole life.

Speaker 2 (12:45):
Anybody single that was trying to talk to you, that's
current now.

Speaker 3 (12:49):
No, everybody you know, like now you know Cats is older.

Speaker 4 (12:52):
Now. Everybody is still there, married, got a home, and
if they are, I don't know about it, right right?

Speaker 3 (12:59):
What about too?

Speaker 4 (13:00):
Some rappers? Uh? It was a football player that was
trying to get out of me, But I don't even
know his name, if I if I could say it,
I don't even know. I don't even remember him, poor thing.

Speaker 3 (13:12):
I think he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Speaker 4 (13:17):
Somebody from there, Tampa, Yeah, yeah, yeah, shoot, we both
had a football player for the Buccaneers. I really don't
remember his name. There was a guy from the Buccaneers,
and he's very incredible. He's a Hall of Famer. But
he's married and got a hope for me.

Speaker 2 (13:31):
All Right, y'all gonna do my research and I get
back to y'all. But y'all know who it.

Speaker 4 (13:35):
Is, Okay. I could tell you a singer that tried
to get at me, because I don't know what they're
doing in life, and there's no disrespect he's married or whatever,
but I'm not checking for him. I wasn't checking for
him then and I'm not checking for him now. Casey
from Jo Desy trying to get everybody know.

Speaker 3 (13:55):
Yeah, and he was Mary at that time.

Speaker 4 (13:57):
I was like, boy, please, But even if he wasn't
with her, somebody from the audition, I'm not gonna put
because I think he is married based off their show. No,
I guess, but no, somebody from the audition I know who. No,
not him. I don't even know who you was gonna say,

(14:21):
but you know, you know how you can tell some
people want to get at you. They're not saying nothing,
but they're doing like serious flirtatious.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
I'm with that.

Speaker 4 (14:34):
I'm not gonna say the name because I think I
think I'm a type of person that I don't really
like people that's in the same field that I'm in,
Like meaning like since I'm in a RB hip hop,
I'm really more I would choose more like an athlete
type of person or a comedian.

Speaker 3 (14:48):
Somebody is not doing the same thing I'm doing.

Speaker 4 (14:50):
I'm curious about other people's careers and journey got going on.
I don't want the same I never want the same
energy to keep it real with you, the same thing
I did.

Speaker 3 (14:59):
Yeah, if you rap and.

Speaker 4 (15:02):
Checking for you like that, But if you're a comedian
or you are an athlete, I'm more intrigued by that.

Speaker 2 (15:08):
Right now, How did y'all all meet? Like, were y'all
friends before the group started? Or because I wasn't sure
if y'all met in high school, or if y'all knew
about each other in high school, or yall met in college.

Speaker 4 (15:19):
And I met in high school as cheerleader. She was
already on a cheerleading squad and I was trying to
make the squad. So that's how we connected. And I
was doing my dancing, doing my thing, and I needed
another dancer. I was looking for another dancer, and everybody
was like, she was samous in high school. You know,
she was popular, so everybody knew she Yeah, she was lit,

(15:43):
and so when I was looking and asking around, it
was like, oh, you need to ask. And I already
knew she had flavor and poise and style just from
being a cheerleader.

Speaker 3 (15:54):
But we wasn't close.

Speaker 4 (15:56):
We just met each other, you know, we we just
knew we knew each other, and we didn't really get
close to that until, you know, after we start cheering
and everything. But I asked her if she wanted to dance,
and then she just locked in. She was like, yes,
her style matched my style. We was vibing with each other.
And then we met in college, right, yeah, in college,

(16:18):
do you because it was like just me and went
with me and me, and I keep saying my daughter name,
my love, my daughter so much.

Speaker 3 (16:23):
So crazy, and I remind her of her daughter. I'm
starting like her daughter.

Speaker 4 (16:31):
They both they both they both muscle bound girls, you know,
to college.

Speaker 3 (16:34):
So she was looking, she was looking.

Speaker 4 (16:36):
There was some guy that she knew that was a rapper,
was looking for some dancers. Thought we was like, you know,
we were gonna have like a whole audition. But you
know what I'm saying, We were serious. We were serious,
like we're gonna we're gonna go to this park rented out,
Like I mean, just imagine we're seventeen years old having
this energy talking about you know, we're gonna rent it out.
We're gonna have people come, and it's so funny that

(16:58):
only one person and it was but we were serious.

Speaker 3 (17:01):
We were sitting about that business. We're serious about it.

Speaker 2 (17:04):
Yeah, I knew y'all was seriously when I was listening
to your other interviews and just doing research, I'm like,
you know back then, like the don't that y'all even
had the mindset of like let's do auditions, like let's
let's scout out the next person, so we could be
official with that because I know dance play an intricate
role into your music journey.

Speaker 3 (17:22):
It did definitely.

Speaker 4 (17:24):
We was like the type of group that you know,
go to different clubs, and then that's another thing.

Speaker 3 (17:29):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (17:29):
I don't really think they really get down, like we
really dance and sweat anybody cute, but we ain't trying
to look cute all day. We are getting on the
cipher floor like I rappers. People see that on BT
or like the Little Award Show. Now, we've been doing
Cyprus back in the days in the nineties and then
Cyper was like dancing in the circle and it's Dan

(17:50):
in a circle and everybody crowding around them, and that
was the type of NFG. So then that's that led
us to be able to do different videos with different
hip hop artists. Unfortunately wondered. One of the queens that
passed away just recently. Her name is Boss. Got to
give her props. That's her soul. She was passed away
and she's incredible. We was at mental Mondays. Bill Bibs

(18:13):
the BOE used to do these shows on Mondays at
the Palladium. Yeah, it's like for teens at eighteen, nineteen
and twenty one, and you know, it was that type
of energy.

Speaker 3 (18:23):
So you know, we was dancing, doing our thing, what
we love.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
And if I'm not mistaken, y'all will also backup dancing
for like a lot of well known artists like Big Daddy, Kane, AMT, Chris,
Chris and My Killings. She real names, right, I'm gonna say.

Speaker 4 (18:41):
Her real names? Who that Stilk?

Speaker 3 (18:47):
I was like an extra, like a background person was actually.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
Dancing and Silk You was in Silk video.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
Yeah, Silk video, Happy Days, Happy Days out here? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (18:57):
Oh wow. So if I'm not taken, y'all also have
a good relationship with Tima Robinson, who was a season dancer.
So how did she play a prevotal role in y'all career?
Because I think it was something y'all was also trying
to try out for Michael Jackson remember the Times video
as well.

