The Questlove Show - Mannie Fresh

Episode Date: February 2, 2026

Mannie Fresh joins Questlove to trace his journey from a DJ’s son in New Orleans to one of Hip-Hop’s most influential producers. He reflects on the birth of Bounce music, the creation of Cash Money classics like “Ha,” “Back That Azz Up,” “Bling Bling,” and “Still Fly,” working with Teena Marie, and his hopes for a unified Cash Money and No Limit moment. As Black History Month kicks off, this is Southern Hip-Hop history told straight from one of its chief architects—explaining how a rich tradition of Black music informed his inventive, era-defining style.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clivert Show on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode.

Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to.

to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, They take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves.

We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The Questlove show is a production of IHeart Radio. Good people, good people. Welcome to the Questlove show. So today we have an absolute legend, an architectural mastermind of hip hop culture.

From the heart of the Big Easy New Orleans, our guest today has brought a sound, I will say, really brought the sound of the South to life and to prominence and to dominance, literally defining an era with his unmatched production talent. We know all the icons that he's collaborated with. It's part of our daily fiber. Our daily nutrients, if you will, from, of course, his comrades, Juvenile and Weezy and UGK and Trina and Tia and Two Chains. And the list goes on and on and on and on. If you're a longtime fan, if you are a hip-hop historian, of course, you know of his entry into the game in the late 80s, of course, with MC Gregory D. our guest today is literally the Army, the Navy, the Space Force, and the Air Force, and the Marines. He is the number one, two, three, four, and five stunner.

I'm glad I get to say these words. Manny Fresh, welcome to the Questlove show. How are you? Thank you. Bro, that was an awesome intro. I'm going to have to use that on something. You deserve it. You deserve it, man.

Thank you, brother. I appreciate it. Thank you. It's time we hold each other up in light. Yes, yes, we should. You and I have done occasional gigs together. Yes. But aside from like the casual pleasantries and giving pounds and whatnot, we really haven't officially kicked it.

And I have so many questions. I have so many questions. Yeah. What is your very first musical memory? I just remember my dad always having a gang of 45s and just all of these soul songs that they made the house feel better. like, you know, the songs that were like the cool, the Sam Cook songs. Like, you know, when my dad would play those songs or whatever, it just made the whole structure of our house feel better.

Like, you know, and we had no clue that we lived in public housing. We had no clue. And because those songs made it feel that good. So my introduction to music was through 45s. That's what my dad was playing first, you know. And one of his favorite artists was Sam Cook. and he played, I mean, like, the hell out of Sam Cooke's songs. And, you know, we knew the songs, you know, by my dad playing them.

So we knew the lyrics to all of those songs. But to see my mom and my dad interact when those songs played, you know, it showed you that this is a part of music, it's the glue to, you know, to make things better. How many albums were in the household? Oh, my God, bro. We lost, I wish my mom was here right now because, you know, people would be like, Why he exaggerating? I think we probably had over the years maybe 30 to 40,000, 45s that my dad had we had

stacks and stacks of 45s. Like, you know, because from his era of DJing, like, you know, and that was the first thing that DJ spent 45s. And the crazy thing was a lot of them wasn't in the sleeve. They was just stacked up. And even some of my younger baby pictures, you know, people were like, well, was that AI? Did you know? I'm like, that's really what I played with, 45s.

Like, that was, that was my toy. I got you. No, this is, I'm glad to finally talk to someone that I had the same childhood, you know, growing up. We had about maybe 4,000, 5,000 albums. I would judge records based on how they looked label-wise. Yeah. Rotating on the turntable. So can I assume that as,

Was a kid, were you a record obsessive? Or was it a thing where it's like, your parents rammed it down your throat, so you just inherited it. My parents kind of rammed it down my throat. Like, you know, my dad played keys, he played drums, you know, and he didn't play professionally, but he knew how to play by ear.

So it was always around me that, you know, like, this is something that, you know, you're going to have to tinkle with it for a little bit, or you're going to have to mess with it. You know, we had an old piano. Of course, it was a, and tune, but my dad would mimic the old songs, like the doo-op songs, because all of those songs was probably two cards and just, you know, like a little bass part. And, you know, and then

I start going, oh, this kind of easy to play, you know, mimicking that or whatever. And then before you know it, you're doing things on your own and you don't even know like this is really you creating something. Because that genre of music, there was so many rip-offs of a song that, you know, it was the same song where you was just like, well, you know, this is that song. And you know, this is that song and that's also the Beach Boys song, you know? A blues and yeah, just, yeah, I get it. Yeah, I get it. You know, a lot of this is coming.

Of course, you know, I was raised in Philadelphia in the Northeast. I was basically just led under the impression that damn near one out of three people in New Orleans had some sort of musical talent. Just. Yeah. Was that just like a kind of like breathing air or eating bread like? like, oh, you have to eventually figure out some sort, even if your desire is not to do music.

Yeah. And every neighborhood, every project, there was a band being started somewhere. Like, you know, and that was the norm. Like, you know, if you didn't pay attention to everything else around you, you played instruments, you know. And one of the cool things about New Orleans was, if you did do that, you know, the street dudes would leave you alone

because they knew how important it was to the culture. It was respected that, you know, know you did that. You know, it's tons of people that can tell you stories. Like, you know, growing up in New Orleans, like they would just raise up my window and leave the window open because I was DJing. I was in, you know, playing something. They was like, hey, bro, can we just listen? You know, why are we out here doing whatever we doing? And I'm like, yeah, just leave a window up, you know, and it was just, you know, because I was in, I was trying to figure out whatever I was doing, whatever that mix was, whatever I was creating. But it was cool to them. And, you know,

and it would be like, even if I tried something crazy growing up, they would send me on my way. They would be like, hey, bro, get back to music, dude. This is not for you. Go back to music. So in your childhood, what was what I would call hustle culture or gang? Like, how prominent again? All around me, dude. And luckily, I grew up with guys that respected what I was doing and saw something in

me. Like, you know, that was just like, and I knew after trying something, you know, people always glorified that. I was horrible at that. That was not my thing. Like I would have got everybody killed and myself. Tried it, but I was just like, nah, this is not for me. And then when you're home, you know, somebody who you grew up with, one of your homies, he's just like, hey, bro, get off the streets.

Get back to music, you know. And hustle, that just wasn't for me. And even, I'm so glad my dad was just like, if you get in trouble for that, I'm not come and get you. Because I respected my dad, like, to the fullest, you know. And he was just like, there's so many opportunities out here for you. But if you, if you're trying to hustle with you. your friends and you get in trouble for that,

I'm not come and get you. And that's scared the he'll be jibis out of him. I know that feeling, bro. Yeah. I know that feeling. I'm always curious about kind of the first generation of DJs, those DJs that had to operate with one turntable

or sock hop DJs or whatever DJing was in the 60s and 70s. When did your father start DJing? My father, he was a cook at the Roosevelt Hotel. He was a chef there. And he actually heard a DJ, like heard, I forget who the popular DJ was. This was his story from what he was telling me that was on a radio station, just on a radio station. But he said when they had sock hops or whatever, you could not get those records. You couldn't get those songs or whatever, like the really, really good songs.

Like, you know, because in those days you had, you know, the way they operated, the way New Orleans operated or whatever. Everything was a peola, it was mafia influenced and whatever, and all of that, even music. So he was just like, they weren't invited to certain things. You know, like basically, they would get the bottom of the barrel. If it was a sock hop or whatever, and he was like a DJ didn't have the music of our culture or whatever. So he's seen it as an opportunity to say like, hey, you know what? This is missing. This is what's missing from our culture.

If we go somewhere, it was like, we got to hear the same three songs over and over again. where if it's on the other side of town, they get everything, you know, because there wasn't really no good DJs that could get good music. So what he did was he started hanging out at the radio station and figured out, like, the way this worked, the way Paola worked in that time was they would actually give the DJs, if you were a so-called DJ, they would give you the records

and give you a little money to break it. You know what I'm saying? So that's the way I was, a whole collection of 45s and all of that started. My dad would get records that, you know, some of them was good, some of them was horrible. But a lot of it was because he was going up in the ranks. And when he first started DJN, it appealed to black people. So you had all of these record companies going, this is the guy to go to.

And he decided to make a living off of it. He was just like, you know what? I think I could quit my job and do this. And, you know, he raised me and my two sisters off of DJ. And that was the only job I know my dad. ever had after quitting, you know, his job from being a chef. What types of parties did he do? What was big in a, in a, in a, in a, in a, in a 60s, I remember even talking about this with him.

They had this gong show that they used to do. And the gong show was kind of like kind of equivalent to, you know, mimicking a song or whatever. And somebody would, were dressed up like the act or whatever and sang the song. But that was big. Like, you know, like, like, um, karaoke, basically. Like, but that was big that you, you dressed the party. If you did Lil Richard, you had to show up dressed up like Lil Richard. Like, you know what I'm saying?

