The Questlove Show - QLS Classic: Lalah Hathaway

Episode Date: July 7, 2025

Grammy winning singer Lalah Hathaway talks about carrying on her father Donny's legacy, working with Prince, singing overtones like it's no big deal and her deep love of video games (plus, loads of Words of Wisdom with Suga Steve). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say, you know, trust your girlfriends.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodom. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot.

But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel funny, anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Yeah. Listen to Thanks Dad on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Kirst Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. Hey, what's going on y'all? This is Fonte Fonte Golo

here with this week's QLS Classic. This week we talked to my friend, my family, my dear friend, one of the best singers on the planet. Grammy winning singer Layla Hathaway. She talks about carrying on her father Donnie's legacy, working with Prince,

Segan phone notes at the same time like it ain't shit, her deep love of video games, and plus we get loads of wisdom, loads of words of wisdom from my QLS brother, Sugar Steve. This was a great episode. Check it out.

Original East date was March 28th, 2018. Pre-Rona. It was amazing. Check it out. QLS, Layla Hathaway, QLS Classic. It's Fonticelo. Yeah. Suprema,

Subrema role call. Suprema, sub-sumra role call. Supremma, Subrama role call. Supreme a roll call. Sound of Layla's voice. Yeah.

Go jab. Yeah. But when she starts time or not, Yeah. Get out! Yeah! Suprema, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, subprima, Roeca.

My name is Fonte. Yeah. I'm cashing checks. Yeah. With my nigger Leila, yeah. Watching some real sex. Rocah. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, sub, suprema rocaw.

Supremea, sub, sub, sub, suprema roll call. My name is Sugar. Yeah. I love Fela. Yeah. I love Dela. Yeah. I love tequila.

Let's go. Let's go. Supra. Suprema. Subrema roll call. Boss Bill is flying. Yeah. Flying high.

Yeah. When Layla sings, yeah. Baby don't cry. Roll call. Suprema. Subrama. Ro call. Suprema.

Sub prima, sub, sub. Suprema role call. It's Laeam. Been called Layla. Never really mind it. Yeah. Because this girl stays slaying you. Roll call.

Supremea. All right. We'll talk about that lady. Is it my turn? Supremia. Yeah. Really? You're sorry.

Supremma. Roca. My name is Layla. Yeah. Not Lila. Yeah. Yeah. Roleball.

Race me. Roveeasee. Superma. Suprema. Suprema. Suprema. So, Suprema. Suprema.

Suprimo Rolls Shut up My first goose bumps from a roll call I tried to give you the cord The cord was not really popping just now It came out of a lot of air Thank you Okay

Stop it What's wrong? What's going on over there? Stop it I just, I don't know, I don't Stop it Something to do with Prince probably No, no

No, no Okay Tell me I want to know Ladies and gentlemen It'll come up, I'm sure. This is another episode of Questlove Supreme. I am Questlove.

I'm still alive. Yeah. Okay, wait, I'm just going to come out and say it. That was the worst come out and say it. It's worth the wait. Okay, no, I'm going to be professional about this. All right, first of all, I have to say, we have literally one of the most brilliant,

frightening singers ever to walk on this earth. Why frightening? This is true. Yeah, mirror, why frightening? You said that before. Oh, he never told you. What is the frightening part? We're going to get into it.

She's so cuddly. So, because I want you to know that my love for you is beyond awe. Oh, that's deep. I'm glad you said that because it doesn't feel like that. I know. And I know you feel a certain way, maybe jokingly or maybe real a little bit. Both. But yes.

But I appreciate that. I appreciate that. That's deep. But this is from such a level of, oh, God, this feels like the first episode. Hi, my name is Questlove and welcome to. All right. First of all, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Layla Hathaway. Thank you.

Yes. Yes, yes. Got the name out. That intro would go down in infamy, I appreciate all of that. Okay. You got to get through this before. Yeah, you got to tell you. You got to tell it.

Just tell a story. I, okay, look, just the sound of your voice talking, like, as I really, I want us to be BFFs, but the sound of your voice is quasi-traumatic for me. The speaking sound? I love when you talk to me. Yes. The speaking sound is just regular, ain't it? I know, it is, it is, it is, it is.

But it's just that the texture of your voice reminds me so much of your dad. Oh, yeah. That I just have connections of... I understand. Of that. But it's also... Anytime you sing, it just psychologically puts me back at being like seven years old, eight years old. Interesting.

Yeah, so this is a hell of a way to start off. Get it out now, right? Like, get it out early. They're just all laughing at me because they know that this isn't fake nervousness I'm doing right now. Keep it together. Do we need to get a paper bag to breathe in? No, I'm good. I'm good.

Let me ask, is that the first time you've heard that? Because I'm sure it's not. No. It's interesting to me because I know, you know, like my box was made by my mother and father. so I know that I sound like my parents, both my parents. But it's interesting that people, a sound is deep. Sound is like super deep. It's a transporter.

So when people tell me that it takes them to a place, I get that. It takes you back, yeah. Yeah, because I have those sounds that do that for me. So I get it. It's deep, though. Did your mom, did she sing as well? Yeah. My mom was a singer.

