The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Tems Talks 'BORN IN THE WILD' Album & Tour, Origin Of Afrobeats, Pregnancy Rumors, Favorite Artists

Episode Date: September 10, 2024

The Breakfast Club sits down with Tems to discuss her 'BORN IN THE WILD' album & tour, the origin of Afrobeats, pregnancy rumors with rapper Future. Listen for more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. Jess is on maternity leave. So Lauren is filling in and we got a special guest in the building. Yes, indeed. We have Thames. Welcome. Thank you. Hello. How are you feeling?

Thank you for having me. I'm good. I'm really good. How are you? Don't lie. How's everyone here? You don't have to lie you look a little tired i'm slightly tired i had a show last night and i have it cold you know but i'm feeling good internally so well we have you decided to join us in spite of absolutely thank you thank you how is it headlining your own tour it tour? It's a beautiful experience to be very honest. I'm learning so much,

but I'm just getting more comfortable on stage. It's almost becoming like a muscle memory at this point. And I'm just really glad I have my team with me, my lucky family. And yeah, it's just been really, really good. You just getting comfortable on stage like you got so much stage presence like you seem like you just light up the whole building i mean yeah but i feel like it's being refined every show is better and better and better so

yeah man what was it like for you on stage in the beginning of all of this oh my goodness my first show, my leg was shaking. Like, I used to perform with my leg shaking. When was your first show ever, if you remember? It wasn't my personal show, but my first performance ever. I was in Lagos. I started in Lagos, Nigeria. I was there.

I was mostly there first two years of my career. That was before you found the piece that you cannot buy? Oh, that's the leg shake inspired the piece. The piece is good, bro. I love that record, by the way. How does it feel to create an anthem that, to me, is like a mindfulness anthem? You know, you going through,

if you've ever dealt with anxiety, If you've ever dealt with anxiety, if you've ever dealt with depression, when you get those pockets of peace, I always think of that record when I get those pockets of peace. How does it feel to create something like that? Well, I remember the day I made that song and it was really emotional for me

because that was my release and just to see so many people connect to it and dogs apparently dogs dogs you know like it's like I can't believe it like it's incredible okay explain the dog thing to me I'm lost so um it happened like maybe if you a while very maybe a long time ago. So if you play the beginning, apparently that makes some dogs start howling. It was a thing on social media. Yeah. I don't believe that.

I was like, what? I didn't believe it either. Like literally. It was crazy. Did you try it yourself? Like try to make a dog howl with the song? Like, did you play the song for a dog? Oh, no.

Tim's like, we had a big one. Yeah. Like, did you play the song? No, I need to get a dog. Ugh, I don't have a dog. You want one? What do you want, a boar boar? I don't know.

I don't know, man. I just want one. Like, maybe a cute small one. Maybe a big one. I don't know. Maybe a small one. Maybe a big one. Maybe a small one. Maybe a big one. I'm like the worst at picking.

I'll get them all. When you wrote that record, I don't know if you deal with, you know, depression and anxiety, but, you know, they call it glimmers. So glimmers are like the opposite of triggers. You know how you'll see something that'll trigger you? Like glimmers are things that, you know, bring you joy and peace, you know, in the moment. Did you write that record during a glimmer it was i wrote it so i made the beat first and when i made the beat i was like whoa this beat is crazy this beat is oh my goodness i have something and that inspired me to just like start like freestyling that. And yeah, I guess so.

I guess I had that. It was like an intense, emotional day, you know, of release. Like after I made that song, I think I slept for hours because I had, I just like laid everything on. was on you like what was it nothing came off you good no oh no no no i'm not thinking i came off i'm just brushing my hair you know that that the girl like, she was talking and we came up. Yeah, that's what you were saying. You know, for international artists, you know, a lot of artists want to break into the U.S. market, right? And international artists always talk about how difficult it was.

How difficult was it for you to break in over here i i think i'm not even gonna lie i don't it wasn't it was something that it came from like a burst of i don't know like it just like it was just it just happened so fast i i didn't, I didn't even, before you knew it, like, my songs are playing here. I was, like, incredibly shocked. I can't tell you that I know how that happened. Did you try? Or was one of those things, like, I want to rep home first, and it just crossed over on a song? No, I was just doing me.

