The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: 112, Case & Total On The 90s R&B Generation, Biggie's Magic In Studio, Cool Vulnerability + More

Episode Date: October 27, 2025

Today on The Breakfast Club, 112, Case & Total On The 90s R&B Generation, Biggie's Magic In Studio, Cool Vulnerability. Listen For More!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's DJ NV. Jess O'Larious. Shalamey and the guy. We are the breakfast club. Longrose is here as well. We got some special guests in the building. Come on now. We have 112.

We have total. And we have Case. Welcome. Welcome, welcome, welcome. How are you doing? Great. This is not a random link up. Y'all going on tour together.

Yes. This is the beautiful thing. The 112. room 112 30th anniversary tour we're so excited brought our brother case and our sisters total with us so you know time have a good time man first uh first show is when november 5th yeah november 12 yeah november 12th stanford connecticut brooklyn is november 13 so there's a members missing so are the members

going to be on tour or this is the tour okay this is the tour okay yeah nice yeah my other members is coming You by yourself. What made now the right time for all of y'all to come together for this tour? Oh, that's a great question, bro. Honestly, man, it just felt right. It being 30 years, you know, us being in the game.

So it just makes sense for us to just get out there and just show the fans that we really appreciate what they've been doing, you know, been rocking out with us for the last 30 years, man. So, you know, we're really excited about it, man. Like, we're managed total in 112, but managed by the same, you know, crew. Of course, that was an easy, you know, decision to make with that.

And then, in case, you know, being, you know, the bro. Yeah, that's the bro. You know what I mean? And all of us having that catalog is definitely, we wanted to bring back that 90 nostalgia. You feel what I? And all y'all can still sing. Thank you. Thank you.

That's, you know, not everybody doing it, but y'all can still sing. That's important. That's good. Yes, ma'am. So, were you guys on the road already on tour before, or you had to break from family obligations and be like, I'm going to take some time out and get on tour? We, Keisha and I were on. We just started back a year ago.

We came back out. We did the Queens of R&B tour. Prior to that, yeah, we were home. We came out for my family. How difficult was that getting back on the road, getting back on dancing, getting back on singing? How difficult was that? It really wasn't.

It really wasn't difficult. It's like, you know, like riding the bike, once you did it, you done it. So it was just, you know, my kids are older. Kisha still has a high school child. But so it wasn't hard at all. They're very supportive. You know, they actually was like, go.

do it like bye get up the house mom get out of here yeah yeah rehearsals was dope we had to you know work it out a little bit but like Kima said it's like riding a bike once you get started like you know and our vibe is very authentic so it's you know

just show up and be authentic but people want the dances from the old videos like you got to do if you ain't hitting them them dancing they're going to mimic it we have dances and we got our box how did y'all find that balance back in the day between between being like sexy but strong but still screet with it like how did y'all find that balance

it was just natural like that's just who we are at grown up jersey like how we went yeah and that's what made us to me that's what made us who we were total the name started out as total opposites because we were all

individuals in our own way you know so it was it wasn't like you had to buy the brand we came as we were the brand yeah yeah yeah how was the business how was the bad boy era back then growing up right because it was a time 90s 2000 it was nothing but bad boy in radio nothing but bad boy on the streets mixtapes the clubs how was that era where just it felt

like anything y'all did hit it was a beautiful thing it was fun it was yeah that's what we learned a lot of our grind from that whole era just grinding just out there it was a beautiful thing like it was just fun. It was just like a big old party. Yep. Yeah, that tunnel that shit. That was crazy right. Us coming from Atlanta, you know what I'm saying? Like, it was a different, it was like a different culture, so, you know, you can't

imagine how that felt. He's coming, I know he's from the south side of Atlanta, you know what I'm saying? So, you're coming to New York. Culture's shot. The culture was a shock, you know, so you know, but it was so much fun because it was just like, okay, clubs smaller, but you know what I mean? But it was like in your face. So, you know what I'm saying? But we, but we learned a lot

musically here what about for you case now you weren't on bad boy you were on deaf jam you were a songwriter you had you have the I always say you have that one wedding song that you will get paid for the rest of your life

happily ever after yeah yeah let's hope so how was it coming up for you during that time because at that time you were deaf jam deaf jam was heavy hip hop and you was probably one of the only R&B singers at the time

I mean it was it was cool for me except for the only problem what they was learning on the fly, how to do R&B. And so I get caught up in that some time. But yeah, I mean, you know how big they was then. So that part was cool. It was just a lot of times they had a lot of hip-hop sensibilities because it's hip-hop label.

But one of the things that helped me was that I was the last artist that Russell personally signed a deaf jam. So I could always call him and be like, yo, I can snitch. Did you know their records was going to be so timeless, like touch me, tease me, happily ever ever? I didn't know, but that's what I always wanted to do. Like, I never wanted to do. to make like trendy stuff.

I always wanted to make music, like my parents would listen to stuff from like 20, 30 years earlier, and it had me doing it. And so my thing was like, if I could do that, then I'd be happy and then everything else would fall in line. You worked with Mary J., Beyonce, Foxy Brown.