Speaker 4 (19:15):
Yes, talk about the story about that with Fatima. So
in our book that's coming out, it's called Unfinished Business,
we talk about that about with Fatima. There was moments
of Fatima that was great and there was moments that
was not so great. Like she she was, she was

(19:37):
definitely about her business at a at a young age
as well. We all used to dance and you know,
so we talked about the story that happened with the
Michael Jacksonville how it was like, you know, it was
like back then, like there was clicks and we were
talking about like different clicks. It was clicked like it
was a lot of dancers trying out for this video,
and we talked about how she picked certain people and

(19:59):
people telling us that I don't know why y'all didn't
get picked because y'all, y'all really was killing it. But
it was crazy because it was like a it was
a thousand people, thousand dances tried out, but it was
like we got called back out of our level clak
and it was only twenty days and they was narrowing
it down, and so we talk about how we felt like,
you know, and that's why I love our book that's

(20:20):
coming out, because we all felt a different kind of way.
Like me to keep one hundred, I didn't feel I
didn't like how I went down, like I didn't like
how But now that I'm now, I see how it
go like after I was in my feelings back then.

Speaker 3 (20:35):
But you know, now I'm older, I see it differently.
It's a game.

Speaker 4 (20:39):
It's you know, you people gonna pick who they wore with, right,
and it's like it's like a cattle call. You have
to have these many people. You already know who you're picking.
That's how it used to be back in the days
when you when you did like auditions back in the days.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
So Fatima wasn't doing nothing no different than the next.

Speaker 4 (20:55):
Cat was doing right. Like as far as having like
a gang of peeple, well, because you got to do
it for Michael Jackson. You got to show that you
had people out there trying out, but you already know.

Speaker 3 (21:05):
In your head who you want.

Speaker 4 (21:06):
That's something we didn't know until after the fact, or
at least me it's for me. I didn't know that
until after the fact. So my thing was, I mean,
I really wanted to be in that video, but it
didn't happen.

Speaker 3 (21:20):
We did other videos, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (21:22):
It was Michael Jackson, but we did other stuff and
Fatima was the one who got us the other stuff too,
you know, but we didn't we didn't get that one.
But you know what, she blessed us after that. She
might maybe her conscious I don't know if her conscious
bother her or what. So. I know I wasn't really
feeling her the same, but she did come through after that,
maybe she got out conscious or something because she she

(21:42):
didn't want to put us in Daddy came video this
group called good Girl.

Speaker 3 (21:46):
They was called the Good Girls something like that was
good to Do, Good to Do. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (21:52):
Did you'll ever have a conversation with her?

Speaker 3 (21:56):
No, I haven't. I think my energy gave conversation.

Speaker 4 (22:03):
I think after the fact, I let it go because
I mean, she did come through later on after that. Right,
I'll say if I being out of office turned off
back then with that SITUAD scenario because we didn't know
what was going on at then. We didn't know that
people were rolling that hard like that and what have
you working your butt off dancing and then not to
get picked. But you know, we As time went on,

(22:24):
we realized, you know, as you get older and understand
how the game worked, you ain't tripping about it no more,
but it But it was I was in my feelings
back then, definitely.

Speaker 2 (22:42):
So do y'all feel like y'all was destined to be
in a group? And the reason why I asked because
y'all have so much in common and I feel like
when I was reading more about your story, I feel
like everything was like lining up for y'all. Do y'all
feel like that too?

Speaker 3 (22:55):
Yes? We do, Yeah, we do.

Speaker 4 (22:58):
I think when we had started all were we were.
Our goal was honestly to just be these great dancers
and touring all over the world. We just that's that
was really what we wanted to do. Just be these
great dancers and choreographed different groups and and tour. That
was our like initial type of energy. But when we
was doing our thing, and would we performing at different
showcase like back then it was like major showcases, and

(23:20):
you'll see people like Mariah Carey, Jamie Fox. You see
them like Jamie Fox wasn't even singing. He was just
doing his comedy stuff because he's snow he was singing.
He wasn't even comedy. H mm hmm. It'd be at
these different like, I mean, it's so beautiful to see
people from back in the days and where they are now.
But we used to do the popular because we from
cal We're from Cali, so cally got all the energy

(23:42):
everybody being in Hollywood, you know, doing their thing, and
you know, we would win every time as dancers behind
these so we weren't lining like that, you know what I mean.
We were just we just did what we love and
people noticed that, you guys should be more than hard
bodies in the back dancing. Yeah, Like we were outshining the
main artists with our dancing. So we would always get

(24:05):
people from behind the stage or just even people from
the audience like you guys did so good. Y'all got
a group or y'all should become a group or what's
the name of your group? And that got us thinking, like,
you know, we start seeing ourselves different, but yet still
we were dancers until someone actually really approached us like,
you guys need a name. You know, we were just
going off of our real names, but we needed a

(24:28):
group name. And once we had that group name and
we still was dancing doing our thing, then we would
got approached to be a group like you guys should
be a group. So we it was destined for us
to come together and do what we did because it happened,
and it's still good while it was happening, and we
do have a lot of similarities and we were aligned

(24:50):
to meet each other at the times that we did
to do what we were supposed to do, which is
a beautiful thing.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
Yes, And I also feel like because you have a background,
it also made you more versatile when it came to
performing compared to your other R and B counterparts. Do
you feel like that as well?

Speaker 3 (25:08):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (25:08):
Yes, definitely. I feel like I was the Sierra back now.
Sierra is so dope. I love her answer. I was
that Sierra back then. You know what I'm saying, Like
that energy Sierra brings period.

Speaker 2 (25:20):
Yes, Now, were there any girl groups at the time
that inspire y'all when y'all were first starting out?

Speaker 4 (25:26):
For me, I would say st mm hmm, yes, Peper
only one for me. Yeah, because it wasn't a lot
of girl groups. It was more like individuals Like I
love Janet Jackson, you know, she was not in the group,
but saltn Pepper for sure.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
That girl serious about. But in groups like Salt and Pepper,
what other groups? What you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (25:49):
Did y'all come out before a lot of the other groups,
Like was it it was like y'all, s WV.

Speaker 4 (25:54):
Did TLC came out before?

Speaker 2 (25:57):
Right?

Speaker 3 (25:59):
Came out before us?

Speaker 4 (26:00):
But I think weren't even though they were a good group,
but we were more aligned with more like with the
Salt and Pepper BBD energy you goat see it's two
two rappers and one singer right in our group, and
so a lot of times that's stuff that we had
to like when we performed people songs live, we kind
of had like maybe maybe few Fujie's energy. We were

(26:22):
behind the scenes coming out like we was working in
the studio.

Speaker 3 (26:26):
They just came out before us. We didn't have a
deal yet.