And it just, like, you know, of course, essence was a huge part of that. And, yeah, I was just doing me. I didn't really have expectations for what was going to come out of that. I saw in the interview you were talking about the beginning of everything. And you said, like, you just woke up. Like, you dropped the song, you woke up the next day, and people were, like, they knew your name. And, like, they were calling your name.

And, like, it happened fast, right? But when you see moments like John Legend coming out and performing with you and like winnie harlow's popping up at the shows like do you ever have a moment on stage where you're like oh wow like okay like what does that feel like um i to be very honest i have those moments when i see like extreme age gaps in my show um my show the other day i saw like a really old elderly man um what's elderly to y'all they're like 60 something he had long he had long grey white hair and he was

singing my song word for word bar for bar and in that same concert there was a kid that was on her mom's shoulders

and that is what makes me feel like this is insane you know to be able to reach those extremes that's insane to me i think it's the emotion in your music though you know the fact that you know you're so emotional you're so introspective like people connect with that like people feel what's real yeah and you don't seem like the type to front like you know you're here right now like i don't give a i really i don't give a like yeah but it's interesting you know you're just living day by day you're in the moment yeah you

have to to be honest like you only have one life you need to make sure that you're happy. You know? If not, you're just going to be miserable and famous. The success... There's a lot of miserable and famous people out here. Have you met a few of them since you, you know, popped off? I don't know if I met... You never know, that's the thing. You never know. It's only when something happens publicly that you now realize,

I don't know this person was going through this. But you don't know. A lot of people are going through so many things, you have no clue until it comes out. How do you avoid being miserable in famous times? Like you, personally. How I avoid that? I curate my environment.

I love that. I love that. Yeah, I curate my environment. Oh, I love that. Love that. Yeah, I curate it like a playlist. People that come around me, I have a certain energy that I know is true, that I like. And so having the right people around me that are not afraid to tell me off or you know be upset with me or tell me no you know or argue with me and you know um and i always just try and like

find little experiences everywhere i go my mom's on tour with me too. I just try and make the most beautiful scene every single time. Like every single time. Do you like being famous? Yeah, well... Because you could just prefer making music but not necessarily love the fame part of it. There's pros and cons for sure.

I'm not someone... I didn't take it very well when i first when i first started getting known i did not have a great reaction i was like i was you know what wasn't what wasn't a great part about it? The rumors, the blogs? Yeah, well, I started slowly from, I used to record in my room. And then slowly I started noticing people are talking about me all the time. I'm like, but these people don't even know me. That's the first reaction. You're like, but you don't even know me. And you feel like, but how can you? And then you go out.

So you go to the store like a normal person looking homeless. Normal person looking homeless. What's been like the wildest thing that you heard about yourself? I don't know. Probably the pregnant thing. How did that come? Where did that come from? I don't know.

Future got you pregnant through the phone. Because you didn't even meet him at the time, right? Why would he want to get a homeless person pregnant? I don't know. I have no clue. I don't know. I was just busy minding my business being homeless. But yeah, it's just all so crazy. And I think it's people seeing me in real life that spooked me a bit.

Or being recognized, you mean. Being recognized outside, like in the airport or in the grocery store. Like, is it you? I'm like, no. So in the beginning, I didn't know. I used to deny. I used to deny. I used to deny. But now, obviously, you know.

Well, yeah. Did you try to look homeless on purpose? No, I... Did that be recognized? That was my vibe. I used to wear baggy clothes all the time. I still do. It's just now it's expensive homeless.