Usher. Usher. Who else? There's a bunch of people, L.L. Ghostface. Genuine, Tyrese. Genuine, Tyrese. Genuine, Tyree, Jam & Lewis.

What's a session that changed the way you saw yourself as an artist? probably Jammin Lewis because I was a huge fan and I'm like, I'm sitting in the room with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and I'm like, and they was like well, yeah, Janet, we're gonna have Janet come

she loves you and I'm like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, try to call her, yeah, yeah, we don't need to do that. I was just saying I love her, don't have a walk in here because that'd have been different. But it was really that one because I'm like sitting there, I've been listening to him forever. And I'm like, Dag, I'm sitting here another one was the first time

I worked with Charlie Wilson I wrote a song for him and I was a huge fan and I'm sitting in the booth behind him on the floor while he's doing his vocals and I'm tripping out like this is really happening

so it was a lot of different moments I felt like Def Jam didn't treat you like a regular artist right with Total and 112 I would see them out in the club like Bad Boy would have him out and Def Jam artists Def Jam would have them out

I didn't see you Def Jam put you out as much like that was it because you didn't want to go They probably didn't know what to do with him because he was R&B. I think a lot of it, yeah, first of all, I hate going out. Okay. So if I didn't have to be there, that's why you always be like, y'all ain't hearing a lot of stuff about you, because I know how to, yeah.

I'd be over here. So, I mean, I wasn't really big on going out, or when I did, it'd be, I'd be somewhere else, unless I had to be, you know, somewhere with them. Gotcha. Did you guys, well, Mike, I saw you say that you feel like, you know, you guys' first album, Without that, you don't think that R&B would be as prevalent or as worldwide as it is right now? Oh, Mike.

Oh, okay, okay. So, yeah, because we felt like we contributed a lot more. Quintuil, you know, we walk around with modesty on our shoulders and stuff, and I know that's, you know, hubris to say that while you're talking about modesty, right? But, yeah, we always walked around with this mindset that, man, we'll let our actions speak for themselves. But we would always challenge people like, Because our niche in the industry was hip hop and R&B.

We weren't just hip-hop artists. I mean, R&B artists. We were hip-hop and R&B artists. So, yeah, the mind frame was we started that whole trend. It's like the way music sounds now, 112 had a lot to do with that because no one can really give us a group that did it the way that we did it before 112. Like as far as singing over hip-hop beats and stuff like that.

Like you are challenged them, find me a group that did it. Because back in the day, what you had, and you had the B side, right? And then on the B side, so the records, right? They had the records. You had the uptempo records where they were singing, but they were always all that singing over uptempo beats and stuff. It was like, it was confusing.

One thing that Puff told us was like, when you're in the club, when you're recording a record, right, sing the song as if you're in the club drinking and you're trying to hollet a girl. You ain't going to be in this girl talking about, you're going to, girl, I want to be with you. no one else you know what i mean it's gonna be something smooth and so when we wrote records when we wrote the uptumbo records and then slim having the voice being able to just lay on the tracks

the way that we did like that started a whole everywhere people now like when you hear r and b it has a hip-hop element to it as well it's not just r&b it's a hip-hop element but isn't that the bad boy formula though wasn't that did he like i feel like did he did that like with jodice i feel like he did that with mary j oblige i feel like he did that with total i'll give you that i'll give you Mary J. Belize because, yeah, she helped, because we always say that it's between Mary and 112, but 112, really. And then, yeah, Puff did,

you know, he did contribute it because we came in and we're just, man, we R&B, we aren't beat, bro. Like, forget all this stuff, man, like, hip hop, that's going to cheap our sound and all this stuff. And he's had the vision. It was like, yo, this is what's going to separate y'all from the Drew Hills, from the Jaggits, from the, you know, the adjets and all these other groups that were

coming out at the same time. And you know what? That didn't make perfect sense, right? It's that all I would love a nigga to come up to me in a class and let me tell you what you want to do like you're just straight up straight up you got my attention right what you want to do you know what I'm saying

exactly that's exactly what it was yeah because nine times out of ten ain't gonna be able to sing so he's like bro all that in my ear like I don't want to hear all that

you know what you know what? You all agree with Mike's assessment not to start any arguments here but Case do you agree with that? Yeah I mean it was part of it I mean during that area that's when hip hop and R&B was coming together

so pretty much And I feel like Bad Boy was at the forefront of it. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, because Total was hip hop with that touch of R&B. Your R&B group, but I think we were more based hip hop with the touch of R&B. And Mary definitely was the pioneer of that sound. In total, you guys are some of the, I'm sorry, go ahead. Shout to Kit Capri.

No, no, no, I was just going to say when Puff did the remixes with Jodacy. Because Jodicy was just the R&B, and then he brought the hip-hop element to him. Yeah, ghost facing Rayquan on the freaking new remix, you know? Like, I can't even, I don't want to hear it. can't you see without Biggie Pott? Like I hated when some of the urban AC stations back in the day didn't play rap, they would just play the R&B. Oh, I hated that.