And my dad was the orchestrator of kind of the gong show. And that was a big thing for people in New Orleans to go out and do. And then from there, it went to, you know, like the little sock hop or maybe the gym or whatever and all it evolved. I remember finding like some of my dad's first amps, like the tube amps with no back on them, with just a plug in them. How did the music project in, I mean, And days, now we have cabinets and, you know. Yeah, yeah. And my dad had a lot of old equipment, like, you know, the first generation PV speakers.

Well, you know, like those speakers were, you know, just loud, you know, you couldn't tune them or whatever. Right. Right. Right. And the first generation amps that, you know, you just plugged in them. And the back was open. So if you stuck your finger in there or whatever, you was dead. Let's say.

And I saw it evolve from that to better equipment, you know, and I'm like, oh, well, you. actually are moving, you know. And then from there, it became like every hole in the wall bar. Every place in New Orleans, my dad played. And then around, somewhere around 14, 15, I started hooking up my dad's equipment wherever he was playing. You know, he was just like, hey, could you go hook this up? And then before you go to school, come back and get it, you know, I was driving without a license. Me and my friend Wap, you know, my dad would let us use this DJ van because that's what you had at the time. Right. Okay. So you got tricked into the family business. Yeah, I got tricked into it.

I got tricked into it by literally bringing his equipment, hooking it up and coming back to get it. And one late night, it was like a smoky hole in the wall bar or whatever. I kind of got there early. And my dad was like, long as you stay in the background, you know what I'm saying, and just stay out of the way, you can stay here because you can't get, you know. So I was just in the background and I saw like that changed my life for forever.

I saw what the DJ do and what music do for. people. What year was this? This was probably somewhere early 80s. Early 80s, like very, very early 80s. In your observation of being your, air quote, your dad's apprentice, when are you taking note of what works and what doesn't work? Because what I notice about the most successful producers in black music, the common denominator that they

have, a handful of them. Jimmy Jam is one of them. Dr. Dre's a great example of them. Of course, you know, most people, before they produced, they were once DJs. Like, Dre's example is the reason why he's so good is because he DJed in some of the most hostile environments ever. Yeah.

And if you play the wrong song, that was your ass. Like, you're responsible for the lives of, if you play something that doesn't work. Yeah. So the pressure's on you almost to build the perfect house of cards. You're the perfect person to ask this question because I will say now you hold the key. There's the one record that will last 50 years that no matter what environment it's in, it works. When people play the intro to Michael Jackson's, don't stop to you get enough.

It was that feeling. When I play smells like teen spirit sometimes. There's that feeling. there's no feeling in the world like when the first four bars of back that ass up comes on. Yeah. It's almost like pandemonium's going to start in 15 seconds. In your opinion, what was that record when you first started as an apprentice with your dad observing him DJ? Believe it or not, Marvin Gates got to give it up.

Oh, when that came on. It works to this day. When that came on, wherever he was. was DJ and they went nuts. Like, you know, and I used to go out and party, you know, and the crazy thing was, that was the era when you could play the song three or four times.

And he would play that song three or four times, and the set probably was four hours. But every time it came on, it was like it was brand new. It would be like it was brand new to the crowd where you're just like, wow. Like, this really, you know, and we had so many songs

that did that in New Orleans. Like how some people say playing the wrong song, you would get fucked up. I was grew up on playing the right song. Like, you know, I know exactly what he mean by. If you played the wrong song, you would be, you know, but mine was always kind of like played a right song. Like, you know, there's a moment where, you know, drop this right now. And, you know, you're going down in history.

For you, how hard is it to break a new song? It's very hard because let me tell you, what's one of the things even with me? I have nothing against a young crowd, but I don't want to play for a young crowd. And that's one of the- Wait, even now? Even now, I don't want to play for a young crowd.

I really don't. I have all of the songs. I have all of the ammunition, but I don't want to play for a young crowd because I have not figured out how to break young songs yet. I'm figuring them out as I go. Like, I'll say, like, oh, that one is worthy. That one is worth.

And, you know, and I got kids, I call them kids, but they're grownups. Like, you know, my own youngest son is 21, you know, so this is his error. And sometimes, you know, he'll put the fear of God in me because I'm listening to him. You know, when I'm riding with my son and something I think is a jam, and he's like, nah, dad, that ain't it. That ain't the one. So I'm being polluted by sometimes that.

So I'm like, you know what? I need to stick with what I know. Wait, wait, time out. Because this is the thing, though. There's no cap. There's not brown-nosing. But literally where we are now is derivative of what you created. Yeah.

Texture-wise, what's hidden today is derivative from what you created that it's like a kid in the candy store for you. So even you have doubts of what works and what doesn't work. Yeah, yeah. I mean, the younger me, I never thought that way. I never did. But, you know, there's a thing that I don't. mind saying it, even if, you know, it rubs some people the wrong weights.

There's too much music being pushed on us. Absolutely. And some of it is not music. You know what I'm saying? So that's what was making it hard to say, like, well, what do I work? What song do I break? What song do, you know, because if I get, if I check

my pool and I see like, I got 40 records today and I'm like, how is this possible? And when you listen to, like, I don't know, 38 of them, you're like, who let these people do this. And I understand, like, some songs are supposed to be just a parody or sometimes it's just a fun record. But we got too much of that going on right now. So to this day, you still trust and engage your record pool? Yeah. Mm-hmm. I'm shameless, bro. I will shazam the shit out of

people. People are like, well, man, I open for you back and da-da-da-da-da-da. I'm be like, just here to listen. I will shazam the shit out of it just so I can- I definitely do that. If I hear you play, if you play something that I like, I'm a Shazza. I'm either, you might catch me over your computer

taking a picture. Oh, okay. See, if the legendary man in Fresh feels that way, then I don't feel so bad. Yeah, you know, I've done it to Jazzy Jeff. Like, what was that what you just played, Jeff? Like, and he's like, what was that that you just played?

I need to get that record. Like, you know. A win is a win. A win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist.

I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends.

Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone, I'm Ego Vodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo.

My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come, look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet.

Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. and he's like just give it a shot he goes but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore it's okay to quit if you saw it written down it would not be an inspiration it would not be on a calendar of you know the cat just hang in there yeah it would not be right it wouldn't be that there's a lot of luck yeah listen to thanks dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special

guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Back in 2005, there was a moment where Lenny Kravitz had a spot in New Orleans.

Yeah. And so did Solange. And the fellas and I were about to make a new record. And we decided, okay, New Orleans is probably one of the last real, like three places in the United States that still has a musical identity that's sort of singular. You know, like the DMV has it with go go culture. You go to San Francisco, whatever. There's just a different type of hip hop culture there. And for us, it was like, okay, we're going to buy two houses, move to New Orleans.

you know, mess with some jazz cats, messing with some brass cats. We wanted to hook up with you. So initially, from January to like August of 2005, our plan was we're going to tour for eight months. And then when it's time to make this new record, we purchased the two houses. We were ready.

About to ship our stuff, literally two nights before Katrina, we were going to move down there. And part of me wonders in some sort of alternate timeline, what would it happen if had we moved down there? For you, does it still feel the same to you as it once was? Like now I live with a bunch of disgruntled New Yorkers that are like gentrification and this is not the New York I loved and everywhere I go

sort of goes through that. What is? Well, one of the things was difficult with me too is because I'm fighting for the identity of New Orleans. Because we're not the same. We are not like, you know, culture-wise. I think what happened was so many people after Hurricane Katrina moved away somewhere else and picked up they have it.

You know, and some of them came back, you know, with, okay, you sound like you're from Atlanta. You sound like you're from just as small as Baton Rouge. You could have moved one hour out. You're just like, but you sound like you're from Baton Rouge. You don't sound like New Orleans no more. You don't move like. And I get it. That was a tragedy.

So people had to, but it kind of, it messed with our identity. It messed with our creativity and everything. So we are a city rebuilding our sound. We, you know, we, and it's still, you know, we're still waiting for some people, I don't know, to come back or either to contribute, but we definitely, we're a city that's rebuilding our sound. I was going to say 20 years after the fact, have you recovered 20 years after the fact, or is there still something missing man?

No, yeah, that's something. There's a disconnect with, like even what I'm telling you with DJing, how that, how that has happened. There's a disconnect with younger New Orleans and older New Orleans as artists. Like, you know, you have younger artists that feel like, you know, if you're OJ status, then, you know, you're a waste of time. Like, you know, they're just like, oh, well. And when I grew up, we actually looked up to the meters, the Allen Toussauce, you know, Armatones. We looked up to everybody that was out, you know, and we actually went to them. for advice on how you got that sound or how you created this.