You know what I'm saying? Got you, got you. But... It's like boho bum. Yeah, you know know when I'm chilling so I you do have a home though to be clear

she has a home man I don't want the headline to be tell him stop playing with you big Tim's not the little one no I'm I do have a home I have you're doing very well

I have several she's about to say she's about to say I have several homes no talk heavy because he's playing with you did you have to clear up the rumors with

with family members did your family members call you and be like I heard this you'd be like come on now mom leave me alone oh yeah oh yeah I feel like people just take the most controversial thing the rumors with family members? Did your family members call you and be like, I heard this? You'd be like, come on now. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I feel like people just take

the most controversial thing you can think of. Because I was thinking like why am I pregnant? Why future? Why future? Do you get what I mean? Why him? Why him? Because that's the craziest. Why not

Wiz? Why not Wiz? Why not Drake? Why not somebody else? So you wouldn't have minded if the rumor was Wiz or Drake? No, it would be the same thing, but it's just like... It's like the extreme. It's like I'm saying the reason why it's Future is because he's the... His reputation. It's like the most crazy thing.

No, it's because of Future's reputation. Future got a lot of kids. Yeah, right? Four or five kids. And then he's got a reputation of being got a lot of kids. Yeah, right? Four or five kids. And then he's got a reputation of being with a lot of different women. Y'all did a song together.

What song does Drake know? God. Would Drake be marrying all of his women? Well, he did in the video. But yeah. So those are the calls

you actually got. Why are you pregnant from Future? Who is Future? What is this accent? What is this accent? No, don't. What accent is that?

Huh? Tim, ask him to leave you alone. It's the Wakanda. Wakanda. Do people... He came from the land of Zamunda.

The land of Zamunda. That's it. That's it. So I understand. It's okay. But do you get that a lot? Like people all of a sudden have an African accent when they talk to you? Oh, so many times.

I feel like my accent, especially because I'm not really, I can impersonate accents. But when I'm talking, I'm usually talking Nigerian. So I feel like it inspires people to be like, ooh, who are you? What's good? Okay, let me try so i i understand what access can you personate yeah let me hear some accents oh no i can't do new york i don't even know i i have like american accents let me hear one you probably got a good london london yeah but i don't know if i can do it on command um but if i if I you know

continue I could probably you said you'll get some accents in yeah maybe yeah now back to so back to your family members calling you who called and was like is this true did your mom no it wasn't even calling they'll just send me prayers what like you will not be pregnant for

no no type of future in Jesus name. The reverse of the Sierra Russell Wilson is crazy. That's the reverse prayer. In Jesus name is crazy. For real. Did they want you to be a musician or did they want you to be a doctor? Who, my family?

My mom, she's very supportive. My family, it's not like they wanted me to be like a doctor, but they just didn't expect me to be a musician, like a singer. Like when I said, oh yeah, I'm quitting my job. I'm going to sing now. Everybody was like, she's on drugs. She's smoking. She's sniffing cocaine, like for for real like on a serious thing um so it was just like this girl is on serious she just she's just lazy she just likes to she's now saying she sings really when have you ever sung in your life they had never heard you sing

before um not a lot of people knew that i really sang like that how old were you like when you really started to take it serious um when i knew i had something was when i was like in uni when i was like 18 and then after uni i started like going to um trying out different people looking for people, labels. And that's when I knew, actually. I did their job. And then... Because you was an economics major, right? Yeah.

Which I've never... I don't even know where my degree is, to be honest. Me either, girl. I don't even know. I haven't seen it since I graduated. You know, school might be a scam after all. But I'm not going to say that it's not a scam because we need to work for us.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. It's not a scam. It's not a scam. Nigerians cannot call anybody scammers. Wow. Wow. Wow. So, Timz,

what I normally do is I sit things next to me. Wow. So if I have to throw something at him. Maybe I should go. It's time for me to be a lover. Oh, my gosh. You want to throw it back?

Feel free to throw any of this at him at any time. No, no, no. It's okay. It's okay. Don't worry. Strike one. One, two. It's okay.

Now I know. I'm ready. How do you fertilize a dream if nobody even knows that's your dream? Like, this is important. Like, you was 18. That's when you decided you wanted to pursue it as a singer, but you didn't tell nobody in your family before that? It's not that type of, you know, Nigeria is not, it's not common.

