The Questlove Show - QLS Classic: Common

Episode Date: September 30, 2024

Hip hop artist, actor and poet Common talks about how being an NBA ballboy brought him courtside for Michael Jordan's rookie season, his musical influences and personal memories of his time with J Dilla. Recorded in front of a live audience. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange, modern world. Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

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

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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 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 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. Quest Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. This sugar steed on this week's QLS classic, hip-hop artist, actor, and poet comic talks about how being an NBA ballboy brought him courtside for Michael Jordan's rookie season,

his musical influences, and personal memories of his time with Jay Dilla, recorded in front of a live audience on February 21, 2018. Here we go. Suprema. Suprema. Suprema role call. Suprema. Suprema.

Wait, time out. Time out. Just to let you all know. We never tell the guests what they're getting into, so those that are familiar, they always wonder why the guys are. Guess always messed up during the theme. And why his eyes are so big right now, like, what the fuck? We literally don't tell them.

We just point to them and watch. We have fun at their expense. All right, one more time from the top. One, two, three. Supremia, sub, sub, sub, subprima roll car. Supremma, sub, sub, subprima, roll car. Suprema, sub, supremo. Fred con from the shot.

Yeah. Making loot in large amounts. Yeah. Croce and vegan free. Yeah. But you still can't count. Rolecom. Suprema.

Subrema, sub, sub, sub, sub, subrema, roll call. My name ain't sugar. Yeah. My name ain't Bill. Yeah. It's not Laia. Yeah. My name is Young Bill.

Yeah. Suprema. Subrema, sub, sub, subrema role call. Suprema, sub, subrema, role call. I'm not nervous. Yeah. I have stage fright.

Yeah. Want to make sure this roll call. Yeah. comes out just right. Roe Car Suprema Supraima Roll Car

Sla'i'em Here to testify Been faithful to Common And all his lives Roll Call Supra Supraima Role Call

Supreme Right Suprara Supreme Roll Call Name is Common Yeah I'm for the people Yeah

My boys from Philly Yeah Roo for the Eagles Roll call. Supremia, Sub-Sup, Suprema, Roll call. Supremia, Supraima, Supriamma, Rocah, Supremma, Sub-Sup, Supremma,

Role Call. Suprima, Suprima, Sub-Sup, Suprima, Role Car. Alright. Thank you, thank you. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to our very first live recording

of Quest Love Supreme. I am Questlove. To the left of me is show producer and God, Boss Bill. That's right. I will try. My goal for this is not to make him angry.

It was too late, actually. With my rambling. And to his right, it's Laiia. Yeah, it's Laiia. Oh, thank you. Thank you, comment. Hey y'all.

You're not broadcasting this on Instagram, why you? No, child. I would never do that. To the left of Laia is Sugar Steve, our long-time engineer for... Please clap. Steve is kind of the connecting force between common and I. Rosh, I'll say Rosh, so you don't know what I'm talking about, for he was part of the engineering crew of like

Water for Chocolate and Electric Circus and Voodoo and all the Roots albums. Please clap. Young Gil. We call them Young Gil. Yeah. And I'll say that we're recording right now in front of a live audience at the Gramacy Theater in Manhattan, kind of a part of a series of events hosted by the legendary roots. I'm saying the Roots crew, like, I don't know those guys.

You're not a big part of it. Celebrating the return of the Grammys in New York City. and um yes so i'll say that our our guest today um can be described i guess he's all things to all people uh as an actor uh he's appeared in over a count of 30 man you've been you're your residuals must be nice man and over 30 uh tv film and stage productions uh from TV comedies as Scrubs, The Simpsons, The Mindy Project, to the AMC drama, Helen Will's, to acting alongside heavyweights like Denzel Washington and American Gangsta, Ryan Reynolds and Smokin Aces, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolene One It, Forrest Whitaker and Street Kings,

Tina Faye, and Date Night, not to mention he's been in Selma, Suicide Squad, John Wick 2, Brooklyn Babylon. Brooklyn Babylon. My fucking, let me give to my own day thing. Yes, even his Oscar winning performance in the BT classic Brooklyn Babylon. He's also an actress, actress. He's a, damn man. He's an activist, community leader, a film and TV producer.

But it's probably, I guess, he's best loved as a street poet and emcee. He's a two-time Grammy winner, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar winner, currently nominated for a two-time Oscar nominee, I should say. He has 11 studio albums, all ranging in different styles. I mean, he's worked with some of the best in the business from 444 producer, No ID, who's currently up for a producer of the year, to Alicia Keys, to Lauren Hill, the De LaSole, the Q-Tip, the most deaf, to Ice Q, to Kanye West,

to Farrell, yes, even his enemies love him. To the roots. To the roots. Yes, to the great J. Dilla, to Kanye West, to Stevie Wonder. We don't have that much time. Come on. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know. I just feel like he's, anyway, shows over.

Thank you very much. He's everything. He's really trying to make a big someday. Welcome newcomer common to Questlove Supreme Ladies. Thank you, man. Thanks, y'all. Thank you all for having me. I'm excited.

You're excited? I'm going to put my headphones on so I can hear you. So you said you're excited? Yeah, man. I mean, it's feel good. Like, I mean, it's, for me, it's like we're having Amir and you. This is the most exciting thing probably ever for you. Well, in my top, in my top, 363.

Yeah, no, no, seriously, though. It feels, it's great to be coming on here. Thank you. Like, it's people I know. It's great to see us together. Yeah, I forgot to warn you that this is going to be live in front of our audience as well. I casually just called him like, hey, you want to be on the show?

Just stop by, you know? I already got the warning like, like, you don't do no gotcha. Yeah, I know. He do gotcha good. You could give me. I know, I'll get you good. No, no.

I mean, we're going to warm up first. But actually, you know what? As long as I've known you, I mean, I've known you for like 20 years, but I don't know much about your childhood or just your beginning, your pre-MC years. Right.

I assume that you're born in Chicago, correct? Yeah, born in Chicago. What part? I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. The hospital, County Hospital, to be specific. And the funny thing, my father always, my father and my mother always argued over if it was raining or snowing when I was born. And I put that in one of my new raps now because it was always a significant thing.

My father used to stick with that. Even though when they weren't together, he was like, it was snow. knowing when you was born, and my mother always say it was raining, but who knows? All right. So can you explain to me, I mean, because now, especially in the political climate that we're in, this whole, like, hashtag, what about Chicago? What about Chicago? I mean, explain to me what the south side of Chicago was, like, growing up in the 70s and the 80s And then, because my thoughts of it are just like, okay, well, there's good times. Yeah.

I know that they've had the largest amount of housing projects. In the United States with Cabrini Green. But just, I mean, explain to you, like, do you have fond memories or warm, fuzzy memories of Chicago? Because they always make it seem like it's like Beirut, Circular, 1980. Like, don't you ever go to Chicago? Like, that sort of thing. Yeah, I mean, well, Chicago is a very segregated city. Let me start there.

And it was actually founded by a black man, a Haitian brother, by the name of John Baptiste Du Saba. Black culture has been there strong, like all the depth of black culture, meaning church, liquor stores, gang banging, black excellence, music, all that was. So for me growing up, it was like I was around a fluent black, I was in a lower black. middle-class neighborhood, but I was around affluent black people and also around, you know, dudes that was gangbanging. That was part of the culture. But it also was like a black love movement too. Like we had the black peace stones and the Black Panthers also existed and they worked together at certain points. And then, you know, we at one point in the mid-80s had our first black mayor. He was our Barack Obama. His name was Harold Washington. Mayor Harold Washington. So it gave our city a lot of

lot of pride to see a leader. In fact, at some point I believe Barack Obama worked on some, in some shape, form of fashion on one of Harold Washington's campaigns. But it just really gave me a foundation and a lot of black people growing up in Chicago, a foundation and an identity. Like, we knew who we, we knew who we were. And it was not all violence. It definitely was some violence there. And crazy enough, in the mid-90s, the rates of murder,

murders were higher at that time than they are now, but it's just like a big highlight going on right now. And it is really tough right now because of the fact that you have a lot of innocent and young, and, you know, people just

walking bystanders being killed, and it didn't seem like that was the situation in. But no matter what, we don't want any of the violence, but it's also such a beautiful city. You've been there. Well, growing up close to a city that was also similarly affected across the river in Philadelphia is Camden, New Jersey. And because they had the Coca-Cola bottling industry and also Campbell Soup factories, everyone was employed and, you know, it was kind of like a working-class society over there. And then And once those two companies went elsewhere, and it was desolate, and then there was a rise in crime.

Like, was there an exodus or... What was the moment when they started to change? Well, I think the moment was obviously the war on drugs was part of it, because that started taking men out of the homes, black men out of homes. And then on another level, even to be honest, like when the higher-up ranking gang members started getting removed from that culture, then it was like the younger gang guys was like didn't have an order. It's almost like when you watch those mob movies, if somebody that's in the top gets taken away, then it's like. Anarchy. Yeah, yeah, it was part of that. That was part of it.

But on the biggest scale, it was the war on drugs and also drugs just being in our neighborhood. And then, like, when a lot of opportunities got stripped away. And I don't know what industry it was, but just jobs started getting stripped away. So that contributed with drugs was a big part of it. How did you avoid gang bang in culture? Like, how did you avoid? Or did you? Or could you?

I mean, like, walking the school, was it like? Well, I mean, it's, it almost is no way to avoid it if you are, I don't, it didn't matter what, like, my mother's a teacher. My stepfather's a plumber. I grew up, like, for me, that was, I had a decent home. Like, I had parents that cared. I had an opportunity to go to after the public schools went on strike. My mother was like, we're getting you in a private school. She worked hard.

I got in a private school. So I had opportunities, but I also. I still had to rub up against gang culture because on my block is dudes, this part of either the Black Stones or Four Corner Hustlers. That's what neighborhood. I grew up around, Vice Lords. So it was no way I was avoiding it. My way was to be involved but not go too crazy.

And that's just honestly what I did. I was like a part of it, but I was like, I'm not going over here to start shooting. I'm going over here to just like make it through. And y'all know I'm down, but you ain't going to see me. Chill a little, smoke, a little, drink a little, and be on your way. Right. And, you know, fight a little. Okay.