My parents met at Howard in the Fine Arts Department. And a lot of the way he approached singing, he got from her. you know so as do I you know so I I definitely get it it's interesting though because people say wow it's so cool you sound so much like your dad but I'm like you you probably sound like your dad too yeah you know who who has not answered the phone and somebody said this is this you or your mama this you or your daddy so it makes sense to me I get it now I definitely sound like my father and sometimes my dad passed last January and every time I call home to talk to my mom I always have to be mindful of

of how I say hello on the phone. Yeah. Because it might sound just like him calling her. So anyway. Sure. Talk about nowhere to go, but up. You can't stop me, yeah. Actually, can you answer all your questions

in your Neil Diamond voice? Yes. Absolutely. Like, yeah, like I kind of want to bring our online relationship out to here. And sometimes when you sit on the show, And we talk about singers you love or ideas, crazy ideas you have. Yeah, I love talking about that stuff.

Anyway, can I assume that you were, where were you born? I was born in Chicago. Okay. I like to think of it as the late 80s. Curl me too. You born in the late 80s? Chicago, yeah. My idea was born in, what, 94 this year?

There you go. Ninety-four. Yes, yes. I feel you. Born in Chicago. What part of Chicago? Born on the South Side, grew up on the North Side, moved back to the South Side before I went to Berkeley. Can you explain, like, Chicago to me?

I mean, Chicago means everything that all people, of course, you know, politicians will use. What about Chicago as some sort of reminder? But, I mean, what is, when you think of Chicago, is it fuzzy home memories? Is it like the eye roll in the air? is it Chicago has many things to me Chicago is I mean anybody from Chicago will tell you we have a super strong sense

of being from that place the city has a lot of character and holds a lot of character the food the culture the museums the people the weather the size the segregation you know Dr. King said when he went there in the 60s that it was the most segregated city

he had ever been to so for me Chicago yeah Chicago was a lot of things And that's the thing when people say I'm from L.A. or I'm from Virginia, nobody says what side? You know, people, Chicago is either South Side or North Side. That's it. South Side represents what? That's for black folks. Northside is white folks. South side is black folks. Of course, there's everything in between and there's the West Side. But there's definitely a delineation if you grew up in Chicago, particularly in the 70s and 80s.

Like, where in Chicago are you from? You know, there's definitely that aspect. you know so I grew up in both parts of town you know south side and north side mostly north side so in the 80s when you were four five years ago what I mean what was the environment like then I went to a performing arts high school I don't have a huge memory of my life before like seventh grade sixth grade I went to performing arts high school any other notable students there that are now. John Cusack.

Laura Flamboyle. You said John or Joan? John. John. I don't know if Joan went there. When I was there, it was only the third year they had ever. Of course. Okay, that's why he's in High Fidelity.

High Fidelity and, oh, he was in Shirek as well. Yeah. I was in Shirek. He was the preacher. And those John Hughes films, you know, all of those kids. Let's see. Susan Tunney. Her sister's name is Robin Tunney.

who's on the mentalist. Larflin Boyle, I said that. She's, you know, a lot of kids. So you're, obviously, your major was vocal? Yeah. Well, see, I got to the school and I sang, I walked in, I had my sheet music, and I was singing this Anne-Murray song,

and I was probably 13 or 14. You needed me? You needed me. What is out with you in country? I don't know. I really, I just... It's a Midwest thing. It has to be.

It might be. It might be like I like to sing and I like tone and growing up. Those were some of the songs that captured me those voices and those songs. Like, you know, you could pull them like taffy. Are you the youngest or oldest in your brief? Oldest. Okay. So you discovered the music first. Did you hang with older cousins or anything? Not really. I mean, my cousins were like, you know, I have two older cousins, really, my first cousins. One of them was like a huge kiss, Bay City Rollers, you know, there. And the other. And the other. was like prints and that's it like in her closet behind the clothes was the poster of him in the shower with the leather and i would dip in there like i'm getting a sweater i love it yeah um yeah i love i love country music i love dolly pardon and all that growing up but how i mean how was this introduced to you if it's not an older cousin old older sibling or were you just that curious or was it your friends?

It was not a big who to understand who those people were in the 70s and 80s before I was born, right, okay. It was nothing to see Lionel Richie with Dolly Parton somewhere. Parton has changed everything. Or Kenny Rogers too. Kenny Rogers or the Mandrell sisters somewhere. I was about to say he's the White's the Endrell sister.

On Saturday night, Barbara Mandrell, the Mandrell sister. Crystal Gale. Yeah, all of that stuff for me, even Even like the Eagles, you know, the sort of country rock. All of that stuff was all in the same sort of collective for me. Oh, okay. So you chose Anne-Marie, you needed me. I did.

I did. And the dude started playing. And I was standing up there. And I said, I cried a tear. He was like, wait, wait, wait. You got to sing it up the octave. And I was like, I never sang it up the octave. He said, we'll try it.

That's where you're supposed to sing. Oh. And I was like, I'm crying. No, this is wrong. This feels wrong. He was like, you should try the theater department then. Wow. Wait, what?

Yeah. So I did that for a little bit. Oh, so they, I'm wrong. So they, you went to, you did drama first before you. I did a little drama. I did music. I just kind of basically blended in, really, until I got to Berkeley. Like I tried out for different things at school and didn't make it.