Speaker 4 (26:29):
They were we were already our concept who we were
as people, so they couldn't Nobody didn't inspire us like
that because we already like we didn't look up to them.
It was kind of like we side by side with y'all.
So they were great groups and we liked them, but
they wasn't a group like, oh, we want to be
like them later on in life. It was kind of
it was just a couple of years ahead of us,

(26:50):
you know, because they got the deal earlier, whatever the
case may be, So it would be older groups we.

Speaker 3 (26:56):
Would look at.

Speaker 4 (26:57):
We was making noise in our neighborhood before we even
got our deer we another like an independent deal. So
we just making our own noise in our little town
in Cali, in Inglewood and La.

Speaker 3 (27:06):
You know.

Speaker 4 (27:06):
But we was We wasn't signed to an actual record
deal like they were. So when you stay looking up,
I will only say probably salt and pepper.

Speaker 2 (27:13):
Right, did y'all ever feel pressure to fit in a
certain image or sound because y'all were women in the industry? Like,
did they ever try to make y'all perform to a
certain way? Because I feel like when I was looking
back at y'all videos and just y'all sound like y'all
were flying, like y'all was like there around the way
girls like even now, like, did y'all ever feel like
I had to perform in a certain sense for me?

Speaker 4 (27:34):
We we came as we who we were. We brought
who we were to the table, and to be honest,
no disrespect to none of the ladies that was doing
like Little Kim's the way she was talking and stuff
that was us, right, We did that all the time.
We got people trying to have us tone that down.
So it was pressure from like our record company do

(27:55):
you know the people who was involved, like ooh you
saying that or why are you saying this? And even
at that time, radio stations wasn't as open as they
are now. It's out of control now. But like some
of our songs didn't get like His Mind did get
played La Talk just like sexy, but they wasn't playing
your music at that time. So our record label was

(28:15):
trying to. They were trying to make us do like
these R and B D and that wasn't what we were. Yeah,
that's not who we work. So we used to constantly
have like a battle with that because we were rapp
and we did rap and singing. We kept who we were,
but we used to battle our time. That was that
was the different part, I tell you. So it was
the pressure of us or they not allowing us to

(28:36):
be ourselves truly. Thinks like how we came, how we auditioned,
we rapped and sing and we wore what we wore.
We just how we dressed, said what we said, you know,
they were trying to tone us down and make us
be an R and B group, you know, and we.

Speaker 3 (28:51):
Had to fight to that. And so it's not.

Speaker 4 (28:53):
That we was hood and ghetto. We just was like
from the inner city talking about inner city energy. You know.
We still you ain't never seen this look like hoodra
that they to call it back then, boochie boocie girls.

Speaker 2 (29:12):
So wait, how do y'all feel about the reception that
Sexy Bread has been receiving.

Speaker 4 (29:17):
Oh, honey, don't get me on her. I'm sorry, I'm
not a fan. I don't really know her music. I'm
not a fan. What I see is just, you know,
it's like it's like the ratchetness is cool because it's
a little bit in every woman I think, you know,
or but it's it's a time you got to have
some boundaries. It's just it's just too much. It's too much,

(29:39):
Like it's just too much. I wouldn't want my little
girl like listening to her music, you know what I mean.
You got to be a full fledged grown woman listen
to her music.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
And you know, I haven't.

Speaker 4 (29:51):
I've heard of her through other people and I'm just
now literally like, no, lie, like two weeks ago, just
saw her in the video because she with some other
girl that I do like, you know what I mean.
So I'm just now really seeing her for myself. But
I'm not I'm not a big fan. But good luck,
good good for what you're doing.

Speaker 3 (30:10):
I feel like the girls need to put their clothes on,
even a guy. I don't want you.

Speaker 4 (30:14):
I want a guy who's closed off either either or
I want you. I want to see your talent. Like
I feel that people can show their talent by putting
more clothes on and start being naked. I don't like
that energy like too much. Many people want to be
so naked, and it takes away from your skill. You
might be a dope ass artist, but it's taken away
from me because just because you're showing all your ass.

(30:35):
Excuse me for my language, but that's you're showing all
the ass and there's no mystery. Like if one person
is bringing that that hood energy, then the next person
want to be.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
I want to go lower than you. I want to
be more hood than you.

Speaker 4 (30:46):
I want to be so now it starts, it starts
falling off, and it's it's like hood hood hood, gutter,
savage gutter and it's just getting worse. It's not even
cute no more, you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (30:58):
It's like you now you may making it look bad.
You're making ratchet look horrible. Is you're giving it.

Speaker 4 (31:03):
You're making the ladies look horrible. Like I don't like it,
you know, have some type of class demeanor about yourself.
It's getting out of control to me, and I think
she's taken to the level like I'm gonna be the
most ratchet, cold, is trifling, most ever and I'm sell
that I'm a capitalize off of it. Somebody that like you,

(31:24):
like what you're doing, is always gonna be somebody that
don't like what you do. That's what I have to
learn too. In the industry, we can't please everybody. We
had people that really love our songs. We had people
that really couldn't stand us for our song, you know,
but we know we struck a chord, whether you loved
it or not. You know, like a girl struck a
chord with me. You went too far with it. So
that's not my vibe. That's not I'm not into it

(31:46):
all the way like that, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (31:49):
It's not your taste exactly, but I can get with them,
but that's just too that's.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
A little too far.

Speaker 4 (31:57):
Like I don't mind like I don't mind people having
with their bodies. I think it's beautiful to show your body,
but it's it's just the way the tastes. Some of
it be real tastes, Like I know I have buntion
on my body. I don't want to act like I'm
an old chick that don't respect people having fun with
their body, because I'm not that. I think it's dope
to be able to show your figure, your body and
look good and do your thing. But when it comes

(32:18):
when you you know, when you like she's she's a
little over the top. Mm, but like but like some
people gonna love you and you gotta do you gotta
do it as long as she my thing is, as
long as she being true to any artist, as long
as you being really authentic to yourself, or because a
lot of the lot of the behind the scenes stuff
with you and other people don't know, they have people
in their ear telling them you gotta do this, you

(32:40):
gotta do that. If she's she's really being her true
to herself, that's all good. But if you not, because
a lot of a lot of men be behind these
girls telling them to look a certain way, and it's
not it's not respect. It's not a woman telling another woman,
you know how to get your thing, you know how
to do your thing. It's usually a man behind them
telling them to look inappropriate like that, because there have.

Speaker 2 (33:01):
Been a lot of female artists that came out and
said that either a man wrote their lyrics, a man
told him how to dress, or a man did this,
man did that. So I definitely agree that if this
is her, I hope this is just her doing her.

Speaker 4 (33:14):
Exactly. I'm one of those people that I love. I
like writers because I'm a songwriter. I like girls that
write like I like Nikki. I don't mind her being
safe because that girl again, right, she's talented. Yeah, yeah,
she's tight.