I was about to say, what kind of in school, I'm wondering what. Yeah, but my point is, it was I had a, what kept me out of it, to be honest, was that I had some type of vision for myself or a dream for myself. And honestly, that did start with, like, first it was basketball, then it came into hip hop, and I know that sounds so traditional black, like, but, but, but, but, but. But then it was just more or less just being like, okay, I see Muhammad Ali, I see Michael Jackson. I see these people that are thriving, that I look as heroes, I want to be something. So I never decided to go, like, I knew dudes that was like, there was those guys. There was shooters. But did they look at you like that too?

Did they look at you like, dude looked like he got a little potential, we ain't gone? I wasn't that. No, it wasn't like I was a superstar basketball player, nobody, like where they're like, we're going to leave. him alone. It just is like they saw I wouldn't go go all the way over there. And then some of them dudes is just doing that stuff that man, they ain't have no

parents in the house. And it's like, and I had, yeah, two. And my mother's a strong figure in my life, you know, so. You were a ballboy doing the classic Jordan era of the Bulls, correct? Yeah, that was incredible. Like what year?

Like, 80, what? Okay, so I was a ball boy from like 85. to 86. So I remember Michael Jordan's first exhibition game. I remember specifically he had a red radio playing Houdini. And Rod Thorne, the general

manager, was like, no, you can't play this music. And after that first exhibition game, he could play whatever he wanted, basically. Did you know then that, all right, you know, like, we knew Dilla, and we knew Dilla

was God, even when he was living? Was see Michael Jordan that level, did you already know that this guy is like on another level that? Yeah, it was it was that rookie year that I really, because it was something electrifying about him. And we had never seen anybody hanging in the air with enough respect to Dr. Jay, but we hadn't seen, we hadn't seen anybody hanging in the air the way in the air the way Mike did, the flare. He brought, he brought a energy and a flare in the aura that we hadn't seen in the NBA. And then they knew how to market it too. I could remember watching his local commercials for Chevrolet and different things that he did. And I was like, he just became immediately one of our greatest heroes and people we looked up to in Chicago.

But then it started translating across the NBA. So we knew. After that first season, we knew. And it was like when he came out and started wearing his own Air Jordan gear, we were like, damn, this is incredible. In Chicago, we just embraced it. Like, this is our guy. You gotta think we had Oprah around that starting to come at that time too so And Steve Kerr

That's my dude Did you have one of them corny moments with him as a ball boy? I was supposed to say did he ever give you like a pair of sneakers from the first year? Oh man I had a I got a I got a pair of his shoes and I actually ended up giving him to my father No Oh okay no it's his father Yeah I heard it and I was trying to walking back

with the words you know already came out I'm like no it's near my dad my dad

the one who got me the job so whatever so yeah yeah and it's but my dad used to wear

them to my shows and I'd be like oh what are you doing when Michael those are Michael Jordan's

actual sneakers actual sneakers off his feet what year what year this was 85 it was the first one

the first one wow and we used yo the first Joe the first Joe I had him off his feet

he signed him and everything but in all truth I used to get all types of nothing as great as Mike's, but I used to get magics, Isaiah's, because I worked the visiting team's locker room. So I would get magic, Isaiah's.

I would, you know. You have those conversations? You remember those weapons? Yes. Yes, I used to get those. But you know what I would do? My teachers would, I would, when I would get in trouble, I would either trade the sneakers for, or I used to sell them, honestly.

A crazy story to happen with me and when Michael was like, these kids was, I mean, they were my age or maybe a little older. They was like, man, can you get us Michael George's autograph? Can you get us autographs pregame? And I was like, yeah, I'll do it. I'll do it. I need $5. And then, so I went, totally illegal.

I gave, yeah. I went and I got the, you know, paper, went down to Mike and was like, man, you know, can you sign this for me? Man, I want to take it up to these kids. He's like, oh man, you sign it, you know, he was just kind of in a joky mood, you sign it, you're good. So I signed it, took it up to the kids and it was like

here, man. I got my $5. They was like... Illegal and immoral. But this is the worst part. They was like, wait, Michael is spelled wrong, man. I spelled Michael wrong. That was bad, but it was terrible.

You get them their money back? Yeah, they had to get their money back. They knew it was. I wasn't the best hustler, but I was a decent hustler. Hustle with a conscience. E-A-L? Yeah, exactly. I always used to mess that up.

That's a lot of prices of shit. I made that mistake. I had a t-shirt made before one of those iron-on t-shirts that you get on the boardwalk before I went to the Victory Tour. And the guy let me spell Michael, Mike Hill, instead of A-E-L. Thank you. I'm glad I wasn't the only one. Was the Victory Tour?

Was the Victory Tour? No, it wasn't your first concert, because that was my first concert I ever went to. Yeah, mine was Triumph and then Victory Tour. Yeah. Would they go that question? Okay. Mine was Steve Kerr. I went to a Steve Kerr concert.

My home was bad. What was yours? Bad? What was yours? I never saw Michael in concerts. No, but what was your first concert? I will not admit that. You got to say it.

You got to say it. You remember that song, Gangston Lean? This song was dedicated. That was my first concert. Steve, what was yours? I was Billy Joel at the Garden. Oh. I think he's trying to be cool, Steve.

I think yours was weird out of Yank and Vickers. I think he just wanted to be cool. on the record to be like, oh, yeah, I saw Billy Joe. 2%.

That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast,

2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking

with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts and more to look past the impractical and way too

complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side

a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-Persent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross

double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. When did, oh God, this is such a cliche moment. So when did hip hop into your life? When did you fall in love with hip-hop? Didn't you answer that on brown sugar? Yeah, like way back. No, so what was?

Love of my life. What was? Why I'm late. What was? By things fall apart. That's the answer. No, what was hip-hop's culture in Chicago growing up? I mean, well, who were the? the local heroes, who did you see that? It was like, oh, I want to do that.

Well, I mean, it was honestly just us loving just anything that came out of New York, West Coast, Philly. You know, we were up on any, we were just seeking out hip hop because once, by the time, you know, obviously Africa Bambata and, you know, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, that was early. But by the time, Run DMC, that it had us, run DMC, L, L, then Eric B and Rak Kim came. So we were like just soaking up everything. That's why even when I listened to some of my first early, some of the earlier music I made first albums,

it was like I could hit a mixture of the influence of K-R-R-S to Ice Cube, NWA to Rock Kim, you know, like I could hear those influences because we were soaking it all in. And, you know, so yeah, that's what, that's what hip. Because Chicago had a real strong house music scene. So the people that were the Chicago heroes, as far as hip hop goes, was more like DJs on the radio. It wasn't really a lot of rap artists that was like,

y'all put Chicago on the map. In fact, our first artist was Twister that came out for Chicago. Really? That's the first? Yeah. I mean, it came out on record. Like, that was the first. So when did you know you could put pen?

Okay, go ahead. When did you know you could put pen to paper? Well, I was with my cousin. I used to visit my cousin in Cincinnati, like, every summer, and I don't have a big family, so that was, like, one of my best friends, and we had these dudes that was a little bit older than us. They was like Cincinnati's run DMC. Their name was the Bond Hill crew.

So we used to, that was the neighborhood. My cousin stayed in Bond Hill. So we were like, they were our heroes. So I was like, man, I said, this is seventh grade. I remember sitting there, we were up late night. And I was like, man, let's write some raps. But my cousin might have said, let's write some raps. So I wrote my rap.

He wrote his. And then that next day, when we started saying it, everybody was like responding to my rap. And I was like, yo, this is a great feeling. I was like, this is incredible. And then, like, they knew my rap. And then I started writing for some of my friends. And it was just like, oh, man, I could really, really do this. And it came from me loving.

I loved James Baldwin and Langston Hughes. And then I loved hip hop. Hip hop was the thing that I'm not like as gifted as this guy over here with the music. I'm reading the encyclopedia right now. Our man knows all this music. So anyway, I'm going to kick some of my first rap. Oh shit. All right.

Let's go. Really? It's the first rap I wrote. Beatbox for us in here. Wait, I got a beep. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hang on. Wait, man.

Hang on, hang on, hang on. Today. Not today. Well, let me tell you about a trip a time ago. I was going there to run a cold-blooded show. When I was there, I saw some people jamming, too. They called themselves the Bond Hill crew. Dr. Ice Romeo and Master E.

All of the Bond Hill crew. Rapp into a tea. I asked them, could they rock with me? That's all I remember. Yeah. Damn. Yeah. Thanks.

Now you do your at the mirror. What's your first? It's your first, Joan. No, y'all ain't kicked me up. I don't remember my first verse. I don't. I was always the beat maker. I was the lunch table guy.

He killed it last night with Roxanne and Chonte, though. You was beatboxing? Y, y'all know you beatboxed. Yo, she rhymes? Yeah, yo, she made, she re-stile. It was probably the highlight. And I wasn't expecting it to be the highlight at all, but it was... What song did y'all do with her?

What song did you do with her? fresh crew. We can't it tonight to get started to go in it or get me tired. Yeah, it was dope. Anyway,

for those that are listening, the roots have nightly jam sessions all throughout Grammy weekend. Last night, we had Wyclef, Jean, we had Roxanne Chante. We had Tawatha G from M2Me. She came and did juicy fruit. What?

Yes, you missed it. Yeah, it was amazing. I'm coming tonight, though. Yeah, yeah. We rock on her. All right. So we might see some August. reenaction happened tonight.

So were you, I can't hear you. Anyway. So did you, were you always common sense? No. What was your first? Yeah, give me the evolution of your names, because no one that's their names now was ever, their names like, what was your first few names?

One of my first names was the black poet, Caden. I don't know what that was. Caden, I don't know where that came from. It's like a real black to the third game. Yeah, I know. The black poet Caden. And then I was just in a group called CDR, which was just still for Corey, Dion, and Rashid. Dion is no idea who we talked about earlier.

So I was the MC? Yeah, he actually rhymed. But he was more producing, but he was kind of doing the producer rhyme thing, you know, Pete Rockish. Okay. Yeah. So them, those are the only names. I went Rashid and then the black poet, Caden. And then I had some other name, but I can't remember, man.

They were whack. I came over common sense. I was going to school down in Florida A&M, and they used to call weed Sincere, or they may still have it done it. One boy was sitting there smoking some weed one time, and I was like, my mother used to always say, boy, you better use common sense. And I for some reason, the two just connected. And I was like, man, I'm going to use the name, Common Sense.

And I just shouted it out. My friends was like, yeah, that's decent. I always thought it was like a name that was unique, but still kind of every day. And when the band actually sued me for my name, that's when I lost my hair, man. You know, I was stressed out. Really? Yeah. You know, I was going to lose my hair anyway, but the gist of it was...