Right. They would do that. You guys don't like Bakeshart. I mean. Yeah, touch the TV. Yeah. That's so facts. That's so fast.

Right. Really? Right. Yes, because they didn't want. A lot of urban Atsis didn't play the rap. That's true. Yeah, you got played a record. Wow.

So how did y'all sign to Puff? When did y'all meet Puff and Puff was like, this is the group that I want. How did that story? Because you, it's the first time you guys up there. Puffy through, we met these guys that introduced us to Kathy. Kathy was from Mount Vernon. Kathy Dukes.

Kathy Dukes. She's how we met Puff. Puff is what's her son's, what is her son's godfather. Okay. He's the little baby, the little first bad boy baby. Oh, put him my clothes. Yep. So that's how we met him.

Right. Can I bring them in? And so Kathy one day, when we were introduced to Kathy, Kathy was like, I would love to represent y'all, manage y'all. So we were riding, ride, and Kathy was like, y'all got to always be ready, always be ready. So she pulls up, she goes upstairs, she's like, I'll be right back. She comes downstairs, and she was like, okay, I need y'all to make up a song and put Puffie's name it. At the time, Puffy's Puffy. He's actually in the studio with Jodacy doing the remix.

So he comes downstairs He introduces himself And then we just start singing But we're performing We're like Had him all backed up against the wall In elevator He was looking at us like

He had his mouth open He was like How old are you? He asked our ages Came upstairs We watched him You know direct Jodacy And then he asked us

How well did we get along in the studio Like if we had an argument Did we get back in the studio And we were like Yeah So he was like okay So he was like, yo, y'all, y'all sound really good. He was like, yo, I just encourage y'all to keep doing what y'all doing.

You know, don't let nobody break y'all up. Two o'clock that morning, he called Kathy. He was like, don't take them nowhere. I want to sign them. What was the first song that y'all did? What was the first song y'all did? Well, we recorded songs that never went anywhere because we were just trying to find our sound, but can't you see? No, juicy.

Juicy, with Biggie. Juicy was the first record y'all did. Yeah. And how was working with Biggie? Amazing. You got to break it down both songs The Juicy and the Can't You See The story behind

How we wind up recording Juicy It's like Big was like our little big brother Like we were close with Big So we would Frequently be in New York Hanging out in the studio with him So he called this one day He was like come to the city

He was in the studio So we went to the studio And he was playing Juicy Kisha started humming something Biggie was like Y'all should go in there And put that down So he just gave us some words

Or whatever And we went in there And we put it down and Puff had us come back the next day and do the One More Chance song. So that's how it started. Why didn't you never say Feature in Total? I never knew that. Well, because it was.

Or Juicy. I never knew that. There's an original One More Chance. The one on the album is different from the one favorite. The hip-lop version with the voicemail in the front. Yeah. We need to work on that. It says it now when you Google it,

but I assume that it wasn't necessary supposed to be in a feature for Biggie. Because it was his first single and stuff like that. So I don't think You know, we were new I don't think It was something that just happened Like we was in the studio And we got in trouble

Because our manager was like Don't do that no more But I just think they Didn't plan for it to be Biggie's first album To have a feature on it Did y'all get writing credits for it? No, because Big wrote it

Right I mean I don't know y'all I didn't know y'all And we know those records verbatim The One More Chance Dirty version Is like one of my favorite records Ever

Wow And can't you see? How did can't you see come together? We just came to the studio and the track was playing. And we were like, oh, snap. And then Terry Robinson. What was the group that Terry was? The girls.

Thank you. She's so incredible as far as songwriting. And she came. She was like, this is what it is. Okay. Verse. I like that verse. She liked that verse.

Like that verse. We went recorded it. Nice. And it was what it was. Was Big already on it? Or no? No, Big wasn't on it ever. He was in, he was in the studio.

And then he came in and laid it down. Yeah. It's crazy. Wow. That's crazy. Yeah. I was going to ask, when you said we got to work on it, you can go back and make sure that you guys are credited on the song now, even though, like, it's been listed certain ways, certain, like, how would that work?

Because I think, I think Pam was able to do that with hypnotized, yeah. And then we get our sound. We get performance royalties for it Like our sound exchange and stuff like that And it has gotten updated We had it updated on the internet So now if you look it up It does say feature in total

But it just didn't go out like that Yeah A lot of people never knew it I know but if y'all told them How come y'all can't You know you can't tell them I just I just never like realized that it didn't say Featuring

Right Yeah Oh your voice is definitely y'all know y'all know everybody did y'all enjoy the moment of the 90s because when I look at y'all it's like y'all are like

mythical figures to me right like you know what I'm saying because y'all defined not just a genre but like y'all would have soundtracked a lot of our lives did you all really enjoy the moment yes oh yeah

we had a lot we have fun yes sir when they said a bad boy was in the building road it was just it was a different I mean we were on a high I mean, you couldn't ask for a better label, you know, in a place to be.