It wasn't. Now it is, but back then it wasn't common for you to be a musician. Like that's not a profession anybody's proud of in nigeria before um so you know i did try to sing in front of my family at some point obviously my cousins they love me my my age mates but like my aunties those guys you know it's not something that in their mind is like a serious thing you know so I just didn't feel the need to talk about it especially when I know what I'm gonna get that's what's so impressive about it cuz you know usually you need those adults in your life to give you some encouragement they were

discouraging you but you decided still God put it on your heart to say no this is what you should be doing the way i love music the way i loved writing and and making music producing like it was more than a hobby like it's just something that i just genuinely enjoyed i didn't expect ever to make anything from it i was was just like, yeah, I could do this all day. You know, if I can get a job to sustain me, and I'll just be doing this all day. Like, literally, that was my mindset. So I just didn't, I was okay with, I'm used to,

in my whole life, I was used to people not really caring. And I was okay, I'm still okay still okay with it what was that first break that first like oh i can do this and i'm going to do this um so i decided to release my first song and i realized i started like getting that's how i met my manager my my two managers actually i met them wale and muiwa i met them after i dropped my first song um and um you know radio started taking i was independent it's still under it's under temela day open it's like i started realizing oh know, God is making a way somehow. So I was like, yeah, I'm willing to go down this road no matter, you know, the trials. I'm down. I'm here.

But you had to invest in yourself too because you said you was recording in your room. Yeah. So you was buying studio equipment. Oh, no no you know that ooh Free Mind the original Free Mind was recorded on my laptop

mic wow like this is the laptop I sang ooh wow I sang it

in my laptop that's why they thought you was on drugs you heard that I understand actually I'm not even like I get it I'm not even like I get it

I'm not even judging them is that why you're able to do so much because you engineer too right yes well you were

at one point engineering yourself or now but is that why you're so like hands on where it's like if you can't figure out

a sound or someone else can't you'll just figure it out yourself because you started that way yeah you know it's not a good thing it's not a good thing

I always want to do everything myself I'm like it is good though because you know it's not a good thing it's not a good thing i i always want to do everything myself i'm like uh it is good though you know how to do everything you know how you like your sound trust me because this album i engineered myself i recorded myself and i engineered myself the born in the wild born in the wild i comped all my vocals. I know, that's what it's called. Brother, go girl. Wow. I started getting help towards the end. Like, after, like, I was literally about to die on the line. I now was like, okay, I actually need help.

Like, I can't. But I bet you went back and you, you know, checked everything that person recorded. I didn't. No? You were burnt out? I was burnt the hell out. I was, I was.

So how'd you do the first project? It was less songs. Okay. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. Less songs. I wasn't doing as much. I wasn't as big as I am now. No, bro.

That was, that was, it's not good to do things by yourself. There's a time where you now have to... Get help. Let go. Yeah. I have a feeling... Okay. I was going to say,

do you feel like you have to... One of the people that have to carry the torch, because at one time, Afrobeats was so big, right? The genre was so big. I mean, it was huge. See, it feels like it slowed down a little bit. Really?

I think so. Not to me. I feel like it's bigger than that. No, I think it slowed down, especially in the States, I feel like it's slowed down a little bit. Really? I think so. Not to me. I feel like it's bigger than ever. No, I think it's slowed down, especially in the States, I feel like it's slowed down. Do you feel like you have to carry that torch and make sure it continues on? Because I feel like it has been a little bit of a slowdown.

Or maybe you don't feel that way. Do you believe it's a slowdown? From a couple of years ago? I don't see that. I do. Sake just sold out a week ago. Tim just sold out last night. I think it's more of a settling like like i think it's just the shock value of it here isn't as much anymore it's like for me it's like how hispanic i'm not hispanic yes he is yes he is i'm black

he's the minute i'm not hispanic i wasn't I wasn't... I didn't say anything. I'm just messing with you. I'm just messing with you. It's okay. He be out at the parades. I'm not Hispanic. I'm black. I'm black. I know one point that if I look at you, I think of what you are.

Yeah, I'm black. Look ahead. Okay, you're black, fam. Anything you want to be. It's a new world. You are hilarious. Everybody want to be black now. Everybody want to be African.

This is Black Panther. For real, I am. You know, it's cool. Look ahead. What was I I'm in high school. What was I saying? Like Hispanic music. Yeah, there was like a boom. And I feel like it's still big, but it's settled in what it is.