You can't be your name no more. Yeah, you can't. You know, you think you're like, man, I've built up. This was all after resurrection. My second hour, I'm like, I'm just getting to be known as something. Somebody knows who I am. And now y'all taking away the name, common sense. I was, you know, all the grades go through it.

Like Biggie Smalls, couldn't have been Biggie Smalls. We couldn't have been square roots? Yeah, that's right. Oh, you couldn't have been square roots. Because there was a band in Philly that was threatened. I know you're glad you took off the square now. And I'm glad. Do you still miss Comins?

Well, we still call you Com Sense. Yeah. But I mean, I don't miss Comin Sense. I actually felt like it was all divine order. You know, how you want something so bad. And then you look back and be like, oh, this worked out right. because, you know, common kind of represents the everyday person that I believe I am, and I think people just really, really, what's so funny about that.

I mean, it's a man of the people. I don't know, that's a day, but yes. Come on, Val, I'm talking about that. You still, just because the light has this perception that because you have a specific gig that you're just disconnected from people, like you don't have cousins, like you don't have the same friends, like you don't, just because you have that journey to another level, doesn't mean that the 99.44, you don't, the 99.44% of people in your life are in that position. I get y'all are both regular people.

I got it. Common people. Yeah, we're common folks. Look, I'm wearing sneakers by IKEA. I didn't want to say nothing, but I was wondering if that was a fashion statement. I did repeat that. I was like, do I may have a deal. Does he have a deal with that?

No, no, I'm trolling Kanye. What? So, you know, even though Adidas is our sponsor, you know, suddenly, when it's time for, okay, I just said I was a man of the people, but then I'm about to do some one person. Right, right, right, right. So they can see what I'm really talking about. But when I call ID his office to get my new Yeeas, and suddenly.

Right, right, right. Would common people do? Suddenly, I feel like, I feel like, well, no, it's just my way of hustling. For some reason, there's been a shutdown of me getting, there's a rumor out that I've been disrespecting his brand by dogging them. And my argument was like Who told you to make such a comfortable ass sneaker? Of course I'm gonna wear it

Oh, because you do wear them to the box Oh, you're supposed to rock them fresh. Well, yeah, I've rocked a few pair of Yeezys that I've rocked so much that they look like broken down Comber sneakers like Sneakers be leaning to the side and all that stuff

And so much disagrin He was sort of like, stop disrespect of my brand like get you some new Yeezies Now that's in one percent shit Yeah, yeah, yeah Spend another $3,000 on my sneakers Like that sort of thing Speaking of,

Do you automatically get the new Yeezys when they come out, come? Or does he let you know? What is it? Well, sometimes I get them. Sometimes I don't. Actually, you know, crochet Yeezy. And you're right. Oh, man, he does need to make me some special.

Some crocheted. Like water for chocolate addition. So anyway. So, anyway. I don't be dope, though. Electric circus. My protest to his blocking me from getting his easies was I took all of my white easies and had them custom

paint the course. Holy shit, you put IKEA on his Yiskeyeh. I mean, Walmart. Oh, you made a good. That's so amiss. I'm petty, I'm sorry. I love it, though. That's so amir. It's like next level non-com and petty, you know. You got to have some money. See, you love petty. Yeah, she does. Anyway, so

in Florida A&M, like, I became aware of you because of source unsigned height. Okay, for those that were born after, Do we really have to explain that? Yes, we do. Because it's 2018 and some people might not know what the source was.

Like, Laie was born in 1990. I know what the source is. Oh, you do? Born in 86. Okay. Y'all know what the source is, magazine? These grown folks, that's good. Right, but we're broadcasting.

I forgot. We on Pandora. Four point five million people. So, anyway. There's a section in the former Bible of hip-hop, whatever that is, unsigned hype and... Of course, we just went through that.

Right, well, I'll do it. See, this is what I'm talking about. Don't want to anger him. Anyway, so, common, that's how I knew of you, because you were in the unsigned hype back in 1991, 92. So did you work on your demo at Florida A&M or... I worked on a demo before we got to FAM,

before I got to Florida Anam, and then we sent that demo out and we heard that we got selected for, I'm saying we, because I, I always felt like it was collective. It was me and No ID, Twilight Tone. Even our manager, Derek, you know how everything feels. Wait, Derek. Derek was rhyming?

No, not rhyming. Oh, no, no, no. Let's keep things in perspective. I know Derek Dudley. I was like, what? You know, but I mean, you know, like most managers, he wanted to rhyme or do something creative, but no, he stuck to the business.

But when we got selected for that unsigned hype, that was like a big moment for me. Like, it was being front of, from Chicago and also like being at a black college, everybody was like, whoa, you actually might be able to do something with this emceeing thing. Because my mother was like, she barely even knew I rap, really. When I first got offered, that's honestly how we got signed

because they were, Relativity Records was doing an album with the unsigned hype. They had Biggie, they had Mob Deep. They had all of us, all these, because Biggie was unsigned hype, so was Mob Deep. deep. They had all of us doing an album and it never, the project never went through. So they ended up pulling me and saying, man, we're going to sign you to, you know, we're thinking about signing you. So we had a meeting and man, that's how I got signed from that source unsigned hype. And as you said, the source was the, I mean, every time I made an album project at that time, I'm like, please can I get five mics in the source? You know, we all wanted that. Did you all,

you all got five mics for, we got two four and a halfs. But you got a four and a half. Two four and a half. I think four and a half is better than a five. You know what I'm saying? So B got a four and a half, right? Yeah, probably so. Yeah, B.

Yeah. The rumor is you were an unsigned hype longer than you were at FAM. Is that, um... Yeah. This is... That is pretty true. I've heard one semester. I've heard a month.

No, no, no. I was there for a year and a half, but I will say... Oh, no, you're not going to tell the story, are you? No, I got straight A's. Oh. Oh. Oh. I got straight A is my second semester at FAMM.

And I was majoring in business administration, like going to professional development classes and all that. What story was you talking about, I mean? No, well, you remember the Canada border story? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you know you have to tell the story now. No. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

Okay, basically, he was on tour with this. Let him tell the story. Well, let me set up the preface. I'm just saying that this was 99, 2000. And probably it's easier now because I think now that we're of age that a lot of officers and people are in authority are kind of our age. So they recognize this now. But back then, you know, to get into Canada, like it's easier for me to get into the Middle East or Dubai than it is to fly into Canada. Yeah, y'all had a few situations to really.

roots. I remember that. Yeah, we had a lot. So the silliest one of all was they made, you know, the beginning of the Simpsons when Bart has a right on the board, like, I will not talk in class, I will not talk. Like, just to mess with Rashid and Tarik for small stuff, like they had to write a two-page book report on the merits of human responsibility and how they're, you know, And then I asked Ross like, well, what happened? What's on your record? And you told me the, yeah. Okay.

So, I mean, just to be real open and stuff, it's all good. So I was, you know, at college and, you know, I'm a Chicago kid. We had a little bit of just slickness to us hustle and stuff. And like I said, I was doing different things. But so one of my, one of the guys we knew from Chicago had a roommate who they kind of looked alike. So me and my guys talk to him and say,

yo, you need to get his ID and checks and we go in the shopping. So we ended up... His checks. You made it sound so sweet. So this is a story. We ended up,

he got the checks and the ID. We ended up going all around Tallahassee, buying TVs, buying sweatsuits. Whoa, this is another story. I was talking about the deodorant. Oh, yeah. You might want to walk this back, but the grace spirit might still be.

Well, obviously, I got caught up on this, but I wouldn't be talking about it. All right, damn, you're giving a confession to a murder. Making a murder with course love. Go ahead. So we go shopping everywhere, sweatsuits, everything. We're down to the last store. It's been an all-day excursion. And, man, we see, he's taking a long time in there at the mall.

It's called Governor Square Mall. He's taking a long time in the mall. We see him coming out. He's coming out in handcuffs. Now, mind you, I'm just a dude driving and, you know, taking him around to every store. So we're like, damn, he got caught. He got locked up. So we were waiting at the house, and I remember specifically we was watching American Music Awards,

Michael Jackson. We were watching it on the new TV, Michael Jackson sitting there. And we're chilling, eating it, like, man, we got to wait to get that car. And we had, do, do, do, do, do, do. Yeah, we're like, what's up? Who is that? And then, it's the police. We got your house surrounded.

I'm sorry, I had to. And they come in on us and, mind you, it was other cats there with us. Actually, it was one of my friends that kind of led the way that actually was a good persuader and led the way. Like I said, I was the driver. But for some reason, I got caught only pointed me out. So I ended up getting locked up. And I ended up having to do the thing where you pick up trash on the highway. Community service hype.

That's when he was in community service hype. I thought that's what you said, fam, because the other situation was another thing. What was this other thing? If the post-loric people knew, I just didn't know. Let's talk about crochet, man. But look, look, you know, that, all I can say, it happened. It's 25 years ago. It happened.

Okay. Many lives. So sorry for bringing that up. I'm sorry. I love that you lived all those, these lives. I mean, I feel like at the end of the day you grow and learn, you know, I ain't, you know, ain't, you know, anybody trying to move like that now. But, you know, that was the thing.

where you kind of like get influenced too. I take responsibility for what I do, you know, but it was what I did too. But it was like, man, you really can't, like at a group, like, because that wasn't initially my idea, but I'm like, okay, I'm driving. And what's so crazy on some serious stuff? Like, you know, I've been going to visit, you know, going to visit prisons and talking with people inside it that's incarcerated. And I've met people that are doing life sentences for being in the car.

for something. So it put things in perspective for me like... That could have been you? Yeah. How many times... I mean to get so serious, but it's real. How many times that night did you say the following sentence? I'm just the driver. I'm just the driver. Yeah, they weren't going for that, man. I was sitting there thinking like, why did you only point me out? Not that I wanted to point anybody else, but just like be quiet at that point. And this is post-fan, post-straight A's just to be.

be clear, right? I mean, this is during fam. This was found straight A's days. So that's ill, because now you got a daughter. It's funny, because I look at Instagram and I see your daughter's in college. So it's a totally different experience looking at what she's going through versus what you went through and you sharing those stories with her. Yeah. I mean, that's what I'm grateful that I went through those things. Obviously, I'm grateful that I came out of it on a, on a positive side. Because one thing I did, I always say, no matter how much, like things that I did, I I wasn't like, like I said, I wasn't no killer, but my heart was always good. I never really wanted to damage people, but I just get caught up and stuff and do certain things.

