The Questlove Show - Black Music Month: James Poyser Part 1

Episode Date: June 19, 2024

Questlove Supreme's Black Music Month programming continues with a special interview with James Poyser. In Part 1, the incredible musician, producer, and member of The Roots retraces his steps from an English-born child of Jamaican parents to West Philadelphia. He also recalls cutting his teeth in Gospel music before ultimately getting down with DJ Jazzy Jeff's A Touch Of Jazz production team. Along the way, James remembers meeting Ahmir and making a line-skipping series of cameos on The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to 2%. That's TWO percent on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for both. black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Daniel Alarcon, and this is my friend.

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Can we roll? Oh, Lord. I'm with it. All right. Good luck, James. See it. Oh, Lord. See you on the other side, James.

Here we go. I'm better when I got paper and pen. Supremum. Supreme Role Call. Turn up the music. Suprema, Sir, Submira Role Call. Suprema, Sir, Supremma Role Call. Supremma, Sop.

Submina, Brother. Fin twin statue prize in them. Lifetime Jeff Gurley, I'm provided. Yesterday in front of the sun. Supremea, Supreme Court. That was a good. That was just that way.

Submina Role Call. My name is Fah, My name is Faday. Yeah. I'm in my zone. Yeah. My favorite Poison joint? Yeah.

A love of my own. Rocault. Supremma, Supra, Supraima, Roca. Supremma, Subrema, Subprema, Roca. My name is Sugar, yeah. The roll call master. James Poyser's here. Yeah.

Suprema, Subrema, Roca. Supreme. Wait a minute. Submina, My name is Sugar. Quest, keep this loop on. Yeah.

I'm glad you're here, James. Formito Popon. Supriva, Suprema, Roca, Suprava, Supriva, Roca.

And James in town, wrote a lot of songs. Yeah. Head still like Charlie Brown. Roca Supraima, Supraima, Roca

Supriva, Subima, Subraima, Roll call. Thank you, Questlove. Yeah. For this and that. Yeah.

Thank you notes. Yeah. Make poison laugh. Roll call. Supremia. Supremia. Roca. Supremma.

Supremma, Subrema, Roca. My name is J.P. Yeah. The Lord is blessing me. Yeah. Layla is eye dressing, undressing.

Shut up, Steve. Oh, that's how you need. Submina. So prima. Suprema, sub, sub, subprima roll call. Suprema, sir, sub, supremo roll call. Supremma, sub, sub, supremo. Wait, as a pseudo-Gamican, can we talk about your Jamaican accent?

What was that? I thought he was reading backwards for first. James already know what I said, and that's all it counts. Did you, James? Did you know? Listen, some of the texts that he sends me in time for, he just get it. Listen, I get it. As long as y'all understand it, that's all that matter.

I'm like, that was Jamaican? Yeah. That was great. And Steve, with a double, the never be heard before. Wow. With the sound effect, with the sound bite.

Remember these joints? Yes. Wait, where did you dig that up from? These were from Philly. We had them in the studio. The Farrell session. We were going on to ask you. Ladies and gentlemen,

another episode of Quest Love Supreme. I'm your host, Quest Love. We have Team Supreme. We are live in New York City. And by live, we mean we're just in front of each other. We can see each other. In person. Yeah.

How's it going on a new bill? Wait, what was your new title I gave you? I forgot your sobrily. I was unpaid. Well, for the record, I was White Bill, which was a wonderful moniker. I was unpaid Bill for most of my left. Really? You'd be light-skinned bill. Then recently, I was morphed to Boston.

Bill? For what reason? I don't remember what. No, not for that. No, no, no. Because you're a boss. I'm just happy to be here. I'm just a bill. Yeah. Right, climbing up this hill. That's what. All right. Well, you're just Bill. I think that's the perfect moniker for you.

Just Bill. Just Bill. You're just a bill. I'm like a silky shampoo. Just Bill. Well, take that. How's it going? It's going good. I feel like we're going to have some time not laughing today. It's going to be full of laughs and

Good time and long overdue conversations. What a big head. Jesus. It's going to be a bad to me. There's so much fuckery going around. It's going to be great. And Fon Ticcala? I'm good, man.

I'm good. I got some rest, so I'm good. Okay. Cool. Oh, I'm sorry. Steve. How's it going? Everything's great, man.

You know how you say you've been waiting for episodes for a long time? Is this a Steve anticipated episode? Hell yeah. Yeah, I kind of want to just jump in it because I want to know how James and Steve became frenemies. Like, what's your first musical memory? Well, the funniest thing is that James is the one who got me hired originally when I came down to Philly in 2003 or four. And regrets it every day. I regret it every day.

All right, ladies and gentlemen, our guest today, of course, the needs no introduction. He's been in front of the show. Yeah, pretty much all those moments that you take for granted, you know, music can help. help facilitate a mood when you're watching television or you're watching movies. And our guest today, of course, is no exception to providing colors, synesthesia, to graphics and scenes and makes life better. He's done, let's name it. What does it happen?

Why, you're being very professional, being very professional. You said, you're saying synesthesia. I'm sorry, sorry, please continue. You said James makes life better. I don't know what the heck. You got the wrong guest, son. All right, let's go through our, no, we should celebrate our guests to come on the show. I mean, well, friend in the show, Wyatt Cinnix, problem areas.

We also got Hartthorne. That was a jaded show, correct? Yeah, yeah. Okay. The break with Michelle Wolf, friend of, you know, of the circle. The Equalizer. starring our good friend Dana Blackish

He's done music for Blackish Yeah And of course You know classic Season 2 and season 3 Of the Chappelle show Multiple Grammy Award winner Let's his name all the artists

There's Erica There's Mariah There's Anthony Anthony Eric Benet John Legend Rihanna Music Soulchild

Aceh Social Child Adele Common Carmen Kareem Bailey Ray My youth choir

Bala You're 12. Never heard of him. Yeah, Randy Watson. Andy Watson. Everybody, man. Shit. Everybody.

Yeah, James has done everything. Al Green, Astero. Angelique Cujo. Jill Scott. John Legend. Damn. Semmy Cootty. Thank you.

