The Breakfast Club - Best Of Full Interview: Kehlani Speaks On New Album, Motherhood, Mental Health, Fitness Journey + More

Episode Date: December 27, 2024

Best of 2024 - Recorded June 2024 - Kehlani Speaks On New Album, Motherhood, Mental Health, Fitness Journey. Listen For More!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 People, my people, what's up? This is Quetzalove. Man, I cannot believe we're already wrapping up another season of Quetzalove Supreme. Man, we've got some amazing guests lined up to close out the season, but I don't want any of you guys to miss all the incredible conversations we've had so far. I mean, we talked to A. Marie, Johnny Marr, E, Jonathan Scheer, Billy Porter, and so many more. Look, if you haven't heard these episodes yet, hey, now's your chance. You got to check them out. Listen to Questlove Supreme on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everyone, it's John also known as Dr. John Paul. And I'm Jordan or Joe Ho. And we are the Black Fat Film Podcast.
Starting point is 00:00:55 A podcast where all the intersections of identity are celebrated. Oh, chat. This year we have had some of our favorite people on including Kid Fury, T.S. Madison, Amber Ruffin from the Amber and Lacey Show, Angelica Ross and more. year we have had some of our favorite people on including Kid Fury, T.S. Madison, Amber Ruffin from the Amber and Lacey Show, Angelica Ross and more. Make sure you listen to the Black Fat Fam podcast on the iHeart Radio app, have a podcast or whatever you get your podcast girl. Oh, I know that's right.
Starting point is 00:01:19 Hi, this is Ruthie Rogers, host of our podcast, Ruthie's Table Four. There are many luxuries in life, but I have to say that going to see Ian McKellen was one of the great days of my life. It's a joke that actors in the old days of not being paid enough money or getting enough to eat would say, oh, we're doing Chekhov. There's a practical pork pie in the third act. Free, free food. Listen to Ruthie's Table Four on iHeart, Apple Podcasts,
Starting point is 00:01:48 and wherever you listen to your podcasts. See you there. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy.
Starting point is 00:01:59 You're 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. That's escape from Z-A-Q-istan.
Starting point is 00:02:15 Binge the whole season on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Dr. Laurie Santos. I'm a psychology professor at Yale, and I started to notice that a lot of my students weren't all that happy. So I created a new class. Welcome everybody to Psychology and the Good Life.
Starting point is 00:02:32 It became the biggest class in the history of Yale. I'm a little bit surprised to see as many of you are here as are here, but that's great. But it's not just my students who need to understand the science of wellbeing. And that's why we launched the Happiness Lab, so you can learn about it too. Are you ready to feel happier?
Starting point is 00:02:47 Head to the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or if you like to listen. Brought to you by the 2024 Subaru Share the Love event, now through January 2nd. Wake that ass up. Early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning everybody, it's DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne the guy, we are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning everybody, it's DJ Envy Jess Hilarious,
Starting point is 00:03:06 Charlamagne the guy, we are The Breakfast Club, we got a special guest in the building. Yes indeed. Kalani, welcome back. Kalani, thanks for having me. How you feeling? I feel good, I think the last time we did this we might have been on a Zoom call,
Starting point is 00:03:17 so it was cool to be in person. Yeah, it was Zoom. How's your spirit, how's your energy? I'm super good, I'm like probably the best I've ever been. Amazing. Yeah. Why is that? I think just life is really cool, I think super good. I'm like probably the best I've ever been. Amazing. Yeah. And why is that? I think just life is really cool. I think I made something I'm stoked about.
Starting point is 00:03:29 My fans are stoked. I got to do all these cool signings and see all of them in person and just like be back in the swing of things. So I'm good. Is this a project? Okay. I said, they say you're a gym rep.
Starting point is 00:03:38 They said you up at six o'clock this morning in the gym. They say every morning you go miss the gym. They might've lied about this morning. Oh, maybe not this morning. I was dead sleep this morning. But yeah, not this morning. I was dead sleep this morning. But yeah, I'm up, I'm always about my fitness stuff, I'm super healthy, I'm the healthiest I've also ever been. Yeah, I've been watching videos of you
Starting point is 00:03:53 all weekend in New York, and a lot of people have been coming to your signings and your pop ups. Crowds have been crazy. How did that make you feel, getting that type of love? It's been cool, I mean, I've been doing this for so long, and I've been doing signings for so long and at some point, like my brain tricked me into being like, you know, they're probably gonna lessen over the years
Starting point is 00:04:09 because it's like, you know, we've seen her a bunch, she dropped a bunch of projects. I'm on project seven or six, on project six. Is it seven? Seven, oh, I was right. See, so much music, I forgot. That, you know, I didn't expect it to be getting bigger. So they're actually the craziest sunnings
Starting point is 00:04:26 I've ever had so far, cause it's growing and that's all you can pray for. I will say, listening to your new album and just seeing you over the last few months, several months talking, like there's a confidence in a sense of self that you have now that you didn't have years ago. Yeah, for sure.
Starting point is 00:04:43 Why is that? I mean, I think it's been a long mental health journey. I think it's been a lot of contributing factors, new motherhood, different angles of like, being publicly aligned with certain things or publicly misaligned. They're just like not stepping into myself. I'm 29, I'll be 30 next year.
Starting point is 00:05:01 Like I'm just, I'm growing up in a real way. So like, I know how to prioritize and take care of myself differently now. Why did you name the album Crash? So essentially a crash is the height and the peak of a moment. It isn't like the anxiety that comes before and it isn't like the overthinking that comes after.