But, you know, I know obviously stealing from somebody was damaging some way or another. But you made it sound real innocent and good, though. But it was a college. Obviously, you were a lover and not a fighter. I hear it in your spirit. Yeah, I only fight for the right thing. So how can we get to the first record? Oh, yeah, that's right.

We hear from. Oh, my God. 2%. That is the number of people. who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter, and on my podcast, 2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts,

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Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but yeah, yeah, literally. But just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, you were first signed in relativity, record. Correct?

Yeah. So just that whole, what was your whole, I don't know, like your aspirations once you had a record deal? Did you feel like, well, first of all, how did you explain to your mom that you're not going to go back to school and, you know, my story was that my dad didn't know about the roots until the second album? No, seriously, he didn't know until do you want more? So all of organics, like I just hitched and he thought I was still going to college. and I wasn't. But how did you get out of telling your mom you're not going back to college?

I think, I mean, similar to a certain degree, my mother didn't even know I was rapping. And I said, look, Ma, I got a contract, and I want to leave school and go pursue my rap career. She's like, rap, you know, she kind of wasn't even, she knew about it, like, maybe saw something out there, but she didn't think of it as a profession. She was like, man, you need to stay in school.

And I was like, look, this is a dream, blah, blah, blah. She was like, okay, I'm going to give you a year and a half. And then if it doesn't work, if it doesn't work, then you need to be back in school. And she saw how hard I was pursuing. My goals initially was just to be like to make a record. You know it. Amir, you know, as when we used to look at like Rap City

and all these artists out there, you would think once you see Big Daddy Kane or you see KRS or you see the NWA, You think they're just rich and they got it made when you see that you got a video. So I was like, man, if I get a video and get a record out, then life is done. Life is good. I made it. But man, it was such an awakening when I released my first single and went around doing a promo, going to every city, doing all the work.

And it still didn't really get to radio or get to that level of what I saw big records on the box. Y'all remember the box, right? So I can call up your own video? Yeah, exactly. Had everybody calling up your video. Right when your girls at the house, like, oh, look what's on TV. Is that what you did?

That's the Motown, Philly. Hell yeah, that's what I did. You best believe I call for Motown, Philly, like, every five minutes. That's right there. Don't blink, you'll miss it. Right, exactly. So wait, your first deal, what kind of, I mean, not to be in your business, but what kind of money is that?

Because I'm like, your mother was like, okay, that's a couple dollars. I can chill. Look, I advanced, and to this day, I think, you know, It was a little like twilight and no idea. It was like, what the hell? We split $5,000. What? Yeah, man.

We split $5,000 as far as what went into. And I think our recording budget may have been $40,000 or something of that nature. I literally remember signing a contract for Relativity, at Relativity in Queens, New York, and getting in the car. And I sat in the hatchback of Peter King, who was our A&R's car, because he didn't have a lot. enough room. So it was like, I sat in the hatchback in the back of the car. In the back of the back. Yeah. So it was like one of those things where it really became the journey. And I'm super grateful for the journey because when we talk about everyday people and stuff like that, like being common, me nor the roots were able to be like come out and just have a big single and things.

Your life just changes. It's always been like a gradual. Yeah, gradual thing. Working class. Working class. Working class MC. Working class MC, simple as that. And so it makes you value things more. You also know how to stay humble because you know it's ups and downs in this and this whole thing. And you don't get too shook by the lows either, like, because it's going to be lows. And then you don't get too shook by that because, you know, as a working class artist,

you're like, this is what I love to do. Times go get, times go heat up, times go get colder, but you just keep striving. Yeah, and in the early 90s, I mean, that was typical for, I mean, rap record deals was sort of like what junk bonds are to Wall Street. No, real talk. De La Sol's entire first album was 25,000. Three Feion Rising cost 25,000. Everything, that's the entire budget.

Cypress Hills debut album, 75,000. Just to put in perspective, invokes Funky Divas, their debut, their sophomore album, that budget was 2.5 million. Wow. The Metallica Black album, that was 5 million. Michael Jackson's Dangerous was 10 million. So, you know, a lot of the early hip-hop staples, like a tribe called Quest celebrated because they at least had a six-figure deal.

But even then, that was like $200,000, which was pennies, you know, compared to, that's how much the Redhead Stepchild hip-hip-hop was compared to the... to the rest of the industry. So I'll say that probably your most notable single, or your most iconic single is I Used to Love Her. Weird, weird acronym. I won't talk about the acronym. But what was the genesis of, I used to,

to love her. Well, I was, I can think about specifically where I was at and when the talk. Wait, time out. It was hip-hop and its everyday, hip-hop. Hip-hop, you got it. Essence revealed. No, that was it? No, that was it?

No, it's hip-op. Does that make sense? No, it's hip-hop in its essence and real. Ah. Okay. Yeah, there's, but in the acronym, you don't put the, you don't put the, you don't have to put the little small words. I'm going to let that go, because you did.

to get straight days that sex semester. That's right. Is that right for her? You're official. She official. Okay. Well, if she says it, I've been teasing you forever for that. Anyway.

Thank you. So yeah, for those that don't know, it's a story in which he personifies hip hop as a girlfriend, his first girlfriend, and describes her, I guess her movements, or how they first met and how she grew up and how they fell apart and got back together. It really touched a lot of people. I guess it struck a nerve, I'll say. But what was the genesis of that creation? Well, as I said, I've been a fan of just all aspects of hip-hop.

And what struck me was I started to see people on the East Coast imitating West Coast artists. And that was really, like, for me, one of the things the hip hop was always, you would hear people from Queens be like, yo, this is Queens. Like, this is what we represent. We, East Coast, New York. And I saw artists that was, like, doing West Coast stuff, like, rolling around in cars, like, that they don't do out here. And I just felt like some of the culture was being lost, some of the purity of it was being lost. And it just was, the thought actually came to my mind.

because I was just sitting around. And once again, I don't really smoke weed, so my friends were smoking, and I probably was just chilling. Like, it was 93, and a lot of hip-hop I was listening to, from Midnight Marauders to Balloon Mind State to Souls of Mischief. But I also was kind of in a hip-hop work, not a workshop, but like a camp almost,

because there was no idea had these other dudes there that was rhyming this dude, Herb G. and Cap and Milo, they was from Indiana. So it was always rhyming and we was just freestyling and doing stuff. So I was kind of sharpening myself and getting more introduced to all these new things, whether it was jazz music, which I wasn't up on, like, to be honest. And then it was like, I just was sitting there one night and said, man, what if I made hip-hop a woman and just, and don't tell that I'm talking about hip-hop until the end. Couldn't you find a real woman?

Hey, you know, this is like a real love story that, like, I mean, I could have found a real woman, but no. You know, what was so crazy was like, and I thought about this just the other day, like, when you're young and 19 and you do a love song, your friends look like, why are you giving this girl all this love? Because I was rapping, I used to love it in the booth, and one of my best friends, Rahsa, I was looking frowning while I was rapping it until I said who I'm talking about y'all is hip hop and he was like oh shit oh like but that's kind of fucked up I know it is I was

saying it's a messed up mentality yeah I mean the reason why I thought about because I was you know you know with so much going on and we're talking about the change in the culture and women and women I was thinking like damn I couldn't even rap a love song in 19 and somebody supported but eventually obviously as we know as we know as we We know. I went out, because when you said, when you was like one of my... Crochet, man, crochet. When you was talking about one of, when I thought you was going to say, the light was my most...

I forgot about the light. How you put... I don't know. I just thought we was going to order. I'm going to tell you my light story, but when we get to the chocolate years. But were you... First of all, I mean, as an MC, I'll say that you're probably the most evolved. human

I know that's an artist because I mean as an emce you've stuck to hip hop's rules of just I feel like you write in the moment and just be like all right I'm gonna suffer the consequence later I'm gonna just say like you said some of the wildest shit ever on wax

offensive, not offensive whatever just whatever and like and I'll be like oh right what's gonna happen like when you at least where I used to love her like were you not thinking at all like maybe DOS effects might take offense to this maybe the West Coast might take offense to this

and I'll just let me go for it like did you have any idea that people would I was or did you just not think like oh this thing will just be like my little single no it's not no no I I said man you brought up a good point because that was also part of it

why I used to lover came about out too was because it was like once DOS effects would do something, everybody would start rhyming like that. And I was like the original hip-hop was always about like, what are you doing this fresh? That's why we use the word fresh. What's original? What's your voice? And I felt like when I wrote I used to love her, I had enough courage and like my heart and

I felt like I'm speaking my truth. So if my truth gets, I catch some repercussions because of it cool, I didn't think it was going to from the West Coast because I kind of said she broke to the West Coast and now it was cool around the same time I went away to school and I'm a man of expanding. Well, I know that, but I'm just saying that. I know that you meant, and now I see

motherfuckolduggestlam and it taking her to the sewer. I didn't think that you meant like DOS FX, Ice Cube. You meant the clones of those guys. The clones of the guy. But did you ever see DOSFX and then not think like, oh, you were talking about us, not our clones? Well, that was the one thing

that I have to say going back to the south side that I was still had in me was a crew a crew so so DOS effects I actually thought they diss me on the song and my boy just brought this up I went down to a dressing room and with my guys and they had a show in Chicago and was like doing the 40 years yeah I was like what's up what's up now you know like that's how you came in the Do you steal their TV? Drive away? No, no, no. But by the way, man, I had some,

yo, my friends, some of my crew, I mean, I remember doing the show with Cool G Rap opening up for Cool G Rap and Red Man. And this is the, my friends just didn't know, but they straight went into their dressing room and ate their food from the rider. No. Yeah, like took their food.

And I had to pay for it. Like, anyway, my point is... You admitted? They admitted it? Nah, but they just knew, like, if we were the first ones there, I had... It was in my neighborhood. The show was at the Regal Theater, so it was like... I was in Chicago. Oh, yeah, 25 people.

25 means about 70 people. Yeah. So, anyway, I don't remember what the initial thing was. What would we say? I don't know. We just taught lessons in entourage, though. Yeah, no, I had to learn that. I learned that, and I was like, look, man, we get in the list, and this is what we can do.

And we, you know, we start... You grow from that. You start learning. can't just roll and just roll have like 40 people with me. It just is not productive. And especially once you start putting in perspective, this is this is my profession. Oh, that's what I was talking about.

