New Rory & MAL - Episode 19 | The Black Album (feat. Young Guru & Hip Hop)

Episode Date: November 16, 2021

Rory & Mal sit down with Hip Hop & Young Guru to celebrate and reflect on the 18th birthday of the Black Album recently passing. The guys run through it song by song, discussing the stories and inspiration behind the iconic album. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

It's Financial Literacy Month, and the podcast, Eating While Broke, is bringing real conversations about money, growth, and building your future. This month, hear from top streamer, Zoe Spencer, and venture capitalist Lakeisha Landrum Pierre, as they share their journeys from starting out to leveling up. There's an economic component to communities thriving. If there's not enough money and entrepreneurship happening in communities, they failed. Listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. New Roarion Mall! Welcome to the New Roarie Mall show. I don't know if I like us doing these intros, but when we have guests, I feel like we have to be considerate.

Man, he's any guest, this family. So I think we just do the drive. We're starting. Episode 19. We're in L.A. In L.A. Our second home at this point. Well, more so your second home.

Yeah, definitely my second home. I prefer Houston. Nasty white boy, you. We are here with two amazing, amazing friends and talents. We have young guru and hip-hop, aka Moll's brother now. I feel like you're Maw's brother now. How does that shift happen? Because Moll used to be Hops brother.

Now you're Moll's brother. Oh, God. out of head. Definitely. No, that's big bro, man. That's all. I'm always a hot brother forever. Nah, for sure.

Always. Well, when we were in LA, we figured we do an episode here in the 18th anniversary of the Black album just passed yesterday as we're recording this. So we figured why not dedicate

an entire episode. Two of the key figures in the album being created and given to the world, that piece of art. So, yeah, man. And you as well. I'm the only one here

that was not involved in making the Black album. a little left out. I was involved in listening. I was involved and enjoying. Oh, please. When he retired, the city became yours. No, definitely not. That's what happened in the doctor. And the Hove didn't retire. We're going to get into that, though, because I never believed that

for one second. He gave a whole speech, this is it. No, it ain't. Rappers can't retire. I'm sorry. That's probably a good place to start. I'd rather start post-blueprint 2 when that finished. Was that kind of conversation when y'all was wrapping up Blueprint 2? Like, hey, I think I only got one more left in me?

Yep. It definitely was. definitely know it was the last album. It wasn't like I got one more in me, but it was, yeah, I'm, you know, let's really knock this one out because this is it. But I didn't think it was like forever,

but we knew the consistency of albums every year. We're just becoming redundant. He was competing with itself. Every album. It was like, oh, the same thing, this, this, this, this, this, this, and that. So it wasn't even, he wasn't really, could be with no other artists at that point

because, you know, he already kind of went through the whole thing, went through that, so he was at as far as sales and everything, he was kind of like coasting. And did that happen while recording post-blueprint 2? Or was it like, all right, this is the last one, let's start recording now? Or was he working on shit and was like, you know what, I think this might be the time?

Nah, this is the only album that was pre-conceived. It's the only album that we thought about before we made it. Yeah. Like there's a direct plan. And I don't know if you all remember we did a like a teaser, right? We put out like artwork

that had untitled tracks and then it just had producer names on it. Yeah. Okay. So like it was a well thought out process between them of like this is what I'm going to do. These are the producers I'm going to work with. Like how I'm saying it's a concentrated thought of this is the last thing. So let's make this the best.

thing versus like blueprint just happened. Right, right. It just happened. You forced him to do with double disc. Well, Blue... Yeah. Hop is here so he can take some of this blame because over the years I get all the blame, but it's partly his fault too. It's probably his fault too. He was just murdering the records, right? Like he was doing bad records. It was just

might have been lazy. Just like put all that on there. You know what I mean? Might have been Donda mentality. Yeah. Not Mamba. Don the So was that process Because I know I do remember that image With just the producers

Did that naturally happen Or was did y'all sit in like all right These are the 10 that we got to do Yeah Like we definitely sat down because When we realized it was the last album We was like yo what we're going to do And we came to the conclusion

That hey we need to work with Producers we didn't work with And also the ones that everybody love us for working with. So we knew who those guys was, just Kanye, Tim, Neptunes, the go-toons, the go-toos, you know what I mean, Swiss,

people up to that point, but then there was another wish list of people we never got to work with, Dre, Quick, Rick Rubin, what's it like, Pete Rock, somebody else in that thing? Prime was on there, Pete was in a regular category of, you know, of going back to the guys we worked with, and then it was also,

let's try to expand it and give everybody who we feel they want it by not leaving those stones unturned. I like that story about Rick Rubin that you talk about

with his Grammys just being on the floor. Oh yeah. I love that. That's just like that's a stunt. Put my Grammys on the floor line them up down the hole.

I feel like in the doc I forgot who said it was like, Gay was just walking by and it was like a country music Grammy Award just chilling. Oh yeah, the Johnny Cash.

But that's his range though, you know what I'm saying? To have to have a Grammy for Beastie Boys and a Grammy for Johnny Cash. You know what I'm saying? Like that's the whole range and all the stuff in between

that Rick Ruben do. So I think it's, and even though he's big in terms of what he did in rock music and later on, let's still not forget. This is Def Jam, Beastie Boys. And he definitely came through with that direct sound and that thing and like, I don't know, I guess I got excited about that one more

because I wasn't there. I wasn't, you know what I mean? Like I was handling like, everything at baseline, and then Hot was like going wherever Jay had to fly to. Right. So I'd like to go to see Rick Rubin, to go see Timberlin. You know what I mean? Timberland famously works with Jimmy Douglas at this point.

So Jimmy Douglas did all the Allia Records. You don't break that. He was a hip-factor in that time. You don't break that combination of it. You know what I mean? So that's really what was, that's what we was doing. Yeah, no, definitely because that's why it was basically like an A&R's dream album to make because you had a budget that was like whatever.

You had an artist making this last record So you kind of know what you're gonna do As far as the marching orders, we already laid it out. So it wasn't like, I didn't have to listen to nobody beats. You know what I'm saying? Like on that album, it was just like we went in the studio And we just made the songs for the most part. Like besides the Buchanan's.

Yeah. What can I say? Yeah, that came. That's actually my favorite beat on the entire. It came and changed the whole thing. Yeah, that came and changed the whole thing. That was like, oh, Ad, get out of here. You know what I mean?

Took somebody's slot. I don't even know who slot they took, but it basically made it to where it was like it kind of changed. It kind of gave the album a theme because it was like, okay, we wasn't really going with this is the last album. We wasn't, you know, like discussing it within the music. But when that record came, it was like, oh, wow. You know, because the black album was something he'd been wanting to do.

So it was something that from like based on a prince doing an album like that So the concept was that It's no singles It's no marketing So it was really supposed to be strong On that side as well

It was supposed to be really nothing. I think the original idea was going to be nothing on the cover Yeah nothing on the cover Like a black cover And that's that And that's why the producers Putting that out there was important Yeah

Because at least you know what you're going to get Right Because we wasn't planning on releasing those singles or releasing it that way. That's why I think it sounds so complete. There's no record that really stands above the other record. There's nothing like heads above shoulders of everything else, like the hard-knock life or the, you know,

the big records that really stand out. It was like they're all kind of like right in concert with each other, you know, playing their part. Which is kind of weird because it is one of those albums that I feel is perfect that went after the bigger names. because I feel when artists do that and go after that each hot producer usually sounds like shit to be honest.