And especially, like, aspiring artists when this is something that you dream of doing to land on bad boy. And I do, we remember the time clearly when Bad Boy was everywhere. Right. It was nothing to just walk in a club or walk anywhere and just get that love, admiration, and respect. Like, it was great. We wear in black leather. They, in the world wearing black leather. You know, we went, you know, the headbands, everybody's doing headband.

Like, we were, it was, it was deepening the music. Yeah. I mean, it was, like you said, family, you know, like, it was, it was a movement. And we loved each other. Yeah. Yeah. And we still do.

We still do. We still do. We still do. We still do. We still do. A lot of ways, the, the, how the record got together. Like, um, like, we tell the story of how we, we, we, we were on big. Like, if you look at, listen to life after death, right?

112 is all, like, like, big, he shouts us out throughout that whole album. That's because we were in the studio with him. So Daddy's house had the Neve, the SSL, and the pre-production room, right? So 12 is in the pre-production room. Junior Mafia Big is all in the Neve room. C's come out and says, yo, Big on a hollet, y'all. So we go in there from here up, weed smoke, right? So we can't see when nobody's in the shit.

So we feel the around. So Big is just sitting there, right? And we use the word genius. We throw the word genius out a lot, but this is true definition of genius, right? So we walking in Big CSC say You know what up And that's it

He says nothing else Right So everybody else Junior Mafia They're moving around Everybody's laughing Everybody's smoking Having a good time

Everybody's drinking You know 12 We baked out of our minds Because we don't smoke You know Oh y'all ain't smoked So we bake right So around two

Three hours later Big's like yo I'm ready And the engineer's like Ready for what So he dude gets up Going to the booth And does I got a story to tell

Wow My 112 CD Blas Because we were in the room with him. So he's listening to everybody's story. He's listening to Junior Mafia tell that story, 112, tell that story. And then he goes in that, doesn't write anything down. Now, that's what the genius is, like, we saw

that firsthand, like, this dude never wrote anything. Him and Faith. Faith, like, Faith doesn't write anything down either. Like, so... Faith don't write that down. Faith don't write anything down. Jesus. Yeah, Faith don't write anything down. We watched her do, you abandon me. Love Don't live. We were at, what's

the other studio, bro? I forget what is. Hit Factory. Yeah, she was a hit factory doing that record with Mary J. Blatt, and she just went in there and just did that whole thing without no, like, yo, where the paper? She don't need no paper, a marker, nothing like?

Just singing from life. That's crazy. Being in faith, the only two I've ever seen. I got a story to tell just straight came to him. He went after just hearing everybody's story. He's watching everybody tell their story, like and he just created. I was like, Kaiser Sose. Yeah.

Like, damn. So say, perfect, bro. He kinds of They're supposed to say the hell out of that record. He said him and Jay Z, the only people that do that. Oh, yeah, and TIP do that too? Yeah, Tip don't write that thing down there. Wow. That is a gift for sure.

Back in the day, it's like R&B used to celebrate, like, love and heartbreak, but now, like, it feels transactional. Yeah. Right. What do you all think made vulnerability cool back then? Well, you know, I just think that it was a time, it was just a time period where, you know, where everything was going on in the world.

we use music as our getaway it was our medicine you know what I'm saying anybody remember the 90s when we came to the club when we came anywhere everybody came to party to dance you know what I'm saying you know now you go into places

I don't know how it is too much here in New York as much but I know in Atlanta everybody's staring at each other it's everywhere now they're on the phone you know and it's like it's a different type of feel so you know

unless it's homecoming if it's home coming and alumni, that's true. But regular clubs is... But even when you say that, you know, the Illuminide, it's us and they're cranking it up. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, yeah. Back then, R&B was kind of, it was

more hyperbolic, you know what I mean? It was you know good damn well, we're not climbing no highest mountain, swimming, no deeper sea, but we gave you the impression. We're not doing all of that, but we gave you the impression we sung it and made you believe that was possible, anything was possible. And nowadays, man, it's just, it's different.

The music is too. And we came from good music, from my parents. Exactly. That's what I was about to say, too. I think the other thing that did it was hip-hop became more hyperbolic. Definitely a good word for that. But when it merged with R&B so much, it became not cool to have feelings. But I guess that's how people felt.

And then the strip club culture got involved when it's so everything is that. And I always say that, like, where everything that's going on in the world and people's lives, you've got to be able to sing about something more than threesome's in the strip club. There's something else going on, you know what I'm saying? And nobody really does that. Well, I'm going to say nobody. But a lot of the music doesn't have that no way. They don't have the feelings.

They don't have the vulnerability, like you said. It's all trying to be rappers. Basically. All the sing is trying to be rappers. And a lot of that is technology. But it's so crazy because even the rappers back then, most of the rappers back then, we loved them because they were vulnerable. You love pot because he was vulnerable.

You love Pock because he was vulnerable. The Kanye, because he was vulnerable. Yeah. And it's like now, you can't be vulnerable here. You were so vulnerable at the end of, I think it's missing you. You said, I can't sing no more. I was fighting for my... In the new podcast, Hell in Heaven.