Even when when I did the West Coast, I mean, even when Mack 10 and Ice Cube number came out with the disc record, we were in Atlanta doing a show with Gran Poova, Alcass, and Mac 10 and these, and those guys. And we saw them at the show and they, you know, they kind of just walked past. And then when they got to the end of the hallway, they hollied out west side.

And we was like, we south side, what that mean to us? You know, like, like, put it this way. I was able to speak my truth because I spoke that same truth around people I was around. So if I couldn't do it into the culture, then what am I really doing? Plus, we used to say stuff in hip-hop. Like you could, I was listening to Poo-Bai and he was like talking about Oprah or something. You know, you would say stuff like this raw stuff. Ignant.

It don't go viral like it does now. Yeah. But wait, can we talk about beefs? Can I just ask about Thericon? Because I always thought that was ill. And I think maybe it was like one more beef after you guys where he entered. But what was that like for Farrakhan to enter your situation like that? And being from Chicago and how did that happen?

It was really, it was pretty, like I would say, it was really powerful in many ways because it was right after, first of all, I kind of got introduced more to Farrakhan through hip hop, through public enemy, and people would bring up Farrakhan and rap. So then, you know, some of the cast I worked with, like No ID, eventually would be in the nation at one point. But pre, yeah, this is around the time they were.

Derek, my manager, they all had been through the nation of Islam and were fruits of Islam. But so by the time Farrakhan was squashing the beef, it was right after Biggie's death, which you know what preceded Biggie's death was Tupac's death. So it was like... Got to stop this now. You know what's weird? I'm around at this point.

I didn't even know that he'd squash the beef. I'd never add to... I think maybe the third time we met, you played me verse one of The Bitching You. Yeah. Your response to Ice Cube. Yeah. And... They had beef, y'all, if you didn't know.

Well, you already skipped to the making up part. Yeah, I didn't. I'm sorry. Right. I quest loved. No, you lie either. Anyway. No theme songs this week? No, they won't get it.

Anyway, so I didn't know that it got that bad that he had to come and intervene. Yeah, well, it definitely, I mean, like I said, Mac 10 and all those guys are real guys from the West Coast and I got to respect that and I know

that they will take it there and like I said it was people on my side that also would defend me and defend I would defend myself so it was the tension we weren't mature enough to be like yo man let's squash this ourselves it was like that you know

that young ego like man you said this and that so it was yo, Farrakhan had to squash it. People were dying. That's the point. We were like, man, we got into hip hop to live. Like, this is something we love to do.

And I'm not out here trying to destroy another human being. So it was like, man, we got to squash this. He had a meeting. It was us, Fat Joe, I think some of the goodie mob. It was a lot of just people from hip hop. And he was like, man, do y'all know this is like, this is like that Willie Lynch letter where, you know, you pit the pit people against each other. East coasts, West Coast, do y'all own the land? He started breaking it down. Do you own the land?

Like, you know, that whole theory of like, man, light skin versus dark skin. He started breaking it down. Oh, you're on this side and this side. It's just like, man, don't let the master, not that they were our masters, but don't let them pit us against each other is what the gist of it. all of us recognize that as like money to be made in beef sometimes too yeah I mean it was like shoot think about it like all the money that was made in beef that didn't go in your pocket right

so for first of all your next album one day it all makes sense you're crazy for one day it all makes sense which I kind of like now when I look at at the

at your canon I almost see one day it all makes sense sort of as the flyer that someone hands out at the nightclub that will announce the things to come. Like it's its own album. But really it was the preview of because, I mean, you brought Tarreek and Q-Tip and Erica and me and not Dilley yet, but who else was on it? De La C-Lah Cannes. C-L-O-2, right? Yeah, C-Los as well. Yeah, so it's like the idea of bringing the community together.

Oh, and Lauren. I still can't listen to that. I have a question about retrospectful life. Oh, God, do we have to? Well, here's the thing. I mean, I know, you know, according to Fox News, you're

super liberal rapper or whatever. So, I mean, I know that you're pro-choice. I know that you're pro-choice in your everyday life, but the narrative of that song seems very conservative.

Like, it's, and I know that for you, I mean, you're really talking to your daughter, who's now a full-grown woman in college and whatnot. But just at the time, what was, what was your mind state? Because just when I went on genius and just read the lyrics, I was like, wow, like, this could almost seem like a conservative pro-life rap. As a teenage girl who was making some mistakes, it was like, I can't get through this song right now. Yeah, but it was, it was a, um, a, uh, a, a, you know. It was sort of a heartstring, your first, oh, common, like, sort of in hearing. But I ain't about to be in somebody teenage mama, though, common, so you can just. I'm just mad.

I'm just mad that you made the second song on the record. That's the first thing. You're like, what do you think of my record? I'm like, why did you make that the second song? Yeah, yeah. I was mad at your sequencing. Yeah, my sequence. Work on my next record.

And I was like, okay, bet I will. You need some help. But, yeah, I mean, just talk about it. Like, did you and Lauren go through that together? talk about that together or like how did that collaboration come? Well, first of all, like it was, I am pro-choice. I believe every woman, human, women should have that choice to be able to do what they want with their body and their bodies. And so I really, when I wrote retrospect for life, which is about abortion,

I just really was brightening from a perspective of what I felt like as a human being, like the some of the fact of just being more responsible for me and not just you know being out here raw you know so it was more like I'm playing a part in this

and let me I shouldn't have to put people that I care about meaning a woman through this and at the end of the day I shouldn't put an unborn child through this so I kind of was just it was more about you not want to be a dead beat dad and that sort of thing

a cliche. Yeah, cliche. And I just was talking, you know, it was talking about all the emotions. I remember writing it because I used to go see a lot of poets, and this is writer named Gwendolyn Brooks. And I went to a event that she had, and I kind of, all that sparked me to just write it. I wrote that more as poetry. So, you know, as you know, I mean, you always be like, you need to rhyme more on beat. You can't count. Anyway. Yeah. So, so, you know, I kind of took that poem and made it into a song. And what, I have been talking about, talking to Lauren while you all were on tour with her. It wasn't you all, it was you all the goodie mob and the Foochis, yeah.

Yeah. I was talking to Lauren about doing the song and she was on the move a lot. And then I finally came across that song and she, with her about to have a child and I was about to have a child. It was like our babies were doing the same day. It was kind of like this thing that was going on. And we went through the song because you had introduced us to James Poyser. I had James Poyser. I had James come through and we just started messing with it.

No ID did the drums, because we were going through the process of the song evolving. And Lauren just started trying different ideas. And I think she wanted to do it because she was just supporting, but at the same token, I think she felt that the story was important. And I was super grateful that she wanted to direct the video. And I do agree that one day it all makes sense was also a foreshadowing of what the evolution would be. at that time. That was the first time I really started

just using some live instrumentation and trying out different things. It's fun when you start exploring and learning about new music. You've been a great musician from a baby, but I was learning new music that I didn't know. So that's where that album came out like that.

Why did it take three years, though? I was stressing out over... I was going out touring to just support me. myself. I wasn't happy with the label, like, trying to figure out, and they were trying to talk me into, they were using peers like Nause or different people to be like, yo, you see they making hit records. And I was like, man, it just wasn't, I didn't, I didn't have it in me to try to just cook up a hit like, like, yo, I'm about to make a hit record. I just didn't

know how to do that, to be honest. And that just wasn't my. Everything I did, I had to fill it, like, for me to create it. So anyway, I was going through that process with the label. And I also was like, man, just trying to grow. I was trying to think, you ever been through that point where you figuring out, like, what am I going to create next? Like, I got to be inspired to create. And from a writer's level, too, it's like, where do I want to write about? What am I experiencing in life?

So I think that's what took some time. Well, that would also be your last record with No ID who, at that point, you two were closely associated with each other for your first three records. How did you, was the parting amicable, or how did you two stop working? Yeah, no, I think it was more, it wasn't like, man, we got beef. It was more like, man, I got to go grow. And this growth is going to be, I don't know, I got to move from Chicago because, At the end of the day, it wasn't just like, me musically just needing to grow, but I just needed to grow as a human being. And it was like being in Chicago, even around some of my friends I grew up with, their mentality was still boxed.

And I was like, man, I can't, I'm out of this box. I was going up to, which is seem like nothing to y'all now because everybody experienced things. But I was going to eat at Thai food restaurants. I was watching like, like, I was watching movies like four rooms. rooms, you know. It was enlightening. Yeah. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah, exactly. So I was, I would be like, yeah, y'all watch this four rooms and they'd be looking like, man, what is this? Right, right. So, and me not being like at that point strong enough to be like, look, this is it. I just was like. I'm going to Brooklyn. I'm going to Brooklyn.

Exactly. And I came out to, I came out to New York with like two weeks worth of clothing, maybe less than that, thinking I was this go stay for two weeks. Yeah, you just never went back. I never went back. I mean, you know, I went back for home to go, but I moved here to New York, and it was just, it was one of the best things that happened in my life because I got to, you know, I would get to go to studio with y'all bump into, I would bump into Primo.

I was introduced to Shaka Givens, who was, you know, did the crochet, did a lot of crocheted. It just was like, I would go see a Gordon Park's display at a museum in New York. I could go, me and Balao would go to jazz clubs and just listen. So it was like, you know what, you know where New York is. It's just the culmination of so many artists. So I got to just spread my wings. 2%.

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

Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier, Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-Persent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

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

Well, I'll say that, you know, of course I'd be supervised to say that, well, yeah, your chocolate electric phase is my favorite, period. not because I was involved with it, but no, it wasn't. I mean, what you... Sure. No, but what you did was you provided me with the greatest front receipt ever, which is getting to watch Dilla work

in real time. And, I mean, that was my excitement. That's the thing, like all the Dilla fan worship we do now that he's gone. I mean, it took everything. He's one of those people that he's really uncomfortable.

And he would always say like, yo, geek down, geek down. Like, you weren't allowed to praise him. You weren't allowed to, you know, call him up for five and be like, okay, is this snare drum from, he would have never done the show? Right. Yeah, he would have done it. He would have done it because he's my boy. But talk about that, though, because

how did he come into the picture then? we don't know. Yeah, I'm going to get to that. Oh, all right. We got all the time. So in making like water for chocolate, I mean, was your, because with that album,

you also went platinum, which is weird because you wanted to make such a radical left turn with your career. Yeah, platinum. Thank you. I know that you wanted to make an artistic statement, and then you just messed around and also went platinum at the same time,

which, you know, none of us, even at the time when, well, maybe Voodoo because D'Angelo was a singer and all that stuff, but during the time of things well apart and all these records are getting made at the same time, none of us ever thought that we were all getting one million people to shell out this money to buy the music. So we were just like, let's just make the best music possible.