Starting point is 00:05:20 It's just this like, excuse me, clusterfuck. It's just this thing that happens. And I knew this album wasn't gonna make sense to most people. I knew that it would be something that you either loved or that you hated and that kinda just is a crash. And that's kinda been the reception is some people hate it, some people love it, some people think it's my worst
Starting point is 00:05:38 and some people think it's my best and I think that's really cool. It's a little bit of everything. It's a little bit of pop, it's a little bit of- It's a crash, it's really a crash. Reggae, hip-hop, it's a little bit of everything. Was that what you wanted to pop. It's a little bit of- It's a crash. It's really a crash. It's a little bit of everything. Was that what you wanted to do?
Starting point is 00:05:48 I didn't start wanting to do that. I started as myself titled and I went on this mission to finally make the Kehlani album because I haven't done that yet. And we started going to all these different cities and we got all these Airbnbs in different places and it just kind of grew into this thing that resembled, I feel like me as a person, I feel like I've always been kind of this thing that doesn't make sense to everyone. They can't figure out like who I am, what I am,
Starting point is 00:06:12 what my story is, how it's been all of these things, like can't figure me out in whatever kind of way, how I look versus how what kind of music I make, how I sound and once it started taking its own life, I was like, oh, okay, it's just me as an album. So yeah. What is the self-titled Kehlani album supposed to be? Like, cause you said it was supposed to be a Kehlani album.
Starting point is 00:06:30 What was that supposed to be? Well, that album to me is more rooted in the core things that shaped why I sing. I feel like the Kehlani album will be much more referencing like my actual core musical references. It'll probably be a lot more R&B. But this album really reflected all the things that I listened to, like that I grew up listening to,
Starting point is 00:06:51 but didn't necessarily shape my identity as an artist, but reflect like, you know, worldly where I'm at. So basically we're still getting K-Lani albums. Absolutely, that'll probably be my next album probably. Yeah. Lose My Wife is such a toxic record. It is so toxic, K-line. Why would you make those choices and decisions
Starting point is 00:07:11 knowing that it could cost you your wife? Oh, you know, it's not a true story. I just wanted, they saw. That's what you tell them? No, it's true, it's true. So in my head, Crash is the story of this anti-hero version of myself that goes to Vegas and has this crazy run in Vegas
Starting point is 00:07:26 and ends with that lament of like, damn, I've like, oh, this has crashed instantly. And it's almost like the come down song of like, oh, these are the decisions that I've made and like, this is what happened. So it's more of like a sonic story and an ending to the story than a true story that I needed to smack on there.
Starting point is 00:07:44 It kind of feels like the hungover song. It kind of feels like the next day you're like, oh shit. This is your shadow side. Exactly. Gotcha. When you were in the studio writing these songs, you were like, I'ma let my shadow side. I was like, you know, there is,
Starting point is 00:07:57 there's been so many toxic Kehlani songs. There really has. Yes, girl. There really has. And I feel like it's, they are moments that people don't, people maybe want to say in their head and been like, I've had that perspective or I've gone through are moments that people maybe wanna say in their head and been like I've had that perspective or I've gone through that or I've wanted to say that and I would never say it out loud.
Starting point is 00:08:11 And to me after I wrote that verse, I was like this is kind of like stingy and it is kind of harsh. But some people feel like that. So. Absolutely. But when I hear songs like After Hours or Better Not or Tears, it does feel like you're longing for a stable relationship.
Starting point is 00:08:27 Does it? A little bit, yeah. In those moments. Yeah. I mean, I think everybody wants love. Everybody wants stable love, and we all just have different journeys through it, you know? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:08:37 How has motherhood been? Oh, it's the best. Through this journey. It's the best. She's five. I can't believe it. COVID, baby. Yeah, and that is a whole... It's the truth. That's a whole other can't believe it. COVID baby. Yeah, and that is a whole, that's a whole other thing.
Starting point is 00:08:49 I got one, it's a COVID baby. I'm literally like, I'll make the day seem so fun. I'm like, we're going to the aquarium and we're going here, we're going here. And then she's like, no, kind of just wanna stay in the house and play. I'm like, geez, what are we gonna do? The other day I took her to the park
Starting point is 00:09:03 and she was like, I'm just letting you guys know I'm not playing with any of those kids. And I was like, I respect it are we gonna do? The other day I took her to the park and she was like, I'm just letting you guys know, I'm not playing with any of those kids. And I was like, I respect it, but maybe we should try. And she did, and she tried, and she made some friends. And she's in school, so she has friends. She's still got musical interest. I heard you say one time she had some. She's on the album.
Starting point is 00:09:17 She's on the album, she's on Deep. She actually sounds so good that you can't really tell that it's her, except for her tone is obviously, sounds a lot younger than mine, but she's singing her ass off. Do you want her in the industry? I want her to do whatever she wants to do. If that means industry, sure.
Starting point is 00:09:32 If that means she wants my help, sure. If that means she doesn't want my help, sure. If that means she wants to be a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist, let's do that. It's her world, I'm just here. Is the industry good for kids? I mean, you're somebody who came in the industry young. I think that compared, like, there's two different,
Starting point is 00:09:50 there's pros and cons on both sides. One, I didn't have access to the proper, like, mental wellness type of regimen or care to have grown up in it the way that I did. And we're seeing the effects of people who, you know, adults now and all these stories are coming out about them being like child stars are coming out young. And on the flip side,
Starting point is 00:10:10 I feel like people now have access to that, but it's also a different demon. Fame now is completely different. It's why I don't really post my daughter. There's too many creeps. I don't ever heard her ever look back and be like, I actually didn't consent to any of this. I didn't give any permission.
Starting point is 00:10:26 We already get embarrassed when our parents play home videos for our friends when they come over. Like if I'm just subjecting my child to her home video, her freaking growing up home videos being widely known all over the internet and she goes up one day and is like, I didn't get to tell you if I wanted that or not, you know, that's on me as a parent, so.