Like it just doesn't feel like an album. It feels piece together and weird. So that's the weird thing about the black album. I can't think of another rap album that has done that and felt like an album. It's really weird and Hot made this point to me a while ago but like it's kind of the first time where we wasn't really specifically chasing a sound.

And I don't want to say we were chasing a sound. I want to say like going after like, you know, we go after certain sounds at certain times or, you know, having the wisdom to be like, yo, hip hop is changing. Like, we need to change, or we need to change it ourselves, right? But this time was just, like, free.

It's just like, we weren't going like, oh, I need this type of thing. Yeah. You know what I mean? Whereas before there were definite directives of, like, we're going down this road. This one was just free. I think that that's what kind of leads

to the point of what you were saying. Yeah. I want to talk about the importance that baseline played in your career, your lives as far as, like, just growing up, essentially growing up, at Baseline and professionally and as men. Like how important was Baseline and just the energy

and the environment in y'all lives? For me, and I don't know, the best way for me to say, one, when we did the Black album, we was like four years in Baseline, so we was already, like, had a system and was rolling. But it's the first time where, if you trace what actually happened, I was working with Bleak on his second album, right?

Then that's when Juan and Malik Sealy put together rest in peace and peace Malik Sealy. That's when they put it together, right? So our first couple sessions going over there, the walls wasn't even finished yet, right? But Jay

had come to check on Bleak on another session that we was doing. He said, yo, come to the baseline. So my initial entrance into the Rockefeller camp was through Lenny, right? Lennie was the one who booked that session. And battery, right? And then I think we was at battery. Yeah, it was a battery. We were moving around the corner.

Because battery was in the next corner, the next block. It was easy for to be like, Jay went around the corner because we was that close in vicinity. My biggest point, though, was like, when I got to baseline, hop is really the reason why I stayed at baseline. Because it's like, okay, you go in there and it's just like, oh, I meet me.

Oh, I meet my, like, my brother. Like, you know what I'm saying? We kind of similar in terms of that. I'm like a little older than hop. Like, I'm your brother age. You know what I'm saying? Me and Biggs is like maybe a month apart. Right.

But it was like me and hop and the way that the studio was like, forming Hop's personality, the way that he A&R, when you have a coach that, like, you can have a coach that get in the car while you run the two miles before basketball practice, or you have one that be on a bike, or you got one that run with you.

Right. He run with you. You know what I mean? So when I saw that, I was just like, yo, he was more like, oh, he know the boy, he know pro tools, you know, you know what I mean? Like, it was sort of like that thing. Yeah, that was it.

I mean, that was the only thing was that, oh, dad, he's cool and he know pro tools. Yeah. And he's smart. Andy smoke You know what I mean? So it was like, I bet, you know what I mean?

And it was just somebody I knew that I could hang with it and be around every day, you know what I mean? And that makes you better work. Yeah. It became my everything. I was looking for it the whole time. Like we haven't found that I had an earlier engineer Joe Quindy that was like my guy,

the only guy like who kind of like introduced me to everything because he was like a D&D. Joe Superdome. Yeah. So, but he kind of like, I remember Norrie took him. And I went until Norrie session. He was mixed.

and I love my life. One of them records from N-R-E, and it was sounding so crazy. I was like jealous. I was like, oh, I'm there. We got to get our own thing. So, but with baseline, we was trying to get our own sound. We were trying to get our own producers.

We wanted our own place, and we needed our own engineer. So we had an engineer before him. You know, I'm going to leave him nameless. You know what I mean? You might get sued. You know what I'm saying? Okay.

So we'd leave him nameless. And that was a big debacle. And between what? just, it was just mainly was there all the time. You know, at that point, like, Kanye came through a very few times, once in the blue, you know what I mean? When he in town, he got some music here, come by. Kanye was some music.

Yeah, he'll send music more than he'll come through. And he was living in Chicago at that time, right? Yeah, I mean, he moved. Jersey, he moved. He came to know by that time. The beginning, he was in Chicago. Yeah, then he came to know. But by the time, he definitely moved there early.

Like, when he seen bass line, I think that even encouraged him to move because it was like, I got to get all these words. I got to get here. I can't be sending stuff, you know what I'm saying? It's like FedEx take a long time back then. You know what I'm saying? The vibe of that studio, though.

That's what I think that's the main part. Like the vibe that I have set up and the way that we work, number one, having your own spot. Number two, I can't be, I would be remiss if I didn't say the intelligence of Juan to like give us this space and then to be like, you know what I'm saying?

I'm not stepping in. Yo, Juan would be like, yo, tell me when the toilet paper, It's running out. Tell me when you need light bulbs. Tell me when the board need to get fixed. Even with the equipment. I wrote a list.

He was like, yo, what I need? I said, get all this stuff. Get some Osberg. Get this. Get that. Get that. And we'll book it every day. Yeah.

That's the real when people talk all this like, you know, like, OG, I would expect him to do that for his people. He did it for us. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't really. I'm not from Harlem. I'm like, this is somebody just giving me a space to work. It's on 26th Street between 6th and 7th.

It's in the heart of everything. Right. Our artists can go to the club. club, catch a vibe. We know they could come back at 3 o'clock in the morning and I'm there. I never really left but to take a shower.

Like we used to have, we used to have this little hookah hotel that was like a block away. You could get to do like $20 going there and take a shower real quick and come right back. And we're sharing. We'd be like, I take a shower,

I go back to the studio and give him the key. Then he'd go take a shower. Come back give just the key. Then just go take a shower. That's how he worked. Well, that's my man. So at a certain time it's like, yo, we work all week, right?

Saturday, I know I'm gonna fall asleep on the couch. Hop, gonna be in the front fall asleep. You wake up. I don't even ask him, I walk to the Dunkin' Donuts or to the corner store. I get two coffees light and sweet. I make sure that he got his, you know what I'm saying? Bagel and egg.

I'm coming back with two of them. So we're gonna sit there on a Saturday and be like, this is everything we did. Where are we at? And hop going to go, okay, this person's ready. This person's ready. Okay, we got how many freeway songs? Okay, let's do the freeway.

Like, that's how we will work and plan. But we're just doing a million different records, but it had to be him sort of organizing. recognizing it and being like this person's ready or that person's ready or this is what we, you know what, we need to leave, we need to go do this thing. Like that was the organization of baseline or the beauty of a place where you could sit,

like that's Keep It Real Wednesdays. That's the whole reason that came about was like, yo, as a crew, we need the time to be able to tell somebody like this is how I really feel. It's transfer over from being just beats to being like everything in life. Artists coming through. You started getting battles.

Started getting battles, you know what I mean? It started getting real tough, but it just started as like we had our producers, so everybody felt like it was hard to get into the rock. You know what I'm saying? We couldn't get in. We couldn't get in. Then it was like, all right, well, come Wednesday and play your shit

in the lounge on that little ass stereo right there. We made t-shirts and everything. And we all sat there. Everybody was there. My mother-fell was coming from uptown, from Brooklyn. Like, everybody extended family was there. I remember being in baseline, I think, the first day that Chris rapped for Jay. Yeah.

And I think, I think Hot might have said, yo, he's 15. Like, well, he's 16. And I was like, what? Mm-hmm. He's talking all that drug talk, all that? Like, he's 15, but he was serious. And he wasn't even the first one. It was like, it was droves of them of Philadelphia rappers at that point that was coming through.