Demi, too. Right. And we saw his work yesterday. So that was awesome. What I was just saying? Damn, man. Yeah, we saw yesterday. Oh, yeah, yesterday.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's all was dumb. Yeah, that's all was crazy. Yeah. What had then happened yesterday, motherfuckers? What happened? Oh, the eclipse. What did Jay make...

It's already the worst episode of Questlux. I missed that one. It was a big head joke. Oh. You of all people should know that. I'm sorry. I'm relegated to Charlie Brown and his friends. I'm sorry.

All right. Welcome to James Boys. This question. That was a good one to mirror, actually. good one in a mirror actually in retrospect like yeah that was funny yes wow I know my funny anyway how are you how are you James shut up Steve yeah I just needed to get that out of the way I'm great man I'm happy to be here amongst family and friends and the looly enemies Steve in the mirror all right so yeah I kind of knew

you so this is gonna be really hard to do like you don't I thought James was in Philadelphia born in Bray. No, no, no, no. Where were you born? I was born in Sheffield, England. My parents were Jamaican. I thought you were going to say Jamaica. Me too.

No, no, no. My parents are Jamaica and they immigrated to England, you know, the whole windrush generation. Where is Shetfield? Sheffield is like two hours north from London. Okay. See, even then, I thought you were from, like, South London. No, no. All the cool people.

Jamaicans. Yeah. I mean, listen, Jamaicans is everywhere, Bridgeron. Everywhere. So I was born there, lived there for nine years, and then we moved over here. Did you once have a U.K. accent? I did. And it was weird, like kids at school, like, speak English to me.

And I'm like, I am speaking English. What are you talking about? Yeah, but they wanted to hear the accent. And, you know, I got teased quite a bit, you know. So you purposely lost your accent. He hasn't lost it, though. It still comes back. There's certain words that come through.

All right, so talk with your English. It's not the type of thing I can throw on. Like, certain words, if I say digital. I can't say digital. I got to say digital. But yeah, you don't grow up in West Philly with an English accent, no, no. So I had to lose that.

Trying to lose it quick. Girls would have thought that was cool. I was nine, bro. I have a question. So when was the first time you actually went to Jamaica at all? When I was a baby, we went over, I don't remember. But after that, I think I was 14, 13. And we went to the town where my parents was from,

It was like one dirt road up in the mountain, like literally like five, six blocks. And it was like, you know, the bathroom in the outhouse and chickens running around. I had fun. It was great. Back then. When I've gone back recently, I'm like, oh. Where's the closest? Where's the corner?

Oh, I got one because we always used to tease James about being a P.K. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm curious, like, was your dad always? A preacher's kid. Actually, can I add on to that? Yeah. Because I also know that the usual scenario of Christian household with music and secular household with music,

I'm very curious as to how did secular music seep into what I would think was an unpenetrable household as far as like what you're allowed to listen to, not allowed to listen to. All right. So, groping church in England. My dad was a pastor there. Now, the way it works immigration was my mom had to move to America. Had to?

She, well, to set it up. She had to come over, you know, work out our jobs and whatever and set up. So for a couple years, I was just with my dad. And one of the earliest memories I have was coming home from school,

maybe like six or seven, and there was this woman dancing in the living room to this Andre Crouch record. And I was like, oh, that's my mom. That's my mom. I mean, these are the type of things you got to go through. That's your mom's record.

Yeah, so it was these Andja Crouch records. And, you know, when we moved over here, those are the kind of things that were in the house, and Andja Crouch records and James Cleveland and all that kind of stuff. And we had a stereo system, and I would sit there with my headphones on, listen to that stuff, because that's all that was allowed in the Bishop Poises household.

But I had an FM AM radio upstairs in my bedroom, too. So, you know, I was, listening to all the stuff. You know, you're walking through the streets of Philly, going to school and being around. You're going to hear everything. Sound right. So, you know, it's funny.

Hanging, you know, hanging with a mirror, you know, all these years are certain things that I realized I missed, you know, just because of that kind of thing. Sesame Street. Sesame Street. I never grew up with Sesame Street. Oh, they didn't allow you? So this time he referenced, you don't remember this?

I'm like, bro, I don't know. Love for break and tea milk and stick of butter. And James, like, and? That's how strict your household was. No, no, I was not. I was in England until I was nine. So when I came over here, I was like, Bugs Bunny, you know.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Looneystone, yeah. Was piano your first instrument? No, I grew up playing drums in church. We moved over here. Oh, wow. A small storefront church. That's a problem.

And there was a little drum set there and nobody to play. And I was like, I'm going to play the drum. Now, you got to remember, I grew up playing on pots and pans with my mom's knitting needles when I was a little young one. So, you know, started playing drums first, and then I moved to bass guitar,

which is still my favorite instrument. Really? Yeah. Because you have a few of them, right? Don't you have a few bass guitars that you have? At the house, yeah, yeah, yeah. I can't play bass, but that's like my, that's my, you play bass before?

I play bass a little bit. You played bass on record before? Yeah, yeah. But I can't really do any gigs. You know, I'm not Pino of Mark Kelly, you know. But I'm saying that, is it the muscle memory thing? Yeah, I just don't, if I practiced on it, maybe I would, but, you know, I'm still trying to practice on this piano.

Breach. I see. Okay. So you came here at nine. What school did you start? I started off at Anderson. Where's that? Fifth grade.

That's 60th in Cops Creek. You went to a West Philly school. Yeah. I started there. And then I went to Turner for a year. Where's Turner? Turner is 59 from Baltimore. And then I went to Hamilton.

And where's that? Hamilton's right. the corner from your crib, 56 and smooth. So you went to all West Philly high schools? Well, this was on high school. High school, I went to engineering and science for two years before I got kicked out.