I went to show choir camp. choir camp. I didn't really, you know, I just kind of blend it in everywhere until I got to Berkeley. Well, I mean, and during that era, like, were you at all trying to pursue a music career? Not really. I mean, in high school, I just feel like, I feel like I was waiting for this thing to happen. Like, at some point, I came to L.A. when I was 16 or 17, right at the top of Berkeley. And I went to B.R.E. Remember B.R.E? Yes. Yes. Jack the rapper and BRE.

Yeah. And Prince was playing that year. And I just stood in that audience and I was like, I love him. This is what, this is, I'm supposed to be here. When he did Diamonds and Pearls? No, it was way before that. It was like 80, it was before I went to Berkeley.

It was like 89. Sheila came out and played and I was like, wow. I was in the hotel waiting to get in the room where he was going to play. And Stony Jackson was standing in front of me. Oh, shit. And I was like... With the curl. With the curl.

Yes. Yes. I was like, this is my shit right here. Does Stony Jackson exist without the curl? No. Stony Jackson came back on something and he had a fade. I can't remember. He came to...

That was an imposter. No, he had the street... That's what we're talking about. Okay, I remember the name. Yeah, the Stony Jackson. But he came back. He was on something fairly reasonable. Was he on everybody hates Chris?

Yes. That makes sense. He was on everybody hates. Chris. He had the fade. What? He had the fade. What?

Do you remember Stoney Jackson, Steve? Did you ever watch the white shadow? Yeah. He was one of the black guys that eventually, I mean, but. He asked me if he watched 227 or? He had a show. Remember that show where he was a detective and his friend was a detective? Yes, the white guy.

Yeah, yes. How do you know that? I loved Stony Jackson growing up. It said me that you and Fonte might be like matching wits as far as weird. information. This dude, I told you, we sat in a hotel lobby one night and chopped it up for hours. This dude is absolutely one of my soulmates. He don't know it yet, but that's true. Thank you for that. Tribe members. When you find your tribe, it's nice. It's true. It's true, though. A tribe called real sick. We're going to need the back story. So when I first got on Twitter, all right, now this is like early Twitter. This is like the early days of Twitter, like 09, 010 Twitter.

010 010 010 09 010 Wasn't Twitter 2007 though Well I'm saying This was the glory days

I mean 07 it was still early And then like 09 That's when people got on O 10 was cool It started popping And then like 2011 2012 that was when Trump

The Tumblr People came over and just ruined it Right So now this shit is whatever But like now this shit is You know it was then So back then Before all the

Tumblr motherfugs came over You could just talk about whatever And every time real sex came on HBO, Layla would show up in my timeline. Like, it was without fail. She would just always show up. Yep, watching real sex. This is the Punani Poets episode.

I was like, yo, like, Layla, you really? You watch all these. She's like, Harry, I watched it right now. All of them. I think I've seen them all too. It's like 30 of them at this point. It's like real sex. Y'all know the number?

They keep showing them. And now they've tried to update, you know, they have news, cyber sex and all that stuff. But it's nothing like the actual real sex. 91, 92. In the cap. Yes. Taxi-capped.

Yes. So that's me. So he calls me real sex. Yeah, that's her name, real sex. Every time it come on, I check my Twitter. Layla is at Layla Hathaway is right there. People probably think something very different, but yes. No, no, no.

It's just, this is my, this is big sister. But does that say something about you though, Layla? I don't know, does it? I watch a lot of TV. I mean, but you know all the real sexes. I do. I do. I ain't mad at that.

It makes me feel good. Can you make friends with a Punani poet? I knew one of the punani poets, yes. Yeah. What city was that when the Punani Poet episode? I feel like it was L.A. I felt like it was D.C. I was thinking D.C. too, but I don't know.

Los Angeles. Yeah, she was from L. Like, how do you know that so quickly? Google. Yes. But you're Google's lightning fast. When we said Punani Poeys, Bill said, oh, Google. No, I remember them.

I remember them. That group, Betty. Yes. The three girls with the, like, Kind of harmonizing, but like not really. But then they used to be on that show encyclopedia. Encyclopedia. So like, how are you going to be on the kid's show and real sex?

Oh, yes. Betty. I'm outside here with you, Steve. I'm so high. This is awesome. This is all good stuff. Don't edit this out. For real.

I'm just like thinking how bad real sex was. And I love sex. That show was terrible. It was good. The HBO show? It was good. It was so much good information that you never knew. Here's a sex house in the middle of nowhere where people have sex.

There's nothing wrong with that. I'm just saying they were interesting. Like let's pay $400 and go to upstate New York and wall along in the mud and have sex and learn how to play a drum. That's what they were doing. On cable TV. I'm glad you guys have that connection. Caucasity. Yeah.

Amir, you ain't watched real sex? I think during this period, we were, like, living in, y'all was talking. Yeah, y'all were in Europe or something. Yeah, like, there's a big part of the early 90s that I just had no television because... You're probably way smarter for it, though. Yeah. You know, now I feel left out. Like, is this on...

HBO? Is this still paper? On demand? On demand? Maybe on demand. There are episodes on demand. There are episodes on demand. They still play the reruns.