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Well, wait a minute, Sophia. How do you know she's a cult leader? Well, Dakota, luckily it's I'm not afraid of a scary story week on the OK Storytime podcast, so you'll find out soon. This person writes, my neighbor's been blasting music every day and doing dirt rituals, and now my ceiling is collapsing. I try to report them, but things keep getting weirder. I think they may be part of a cult. Hold up, Sophia, a real-life cult? And what is a dirt ritual? No clue. But according to this person, contractors are tearing down the patio to find out what's going on with their ceiling, and her neighbors are not happy. Well, she needs to report them asap.

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with Cal Penn on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A life. I was fighting for my life. I always won't be able to walk around singing that song and I was all day. Listen, so when you said I can't sing the moment, you really couldn't or you just hurt? No, I was sick. You were sick. Yeah.

And when I got there, what happened was I went to L.A. on Monday to do missing you. We supposed to do it on Tuesday. I don't know what happened. My voice went out. So I spent all day Tuesday, Wednesday trying to get it back. And Thursday, it came back. So what did I do? I went hanging out with Jai.

And so, right, I went to the club, John Rule. And then that night, we did living it up. Then it left again the next day, because I was out all night. So it got to Friday. It was like, if we don't do it today, we can't do it. So I went in there, I was drinking stuff all day, wouldn't come back, got to his studio. It was like, he can't sing or talk? So he's like, can you try it?

I'm like, so I went there once. He said, can you do it one more time? And I got to the end, and I felt it going. And I'm like, and then I said, I can't sing nobody. I want to say it. So I sang it. I'm like, I'm knocking on the glass and have to go out. Let me have to.

Let me have a relationship. Man, you were trying to get out of the booty too. Well, I was letting know that that was it. That was it. That's why I didn't sing nothing else. And I came out and tapped him on the shoulder. I'm like, and that was done. I just literally thought you missed us so much that you can.

Well, I missed that too. But now, it's fighting for my life. And then what crazy thing about that, I got nominated for Grammys for Hemp's and Tom. song. But yeah, that's the craziest part that I nominate for Grammys for both them songs. Amazing. Which was crazy.

Man. But yeah, I was fighting that night. Yeah. How do y'all balance egos, you know, when you're dealing with three legendary acts who all had their individual moments, you know? Gratitude. It's a respect level. Yeah.

You know what I mean? It's like, because I'm actually fans. Yeah. We're actually fans I love that And I know it sounds cliche or whatever But it's the truth And you know

We so often we don't tell the truth You know We get in this type of form or whatever But we are genuinely Like total was our first pick To be on this room 112 tour Case was our first pick to be on this Because his catalog

We just spoke about His catalog, ridiculous Total, ridiculous 112, ridiculous And we wanted to bring back That 90s nostalgia You know And just bring back that whole era

of I knew where I was when I heard only you for the first time. You know, I knew where I was when I heard Cupid, when I heard I'm missing you or when I heard, can't you see for the first time? Like, I remember where I was when I heard these words. Not what I was to be where I was at when I was doing. Exactly. You know what I think?

I think that ego is healthy on a tour, especially like this, because you have to, if you use it the right way. Like for me, it's like, okay, I'm going to try to kill everybody. And they're going to feel the same way. And then the fans are the one that win. As opposed to people who just go up there Don't care We know, like I just got to check

We come from that Yeah, you got it That's what I said, you got it We come from that can we go through our tour And we're like, yo, yo, you know, Total, 112 just killed y'all What? And that's how you got to do it.

That's how you got to do it. That's how you used to threaten us all the time Friendly conversation on. And that's the best Because all the people that win is the fans. Was there ever a low time for y'all? Because I feel like My daughter's 24

and she loves 90s music more than anything Right, it's probably because dad plays it in the house, mom and dad plays it in the house. But I just, I feel like was there a low time? And then I feel like 90s just came back and it's stronger than even this year, like this decade's music.

Was there ever a low time for y'all? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It definitely was. I think for us, the resurgence of the 90s, you know, was something that was what we appreciated more than anything. And that happened about what maybe almost like six, seven years ago.

Yeah, it was like what the pandemic. Yeah, around that area. You didn't know when, you didn't know what the state of music and how the industry and how we were going to perform what's going to be. Remember everybody started experimenting with the whole, you know, taping, you know, and then video, it was just, yeah, I thought we were going to just, it's going to be that, you know.

So, so much gratitude now to, you know what I mean, see it for where it is. And we feel like it's a blessing that of all the errors they chose to pick, they picked the 90s. Right. You know what I'm saying? So thank you. You know, I would want to go back.

Just I really want to experience it in New York. Like, oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. You would have, you laughed at me. That was crazy. I said that one time, you laughed at me. Go back in time.