And then, um... You got kicked out. I was... See, what had happened was... Steve. No. Wait, did you know bubbles? Everybody knew bubbles. D.S? Where she work at? And I'm doing. What was this year? No, y'all would have graduated

the same year, though? No, I'm not Sure. Okay. And then I graduated from West Catholic. Ah, West Catholic. But didn't you live around the corner from Hamilton? I did, but all right. So explain to me, because the thing was, is that now that I live in a time in which, you know, post-Facebook, you know, uncles that, like, put up, like, weird, random websites of things that are not, like, you know, like, Mark B&R threads, like, it's not CNN. It's like some other. So I'm now wondering if the pictures that adult figures painted to me, which was basically like every school in West Philadelphia is,

might as well be like a prison now. But then? Back then, I mean, yeah, I had some drama in school. You know, I got guns pulled out on me. I literally on the corner waiting for bus and these dudes rolled up on me. One dude punch me in the face. I got up ready to fight and he pulled a gun and put it to my head.

He was just messing. This was in 7th grade. Just messing. Just messing with me. I've seen dudes on the playground, you know, my boy on the playground, this dude came and pulled a knife on him. We're on the playground. Seventh grade.

This older dude, he had to be in 18, 19. A big machete, like a Jamaican machete. And pulled his joint out of his pants. Jamaica. So, yeah, you know, I ain't no thug, But, you know, I've been, you know, you see that stuff, you experienced that stuff growing up, you know? Oh, okay, so it was real.

Yeah, never mind. Wait, engineering science, where was that located, though? That was, um, like, Northern Liberties or? No, this was Cecil B. Moore. Like, right on Temple's campus. Okay, I see that now. Are we not going to talk about why you, you didn't finish there? See, what had happened was, um.

Bong Hitch. Machete. I was, I was the class clown and I was goofing. Shut up. I don't believe that. I don't believe that at all. Yeah, I was a bit of class client goofed around. I don't believe that at all.

I was. Are you serious, Amir? You get kicked out for that? No, definitely like my grade. My grades, my grade drover. Because it's like a, it's a really school. Yes, one of them schools. Do you got to maintain a certain GPA?

Yeah, I went to one of those schools. I was listening to. Smart kid schools. You know, and of course, my immigrant parents were very let there. They weren't having that. And so they put. you in the strict Catholic school. Well, I was going to, I went to Bartram for like a week.

Oh. Oh, you went to Barcham. Oh, you went to. Yeah. And I was Bartram. Oh, see, that's the thing. So what's Bartram? It's a South Philly High School. Lean on me.

Oh, Joe Clark. That is now a beautiful gentrified building with lots of shops and they have rooftop parties on it. Really? Yeah. That sounds awesome, Bill. Let's go. Yeah.

It got artisan pickled and mayonnaise. Yeah. They got flower grass balls. Amir, I think you DJed there like about five years ago on the roof. No, I DJed on the roof of what used to be known as. It's Bach. Oh, it's Bach. It's not Bartram.

Barthrum's good. It's Bob. You're right. I'm sorry. Thank you, Jay. Cousin Jake for a baby. Wait, aren't you from, Yins? Ain't you from Pittsburgh?

Yeah. I did not know that. Okay. So Cousin Jake has revealed he's of Philadelphia. I did not know that. I thought you were straight Pittsburgh. Okay. Maybe we should start interviewing the actual staff of you all.

Wait, but what's funny, it's funny, as we're talking to James, I'm like, this is the moment where Amir gets to know the people that he's been loving for 30 years. Just like when we discovered about two weeks. I didn't know this. I did not know that James was a juvenile delinquent. He doesn't come across as one. I will say that. So were you part of any, because the way that I got into the circle, like when you meet the people that we see now, the Little Johns, the world and the carvings and i you know all those guys dray and vodal and all that stuff were you ever

part of like all city no none of those competitions i wasn't part of that whole thing i was playing in church you know but i wasn't part of the you know i wanted to part of me wanted to go to cap at the time but you know i was on my smart i was an engineering major in college for for the first two years you know finished up with my degree in finance so you know it was that kind of you It's an immigrant thing. I know. It's a Jamaican thing, too. So your parents wanted you to do engineering?

Yeah. And you wanted to do music. Yeah. Ceramics. What'd you wind up doing, James? I forgot. So I went to Drexel for two years for engineering. I actually went to Roman horse.

He took us on a field trip to see what engineers do. What kind of engineering is? I was chemical engineering. Okay. Oh, man. And I was like, I'm like, I ain't trying to do this. I was like, that's real.

That's like real formulas. I'm like, I am not trying to do this. At any point, did you think of doing sound engineering or? No, no, no, no, no, no. I was just like, okay, let me, I'm going to graduate and get a job in the bank. And that's why I went to school for finance. You were Rich Medina. This is fascinating.

When you were in church, was it classical training or it was just like you're learning by listening? Classical. You know what I mean, but like, do you ever take lessons or was it just like listening to church? It started off. I've taken the, Mary had a little lamb lessons with this piano teacher, Mr. Costa. And I didn't like going over there because she had these two chihuahuas that, you know, I'd walk in and take the lesson and they were cool. But when you're walking out, they would always like bite me on the back.

You know, so I hated going to those lessons. They would freak me out. So I stopped and that's when I was playing drums and bass. And I remember I went to this church and this guy that was the same age as me was playing keyboards. And I was like, oh, I want to do that. And I took a cassette tape of that song. It was a simple progression, two, five, three, six progression, whatever, whatever.

And I studied it for a couple months and then transpose it in all keys. And I was like, ah, I could go play in church. And I went to church and couldn't play because I just didn't have the experience. But I figured it out. Was that your war famous? No, that came a little later.

That's on the end of most of the records we cut together. I know, like, James is one of the people that will, you know, we've made fun of, like, the level of snobbery on stage. We'll laugh at each other, make fun of each other, and we make fun of it so much that it actually winds up becoming the fiber of what it is. Now, like, James used to like playing the wrong chords. of a song and I'd be funny, but now like, it works. That's, that's all we want.

Like, I don't want nothing sounding normal. I want it all wrong chords. 2%. That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.

I'll be speaking with writers. researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

Listen to 2%. That's TWO% on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement. to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes

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or wherever you get your podcast. Wait, so how long did it take for you to get it on the piano? I'm still trying to think. No, no, no, we're not doing that. How long did it take for you to, okay, let's do, I'm a rephrase. How long did it take for you to feel confident enough to go into the church and play the piano, and people were like, you can stay?