But for you, like what describe... First of all, just describe working with Dilla because of all of us, I mean, you'd sleep on his couch more than anything. You got to watch him real time. Yeah. Okay, so first I met Dilla when I was out with Dela So, and they had some beats and Mace was like, you got to check out Dilla. No, actually, I met him with Q-Tip. We went and did this vibe conference that Quincy Jones had, and we left the conference and went to Q-Tip's house. And at his house, Dilla was down, like, fingering through these records, and he was sitting there.

And I didn't, he was real quiet. So I didn't know Diller's, like, Detroit Hood side to a certain degree because he was just a quiet, good, you know, dude. And then Q-Tip started playing me all these beats that Diller did. And I was like, this dude was incredible. So then I got a beat tape from him. And that's when I was thinking about, I was on the road with Dela. and I said, JD, can you come,

can we, like, lay some stuff? And he flew himself to Chicago and laid some beats for me. I worked on them, and this is in the process of me being, I think it was right after, that was before one day it all makes sense. So I never used the beats.

But I think it was 98. I went to Dilla's house with you all with the roots, where you all was going to do Ilyfif Dynamite. Yeah, yeah. That's right. You were with us doing that thing. So we went to Detroit.

I just got, you know, we were all on the same label. So when I'm hooked up with Dilla at that point with y'all, it was like, yeah, we got to do some music. So I would just make those trips to Detroit. And it was a combination of just me watching the greatest in his spirit to him going to the strip club and then coming back making beats. To him, us going to Korean barbecue, you know, and just chilling. Us going to play video games or, I mean, not video, you know, go to the game place where you shoot basketball. I remember Dilley used to love shooting those, you know, the basketball game. Like a Dave and Buster's type of joint.

Yeah, yeah. We go to those joints or go watch the Matrix. All this was part of our bonding and relationship. It wasn't nothing like planned. It was just what we did. But they would definitely go to strip club. And I'm not a strip club dude. So not that I'm like judging it.

It just wasn't my thing. But that's part of the culture of Detroit. Hell yeah. Really? Yeah. Yeah. So they took me there plenty of times. Yeah, exactly.

So, but just to watch him pull out records and just work and just sometimes. Just casually change your life? Change my life, man. Like it was incredible. And I would always, if I wasn't there, even, you know, when he was just making beats, he would send me a batch. He'd like, got a batch coming. And I would call his mother, you know, my Dukes would be. be like, okay, I'm sending it to your place.

And I would get a CD. Oh, so you would mail it. Yeah. Damn. So, you know, and then to watch him, like, start making songs with me, J.D. would do what he wanted, because I wanted him to rhyme on the song, Funky for You. I wanted all the Slum Village to rhyme on that song on Light Water for Chocolate, Funky for You.

And he sat in the studio, and he was, like, trying to come up with something, I guess, but I don't think he really, his heart was in the run. on that one. So that night he went home and I thought he was done. He came back the next morning and picked me up and had to be for Thelonious and had to hook, yeah, yeah, play at your own wrist. Like, like, you know, bitch, I'm on some grown shit. I was like, I said, what?

Yo, he said, yo, this, I think we should do this one. I was like, man, if you give us this, this is incredible. So my point is, he would do what he wanted to do. Somebody that operated strictly from a passion level, that was one of the dudes. that I really felt like if he ain't feeling you or feeling it, he ain't rocking with it. But he would put his heart and soul into that music. And you know, I mean, it's just, man, I mean, I got to, before Diller passed, we were roommates. So it was like, in my front room, I just got to see him sitting there just making beats.

And at the same token, physically, like, in a way deteriorating, but just still just making beats. That was mind-blown to me because even the last time I visited him, I didn't know that he could barely communicate or talk or hold his hands up. And I'm trying to figure out like, especially the last period of his life, that the whole deal with his phase where he was, I mean, the deal with his phase is close to the donuts album where it's just, the beats were so advanced that emcees didn't even belong on those beats. He was basically communicating.

If you listen to donuts and you listen to all the samples that he used and the words that he uses, that's him sort of communicating his last Will & Testament, his goodbye. You know, him breaking down, I don't want to see you cry, like, to his mother. And even the 10-CC Johnny don't do it to his little brother, John. Like, just the way that he weave samples in, I didn't realize that it was that bad, but his mind was still sharp. Physically, he was slower at making the stuff, but the ideas in his mind were sharper than ever, which... Man, his mind was there, but it was really, it was difficult for, I mean, obviously, it was difficult to see somebody you know, like, is one of the greatest. And then just one of your friends, like, not be able to do the things that they were just, like, two years ago, he was coming to pick me up in the range, Rovo, it might be the escalade and bumping beats and just having fun.

And to see him, like, laying on the couch sick, just not being able to move and whenever he could get that energy going to make beats was just a, it was, it was hard for me. I actually, like, wouldn't stay at the house as much because it just was like, man, this is tough. But then I was like, I got to be there at a certain point. But it brought, you know, my own humanity or what's the word? You know, like, when you, what's the word on top, trying to start for? Mortality, my own mortality in the play.

But more than anything, I just felt for my brother like that. And I remember him being like telling his mother, he, like, one of the main things he didn't want to do was be in the hospital on his birthday. He died three days later after his birthday, February 7th. He died on February 10th. in the physical form. And it was like, he was like, man, I just don't want to be in a hospital on my birthday. But it was deep, man.

It was, you know, that's one of the greatest bonds I've ever had as a person, as a creator. And like, we all have been in awe of him. When you talk about people, like you said, you ain't want to just jump out. Be like, yo, you're great. I can remember, like, specific instances. It's like me and JD walked into a Farrell session. Farrell got down on his knees and started just bowed down. So Kanye came to our house.

JD gave him a record of 45 with some drums. It was Kanye used to sample JD's drums off his beat tapes. And JD was like, come on, man. Right, right. I was just take my drugs off my beat tape. But, you know, so JD gave him this record. I remember we went to me and Yee went to the studio. Yeah, he was like telling everybody,

Yo, Jay, Dilla gave me these drums. It just was to see people's reaction when they saw Dilla. They made me be like, oh, man, this dude is the God. We knew he was the God, but he was the God. You know, he and I had one, it was weird because the fan worship was so big on my level that as executive producer of that record, I also didn't want to make a misstep.

Yeah. And I was wrestling with, in my mind on how to tell him I didn't like a particular beat. Which one was it? The light. Oh, man. That's why you never had a hit record. Oh, damn, Bill. Thank God we didn't listen.

I listen to Amir a lot too. You know what it was, though? There was a week, I don't know what I had to do. I think it was touring. There was a week I took off and I came back and you already rhyme to it. And I was like, okay. But it was just that, at that point because it was so, because the amount of work that we were doing was so radical.

And again, it was voodoo, like water for chocolate, even the other stuff we were working on. it was just like to me the light was so I mean in my mind I felt like we had to push everything to to the left and so hardcore and it sounded so normal to me that I was just like oh okay that's that's it that's normal I was like well no I mean just at the time I was just like I wasn't thinking like you got to make something palatable for you know people to keep it simple grasp what yeah I didn't know about that back in 2000 keeping it simple And I never liked it.

And it kept on winding up on the, you know, like the monthly, all right, let's get all the beats together and figure out. And that was always on my pro, my con. I was like, I don't like that light's on, whatever. It's all right, but it's nothing exciting. Yeah. You know, and because I always thought like doing it was, that was going to be the single. You know, like, you know, it's hardcore hip-hop. No, that's not, no.

But also at the time, you know, doing it. But this would you, you also have to understand that the rules, the rules of like the hip hop elite, I mean, we were knee deep still in that whole, like, we had yet to work with Jay Z. So back then, Jay Z was still the devil. But you still had your You Got Me formula by then. Yeah, but we were the roots. We were never accepted as, quote, real hip-hop. We were always alternative hip-hop. So we could get away with murder. But the light was like, you got me. I always thought I looked at it. But the thing is, is that even common moving to Brooklyn was seen as a radical, how. How could you move? You know, and I was more afraid of the perception that I brought him down or that sort

of thing. So I just didn't like it, you know what I mean? Yeah. I mean, that's, you know. I'd like it now. Yeah. But I love it now. Man, look, I honestly.

That album helped pay from my mom my house. I'm fine for it. I mean, I have to say, like, I never looked at that song like, it. It was commercial. I just went on, when I heard that beat, and he honestly had that beat on a beat CD, right? Yeah. And it was for Fife or something, God bless his soul or something. It was just on a beat CD that I think Fife had either got to.

And it wasn't complete. He had just made it. It wasn't with those drums. Right. Yeah. So when I heard it, I was like, yo, JD, what's up with this? You know, and then he was like, man, I'm about to, I'll redo it for you. And he put those drums.

and he started scratching the hook a little bit. I was like, man, that song just hit my soul. And at the time, you know, as you know, I was like in love with earthy girls and all that so I could just write like. That's what I was saying. I was like, were you feeling like that first line? But wait, here's something that'll blow your mind.

Okay, tell you'll blow your mind. Erica wasn't the first choice for the video. Who was? Who was it? We had Lisa Bonnet for like a week. Oh, that would have been so dumb. Well, we had Lisa Boone. Do you remember?

I forgot. We had Lisa Bonnet for a week And then she couldn't do it She's never been in a video Yeah she's been in Lenny stuff Oh well okay Yeah I mean I don't count man Yeah that's what I'm doing

Yeah Oh ex-wife or ex-wife Or whatever Yeah but yeah we We had Lisa Bonnet And I wanted and the thing was I'm not that dude that we can exploit the relationship Because again

I felt that there was danger in the Erica thing Because I didn't want to friction of dungeon family versus Soul Query anything going on like, whoa. Because back then y'all were still friends. Yeah, we were friends at the end of the day. They were absolutely friends. And so I just felt that

was more danger. Make it abundantly clear. Yeah, now we were. I ain't know even front. We were friends. I mean, obviously. I mean, no, but it was, there was, I mean, there was potential could feel a certain way about a certain situation. And I was just like, yo, man, just go with Lisa Boenay, man.