Sorry, I have it cold. Somebody bring her some tissue. You're making us look bad. He's from Ghana. That's not bad. Brandon, go get this. Somebody bring her some tissue. You're making us look bad. He's from Ghana. He did that on purpose. Brandon, go get this beautiful Nigerian woman some tissue. This Ghana-Nigerian beef for no reason. Jesus Christ, he about to give you these hard-ass tissues.

Wow. When it comes to the Afro beats in the reggae conversation, I know there's been like a back and forth about that from just different conversations about like, you talked about escapism when it comes to that. Can you explain a bit about like when you said that, you know, it is escapism, like that's the purpose of Afrobeats. What does that mean? Before I answer your question, I want to just say that this is the reason why sometimes artists don't answer questions in interviews because they take it. It carries over because now

I don't even know what I said in that interview. I don't want to contradict myself. I have the quote for you. No, no, don't read it. I got you. Okay, alright. Just repeat the question again.

So what is escapism when it comes to Afrobeats? What does that mean? Okay, got you. Just repeat the question again. So what is escapism when it comes to Afrobeats? Like, what does that mean? Okay, so, well, Afrobeats right now, right, is each artist expresses their art in their own way. They talk about their life. Let's see what we got this time. Hold on, sorry. Yeah, taller people.

Oh, this is disgusting. I'm so sorry, Tim. It's okay. I got this time. Hold on. Sorry. Yeah. Toilet people. Oh, this is disgusting. I'm so sorry. It's okay. I'm sorry. This is perfect. Anything is good. No Kleenex. Oh my God.

Go ahead and blow it. Don't save it. I can't blow it too. It's going to mess up her makeup. Everybody act like, yeah, it's good. No, it's okay. Don't save it. Don't save it.

Don't save it, Tim. Blow it out. There you go. There you go. Kleenex. Boom. Now we cooking with grease. Don't save it. Don't save it. Don't save it, Tim. Blow it out. There you go. There we Kleenex. Boom. Now we cooking with grease. I fuck with Tim. Tim's coughed up a loogie and spit that shit in the napkin.

I fuck with that. Tim's like, I'm never coming back here. This is crazy. They don't even have tissue for you. They don't even have tissue for you. Hard ass tissues. You're talking about the escapism of Afrobeats, right? Honestly, just you answer it if you want to.

You want to go. You've been through a lot these last 10 minutes. Oh, thank you. Yeah, I feel like Afrobeats, every artist talks about their life and what means the most to them. So it can be introspective. It can be just about how, you you know what's going on in the country it can be about you know how they're living their life it just depends on the artist but the structure of afrobeats is for dancing it's supposed to be danceable music

it's supposed to be groovy danceable music absolutely um and you know especially when nigerians love that music because it's just like a forget about your forget about everything that is you're worried about and just enjoy life that's what afro. I think people need to experience that too. You know? I love it. Yeah, me too. Yeah, if you're going and trying to sing, oh, the government is, you know. If you don't sing it in a groovy way, nothing for you. And even if you do, like, Nigerians don't want to be reminded of their own hardship.

Right. You know? So they want things that are elevating, like, I'm going to make gonna make it like i'm going to be great i'm going to do great things because i am great i'm i'm gonna enjoy my life because this is life you know things like that that's the one thing i would say like anytime i travel to whether i dj in nigeria or south africa johannesburg wherever it may be that's one thing I can say about the music is no matter how bad

somebody's day is in the club that night it just feels good everybody's dancing they're drinking and it's a good time that's what made me even start loving African music

way back Afrobeats way back is because it's just a feel yeah and when it came here that feeling hit so hard it was just like this is good

Charlamagne thought at one time it was going to replace hip-hop, but it just felt so good. I still think it might in the long run. Maybe. I mean, hip-hop is just such a huge, huge, huge culture, of course, but I'm just talking about musically, globally around the world.

I feel like a lot of people are embracing Afrobeats because it does feel very good. And some of the stuff that's coming from here is so low vibrational that, you know, I can turn Afrobeats on, and everything's not Afrobeats, there's other names for it too. I can just turn it on at the house while my four daughters is running around and not think nothing of it.