But I learned a lot. I learned a lot on that program about, like, furries and people that fuck after they cover themselves in mustard and these are things that had not into my consciousness

before that. And this is in the 90s like so this is like pre-internet yeah it was pre-internet that's the thing like now you can type any combination of words

and get a sexual fetish up but this was pre-google so that was our real sex was our window into the weird sexual workings of white people into mostly white people

Most white people. It was like one of them swing his company. It was like one nigga in the whole job. I was like, man, you're brave. Or the girl with the, the girl with the bit in her mouth and she's a pony and she's got the thing of her butt. Yeah, I remember her back. Yeah, that was like Kai's place. That was like pre-in-neem.

The in-betweenes were nice too when they would stop people on the street. Asked questions. Yeah. So, yeah, that's where Dave gets the bit, well, on Chappelle's show when he would do the- talk to people. That's, yeah, that's real sex thing. Don't waste the time with that. It's actually kind of funny now.

It's more funny now than sexual, yeah. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, 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 Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or we're wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules

that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends.

I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands.

They said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone?

I'm Ago Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place they come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry. about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit.

If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest.

The director of the NFL's East-West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Anyways, some Berkeley. Yeah.

What year did you? 86. Okay. I got to Berkeley. I don't know. You got there in 2001. Yeah. Like,

86, 2001. Yeah. Yeah. What was your experience in Brooklyn? I had a really great experience at Berkeley. I mean, I really, that was where I really, my mind started going, oh, actual music. Like, I lived on the eighth floor in the dorms and these cats that were in the rooms on my hallway would bring me these records.

And literally, it was like they were feeding me every day. I didn't know about John Schofield or John Abercrombie or Carla Blay or, you know, I was learning so much new stuff because when I got to Berkeley, I had like a box of tone master cassettes. You know, a couple of the black ones, the good ones, and the rest were the yellow ones. I had like Janet Jackson Control, which I had gone over a Miles Davis record, bootleg for that record. I had Pat Mathini First Circle. I had a Jean-Luponti record. I thought, you know, I thought I was all over the place. Like, I listen to everything.

You could have made beats. I had no idea. You're a crate digger that didn't make beats. I didn't know. That's amazing. So I got there and I really started really listening to things and probably within like the first month of school I realized like, oh, I'm going to hang out with these cats because they go play every day and they let me come play with them. So I would just show up and not change the keys to any of the songs and not. not understand the form or what was happening in the room.

And I just was able to play with them every day. Do you play an instrument? I play keys. Okay. So you went for keyboards or singing? No, just for singing. But, you know, I would show up to, like, I was the only singer in the John Schofield Ensemble.

You know, like we would transcribe Skow solos and play them in class, you know. You're serious. Because Skos is no joke. Yeah, I'm a Scho fan. Carla Blay. I love Carla Flay. People don't know about her. I know.

I know. She was the first show I saw at Berkeley, and Hiram Bullock was in her band at that time. And, you know, I went on to have a really beautiful friendship of Hiram. He's gone now. But that was the first show I saw at Berkeley, and my hair just blew back like, oh, my God. Where are these people doing? Steve. What year was that?

86. So right when you were born. Yeah. Amazing what the mind can capture at the age of one. Yeah. I'm just trying to figure out what music she had out at that time. What album? I don't remember what album she had out at that time.

I just remember the show was a dollar for students. Oh, wow. What? How she get paid, though? I don't know. That's great. The university. Yeah, they probably came out of the student.

They probably just didn't pay her much at all. Technically, you all paid for it. Yeah. They probably didn't pay her much at all. making like a dollar show like oh I remember and Hiram was up there with his bare feet and I was like oh my god this cat you know subsequently I saw

Michael Brecker in that room I saw Idris Muhammad in that room I saw I saw so many people in that performance center like I learned really a lot like in that one room so you must like Chas I do I mean not everybody likes Jazz

not everybody likes jazz I mean, you know, I have a love for it. I guess most people go to Berkeley have to study it anyway. Yeah, I mean, it just comes up. It comes up. Yeah. I think people think I'm a jazz singer.

I don't know if that's... You say you sing jazz? You wouldn't say a singer, but you sing. I mean, I think my approach is like that. I don't know what I would call myself, like a soul singer or jazz singer. I don't really know. Jazz singer.

Jazz singer was recorded. Oh, God. I am. I said. That was an accident. More Neil Diamond. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Love on the Rocks. We should shout out where we are. Yeah, I'm sorry. I forgot to mention the top of the show when I was being traumatized that we are live at Sunset Sound Studios. I still want to say, I know it's much more than just Prince,

but obviously. Start with Prince, but it goes much further back. It opened in 1960. The Doors, Zeppelin 2 is down here. What else? The doors with Ann Haley, Led Zeppelin 2. A lot of,

A lot of Warner Brothers acts. Duby Brothers. Yeah, Duby. Minute by minute was made here. Right on. Yes. But then the Purple Rain, obviously. Purple Rain, 1999.

Was made in here, the song Purple Rain. Not in the album, in a different room here. And the other. The song was recorded at First Avenue where we were. A couple of them. That's right. But he did a lot of overdubs here. But 1999 was done here, a majority of around the world

in the day. Like before he built Paisley Park, this was his this was his playground after this taping I'm gonna go to the 7-11 across the street where he would often

get Doritos I'm going with you I've been on Prince lately like I dreamt about him the other night we were we were trying to get to a gig and we were snowed in somewhere and Jaden Smith was there

for some reason Oh my God that's random talk talk some more It sounds like an episode of real sex With Jaden Smith No, thank you. It was, it was Prince, like 2005, and we were somewhere at a hotel, literally like a La Quinta.