Starting point is 00:10:42 Yeah, any more babies? I would love to have more babies. Whatever God wants to bless me with, I receive. Can we talk about the record, What I Want? Yeah. I want a bitch that look better than me, pussy get better. Wow. Pussy better than me. You reading it so serious.
Starting point is 00:10:57 Yes. You should have just read that one. Let's talk about What I Want. Come on. Is that what you wanted? Pussy get better than me. I should have just read that one. He was so excited to read that too.
Starting point is 00:11:06 But it seems on that record, it seems like you're torn between wanting to be spoiled but also feeling comfortable being the one who spoils. Yeah. Okay, okay. I'm definitely like, I fluctuate absolutely. I think I'm more of a giver than a receiver of spoiling. I think that's just my nature.
Starting point is 00:11:22 But it's just a classic song about naming all the things that I want. I don't think any of them are even cohesive. I think they's just my nature. But it's just a classic song about naming all the things that I want. I don't think any of them are even cohesive. I think they're just like, here's a list of all my dream things that I want. But if you're having a wild weekend in Vegas, why would you lie to a woman like that? Why would you make her feel like she's so special?
Starting point is 00:11:38 Isn't that what you do in Vegas? Doesn't Vegas make you, no, not like that. But I'm saying, is Vegas not like some adult Disneyland, like all your vices and you don't talk about it when you get home? Actually, I have a tiny residency in Vegas. Thank you, I have a show. Thank you. I have a show at the end of next month and in August.
Starting point is 00:11:57 That's what I do in Vegas. Because even on the song Vegas, maybe I'm tripping it didn't sound like you was actually in Vegas. You just said what we do is like big exactly The only I made a couple songs actually I made part of what I want in Vegas. I made part of Sucian Vegas I mean actually I made most of Sucian Vegas and a part of groove theory in Vegas But this song Vegas I made in Los Angeles, okay
Starting point is 00:12:19 And then I might go to Vegas to fall in love. Like they go to creep, have fun, you know? And have a blast. But that's fine, you ain't gotta lie to the person. Who said I'm lying? Y'all know what I got going on. Well, next lie, yass them up, Kaylana. Right, we don't know. Right, hello? The record's Sushia.
Starting point is 00:12:34 Sushia, doesn't that mean, isn't that Spanish slang? Sushia. But dirty, right? He said sushi, it's Sushia. It's Sushia. Sushia? Sushia. Sushia.
Starting point is 00:12:42 No, it's just Sushia. There we go. He's a lisp, he is a lisp. Okay, okay. And that's dirty, right? Yeah. Dirty girl. Period.
Starting point is 00:12:49 There we go, bilingual. Is that what the record symbolizes? Yeah. A dirty girl. Basically. Okay. I mean, Young Mikko's verse is crazy if it's translated and Jill Scott is freaky Auntie Max, extreme lord.
Starting point is 00:13:00 Freaky Auntie Max! She is the freak lord, honestly, the original freak. So I had to tap her in. Yeah, that was an honor. I noticed that you don't have a lot of features on this. Was that intentional? No, I tried to get more features. There was a couple things that were going on,
Starting point is 00:13:16 different time things, and not necessarily being aligned at the time, different people not aligning with me, and just things not making sense. But the ones that did stick around for me and really held me down, I'm super appreciative, and they killed it, yeah. Now, after hours, were you surprised
Starting point is 00:13:31 of how fast I took off, especially on social media? Crazy. Yeah. TikTok was like a huge dance. Yeah, honestly, I have to give a lot of credit to Darius Hickman, who's an incredible dancer, and he was in the after hours video, and he left rehearsal for the after hours video the after hours video and went home and just like
Starting point is 00:13:47 made this little dance on TikTok and it just like it took it on when I think it's such a testament to how powerful like dance is and how like dancers are like DJs like they can really break songs like it's I give him all the credit for that cuz it's crazy did you know who Lummi D was before her? Yeah. Of course. Why you disrespect her like that? I'm just asking. Damn, that's a classic record. I'm like, of course, the one song.
Starting point is 00:14:10 Lummi D had one song, so maybe people, what did she have one? Of course, the one song. I think she had one. Yeah, she had one. Now, you also mentioned that this album isn't rooted in your personal experiences or relationships like your previous albums.
Starting point is 00:14:23 Are you saying that just so you don't get in trouble and people be like, damn, Kalani's so toxic. No, I think- So if you running through these chicks. I think anytime a running through these chicks. He want you to be a pimp so bad. So bad. So bad.
Starting point is 00:14:34 You know what's so funny is I think people would be surprised if they sat down with me to actually ask and inquire about my experiences because they might look one way but it's so many different scenarios that lead to why my love life looks the way it does. And so many, you'd be surprised who, what's happened with this and what's happened with this. And it's just, it's my business and it's my world.
Starting point is 00:14:54 And I'm pretty much in good standing with anybody ever. So like running through these chicks is extreme. You do really want me to be a pimp, you know? Maybe I'll just start embodying it. Maybe I'll just live in it. Maybe I'll just accept it. Jesus. Does that bother you people in your regular business, not just your music business all
Starting point is 00:15:13 the time? No, I think it comes with the territory. I think I- At one time you didn't feel like that. Oh my God, I hated it so bad. But I also, I have been, again, your mental health journey and your journey in being a public facing person, those have to be in lockstep.
Starting point is 00:15:30 If you are ever having poor mental health, there are so many times I could say I've been at a table with y'all and been in the worst states of my life and I was like, okay, that interview's gonna be whatever. And times I've been like, I'm actually not doing interviews this year because all of this shit.