And not know the artist, but it just feels good through that whole time. Absolutely. Yeah. I always just say, like, music, different genres are for different purposes, you know? You listen to Afrobeat, but I'm sure you still listen to R&B. Of course. You know, I'm sure you're not going to, like, be like, oh, yeah, R&B's dead. No, you know?

There's different moods, different times. There's a time that you might feel like you want to play reggae, you know, and feel that vibe. It's just for different purposes. Did you see Buju Bantan on Drink Champs? And he criticized Afrobeats. He said, a shallow and unsubstantial music that lacks content aimed at liberating Africa. Yeah, so that's exactly what I just said. Like, reggae is not Afrobeats. Yeah, so that's exactly what I just said.

Reggae is not Afrobeats. Afrobeats is not R&B. It's not rock. Reggae is for a certain purpose. Afrobeats, thinking about the origin, which is Nigeria, is for a certain purpose. It's for the Nigerian people. Now, if you like Afrobeats from the outside,

do you understand? You can join us in the enjoyment of it, but Afrobeats was tailored for Nigerian people originally. Do you understand? It uplifts the Nigerian people. Do you understand?

So I wouldn't look for something. If I'm looking for something in reggae, I cannot expect to find the same thing in Afrobeats because it's not tailored for the same people. So Afrobeats originated in Nigeria? Yes. I didn't know that. You didn't know that?

He's a DJ. No, when I would go to South Africa, you'd just hear the music. South African is Afro, I'm a piano, Afro beats is, and South Africa has other genres, but Afro beats is not South African. You know?

Y'all got all the biggest artists too. Yeah. Yeah. Afro beats is Nigerian. That's standard. You know? How was it doing Get It Right with Asake? I love Asake, by the way.

Asake. Am I pronouncing it right? Asake Get It Right with Asake? I love Asake, by the way. Asake. Am I pronouncing it right? Asake? Asake. Asake? That's, you know, that's a wine, like a little Asian. Asake, but go ahead. No, it's not.

That's sake. I said sake. Asake. Asake. How do you pronounce it? Asake. Asake. Asake.

He has a list. Asake. Asake. Oh, my goodness. Like air. Like air. Air. Air. But don't pronounce the R like that.

So like but remove the R. So There's no R in his name though. Oh my goodness. No, I'm telling you how to I'm giving you the step-by-step process to get into

to the step-by-step process to get into okay okay let's say it fast okay okay okay okay okay okay care like you care about like care like like what a fake without the r now okay remove the r now you're almost there you're almost there I shock hair no R exactly boom I shock hair got you great say it again

no he's great yeah he's great he's really good how was it it was so fun I wanted him up here

but I heard he doesn't like to do interviews at all okay I support him I'm not I'm not shitting on you guys

but I understand me I support him but I understand I'm gonna You not having a good time? I'm having a great time. But I also me, I'm a person that can see from multiple perspectives. So I'm about to pronounce this name wrong too. Who is Gigi? Am I saying it right? Love me Gigi? Gigi? That's a

word that has a meaning. Stop. It's not a person. I'm asking. Stop. Oh my gosh. Tell them Tim. Go ahead. Wow has a meaning. Stop. It's not a person. I'm asking. Stop. Oh, my gosh. Tell them, Tim. Go ahead. Wow. Gigi. Damn. Is that Jesus?

No, JJ. JJ. Good times. Yeah, love me. So JJ means small, small. Small, small? So it means gently. Love me. Got you. Love me gently. Okay, okay, small. Small, small? So it means gently. Got you.

Love me gently. Okay, okay, okay. Love me small, small. Love me jet jet. Got you. Take it easy. Take your time with me. Don't be roughing me up.

Love me gently. You know what I'm saying? Fire. Yeah. Fire. Good times. Y'all didn't know that. I didn't know that. I didn't know that it was,

I saw that on the thing and I just knew you was going to ask it so I just let you. But I knew it wasn't a person. I know you're into, you're into rap. Like you got a lot different,

like T-U-N-E on here is inspired by 50. Who are some of the other artists, like rap artists that like inspire you and like your sound? Lil Wayne. Wheezy.

Definitely Lil Wayne, Kendrick, Drake. Absol. Absol Fire. Absol. Absol. And Andre 3000. It's a great list. Yeah.