It was, it was crazy. It was like, we might have missed the first five, six of them. Then got beans. Another six, seven came. And then we got, huh? Did any of them end up to be anybody? I mean, mainly. Major figures.

Like Dutch and Spade. Of course. Dutch and Spade. Ab. Ab Lava. Okay. Who's my man? Like, I would have wished me.

And Bonnick. Bonnet. Philly Most Wanted. So Philly Most Wondon was first. And then it was like, okay, now we got this other guy. You know what I mean? Because they kept signing them in other places. They kept signing.

I think they signed a prize and somebody else signed to unsigned. and such a spade and I'm like, you know, I'm mad the whole time like that what we had the one thought we had this and then it worked out

with the Philly artist that y'all grabbed yeah it worked out yeah it did because it got me literally next day he was like now I got somebody else

for y'all come on you know what I'm saying you're going to sell a big shit and cutting me with some other shit I got somebody

like come on all right cool and it was beans right with all that organization that you had to do

a baseline with everybody did that get put on pause when Black album happens like when Jay says hey I want to decide

to do this record. Does everyone kind of have to be like, well, this room? Yeah, we really only did one album at a time, most of the time. They might overlap at the end. That's why J albums never got thought about because they usually started at the end of somebody else album.

Gotcha. Okay. You know what I'm saying? Like the beats for Blueprint was for beans initially. It was like takeover, a couple things was for him and then he was done so it was like we can't have no samples. The time was too close to the album release date. So they was like, hey, we need a songs

with no samples. I think we did think it's a game or something like that. Yeah, yeah. And then next thing you know, I played him for Jay. And he was like, you took all of them things. You know what I mean?

So it was really a tape that I had because I managed Kanye. It wasn't a tape that nothing had to do with the blueprint, nothing had to do with for Jay and nothing. I just gave it to Jay because it was too many good beats on one tape. And he did them, you know.

Which was the session for Black album that started that old process, the first one. That is a good question. I'm not sure what the first. I always go back to what more can I say. I know that we was fishing for beats for a long time. I know that.

I know we was like, we had a day where we was just like, when I say a long time, like maybe two days, right? We were just playing beats and playing beats and playing beats. And he wasn't vibed to none of them. Kind of like the fade the black scene. But to be clear, those aren't the beats. The beats on Fade the Black are beats that we had to do because we can't play samples.

It would cost us to $200,000 to sample clear. So we just made, you know, to get the point across. Purposely made some shitty things. Yeah, to get the point across. Or we found the ones we could use. Yeah, yeah. We used those, like the dope man beat that people knew. And a couple other ones that made this way,

the Mr. Rockefeller beat. We're calling even the views. That was one of them. So it was stuff that was a little latent, but I think it kind of, I'm trying to think of what producer, It had to been just, I feel, if not the Buchanans. We did December 4th early. We did that early.

If not just the Buchanons was one of the early ones. It was early too. Encore's early. I remember the earlier records we had was Encore. Do you want me? What more can I say? December 4th. It was no Farrell.

It was a couple other things that he was doing at that time, too. Like, that didn't make it. Like Little John and them came through. We definitely got a little. non-unused folder. Okay. How did that session go? Just Little John?

It was early. It was early, Little John. It was like Scott Storch was early. A lot of people we had early to where it didn't really, you know, it didn't really hit like that. You know what I'm saying? Like, it was a little too early. I'm trying to think who else is in that folder, like unused, who was messing with. Art and Life.

I remember they was around at that time. Bink, Bink, definitely. Bink got at least three beats that I was trying to push. Yeah, some good ones. didn't make it. Who else is in there? It's tough when pink don't make it. Because, no, because at first,

at first we were sticking to the list. Yeah. So we was going to see people. We did go see Dre. We did try to deal with things. Even Rick Rubin was 99th problems was early as well. That was early because then

the Farrell records came, the Timberland records came. You know what I mean? Like, those came a little later. But I think you skipping over certain things too hot because of the fact that, like, you organized it in a way that you was like,

okay, once we got those things, I remember specifically going, yo, you was like, this is Farrell's week. And I remember sitting in there and Farrell working for a week. I remember being hype when you was like,

yo, this is about to be DJ Quicks a week. I had never worked. And as much as I analyzed Quick, I had never worked with him. Okay. So as much as my career is a certain way, it's not till later that I get to work with

like my West Coast idols. You know what I mean? So for me, as much as we study the sound, for me, it's Dre, Battle Cat, and Quick. that are responsible for what I love in West Coast music. So I remember that because I was big. And then it's like having this expectation of how good the session is going to be and it's a million times better.

It's funny right at the Farrell thing because we talked about that yesterday. In the dock when Farrell was on the phone with Jay's like, I got happy, I got guru here. They say you're going to do the whole record in one night. I don't think people realize when you're saying that whole week time where it's just you guys in there with the producer putting it together for Jay rather than, all right,

Ferell and Jay are going to sit in this room and try to put something together. Well, Jay Steyer would be more like, he'd be there. And again, you got to remember, this is, there's no nets, there's no 40-40.

40. 40 was, we didn't have 40. No, not sure. So baseline was the hangout at like 2 o'clock, three o'clock. He's not only just the artist, but three o'clock

he's going to come check on what he's doing, see what the artist is doing. He's, you know, head of the label. So it was the hangout. Yeah. And that's what the Farrell record was the reason why he had to call

and really explain it to him because he already did, excuse me, miss, and he was only supposed to do one. Yeah. He did two other words. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. I know, yeah. But the fact that it was like, yeah.

So that was one that we knew was going to break the rules. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So we were saying it in that way because he was like, no, you got to hear this one. You're going to use this one. And I'm like, but we're done. And it's like, and he played it. We was like, oh, shoot.

Because I don't think we was there when he did it. It was like we even came in or he was like, you'll come in and listen to this or something happened. and he played it and it was like, oh yeah. Like you might not be in the room. Like say, say Forel's in there, right?

He might be in the back playing PlayStation or whatever, like, give him his time to like, because Forel is that good, he would do 10 beats a day. You know what I'm saying? And Jay would walk in and be like, you're almost getting there

or it's almost there or that's right, but it ain't right for this or whatever the reason is. You know what I'm saying? And Forel is never one of those that's like, oh man, some producers, you bugging, you don't see the vision.

Yeah, they try to talk you into the beat. And Forel is just like, all right, I'm gonna sell these to whoever anyway. You know what I mean? That's what it was with him and then they locked in on that joint and it was just a law you can't.

Of course. He's stupid enough to use it. How many beasts do you think he played y'all before he got to a lore? When he played a lot, he played a lot straight up. But he was in there for a couple days so let's say he might have did, was that excuse me, miss?

Or is that, um... Yeah, right? Excuse me, miss here. Yeah, he might have did that in the beginning of the week or something like that. and he might say, yo, let's see we can knock another one out. You know what I'm saying?

Because he was there for the week. Change clothes, rather. Change clothes, yeah. I get those two mixed up. Yeah, so it was. Yeah, it was. Yeah, it was like, okay, because we knew what that was. So it was kind of like, okay, we know we got one of those.