Starting point is 00:15:44 And- What I've been doing though, you set a boundary. Absolutely, but I've also like, I'm actually not doing interviews this year because all of this shit. And- But that's good though, you set a boundary. Absolutely, but I've also was not in a positive space to even be able to walk in a room and like hold that. Granted, I think the interview at the time that caused things like that wasn't my favorite experience with someone, no. But I also, at multiple times in my career,
Starting point is 00:16:02 just have not been just aligned with where I needed to be to be able to show up in that way. So now I can hold that. You could probably say anything to me and I'd be like, all right, cool. Have record labels gotten to the point where they actually respect a artist's mental health? Meaning like, if you wake up one morning and you say,
Starting point is 00:16:16 look, I'm not doing no interviews today. I'm not doing no interviews for the next six months, but they're like, no, you have to. Like they'll push you to do it anyway. Well, I've been signed to the same label since I was 19 years old and I'm 29. And they have seen me through everything. So I think they're at the point with me
Starting point is 00:16:31 where they're like, we get it and we also know what you are gonna show up and show out for and ask your fans. Like I never play about my fans. I never play for showing up for them. And we've always been super transparent and developed a really good relationship with people in media,
Starting point is 00:16:47 to where I've been able to call people personally and been like, it's not you. I promise, I'm not doing well. Or I've been on a run and going and going and going for six days and I just need to come in a little later. I need to reschedule this and people have been super gracious with me. I'm a huge mental health advocate.
Starting point is 00:17:03 So what got you to that place where you are now? And I mean, I know it's a journey, I know it's ups, I know it's downs, but what got you to this? Yeah. This sense of self. Honestly, I'm gonna use this moment to be really transparent and to really advocate
Starting point is 00:17:16 for people getting psychiatric care. And I got a psychiatrist and I got a proper diagnosis after what felt like years of getting soft diagnosis and misdiagnosis and I'm able to get medicated help and it keeps my mood stable and I'm here and it keeps me like, I would absolutely recommend it to anybody that feels like they need it because it's not something that anybody needs to shame
Starting point is 00:17:37 or like be nervous about and it's probably the best thing I've ever done for myself for sure. We got you there because most people, like you said, they feel like they can't talk about it, they can't discuss it, they can't get help because they don't want to be shamed. Especially a celebrity, you feel like somebody will see me do this, that, and the other.
Starting point is 00:17:50 What got you to the point where it was like, F this, I need to get help? You know, I was medicated when I was a kid. And I remember not having the most proper experience with it just because I was really young. And like, you're in in school and every kid has ADHD and is hyperactive. At what age were you the first mad kid, do you remember?
Starting point is 00:18:10 I had to be in the third grade, maybe. On Ritalin? On Ritalin, and it really messed with my personality. And my mom was like, yeah, no, you can't be a zombie. I'll take hyperactive, turn the, over whatever this zombie, you know. And then on top of that still, I just remained with the psychiatrist.
Starting point is 00:18:30 And then I, you know, went into teenagehood and I didn't have that anymore. And then I became an adult and just like my experiences in the music industry and the amount of like, honestly, PTSD that that causes, paired with, you know with all your childhood trauma and all these things, you kinda get to a point where you're like, all right, I'm not an expert.
Starting point is 00:18:50 I can't keep being the one to dictate this or to supplement or to try to fix it. I used to smoke a lot of weed, can't do it, won't do it. Drink. So you don't smoke anymore? Oh, I haven't been a smoker in five years. Wow. People bring me weed all the time and I'm like, dang.
Starting point is 00:19:06 So that's the old me. What about indigo though? Indigo kinda calms your anxiety. So Tiva makes you have panic attacks. You know, it was because I got pregnant and I couldn't. And then I went to a throat doctor and he was like, oh, you don't wanna sing for the rest of your life, the way your shit looks.
Starting point is 00:19:19 Cause I was smoking backwards. I was smoking blunts. Like I was, what? You can find pictures of me with like backwards, like packs spread out, like a money spread. Psychotic. And just nasty, just nasty. And I just, I couldn't do it anymore.
Starting point is 00:19:36 And I'm just, I got to a point where I was like, okay, I'm doing all the things that I can possibly do. I'm going to the gym, I'm developing good hobbies. I'm not going out, I'm not doing this. And I'm still struggling. It's to the point where I need to to the gym, I'm developing good hobbies. I'm not going out, I'm not doing this, and I'm still struggling. It's to the point where I need to ask for help. Does it affect your art when you're on whatever medication? No, no it doesn't.
Starting point is 00:19:55 It honestly is the first time maybe ever in my life that I feel like I have been, I'm clear. Yes. Well, congratulations. Like I told you when we first started, you can really see, it's a different level of confidence, it's a different level of sense of security, I would say. Yeah, absolutely, thank you, I appreciate it.
Starting point is 00:20:13 Now, when doing this album, usually people see Kalani as an R&B artist, but this album is pop, there's country, there's house music, there's reggae music. Were you nervous at all, and be like, my fan fans, my core won't get it? I actually felt the opposite. I felt like my core fans, my actual core fans would get it
Starting point is 00:20:31 because there's been hints of all these things. When my mix tape was nominated for a Grammy, it wasn't nominated for R&B, it was nominated for like contemporary, you know, R&B. So there's been hints of things my whole life. And I felt like they would really understand. I felt like everybody else who really loved one really R&B project of mine,
Starting point is 00:20:51 or like R&B SoundCloud drops or features, would be like, what is this? And so far, for the most part, that's kind of what I've seen. Plus this little subgroup of people who are going like, wow, I didn't even know she had this in her. This is what's gonna make me fuck with her. So it's honestly, it's been cool. I'm kind of really liking the polarity of the response.