Can you like- Lil Wayne is the most though. You've always been a big Lil Wayne fan? Oh, yeah. Did you want to rap at first? I was introduced to rap so early by my brother. So it was Lil Wayne I heard first i heard um make it rain the remix and it was his uh verse that stood out to me a lot i make it rain on the house yeah

i know you got in trouble i know your parents heard that oh my My mom, she didn't really, she didn't know what, she was just like, oh, they're just doing their children things. She didn't even know what was going on. But, yeah, after that, all of Lil Mint's albums, I listened to it religiously. J. Cole? J. Cole. He's on the album. How can I forget?

Free Fall. But J. Cole, I started listening to J. Cole much later in my years. When you were in uni, college my years yeah when you were in um uni college is that when you started listening to J. Cole

same me too did 50 come to the show the other night no he didn't I wish he did though actually I wouldn't even know if he did

to be very honest but I um soon I'm gonna I'm gonna meet him soon I'm gonna be honest with you man we just keeping you here

to bother you at this point no you're really funny you're really funny am I funny yes you are it's like dry sarcasm but it's great oh sorry

it is a bit dry I'm usually better you know no it's good though I'm actually usually better but we know you sick you just perform so so good

and when you sit next to him over there it just it works i am a good time is that so as i'm sitting here now i've already collect collected one shot come on let him go let me hear him let what the shots you gave you shot me already no i did not yes you did you said you said the nigerians can know i don't even want to repeat don't worry he spoke to you in a like where did the accent come it's okay but and that too he also did the wakanda accent he called you a scammer no that did that he called my people oh yeah sorry You know what it's okay I'm used to this it's fine

I am a Timbs fan Oh is that so? Yes Sing something Unfortunate I like Unfortunate I like Free Your Mind which I was talking about earlier I like a lot of records I was listening to Born to Wild yesterday Oh okay Let's play a joint off the album So we can get Timbs out of here so she can get some rest Free Your Mind, which I was talking about earlier. I like a lot of records. I was listening to Point of the Wild yesterday. Oh, okay.

Absolutely. Let's play a joint off the album so we can get Timza out of here so she can get some rest for the next show. You want to play Get It Right? Ooh, yeah. We could do that. Free Fall. Between Get It Right and Free Fall.

You know, sometimes I don't be liking to hear American rap on Afrobeat. Really? I don't. Is that your thing? You don't like? Nothing. I'm not saying it's not whack. It's just like, I don't be liking to hear American rap on Afrobeat. Really? I don't. Is that your thing? You don't like? Nothing. I'm not saying it's not whack. It's just like, I don't know.

It's just I haven't heard it mesh the right way yet. I feel you. Okay. You know what I mean? Am I tripping when I say that? No, it's just your preference, you know? It's just what you like. There's an artist named Ruben Vincent from North Carolina. I's he's been finding his groove doing it doing it the best okay

fair enough ruben what vincent i'm gonna check him out he's actually i think ruben is nigerian really i think we played him last week he's not i think he's from somewhere on the continent okay yeah but he's nice in north carolina okay tim it's time for you to go blow your nose i know you're sick of it i get it i understand do you have a whole day after this or you go home and i'm traveling to toronto tomorrow really i started to today as i'm leaving here i don't know why i said to where i have a show in toronto tomorrow at least you can wrap your hair. You know what I do want to ask you about? I saw a long time ago.

It wasn't that long ago, but you said that you wear baggy clothes in the studio. Oh. So that producers aren't distracted by your body. I used to, yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah. I didn't know it was a thing,

but, you know, it's only when you do something in ignorance that you find out. So obviously I was my normal self and I realized people's reactions to me, you know, especially when I was I was like 17, 18, when I was like going around studios. So I started noticing like, like oh every time i come here people don't take me seriously okay oh what is it why is this a thing like why why you've seen many women before why is this such a huge deal just another woman and then i just realized okay if there's nothing if they can't see anything then they have nothing to talk about or think about

they can only focus on your talent yeah but you know that also doesn't work as well these days but then it did to be honest it did it really did we had a conversation about it here on the air really yeah because I was just saying that it's sad that you have to do that because that shouldn't be on you it should be on