Because that was, it just worked. You know what I was just something. It was like, you know, so I think that's where the record's sounding not really having a sound because all those producers were so established in what they was doing. in their sound. So it's like a Farrell record, Tim. And then their records, they gave us different records. For Laud and Ola, not Ola, but the shoulders off wasn't just, you know,

it got to bounce. But it still wasn't just the tripleton. It was a different type of, you know what I mean, more straightforward Tim, which kind of felt in with the album. Yeah. Because it wasn't. Even that still, but they did more records. Yeah.

No, 100% still, like that first, he plays one beat, and that ended up being a ludicrous beat. there was another beat that he played that's in that's like it's one of them oh my god but it's not dirt off you know what I mean it's not dirt and J rap to that and it was a cool record but then when you do dirt it's like okay that knocks that out yeah so like I said everybody was sort of flexing their muscle but then you got to the to ferell had some other joints that I thought was just I tried to pass that one don't get your head bust off the bleak so many times I was just like oh my god like it is what it is like we got to the to the right one

A PSA record We was talking about that last night When y'all first heard that That beat Did y'all know Jay is definitely taking his beat Or was that something where it was like Y'all was surprised that what Jay did with it Now it kind of sad

I'm thinking about it that I'm mixed up with you Yeah no not that because Big Jack came through With that record Big Jack is like one of the dudes that like Just you know family with Justin like He record dude You know what I mean producers as well

but, you know, just as an intense digger. Like, he would dig all the time, and I think Jack came through with that record and then just flipped it. And I was late. Yeah, no, no, no, I'm talking about it. I mean, it was late in the album. Yeah, it was super late now.

Jay was doing press while he was right now. Yeah, he was doing press of, of like, one in the A room, we would have people come in, they listen to the album, again, for the audience, you know what I'm saying? Like, you got to remember back then it wasn't just press the button and go up on the internet. in order for us to get a review in a magazine, the month that it drops,

we had to kind of give it in two months ahead of time. You know what I mean? Because like I was saying, the February issue comes out in January, but you had to really give them everything in December. And we had to still go through to like, this is for Rory and Mal only. Like if I was giving y'all that to review the album,

I would say that on the mic, put it on the thing, and then you wouldn't get it. So I'd know if the leak came, who it came from. But some people would come to the studio and just hear it. record like the Stephen Hills

or the whoever's, you know what I mean? So throughout the it'll be like a month of just people coming by because it's that period of it's out, it's sent out or it's getting cleared those things are starting to happen we need people to write about it. People just coming in

listening to it, we're getting the vibe. But that was a great part. He's in the A room and handling, and it's not just one, you know what I'm saying? These 10 writers come in, another 10 come in, another 10. So in between no session he's coming in the B room, Justice playing the beat, and he's writing again

in his mind, which makes it incredible because then he got to stop. He hasn't laid anything yet. Go do another session over here. Come back and now he got four more lines. So he's thinking about the lines while he's in here holding court. You mentioned that one of the lines came from one of the interviews that was actually happening. It wasn't, well, it

was, I think it got him into a fever, right? Where it was just like, somebody in the room asked a blatant question that was answered in the song. He was like, yo, did you just listen to the song? So he was like, just play a cappella so they could really get what I'm saying. Number one, but I'm saying PSA is a direct result of someone writing an article about his roots performance. So it's sort of like him responding to the, and I can't remember specifically what the writer said, but she was

so big on, yo, he has a Che Guevara shirt on and his diamond-encrusted rock chain keeps hitting his face and it hurts me every time. It's like, what are you talking about? So that's what led him into all the verses to me and PSA, especially the second one, is talking directly to her. Like, I'm not an angel. You know what I'm saying? I'm Che Guevara with bling on.

I'm complex. There's more. I'm not just the Che Guevara. I like chains too. Exactly. That was the whole point. I do want to just run through some records and just, if anything,

pops up from each session. Hold on. Is this the album he wrapped? What you mean? In one take? The whole album? The entire album? He did a lot of it in one take.

You know, when he, did in one session. Remember when he sat and a thing and rap for like half an hour and he kept rapping? And he told you erase it. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Was this album?

Jay rapped a whole album and then set of race it? How he wrapped for 30 minutes? Straight. And then said erase it? Yeah. Yeah, it was like... And he erased it? It's not, okay, let's be clear.

And there's two times of people in history where people famously say erase and let's be clear to the audience about what that means, right? If I remove a track in Pro Tools, the audio is still there, right? It's just, I can just make it so it's not on the screen. Right, got it.

So with the old boy verse and with this, what I'll talk about, it still exists. You see what I'm saying? And then there are times when you got to download the computer. What about that freeway record? Yeah. Wow, now, that's, that's drops. What happened with that?

It's a lot. We'll leave that one. Okay. We'll leave that one. We'll leave that. What happened with that freeway record? Yeah. But he hit download.

Yeah, he like, he went. And then it was like, he's called it free play. Yeah. He called it free play where he'd just go in and just rap. And sometimes he'd do it before the album and it'd just be like, all the verses that he got in his head. That's what I was saying, download. Like, get it out of your head.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He just went in. Or it would just throw him random beats. No, it'd be like one beat. Because it was Pro 2, so it'd be like one beat. And he would just go for like 15, 20 minutes or something like that. It felt like. I tell people all the time, C&J in the studio at bass,

line like he literally rapping he could be looking at you and you think he's talking to you but he's rapping he's not he don't even really really see you and he's rapping he'll go to the wall yeah rap to the wall look up at the ceiling wrap rap rap and then if you sit down here just come stand right by your ear and start spitting and it's like I'm standing and I look I'm like this dude is crazy man but to see him just hear the beat yeah and then walk out the room just open the door and guru already know once he go in there yeah once he's He's gonna record, like he ready. It's not even here.

I'm got to talk about it. To me, it's crazy to know that Jay does that for every single verse. Yeah. Like, no writing at all. Like, literally, it's here to be, walk around the room, rap to himself,

open the door, going to booth, lay it down. Like, it's no talking. It's like, he'd never be like, I like that beat. It's just, he just starts. And we just know, you know, let it keep playing.

You know what I mean? He might say he don't like it. You know what I'm saying? He'll tell you skip. You'd say skip. But if he don't say nothing and then it's like you look back and he's like, he'll tell you skip, but he's still listening. Yeah.

That's on the ninth, on the ninth sessions, like, when 9th was playing beats, nineth was like ready. You know what I'm saying? He like, oh, this is my shot. And he had a CD with like 99, he had multiple CDs with 99 beats on every CD. And he was skipping. Like Jay was like, okay, go to the next one, go to the next one. You know, producers just sitting there playing beats.

So then. Ninth is taking that CD I'm about to put another one. And Jay's like, hold on, hold on a, hold on. Go back to number five, number nine, number. He's like, name and number. I'm like, oh, he's really listening. Yeah, he's locked in. So it's like his memory like that, like not even with just with Ron,

but like every detail, his memory is like that. And he would just, I don't know, when you're playing them joints, he may have an idea and like, okay, let me see what that is. But then even to the point where I noticed if he do it and just do the first verse and he don't come back to it in the next couple days, he's never coming up. No, if you could get it. He'd never coming back to him.

No. He finished the song right there. You know what I mean? He might have to come back and finish the third. Yeah. Or something like that. Or say I got a better third after you thought about it or something. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah. We've done that. Like more current shit happened. He wanted to update in the world. Or not. He just be on some like, I could do better. And it'd be the most immaculate thing. He just said erase that.

He erased that. He erased that what I'm going to do. Will he take sessions back with him and listen to him? Or was he one of those that just, I like this. I'll come back. I don't need to listen. to it. Yeah, he would come back. Early he used to.