Speaker 3 (33:26):
So for me, it's no this to other people. I'm
just attracted to songwriters.

Speaker 4 (33:29):
Now.

Speaker 2 (33:29):
One of the things that I loved about y'all story
is because not only did y'all have a growing music career,
but y'all was also in college. Y'all was breaking nine
to fives. So how was it balancing everything?

Speaker 3 (33:43):
Hard to tell, that's a good question.

Speaker 4 (33:46):
We just did it. Yeah, and it was a lot.

Speaker 3 (33:48):
But we just I don't know, like looking back.

Speaker 4 (33:52):
And it's like, damn, I did all that. You don't
even realize you was juggling and all that like at
the time, right, just making.

Speaker 3 (33:58):
It happen, just going with the flow, was just doing.

Speaker 4 (34:00):
It, just doing like like you said, just doing I
think for us, it's like, you know what, I think,
here's to this day.

Speaker 3 (34:09):
You can do anything you put your mind to.

Speaker 4 (34:11):
But I think one of the problems and I keep
I'm gonna keep saying this is probably throw up the
whole conversation when you have internet, social media. See, we
didn't have all those distractions. We was focused, you know,
we were very focused.

Speaker 3 (34:23):
There was no distract.

Speaker 4 (34:24):
It was about where our mind was connected to what
we wanted to do. Oh I'm graduating, Oh I'm gonna
be an artist. I'm gonna do this. I like it
was not It was a lot, but it's like you
enjoyed it because you wanted you had a goal and
you have like distractions. Yeah, you're right, you're right.

Speaker 2 (34:43):
And then y'all also mentioned the importance of having passion
in your art. Why do you believe that money shouldn't
be the primary motivation because I feel like when I
listen to a lot of people from the nineties, everybody
talk about how they got robbed of their contracts and stuff.

Speaker 4 (34:58):
Yeah, it goes back to how I was saying about
how out now things are more microwaiver. But and it's
nice for them to get they coin, they money, they bag.
It's good that they getting their money. But people in
the nineties and the seventies, no, we wasn't getting a
coin like that. So if you didn't like it like
that because you're not getting paid like that, it had
to be from your passion because the money wasn't coming

(35:18):
like how they money come now. So that's why you
get those real authentic artists from the nineties and that
feel good news.

Speaker 3 (35:24):
We really was, you.

Speaker 4 (35:25):
Know, authentic, and it was like it wasn't about the money,
even though we wanted the money and earn later that
it was not right what was happening.

Speaker 3 (35:33):
But we was very PASSI used That's what kept us going.
The passion.

Speaker 4 (35:37):
Yeah, I was gonna stay with the passion. You can
regain and get more money, you know, because sometimes it
could be here today, gone tomorrow, or if you had
the money and it's gone then that might mentally mess
with you and send you down a spiraling path of
negativity or drugs or sex or whatever that could happen.
But if you have the passion for it, you know

(35:58):
that if I got it before, I can do it again.
You can choose other avenues or the venues with that passion.
So I think that's why having passion is so important
because you can recreate or create something else. Let me
and chat with this one though, not just passion, but
the spiritual. We had a very spiritual connection with you know,
our own you know, with our own spiritual connection with God.

(36:20):
And that has a lot to do with a lot
of people commit suicide, they drink or they get drugs,
they get messed up with drugs because you know, you
have a spiritual foundation and o Urts is pretty tight.
We communicated with each other. You gotta it's and then,
and I mean you gotta have it's a deep foundation.
You gotta have with God for real, the man above.

(36:41):
You have to have a spiritual connection. Because this music
business with TERRYO butt down.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
That's how funny you mentioned that because it was a
clip of viral clip with Jamaina pre going around and
he was just saying a lot of reasons why these
R and B singers don't sound like any don't sound
like anything, but you can't really feel anything because they
don't have that spiritual connection because a lot of the
singers from back in the day were rooted in the church.

Speaker 1 (37:02):
Yeah right, this is the moment of truth.

Speaker 3 (37:07):
Will our guests reveal their.

Speaker 1 (37:09):
Identity or keep it concealed? The choice is yours to
reveal or conceal?

Speaker 3 (37:15):
What will it be costial? I'm down to reveal when
you can.

Speaker 2 (37:26):
All right, please introduce yourselves.

Speaker 4 (37:30):
What's up everybody? This is camp from moch and Steph.

Speaker 3 (37:34):
Well, what's up y'all? This is Steph.

Speaker 4 (37:35):
Who's gonna win a seat? Like Moking and Steph? But
they forgot were the ones that got you talking. That's
your neck talking negative.

Speaker 3 (37:41):
But we do.

Speaker 4 (37:41):
You want to be around like a goo, You want
to be down on spread and hey, it's like, wait,
I gotta get paid every day, gonna regulate what you
se me the magazine, your man feelix. I'm serving them
coast to coast. I was born to be a star,
pushing up blocks, steady off that yak?

Speaker 3 (37:54):
What this is? Steph? Babe?

Speaker 2 (37:56):
Okay, listen round the applause every morning around us a
fall listening to Stephanie. When you miss Stephanie, when you
have your next birthday party or whatever you have an event,
I need to be there.

Speaker 4 (38:08):
Because you missed the last one. Because I know it
that you missed the last one.

Speaker 3 (38:15):
We got to make sure you on that list.

Speaker 2 (38:17):
Yes, I'm definitely coming because.

Speaker 4 (38:18):
I'm gonna tell I'm gonna tell, I'm gonna tell you.
I love to laugh, so you're gonna definitely have some
commedians there.

Speaker 3 (38:23):
I love to laugh. We're gonna be laughing girls.

Speaker 2 (38:25):
Oh, already know, already know. And then also the third member,
miss Monifa, couldn't be with us today, but she is
here with us in spirit. So thank you ladies for
joining us. So tell us how did y'all decide on
your name? Because the name is all three of your
names combined.

Speaker 4 (38:41):
Well, we were actually dancing with some dancers and another guide group.
We were dancing for a show and they were saying,
you know, how do we want to be introduced? And
we was like they were asking us what's our name?
It was like, we don't have a name, and of
course we was thinking of every name with a three
three the hard way, three to three to T. I
don't know. We was just speaking of different three names

(39:03):
and we happen to be standing in the formation of
Monifa King and Stephanie. We was just standing there ready
to do our routine, and we didn't come up with anything.
Nobody was really feeling anything. So the guy was like, well,
what about MOK and Steph the way we were just
the order we were in, and it right at that moment,
we all just loved it. And then Stephanie was like, well,

(39:26):
what about Steph? Can both? Why can't go the other way?
And we was like, that's true, but the bell just
sounded better that way. So we just all suck with it.