I just feel like the time that you guys were like, like the top. It was such a good time here. It doesn't seem real. Like when we hear the stories or like, yeah, like, you can't sit here and listen to y'all talk about just walking in the studio, Biggie's just there. And like, you know, I can't imagine. I know. young and just being like on top yeah like in that time but you're working so hard that you

don't even realize it you know like you don't even realize where it took us to step away from it you know and okay we can use it as our downtime you know and say that that was a time for us to go back and look at it and say man we we did more than just seen you know we contributed to a culture like we are part of history you know defined the culture yeah so it's so it was amazing It's looking at it now, being older, like you're looking at it now, because my kids now, they're going back and they Googling,

like, Dad, y'all did pieces and the cream? Oh, that's the video, bro, that's me. That's you, dad. You didn't already talk about. My kid, no, because I don't go around. I don't go around. Hey, look at Mike for once in a time. You know, I don't, I don't do that.

You know, like, yeah, they just, they grew up as normal as I, I hoped I could because I could teach them to be because it's such a mental, you know, strange. the industry takes like it gives but it also takes you know one of the things is you know the lack of you know the mental of health that comes along

you know what I'm saying with that because you're inundated with all of this you know you have to be perfect every time you see you're out your face has always got to be right your clothes got to always be right oh man they don't fell off bro like I just came from the gym you know what I think the camera messed that up

the camera messed it up because when like The reason I asked him if he was out, is I would see everybody out, right? I was a kid growing up. So I would go to Grand Tum and see y'all on 125th Street. I would go to the tunnel and see y'all in the tunnel and different things. And there was no VIP area. No, it was. We were all together.

That's what it was. And it gave you a connection with the artist. But there was no phone. So it was no, I'm taking a picture. Right. It was no. The only thing that you would possibly do if you want, and nobody wanted to look corny, but you might ask for an autograph.

But nobody wanted to come in the club and do that. So it gave you a, you enjoyed the moment. And I feel like people are not enjoying the moment now. Disengage, disconnected. To the mic. I hate when you come out on stage and everybody got a phone, I'm like, it's happening right here in front of you. And then for me anyway, I don't think that,

because I think part of when you perform, it's how it sounds, it's how it looks, but it's the energy in the room. And you can never, if you go back and watch that, you're not going to get that energy. The energy is right there in front of you. Like, for me, I would maybe take a picture, a quick video, then I would put my phone down.

I went to see Stevie Wonder. I ain't even take a picture. I sat there because there's an energy that goes with it and I think a lot of people miss that because you like this and I'm like

yo it's right in front of you if you put the phone down it's happening right there exactly because when you record you got to watch the phone to see if you got the right angle

and then they're singing off key yeah so I'm like am I messing up when I see the videos I'm like no that's her saying I'm like hold up

there ain't no way I just did that yeah I did that with a Beyonce's tour and I'm like I've never went live ever went live ever went live

on Instagram and I wasn't expecting this. Beyonce came out and she just started speaking. I'm on live. I'm like, I'm on live, y'all, this is B. And she started speaking and I started crying. I was not expecting. I was like, okay, guys, I got to go. Literally, I might have been filming for like 10 seconds.

You've got to be in the moment because it's an experience. You know what I mean? Watching it back is not the same. No, it's not. Kim, I wanted to ask you, Kim, what was your household like growing up? Because I got four daughters and, you know, a couple of them expressed wanting to be in the arts.

You and your sister, Vita, y'all actually made it happen. Was it your parents pushing y'all to both be in the industry or what was it? No. God's plan. Vita was always a lot more outgoing to me, so it wasn't surprising for me that she got into it. No, like, my mama had us in church. You know, my mom was a struggle for her. So, like, I know for me all I wanted to do was just.

be successful. I wind up singing we sung in the choir and stuff like that, but I wound up being in a group and entertaining the industry through Keisha when we became friends. She heard me sing, but it was just something that we just always did. My mom sung back up for Aretha Franklin.

Grew up in that era, but it was pretty normal at home. I really, honestly, didn't have time to dream because I was so busy trying to figure out, okay, how I'm going to help my mom? Like, I needed to work. you know, that was my plan

as soon as I was old enough, so nope, she didn't push us. She supported us, like she was our number one fan, but she didn't push us to be into it, being an injury. What did she go to rap? Missy Elliott. Missy told Vita she had a rap voice

and Vita ain't stopped rapping. This is great. So this is when y'all did, what about us, or was it around this time? Well, yeah, like Missy. We had met Missy before she started writing, what about us and stuff. Because like you said, everybody kind of hung

around each other. So Missy, we became close. Missy and I was really close at one time and she was out my house at Jersey and her and her, Vita, talk, and she told Vita, you should rap. Vita started rapping. Wow. That's where I got a story for that too. So Missy used to hang out at Daddy's house all the time.

Yeah. And so she was like, yo, Puff, I want to get on this record. So we wrote a record for Gina Thompson. So we wrote that, right? Missy came in and she was like, yo, I need to get on this Joan. I need to get on it. And then that's the first time you heard her do the

he-h-h-ha-h-h-ha-h-h-ha-ha. That was the first time that, yo, she was in sister. She was in the girl group, sister at that point. But she had came up, but she was like, yo, I need to get on one of these records. Need to get on this record 112.