How was that that warm? How was that, you know, and they didn't mind, but they're like, if you sang something to somebody young because it's still that chip on their shoulder, you know, they're just like, well, dude, you just wasting time. And the art of producing a song is gone. Like, you know, when you produce a song, you sit with me and we produce that song. Not me sending you a beat and like, hey, let's see what comes out. You know, and that disc,

One of those, that was so great about New Orleans that you could get a bunch of musicians together from a jazz band, from a brass band, from a, you know, and we can sit in a room and see what we come out with. You know, on the earlier cash money songs, trombone shawty played on those songs when he was a kid. Like, you know, and that foundation, some of that turned into trombone shardy. And then you're just like, wow, look at this, played, you know, on some of these songs for wrestling tickets. That's all he wanted to do is go to the wrestling match. And then he turns into this icon. Like, you know, but it was because we wanted to keep that guy off of the streets

because we saw how talented he was. And we also wanted to tell him whenever we got a chance to celebrate him, hey, bro, keep practicing. You're going to be something great. Now there's a disconnect. Like, you know, when you're saying that to a younger artist, or you can't even call a younger artist. I'm going to show, you know this.

Like, I see kids all the time on the Internet, like spazzing out, going crazy. And I just, the inner me wants to reach out to them and say, hey, bro, what are you doing? It's not that serious. This is music. Right. But if you do that, then you get called the clown. You ought to, you know, you the week. And I'm just like, well, I don't know how we fix that or how we, you know, make that work. But there's something going on in the water or whatever happened that we're not jelling the way we used to. There's a question I always wanted to ask a Nolan's resident that's closer to my age that I never got to ask. Okay. I know that, you know, oftentimes music lovers will

reminisce about yesteryear and how it was back in the day and music was way better back then, da-da-da-da. And sometimes, you know, in doing research or just listening, I'm just under the impression that it's always been the same, meaning that there's a commercial artist, there's a moderately loved artist, there's an underground artist, there's a niche art. Now, here's the deal. I grew up in my crib with, in my actual childhood, I had one meters

record. Yeah. It was Reprease era meters. We know there's two levels of the meters, the breakbeat. Yeah. And then the more polished, sophisticated. I mean, you know, just kiss my baby. I mean, some shit works.

You know what I mean? However, you know, I didn't discover, air quote, that meters, until 1990 when those first like five records were reissued. Yeah. Were they a niche New Orleans group in terms of like, if you know, you know? Because I'm just under the impression that even in 1972,

I can't imagine Sissy Strut getting airplay on the radio or that sort of thing. It's like how popular were they in their time period? I think in New Orleans, it was, you know, the meters were gods, but outside of that, they were still trying to figure it out. You know, and nobody thought this music was great because it still sounded New Orleans, you know.

And then, like you said, the breakbeat error came, and everybody was like, whoa, the drummer and what he's doing and these sounds are, you know, they're something crazy. But that showed you how much these dudes actually love music because I don't think they sold a lot of records. I don't think, you know what I'm saying? They sold a whole butt to go back in right now. that's considered a failure.

You know what I'm saying? And there was a band who, like, we're going back in there and we're going to do another album. Like, you know, and we're going to do another one. We're going to change our name to chocolate milk, and we're going to do this. Like, you know what I'm saying?

And then we're going to go back to the meters. So, and you got a lot of songs, which is so cool about an older era. And I'm not comparing, like, nothing new, but what was older, like, a lot of those songs were the band members from other groups that were cool groups. Like, that, that sounds. was lent to other people.

You know, like you take Mr. Big stuff, Gene Knight. You can hear the influence of Allen Tucson in that song. Like, you know, you can hear like some of the the meters in it. You know, like, so that right there, that's the energy that I think, yes, music is still great, but we're killing that energy of the

experience of knowing other people. Like, you know, I think it's a big deal. Leo from the meters called me like two days ago, but he's been calling me all my life. I think that's a big deal when that guy calls me. Like, you know what I'm saying? Shout out to Leo. And he'll just call and be like, hey, man, I'm just checking on you.

What you doing, bro? Like, you know what I'm saying? And I'm in my car going, that's the me. That's Leo, the base player. Leo is the king of the cold call, boy. Yeah. Leo will hit you of like 739 a.m. Exactly.

Exactly. Yes, you're telling the truth. Can you tell me how did you discover hip hop? Run DMC, believe it or not. I thought... So even... Not even Sugar Hill game. I was okay with that.

That was all right with me. It wasn't life-changing until it's like that thing. Yeah. Because I can tell you everything. Treacherous three, you know what I'm saying? Fearless Four. All of that, Grandmaster Flats. How did Sugar Hill era hip-hop trickled down in New Orleans?

Oh, that was incredible. That was phenomenal. My sister used to drag me to all of these school parties. And I hadn't found myself as a DJ yet. I was just somebody who loved music. Like, you know what I'm saying? But that was the Sugar Hill era. Flash to the Beat was one of my favorite all-time songs.

I heard that one time, and, of course, I was underage at my sister's high school dance, and that came on, and that was one of the songs that changed me for forever. Like, I was just like, oh, my God. And there's a break at the end of Flash to the Beat where the beat changes. And it's like, boom, boom, boom. Boom, boom. The roof is joined. When you're hot, you're hot.

And I was like, what is that when you're not? But that was the introduction to the drum machine. You know what I said? I was going to say most people don't know that there are two versions of Flash to the Beat. Because there's the professional Sugar Hill version. Yeah. And then the version that they captured live at the thing at the fun house, I believe. Yeah.

Exactly. So wait, did you guys get both versions or were you? Yeah, we had both versions. We had good versions because, you know, some kind of way somehow my dad used to get these songs, you know, but he wasn't big on hip hop unless it was a song that everybody, and they just stayed in a pile. So when I actually fell in love with hip hop, I went back to this pile and found all of these incredible songs that was like, oh, my God, like, you know, because my dad didn't play

that. He played mostly disco. He played mostly soul records. And I was like, this is an incredible stack of records that, you know, I want. Like, I want to hear this. But when I remember... So the reject pile is how you started building your collection. The reject pile is, listen, I had...

Same. Same. Well, my dad didn't want, I got, and then that's what built me. Okay. Yeah. That's dope. And let me tell you, one of the songs my dad slept on. He didn't think it was a good song.

She, good time. times. What? And yeah, and that song was in that pile. And I remember playing the song, and I was telling my dad, I'm like, dude, this song is badass. I don't know why you put that over here, but you might want to put this back, put this in rotation in your, you know, because New Orleans was a weird place at the time.

New Orleans, you rejected a lot of stuff. Like, we had a moment in New Orleans where we only played New Orleans. And we've had those moments a lot of times over, you know, over time, where we just like, like, nah, we don't want to hear nothing else but what we plan. And there was a few songs that, you know, that came through. But most of all, it would be songs that kind of, they sounded right to New Orleans. I was going to say, what is the ratio between local support and local talent versus FOMO?

Like, oh, we need to catch up with the rest of America. This is what the rest of America is playing. We need to get with it. But is it just depending on you knowing what they want? I think New Orleans real talk, my era of when I started actually DJing and started doing house parties or whatever, it kind of changed the scope of what New Orleans hip hop was because we were open to playing West Coast songs. We was open to playing East Coast songs. Before that, DJs didn't do that. But this is a shift.

Here comes hip hop. And now everybody loves it. Everybody likes it. You know what I'm saying? And we like, oh, we got easy ease. We got, you know what I'm saying? We got West Coast is popping off, and those songs are big. And at the time, I remember every time somebody came to New Orleans, I opened up, like, you know, if it was a tour.

But the tour was East and West Coast. You would be the opening DJ for whoever was in town. Yeah. Yeah. What was your first gig? I remember LL Cool J, EZE, anybody that can't run DMC, anybody that came to New Orleans, like, if it was a major concert, I would always be the opening DJ. I would always be, you know, the guy who used to emcee with me way back, Denny, him and Cut Creator, grew up together. He was from New York.

So I was in the group New York Incorporated, but it was my friend, Denny, he started this group. Denny was one of the first people who I saw transformed. We had no idea what that was. But he came from New York with it. And Denny showed me so many different things that, you know, because I thought I was God on the turntables, you know, because I'm like, I know how to backspend. I know how I got a little good, good. Right, right. And he just came and just re, and the crazy thing was he had a Newmark mixer with the turn knob.

He didn't have a fan. Oh, no. What? But he was doing all of this crazy transform stuff with the turn knob. Like, you know, and I was just like, wait, hold on. But that was my first time ever seeing the Newmark mixer and seeing 1,200 turntables. My dad had a big meter mixer. I think that was the company that made it.

It was called meter or whatever. But it was a huge, huge mix. and he had technique turntables, but there was belt driven. With the belt driven? Oh, God. I had some Tashiba turntables without pitching nothing on it, belt driven. No pitch? No pitch.

Radio Shack mixer. The realistic mix. You had to be good. Yeah, no pitch. Wait, there's one particular record. I want to shout out my comrade Nardwar for bringing this to light because when he interviewed Little Wayne, I was really unaware of just your origins.