Starting point is 00:21:10 At this point, if I make the same album again, I'm not an artist. If I make the same project after seven projects, this is my chance to pivot and I took it and I'm just, I'm stoked to be here. Isn't this what art is though? Like you put it out, some people gonna like it, some people not gonna like it.
Starting point is 00:21:23 Exactly, exactly. Some people are like, this some people not gonna like it, it's subjective. Exactly, exactly. Some people are like, this is the best thing I've ever heard you do. And some people are like, this is chicken scratch and it sounds like noise and I hate it. No, it's so versatile. Oh, I don't listen to anyone. I made the album I wanted to make and I'm happy with it.
Starting point is 00:21:37 This is a bunch of different genres within, it's so different. It was so fun to make. It was the funnest process. It was so many people involved that we all feel the exact same way about it. It felt like our album, not just mine. We got to celebrate it.
Starting point is 00:21:49 I'm happy. I keep hearing you talk about your fitness journey. Yeah. But then they said recently you were body shamed on that one. I didn't see that. You know, it was an interesting body shame because what it was,
Starting point is 00:22:00 was the accusations that I got ab etching. Girl, we so sick of people with- Yeah, she got the same, she got the same pregnant. Yeah, it's really interesting. The thing is, I have diastasis recti and a hernia from being pregnant. So my muscles are split down the middle. So I have this space right here
Starting point is 00:22:19 and I have like a lump cause it's my- Good people, what's up? It's Quest-O, Quest-Love. And Team Supreme and I have been working hard like a lump because it's my good people what's up it's quest Oh quest love and uh team supreme and I've been working hard to bring you some incredible episodes of quest love supreme with gifts you definitely don't want to miss now one of the things I love about this quest love supreme podcast is we got something for everybody every type of musical ever we enjoy speaking to the people who were the face of some movement some people you've seen on
Starting point is 00:22:44 stage or TV or magazine covers but we also love speaking to the people who are the face of some movements, some people you've seen on stage or TV or magazine covers, but we also love speaking to the folks who are making it happen behind the scenes and they paved the way for those that followed, you know, keystones to the culture. This season we've had some amazing one-on-one conversations, like on PayPal chatting up with hit maker Sam Holland, shook Steve Chad with the legend Nick Lowe, and I've had pleasures of doing one-on-one conversations with Willow, Sonata Matreah, Kathleen Hanna, and the RZA. These are conversations you won't hear anywhere else,
Starting point is 00:23:15 so make sure you go back and you check those episodes out, all right? Listen to Questlove Supreme on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sup, y'all, this is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records.
Starting point is 00:23:39 It's a family-friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimini, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey y'all, Nimini here. I'm the host of a brand new history
Starting point is 00:24:00 podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip hop. Flash slam, another one gone. Bash bam, another one gone. The cracker, the bat, and another one gone. A tip, but a cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history, like this one about Claudette
Starting point is 00:24:22 Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And if you get with me, did you know, did you know I wouldn't give up my seat? Nine months before Rosa, it was Claudette Colvin. Get the kids in your life excited about history
Starting point is 00:24:43 by tuning in to Historical Records because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everyone, it's John, also known as Dr. John Paul. And I'm Jordan or Joe Ho. And we are the Black Fat Film Podcast. A podcast where all the intersections of identity are celebrated.
Starting point is 00:25:14 Oh, chat. This year we have had some of our favorite people on including Kid Fury, T.S. Madison, Amber Ruffin from the Amber and Lacey Show, Angelica Ross, and more. Make sure you listen to the Black Fat Fam podcast on the iHeartRadio app. Have a podcast or whatever you get your podcast, girl. Ooh, I know that's right. The forces shaping markets and the economy are often hiding behind a blur of numbers.
Starting point is 00:25:40 So that's why we created the Big Take from Bloomberg Podcasts to give you the context you need to make sense of it all. Every day in just 15 minutes we dive into one global business story that matters. You'll hear from Bloomberg journalists like Matt Levine. A lot of this BIM stock stuff is I think embarrassing to the SEC. Amanda Moll, who writes our Business Week buying power column. Very few companies who go viral are like totally prepared for what that means. And Zoe Tillman, senior legal reporter. Courts are not supposed to decide elections.
Starting point is 00:26:13 Courts are not really supposed to play a big role in choosing our elected leaders. It's for the voters to decide. Follow The Big Take podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes,
Starting point is 00:26:37 entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories
Starting point is 00:27:05 from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And testing, it's a hernia. And it kind of looks like an extra ab randomly above my belly button.
Starting point is 00:27:34 Everybody was like, that's the proof. And then they were like, yes, proof because she's not super muscly anywhere else, but just her core. And one, if you go back like genetically, I have my dad is super buff. I'm damn near built like my father. And then I've always kind of had, right. You can really see it. And I've always had abs. And then upon just really training my core to make up for the fact that my muscles aren't connected
Starting point is 00:27:59 and I have to get my core together to be able to do anything because it's the center of everything, I have to go a little hard on that. And I honestly thought it was hilarious. And then people just being like, is that a man? And I was like, do you want me to be? Jesus.
Starting point is 00:28:14 Would you like me to be? But what I love is like, you didn't get mad and like go get online and start going crazy back and forth. It doesn't do anything. I used to do that a lot. And then you just realize, there's crazy shit every day. People talk about some new shit the next day.
Starting point is 00:28:29 I remember when the internet used to destroy me. I remember the other day, maybe last week, somebody might have tweeted, oh, y'all don't call Kehlani dirty and she has tattoos, and someone said, oh, you must be new here. And everybody was like, yeah, because 2016 to 2018, that was it. Everybody was calling me ugly, dirty, everything.