It took a while, you know, like almost close to a year. Until, you know, and again, my church is. It was very West Indian, so it wasn't all of the stuff that y'all Yankees do. It was really one-four-five playing a reggae beat. Oh, yeah, y'all be kind of, yeah, sleepy and, yeah. Oh, then we play the Calypso stuff now, too. I've never heard Calypso gospel. That's like one-one, one-one, one-one.

You seen that video with that dude say, and they did an S&L sketch on them? Yes, yes. Yeah, that's like my church. I need these damn skits and clips to Jane to watch a day. So did you already have the rhythm part down because of the drums and bass experience? Yeah. I think I had it just because I was listening so much to stuff.

You know, I was listening to so much music. And going to record stores and not having money and just standing there reading the back of album covers, you know, just to learn the names. Like the person. Yeah. The studios and whatnot. But when did you make the change? When did you go from drums piano? Like, this is it. I ain't going back.

Yeah, right after that experience I told you about, I just kept practicing and practicing, I was like, okay, this is it. Okay, so walk me through the, can I backtrack just a little? You got to remember, too, my older brother played. Right, okay, thank you. See, we ain't talking about your brother. So I know, my old brother, Stephen, who's now the bishop of the church, he was the one that played, and I was trying to, you know, trying to be like my older brother.

So what did he play? He played everything. He played keys, play bass, play drums. Is he good? He was good. No, he's good. No, he's good. As he says it, I taught, he'll say, he taught me everything I know.

He taught me everything he knew, you know. All right, that makes sense. I like it. Is he listening? What's up, boy? So, even though I haven't seen it with my own eyes, like, is it generally correct that because of lack of venue structure in Philadelphia, that the Black Church was, like, the prime spot where every musician could get a chance to play?

Absolutely. And as a result, If they're five keyboard players waiting to get on and four bass players waiting to get on and 12 drummers are ready to get on, that they're going to try to outdo each other. Absolutely. All right, so can you walk me through that process?

Is this the inspiration for gospel chops? Yes. The reason why most black musicians overplay is because they have to do some evil-can-eval shit to make an impression. That makes sense. Beat four. Right.

Like, you can't play. Like, if you play like me, then it's just like old people will like. It's like it. Oh, mere. No, but that's a thing. The charyatric crowd, loving a mirror. My whole shit is, like, I want to make the musician sound good.

So I'll just play down the middle. The less I play, the better it is. James, you never took Amir to church and just like, I would love to see that. You've been to my church before? Yeah, I've been to his church. I know, but just like, get on the church. You never played, though. I purchased drums for them, but that's it.

What? You weren't playing church a minute? Even higher. drummer if there is once but nope no more why wouldn't you play in church what's that pre? No no no actually I have played in church but the church that I went to

was all right it was a weird kind of non-denominational church okay wait why do you already have the oh no no no no no I'm already not here and like I'm not when you say non-denomination I'm like oh they got some chamarines I mean I did it I had a Pentecostal church what was the WZZZD so I

Actually, I did play drums in Pastor Charles. He was a known preacher in Philadelphia. I did that for like maybe like three years because it was also pain in the ass of packing my drums at home. And then you got to do a double trip. Like Uncle Bud and dad had to come and put in there. And then it's like, you got to break the drums down in church and bring it back home. I got lazy with that. But, yeah, once I discovered, we discovered a church that let us wear regular clothes,

which was like a game changer. Like, wait, I can wear jeans in a T-shirt in this church. And they were very hippophile. Like, Tariq thought it was the most hilarious thing ever because, you know, like, praised, like, black churches. But these people would just, like, do hands across America across the church. Like, they would just, like, someone would start a Congo. line and that was a thing it'd be like a 79 person carna line this sounds like midsummer

it sounds yeah it sounds like a white person church yeah can I say that I think I'm right I mean you can say it for once I can say something believe in and not it was actually drawn down the middle like it was equally black white and uh Nah, that didn't go work for me. Well, yeah, it's a Hispanic thing, you know? I was the drummer, so what the fuck?

I want to ask you about to that point, James, about, you know, we talk about the black church and it pretty much being kind of like the breeding ground and like the training ground for musicians. So now with the black church, what do you think is the role of the black church in the musical community? Because now it's very much you see the rise of, you know, what? I guess what they call CC and contemporary Christian music, which is, you know, it's not, it ain't Andre Crouch. You know, I mean, so does a black church still have that role in the musicians?

Yeah, are they being trapped now in church? Absolutely, man. They're doing stuff. I mean, again, I'm older now, so some of the things that they're doing now. Absolutely, to my question. Oh, I was like, are they being like trap and drill in church now? Or like, oh, you hear that kind of stuff? Like, if they do it now in your brother's church,

one time I try to play Peter Piper, Like I just told the percussion play, but just do this. And I played it. And one elder who was like the youngest elder who like knew what I know what y'all doing. Like they called me to the principal's office and was like because the kids started whopping and all that's. So it was forbidden. I couldn't play anything that made them want to start doing the whopping. Listen, I was playing.

This is a kid I played the changes to onboard. Broadway. Two. And one of the Eagles looked at me like, no, no, no, no, no. What? No, Georgia. Wow. I like the changes.

G to F. Yeah, exactly. So how is it now? Like, how was, what do you do? They're playing, I don't know if you saw this thing a few months back. There was this church in Georgia, he played the actual record, a walk it out. I walk it out. I think I've seen that.

I think that, the minister. And played the verses and everything. The whole church is up dancing. And I was like, okay. That's true. I stopped watching the video. I was like, no. But, yeah, the influence is definitely there.

The stuff they're doing now, you know, they're playing to tracks, you know. So it's extremely, the church is just extremely musical. You know, these guys are still playing and playing beyond. You know, it's like tide rises and then it just keeps rising and they're rising. I mean, church has got orchestras now and whatnot. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, I think it's less religious, no? What about guys like Corey Henry and PJ Morton, like dudes like that? Like, it's still church-based, e-ish, but it's not religious. Yeah, would you consider a Thai tribute? Was he kind of in that same lane? Yeah, I think Todd helped change a lot, you know, because him and the band's soundcheck, they were just doing some things that were like, wait a minute, what is that? You know, I mean, Emil, you could attest to that, you know?