How did New Orleans discover and adopt Trigger Man's showboys? Like, for people listening right now, the Trigger Man break is what I typically call the New Orleans break, the bounce break, which is da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. Like with the 808 break. I did not know that was a New York record. And I never heard it. I mean, I was pretty much aware of, you know, hip-hop radio as far as, like, cousins giving me tapes from WB, like, from Mr. Magic Show. And, of course, we had Lady B in Philadelphia. But how did that record wind up defining a city?

DJs, honestly, DJs. So this is what happened for maybe five years, we played the vocal side of the record. you know, just the regular vocal side of the record. And everybody in New Orleans knew this record. Everybody in New Orleans, because that's an example of DJ's breaking the record. But it was broke in New Orleans because, like, just the storyline of it. The storyline of the song is like, it's a criminal storyline. You know what I'm saying?

It's two gangsters fighting over whatever. So that fit in that era of, you know, and plus it had that 808 beat. For some reason, we have always been a city that's drawn to the 808. you know, I don't know, maybe my earliest stuff was Miami-based. And that was New Orleans introduction to, you know, a hip-hop producer. So all my earliest stuff was 808 base. So everybody thought, like, okay, this is kind of like what you got to follow. Like, you know, this is how you produce a song, like, and this is what we used to hearing.

So the 808 always resonated with us. And then we start, like, the essence of hip-hop, we start doing call and response. And what's nuts is this kind of started. it with my dad. My dad would let Juvenim rock the mic off of the Trigger Man beat. And this was before Bounce was even called Bounce. This was just in the projects where you would give an MC a mic and be like, hey, let's see who, you know. But when the 808 part dropped, that's when the crowd went crazy. It had like heartland drum sounds or whatever. And then it went to this. Yeah, yeah. And then it went to that 808 drop. But when the

808 drop happened, that's when the crowd went, you know, you just like, oh, that part right there. And so you had emcees going, well, can you make that part go back and forth? So that part became a part of the show going like, hey, so just backspend just that part. Like on some Grandmaster Flash shit where you find a break in a song and you're just like, just this, these four bars right here, this guy will repeat. And it became just calling response and mostly projects and block parties. And it would be like, So the whole where they at, back and forth thing.

Uptown did this. Downtown, y'all got to come harder. But it was always over that beat. Like, you know what I'm saying? And then if it was something where, say like if it was a school dance and I was DJing or something, everybody met up at that school dance. And the best people would be like, hey,

let's see who rocked this song the best. And before you know it, it evolved into bounce. And even the reason why we even call it bounce because everybody used to just kind of like do this awful every time it came on. You know, and we always shortened everything up in New Orleans. The original song is called Drag Rap. We called it Trigger Man, because there's a delay part in the song that go Trigger, Man, Trigger.

And everybody was like, so of course. Oh, it was called drag rap. Yeah, it's called Drag Rap. See, I thought it was called Trigger Man. But there's a part, the delay part that says Trigger Man, everybody always liked that little part. So they start calling the song Trigger Man. It was like, hey, play Trigger Man. I'll give you some history.

So even that beat, like when we say that beat is more of like a bounce beat. It started with people beating on the DJ, like beating on a Plexiglas going, play that beat. Play that beat. You know, play that beat. And then, you know, people start calling it that beat. They're like, you know what that beat is and that beat is always a bounce. I never knew that. Yeah.

The earlier days, the essence of it, like the hand claps and all of that, I created that in a club that I was DJing at, me and KLC. I used to bring my SP12 because I was up against some dope DJs. It was KLC and it was this dude DJ duck. And I was like, to make it a little bit better, I'm going to start bringing my drum machines just on. So when the SB 12 came out, of course, it ain't have nothing but probably four or five seconds. But it was genius because I could take this Trigger Man loop, sample it and put some handclaps on it. And whenever I did that in the club and, you know,

It went crazy because everybody would be like, who has this song? What is this song? And I'm like, no, this is a sequence. This is something that, and that became a big deal. And every time you hear that, that was something that I created in the club. And, you know, and more and more people was asking for it.

You know, Jubilee's getting ready, getting ready. That's-get-dust. People were like, wait, you did that song? I was like, yeah. You did that song? Yes, I did that song. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, and folks is like, I didn't know. Y'all was like, yeah, that's one of my beats. Like, you know what I'm saying? And that's kind of like the essence of hip hop. Hip-hop, you know, how it starts with a beat, a break, and just some, just a crazy idea. But Bounce is really Cameron Paul, that, um, the Brown Beat song and Trigger Man. Now, before Brown Beat, there was this dude Derek B who made Rock the Beat.

Rock the Beat. Yeah, yeah, Derby. On profile. Rock the beat is actually the same song. We used to play Rock the Beat. all the time in New Orleans, just the instrumental of it. It's that boom, boom, boom, cat, boom, cap boom, come.

I know, yes. Yeah. So we would always play rock the beat, but nobody in New Orleans knew the name of it, so they just start calling it that beat. Wow. Okay. Okay.

That's what's up. This is everything I ever wanted to know about New Orleans culture that I'd never got to ask. Yeah, because you gotta think both of these songs, by label status, I mean, labels, it was failures. Derek beat, rock the beat. You're just like, nobody ever jammed that song or whatever. But New Orleans, yeah, Trigger Man, nobody jammed that song, New Orleans. Like, and Orville, both of them still, they're legends in New Orleans. They could pretty much

do whatever they want. And I remember the first time the group came to New Orleans, right? And they performed, and this drug dealer dude got them, you know, it got them to come to New Orleans. And they was singing, like, I think they had a song called Cartoon, something or whatever, at the time. And they did that. that. And we was like, bro, y'all got to sing. Just do the song? Yeah, just do the song. And it was just like, ah, ha, ha. And we was like, just do the song. And when the song came on, the crowd went crazy. And it was just like, dude. And we was just like, yeah, that's the anthem, die. So they had no clue. Yeah, they had

no clue. None whatsoever. And they had to do that song three times back to back. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver. 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 of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, men, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

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There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no.

I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone?

I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo! Woo! My dad gave me the best advice ever.

I went and had lunch with him one day. And I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot.

He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head and going to, the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck.

Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else.

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. All right. So you said Run DMC was kind of your calling to hip hop. Yeah, yeah. What was the first live show that you saw with hip hop in it?

Or at least what was the moment where you decided, okay, this is my calling. I'm in this culture. The first live show, I think I saw was a young LL Kooja when he was on Def Jam. And I want to say EasyE was on that show. Okay. And who else was on there? Nikki B. What daddy don't know.

I heard him. Okay. You know what I'm saying? But to see when LL Cool J came out and the crowd response and, you know, this is your backyard. You in New Orleans. But to see everybody just, damn, like, this is phenomenal. Like, he got their attention for everything he does, everything he do.

That was life-changing. That was, you know, and I was like, this is definitely what I need to do. When do you feel as though New Orleans really got its identity? Because I know that for first generational hip hop, it was like, all right, let's do what New York is sort of doing and try to sort of acclimate ourselves to what New York is doing or what, you know, what's popular. But when's the period that you feel is like, yo, this is our shit and this is our culture and this is what we're going to do? Believe it or not. It still has a lot to do with Outcast. Like, you know, the whole South identity.

Like, you know, I don't think production-wise, we was there yet. You know, because the first generation of cash money, a lot of people don't notice. They think, like, you know, from Juve and that wasn't the first generation. The first generation of cash money was bounce artists. You know, and we was trying to figure out what we was going to do. We was going to stay there or whatever. And then, you know, you got Outcast and they come out with songs that we can do this, but we were scared to do it.

You were scared to do it? Yeah, we heard musicianship or whatever and all of that. We just didn't think that it was going to be received well, you know, to say like, you know what, this is not what hip hop sounds like to us because a lot of stuff we was masked from. Like, you know, even though we was getting songs, but the favorite was the West Coast over the East Coast and down south. I mean down south. But West Coast sounds sounded like kind of like Miami Bay sounds just slowed down. They were all 808 driven.

Like, you know what I'm saying? So it kind of resonated easy to us. But then you had Drake that picked incredible songs to sample that we kind of knew them because my dad knew all of these songs. You know, he would call them out whenever it da-da-da-da. But it was just so genius. And I was just like, well, I want to do that, but I don't think they're ready to let me do that. You know, because I've been known I'm still a DJ.

I'm starting to get producer, you know, these credits and Accu-Ect. or whatever, but I'm still a street DJing. And my job is to keep the party going. And what I was good at was finding these incredible 808 breaks from songs that, you know, and making that something my own. I was fearful of musicianship for a certain, you know, and then I hear. So, wait, the way that I would dig for break beats from a 70s record, you're digging hip-hop to dig for 808 breaks?