Starting point is 00:28:54 And I used to be, what? I was fucked up about it, like consistently. And then I just got to a point where I was like, well, life kind of goes on and I know myself and there are people that know me and love me deeply and care About me and like you know you wash Right hello. Yes, if you guys would like to come to my house for a week Double check if I shower twice a day and the levels of aftercare like that's on you guys
Starting point is 00:29:17 But you know you don't have you can't prove those things to people people who already want to be like that are gonna be like that We're gonna be like anyway, so you still on social media or you got off because of that? No, I had got off for a second. I actually didn't have Twitter for two years. I just got back on because it's just, why'd I get back on? I haven't been on in six, seven years. It's not good for my mental health.
Starting point is 00:29:33 Oh, it's a terrible place. It's a terrible place. But the people that I need to speak to, my fans, once I learned how to really put blinders on and not theoretical blinders, but like actual blinders, to be consistently like, this is what matters and these are the people that love me. It's been the best thing in the world.
Starting point is 00:29:52 Sometimes I have my moments. Someone yesterday said some shit to me, like I think Kehlani is confused about her sexuality and I was like, I've been exclusively dating women for three years and like the music's really gay, but sure. And then somebody was like, how am I confused? I think I'm the least confused I've ever been, women for three years and like the music's really gay but sure and then somebody was like how am I confused? I think I'm the least confused I've ever been but like sure.
Starting point is 00:30:15 I left the tweet up for 10 seconds and deleted it. You have your moment. Yeah. Now how did your record label and I guess just the industry period react to your advocacy for Palestine. You know, I think we're in a kind of a loop for so long of like what's safe to speak about and what's not safe to speak about, especially with the powers that be being so powerful and that running so deep. Obviously my music came out and obviously I'm super supportive, so absolutely no problem from my record label.
Starting point is 00:30:43 I have experienced a lot of pushback, I've experienced a lot of loss, I've experienced a lot of loss, I've experienced a lot of things that were promised and set up for this rollout and album to happen that were supposed to be a lot of firsts. Really? Yeah, magazines and these things and those type of brand deals and opportunities
Starting point is 00:30:56 that were sad to lose but at the end of the day, like I don't regret doing something that I can go to sleep at night. I can go to sleep knowing that like what I learned to be as an artist, I'm aligned with because I grew up fully understanding, you know, the role of art in liberation. And that's not to place myself in alignment with, you know, those artists and those revolutionary acts, but that's to say, like,
Starting point is 00:31:20 I understood what it meant to not be silent. Even if I never, you know, put it with the song and the video, even if just me speaking out, I always knew what it meant to have a platform and that responsibility in that way. And like, I can go to sleep knowing that like I don't, I can look myself in the mirror, you know, and know that I did the right thing. Do these magazines and stuff tell your people why?
Starting point is 00:31:39 Do they say you always her advocacy of Palestine? Those are really big buildings with a lot of people involved. So it always makes its way back. Yeah. Now you speak clearly. Hold on, you also mentioned that your advocacy for Palestine caused a lot of artists to ignore your request for collaboration?
Starting point is 00:31:54 So I was talking very fast on a live, very caffeinated early in the morning, and I wasn't able to really elaborate on that. There are a lot of more people involved on artist teams than just the artists. And it also wasn't every single feature. There were certain people who didn't get it back in time, or it wasn't aligned with the timing of their album.
Starting point is 00:32:11 I didn't mean every single artist, but there were artists that I did reach to and someone on the team was like, "'We don't fuck with her.'" Or, they said this and then another thing made its way to me. Or, things, we know, we know things travel. We know people have conversations and those people have conversations
Starting point is 00:32:30 and people were respectful enough to not, text me back and say, girl, fuck you, I'm a Zionist, things like that. But I wasn't able to really elaborate that when I, and I would never, I would never sit here and name names because it's not about that. It's more about how insidious the industries are and that we can be so afraid to lose what we've built
Starting point is 00:32:52 because so many of us have come from nothing to where we have this scarcity mindset of like, I have to protect what I have going on so hard that I will do anything to stay in that world to protect it because I have to keep feeding my family. I have to keep building my legacy. I have to keep building my legacy. I have to do that. I don't want to chance that.
Starting point is 00:33:07 And it's sad because that does get dangled in front of our faces when it comes to really important political matters that people don't align with. It's sad, it's unfortunate. And I'm not mad at anyone. I'm not holding anything against anyone. I was definitely on that live like,
Starting point is 00:33:19 yeah, and by the way, let me tell y'all about that. But I definitely have those moments where I'm like, this shit is fucked up. But typically I'm a longer thinker and I have more to the thought. And it was just unfortunate really. So you understand when artists don't want to speak out about political or social issues.
Starting point is 00:33:36 Or how do you feel about it that they don't? Especially coming from a particular background. I am the type of person that is very nuanced. Like I understand how people got to most things. It's unfortunate. I feel like it's unfortunate. I am saddened by it. It does make me sad because I really do believe
Starting point is 00:33:56 in our power as people with influence. This is why the presidents involve music artists. What they've got, they've got all type of music artists campaigning for the presidents. They've. What they've got, they've got all type of music artists campaigning for the presidents. They've got, they bring us out to sing out all the campaigns, all the events, whenever there's anything going on, they want us to all get together and drop a song for it. Like they keep showing us how powerful we are.
Starting point is 00:34:18 There's people, there's a younger generation who don't know what a policy is, but they know their rapper's favorite songs, they know their R&B singer's favorite songs, and they will learn about anything going on in the world if their favorite person tells them. And I may have expressed it super angrily every single time I've talked about it online,
Starting point is 00:34:38 but that's because I understand that also sometimes shame works as a teacher. So if I gotta come on there and say, "'Fuck all of y''all because wake your ass up. If you wanna sit and have a longer conversation with me, we can get to this point. But it has made me viscerally angry so many times to feel like, look what we could do.