It's safer route. And that. And when she dropped out and Erica's like, I'm doing it. I was like, oh man, this is just going to add fuel to the fire, man. Then came to Essence Coving, it was like, well. That was like two years later. Was it? It felt like so lightish. The light time. That was a little late.

That's when we were really worked obviously together. That's when he was wearing footies. Oh, so y'all was just dating in the light. No, we weren't dating in the light. Stop trying to got you question. I'm not, I'm trying to get to the... Look, we were not dating in light. Didn't we say that bill? Then I just said that.

He was not dating in light. No. So it was more like one of those things that, like, I really liked her, and we had a real connection, but it wasn't, we hadn't crossed the line. And maybe it was, like, that wasn't because of the dungeon family, but maybe, you know, I don't know why we hadn't crossed the line, but it was just like, man, I definitely looked at her and was like, this woman is incredible, and I was digging her, but it wasn't that time yet. He looked her in the eye.

To this day, I don't look Eric in the eye more than six seconds. Because by the time Come Close came around, it was like... Oh, yeah, no, that was... Yeah, then it was... We were together at that point. Yeah. So, but the light was... Serenone.

The light was the first time that, uh... And by the way, come close, Amir came with the idea for that video, but I guess we... Crab, I forgot that. Yeah. It was Serenau, right? Yeah, he was like, we need to do something like, say anything. Wasn't that the movie with John Cousa?

Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes people love the idea of somebody holding up something to a building. And I was like, We need the black say anything. Yeah. And then we, and then somewhere down the line with Center Henry or somebody's idea was like, man, let's just make the woman deaf. Right.

You know. That way it makes sense that you're holding the signs up. Yeah. Yeah. It just gave it another dimension. But I wanted to say something about the light. It was like the first time, um, first of all, I laid the rap down and didn't, I didn't even finish it. That's why I was like, took a time, took a time.

I'll tell you the rest of my seat. You know, that was. And I kept trying to go back in the studio and relay it and it never felt the same. So I knew that record was just about a feeling. But it was the first time that I ever saw little black girls like singing my song. They didn't know who common was. They didn't know common sense, none of it. So it was like, you were 11 when they came out.

Yeah, maybe like nine. So it was like I remember being on the radio. You know those radio shows that they have. I was on one of those. Real radio. Not underground college radio. I was on the radio on the show and I was like, damn, like girls are singing my songs

and like it just, it was another feeling. It felt like rewarding that little black girls was singing my song. Like they didn't, because they're not singing, I used to love it. They're not singing retrospect for life. They probably didn't know who I was. So it just moved me to see that.

And yeah, I was grateful, man, the light to this day. DJ dummy said to me, man, Do you know the light is like 18 years old now? I said, dang, 18 years old. And what a full circle moment about that? I used to love her moment, too, because now you are rhyming about love. Exactly. And now it's cool.

And to this day, I think, you know, probably the light is the biggest song that I've had. I mean, I might, I think, I don't know, but. Well, more than glory? Well, no, not more than glory. You have hits now. You got more radio play. Yeah, yeah. But, but, yeah.

So, I mean, it's a love song. So it is like full circle to be like, yo, to me the whole journey has been like, man, you got to like grow into who you are and know who you are at a certain point. And then keep learning more and more. Because you set a standard for yourself at that moment too. Because then it was like, as we started singing in light, we were like, oh, I want him to do something else for me. You know what I mean?

So then with the, it would come close and then with the B albums, a couple of records. But by the time we got to Electric Circus, it was like, I was telling Amir, we got to go out there. Like, let's go. Let's go out there. And like, we went out there. 2%. That is the number of people who take the stairs

when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts,

and more. to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%.

That's T-W-O-P-Cent on the I-Hart Radio. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which 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, 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here. unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for Black. black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Well, wait, I got to ask questions. Wait, one question I have, do you regret giving DeAngelo chicken grease? No, no. You're fine with Ghetto Heaven? I love it. I was so glad

about that trait. For those that don't know, I mean, not the competition, but just the amount of work that was put on all those records. It wasn't even like, okay, we're working on this record, we're working on this record. It was just like, we make a jam and then sell to the highest bidder. Like, who wants it? Who wants he? And we were making chicken, well, we were making the song that was chicken grease for DiAngelo for Commons record. And Collins was ready. He just started writing whatever.

And then DeAngelo kind of snuck in and had the scow on his face and like, called me, me like out in the hallway and he's like you man you know as I live he was like as I live and breathe man y'all for real on yaw way man yo you can't get you can't get that nick of that funk man you bro yo bro you know bro you know and I know that funk belong to me And I was like, yo man, he can't just jack his song, man. He says, yo, man, he don't know what to do with that funk.

That's my funk. And so then I sheepishly, I went to you, and then I was like, wait a minute. Because that morning, DeAngelo, we were still waiting for Lauren Hill, like, to come and do her verse on whatever song they were going to do. Like, they had a tradeoff. He did nothing even matters with her record, and she was supposed to do something for his. So we had made ghetto heaven that morning for his record. And so then I was like, you know, the tradeoff. Like, y'all trade songs and then...

I remember you called me. I was the first time I was in Brazil. He was like, man, man, come on, man, get his beat to DeAngelo. And I was like... Yes. I was like, yes, because it was a funky joint that I didn't think I'd already had a funk. Like cold blood, it was already kind of funk. And I'm not like...

the funk master, to be honest. So it was like... It's good, did you know? Yeah, it's like... The Ghetto was more emotional with it. You know, I liked the soul, jazzy, that blah, blah, blah. So it was like, it was the perfect tradeoff for me. I was just, I was excited.

And it had DeAngelo already singing on it because you know it was going to be tough for me to try to get DeAngelo all that time. Right, right. So I was like, we're good. Remix. Wait, one more, it just hit me that. Even during that period, you were going to Cuba regularly. Even before, you were doing shows in there.

Were you technically, or you were the second hip-hop act to perform in Cuba? Yeah, I don't know where I fall in as far as acts that are performing out there. But we, you know, we would go out there with Black August, which was an organization that, you know, was raising money for political prisoners. And I went out there a couple times with them. Most and I went out there and Talib. and you know it wasn't probably legal to go out there at that time or whatever but we fly through whatever country we had to go to and get to Cuba Cuba was one of the best places I ever went to

and along with that you know I just met I just felt like I was like man this is a country where the people are poor economically but some of the richest spirits I ever you know come across music everything the joy the you know the architecture everything And it became a real important part of my life. And, you know, one of the reasons I even wanted to go more was because of Asada Shakur, who I read her book. And her book helped, you know, I named my daughter, my daughter's middle name is Asada because Asada's book just changed me. And when I would go to Cuba, I got to connect with Asada. And, you know, we were- What was she like?

She was, like, really up on a lot of things that you wouldn't think she was up. up on, that was the stage for me where I really understood you could be revolutionary and conscious and still be fun. Because, you know, when you first start getting into consciousness, you think, like, you got to stay stuck. Be super serious. Yeah, like. Brother minister.

Rashid. Yeah, exactly. So, but she was, you know, we would have drinks, have fun. She started freestyling with me one time. And she was like, yeah, I first got up on you since I used to love all. I love the roots. I loved, I was like, yo, you up on all this? This is the woman that was in a shootout with the state troopers and got shot and fought for,

and you've been fighting, and you're in exile in Cuba, and they after you, and you still, like, enjoying life, having fun up on what, it was life enhancing for me to get to experience that with, and it was crazy, man, because fast forward, I'm just getting off the subject a little bit, but I just recently was doing a film where I was, these FBI, agents were I played a detective and FBI agents was involved in it. It's not out yet. It's called three seconds. It would be coming out. But I was sitting with this lady that was the FBI, like one of the top FBI people. And I was just like, so man, who is on your most wanted list? And then she was like, maybe you never heard of this woman, Joanne Chessamard. I said, still? I said, what? That's who y'all going? That's

one of the top people that you're going to name me that America is after. To you. To me. I mean, not even knowing my history, but the fact that she is one of the people that they put on the top of the list of most wanted. With all this going on in the world, like she's a threat to American freedom. How old is Assad? She's got to be in 60s, like 60-something. Anyway, man, Cuba, all that experience was incredible.

It was the first time I ever had to write. I had to write down my lyrics because they was like, they wanted to make sure I wasn't saying no anti-communist stuff. Like, they was like, and I had to like straight, write down the songs. It used to love or write it down and be like... Really? Yeah. Oh, before you performed?

Yeah, before you performed. Damn, damn, I didn't even know that. Yeah. So, electric circus. Yeah. Now, 16 years down the line, we can celebrate and say, you know, man, I'm so ahead of his time. But that was such a dangerous record.

And I felt... Awesome. I mean, I stand by it. Even when we turned it in, and, you know, we got to work with Prince on that record and stuff. First of all, just talk about Prince. Like, you hung out with him a lot.

You got him to play on your record, which... Name checked you on a song. Yeah. So it's... What was it like? Like, just hang with them and how did you avoid all those religious talks?

Wait a minute. He came to the, I forgot, you didn't. No, I didn't. No, I didn't. Like, okay, the first, my first encounter with Prince was like when the light was out. And he was, we were at the Riviera in Chicago. And he came up to me, like, it was like, man, I love the light. And he was like, it's crazy that, you know, that song still sounds soulful and it's in D major.

And I was like, oh, yeah, I don't know. It's just a cheap. I was like, oh, shit, French, you know, don't, don't, please don't test me on this, because I'm not. So, so we, you know, he saw me kind of just brush over that. It was like, just thanks. Anyway. Damn, he is right.

It's in D major. I'm sorry, I'm analyzing my head. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so. And every time I play with musicians, if I'll be like, yo, it's in D major, you know? Sound good, don't you.

I know. I'm like, but anyway, yeah, so he was like, we, you know, I actually got to do a show for his birthday at Paisley Park. And, of course, we got to, we were sitting down talking. They had the curse bucket in the room. He was talking about spirituality. The doves were in the, the dubs were right in one of the rooms. As you know, when we eventually went to Paisley Park.

It was a basketball court. Everything, Dave Chappelle. described with Charlie Murphy, God bless us, so it was in that house, in that place. So we did the show, we opened, it was me, Erica, and the time during his birthday party. And from that point, we kind of built good rapport. And, you know, we was like, I said, he said, you can come back and record at Paisley Park. So we took everybody. Including Steve.