Yeah, yeah. Do you like original concept? Yeah, yeah. pumped that base and all of that all of that was big in New Orleans all of that yeah that knowledge of me all of that was big what all of that was big in

New Orleans that's so crazy because like original concept I'm not saying couldn't get arrested but again it's one of those if you knew you knew and because they have a deaf jam shield behind them I always wanted them to be bigger than what they were

but only certain few knew about original concept, but you're taking this all in... You ask any DJ from my era, anybody that grew up, not just DJs that grew up in my era of the House of Blues, when pumped that bass came on, it got crazy in them. They get a little stupid, get a little stupid, it pumped that base. And that's all it was, was an instrumental, an 808 instrumental. And you could just rock that the whole time and... Yeah, rocked that the whole time.

once I dug into your history and I'm talking about like like buck jump time. Yeah. The fact that you and Gregory and yeah, M.C. Gregory did a Freddie Krueger rap before Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince did it.

And the Fat Boys. And so the musical underline was it was almost like it was 808s but with, I assume that was a live brass band inside the, at least on buck jump time. Yeah, on bump jump time, that was, so what happened even with that, it's a crazy story. I was doing a song for somebody else and they didn't show up.

And it was in Allen Tucson studio. And he was like, hey, you can have the studio since they didn't show up. Whatever you come up with, you can have it. So I called a couple of people. Greg was the only one that came. I was like, hey, I got a studio for a day. Let's make a record. Like, we can literally make a record.

And that's what came out of it. Buck jump time. Who's on Susan Pohn? That was a sample that I got from actually his son, Reggie. He played me some stuff and I was like and at the time I had an SP12 so I only had a few seconds and I was just like

hey, let me jack that little sound right there or whatever. And you knew on SP12 you had to slide to make the baseline to make the notes or whatever. So I just made the notes on the slide or whatever out of just like a little bass clip or something that I felt. And you know, and me and Greg

made that song and that was like that ran New Orleans for like 10, 11 years. Okay, so in my mind, again, when I told you the story of us wanting to move down there, there was a brass band that we took a liking to that we were going to adopt and have them on the album, like, incorporated with us. They were called the To Be Continued Brass Band.

Okay. And the thing was, I'd never heard Buck Jump Time. So in my head, I'm like, yo, like, okay, I know with bounce music, they're using 808s and keyboards, But then we have like brass bands over here. Like how come they never. Merge both. And then when I heard that, like to me,

that's what I wanted to achieve to see if that could happen. How come that hasn't happened more? I think the thing was after me and him did it, because that song ran so long, by then hip-hop had them changed. Like you had people that were scared to, you know, do brass music. That, you know, because hip-hop, you know, everybody start to be, oh, I'm cool now. I can't be associated with what this sounds like, you know, like what second line music sounds

like or whatever. I wanted to be. Because they felt it was old. Yeah, because they felt like, you know, it's a lot of people that felt like, you know, it was old, you know, and it was just like, and that was part of, okay, something changing because this still, this is still jamming music, you know, and even I was having a conversation with Kanye one day and he was telling me about, huh? And he was like, I don't understand, like, how you did the drums, like, the snare rolls and the da-da-da-da-da-da-da.

And I was like, it comes from second line. I'm like, a lot of it is second line because that's what I heard drummers do. The little da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. You know, I was like, I kind of just, that was self-shazzam. Like, before we had Shazam, you know, you heard somebody do something. And he was just like, oh, yeah, I'm going to keep that. What you said about teen spirit, the guy said, you know, he got it from the gap band. The way it starts.

Right. I don't know. Were you at all shocked at the way that Ha was embraced? Because I tend to notice when big moments happened in hip-hop history and how it affects people. Usually the first time, when something stops you and you look at the speaker, and you're like, is that allowed to happen? And the thing is, is that I'm hearing it on Hot 97.

Yeah. I wish I could describe to you the week that this came out, like, it was almost like given a baby a T-bone steak. Yeah. I mean, something good, but just absolutely foreign to you. Like, it's like we looked at it and just didn't know what to make of it, but it was catchy as hell. And I feel like how it was one of the songs that I wish I knew a better term than to make New York vulnerable. Because you know, like, how stubborn New York was in terms of, like, we're the kings, we're the, and we're ruling shit, and none of y'all saying, we're number one, we're number one. Like, whatever New York's hip-hop's version is of America first.

Yeah. You know what I mean? And in one fell swoop, people thought it was going to be notorious thugs with big, and I'm certain had he survived, and it probably would have had a video. and would have probably did it. But I managed to do something that I thought was impenetrable, like absolutely impossible, which was it broke New York down. And then Jay-Z turns around. Can you tell me about even how Jay-Z wound up on the remix to it?

I honestly, just knowing Jay, you know, he's a fan of music. Like, you know, to say, hey, this is my introduction to y'all culture, and this is y'all introduction to our culture. And what was so crazy at the time, baby them had no clue what Jay-Z was in hip-hop. You know, what his stamp was. They knew nothing. They knew nothing.

Me and Juvie was just like, hey, bro, this got a state. Like, you know, and it was just like, well, he won't out sound. He just won out da-da-da-da-da. And we was like, hey, bro, we're trying to break this market. Like, this is, we need this to happen. And it was like, well, we don't even know who this dude is. You know, because one of the things in. cash money that was big to Baby and Slim was cash money. That's it. We ain't doing nothing else.

We ain't doing nothing outside of it. Outside of that, we ain't listening to nothing outside of that. What made me a little different was I was a DJ. I had to listen to everything. And they had no clue. Like, some of these songs were influenced by other things. You know, to me, it's kind of like a modern mantronics. You know what I'm saying? Like, it has, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's It's kind of like a Mantronic song, you know, and I'm a big fan of Mantronics. Like, I'm a huge fan of Mantronic. Shout out the Curtis Mantronic. Yeah.

Like, you know, so to me, like, there's elements of that in that song. Like, you know, from the drum switch to- Precious is the word. Yes. Yeah, yeah. You know. You're right. It's a lot of that, you know, but talking to Slim and Baby, you know, they kind of was like,

no, this is, and I'm like, no, we all kind of influenced from different things. And then when Jake did it, me and Jovey, of course, we was like, my God, this is it. Jay Z jumped on it. They, you know, baby and then was like, no, bro, we don't, we don't, and I'm like, we do need this. I'm like, we need this cosine, you know, as well as what he's doing, too. He wants to South. We want that, you know, and we did the tunnel, and it was terrifying because people told us just like, you know, like, you got folks whispering to you and your ear going, bro, they're going to kill y'all in there. They're going, you know, and we're just like,

damn, like, we haven't even, you know what I said? Tell me about it. We're doubting each other before the performance. Like, you know what I'm saying? Because we don't know the song has really took an off. You know, okay, we get booked to do the tunnel, but we don't know that New York is jamming this song. Y'all were nervous?

Yeah, hell yeah. We were scared. Forget nervous. We were scared, scared shitless. Like, you know, because it was so many, like you said, that New York attitude where it was like, bro, y'all going to bomb. You know, and just right off the, nobody telling you it was going to be all right. It was just constantly, y'all ain't going to make it.

This is it right here. tunnel about to tell y'all up. They're going to tell y'all. And if you notice when we did it, the crowd, you know, went crazy. But the after, the after, it was like Jovey went into Olympics or whatever. He was talking so much shit after we performed. Like, you know what I'm saying? He stuck his chest out and was like, yeah, we did it and did it.

New York, you can't tell me nothing. It was just because it was so much pressure. It was so much pressure put on us where people was like, this is New York. You're not coming here. with this shit. Y'all not going to do this. And when the song dropped and the crowd went crazy, bro, it was such a relief for us because

I'm telling you, to the time the song came on, we were scared as shit. Because it was that many people told us this was not going to work. Dude, like, I would have thought the complete opposite. If anything, I thought the annihilation was y'all coming to New York

and annihilating us, like not knowing that you guys were nervous about that at all. Yeah, because It was told us, like, you know, like, this is no social media because we had no, we had no idea what was going on on, Hot 97, or what was going on in New York. We just heard that the song had momentum. You know what I'm saying? So we going, okay, did they book us here to, you know, make fun of us and poke at us, or did they book us here to, you know, to have a good time? So it was, it was, you know, and everything that we were getting from people that we really didn't know, but just that New York attitude, we was just getting, y'all not coming at a ton of.

with this shit. Y'all not going, you know what I'm saying? And every artist in that era knew the tunnel was, it was brutal, dude. This is also the pin and pixel era of hip-hop album covers.

Yeah. So I was on the impression that every pin and pixel album cover was just under the same umbrella. So at one point, I did think that no limit and cash money were part of the same family

until someone had to explain to me. Otherwise, no, these are two different camps. We all grew up together. Everybody just picked aside. That's the weird thing. But, you know, that's kind of like how the East Coast and West Coast battle even started, like with people kind of putting their own spin on it.

We never really had beef. The world assumed that we had beef because we was from different projects, different areas. But me and KLC, the dude from Beach by the Pound, who did most of their stuff, we DJed together as kids. You know, we grew up together. We still good friends. Mia X was in a group with me, you know, in New York Incorporated. And she, you know, and Mac, who was on a, Mac's first song, I think he was nine years old.

I did his song. Like, you know what I'm saying? Wait, what? Yeah, he was nine years old. He had a song called I Need Wheels. It was a parody of I Need Love. Like, you know what I said? Well, is he on a bicycle?