Starting point is 00:34:55 And they also wouldn't be able to hold us back anymore if we all banded together. They can't cancel all of us. They could cancel me and they'd be like, okay, we got somebody out of here, that's cool. They could cancel the couple of people that could cancel me and they'd be like, okay, we got somebody out of here, that's cool. They could cancel the couple people that speak up, but if everybody spoke up, that power imbalance wouldn't exist anymore.
Starting point is 00:35:10 We're just, the people united, that's the quote. So we have to like stand on that. And you raised over a half a million dollars for Gaza, Sudan, and the continent. Do you think money is the only way people can help? Absolutely not. I think in every single issue, the idea is that you're supposed to listen to the requests
Starting point is 00:35:29 of the people at the core of the issue. You're supposed to abide by the requests of the most oppressed. And they have asked us to literally speak. Like, that's the thing about this whole, like social media doesn't do anything, speaking doesn't do anything, awareness doesn't do anything,
Starting point is 00:35:43 but there are people in Congo who are just saying, make our stories heard. There are people in Sudan who go, just speak about us. They're not talking about us on the news. They're not talking about us in these magazines. They're not talking about us anywhere, but you guys are. Gaza opened the door for people to even be aware of Congo and Sudan on a global scale,
Starting point is 00:36:04 because those issues have preceded this genocide. Those genocides have been happening. Those famines, that extreme displacement, those have already been existing. And Gaza has opened up the world to Haiti, to Yemen, to all of these places that all this is going on. So the least we can do is share things here and there.
Starting point is 00:36:24 And you don't have to have money, but if you do, you should put it where your mouth is going on. So the least we can do is share things here and there and you don't have to have money, but if you do, you should put it where your mouth is for sure. I was gonna ask, with Kamala Harris being from your side of town, did y'all ever have a conversation? Did you ever reach out to her for everything that's going on? Not at all?
Starting point is 00:36:36 No, I'm not really big on presidents or their folks. Not a governmental girl, really. Yeah. Like there's not really, I mean, there's power in government, but the real power is with the people. It's in the people, absolutely, yeah. You are a West Coast girl. It is.
Starting point is 00:36:51 Oakland girl. What you think about Kendrick's last show? I knew where this was going. I just wanna, they wanna be asking me about- Because you were rooting for Drake crazy. Who was rooting for Drake? What? Wasn't you rooting for Drake?
Starting point is 00:37:02 I haven't publicly rooted for anyone, but have you not seen me at the club dancing and I like us? I heard you humming earlier in the hall. You was humming. Oh, you could hear me through the soundproof door? You were humming Drake record. Oh, okay.
Starting point is 00:37:10 You see what they're trying to pin on me in his room? Amazing! How did you hum that one? By dropping him in the hall. I very much respect both artists. Drake actually named my album, It Was Good Until It Was, and he's shown me a lot of love over time, like publicly, privately, so has Kendrick.
Starting point is 00:37:23 He named that album? He did. We were having a conversation, and I told him what I wanted to name it, and then he was like, publicly, privately, so has Kendrick. He named that album? He did. We were having a conversation and I told him what I wanted to name it and then he was like, no, what's going on in life? And I told him and he was like, and I was like, yeah, it was honestly, it was good until it wasn't. He was like, if you don't use it as your album title, I am. And I was like, okay, right, you're right.
Starting point is 00:37:38 It is a very Drake album title. I think it came down to, if I'm on some West Coast shit, I'm from the West. I know how important this unity is of all of us, and I know how imperative this representation of us is. I love Kendrick, that's the only artist I've ever stood in the line and waited to get something signed for when I was in high school, soundtrack to my life. So I have no personal entrances in anything.
Starting point is 00:38:05 I'm just as a fan of the music. What's the second you rap in? West Big, West, West, West, West, West. Oh. Just musically though. Yeah, just musically. I mean, we have to respect what we saw. We saw it.
Starting point is 00:38:18 He didn't make it fun of us, us Bay people ever since though. Oh my God, hilarious. So listen, when you sing not like us, do you feel bad? Cause it's so catchy. I have had moments where I was like in the club and I seen that it's a club thing.
Starting point is 00:38:28 And I was like, damn, this is crazy. But I also remember every single big diss track in history being able to be played for massive groups of people gathering. And it being a thing that everybody is like, I was too young for like the ether era, but like everybody talks about it and they're like, this was crazy.
Starting point is 00:38:47 This is in a club every night though. Ether wasn't in the club. It was more like- I mean, back to back was in the club. Back to back was in the club. Yeah, so it's eras, it's moments. Honestly, I'm not in hip hop, so I can't speak to the sport of it,
Starting point is 00:38:58 but like it's a sport, I guess. You ever text Drake like, yo man, you did your thing, nothing to be ashamed about. It was all good, it was all good. No, I feel like he has real people around him who hold him down. And I feel like it's taking that ever text Drake like, yo man, you did your thing. Nothing to be ashamed about. It was all good. No, I feel like he has real people around him who hold him down. And I feel like it's taking that moment to be like,
Starting point is 00:39:09 hey, by the way. Yeah. Let me make sure you know I support you. Yeah, he's got his folks. Damn. You mentioned a tour. Are we getting a crash tour? Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:39:22 I made this album to tour specifically. Like there was so many sounds where I was like, this is gonna be so fun to sing, it's gonna be so fun to dance to, it's gonna be so fun to play with a band. So absolutely, I think for me, touring is the epicenter of my career, to the point where sometimes you don't even see,
Starting point is 00:39:41 you can't even really tell what's going on with the music streaming and charting wise. People are like, what? And then you come to the tour and it's these huge venues and people are like, I actually had no idea because when I look at how it's doing over there, and it's just a classic example for me of like impact versus you know numbers.