Yeah. I mean, I don't know. It's, to me, like, I still. Am I like the crinky old guy in the corner that everyone's already popping their head? Yes, you are. I'm waiting till you finish. Yes. No, but it's for me, I feel like the overdoing it of it all.

Yeah. Frustrates the shit out of me because, like, I don't know. Like, I feel like the less, if you act like a team, like, you know how boring All-Star games are. for basketball? Mm-hmm. Because it's just like, oh, everyone's taking lay-ups, everyone's dunking. Offensive shootout.

Right. And that's where I feel like gospel chops are now, where it's just like, all right, we know you're amazing, but like, what do you guys like as a team? Right. But it's, again, I would not argue with that, but I, well, I would argue that from their point of view,

like, that's the level of musicality that's risen to now. I guess that's the norm. So they just express something and getting more musical and more musical. You know what I mean? It sounds like, I mean, the stuff that

we listen to Fusion stuff that Chick-Koree Electric Band and all this stuff which was special and different. That's the norm of church. Nah, nah. Doobie Powell? Oh, Duby, man. Doobie is amazing.

That's gospel? Gospel. Doobie Powell was amazing. His whole family. Duby cow. Is this new or old? No, now. Yeah, he's carri-d-D-B-B-I-E is a monster, dude.

D-U-U-O-O-B-I-E. But yeah, but it's very music, like, changes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's real. You said fusion, it kind of like, yeah. Vegas changes or like, no, no, no. Vegas changes. You'll dig it.

Nah, he's wrong. Do we, do it, do it the truth. Yeah. I'm sending to you a mirror. Okay. Why are you school with me now? No, I just always like to keep up with everybody on this show. Y'all don't know.

I'll be sitting here looking up everything y'all talking about, so I might as well just send it to you too. I see. Thank you. I appreciate it. All right. So what was the period? that told you like, okay,

I'm going to take the serious and pursue my dream of playing music. When I was in college and after the chemical engineer and debacle petered out. And so I left Drexel

and I went to community college for two years and was working at Strawbridge and Clover. Damn, Strawbridge. What's that? It's like a Marmesee. Oh, okay, okay.

Okay. And I started getting gigs, and I started doing local gigs around town with different choirs and different club things. And then started doing some things with some national artists, you know, some national gospel artists. There's a choir called New Jersey Mass. I was working with them. There's a gospel singer named Vanessa Ball Armstrong.

Yes. And then Hezekieler. Oh, yeah. And then I started working with the whitehead brothers went on tour to Europe with the whitehead brother. That's what that's one. Your love is the 187? So wait, that's when I meet you when you were at Philadelphia International? Is that how that happens?

Because that's when I met James and Victor is that Philadelphia International? Well, that was after, after that's when I met Jeff. Okay. The illustrious Jeffrey Jazz. I mean. Jeffrey Towns? Jeffrey Jazz Town. Jazz and BJ Jazz and Jeff.

Wait, you're skipping over very crucial things I want to know about. Who's your long? biggest gig with as far as like national gospel is concerned uh Bruce Parham. He was a Philly guy okay and I worked with him so it was Bruce Parham with Hesekai Walker mm-hmm then I played with tri-city with Donald Lawrence oh wow all right okay okay okay no no no no that's just yes no that's that's Keith Fringle all right so his the guy well all right now all right now the DJ Roger

this one. Yes, thank it. Anyhow. Anyhow. That was Tarek's first gospel song that he's saying. Are you serious? Oh, dog, yeah. Like, you know, like, the special Sundays were, like, you're going to get anointed

or something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, Tariq was, for one week, Tariq was going to be, like, Aaron Hall. Oh, y'all. Like, seriously, handkerchief. Microw. How's everybody this evening? I was like, no.

So, Terekin Singh. Wait, so does the gospel community, did they feel like you're secretly theirs first? Like, they look at you when they see you in the streets, like, come home, buddy. I'm still home, what you're talking about? But I mean, like, come, but like, you can leave, you can leave them, you could really just be with us, you know? I mean, it's changed up so much. It's like, where would I start going back to do some gospel records? You know what I mean?

I'm doing it my way, but the way they're doing them now, you know what I mean? It's like super advanced now? Yeah, man. So wait, you're saying this is like. eight degrees way past commission commission yeah so this is way past commission now yes and I mean commission was just so cutting edge yeah that was like the foundation almost like yeah so but there's still you know it's still growing there's a lot that guys are doing that you know like you say the music level is so high like do like Kimberrell like

Kimball yeah yeah it's just very it's very technical like the gospel singers because I mean I I work with a lot of singers and the thing that you have to, that I noticed with a lot of gospel singers or have to have that background, getting them to understand the difference between being a singer and being a recording artist. Yeah. Because they just want to sing. Like, it's a run every two minutes. It's like, fam.

You can just sing the melody and it's okay. You know what I mean? So it's very, yeah, it's that. Like you said, like it's always that, um, very flashy, you know what I'm saying? but technically brilliant, you know what I'm saying? But it's like, if you're singing a song, you kinda gotta give the audience some room to sing along with you, you know what I mean?

Right. So yeah, but they be singing their ass out though. It's funny, back in the day, there was one or two singers that could do that kind of stuff. One of two musicians that could do all of, you know, the stuff. Now everybody does that stuff and it's like, let's go back to keeping it kind of simple. But it seems like that's inevitable.

It's the first love approach. It's inevitable. 2%. That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter, and on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory.

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I actually drop better when I'm high. It heightens my senses, calms me down. If anything, I'm more careful. Honestly, it just helps me focus. That's probably what the driver who killed a four-year-old told himself. And now he's in prison. You see, no matter what you tell yourself, if you feel different, you drive different.

So if you're high, just don't drive. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council. Take me through a typical week. of this circuit, gig-wise. Like, what, rehearsal-wise, what's required dress code, traveling. Yeah, so rehearsing doing the week. You're Morgan Freeman and I'm,

this is Shawshank. Oh, wow. So we rehearsing at some church, some small church somewhere. Okay. You know. What day? Like Tuesday night?