He was on a street car, like singing the song to, you know, to some girl. And it's a video for it. It's literally a, but, But we all knew each other. At the height of the madness, not once was there a summit meeting that said, like, hey, let's do an all-star record. It was friendly competition and people kind of made, you know,

when you got those outside influences, like, you know, when you start letting street dudes in and, you know, and in that era, that was big in hip-hop, like, you got your street friends with you and you got all. But you didn't know, like, your street friends were the ones who was the authors of destruction. You know, like, this. This dude is the problem. He's telling you that these dudes are saying this and they got some dudes over there saying, well, these dudes are saying that. So it kind of created a riff.

But whenever we saw each other, like, let's just say we went to a club on a Friday night, the House of Blues. And we saw folks from No Limit and we saw, we all got together and we kicked it and we hung. But when we went our separate ways, it seemed like, oh, they hate each other. You know what I'm saying? But that never really occurred. As far as DJ's concern and support. Is there a local mainstream radio support of the culture? Or did you have to figure out other ways to get the word out?

Yeah, we definitely had to figure out other ways. You know, it was a little different from us because we was kissing babies, shaking hands, making deals out the trunk, you know, doing things like the old school way of making it work. You know, going from city to city, sharing the car, whatever we had to do. Like, you know, and we would stay in the city to they got tired of seeing us. start playing records. You know, we're just like, well, we're going to be here and we're going to find all of the good DJs, you know, and service them with these records and bother them or either pay them, whatever it took. Like, hey, man, get that guy a little money and let him play this song.

You know, and a lot of times the greatness was the song played two or three times, and then it was instant. You know, people liked it. And then that right there showed you, if you do a good record, you make it easy for a DJ. Like, but it was a hard record where you're like, ah, and we've all been in that position where somebody like break this record and you're just like, I don't know about this. But when you give them something to work with, they're like, ah, okay, this could possibly work.

So in a shift, what happens in cash money was BG, Chapa City. The format changed from bounce to rap. And I was like, if we're going to do this, it's got to be something that's so incredible that, you know, it can't be, you know, like denied.

And when we did the Chipper City album and it was rap and it had musicianship and it had, you know, different, like, you know, and everybody was like, this is a Mani Fresh, we're not used to him. You know, we know to bounce Manitifresh. We don't know him to do like full production on, you know, a whole album.

And these songs got guitars and they got, you know, keyboards. And when we did that, the radio and everybody jumped behind it because the streets was so hot on it. It was one of them albums where every car was playing. So radio had to start planned it just by it was being forced on them by what the streets was doing. And when that happened, you know, we saw a shift. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper 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. 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 of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man.

A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends.

Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wode. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network.

It's Will Ferrell. Woo. Woo! My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings.

I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar.

of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice

podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospect. from hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I've never seen an in-depth interview with you. So the reason why I'm kind of nerd out on you,

you know, peer to peers because, like, I'm asking questions I never got to hear you answer because... Yeah. As far as... So, I mean, now that decades have gone by

and you've seen the effect of it, like, is this the way that you imagine that it would happen when you first started out? Yeah, let me tell you one of the things that even, you know, Juvie will say right now, interviews. He says, I got on their nerves with my talks of...

of how I knew this was gonna play out. Because I always was like, dude, this is going to, yeah, I was like, this is going to be big. I don't know about y'all, and if y'all don't like it, go home. Like, you know, I would literally, you know, and it was just like, well, how did you, I'm like, bro, I know, I know, I know, I know. Like, you know, even when we was doing back that ass up,

I changed the song three times. And he was like, why are you doing this? And what are you, and I'm like, because this song is huge, you know. And he was just like. So you knew it at the time when you, Yeah, I knew it at the time when we did it. The whole reason why I put the intro on it, it was kind of like from old songs,

from seeing my dad do things when it came back to me. They was like, well, I do the intro when it was already done. I was like, what, the intro is the setup. I'm like, it's giving you a second to get ready. I'm like, this is going to give you a second to get ready when it drops down. It's on from them. You know, we had already done the song,

and I went back and did the intro to it. And it was like, well, why would you? Oh, you added the intro in master? Or? Yeah, yeah. And I was like, I want the intro on it. And it was like, well, why? I'm like, because this is the setup.

I'm like, this song is going to play for forever. And you know, and it was just like, see, when you start talking like that, that shit, and I'm like, I know this. I know this song is the one. This is going to play. And Juby will say, I didn't see it. He was like, man, he saw it. Mani was like, this is, you know, one of them.

If you're going to give yourself credit and you know, like, you know, I'm not braggadocious, But I will say I've foreseen that song being here that long. Of your creations, what are your top three, Manny Fresh creations? Still fly, because still fly is not really, it's not a super produced song. What I'm saying? Like, it wasn't hard to create, but it was hard to do because I wrote it from a real place. And when you were a label that the whole premise of what the label thinks is we get money. You know, that's all we do is we get money.

And they're like, and you're talking about being broke, and you're talking about a quarter tank of gas and you eat, you know, and it was just like, bro. And I was like, honestly, I'm like, this is on real life. I'm like everybody. Yeah, it's relatable. I'm like, this is everybody's real life, you know. And that was one of the songs, it was hated on by everybody.

It was just like, I don't know what he's doing in there right now, but he about to destroy this with this song. And I'm like, this song is everybody's, life in the world. And I'm like, you've been here. One of these lyrics, you've been here. One of them are all of them in the hook. You've been there.

So when I was doing it, you know, it came from a real life place. I need to say this. And it was just like, you know, like our whole thing is, our fauna is get money, get money, get money. And you know, and I remember saying this is the gift and the curse. And I had an argument with baby about this because I was like, I don't want to turn hip hop into get money, get money. I'm like, this is our thing.

But I'm like, I'm seeing all of these labels and all of these kids under our switch to, that's all hip hop is now. And I'm like, I have to explain it to him and break it down like just a little bit like, you know, what I have to. And he was like, well, I don't understand what you're saying. I was like, there's genres in hip hop. We figured out that we would be, I mean, the boldest, the biggest and whatever. That was cash money thing.

I'm like, that's not everybody's thing. But it's turning into everybody's thing. This is what hip hop is turning into. So I'm like, you got to be careful on how you doing this because what we're doing is making people believe that hip hop is money, girls and bitches. You know what I'm saying? Instead of, it's a culture. It's a love for this.

And you saw a shift where it just turned to the bling. And we're still in the bling era of hip hop where everything is get money, get money, get money. So when I did that, it was. all kind of feelings of, you know, like I said, what was big about that song to me is not how, you know, like the production or none of that, it was the backstory of it. The backstory was I had the fight for all of that, like what I'm telling you, where I'm going, like, hey, bro, I don't want to just do songs that are just, that's all we do is, you know,

we glamorize this. Like, I'm like, every, every album that we do, that should be at least one, two songs that got a message that comes from how you really feel. Relatable. Yeah, that's relatable. Yeah. And that was one of, even some of the parts of, you know, people were like, well, when you stepped off, what happened? Was it financially?

Some of it was financially, but some of it was growth. You know, as a musician, as a producer, it was growth when I'm like, hey, I want to do this. I want to try this. And you're like, nah, but this works. And I'm like, it don't work for me no more. Gotcha. Okay. I'm looking behind you and over your right shoulder.

Uh-huh. Do you still use an SB 200? Yes. Sir. I got the SP right here and I got the 808 right here. Oh, MPC. Yes, this is my baby, bro. My SP-200. To this day, like, that's your weapon of choice. Yes, yes, yes. All right, let's go to the opposite of Stillfly, which I would say is probably bling, bling. Yeah. Now, it's so weird how a perception of a song can alter your perception of even patches. Because, Everything that you used in bling, bling is such a shiny sound. Like, did the idea come first? Like, yo, I'm going to make a song about diamonds. And you made it or was it just?

I know how it came. I know how it came. I was listening to Johnson crew. Space is the place. Boom, boom, boom, bum, bum, bum, bum. Bubba, bum, bum. And I was like, goddamn, that's jamming like shit. Arthur Baker was crying right now hearing this.

All right. You know what I'm saying? And so I was playing, like, the Johnson Crew album the whole day, like Space Cowboy, all of that, and went to sleep. And the hook of Bling, bling came to me. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, I just, and I was like, I better get up and record this before I forget it. I recorded it over, what you call it? I recorded, because I was listening to the Johnson crew all day.

I just recorded the hook over space is the place. You know what I'm saying? Because I was like, you know what? Just so, because I had my little recorder, you know what I'm saying? And I'm like, the only thing I got was this. So I played it, and I just did the hook over that. So I was like, I kind of wanted to have that feel. Like, you know what I'm saying?