Speaker 2 (39:36):
How do y'all feel? Y'all music has influenced today's R
and B or just music in general.

Speaker 4 (39:42):
Oh, it influenced today's R and B and music in
general because it's so real, Like our song really is timeless,
because there's always a man cheating on a woman, and
there's always a woman taking her man back, and there's
always somebody in a relationship up and now now he's
your man, you know, So that's that cycle is constant.

(40:03):
It happened before we wrote it and it's gonna happen
after right, So so like TikTok brought us back because
it still goes on. No. I was saying, my daddy
is in high school, right, so it's so cool they
brought it all back.

Speaker 3 (40:17):
One time, she's a cheerlead. I was at her game
and it was bumping my song. I said, what.

Speaker 4 (40:23):
The high school wasn't I was like wow, and he
saw on TikTok. They we they you know, they researched it,
which is beautiful.

Speaker 3 (40:29):
It's a blessing and we appreciate it.

Speaker 4 (40:32):
Like Kean said, it's a classic song that resonates from
from back in the days to today. People like she said,
I think what really get people going. They everybody tried
to figure out what we really was talking about. But
it was so many different scenarios in that song. Said
He's mine, right.

Speaker 3 (40:51):
I said it was. It was so it was so
many scenarios where he's mine mm hm.

Speaker 4 (40:55):
Where you know, some people thought that we were saying
we was cool with letting the man cheated on us,
and that wasn't what we were saying. But you know,
we let people have their narrative. It was more like
when we wrote it. We were talking about everybody have
a man before you, and that man might not be
with you no more so now he got somebody else.
But you know, in another scenario, was like, and now
he's with he's mine. You made it, had him once
you would you might have been with her.

Speaker 3 (41:19):
Yea, that was one.

Speaker 4 (41:20):
In the other scenario like kid said one of the
group member's boyfriend, which you know he had cheated on her,
and the girl kept playing on her phone back on
the day, like Mo Mo had a dude and he
and the girl kept playing on the girl phone constantly.
So we was having jokes and we just it just
turned to joke. We were jokesters. It just turned to
jokes at the jokes at the joke with this girl,

(41:41):
you know what I'm saying. And she made us have
a hit plattin thank you for making us go platting
the baby.

Speaker 2 (41:45):
I know she was tired.

Speaker 4 (41:47):
And they playing them at weddings. Now I went to
a wedding, they play our song He's Mine real like, hey, yeah,
it's the good the wedding song of the year, and
don't forget to add it to your playlist.

Speaker 2 (41:59):
But people see out and about and they say they say,
He's mind is like one of my favorite songs. Like,
how does that make y'all feel when people see y'all,
like you at the wedding or you at your child school? Like,
do people recognize that it's y'all that wrote these songs?

Speaker 4 (42:13):
Yeah, you know, I think it beaut Yeah, it's it's
a good feeling because you know, from that to when
you even perform on stage, like when like we like
you did, say a wedding, we had went to a
birthday party and they had played it and at the time,
I don't think people knew that it was me and
Kenya there at the birthday party. Right, So sometimes sometimes

(42:34):
your song is bigger than your face, bigger than you name. Yeah, right,
I said, they was blowing, they was seeing, they had
a wonderful time, and then when they found out we
was in attendance, they was blown away. And it was
it was a beautiful feeling just to be laid back,
you know, in the cut right low key and seeing

(42:55):
the energy.

Speaker 3 (42:56):
I think that's the one of the best feelings. It is.

Speaker 4 (42:58):
It's a beautiful feeling.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
Also feel like this the video of y'all performing live
of his Mind that's been going viral lately, have y'all seen.

Speaker 4 (43:06):
That we saw the different ones, which one's a couple
of different ones.

Speaker 3 (43:13):
I've seen a couple of them go viral too.

Speaker 1 (43:14):
Well.

Speaker 2 (43:15):
Yeah, like the song itself just been going viral again.

Speaker 4 (43:20):
Yeah lately I haven't.

Speaker 2 (43:23):
Yeah, it's been on Instagram, y'all have on the blue
dresses and that performance been going viral.

Speaker 3 (43:33):
Yeah, I see a couple of them too.

Speaker 4 (43:35):
I've definitely seen a couple of different things that we
had done performing live.

Speaker 3 (43:39):
You know, we still perform live.

Speaker 4 (43:40):
So I saw a couple of things going, you know,
going viral, and and it just feels good to see
the energy and of people and how how they respond
to it. I can't say every artist, but I think
since you've been out before, before the social media came
to life, we can handle the criticism better. Like it
doesn't bove already. We're strong in our conviction. We know

(44:03):
who we are, we know what we did. We wrote ourselves,
and we take responsibility for it. We take responsibility. We
was very when we did it. We did it ourselves.
Nobody made us write these. Our whole album we wrote
as it is, and that whole album we wrote and
it's like except one song. It was a remake from
Smokey Robinson. Much loved the Smokey Robinson. But you know,

(44:24):
we wrote everything pretty much. And I think because we
knew who we were, we had no social media, no
distractions like that always say that, And I think we're
very confident who we are because social that's what people's mental.
And I see I see some artists be clapping back
on like why do you care for me? I want

(44:45):
to be a psychologist for these artists and talk to
these artis to help them out, because I'm like, who
cares about it?

Speaker 3 (44:50):
You don't even know these cats? Why are you.

Speaker 2 (44:54):
Ar And y'all also faced some legal issues with his mind,
which I thought that was a lot of important lessons

(45:15):
that y'all shared. So can you share what those challenges
were and how they affected your experience with the song?
Because if I'm not mistaken this Stephanie, you didn't want
nothing to do with the song after y'all went through it, right, I.

Speaker 3 (45:26):
Sure didn't didn't.

Speaker 4 (45:27):
I didn't want that to be the single because once
I started learning the business. That's another thing we talked
about in our book called Unfinished Business that will be
coming out soon. We talk about how like you know you.
I was not happy about once I found out what
they were trying to take. Because see, in this business,
when you when you uh, I don't just say like

(45:49):
copy another person's song or I don't want to say copy,
but you know, when you you might be like yes, sample, yeah,
thank you. The producer that produced it was an amazing produce.
His name is Henry, A wonderful. He's a live he's
not just a producer, but he's a live musician. Amazing. Yeah,
he's very amazed. So I think what was crazy about

(46:11):
our situation. He played these samples live, but in court
it was like he was like, I didn't copy off
whatever happened, He didn't copy off for print. It was
like Prince the Wonderful, Prince Rescis Soul and Roger and Zapp.
So our song had those type of you know, samples
in it, but he replayed it, didn't wait in court.