Sometime doing the week. It doesn't matter. You know. Monday, night, Tuesday night. Is it always organ or is it piano too? It's piano keyboards, whatever was there, you know what I mean? Do you get a cassette verse of what you're going to learn? Yeah.

You have to know it already. But some things, what, with some of the choir, some things are just like standards that everybody would know. Okay. Not like, we would just, people that know. Church vote, you know. You always listen. Everybody knows so you know what it is.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. practice the stuff, go do a gig. You know, there's a gospel concert with like 40 people on it. You go up there and do two songs. You know, you got to. Do you have your own DX-7 or you share?

Sometimes you bring your stuff in or sometimes you share, and sometimes people didn't want you playing this stuff. Don't touch my settings. Don't move. Don't change the transpose on this. Don't change the symbols around. Drummers bring the snares in. I've seen drummers walking with a snare.

some sticks and walk out with a snare cymbles. How much the Tocount of Gigs pay back in them days, Jane? Oh, man, I got quite a few cheese steaks. Wow. No, I ain't even 35 bucks, maybe. No, I ain't even 35 bucks. Like, yo, let's just go get a cheese steak.

Yep. And I had to split a cheese steak. Right. With a base player. Wow. Damn. So your strawberry's money is your real money. Yeah.

So, but is, but also. So are you in units, like, is it the goal to show out? Yeah. Like, oh, we go to that church? Yeah, all of that. All of that. You know, some of the bands I was playing, and, you know, I was always blessed to have the greatest drummers to work with. So, little John and Brian Fraser Moore, you know.

So, you know, we go do these gigs and show, you know, everybody was more excited for Brian and John. than me because, you know, they was putting on the show. They were starting the show. And I'm like, I'm just holding it together with my two chords. So you need Broadway. All right. So what was your first foray into the professional world that will take you to where you are now? Like, what's your first?

What do you consider your first? I got hired by Richard Dimplesfield. I said it. The whitehead brothers had a hit at the time. Okay. So was this the love is the 187? Was this that one or was it? What was the record they had?

Feel your pain. Oh, my God. My memory is so, it's gone right now. Is this the whitehead? Forget I was a G? Was it that one? Forget I was a G? Forget I was a G.

That was the white head. The kid, the son. Oh, that's a song. Yeah, forget I was the G was the, that was the one that was on the Jason's lyric soundtrack. That was like 95. We went into toward Europe. I'll never forget this. We played London.

This guy opened up for us and everybody was laughing at him. I was like, this dude is terrible. Mark Morrison. Oh, what? The return of the back, son? What? He was like the churned? No, he was just playing.

Yeah, he was singing. I was singing. Was this at the gig I met you at? He returned to the back. No, this is in London. Did I meet you in London? No. I mean, you know what I mean?

Quest Nesia. Like, never heard that before. Oh, dude. But fucking love that. Yeah. How many times I meet you? I meet you before I'm like, oh, Bill. Well, you thought it was your accountant, like 17 times.

Right, exactly. I'm pretty sure you still think I'm your accountant. That's fine. No, no, you're consistent in your accountant chic right now. Love it. No, no, but I remember at the Apollo. Who were the Whitehead's opening for that? Was it Black Street?

At the Apollo? At the Apollo in London. It was Black Street. Okay. We were over and up from before. Did I meet you there? That's when I remember. That's James.

poison. That's when it registered. Because you're like, hey, Philly. I was like, huh? Really? Oh, you guys are you. You remember something? I don't mind. That is fascinating. This was Black Street and the Whitehead Brothers came to the Apollo, I think, around

December of 95, I decided to not fly home for Christmas and just stay at our apartment. Everyone went home for Christmas, and I stayed at our apartment in London. And I went to go see Black Street I think you are there three nights in a row or something. Oh, that's cool.

Yeah. Wow, I don't remember that. So wait, then how did you hook up with Whitehead brothers then? Because, yeah. How did, I just, well, they're from Philly. I know, I know. But did that was, that would led you into like being, because y'all were kind of like supposed to be like the canon for,

for PIR for a minute. It felt like you. No, no, this was way before that. This was a little bit before PIR. This was right when I met Jeff. Okay. And became, and. and, you know, he took me in a touch of jazz.

Have you met Victor yet? Yeah, Jeff and Vic, I met at the same time. This was Vic with the blonde hair. Y'all don't remember that phase. This was before DuPlay. This is Grandmaster Vic. Before the Turban. At one point, Grandmaster Vic was probably neck and neck with, like, jazzy Jeff as far as I cut in the ratch.

You talk about a different Victor. No. You talk about that Victor? Yeah. Grandmaster Vic. Grandmaster Vic and Exotic Dun. Yeah. So he always was like that.

That was his old old. Grand Master Vic, the Exotic Don. And Exotic Don. Like guys Jeff in the first print? Yeah, yeah. So he looked different back then. Blonde hair. Okay, because I was working, because he always looked, because also with Mary,

then he started wearing a turban and he did some lock things. Like, you know, Victor went through his page. He was going through a seal thing. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And according to Vic, he saw Daphne DuPlay. The fine-ass playboy model of, I believe that she was at Tower Records signing. This is like a week before things fall apart came out. She used a title record signing

8 by 10s for the new Playboy DVD thing or VHS thing. And I went in and got her autograph. I've seen her. Thank you, Laia. How did y'all get that 8x? Was that my 8 by 10 that's hanging in your studio of Dapney to play?

Wow. It might have, or was it his? Because he came back and like, I'm changing my name. We got to get Vic on the show, man. He said the same thing. He said the same thing. She was that fine, though. She's so fine, he changed his name.

I never knew what you play came from. One day he was cooked and it was just. She was in a Visa commercial. That was like her first national thing in addition to doing Playboy. But she was like in a Visa commercial. Fine is all hell. That's better than an X. Yeah.

That's how he spells. Exactly. I always felt sort of from an outsider. I arrived in Philly in 2004, but he always seemed like he was somehow a crux to what had happened. Like, was he at the center of a lot of the stuff that was happening?