I'm right. So she was just, all the time, she was just in Daddy's house, man. And that was the energy that was around Bad Boy. It's like, we were just all in each other's studio. Like, hey, Keith, hey, Mike, come in here and sing this real quick. All right, Faith, you know,

come in and seen this record. Like a lot of times, it wasn't, you know, just, it was by design. It was really just being in the room at the right place at the right time, you know, and just making it happen. Because Faith wrote the song that got me signed a death show. Wow. Wow. Who was something was it? That's crazy. It was a song called Don't Be Afraid. And Misa, who was managing me at the time, got Faith to write it. Um, which is a hilarious story for that, though. We had a, me and my homeboy, KB, shout out to Murray. We went to, um, you know, you had to get the actual CD so we had a rental car we drive to Brooklyn to meet Faith to at their crib

she plays it for me I take the CD Big comes in he don't know us it's 90 94 so he like she's like yeah this case he's an artist blah blah blah he's looking so we leave we go outside the rental car won't start

they leave and come back we still sitting there because we're trying to call somebody to come we sitting outside the crib for like maybe three and a half hours I'm like we look suspect as hell we sitting there I'm like yo if I was them I start shooting I hope they don't

so we sitting there finally we leave and then when we had um it was a radio station that I was hosting I was coming out big was coming in and we laughed about it but he remembered that I'm like yo this looks crazy the car and I'm like yeah we're sitting across from his crib now it's dark and it's just two strangers

that was just in the crib I'm like yeah this is crazy wasn't no Uber back then it wasn't no triple it was barely cell phone. We were going to the pay page and there was barely no cell phone. This was in 94. That's crazy. Oh, that's crazy.

So I got asked. Not. Their Omar Epps write a lot for total? I heard he used to write a lot for total. No, that's not true. That's not true. That's not true. But I, yes, I just posted the other day. He and I wrote, tell me what you want. Really? I mean, I said tell me what you want. Tell me. So that's when Omar and I were just

friends and he would drive out to Jersey and we would just listen to music. Freestyle the music. I played him. I was like, this is a song that they attracted. They just gave us. We just started freestyleing. Took it the puff. He was like, yo, this is crazy. We played it. Faith came in. Faith pinned some more. That's how it made the album. Most people don't know Omar was a rapper, a dope. A dope. A dope. Yes. A dancer and then a rapper. A dancer. Yeah. A dancer. Yeah. A dancer. A dancer. Yeah. Omar can sing. So you heard of Vision? Yeah, they were, I think, I want to say Def Jam. Really?

Yeah, they were, like, signed to Def Jam. Manavision? Man of vision, right? Damn. Just vision? Man of vision, man of vision. Man of vision. Thank you.

With Spanke. Yes, yes, thank you. But I remember, yeah, Spank it, yeah. Yeah. But I remember Omar being in there. Oh, he was in it before they got signed? Oh, okay. I never knew.

Yeah, that's crazy. Man of many town. Man of Minetown. Right, right. That's crazy. I want to ask Keisha and Kima, back in the day, what made y'all decide to go up to the radio station and press Wendy Williams?

Like, what did she say to y'all that caused y'all? You know, we got to go see her. Were you there? No, hell no. Way before my time. Way before my time. Okay. That was the 90s, right?

Yeah. Yeah. She's like later. Were you there? Were you looking out the window? Well, you don't know what runs in the window. She just, you know, And she was playing with our money.

She just was disrespectful. Yeah. And we had already sent a warning. Yeah. And then she just kept saying like first Wendy was just like, oh, y'all can't sing. And then we came up. We came up to the radio station. We sang.

She was like, oh, we sang a cappella. She was like, oh, y'all can sing. And it was that. It was just like, oh, they're a jersey. And I hear that they can't pay rent and they can't pay their rent and stuff. And we were like, you know what? Enough is enough. Because at that time, that's all she was doing.

It's like, listen, you know, when we get these. opportunities as black artists we got to uplift them and talk more about the positivity that they do, right? Instead of you give a moment a blitz of something that they did positive and then something that happened negative, you're playing that all day.

So we were just like, enough is enough. Kimo was like, can we go up there? Period. Period. Because I didn't, you know, I know politically we would have been in trouble if we just went up there. So we asked permission. And he didn't say no. I'm tired. He was like, go That's right

It was like Wendy What is that that you had to say And she was like, no, no, no, talk that stuff right now And then her husband at the time, security He had said something to our security like, Come on man, come on And she ran to the car, she got in the car And stuck her middle finger out of the sunroo

And then we never heard no more from her No, she just tells the story You said y'all sent her a warning Was y'all the one that sent to fish? No What fish? I don't really want you to do death jam. Oh, the boss sent, oh wow. Boss sent that dead fish in the mail. Yeah, somebody

sent that dead fish in the mail. Yeah, he said that she said that dead fish. I was boss in that. God's, rest of peace to Boston. I was on death jail. It happened around that time. And it happened around the time when I just signed and I just met her. Shout out to her too. She passed a few years ago. But yeah, I didn't even know about that. Wendy used to, I can't say nothing about Wendy because she would find out stuff about me, but she would call me and be like, look, this was, I'm hearing. And she would send me the faxes. I don't know why she looked out for me.