Earlier he used to like take the beats and he used to write a lot when he used to drive. And then he might hear beat, take it, and call me when you get home, it'll be like, you'll book a session. I think I got the first verse. Okay. You know what I'm saying? And then by the time

he get to the studio, he got the second verse. It might do the third one on the spot. Gotcha. So it's like, it's already happening in that whatever little time he got in between when he's not doing something, you know. I know we touched on a couple records already, but I do

want to get into each song and what you remember from each session. We'll start with December 4th. That's kind of the intro to me. I know there's an interlude, but December 4th felt like that was the real intro. What do y'all remember from that session? I remember his mom's coming in and recording, being kind of like

shot of record. I think they had to go in the booth or something like that and just really coaching her, like what to say. I was super proud of Dave. because I wasn't there when J-MOM came and our assistant Dave recorded J-mother.

So, like, you know, I always record J or whatever, but that day, like, you know, because we always had cool assistants or whatever. So I was like super proud of Dave because he got that done like he recorded J-Mond. Because it wasn't like, again, it's not like my mom has a session, you know what I'm saying? It's just popped up and was like, you're going to do this thing.

So it was like Dave got out. I think they were like out or something like that to bring my mom to record the intro. You know what he knew he's going to do it. So that song definitely sat for a little little bit without his mother there. And just as a, just the concept, he's like, you know, I'm gonna get my mother

to fill in those parts, like when the, you know, when the beat was changing and stuff. Was it hard to convince her? No. Mm-mm. Okay. He must have did it wherever, before they got there.

Gotcha. When she got there, it was like, you know. I remember the mix, though, like I was proud to of, I was trying to get to a point of trying to master just, how he's like screaming, samples because there's so much energy and trying to like sonically figure

out like how do I keep it bright without it being irritating because it's like the it just goes you know what I mean that thing on this was a very determined level of like if I do this it's too dull if I do this is too bright

then it breaks to the beat part and it's like the beat part's easy like that's what we're so it's like this contrast of that thing in the beat and where we ended up with it again is a testament to baseline like you know being in the same room

every day. That's like another, yeah, the room itself is like another part of the thing. And as far as Jay's mother's vocals, even with Smile on 444, like she's a very distinct

and powerful voice. Is that a way you guys have to, because I've never spoken to her in person. Is that a mixed thing or is his mother really have that type of presence vocally? Because she sounds like a professional on December 4th and on Smile. That sounds like somebody that literally

performs poetry. Absolutely. Absolutely. And there's, you know, little, like, things of her acceptance awards and things like that. You can look up online. To me, that's just how she is, like her pronunciation and how her voice is. It's almost sort of similar like the J. Yeah. Her tone is very intentional. Like a Maya Angel almost.

They got these Bob Marley, I call them Bob Marley voices, where it's just like it's something in their mid-range that it sits well on top of any type of music. Yeah, cut through. Yeah. Yeah. What more can I say? Okay, that was the record to me That really set everything off And kind of gave the album

It's It's, you know, its theme, its core, zonically It came like out the blue from like left field I don't even know how it ended up there I don't even know where it came from I don't know who brought the Buchanan I'm trying to think It might have been somebody

That wasn't to keep it real Wednesday No, it wasn't to keep real Wednesday. It was somebody that's close to us got it to Jay or somebody like that. Whoever did they came through. Like a Big John or somebody or even Jay Brown. It was somebody like that who basically was like, and it was saying what it was saying.

It might have been like a chuck or something like, you know what I mean. It was something like that. And basically what it was saying was basically like, oh, this is it. I'm getting it to Jay. You know, it was kind of like one of those situations and Tuesday got it.

Documented it. Did it quick? Yeah, up the rough. You know, basically, you know, we had to change plans. We have to, you know, figure it out because we had these producers we were about to work with. And here's these people we never even heard of up to that point. And a song that we know we have to take.

The encore session. Oh, the encore session. It was in that same session that Kanye played all in beats. And that was the one that he kind of land on. And he had the whole plan. for everything as far as the hoover, hoover, then the hook, the cooking, well, with the book, you know what I mean, like all of that was already there as well

to where a lot of people was coming with their last album, Victory Lap Records Ready. So it was kind of like that, so it kind of like in the same fashion as, what more can I say. It kind of came like, yo, here's the part, this is for your last record, this is how you gotta go, you know what I mean? It was like, and he was Kanye, in the presentation

as far as, you know what I'm saying? Just as far as, yo, you got to this way, you got to that. You know, that was like him really coming into his own. He was already, but just being there because a lot of times he wasn't there when Jay did the record.

Like, he wasn't there for no blueprint records, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. So that he was there. Jay making it, you know, being able to have input and stuff like that. So that, that's what I remember from that record is just Kanye like really producing.

I guess you could say, like, you know. Change clothes. Change clothes. That was in that Ferell week, right? Yeah, but it was early. I know we went to Virginia, but I don't know what we did. I know I went to Virginia. I don't remember.

To change clothes, like I said, it was in the middle of a couple of Feral records, but it won out as one of the ones that was like, okay, this is one of the ones we got to keep. And then also, like how I was saying earlier, it kind of set it up to where we almost would have been like, we don't really need a law. You know what I mean? Like he had to play a law.

Yeah. And be like, okay, this is so good, we can't not take this either. So, because his slot was already full. Yeah, sure. We touched on a little bit with dirt off your shoulder. Dirt off your shoulder. That was that Miami trip where, you know, we were just making our rounds,

just going to see Tim, you know, playing out of, he's on that list. So we really was checking off the list going down there. And at the time, he wasn't doing much. You might have had one of his slowest periods as far as Tim goes. Yeah. Because this is like post-A-Lea stuff. So he kind of like took a break in some ways.

So him at that time, he wasn't like, he wasn't in New York, at Manhattan Center where he used to be, where we did everything else at. So we had to travel to Miami to the hit factory to get with him. He was based out of there at that point. and yeah like I said it was a regular session just going through a bunch of beats which is not regular because usually Tim will play one

and that would be it or he just give Jay the headphones and because he'd make the beat on the headphones while everybody's doing something. Tim always make the beat in the headphones. That's crazy. Yeah, and then he'd give Jay to have, then he passed the headphones off. Especially with his drums.

I feel like you would need that in speakers. No, for sure. But that was why that session was different because he was just playing everything loud. out right there and he had a lot of beach ready. I think at that point, everybody was ready for Jay. You know what I'm saying? They knew he was coming.

He was all his way. We booked the session. We booked on flights. So it was like, you know, they was ready with tracks. Threats. Threat is, yeah, again, and as Hop points to me, all the stuff really go back to Hop. So people over the years have always said about, you know,

because me and Ninth have become such best friends. We have a company together. You know, like, that's my guy. Like, it's one of my last people that I've met That's really my duel But I learned about little brother from hop Okay So it was like he always got his ear to the street

And always listening and, you know, I think he better I wouldn't call it by air to the streets In that particular incident We just think it's the air to the internet To the chat rooms? Nope It's an okay player Nope

Because I got to tell you from Craig Caldman Oh, okay Okay Because Craig Colman was like, hey, you're like this type of thing. And I give Craig a lot of credit, you know, same thing with Lupe, little brother, you know what I mean?