He was there. He was involved in a lot of stuff. He was also just way ahead of his time. Yeah. I admit that I was laughing. Like, when James explained to me, like, yeah, you know, like Victor, and I'm like, Grandmaster Vic, he says,

now, like, Victor DuPlay trying to, like, you know, he's trying to do some cool, sexy thing, like seal, sting. And I'm like, Grandmaster Vic wants to do that type of stuff. And then he dropped international affairs. What? Come on.

Okay. Right. And she was jamming. I love that album. The daughters of desire. I just know the melody. Way ahead of everybody. Yeah, he was.

First of all, the youngest. Is that Kenny? Or? I think it was Kenny. Yeah, it was Kenny. On tour, did he ever play guitar? Because I don't think the world knew. And Philly didn't know.

He was like Kirk, Jimmy Hendrick level of a guitar playing. Really? He said, Kirk, that was sweet. So I met him, I think it's Kenny Whitehead, the youngest. You know, A Street music. And he was just shredding his, and I've never seen, like, a young black person shred like guitar like that. And when I heard Whitehead, I was like, oh, that's the ain't. My dad was like, his father, there ain't no stopping us now.

He's no stop from now. Right. But on the tour, were they just... No. They were just... Yeah, just singing. Well, we would just, you know... I always thought that was his wrong calling.

Like, he should have played guitar more and, like... You know, it's funny, can I just take you saying the first time you saw him? So, I grew up in West Philly. He grew up in West Philly. We didn't know each other. But I'd see this weird dude walking around because I'd take the G. I take the L. Right.

And I was like, who did this dude? And then I did a session of... at the studio on Delaware Avenue and you were leaving. Okay. And I was like, who was this dude? He was like, yo, you don't know him? He's one.

Cajum studios? I think it was a Cajum. He's like, yeah, we don't know this dude on drums. I was like, he plays drums? I see him in the neighborhood, but I didn't know he played drums. And then the Boys and Men video came out. Right. Yeah, it was a weird.

He was like, oh, I got it, man. Wow. That's my entry. So how did you meet Jeff? because you came around he's not he's the tail end if he's a DJ I'm the rapper but really in the beginning of

and in this corner it was Little John Oh okay Little John Roberts who he was playing drums at Jeff and they had a gig at the zoo Philly Zeela wow Oh you mean the real zoo

I thought she was talking about a club Okay And I went to hang And I was like Yo I'm gonna be down with this Is he Jeff in the first person Perform that? Yeah

Okay All was just Jeff DJing but with a band And he had some other musicians playing Okay. And I was like, I'm trying to, you know, what's up? So, you know, got cool with him and Vic.

And this was right. They just moved the studio from Delaware Avenue up to... He left Studio 4? Yeah, and went up to near City Avenue. I forget the name of the studio. I didn't know they moved there. Yeah. Okay.

So I started working with them there. Okay. And worked there for a few years, did some remixes, whatever. This was when Jeff was always in Illinois doing Fresh Prince. So then me and... Of what you're on? Yeah, I'm in a couple episodes. Really?

There's a couple episodes. I was hanging out with Jeff. I was hanging out with Jeff, and I was like, sitting in the back eating Roscoes. I'm like, yo, Will, man, let me get in one of these scenes, man. And Will took me right up. And it was a Friday. Just before they were about to tape. And you got to remember those extras there all week for rehearsal.

And he put me right in the front. And they were looking at me. Mm-hmm. But you was always a ham, too. That's good. They hate line cutters. Extras hate line cutters, boy. So, again, we're working there,

and Chauncey Childs, my brother was up there, working the business with us. And then we were like, you know, we're doing this ourselves. Let's go off by ourselves and do our thing. So we're working at Vicks apartment doing nothing. And Kenny Gamble, who was a friend of, Vick's mom or Chonsey's mom was like,

man, you guys come down to Philean National. I'm going to teach you all what's going on. So that's where I had the room. That's where we first met. And Keith too. Yeah, Keith was working there. Yeah, that's the idea. Chon's brought Keith down to like help handle the books or whatever, whatever.

Keith McPhee. Yes, that's how I met Keith. McPhee started at Philly International. Because I think he had just quit MTV. He had he quit MTV at the time where he wasn't trying to travel too much. Much? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And then right after that, that's when he was like back on the road with y'all. Yes. Keith is who called me earlier, interrupted me. Then y'all get set up to write songs for Damon Keith Williams. Oh, all of that. Okay, so what was your day-to-day at Philly International?

Because I always heard of like, Philly International's opening back up and everybody worked at Philly International, but did anything come out of Philly International? No question. You forgot no question. Remember no question the group? I don't care what your mama said. Yeah. Y'all, okay.

I remember no question. Oh, wow. Yes. But Fonte didn't respond to it. That was like, oh, man. I just got big. This was an R&B group. Yeah, yeah.

I take it. It had to be, I mean, a name was no question. I mean, that kind of, yeah. They sealed their own fate. But you're right, James, you're right. I'm sorry, you're right, you're right, you're right. So we go down in the morning and just work until like 10, 4,000, And that's when Zog, Zagg, who was Mr. Huff's right-hand man.

Zag played drums on Curtis Mayfield Superfly album. Wow. Okay. And Zagg be like, time to go. Oh. So we were like, yo, Gams, man, can we stay later? And Gams, look, man, this ain't no flop house. Y'all leaving out of here, 1045.

You wouldn't let your work late? No. And always make sure his guy closes the doors and sends us home. But it's crazy. I had Linda Creed's old room. Linda Creed who wrote, yeah, people didn't work around. All the records, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It was so, yeah, the psychedelic carpet on the walls. Oh, yeah, it was crazy. All the original stuff. And just being there in sessions and Lou Rawls being, it's crazy, like the old Lou Walls, they were finished on Phyllis Hyman's album at the time. Did you play on any of those things? I think I played on a Lou Rawls song.

Okay. Was Phyllis nice? I didn't get to, I didn't meet her. So what years, just so we know, What years were, it was Philly International. This is 88. Yeah. To the night.