Starting point is 00:39:58 And my shows are huge, my shows are a blast. Everybody has a great time, everybody feels safe, everybody has fun, like that is what's important to me. So we're gonna do it again for sure. That's what's up. Because if I didn't, I would have hit my baby and I can get big high. So that's where I'm at.
Starting point is 00:40:14 You miss it? Very much. Okay. So yeah, I'm not like you girl. I'm gonna smoke. Okay. Enjoy. But not backwards though.
Starting point is 00:40:21 Yeah, no. I'm just doing people. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, I'm trying to, I'm starting to get off the backwards movement with all the friends. Take care of yourselves. You don't like no plant-based medicines? I like CBD a lot.
Starting point is 00:40:32 I like mushrooms. I ate a lot of mushrooms making this album. You might could tell there's some trippiness on here. Yeah. That one that you played me, oh my God, which one it was? Which one was that? Oh my God, it sounds like a, oh my God, it sounds like if we was in.
Starting point is 00:40:45 Was it Crash? Was it What I Want? No, it wasn't. Move Theory, Next to You? I don't know, but he had played it, and I was like, damn, if I shrimp, I'd probably be like. He took my after hours. Going crazy, no, not after hours, I can dance to that one.
Starting point is 00:40:54 But this one just seemed like it had me in the rough. There's some trippy ones, so I have no idea. I forgot, but he was playing the whole album earlier, but it was one particular song, I was like, oh yeah, I'm gonna get, can't wait to get out of this center. I was probably on my shrooms when I made it for sure. Yeah. Are you aware of like the journey in life
Starting point is 00:41:12 that you're going through? And if so, what era would you define this era? So comparatively to where I was at with my last album, I feel like my last album, I had reached the ending of what was like toxic positivity and like toxic spirituality, like almost psychosis-y of being like really in my life and not accepting that also what comes with that is like,
Starting point is 00:41:43 they're really getting into your shadow and really getting into also like every single part of myself and now I'm in this, I feel like this era is just really standing in it. I feel like I'm down to be whatever everybody thinks I am. For the first time in my life, I'm not over here trying to prove anything different. I'm not over here like I don't care to clear up anything.
Starting point is 00:42:01 I don't care to address anything. I have nothing to say about any of that. If you think I suck, let's do it. If you think I'm a terrible person, let's do it. If you think I'm the best person in the world, thank you, I appreciate you. And I think that that truly speaks to what you were saying about how different I feel is that I'm settled in a way
Starting point is 00:42:18 where I'm so at peace with who I know I am and my core foundation that it's not gonna be rocked by anything else going on. Yeah, I love that. MK. Great answer, Kalani. Thank you. I know I am and my core foundation that it's not gonna be rocked by anything else going on Great answer Kalani. Thank you. Well album crash is out now. Yeah, what you want to hear don't say after hours We play that already. So what you're gonna besides that play deep deep That's a fun one deep. All right. Well, let's get into deep right now Make sure you pick up the album if you haven't got it already and congratulations on everything I love the fact that you just happy you just look happy
Starting point is 00:42:46 That's the most important thing, I'm happy that you are in a place of peace Thank you, I'm super happy Well, it's Kalani ladies and gentlemen. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning Wake that ass up early in the morning The Breakfast Club People my people what's up? This is Questlove. Man, I cannot believe we're already wrapping up another season of Quaslove Supreme. Man, we've got some amazing guests lined up to close out the season, but you know, I don't want any of you guys to miss all the incredible
Starting point is 00:43:19 conversations we've had so far. I mean, we talked to A. Marie, Johnny Marr, E, Jonathan Schechter, Billy Porter, and so many more. Look, if you haven't heard these episodes yet, hey, now's your chance. You gotta check them out. Listen to Questlove Supreme on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. [♪ music playing, wind blowing, beat playing, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops down, beat drops everyone, it's John, also known as Dr. John Paul. And I'm Jordan or Joe Ho.
Starting point is 00:43:55 And we are the Black Fat Film Podcast. A podcast where all the intersections of identity are celebrated. Ooh, chat, this year we have had some of our favorite people on, including Kid Fury, T.S. Madison, Amber Ruffin from the Amber and Lacey Show, Angela Carrasque, and more. Make sure you listen to the Black Fat Fam podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or whatever you get your podcast, girl. Ooh, I know that's right. Hi, this is Ruthie Rogers, host of our podcast, Ruthie's Table Four.
Starting point is 00:44:27 There are many luxuries in life, but I have to say that going to see Ian McKellen was one of the great days of my life. It's a joke that actors in the old days of not being paid enough money or getting enough to eat would say, we're doing Chekhov. There's a practical pork pie in the third act. Free, free food. Listen to Ruthie's Table Four on iHeart, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:44:53 See you there. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete.
Starting point is 00:45:05 Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. That's escape from Z-A-Q-istan. Binge the whole season on the iHeartRadio app,
Starting point is 00:45:20 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Dr. Laurie Santos. I'm a psychology professor at Yale. And I started to notice that a lot of my students weren't all that happy. So I created a new class. Welcome everybody to psychology and the good life. It became the biggest class in the history of Yale.
Starting point is 00:45:37 I'm a little bit surprised to see as many of you are here as are here, but that's great. But it's not just my students who need to understand the science of wellbeing. And that's why we launched the Happiness Lab, so you can learn about it too. Are you ready to feel happier? Head to the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or if you like to listen.
Starting point is 00:45:55 Brought to you by the 2024 Subaru Share the Love event, now through January 2nd.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.