Like he saw those things and was like, hey God, what do you think of this? You know? And as soon as I heard Little Brother, it was a listening record, it was a done, it was like the best thing I heard up to that point in a couple years just from, just as an album,

as a body of work, I was like, wow, this should sound like some shit I had heard in high school. You know what I mean? It was like the first time I got that feeling, probably since like maybe a doom or something like that. But I'm not sure of this before. No, this is after. Yeah, because they did open up for doing it.

Yeah, that's after. But that's your thing, though, Hop. Like, you always did. Somebody wouldn't have brought it to you if you don't attract that type of thing. Yeah, they didn't think that's up. You know what I'm saying? Back to y'all chemistry

and y'all working out. You guys are both, like, nerds in a good way. Like, y'all like underground shit, but know how to make mainstream shit sound correct. So it's like, y'all two of the perfect people to be like, you little brother, ninth wonder, this could work on a black hour.

Very few people are like that. They're either to see the straight mainstream or the straight underground. Right, yeah. No, I definitely was in the middle of the whole, all my life. Just musically, you know what I mean? It was never like, I never didn't like regional,

South shit, boom bad, commercial stuff. Listen to everything. It all was, it was all. Everything. I was with it all. Check a very with bling on. No, no, I'm telling me. But not even just hip hop or arms.

and B or like I remember Mia Hop was just geeking out over mud honey like at a certain time. Like that was since we become translucent was like one of our albums. Nobody, people in our world don't even know what that is. You know what? But like we were just or we have certain things on rotation like once a week the outcast

AT aliens or Kremlin or something like I think AT aliens at that point was playing once a week. Just playing albums and studios was incredible. You know what I mean? Just playing like in the big ass speakers and stuff like that. Just playing stuff we grew up on. It was for life. or whatever and stuff. Yeah, inspiration for the day

of just be like, I mean? I remember I started playing Wayne? Yeah, yeah, yeah. What was this around Carter, one? Yeah, for that. Yeah, right around that. Yeah, right around Carter one right after it. But it was, yeah, it was around Carter one.

Yeah, because it was just, like, well, you know, it was just the attitude and the hardest in there and stuff like that. That's what you want right now? Y'all are listening to the little way. They come into the... Johnny or Juvie. Like, yeah. With threat was, you know,

back to the question of knife and threat. It was just super dope because one, the dude who ended up filming Fade the Black, it's got named T. I was, because Hop had gave me the record, I'm sitting there just tripping. Like Hop said, it's one of the best things I heard in a long time. So I'm tripping, tripping, I'm just like, yo, who is? Because normally

we know everybody. Right. So it's like, who is this dude in the middle of North Carolina? I don't know them. So the dude T was like, yo, I know him. So I'm like, yo, put him on it. Like, call him. Put him on the phone. I was like, bro, I don't know who you I just fell in love with the album. Like, this is me in the ninth just started kicking in chat.

I'm quoting lyrics and I was just like, if you ever come to New York like please come, you know what I'm saying? You gotta play beats for Jay or whatever. Then I think we like hit Quest to kind of like

nudge that to Jay a little bit to be like, yo, tell him about ninth wonder. You know what I'm saying? So it all worked out. The day that Jay was like, yo, I'm supposed to be meeting this dude named Ninth Wonder? I was like, yeah, he's here.

You know what I mean? Boom, boom, boom. Ninth walked in like he is humble. Bees on the couch. You know what I mean? and he just started playing beats or whatever. And Jay was just like, wow, this dude is incredible. And the most interesting thing about that session to me was him making a beat on his laptop

and fruley loops on the PC. Yeah. Because to be honest with you- Yeah, it wasn't really being done at that time. So it was kind of like, you're going to make it right there? You know what I mean? We thought we had to, like at that point. Giving them the whole room.

Like, for instance, Farrell session rentals. Yeah. Like four rolling 4080s. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? an ASR, an MPC, a couple other things, you know what I'm saying, a planet fat, what you call it, you know what I'm saying?

Like, he had all of those things. And I remember that because even when later on, I knew what his rental list was. So that was there. And then Knife came in with a PC. You know what I'm saying? Not even a Mac. He gave it with a PC.

You need to be chunky. You know what I'm saying? You know, PC's just started getting like. You know what I'm saying? And he did it on a spot. Did it on the spot. He played so many beats and again, it's the same thing.

Like, I don't even think we had an arc. I don't think it was an auxiliary. Yeah, we didn't have an ox court. You had to like print it out, right? We had to take an ox court at that point. Yeah, it wasn't like, just think about it. You know what world were we in when we didn't have an ox court?

People look at him like he's not a real producer. Like, what is this guy doing? Like, come on, Farrell just brought in 17 keyboards. Like, that's the producer I need to work with. We don't have time. You don't have time to say that because literally like, again, he went over all those beats. Jay sometimes would like the beat

but don't have an idea to it so and Jay's you know Jay had the threat idea and he said the knife you think you could do something with this you know what I'm saying and knife sat there right there and flipped it so you didn't have time

like 20 minutes later he gave him the thing you know what I'm saying did he have Cedric the entertainer mind as well now what was Jay had that happen and what is ill is I was going again through all the old files I have at least 40 minutes

of Cedric to entertainer just doing saying wild shit like he's just saying wild shit like he's just in there in character for like 40 minutes. Did he come that same night? Yeah. I knew that.

And I was thinking about that. I don't think it was on purpose. I think he had just stopped by. Yeah. He was in town or something like that. And Jay was like, I don't know if Jay seen him or spoke to him. And he was like, y'am, have sat down the tent to come and do the thing. And he came like right then there.

Like it wasn't even like we waited. It was like, I was sure if we called him and he came the same date or if he came the day he was doing it. I can't speak to if Jay called him, but I know he came right then. Yeah, he came right then. Like the same day we did the record, I believe that night was there at the same time. So it was like still within that same session.

So that record was done that night. Wow. And I was real specific to ninth about like, yo, okay, chill until I give you the final listing. Because a lot of times producers, they be like, yo, I submitted my beat. Jay wrote a verse to it. Oh, wow, Jay did a whole song.

Then we get to the last minute and be like, bro, for whatever reason, this one got knocked off. And you were telling you, your whole people's like, I'm on the next album. Imagine walking around with Cedric the entertainer and Jay-Z on a beat and it don't come out. Like, yo, I swear to God.

It's Cedric. It exists. It exists. I was happy when it did make it. I hit Knife and was like, yo, you on it. And, you know what I mean? His lawyer hit him. It was dope.

It was a really dope. And that sparked me and Knife's whole relationship. And that's my brother. And I never seen him again. But I'm just flayed. Did Jay ever comment on Fonte or Poole? ever? I don't know if Jay's ever

comment on it. Not that I know of. I think he should listen to Little Brother albums. No, I mean, obviously he's going to hear it from us playing it, but I'm saying that's the same thing as like but I don't know if it's like a dig in

to where like the way me and you was talking about Fonte. Like Fonte write my life. Exactly. Like I consider him one of those people that really write my life. Yeah, that makes sense. Moment of Clarity.

Hmm. One of my favorite joints on the album, sing. I'm trying to think of it. One that's not brought up enough, I feel like. Yeah, underrated song on the album. I don't know if it strikes like this memorable moment because it was like M's joint and we might have just...