Well, based on his albums coming out. But the greatest thing I got from that was just sitting around listening to Gams and Mr. Huff had talking. Yeah. So I remember one time they were watching videos on TV. Some girls group was on. I knew, hmm, they all right. But they ain't nothing like them Jones girls, huh? Yep, yep.

I thought like, Wal-in-Statler. Like, yeah. They're all right. So I would to ask you, but talk about your process of going from being a musician, being a player, to being a producer. Because there's a lot of people who can play, but, you know, making tracks or, you know, being that, it's a different thing. So at the time, I really wanted to be a musician, just be on the road and one.

And I met some guys that were constantly on the road. And I saw their living situations. And I saw it, and I was like, remember, me smart, because I, I, me. Finance. Chemical engineering, man. Come on. Me,

Chemical engineering, me finance. Me smart. Me kicked out of ten different schools. So I was like, okay, this is not going to amount too much. You know what I mean? I can keep, this is a monkey's hustle. You know, I can keep chasing this.

And I was like, okay, what's the next step to us? So I was like, okay, let me be strategic and start writing songs. Okay. And I wrote a bunch of gospel songs that I out, you know, is a kind of recorded. could record some Bruce Parham and, you know, a bunch of different. So I started writing other songs. I remember wrote some songs and I let this guy in Philly who was like a pretty well-known

songwriter, hear some stuff. And he was like, this is terrible. Who? His name was Spencer. Bernard. Spencer. Big Spencer. I know the name Spencer.

I know that guy. Yeah, I've heard his name. You know. That's happened to me quite a bit when I send music to people in the, they hate it. Fonte being one of them. Oh shit. Tell it, tell it, tell it, tell it. No, it's cool. I know. I love it. It's good. The stuff I did at the time I was searching

and it was absolute trash. I'm trying to remember what it was. I know. No, I appreciate you like, it was really memorable. You were, you ain't lying and be like, oh, this is cool. You were like, nah, man. Yeah, if I was going to look around, family or not, that shit is white. Fonte better nod something. And I appreciate that. Yo, yo, I love you. I'm like, yo, bro, I don't want to have you out here.

I know. And I appreciated that. I know, I appreciated that. I absolutely appreciate that. You know, somebody would have lied and I'd still be dealing with some whackness. Fonte the first to tell you the truth. Well, wait, how long ago was that? Because if Fonte don't remember, and you got to go. Oh, this is. This had to be maybe early 2000.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, man, James, like, so with him, he and I, like, this was probably like, man, this is early 2000s. And we were doing, this is when we were doing the minstrel show. This is when Elv was on the minstrel show. And we came up to the studio and I was just playing you records. I'd never get this. I was just playing you records, and we played the All for You record. And James just immediately went to the keyboard and just started playing over.

And I was like, oh, shit. And I was just so honored that he would even play on one of our records. I was like, shit. And so we ended up keeping it. And so he played on All for You on the minstrel show. He's playing the keys and stuff on that. And then a couple years after that, he reached out. And the fame movie.

Fame. That's right. Fame. This was a, now, the movie did absolutely jack shit. The movie did nothing. But Naturi Norton, she was playing, she had a role, and they needed a song. And James just said, he was like, hey man, I'm working on this. You think you can write something?

Yeah, again, I'm like, holy shit. Yeah, like that was very right. That's coming. You could have called anybody. Yeah, no, for real. No, straight up. No, he sent it and me and my home girl Carlita, Carlita DeRan, we went in the studio, we did it, and I sent it back.

And I'm just, hell, Mary. I have no idea. I'm like, maybe this works. And so James, he hit me. I remember I never get, we was on instant messenger. And he was like, oh man, you show off, you show off, you show off. I was like, all right, I think we got it right. So now, we did those records.

And, yeah, then, God, man. Is that one of your first placement records? That was one of my first, yeah, we're writing for a movie. That was like 0-9. And then, like, a couple years after that, we did our The Foreign Exchange's cover of if she breaks your heart. He remixed that and used one of your drum loops, actually. I am on that pitch.

For the remix, we did that. This should be called, I played on that. Oh, I played on that? Two of you. Yeah, he did it. So, no, man, James, he was always, I mean, outside of just, you know, me being a fan of the music,

I just always appreciated the way that you would reach out to me and just give me those opportunities and would always show up. And, you know, just aside from me being a fan, like, just you giving me those calls, man, that shit really meant a lot.

And so anytime you call, my always, I'm like, yeah, I got to deliver. Oh, man, I appreciate that. straight up. I love you too, bro. I get real nervous

around poison also, man. You kidding me? All the time. He just did a thing. I had to send it to him. I was like, fuck. Wait, so y'all work together to him?

Listen, this thing that he sent me, he was like, I was like, what is wrong with you? Oh, William. I was terrified. I was fucking terrified. I was like, he shouldn't.

True story. His name is a million dollar bill. No, and a beer called me. It was like, we're going to do it, but James is going to be. I was like, like, okay. If he has to be.

Is that your instrument, Bill? What? The piano? I mean, sure. Don't. Bill, don't do that. Don't do that. Bill makes dance.

I'm a fake piano player. I can't play like James can play, but I can manipulate with the computer. Some midi. Magic. Make it happen. I love this family love. Okay, folks. This is where we're stopping part one with my favorite member of the roots, James Poyser.

Actually, Kirk is my favorite. And then Black Thought and Quest lover kind of tied for second play. And wow, wait a second, I forgot Stroh. He's definitely in the top five. And the horn guys, Dave and Ian, they're my bros. So yeah, James would be like sixth. No, wait, Mark Kelly. Oh, yes, he's my man.

So James is like, wait, me and Kamala have really bonded recently. So James Poizier is like, whoa, hold on a second. Tuba. I forgot Tuba, my man, that's my cousin. So, uh, uh-oh, bad news for James, but good news for you, our listener. in part two, the conversation about James's transition from musician to producer continues with some deep dives into the records he's made. Come back next week or check your podcast feed for that one.

See you later, James. West Love Supreme is a production of Iheart Radio. For more podcasts from Iheart Radio, visit the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. I'm on my podcast, 2%.

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