(46:32):
He replayed it and did a whole nother little twist
to it a little bit.

Speaker 3 (46:35):
But for the you know, for the as.

Speaker 4 (46:37):
Far as the court they saw it looking like, oh
this is a Prince sample. This is so we didn't
look we in that, but we wasn't even a part
of that whole suit. We didn't even know until it
came back to us and I said, well, I'm good,
let's just do Sex and the Ring. That's our other single.
We wrote it, he lied, played it, no samples, you
know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (46:54):
So I was like, I'm good.

Speaker 4 (46:55):
So you know, at that time, I was not feeling
to put it out because once I realized how much
money they're gonna be taking from that, I was like, oh,
wait a minute, hold up, we're not really getting nothing
from it.

Speaker 3 (47:05):
Voted, I got out voted. Basically, I was out voted.
But it's all good now.

Speaker 2 (47:12):
Yeah, And I know y'all have a book coming out,
and I'm sure this would be covering more in detail.
But can y'all share y'all decision or the reason why
y'all stepped away from music?

Speaker 4 (47:21):
It's in the book. You got any any thing you
can say without saying so something.

Speaker 3 (47:30):
It's.

Speaker 4 (47:32):
It's definitely in the book. And you get to find
see what's cool about the book. It's like it's three perspectives.
Like you know, when people write books, you don't have
everybody brightening. It might be one person telling their story
by theyself. But in this situation, it's a mocking steph book.
That's three perspectives and you get to find out like
who who walked away first?

Speaker 3 (47:51):
And like how it? You know, what's that chapter we
got caught in?

Speaker 4 (47:57):
Oh you put me on spot?

Speaker 3 (47:59):
It's in the book, So.

Speaker 4 (48:02):
Just a chapter that explained the fallout there you go.

Speaker 2 (48:07):
Do y'all have any regrets about the decision looking back
now about stepping away and leaving the music industry?

Speaker 4 (48:16):
I don't, not, Stephanie.

Speaker 3 (48:19):
I didn't. I didn't like it at all, and I
talked about in the book.

Speaker 4 (48:22):
So that's why I said the three perspectives, you're going
to find out who did what and why that person
did it. But I would say for myself, just to
give you like a little bit, I was not feeling
that decision.

Speaker 2 (48:34):
Oh sorry, process of elimination.

Speaker 3 (48:36):
Right, Yes, you know.

Speaker 2 (48:40):
I feel like y'all have just had so much talent.
I mean, y'all was dancers, y'all was singers, y'all was rappers,
y'all was fly, y'all had personality. Do y'all believe y'all
had a first shot?

Speaker 3 (48:48):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (48:49):
Do y'all feel like the label knew what they was
doing with y'all.

Speaker 4 (48:52):
They didn't have They didn't have maybe, girl, you said
the right now and we talk about in the book.

Speaker 3 (48:57):
It's so funny. We talk about that in the book.
But no, they didn't understand that.

Speaker 4 (49:00):
Yeah, we were very were very creative, right and thank
you for that compliment.

Speaker 3 (49:05):
We were very creative.

Speaker 4 (49:07):
We had some ideas that Missy Elliott did later on
her video.

Speaker 3 (49:11):
We we love Missy Ellie. We was crazy.

Speaker 4 (49:14):
Miss had track or I had that idea and told
them way before Missy came out with it. And I
love Missy because she was created her her people had
her back. Yes, we was crazy talking like that. We
was like, oh we want to do this, Yeah, almost
idea that we a lot of ideas that we came out.

(49:35):
We saw it come out in other groups and we
would get so frustrated because it's like we would have
been the ones the first to show that VII do
that we did, and it was just they made it
seem like we didn't know what we was talking about,
or it was so hard to put together, or oh
we can't do that or whatever the flat back was.

(49:56):
They just wasn't feeling it. But we knew what we
wanted to do. So our wasn't all the way for
us like we wanted them to be, or like they
should have been. Mm hmm. Add to what King is
saying when he said about a fair shot. You know what,
we are thankful for our blessings that we did receive,
but no, did we get a fair shot in certain
things because you know why, because we spoke our mind.

(50:19):
We was very real and we wasn't like, yes, kiss
ass group. A lot of groups are they kiss a
lot of ass? No, it's a lot of ass. They
want to be so you know, they want they want
to make it so they're gonna do everything that they
tell them.

Speaker 3 (50:33):
We would we would say no, mm hmm.

Speaker 4 (50:36):
We would say we ain't showing our asses like that,
opening our croaches to do a video. She ain't doing
all that. We're not wearing Playboy. We're gonna be sexy out.
We want to be sexy. Listen.

Speaker 2 (50:46):
I just know once I get a good with y'all,
I can't wait to keep it she got.

Speaker 4 (50:53):
Because I know she.

Speaker 2 (50:55):
Right performance.

Speaker 3 (50:58):
I'm gonna be right there.

Speaker 2 (50:59):
Because I had a version, because I know miss definitely
was nothing to play with. Baby, No, ma'am Okay, we
almost finisheduff y'all can go back and do anything differently
in your music career, what would it be and.

Speaker 4 (51:15):
Why really standing up to the labels and really standing
firm and not just swaying with the I for me,
not just swaying with the idea just to you know,
a piece the group or a piece the group, just
really just staying true to who I was, because who

(51:37):
I was was what I see right now, you know,
like starting out as new artists, it's like, oh, I
should have just stayed that way. I shouldn't have changed
my lyrics, or I shouldn't have not wrote on this
song or whatever, and just always stand in your ground.
Like for me, I wish I would always did that
because the artists after us, we're doing it and it's

(51:58):
just snowball into what it is now. I would say maybe,
but taking a certain I would say, like we should
have took this publishing deal.

Speaker 2 (52:09):
We were like, we were very like the one with
Randy Jackson.

Speaker 3 (52:13):
We were.

Speaker 4 (52:15):
Oh no, with Randy Jackson, he was all good, that
was a good situation, but he ended up getting a
job with an American IDOL. So that's how I knew
that that would have been a great situation. He was
very he was feeling us. He was at MCA Records
at that time, so that was a very good look.

Speaker 3 (52:30):
So no, it wasn't. It was a publishing deal.

Speaker 4 (52:32):
Like in this business, you have to see where writers, right,
So when you're a songwriter, you can say no or
yes to a publishing deal. So I think we would
have got a lot more money if we would have
said yes to it was a publish deal that was
being offered to us, and we was like, no, we
weren't all on song like you now, what's his name.

Speaker 3 (52:53):
And what's his name?

Speaker 4 (52:54):
He's an artist, dang I just lost his name, but
he was a solo artist and his mother back in
the days, dang I cannot forget it better than his name.

Speaker 3 (53:04):
I'm so mad.