I'm glad she did because somebody was dead on. Nah, I hope not a crush on me. But the reason I missed that air, though, is because y'all was able to pull up on people. Nowadays, people just be in their basement behind the computers, talking crazy, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, that's the worst. Internet, though.

The keyboard bullies. Yeah. Let got to go, guys. damn all right they said they got to leave it was just getting started I know damn all right

real quick my name all right I would two questions two more questions did y'all like Tiana Taylor

um how you want it right because she sampled tell me yeah yeah I love that

I love that I love that I love that yes we do love Tiana okay perfect and King

Combs was on it as well but yeah I thought that was that was a bob that took me back you know what I'm saying And like to y'all, so I thought that was dope. Yeah.

Stay tuned. You might be saying something with that. Okay. All right. A little time, time. I love some time. You know, that's what I have. Now, Kay's, man.

Yes, man. Yo, the best man I can be. Now, with all those egos, you got Jen. Mm-hmm. Tyrese, R.O. and yourself. Mm-hmm. How did that studio session go? I felt like...

It was cool, but I'm going to tell you, it probably would have not been as cool, but it's Jimmy, Jamie, Jamie, and Terry Lewis. So, you're going to kind of act right, even if you don't. one too. Okay. So it's them. Did y'all record at once? Like, yeah, we all flew in and recorded the same time. Yo. I was the last one I got there because my flight got delayed away, but yeah, we was all there. Actually, I was having a party at Jimmy's, a platinum party that night that I missed.

Yeah. Because I had to go up there and do that. But it was cool because it's Jam and Lewis. Like, you ain't go get in there and I get asked with them. That was the funniest music video I've ever seen. Yeah, I'd be seeing the memes now. Yo, y'all was going in. So who, who did the most? I don't know. I was worried about me. At the middle. I'm talking about in the video shoot. Who do you feel did the most? Always, Tyrese. Now, I might have been Genuine back there.

Genuine was way more. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But who do you think did the most? Tyrese definitely did the most, in my opinion. I think it would be probably out of R.R.R. and Tyrese. Okay. Because I seen a mean reason. He was like, yo, Tyrese threw the hat in what's his face.

I'm like, yo, I never noticed that. I think that was an accent. I think he was throwing it and he walked. I don't know. I was high. Yeah, I was high. And I'm looking at them I'm like, yeah, I'm not doing all that

I'm going to hit the blood again I'm like I'm not doing all this with my glasses That's one of my favorite songs But I just always wanted to ask one of y'all Who did the most? Because the most was done Yeah, it was fun though Yeah, yeah, yeah

Now that wasn't no Jammin Lewis there So I already knew that I was going to be different From the session Yeah, that was going to be a thing Yeah That's what I wanted to know Yeah When the tour kicks off

What do you want fans To feel when they see all of y'all on stage? That nostalgia man We want how we're talking about the 90s and just bringing back that air. We want with so much BS that's going on in the world today. We want to be what we set out to be, which is a refuge for all that BS, you know, that's going on in the real world. So if we can give you an hour, an hour and a half, three hours of just being able to separate yourself from bills and these badass kids of ours. Feel good.

Just for a little while. Like that's what we're, you know, that's our mission. We want to feel the nostalgia. I want to go back and listen to all the records that because we're in the rehearsal now and total show is amazing. Tough. So it's 112. Crazy.

High energy. I want everybody to have a good time. Just have a good time. They just reminisce. Yeah. Just reminisce. Wow. With the fall down.

That's right. We can't wait. We need to put the phone down. We'll be in Brooklyn. We'll be in Brooklyn. What is it? Kings Theater. King's Theater.

We'll be in Stafford, Connecticut. On the 12th. Got so many questions. I know you've got to go on. We appreciate it. I just got to ask one more. I'm sorry. There no one else beat.

Were y'all confused when y'all first heard that beat? No. No, because there was snares all over that place. Well, we did not know what was going to be put over it. Okay. Because that was Terry, once again, Terry Robinson. It's like, how are you going to write over it is? That's what I said.

And when we heard it, we went crazy. It's one about. favorites. It hits so hard. The remix. If we could just get all of those acts on the stage, one day. We're going to stay hopeful. Yeah. Wow.

It is. Well, that joke's crazy. All right. Well, thank you guys for joining us. One-12. To all. Thank you for having us. Get your tickets for tour. Thank you. Y'all. Get them tickets, y'all. And it's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you. Don't let them down.

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Wait a minute, Sophia. How do you know she's a cult leader? Well, Dakota, luckily it's I'm not afraid of a scary story week on the OK Storytime podcast. So we'll find out soon. This person writes, My neighbor has been blasting music every day and doing dirt rituals. And now my ceiling is collapsing. I try to report them, but things keep getting weirder.

I think they might be part of a cult. Hold up. A real life cult? And what is a dirt ritual? No clue, Dakota. Find out how it ends. listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Kyle McLaughlin. You might know me as that guy from Twin Peaks, sex in the city, or just the internet stand. I have a new podcast called What Are We Even Doing, where I embark on a noble quest to understand the brilliant chaos of youth culture.

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