It's one of the very few Eminem beats that I like. No, no, no, but I'm saying in terms of like, we weren't there for the construction of the beat. Jay gets the beat. He does it so fast. And then it's just like, yo, it's a great record. But I don't know if something like, it's different than being monumental of, you know,

Kanye being there and really producing the encore, Kanye being there and really producing Lucifer. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like that thing with Lucifer was a them back and forth. It was dope because it was like Kanye played a beat, Jay is just look, he's doing it like, oh my God, this is so good.

Then for him to hit that topic, and then the things that we was going through with Bob just passing, you know what I'm saying? So it was just like for him to throw that whole situation into the third verse. You're going to the wrong. So you're going earlier, late in speed and not.

I have no moment of clarity. Of moment of clarity. I can't really like, yeah, I don't remember that record at all. I mean, it was late too. It was definitely late. It was like, yeah, I'm got a record. I think I'm gonna do this one.

You know what I mean? It was like one of them type of records, you know? Yeah, not for that. We can go write to Lucifer then. Oh, Lucifer. Damn, that's a deep one. That was a... Definitely in the dock we saw.

That's one of those records that was so good. kind of like a law that it break the rules. You know what I think all the rules was out the door by the time that came anyway. But yeah, it just, it just hit. Like, soon as you play it, like, soon as you hear it, it's exactly how we felt

as soon as we heard it. Like, you know what I mean? With the whole thing. And it was conceptually, like, a lot going on. Like, he was really in his bag to me on that whole album just as far as, like, every song had, like, a real strong concept. He stayed on topic, you know,

and he was, like, had these skis. schemes going on and everything. So it's like that record to me is spooky. Because I remember it was on, what's that show, HBO show, Entourage. It was going to end the Entourage. Okay. They played it in the credits one time,

and it went straight to the second verse with Bob. Yeah. And it came on. So if it's an episode when it comes on, and it's like, I have a dream, it'll go right to that. And it was like, I already was tripping, something like waking up

and hearing an entourage, you're losing for an entourage, and then it goes right to the verse to where, but then later on I realized that was Scott. Yeah. He's good, big, these cool and things. So he purposely would have did it like that way for that reason and stuff.

So, yeah, like, you know, we were still, you know, more than my brother at the time. Yeah. And that verse, like, said what everybody was really wanted to say. Yeah. You know, so between that and just the least scratch, sample and, you know, Yay drums and just the way the whole song came together. The energy of them being in the room together.

I feel like it was real close to encore. I feel like it was like within that same, if not day, next, you know what I mean. And it was another joke thing too because Ye was there, but then like one of the things we ain't touch upon is like, I think during this album was when everybody in the office was just moving on point as a complete unit, like as a thing. Yeah, we was all your machine. We was definitely a machine at that part. Everybody was in the front after he made that.

And then as soon as we got done, they lay in the verse. He caught everybody in the studio and everybody's viving out. That's when you see everybody walking in, it's like, oh, we just made this. You know what I mean? Like, it was crazy. Like, the rest of the staff was sort of like the front of baseline would always be the hangout by the pool table. You know what I mean?

So it was like everybody was dead. I feel like we touched 99 problems, PSA. Justify my thought. again the DJ Quick sessions yeah yeah at least like four or five years I just remember DJ Quick touching every single knob

in the studio like like with purpose or he was just no with purpose yeah okay that's wild though I keep trying to explain it

you know he touched every thing like shit we never even touch before he was like yo could you what is that even doing could you could you plug this into the arm I love this into the um I love that Could I have to snare run through this?

You know what I said? It was the type of shit that... You would do stuff that you wouldn't think of. I never heard of. I never heard these type of lingoes. It was like... Stuff he was doing. A genius he was doing.

A genius, bro. And that's what I was talking about. He was doing stuff like, have a guitar player go into the Avalon but like distort it on purpose, like turning all over. He's just like playing around and stoo. Or he said at the MP, make the drums.

Then he get up, walk to the board and he's tweaking this for 20 minutes on just the kick in the snare. Then he come back, make me a sound on the 2080, the JP 80, like he's one of those. So that's what I was saying. And he's like a vibe guy too.

Yes. Because he was like, I remember one time, it wasn't that session, but I know they said he was looking for somebody. Like he was in a session like, yo, there's a guy in here with a red shirt with a very bad vibe. He said, I'm trying to find, you know, he said he's throwing everything off. Like, he's, you know, like, it's like,

imagine being. God, are he talking about it? Like, he was taking the trash now. He just works here. It's like that. Like, he'll be like that. He'd be like the refrigerator's too loud. It's like a busing.

You know what I mean? It's like, you know, I'm supposed to have that in here. He's like, really. Yeah, into that. Like, he's a mastermind of the studio, bro. Not just an artist, but like as a producer, he's a mastermind in studio. Yep.

That's dope. My first song, which is one of my favorite J records ever. My first song. That's Aqua. Acqua did the beat. Yep. That was, um, That came through 3H, 3H, Triple H,

was managing Aqua at the time. He was trying to sign Ye still, because Ye wasn't signed. He was going to sign Y' was going to hard to try to sign. Yeah, he was going hard to sign Ye at the time, and he had his other producer Aqua. And that beat came like, kind of like it was like the last song. Like my first song was like the last song we did, I believe.

But it was a good, that one I do, it was like even though that one was sort of like quick, it's great. I feel like we did that somewhere else. Did we? Like right track or somebody like that? I don't know. We did it there.

We did it there. We did it at baseball. No, we did that shit at right track. I don't know why, but I feel like we did that right track. How are you baseman? I look at the track sheet. I think it was baseman. Yeah.

But just the fact he said everybody, you know what I mean, joint, like the shoutouts that. Yeah. Did you in fact not have a seat on your bicycle? I think of my. I'm not supposed to tell him the story about the seat with no bike with no seat. What happened was that I was fixing my bike. And my friend called and was like, yo, Jay is over here.

Jay was at 1199. Okay. 110th for First Avenue. I was on 119th in Lennox Ave. Fixing my bike. And the seat wasn't on there yet. That's kind of a troop without a seat. So I just said, fuck it.

I just got on it. I was like, if I go do this and I think I might have needed something. Like I didn't have what I needed. You know what I mean? Maybe like that. you know, that tool or whatever. So I was like, fuck, I'm just gonna go. I just did the whole shit standing up.

And when he came, when we synced him, it was like, I wasn't might not have been on my bike, but on bike might have been near. You know what I'm saying? And he was like, I was on my bike. He was like, you got on my bike? And I had no seat on your bike? And I had no pedal neither.

I had like no seat and I had one pedal was not missing. It was down bad, bro. You know what I'm saying? So it was like, it was definitely a track. But I had like three bikes. and I used to like fix them and shit. So it was just like mid fixing. And I was like, I got to get over there right now.

Yeah. There's a little thing. And if I didn't, I don't know, you know, might be a different story. But he remembered that bike, so I know I got there on top. You know what I said? I know he's seen me and stuff. So it's like it happened, you know. I want to quickly, just because it was in the headlines with everything with the

yay Dreamchamps interview, him saying that Just Blaze was a copycat in that blueprint was his and just has just been biting people. I did want to ask y'all about that because y'all were there. Well, we spoke to guru about that a little bit last night in private. And, you know, if you want to repeat. We don't have to talk about it. We can. I talked about it on stage, but I let it hop go.

Um, the blueprint, I don't know. It's, it started way before the blueprint, basically. It was just, she goes, like, back to, like, ghost face killer. was my favorite rapper. And Supreme Cline Telle was the album that influenced me at that point where it was like, I felt like I thought we wasn't feeling it.