the men the control they got themselves you think that i mean yeah but like who's gonna who's gonna tell them you know and i can't i couldn't at that time because I was going to studios alone. You know, I'll just like take a cab and go meet like somebody in the studio in hopes of, you know, getting help. I can't naively say, well, you should control yourself. You know, that's a bit. You know, yes, you should. But in the meantime I don't have time to teach you

what to do right now there's just bad puzzles I need I need to get what I need to get see that's fucked up though it is

but it's the reality of being a woman yeah it's one of them things it's crazy how do you feel now when people like when you do

dress like cause you dressed in baggy clothes today but like when you dress up and it's tighter or whatever and people react to your shape and stuff like that, does it bother you? No, at all. Not at all. I don't even, I don't even notice it unless they're telling me directly, like, oh, you're beautiful or you look good. I'm not even, I don't notice it.

Like, I just think people are happy to see me right if they're happy to see me because of my body i don't know i don't care i'm just like okay you're the only girl um yes i'm one girl i have an older brother okay so you probably came up with him so you yeah you're like a guy in a lot of ways no i had a lot of um uh female cousins like at least 20 gotcha gotcha so we're very close in my family so they were they're like my sisters and they taught me everything i know but um once i turned eight my brother was like 11 10 my brother stopped allowing me to hang out with him he's like go and find your old friends please so i didn't really grow up like doing boy things yeah

well we appreciate you for joining us we do appreciate you come back yes i will if if he doesn't have any more shots or maybe i'll go i'll go and get my own shots i'll come back with you know i'll go and learn your accent you'll be surprised i can't even pronounce nothing that's all you gotta do come in here and pronounce have you been to nigeria no but i love nigeria you see i've been how many nigerians have you interviewed? A lot. And it did not inspire you to go to Nigeria or Ghana. No, I've been to Ghana.

I've been to Ghana. I've been to Zanzibar, Tanzania. I've been to Johannesburg. I've been supposed to go to Nigeria. My girl, Kupi, you know Kupi? EJ Kupi? Yes. Yes, Kupi wants me.

She's been wanting me to come to nigeria for a while and you didn't no i i go to i try to go to some place on the continent you don't really now i know that you don't really like us like that i love nigeria i've been wanting to go someplace on the continent uh i try to go one place on the continent every year okay so you come you go to nigeria to lagos yeah i would i would love to and i hope that you do because i think it would um like broaden your perspective your mind like boom like literally i'm not even joking like i feel like you'd have a lot more context to not just nigerians but to afrobeats to the whole culture to just the impact of the world on us and us on them i think that would be more like you know

until you guys as well i think you guys should all i'm here to promote my country i go every year i've been that dj there before i have i used to go every year twice a year been there. I DJed there before. I used to go every year, twice a year. When I went to Ghana, I went to Ghana for Afrocello. So have you had Nigerian food? Yes. Which was your favorite? Nigerian or Ghana? I had a lot more food in Ghana.

You see. No, no, no, no, no. Try. No, because I was in Ghana for like 10 days. So I experienced a lot more Ghanaian food. I had Nigerian food because cuppy's mom cooked here and what what did you eat i had jollof rice of course and um no egg goosey no pounded yeah egg goose and what what'd you say what'd you say what did you say you were

y'all was doing so well right y'all was doing so well egg goose? Y'all was doing so well. Egussi soup. Oh, no. No? No, I think it was like some... I forgot what we had. But it was great, though. Ah, no. Charlamagne.

Today, I'm telling you, you're going to go to Lagos. I don't know when, but I know that you're going to go. And you're going to have Nigerian food. And you're going to see everything I'm talking about. Even me, I would make more sense to you. Like, you'd understand me better if you went to Lagos. I understand you, Tim. Do you understand me?

Yes. Are you sure? Yes. Okay. What do you mean? We on the same wavelength. I'm right here with you. Okay.

I'm going to go to Nigeria. I'm going to bring all cash, no credit card. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Tim's. right here with you okay go to Nigeria bring all cash no credit card in the morning breakfast club