He was sitting up in the bed and I was laying down at the foot of the bed. And he was saying, you could lay up there if you want to. And I was like, I'm cool. And we were just watching TV. Oh, but he says you can lay. That's interesting. You could lay up there if you want to. I appreciated it.

What is it all? Yeah, we need like a dream interoperable. to somebody to break all this shit now. It makes sense to me because... Does he still... Since his passing, does he appear to you often? Not often, occasionally. But I got to spend a very concentrated moment of time with him.

And, you know, I had this fear in my heart. Like, I've been wanting to meet him and play with him since I'm 11 or 12 years old, and I've heard all these things. and you don't look at him in the eye. Right. And when I opened for him, those few dates, he was so cool and so gracious and so loving. So that New York run was the first time that you chopped it up with him? Yeah.

Oh, what year was that? That was 2010. 2010. Okay. Okay. Yeah, that show was on my birthday, too, that I went. What day? The 15th of December.

I'm the 16th. Oh, nice. Yeah. It was awesome. Happy belated, uh, Thank you. I'm 17 now. Yeah.

So I'm only 17. Yeah. You got something for. We did like four cities with him, four or five cities with him. It was just cool. Was it hard for your band to adjust because I know that the, on the other side of that coin, when you weren't opening those dates, sometimes Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings were trying to open those dates. And they wouldn't allow them to use their,

their equipment and you know like their sonic and their equipment is very key to their presentation so watching Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings perform on NPG uh yeah uh equipment not allowed to adjust anything everything sounds crystal clear yo it was the funniest show it was the funniest show I've ever it was amazing with the exception of the horns and the sound of Sharon's voice like everything was like 1997 sound things It was great. He was so cool to us and so like magnanimous and gracious. And he would come stand on the stage during my sound check and request songs.

Wasn't that weird? Yeah. What kind of songs would he request? He likes the song that I wrote called What Goes Around. Okay. And he would request that. You know, so they send you this list when you're going to go open for him. And it's like, please, you know, pick two or three songs if you'd like to sing with Prince, you know, for the songs.

And I looked at the list and I was like, I don't want to sing any of these songs. I want to sing Diamonds and Pearls. I want to do sexy dancer. He literally showed up and his hand was here. And I looked at him and I said, listen, I don't feel comfortable presenting myself with you with these songs. I have gas. I told him that. And he said, what?

And I said, I have gas. And I just, I really want to, I really want to get into it, which you, where we can be at the same place. He said, okay, what do you want to sing? And I said, well, can I see your set list? And he was like, yeah. And then somebody brought the set list over. And I was like, I want to do diamonds and pearls. I know you don't do that anymore.

He said, yeah, we don't do that. I said, okay, why don't we do, sometimes it snows in April? Oh yeah, that's right. So I did that with him. And that night was my birthday. And after we finished singing, sometimes the snows in April, it's so crazy when I think about it. Like, that shit actually happened. I'm rising up on the stage.

He said, all right, stand right here, go up, take my microphone. When you get up there, do whatever you want, and I'll be up. And I was like, okay. So I'm standing on this thing, just still tripping, trying to breathe. And the thing rose up and I was just standing there and all these people like, ah, and the dress was blowing. And I'm just singing sometimes. And there he is again.

And then we're singing on the same mic. And I just, I wanted to lick him, but I knew that would ruin. Like, what does breath smell? It would ruin. He smelled great. He was, he's everything you thought he was. And when we finished, I got ready to leave. And he said,

No, no, no, come with me. And he took me across the stage to the other side of the stage. And we did diamonds and pearls. Oh, that's so... It was awesome. And I said, oh, my God. The whole song? Yeah.

Including the bridge? I can't remember how much we did. It was an interesting interpretation of the record. It wasn't like the full thing, I don't think. And when we stood up and people were applauding, I said, oh, my God, thank you so much. It's my birthday. That's the greatest thing. thing ever. He said, well, I don't celebrate birthdays, but congratulations.

Y'all, am I tripping the desk? I mean, Amir, maybe you can answer this. Is that very courageous? Because the average singer, I mean, there is no average singer who would be singing with Prince, but it just seems like the average person would not have felt the courage enough to be like, you know, I don't feel comfortable. Can we sing this song? Yeah. I mean, I didn't want to get up there and not take the moment. Like, you know, if I had gone up and just been sitting there while he was playing, which I did a few nights,

I'd have been better off than singing anything that I was unfamiliar with or not connected to. You didn't want to sing some whack 2010 Prince song. That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying. But most singers wouldn't have to courage. Hide that phone. Yeah, right.

Why didn't you like that album? That's an incredible, incredible. He was the greatest. He was the greatest. That's incredible. On your birthday. It's crazy. So when you graduated, how did you get your record deal?

I got my record deal the way they did it in the 1700s. I made a tape and someone took it to a record label and a guy named Jeff Foreman signed me. Do you know Jeff Foreman? I'm sure that Fontaite does. Do you know Jeff Foreman? Oh, God, I'm totally playing. I'm only playing. Jeff Foreman is M2M's cousin.

he was a rep at Virgin Records at the time. I think M2 may mention him in our episode. I'm sure you do. I was like that name to us. He's a New Yorker. Yeah. And I got signed right when I was in school, so I would come out here on the train

and listen demos and record demos and go back and forth like that. You did four original songs or? I did no original songs on the first album. No, no, no, no. I'm talking about your demo that got their attention. Oh, the demo was a Renee and Angela song, which I cannot find, which was a banger. Another ballad.