Speaker 4 (53:05):
But anyway I'm saying this to say is that his
mother made the decision to be like, you know what,
I'm gonna keep, We're not gonna sell and do the
and it worked for him, the publishing deal.

Speaker 3 (53:16):
He's he he's see.

Speaker 4 (53:17):
Very successful, very financially well off. But his mother made
and we did the same thing. But for us, because
of the sampling and because of the editor. That's why
you got and that's how we talk about in our
book you have to be educated when you get to
these labels. At the beginning, there were some things that
we lacked knowledge of, and because we were songwriters and

(53:38):
it was a sample that he was not aware of,
that was gonna be taking majority of the funds, ninety
percent of the money. We could have did a publish deal,
made so much money off of that because we were
writers and write for other people. But we said, oh, no,
you're a publish deal. So I regret that me because
we would have got more. Would have said yes to
that published See puppies dealer. They'll get you like a

(54:00):
million or whatever the case may be. Whatever you negotiate,
and you don't know what your that's gonna be. It's
like it's like a publishing company taking a risk on
your Yeah, take it like, oh, I'm gonna give them
a million.

Speaker 3 (54:13):
This song is so hot, I'm gonna give them a
million or whatever.

Speaker 4 (54:16):
We should have said yes to those to that particular
situation instead of saying no, we said no. I can
see why we said no because we wrote it. But
then once the politics come behind the sampling, that was
a lot of money that was taken away from us.

Speaker 2 (54:30):
What brought y'all back together? Was it the book?

Speaker 3 (54:36):
Yep, it was the book.

Speaker 4 (54:38):
Wanted to tell our story. Wanted to tell our story
because it was unfinished. That's why it's titled Unfinished Business,
because there was things that needed to be talked about,
and this was a segue to get you know, once
we put this book out, we knew shows and people
were going to be inquiring about us, which just happened,
and you know, and that would be a chance for

(54:59):
us to finish what we wanted to do and get
our story out there at the same time providing information
for those coming behind us. So we will all tell
our perspective on a certain situation, whether it was good, bad,
or ugly. But then there was a lesson behind that
as well. So and so, like I told you earlier,
it's a great read, it's entertaining, It got t and information.

Speaker 3 (55:26):
Now.

Speaker 4 (55:26):
I like the photos because cannot get those thirty five
millimeters camera.

Speaker 3 (55:31):
Photos back in the day.

Speaker 4 (55:34):
After you see with certain people and like the stories
what was going Let me, you don't look at the
picture and you'd be like, I wonder what they was
doing in this picture? We talk about what we're doing
in that picture, right, whether it's what be Daddy came.

Speaker 3 (55:46):
Mary J.

Speaker 4 (55:47):
Blige or whatever whoever he was in contact with. We
talk about those moments and I think and it makes
a very good read because you I know me, I
don't time be looking in the picture and I'd be like, damn,
I wonder what was going on? Right, But that's something
that's not We're talking about it from back in the days,
and it's ours our and Kenya was our little photographer

(56:08):
back then. Now people have photographers going with She was
the photographer, she was the historian selfie.

Speaker 2 (56:15):
But in one of your interviews I was listening to,
someone mentioned that y'all regret that y'all didn't take y'all,
y'all didn't jump in on the internet when they started
booming so with social media. Do y'all remember that somebody
saying that, like somebody had to regret that. I think
somebody was telling y'all, y'all trying to figure things out
after your contract, y'all, y'all trying to figure out what
would be the next move, and the guy was like,

(56:36):
y'all need to do get into the internet, Like y'all
need to get started with that. So being as social
media is what it is today, do y'all think that
y'all journey may have been different if y'all would to
embrace it the internet.

Speaker 4 (56:50):
Yes, because of the simple fact that's something and just
embracing the internet would have brought something different. But it's
like we our career went through that transition, and that's
one of the reasons why we was always like a
beat behind. So we were in the old school way
of doing music. Then it started going into MP three's,
and then the music industry got scared because they was

(57:12):
losing music and money, you know, because people can download
it for free, so you were losing it. Then it
went to the CDs, and then then we kept going
through the changes and transitions. So when you had a
deal with somebody like I forgot his name already, that
went to we were just talking about him, he was
had a writing deal for us. Oh well, when we

(57:33):
were in there in talks with him, the company changes.

Speaker 3 (57:37):
He moves on. So every time we met somebody that.

Speaker 4 (57:39):
Were changes in the industry or changes with their department,
so that would change whatever deal we had in motion.
So if we would have been able to, you know,
cap jump in and capitalize on that. Of course things
would have been different, and we did, but again we
was always that beat behind behind, right, yeah, constantly changing.

(58:00):
People didn't know their next move, right or what's the
best move. And thank god for me and King having
degrees because you know, outside from this, I was a teacher,
right I tickled. I mean I still rapping, like doing
stuff like I did, like some stuff my teachers with
different people forty. Yeah, I was doing stuff like with
E forty with like different features with the relatives neop

(58:26):
dog like I have like features of me rapping on
my own. But you know like that, I mean I
did stuff, but I also became a teacher and kind
of put that in my teaching and I would do
our little rides for my my my students and stuff
like that. But you know, it was one of those
things like I said, it was like so you know,
everybody was losing money because if you remember the CD burning,

(58:48):
people was burning them CDs and so artists was not
making money. Instead of me being on drugs, I said,
let me use my degree.

Speaker 2 (58:55):
Yeah yeah, yeah, and you.

Speaker 4 (58:58):
Know, see if we can get back in this game,
and you know, that's how to and that's how the fallout,
you know, it's part of the fallout happened. But I
still was still actively working doing stuff with other people,
but not remota step, not us as a group, because
I loved it so much, of this so much so.

Speaker 2 (59:16):
So what advice would you give to young women who
are just now entering the music industry today based on
your experiences.

Speaker 4 (59:23):
I would say, be very anything that you're involved in,
know what you're getting into. Know what you're getting into.
Make sure you have an attorney, Do not take a
lot in and be so don't be so excited to
be down. Don't be so excited to be involved, Like,
make sure your business sounding And you know what, now,
you don't really need a label. You can do this

(59:43):
stuff independ if you're willing to do the work. You
have to do the work. Though, you can be independent
and make your own and that's the and that's a
good thing for them. Now you don't need a label
to make you who you are. You got to support
from social media and you can get that instant grati vacation.
But you still want to know when all that money
come to you. You want to know how you deal

(01:00:05):
with it financially. Management, business management. You got to have
your business in order right because you don't know it
happened so quick. It can happen so fast next one
day you could be talking like right now next to
your millionaire.

Speaker 3 (01:00:17):
Or you can make it.