I was like, I wanted to have that. And I recorded, and the next day, I went in the studio and put it down. But I recorded it late at night because it kept coming to me. This is so crazy to me that, like, records that I think don't have an impact. You know, you mentioned the Johnson crew. I just had Arthur Baker on the show a little while back. And of course, you know, after the deluge, the after effect of Planet Rock, you know, coming with play at your own risk and all this stuff.

And then, you know, Pack Jam comes from the Johnson crew. Yeah. And I remember that summer of 83, buying, I brought nucleus and I brought the Johnson crew, Space Cowboy, all that stuff. Yeah. And I was just under the impression that because no one, none of my friends knew that song except me. And so in my mind, I'm just like, oh, this is probably like a flop record that is going to make sense to nobody but me. I, wow, okay. That's amazing to hear that.

One question I always wanted to know actually has to do with probably the most surprising cash money signee. How did Tina Marie wind up in you guys' stratosphere? All of us are fans. All of us. All of us, bro. So Tina Marie was huge in New Orleans. I mean, like, you know, she would be equivalent to, like, supernova in New Orleans. You know, so I think somebody told Slim that I think it was one of her attorneys that Tina was looking for a deal.

And he was like, we'll sign her. You know, we'll sign her. We'll do whatever it takes, you know. And he said, I know, man, he loves Tina Marie. Like, you know, because I had these times where I'm going to educate you. We're about to play some R&B music. If this is the last 10 minutes of my set, and it was always square biz. Like, I would, you know, I start off with Slim was like that.

He'd go with that every time, you know what I'm saying? Right. I'm like, but square biz was always in the set. And I think it was just pure coincidence that this guy reached out to her, and she was like, okay, I'm willing to do it. And when I met her, I told her, like, I'm like, I'm a huge fan. You know, I love everything that you've ever done, you know. And we could have went on and on it because I definitely do know all Tina Marie songs, like, just like anybody else in New Orleans.

And I called my dad and I said, hey, you'll never believe who. And my dad was like, now you're doing something. All that other shit is all right. Oh, come on. Yeah. But then, like, you got Tina Marie. Don't you fail, Tina Marie. That is crazy.

That's why I ask you the media. question. There's some artists that are so big in your life that you just assume the world knows about it. Like when I was in ninth grade love a girl just went top ten. Yeah. She had one pop hit that like the rest of America

got introduced to her, you know, like, they thought that was her first song, you know what I'm saying? But that's what I learned. Like, oh, the world doesn't know about Tina Marie. Like she only means something to us. Yeah. That is up in my own. when you say like your top accomplishments, that is one of them.

That means the world to me. Well, congratulations, man. Yeah, for me, it's, I'm sad that that was her swan song. Yeah. But I too also got to meet her like in the late 90s and whatnot. And, you know, I knew of her struggles to try to get back in the game and get over the lawsuits with her previous labels and whatnot. Yeah, I'm just so happy that not only like, just, She landed the plane, but she got reintroduced to, like, a whole other generation.

Because oftentimes, like, our greats can easily get just discarded and forgotten about, like, yesterday's news. One of the things she asked when we was doing the song, she wanted to, she wanted something like, still fly. She was like, and I was like, no, Miss Marie. We're not, you know, and she was like, you stop calling me Miss Marie. And I was like, Miss Marie. I was like. She wanted that bounce. Yeah, and I was like, I love your music.

we're going to make music for you. So when we wrote the I'm still in love song, you know, she was open to it. She let me write some of it. She let me, you know, and I was like, we could do like this Al Green flip. Tell me what you like. And she liked the doon-thood-dun-dun-thum.

And I was like, yeah, I'm like, that's easy. I'm like, we'll come up with something real simple. And I'm like, and we'll keep it with your crowd. I'm like, I think if we do something outside of that, you're going to lose your core audience. And, you know, and she trusted me. And that right there. And that's like sometimes that's the difference between beat making and producing.

You know, we got a lot of beat makers. We got a ton of them. We don't have a lot of people who invest in who you working with and vice versa and who they're working with. There was a period where I forget what year it was, but most told us like, yeah, like dog, I'm going to mess with Mani Fresh and do some joints together. What's the personal work that you got to put in to know what fits an artist or not? Because I'm certain everyone's coming to you, expected a back that ass up. to you. I personally want to talk to you. And one of the things I'm going to start off with, and I've

always been this way, I don't make hits. I'm like, songs can evolve into hits. I don't know how to make a hit record. There's, you know, because a lot of people are like, I need a hit. And I'm like, I don't know how to do that. I know how we can be in here and do some good songs. And because God's honest truth, if the song get handed off to the wrong people and they don't work it, then it's not a hit record. You know, it takes a village to make a song a hit. Okay. Let's say this is five hours after you finalize

the final mix of what we know as back that ass up. Where's the first place you're taking it to to know if it works or not? Oh, I'm definitely going to, the way I worked, it was always a party. It was always, the way I record is it was always a party. So our

studio sessions, a lot of times, I would gel off with people. like you know what I'm saying so if we have people around and I and I saw that that reaction of this is the one you know that that was it that was the homework for you mean in the actual studio in the actual studio ah but it aren't you afraid of a yes man yeah but this would always be outsiders like where I'm just like hey what are y'all doing like let's let's say for instance somebody else is in the other room we'll even say something completely different from me they like hey you know um um John Legend is creating blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, okay, how many people? There's 10 people. Come over here, man. Y'all just check this out.

Might not even say it was something that I produced or whatever, just played three songs, then let that one come on. Just to see what the temperature was, like as a DJ. Like, I'm like, you know what? I'm going to play like three songs, and then I'm going to sneak this one in somewhere. And let's see what happens. You know. Okay.

So for me, if the person stands completely still, I trust it. Yeah. If they bounce their head in the first six seconds, that to me is the death nail. I don't know why, but I feel like if someone is afraid to be honest with me and tell me they don't feel it, they force themselves to look at the ground

and then they bounce their heads. How do you know if the response is genuine or not? But with us, a lot of times, my DJ radar, you know, because I always pick the singles, like for everybody, on every album, you know what I'm saying? But it was always my DJ radar that was like, this is the song, this is the one. So, you know, and there was a weird period where,

you know, where my Jedi powers were incredible. And what I mean, like, I would literally say, we're doing the single today. And everybody would be like, oh, shit, how do you know that? I'm like, today is the single day. Like, you know what I'm saying? And we might have did 12 songs, and I'm like, but today we're doing the single.

And that always worked. Like, you know, so my process was always like, okay, this is cool, but none of these aren't the single. And today is going to be, you know. What other talent do you have that we don't know about? Oh, cars, definitely. You know, I rebuild motors. I restore my cars, all of that. I want to ask you so bad about car culture, but I'm not a car person, but I know that you are infamous for your car.

How many cars do you own? Oh, right now? Shit, bro, probably like about 30. What is it about car culture that attracted you? It was always something with me and my dad. We always worked on, and you know, and even if you was young and you had horrible cars, you learned how to work on them to make them. And that was the connection.

My connection was growing up, my dad had horrible cars. Then I had a horrible car, you know, and we always worked on them together. What was your first car? My first car was a cavalier, like, you know, a Chevy Cavalier. Like, you know what I'm saying? Everything was wrong with it. you know, and then I got a Monte Carlo later on. But, you know, back then you worked on your car.

You couldn't send it to the shop. You figured it out. So, you know, my dad. Oh, you yourself had to actually work on it. Yeah, I had to work on my car. You know, my dad would, you know, give me tips and pointers on how to do it because I worked on his van or his car with him. So that was the connection to doing it.

And I think having crappy cars and just playing, that's my car when you're young, when a nice car passed, it was like one day. I'm going to be able to get some of these things. And believe it or not, that's my cool off period to me. That's my reset. If I'm working on my car or whatever, I'm calm. I'm good. And the world passes slow, you know, because sometimes music gets crazy to me.

Like, you know, sometimes what people expect from you on what you just said. Folks always say, make me a back that ass up. And I'm like, I can't. That one is already done. It's in the can. They'll never be another one of them. We might come close to it. But there's, you know, and we're not going to try to redo that song over, you know, where it sounds, you know, like it's that song and somebody like, I know what you tried to do, you know.

Got you. I considered working in the studio going to the gym. Yeah. What's the longest you can go without creating a song? Like, if you have an idea in your head that like, God damn, this will work, but I let it go. It's been a couple of months. You know why? Because I'm finding that the older I am, I can.

can concentrate on one thing. I can't do both. So if I'm DJing, I really don't have no interest in doing beats. I really don't have no interest at all in doing beats. Last night, I did like some soul songs like the King George, got my whiskey and everything clicked so well. I did like five of them like, because I got a guy that I work with that's asking me to like, he was like, man, and I'm like, I love them songs. I love that circuit of like, you know, them classic bluesy top. like soul songs, like, you know, one monkey don't stop no show. Like, right. And I'm like, yeah, I'm like, bro, let's do them.