You know, I had a manager at that time right in high school named Raynard Minor. I know you probably know who Raynard Minor is as well. He was a songwriter at Motown, blind songwriter who wrote, Your love is lifting me high. Yes. Yes. And we wrote these songs. and they are classic.

If I ever find them, I'll let you know. I hope you don't find them before I do. We'll find them. And we turned them in, and I got a deal like that. So I was going back and forth from college and making the record. So a note on your debut record, you worked with Angela.

You also worked with Andre Fisher. Yeah. Nephew of Claire Fisher and drummer of Rufus. Chuckie Booker. Oh, Chuckie worked on? Obvious. The song, obvious, man. Not obvious.

No, that was Chuckie. Don't put that on Chuckie. You didn't have it only. Heaven knows. Heaven knows Derek Bramble. Yes. Okay. Chucky did a song called Sentimental.

Sentimental, yes. Sentimental, yes. That's the one. So a lot of my first record was covers, even though, you know, people don't know that. It's something was a cover. I'm coming back. I didn't know that for the longest. I'm coming back.

I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. Gary Taylor wrote that song for her, and I learned her version of it to sing. Did her version ever come out? Yeah, it was on her first album. Oh, damn, I missed that. Okay.

So what was the decision behind covering the songs or covering obscure songs? People were just bringing music to me. You have to remember, like, at that point I'm 18, I'm basically in my mind on the path of, like, Janet Jackson, right? I'm making this record and they got me in, like, this little tight jacket, and I'm on the L.A. River, like, posed with my love. little weave and they're bringing the songs to me and there are people in my ears like you know don't worry about writing they're just going to tailor make all this whole record for you and I'm

thinking okay this is probably that bullshit but it's cool because I'm on my way and I'm going to get in and I'm going to do what I have to do so I didn't write anything on that record so up into that point including high school including college and including your pursuit of a record deal. No one was thinking, was connecting the dots from your father's lineage to your lineage as far as like your deal or whatever. It's just like, okay, let's just. I don't know if they were. I don't know. I don't, you know, there was a lot. Were your peers in school aware that, you know, your daughter of royalty? I think so. I think, you know, when I got to Berkeley, the first thing that happened to me is I was walking up the steps. And Walter Beasley, who was a saxophone player, who was one of my

instructors at Berkeley, came up behind me and said, hey, are you Layla Hathaway? And I said, yes. He said, are you Donnie's daughter? And I said, yes. He said, well, get your ratings. I want you to be in my ensemble. And that was the first, I was like, oh, just because I'm Donnie's daughter? That's what you want? And then I realized like, oh, there people were kind of approaching me in a different way. That was the first time I was really aware of any kind of cachet on that level. Yeah. Was it, in hindsight, was it beneficial or was it, would you rather them just not known? It's hard to say. I'd have to do it the other way. I just don't know. You know, I mean, I think when I walk in the door as a singer, I recognize that I bring with me like 40 years before me.

You know, I walk in with a brand that people have already an association with. Be that traumatic or, you know, whatever is that association. Right. I recognize that that precedes me when I walk in a relationship. room. So at some point, I started feeling like, okay, and I don't even think it was a conscious effort, but I started understanding like, okay,

clearly I'm going to have to be bad as hell. Otherwise... So what is that pressure like? Because that's the thing. Part of your question at the top, like, well, I feel some sort of way. Like, how come you never told me this or whatever? Because I also know that that pressure

of, damn, Hathaway. Now I've got to deliver. It wasn't a pressure though. It was mostly it was mostly me hanging out with all these dudes knowing that for me fortunately they accepted me into their little group so that meant

I got to learn like I wasn't the girl singing in front of the band I was sitting with them and smoking cigarettes and blowing over scot charts you know what I mean I knew that aside from my lineage aside from the name

that I wanted to be a badass I wanted to be able to go to a session and not be thought of as the chick singer. That was a big deal for me. It had grown into understanding that people placed me alongside my dad, and people began to ask, like, is there any pressure? Is there a pressure on you with your father? And I never felt like there was a pressure.

I have always been super aware of the fact that there's him and there's me. and we for some people are like this but I recognize that I can I can comfortably develop into a badass because I come from the greatest that ever lived so I have a I have a runway

to work with you know what I mean yeah I was gonna say just as a fan like I never drew I never drew that comparison you know what I'm saying or you know in terms of you talk about just having the weight or the expectation I think the thing that sets you apart from maybe other

people that, you know, come from that kind of lineage is that you were just dope. So it was almost like, for me, it was kind of retroactive. It was like, you hear this dope singer and then you find out who her dad is like, oh, well, okay, so at least it's genetically unfair. That's why she's a dog. You know what I mean? She's a mute. It takes you more explanation.

I was like, oh, so that's why she's though. Okay, I get it. I mean, you know what I mean? Versus some, you versus someone like, like a, like Nona Gay or something. You know what? That's a little. Shots fired? I'm not firing shots.