Speaker 4 (01:00:18):
You know, you can be doing so you have to
know what you're getting involved in so you can keep
the success going for yourself.

Speaker 2 (01:00:27):
And last one, not least, what do you think is
the legacy of Mocha stuff.

Speaker 4 (01:00:32):
I think the legacy would probably ben being authentic. We
was always authentic. I think our legacy of being authentic
and no one can say that we you know, we
never we never backed down on who we were, even
though there was there was some moments that we did
like kind of had to change some stuff up and

(01:00:52):
we couldn't be ourself with our music. But when it
came down to our dignity, we can't. We We wasn't
out there, you know, having sex with different artists. We
wasn't doing stuff. We wasn't playing ourself like that. We
were very you know, we was very smart about that.
Our dignity meant a lot. Ourentegreave meant a lot to us.

(01:01:14):
We can go to bed at night. I think we
can go to bed at night and be like we
didn't We didn't sell our soul, right right, Like I
think I think one I think one artists say this.
I think it's Maya. Maya's kind of like us. She
she didn't sell us. So it's like we didn't sell
our soul. And I think the authenticity of our music
it lives long because nobody wrote it for us.

Speaker 3 (01:01:36):
We wrote it ourselves.

Speaker 4 (01:01:37):
It was us as a collective doing what we needed
to do, from dancing to sing it.

Speaker 3 (01:01:43):
So no one could take that away from us, no one,
right right.

Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
Well, it's definitely and miss Kenya. I really enjoyed y'all
on the show. I'm so happy that we were able
to do this, and I cannot wait for my audience
to hear this because I feel like I grew up
on your music and I had a memory that completely forgot.
But I remember y'all being on all that.

Speaker 3 (01:02:02):
Girl. I know, girl, that was such a fun moment.
All that. I loved all.

Speaker 4 (01:02:06):
That, right that was when you saw that that that
stuff was so much fun.

Speaker 2 (01:02:11):
Yes, that was such a vibe.

Speaker 4 (01:02:13):
Like I missed shows like that, So when you talking
about certain I missed shows.

Speaker 3 (01:02:18):
Like that like all that. That was the wonderful. It
was very fun.

Speaker 4 (01:02:23):
Like you know, I think Saturday Life is like more
like that, but you know, Saturday Life kind of give
that in an adult version that that was a fun vibe.

Speaker 2 (01:02:30):
No, I mean too. I mean the nineties itself was
just that that's an error where you just you can't
duplicate it, like you just had to be there.

Speaker 4 (01:02:39):
You just had to be there and and girl and
you know you had to be there. And it's so
funny that I think that that's what I like about
our book because let me tell you, I was like, Dad,
I can't believe you got a picture of this. It's
certain things that you be tripping off of, Like wow,
we had a picture of this and it was so

(01:02:59):
long ago, you know what I mean. That's what That's
what makes it so beautiful because you know now you
can see everything so quick, right, but just imagine all
these pictures of stuff you like, wow, look house, I
used to look out. We even cracked jokes, even in
our book. We cracked jokes about ourselves how crazy we looked.
On a couple of moments were like why did we

(01:03:20):
let them do this? It's like like we we are
very talking about other people, but we're talking about we
have jokes for ourselves as well.

Speaker 3 (01:03:29):
It's funny.

Speaker 4 (01:03:31):
It's a picture with the Brat. The Brat and Jermaine Dupree,
we was at like a show performing. They was like
in the front road watching us, Like those are beautiful
moments seeing them like so in tune watching us perform
back and before they before they was even like hot,
they was watching us at like a They used to
do these major like show showcases right and the label,

(01:03:53):
whatever label was signed to, they would be proud to
to you know, to promote their acts, so you'll be
performed for all kinds of industry people. It wasn't even
like outside people's more industry driven, so only people that
was in the industry got to go to least things.
So so when I see this picture of the Brad
and Jermaine the Prey always were so tight and they

(01:04:14):
still tied to this day and it's just nice to
see them right next to each other watching us in
the front row performing. Yeah, you know, it's it's amazing,
you know.

Speaker 2 (01:04:23):
So ladies, tell us what is this book coming out?
And also let everyone know where they can follow you at.

Speaker 4 (01:04:28):
Please follow us at the Real moch and Steph Instagram,
at the Real moch and Stuff Facebook, at the Real
molch and Stuff uh website. Everything is the Real moch
and Steph except for the website is mochusteph dot com.
Thank you, m ok and stm mochusteff dot com. Up

(01:04:53):
finished business. We will be definitely selling you know, real soon.
It's coming soon. We're so excited about it.

Speaker 3 (01:04:59):
We're done with it.

Speaker 4 (01:05:00):
We was just you know, doing It's like so we
have to hurry, but let it go because you know,
stuff be happening to well, I got to go back
and say this right, let it go and I and
we feel like going now, but we just have to.

Speaker 3 (01:05:13):
Stop.

Speaker 2 (01:05:16):
Edity definitely give me a post on the book so
we can have you back on the show so we
can talk more in debt about your journey once the
book comes out. But I'm definitely looking forward to supporting
and also sharing it with my listeners.

Speaker 3 (01:05:27):
Oh yes, it's gonna be awesome. You know what I
love about you? Girl? You did your homework.

Speaker 4 (01:05:32):
Don't play with the girl you are about that, I'm
telling you it feels so And let me tell you
some about artists. Artists really appreciate you people when they
interview and they know they know who they're talking to.

Speaker 2 (01:05:42):
Yeah, no, it was really I told Miss Kenyan before
you join. I'm like, it's really an ardor to have
you all. Have you all all because I remember seeing
you to this day, I still seen y'all songs, so
I'm pretty sure that hearing y'all show, yeah, I'm pretty
sure once my listeners hear your show, they're going to
be even more excited that you were a part of
the Professional Homegirl Podcast. So I really appreciate y'all, ladies.

Speaker 4 (01:06:03):
Now, yes, come on, I love it.

Speaker 2 (01:06:09):
Yes, I'll see y'all some shirts and stuff so y'all
can wear it.

Speaker 4 (01:06:13):
So I definitely, yes, definitely, definitely, we're gonna tag you girl.

Speaker 3 (01:06:17):
We're gonna tag you queen. Yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 2 (01:06:20):
And to the listeners, if you have any questions, comments,
or concerns, please make sure to email me and hello
at the PHG podcast dot com. This has been a pleasure, ladies,
and I am so appreciative of you all. So until
next time, everyone, ladies and gentlemen, mooking stuff, thank.

Speaker 4 (01:06:37):
You, laughing, light bag bag, thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:06:49):
The Professional Homegirl Podcast is a production of the Black
Effect podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show,
and you can connect with me on social media at
the PHG podcast

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