And last night, just last night, we did like four of them. And Duel was like, man, you're in the pocket right now. You really, and I was like, maybe because I haven't been around this that long. And this is a different genre for me, you know, to do this. But I also know for me to be good, I have to challenge myself. And I know sometimes people don't want you to grow up. They want you to stay in this one little, box or whatever, and you're just like, I'm like, that's hard for me.

But I can express myself and DJing. And I love that because I can play Nirvana. I can play, you know what I'm saying? I can play hip hop from that to EasyE, whatever I want to play or whatever. And that feels good to me. And that's the space that I'm in right now. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from back. 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 of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And Rule 2, never mess with her friends either. We always say that, trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends...

Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live,

and the Big Money Players Network, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much

luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there.

Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East

West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects, from hidden traits teams look for, to the biggest mistakes franchises make, to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else.

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, for wherever you get your podcast. For more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. If given an opportunity to just pick one artist to do an entire album with, who would it be? That's easy.

It would be Marvin Gaye. I mean, he is gone, but that's by far my favorite artist. Like, you know, his truthfulness and a lot of his songs and, you know, I'm like, damn, this took some guts. I mean, now it's easy to do that, but back then, you know. Back in the second. Yeah. Especially when Hear My Dear, exactly. Yeah, here my dear is, man, you know, if you listen to that with your significant other,

you're just like, are you hearing what he's saying? Right, exactly. Bullshit, baby. My second and last question to you is, and I know that, you know, there have been fractured reunions or whatever. One, I know you're tired of getting asked this question. So I'll frame it in another way. is the cash money era or at least i i don't know what it is as as a cash money fan that i'm hoping for like a true reunion yeah i'm good with the question whatever is that in your

rearview mirror now or is it still something you this is the problem we have like members that i would say like incarceration came out you know went to jail came out in the world change the world changed around them so i i still think think they plan catch up. You know, and it's the truest answer I could give you. And social media and the internet is not your friend. It's a tool that you use to sell something, you know, and we have this thing where it's like, hey, bro,

you got to stop with whatever, you know, airing out your goods, your bads and your uglies. You know what I'm saying? When it comes to this, I just want you to come to work. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, and there's a disconnect too that as a cash money fan, they want to hear cash money. And what I mean is I get that we're all different individuals

and you might have your record company thing going on right now and whatever you're doing, but you can't make it on this stage. And a lot of it is creative. That's what the arguments be. Like somebody going, well, you know, I got my own label and I got my own artist and I want 10 minutes to do that. And I'm like, we can't do that. That's not what our fans came to see.

It's unfair to them. You can't make your label and your new artists off of this show. They are diehard cash money fans. They came to see cash money. They want us to sing the hits. Who's the diplomatic member of the crew that has the patience? Definitely say me. Everybody always say, if anybody could put it together, there's me.

How burdensome is that to lay on your shoulders? Oh, very, very, very, very, very, because the truth hurts a lot of times, but I'd rather tell you the truth when I'm like, hey, man, you're doing too much. You're doing this or you're doing like exactly how I'm speaking it to you. where I'm going like, hey, dude, I get it. You want to make your, you know, whatever this thing is that you're building. But you got to understand that this is not what we're getting together for. We're not getting together. You got to do that on your own.

You got to make whatever this thing is that you're trying to do. We can't give you 15 minutes for you to saying something that, you know, nobody don't want to hear. You know, because it's not made yet. You're trying to make another identity off of something that that's not what people came to see. Now, I can tell you what we're working on right now, and it's looking up. We're working on a No Limit and Cash Money tour, like where it's both of us. And I keep saying this, bro, I can say this to you and you're going to get it. I'm like, listen, sir, this is the fourth quarter.

I keep, and I'm saying this to everybody that's involved with me. I'm like, this is the fourth quarter. This is probably all throughout your career. This is the money that you didn't make. You can make it right now. This is Rolling Stones money time. And I'm not, and I don't want to, okay, I don't want anyone who's listening to this. I don't want to prioritize the monetary benefits of it all.

But it's like everything that you worked for and built in a legacy comes to this moment. This is where legacy truly starts. Yes. And if you just show up and curve your ego, just show up. Yes. Oh, man. That, you know. Dude, I'm not even ready for this.

Like, how big would that combination be? What you just said in meeting saying that, listen, bro, put all of that aside, you know, and I even have to bring up things that, but they're very true. And I'm like, all throughout your mother's life or your father's life, how much money did they make? How did they get treated in life and all of that? Well, this is a time right now that all of that is payback right now at this very moment. If you put all of this foolishness aside, think about what you make a night. Like, you know, for something that you love.

This is something that you love to do. It ain't hard to do. Don't, you're doing everything you can do to destroy that. That's crazy. That's insanity. Look a new addition. Yeah. And, you know, I mean, without being too TMI with it, I mean, this is a group of six individual members.

And at one point, I know some of the ins and outs of certain beefs or whatever, but at the end of the day when that introduction happens the sixth of them are on stage and I know mentally you know

there's a lot of Jedi mind tricking you have to do and juggling personalities and all that stuff but man if people could just especially for hip hop man I mean one is surviving just just making it to

50 making it to 60 making it to 70 yeah bro we're unicorns that don't happen in hip hop. It does not happen. You know, when you're telling somebody that, listen, bro, this is

this is hip- And all of you are here. Yeah, yeah. All of you are on earth. Yeah. And 30 years later, they still want these songs that will that ever happen again in hip-hop? You know what I'm saying? Here's the thing. I'm not even going to front

like I am the car carrying flag-waving member. I'm at, what matters is I can't to the altar. I was slow to come to the altar, but I came to the altar. Yeah. And dude, like, I hope, I really hope it happens. Just, just so that hip, I mean, hip hop needs it. Not even you need it or your kids. You're absolutely right. There's a great thing in our culture that's happening right now. We are so brotherly love and sisterly love right now to its nuts. Our generation, you know what I'm saying? And, just that example can save hip hop and save this younger generation. Like, you know, by giving examples, we are so, like, you know, like,

man, when we do shows, like, you know, me and Juvie did a tour, and that's kind of what started the whole talks of us doing it. When me and Juvie did, and it was a very successful tour, but we also paid attention to what the fans were saying to us, you know, and we realized, like, y'all not just fans, y'all family, y'all been with us for so long like you know what i'm saying you know and they just like hey dude you know when somebody tells you like man bro i was in a dark place and this this everything that y'all did you know got me out of that bro your music you know just sometimes watching an interview and you

say something positive you know that got me and i'm like this is a connection to a lot of people and you know and telling somebody why be selfish why why are you something that's a gift that's a blessing. Like, and this is something that, you know, your family wants, not just your fans, your family, because I consider anybody that way, you know, when you go somewhere and you, and you got everywhere you've been, like, as the roots or whatever when you was doing stuff, everywhere that you've been, I'm more than show you have picked up some people that, they're friends, they genuine friends where, you know, when, when you coming through somewhere and somebody's like, oh, that's, that's my man, you know, I've known him for 15 years

coming to, yes. And we have people like that in cities where I'm like, bro, there's, There's no, we are connected to these people. Come on, man. Let's get out here and give them what they need and what they want. From your mouth to God's ears, man. Whatever you have planned in the 2026 and beyond, I supported. And I hope it happens. And I'm glad we finally had our first conversation, man.

I thank you for coming on the Questleff show. Brother, thank you. Yes, man. Freaky fresh. I appreciate it. Well, you already know, I'm going to see you somewhere, bro, because, you know, I'm all over the place, you know, with this DJ thing. And that's healing to me.

So I don't like to say, you know, how some people say, I'll be all right. You know, I don't like that. I'm like, I would love to have my group, you know, and let's go down in history and make some incredible songs like the other people do, like the other races do and other faces do. Like, hey, we need to do that and, you know, improve, you know, the negativity and all of that wrong. And everybody that said we couldn't do this as black men. We can't put these beefs aside, you know.

But until then, yeah, I will continue to DJ and, you know, and heal people with music and bring my A-game everywhere I go. But I would love, love, love, love. And I hope all of them see this to have them all together on the stage and let's do it. Manifested. It's going to happen. Yes, sir. It'll happen. All right.

Well, thank you very much. And for all of you listening, yo, this is a great, grand, incredible manny Freaky Fresh on the Questlove show. See all next time. Thank you, sir. The Questlove show is hosted by me, Amir Questlove Thompson. The executive producers are Sean G. Ryan Calhoun and Me. Produced by Brittany Benjamin and Jake Payne.

Produced for I-Heart by Noel Brown. Edited by Alex Convoy. I-Heart video support by Mark Canton. Logos, graphics, and animation by Nick Paloey. Additional support by Lance Coleman. Special thanks to Kathy Brom. Special thanks to Sugar Steve Mandel.

Please subscribe, rate, review, and share the Questlove show wherever you stream your podcast. Make sure you follow us on social. That's at QLS. Check out hundreds and hundreds of QLS episodes, including the Questlove Supreme shows and our podcast archives. The Questlove show is a production of I Heart Green. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft

like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcasts on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, and sell insured the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed, I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that, trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.