Things we all do for love is a great fucking song. Yes. But I'm just saying, but that's someone in that position. What about a love sign though? No, I'm playing. I like love sign. The Keith Crouch records on her. Love is all we need for the few.

The love for the future. Yeah, yeah. There was some dope songs on that record. Yeah. But I'm just saying someone. I understand. Somebody really committed to it. Right, yeah.

Yeah. I get it. A win is a win. A win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either.

We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands.

I said, oh, hell no. I vowed I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone?

I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Farrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day. And I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot.

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

It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects.

From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Okay, so what I want to know is during your Berkeley years in which you are honing your craft, are you actively, like, are you aware that you have the same texture? of yes genetically are you aware that you have the same texture no and the thing is do you try to avoid it or it's just like fuck it this is what i have no it is and i've and i have as a singer now what it's a weird storm is a perfect storm because all the girls are singing way up here

and i'm trying and there's blood it's just all bad and so as i'm trying to figure out how to manipulate my vocal so I don't have to be up there and in pain then I'm finding my voice you know so it hurts you to sing soprano or it did I wasn't sure you know what it was was my body saying okay you can conform

to that shit or you can figure out what your shit is yeah and that's what I that's what I learned to do okay so when you're in the shower or just singing to yourself in the car control so are you singing when I was 17 I did what people told me

A lot of time yeah Or I'm making up really super uptoose harmonies You know Or trying to sing hybrids on top of shit I'm doing the weird The weird shit So do you gravitate more to male singers When you

Like who are your favorite singers My favorite singers are like You know my dad and Stevie And Nick King Cole And Johnny Hartman And I really love Prince and I mean there's a lot of

I definitely probably gravitate in terms of things to sing to male songs like if I'm going to put a cover in a show nine times out of ten it's going to be like a Charlie Wilson cover or a Maurice White cover or you know like that oh shit but yeah I get the closest I'm trying to think even the closest female singer I can think of in your lane

is like Cassandra Wilson I mean jazz was down there too Oh yeah, oh yeah, Jasmine's hoping. Yeah. I was going to ask, do you guys, have you had conversation with some of these ladies? Cassandra, Jasmine, Anita, Tony. Yep.

Were y'all bind on these moments? Never, Tony. I've never met Tony. I have talked to Anita about it many times because, you know, growing up, her voice for me was one of those voices I heard and I thought, oh, this is, this is, hmm. You know, those songs, I knew I could sing

no songs. And Angel became one of those songs. Like, I used to be all the time with the hairbrush. Like when I was that age, singing along with Anita Baker, I would sing that song an octave lower under her, you know. What was her critique of Angel? She liked it, you know. She told me that I should cover all of her music. Whoa, she was nice.

She was publishing it for me. She's beautiful and she's another person like I was kind of afraid to meet. But all the people I have ever met. that I really idolize have been so cool. You know, I've been really lucky. You're an awesome, but you're an awesome coverer that also gives, it's weird. It's like you give your own version, but it's an honor in a way. Yeah, and that's the point is to pay homage to it, but I'm absolutely trying to erase your shit from consciousness.

Whoa. You did that with a Lutheran? No, no, no, no. In a way, you can't make, you cannot make something without what came before it. So what I'm, what I'll say there is I want my thing to stand next. to yours and then separately. I'm trying to create a new original from that thing that you gave me.

To me, the king of that, well, kings of that were the Ozzy brothers and Luther. Like, they never knew. I'm gonna tell you someone else that killed that too, was Donnie Hathaway. Oh, well, yeah.

I did not even know that this is horrible. I didn't know. I love you more than you ever know. I didn't know. My father did so many covers. And I do so many covers. But I never,

no one told me that John Lennon wrote, jealous guy. And when I heard him singing it, like when I was 17, I thought, why is he singing this song? I didn't understand it. I didn't understand it. Marvin Gay wrote what's going on until I was like 13 or 14 years old. Because everybody always played my father's version of that with that bridge. So I never knew that.

So he had a way of taking a cover and really interpreting it into a new thing. And even Superwoman, when I listen to that now, that's the one I want to hear. I'm biased, but that's the one I want to hear. from the poor black genius I still remember the first time I heard that Superwoman cover I think DJ spent up played at one of the wonderful parties The whole party just stopped and I think

like half the room cried It's a lot Yeah yeah It's a lot So My dad was a dentist Ha ha ha ha Wait I'm slacking

Sorry forgive me Here we go My dad was a dentist Oh God Did you So as far as the The performance

Of the first record I mean Were there expectations For you to What were your expectations As far as the The outcome of your My expectations?

Oh I thought I was on the way You owned a way You got this record now They didn't take in your picture I had these dreams of where I was going to be you know in these big places with like 50,000 people and I was going to be at you know at MSG and I was going to be all these places and what I was finding out was I went into that record feeling like at that point in my life I felt like a jazz musician I felt like I moved to L.A. because my label told me I had to because Arsenio was here and you got to be in L.A. But what I really wanted to do was go to New York where all my friends were going and I wanted to go to go to 55 and see Mike Stern and I wanted to go see SCO and I wanted to be in that environment where I was still creating music every day with musicians and I kept thinking if I moved to LA I'm gonna get soft I'm gonna make this record and I'm gonna do what I have to do and it's gonna afford me this life where I can I can play the 55 bar when I want with SCO and then I can do MSD you and I had this dream of my mind of having this kind of career duplicitous yeah this pop world and serious musician world.