It wasn't like a feel was missing. And I thought samples was the only place that really came from. So it was like we, at a time, people was trying not to sample, especially in our camp. Like a lot of the beats was no samples. People was trying to figure that out,

Tim, Neptunes and everything. Swiss. Swiss. So we was kind of like out of that era as far as mainstream Hip Hop Goals Wu-Tang always been Wu-Tang Underground always been underground So that always been there just like

That's why I was so excited about the Little Brother album Because it was you know it was in that pocket And so with the blueprint It was like you know let's get samples Let's get samples And when But that's going into beans I reckon

Because most of the blueprint, the blueprint is on Bean's album. Yeah. You know what I mean? Amar's praying. Mm-hmm. Nothing like it's, you know what I mean? Like a lot of those records, but it's still a few of the non-samples in there because of legal places. You know what I'm saying?

Time in and stuff like that. That's why Bean said the whole thing about, I never finished my album. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Because we was always playing against the time. We always was like having to turn it in and couldn't clear this samples. gotta get it replayed and not like the replay and fucking got to go with it.

So I'm saying all I have to say that I was kind of going at everything sample-wise. Justin Yeh kind of needed to get deeper into samples. We bought Rockets. Me and Just bought Jay Period. All his records, no catalog. Boxes of records came to baseline

and that's going into the free album. You know what I mean? That was like around that time. yeah yeah like to the black album going into in the blueprint dynasty that was the dynasty album yeah before it was um so that kind of came into play of we were just going to start sampling a lot more

so even when yay gave me the beats he wasn't giving me the beats for jay or for the blueprint i just gave jay all of those beats in that way and then we did those songs in three days We did, all Kanye records was done in three days. We started on Friday and Monday it was all done. A shit of Izzo, never change.

Ain't no love. And whatever the other one is. Harder of the city. Harder of the city. Ain't no love is harder city. I don't love my hard city. It's another one though. Yeah, so it was those records was done.

And then from that point on, it's basically like, oh, this is where we're going. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So then just came. Girls, girls, girls. Song cry. That was it.

So essentially all just did was his job. Like he didn't bite nobody. He was just saying, all right, this is what we're supposed to be doing right now? Let me go make this type of beat. Well, we know Kanye is, you know, just say shit for shock value and, you know, ruffle some feathers.

I don't, but I love Just as response to it. But we heard that before. Like, you know what I mean, we already know the elephant in the room is big dog. We've been going through it with just for a minute just off of that. With Yeho thing is that. nobody never asked yay this.

You know what I'm saying? It was a weird question that just came on the strength of like a flip of a card type of thing. It wasn't like a, he was thinking about it the whole time, you know what I'm saying? But it's just more what he's saying

was that sonically he's going to keep going and create new shit. To where it would just do is more production. Technically, as a producer, he could do anything that he wanted to do

at any given time. You know what I'm saying? That just could do anything he want to do. So if you talk about styles, there's sample. If you're talking about all keyboard beats, that's welcome to New York City. If you're talking about, you know, whatever style

you want to talk about, you could do, breathe, whatever. You know what I'm saying? It's like, you know what I mean? The first time, when I first got introduced to Jess, it was, they basically was like, yo, I got this dude, he made beats like Swiss, it only costs 10 grand. That's a pitch.

You know what I'm saying? It's the same way. And it was like, okay, what's up. And that's when he did, who the fuck won what? Yeah. So it was like, okay, we could do those. But then I started hearing the other stuff. stuff. I'm like, well, you're the MP, you do

all that type of stuff too, you know what I mean? I thought that was a sound, but then it was like, nah, I did this for pun, I did this for him, I did that for a thing, and I was like, okay, so you're Sambo, we just need to get some records, you know what I'm saying? And that's where it kind of came from. So that whole sound was like, we was looking for a sound and at the time. The sound too, Hop, it was like, if he was in a cutting room

working on Harlem World, it's going to sound like that. The same way, I've known Yee way before Rockefeller, right? So I know Yee from being with D-Dot and when he was being before Hop, You know what I mean? Like all that. Yay was sounding like he wanted to be.

You know what I mean? It was a mixture between like Jermaine. He even said it on the drink chance. It was a mix between Jermaine Dupree and the hitman. Right. Right. Everybody evolves. Everybody.

But it's like, again, just was doing his assignment. Yeah. Pretty much. Yeah. I just wanted y'all to clear it up because y'all were actually there. Yeah. Yeah. You know, again, everybody see.

Just kept it classic. History, how they see it. Yeah. From what I saw, to me, hop set the vibe by asking for a certain type of thing. Then everybody came through what they came through. Everybody made their phone calls, hop calls, Bing, afterwards.

You know what I'm saying? And be like, yo, like, you got to be a part of this. Boom, boom, boom. But I hit Bing. He hit me like, I was like, yo, we're doing the album. We got like six, seven songs. And it's all samples.

So he was like, oh, for real? And he played me, Mama Love Me on the phone. I remember where I was out, I was 122nd on Lenox Avenue. You know, right by what that bad bad day and is. I was like, you know what I remember? Like, I remember hearing it, Being like, oh, yes, that's definitely.

And then he came baseline that night. We did that record, and then he ended up playing rulers back. Yeah. He did his back as well. So by the time, this is like the still extending of that first week. So Just might do his records on Tuesday. Pink did his records like on Wednesday and Thursday. So by the end of the week, we got like 10 records,

and we just going around playing it. The album is done besides the... Then we did the other stuff, the M&M record, the Trackmasters record. But I remember every day playing... Yeah, there's done. Almost a whole album every day, straight through it. Every day we just keep planning and planning and playing over and over again. So everyone's just a copycat to Hopton.

Terrizza, Terrizza. You don't copycats to Risa. Absolutely, absolutely for sure. Thank you guys so much. I don't know if you have anything else, but I think that was great. No, man, I just want to thank Hop and Guru, man, just for being who y'all are, man. For real. Like, I had the pleasure being around y'all for years.

Obviously, that's bro. but just seeing y'all in baseline man and being able to just get a peek on history in which I was doing like because I was around and in it I didn't really understand it but now looking back it's like I was so privileged to be in that position to be around

men like y'all that loved which y'all were doing and passionate and so intelligent and just like creators of the culture and curators of the culture and doing what y'all doing man so I just we just want to thank y'all for sitting down with us we appreciate y'all we love y'all man and yeah

You know, Y'all made history, but don't live in it. Both y'all do new shit with new artists. That's what I love about y'all. Yeah, we just did album together. We just finished. We just turned in the album. We got to turn it in.

I'm going to say the name. Yeah, we got to turn it in tomorrow. Still do the same thing. We had something that didn't clear. And I'm like, first thing when I seen hop, I'm like, yo, I got an idea for what we could do for the skit. You know, y'all are the OGs that do it correct and actually go to the younger generation and really work with them

rather than be like, yo, this is what I did. Don't talk to me. But again, appreciate y'all. Yes, sure. Thank you. A black album could drink now. I'm sure you're too. A good drink.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a hear, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's Financial Literacy Month, and the podcast, Eating While Broke is bringing real conversations about money, growth, and building your future. This month, hear from top streamer, Zoe Spencer, and Venture, capitalist Lakeisha Landrum Pierre as they share their journeys from starting out to leveling up. There's an economic component to communities thriving. If there's not enough money and entrepreneurship

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