Steve came out there. We went to Paisley Park and worked on some of electric circuits, which was, For all of us, just like, I don't know if y'all remember, but his father was playing piano. His father came in? Yeah. His father? Prince's father, John Nelson. Yeah, he came to a visit.

It's just playing piano. I just remember that even I had shrimp, and I was told Prince wouldn't allow any meat or animal products inside the, you know, the building. And I was like, you know, it's like 10 below zero. side. Like, I'm supposed to go outside and eat this. And I remember them saying that he made Magic Johnson go outside and eat a filet fish. And it was like 20 below. And so I defiantly snuck those shrimps under my Tom Tom. And I remember like all my demos were named after me. Like that's why I ate shrimp in Studio B. I had that. You still those. Like all my titles for your demos were like a paisley pancakes.

Yeah, named after foods that I snuck in the Paisley Park because he didn't approve it. I want the Jimmy Rockstar question. I got to know about this session. Okay. I'm sorry, I was really excited, as you were talking about Paisley Park. I'm not going to use my own platform to disassociate the perception that I was behind the wheel of this entire album, at least for the radical movement of it. Okay.

No, I think we definitely got some phone calls from. some of your friends I know that I know that no ID was concerned Oh yeah They must have been flipping out The Chicago homies I know Connie had words

Like That shit is weird But it was just like What's weird is that Jimmy was a rock star Dilla was Dilla brought all these Silver Apple records

All of these like These crazy Prague rock Albums Gentle Giant Silver Apple Giant. They used to watch. Yeah, like, just stuff that we'd never heard before.

And, like, we would just sit and listen to them. It was like a seance almost. He'd just sit, we sit in a room, look at the turntable, and then whatever we just listened to, we'd let a process for 10 minutes, and then we'd just run in the studio. And I remember maybe four minutes into making Jimmy was a rock star. And even though I was playing it,

and I don't know if you guys are familiar, but it's a very just a radical electric rock song about the life of Jimmy Hendrick and I was like, yo man I'm going to go down for this record man I enjoyed it but I was just like yo man

everybody's going to blame me for this record man it's going to be my fault well we don't do that oh that's right we're live yes we're live but you know I will say that let's calm down like you

I will say that in in retrospect That album needed a good 10 to 15 years to grow on the people because now it feels though that was definitely the beginning of the kind of alternative area that groups like the internet and I mean Jay Davy even like their early stuff and and just a lot of the electronica hip-hop movement that's that's Ketranata like that's that's that's happening now. Yeah. Well, I think, you know, I can remember not only like,

first of all the sessions with Jimmy was a rock star, I am music, that all those are made in one session. I had you, Pino, Della, and James Poys are all playing. Stereo Lab, I forgot. We had stereo lab on there, like, too. So we were, I mean, electric circuits was the result of me being like, man, I gotta keep growing. I gotta keep, it's a, it's a,

I felt like I hit a ceiling of, and I wanted to go higher. Like, I wanted to knock off the ceiling and be like, man, hip hop has no ceiling. And because I was listening to Jimmy Hendrix and listening to Stereo Lab. You don't listen to a lot of Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd. What was up with that? Like, you and Erica just went through this Pink Floyd phase that I didn't get. I just loved Pink Floyd.

I was it like, I could remember being young and my cousin, he would play me Jimmy Hendrix and the Pink Floyd stuff, and I wasn't really into it. I was like, man, it's cool. And it didn't hit me. But for some reason, at that point, I got to appreciate it. It's funny how things, and I was listening to, you know, obviously the wall, but I was listening to Dark Side of the Moon. That's where I was really.

And then, you know, also listening to Radiohead, not just only older rock, but just for me, like I said, discovering new music was always opening me up as a hip-hop artist. So when Jimmy was a rock star, it was made, I couldn't really rap on that. beat and I'm not a singer but I just went and approached it I remember not I say I don't smoke weed but I remember going smoking smoking you admit it yeah going in there and just being like because I had to be courageous enough to just just be out there and and be singing with Erica and Erica would be like you know she would be like she she would be supportive like you could do it you could do it and then just yeah that's it

right there and it was just it was it was like a stress but then it became like fun in a way just to even explore that. And it's funny, you talk about Electric Circus, because when I first played it for one of my good friends, it was 2002 when we released it, he was like, man, this album need to come out in 2012, man. What are you doing? I was like, he's like, this is too ahead of his time.

You're doing too much. And some people felt that way. But now, like as you said, even with the re-release of it, I felt like, but I felt proud even then. I didn't feel like, because somebody was just talking to me, like man they had wrote you off at that time they was like it divided the the common fan that's what it did yeah yeah because niggas was like we lost them and you know right was like we got him and the mirror killed him no yeah well yeah but i mean but

how you feel about it now me or did you feel at the time dude it's still the thing is just in general if i love something a lot that i know that not saying it's not good but it probably won't hit with the rest of, like my personal taste are the opposite of what I feel regular mainstream society is into or not into. I want to ask Steve, because Steve, you was

there for, what did you think when we was doing that? Was you like, this shit is too crazy? He was high. He was giving you the weeds. Right? Smoke this. You need this. Well, for the technical side of things, it's funny how it went down actually because we were in the middle of

converting, like, we were were turning over from reels, from tape to start to use Pro Tools more. And so on Electric Circus, that's literally when the turnover was. So we were using tapes and Pro Tools and we were sending out tapes to people and then other people wanted files and they were sending back files and they sent them back. So we were using both formats at the time. And so we were sort of busy with that and we were high. So we're not really paying attention to the creative side. Right. Steve's like, wait, y'all did it out.

We did that out. Wait, here's the thing. This show format was supposed to be 90 minutes and we went to two hours. I would get murdered if I don't mention working with Kanye West on the B record. Okay. So I'm sorry we didn't get to his acting career in. Yeah, that's cool. Part two.

Part two. But. Obama? Shoot. At least with, at least with B. How did you feel having a new lease on life? It felt invigorating. I felt like I really loved, and it sound crazy,

I love the challenges I was getting from Electric Circus, really, meaning like, oh, man, you're done. Oh, being underestimated. Yeah, being under. I loved. That's a good feeling because that motivates you. Yeah, it motivated me for real. And at the same token, I've been like opening myself up to acting.

then, which was like studying it, and that was opening me up to a certain degree just as far as creativity. And then it was like, I almost was starting, I look at a career and think of it like a cycle, and I kind of was starting on a new cycle at that point, and like a new cyphal was starting even, and not that I was going down. It's not like just on one level. It's actually vertical, like, the cycles. So it was like, okay, this is a new cycle that's starting. And I just felt the hunger of a new MC. Like, man, I remember Kanye gave me get him high. Because he had been telling me, I want you on this song or maybe this song.

And I was like, all right, just let me know. And then he gave me get him high. And I was like, man, I'm about to tear this shit up. I'm about to go. Like, I'm about to let them know what it is. And this is it. This is one of them opportunities. And from that point, Ye was making a beat.

He was in a studio session for, But Eve and we both were in LA and he said, come by the studio and I came by and he was playing the beat, the food. And it was like, man, I'm just making beats and he was like, yo, you want this? And he just gave me that beat and I went and rode in my car and wrote that and that was the start of us being like, man, we're about to just start working on this album project. I told him, I remember calling him saying, man, I'll be on your label. And then he was like, man, you sure?

He's like, that's incredible. So I was just on his label. And what that process started was us going, I would go buy records, CDs. And I would listen to as many CDs, all the stuff, like from all I learned, from Dilla, from No ID, from the beat nuts, from you, whatever records, like names, records I knew and I would buy blindly, just records. I would listen to him, put the best records in front of Ye. He would listen to him, mark the ones he liked. if it's something that sparked, he would put all these samples into his sampler, and then whatever he got motivated, he just started cooking up.

And it was like, for me, the jolt and the renewing was like, okay, I'm working with Yeh, who was around when no idea and I was doing one day that all makes sense. And he comes from, you know, from Chicago and we already knew each other. But now we never worked at this level, and he's, like, even, like, more, like, confident and just, not even just more confident. He's just more culture, because he was confident then. He was confident beyond his level,

but at that point. But that confidence caught up with his ability, and he just was really a producer. He started being like, Nah, Raj, rewrite this verse, or, man, this is what this hook is going to go like. And so it was a really good, like, combination because we both was hungry,

and we felt he wrote about it and one of this, some table book he had, it kind of was the meeting of like, what I've done and have built, what we've done and built in hip hop, combined him with where he was and his career, it was like the perfect, like, combination of, and we both just love, like, he would,

well, yeah, I could still reference a tribe called quest, or he would reference to Tribe Car Quest or some brand new beings, but he still also listened to some of the stuff that I didn't listen to, which was, you know, like some of the more commercial hip-hop, He would be like, man, Mace is one of my favorite rappers. And I'd be like, really?

Yeah. But I'll do respect to Mace not because I know him. And, you know, when I listen back, I'm like, okay, that's what you, you know. But ultimately, we had different tastes in certain areas, but it just was a, man, it was an incredible. He brought you younger energy. Yeah, and just great songmaking and vision and like that passion. I remember specifically being like, yeah, you're not. to do listening sessions, you know how we used to do listening sessions for journalists, and Ye would, like, jump up on the table and be rapping his songs and sweating and spit

on people. Yeah, you'd be like, not spitting on purpose, but just, you know, just passionately doing this thing. And I was like, damn, you know, that ain't necessarily what I need to do, jump up on the table, but it kind of made me, I mean, I needed to do it my way, like, be confident in what I was presenting if I really believed in it that way, instead of just being, like, Kind of like, oh, just check it out, humble. I hope you like it. Yeah. So it was a lot of things I learned during that process for him.

But creatively, you know, he definitely is one of the best, man. To me, it's like he knows how to push the envelope, and he has a knack for making, he's rooted in hip-hop and soul music, but he still has something that, the stuff he chooses ends up being like really catchy stuff that can reach new audiences. but it's rooted in soul. Thank you, Ross, for doing the show. Thank you. Thank you all for having me.

This has been incredible. Thanks. Steve, Laia, Bill. Thank you. Comparable, Amir. All right, well, we'd like to thank our audience for joining us, and hopefully we'll do a feature live broadcasts of Questlove Supreme. Enjoy it.

Thank you very much. We appreciate it. See you on the next round. Questlove Supreme is a production of Iheart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. For more podcasts from IHartRadio, visit the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available.

I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the signs of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern morning. Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's TWA% on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite

authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, 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 Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilts 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 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. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.