Absolutely. So I'm sorry, just to interject here, it's John Schrofield for our listeners, right? Is that who you're talking about? Yes. Okay, a guitar player. Yes. Have you worked with him or come across him since then? I have. I have come across a lot of those people that I got my, a lot of the synapses flying, listening to their music, firing, listening to their music. I met him at International Jazz Day with Herbie and Marcus last year, and he told me that he loved my voice. and I literally like almost went down on my knees like, no, SCO.

Yeah, huge fan. Yeah, he sat in with the roots on the Tonight Show and so of you. It's true. I know. I really want to play with him, like him, just him and me. I want to just see what happens. Yeah, you should pursue that. I'm super, I'm super enamored though, just because we're talking about SCO,

just, I'm super enamored with the period of SCO, which is still, still warm, electric outlets go. You know how he goes through these sort of, he's in these periods. After that was sort of the now she's blonde period. And I'm, electric outlets, still warm, Shinobi, I mean, Shinola. These are albums?

Yeah, Shinola. So what years are those? I'm going to say 82 to 86, 87. Mark Kelly, the bass player from the Roots, played with Schofield for a while. Huge fan. What did the Berkeley do? Oh, there it is.

Shout out to Mark Kelly. Yeah. When you, after your first album and you went into the second record, what was the, because I mean how we've talked, let me love you, I'll be wanting you to do that live. I love that song. Thank you. But like, how did it, what was the expectation going into the second one from the label side? You know, it was a weird time.

It was a time of transition for everybody in the music industry. everything was moving toward this where we are right now and I felt myself sort of feeling like hmm there's an element of music that my records don't really express and I found at Virgin like they had just signed DeAngelo they had signed Janet they were doing a lot of things and and I wasn't at that time also Keith Crouch was working with me on that record and he had just started working with Brandy. So I was seeing where everything was headed and I was really excited about it. My record didn't really express all of that. And right when the record came out, like the second week, I got dropped. And it was the saddest period of my life. And I was so

happy and so sad because I felt like, okay, now I can move in the way I want to move. I can make these records and do these, live in these different spaces and create the way I want to create. And then it was another 10 years before I made a record. Does it feel like the end of the world? It did at that point. You know, I was like 25 years old. A door's been closed and will I ever open it again for me? I couldn't understand.

I couldn't understand it because we only got through that first single, which was Let Me Love You. And I went to see Janet Jackson and I went to see Paul Abdul. And I couldn't understand like, you guys wouldn't give me money to rent a piano on a date. And you spend so much money on pop music. In my mind, there was a disparity. and I couldn't really make sense of what that was at that time, you know. In the 10 years that you were off, how did you survive?

How did you pay the bills? As a working musician. I was on the road. Oh, she were touring. Everybody and their father, you know, Joe Sample. Yeah, everything. Marcus Miller, I played with a lot. I was in his band for many years.

Did a lot of records. I'm on a lot of records that some didn't even come out here. just like session work you mean yeah Michelle's records oh yeah you're on uh she's on earth earth I'm on heaven I'm on heaven

I love that version of heaven by the way me too it's the slowest record I ever recorded in my entire life Have you ever used You said earlier that you don't categorize yourself as a soul singer a jazz singer So but you are were a woman of a certain age when you came out a young woman

Did you ever feel some type of way that I feel like you just skipped the urban and went right to the Urban AC. Yeah, it was weird. You know what I mean? I think Urban had this element of hip hop that my record didn't express. And I recognized right around 93 or 94, like, okay,

if you don't include this, you're going to get left in the vortex of the mid-90s, which is Misha Paris, Shaanis, Stephanie Mills, Karen Wheeler. There were a lot of women, a lot of women and men. Real Army.

Yeah, that just kind of got lost in this vortex. But it's so weird now because now, because now I think today we're longing for R&B. Without a hip-hop influence. Without any, yeah, you know. It's interesting, no. I mean, I don't know what is R&B right now. I don't really get it in terms of what's new-ish R&B.

I'm down for it, whatever. You know, people just make your music and do whatever you're going to do. But it's interesting to me, someone suggested to me that if you are like Sid from the internet or Siza or Childish Gambino, So there is a community of that rhythm and blues music that I can identify looking at it. Like you may have tattoos, you may have big hair, you may. I mean, there's a whole entity of it. If you're looking at a person like me that's sort of considered adult contemporary or black adult contemporary, there's like me.

Lettasy. Who else? Jill? Jill? Not really, but sort of. Not really? I don't think so. I think Jill is in a different stratosphere because she's also like a movie star.

I'm talking about in terms of what's on the radio playing. She plays on different types of stations. If you are a black female and you didn't get in that entry point with hip hop and you're not under 30, there is a chasm which is like R&B and Dusties. No, I feel you. So do you feel? Mesa, she reminds me right, absolutely, yeah.

Well, not do you feel a certain way, but obviously, you know, it has to be weird for you to see maybe a figure like Adele being able to pull these rabbits out of the hat not doing R&B, whatever, but, you know, like her voices, her voices

celebrated for that sort of thing. It's interesting. It's... That is always. been that way. Let's not get it twisted. It has always been that way. The only thing that killed me was who gets two chances at the Grammys? That must be nice to be afforded that. Because, wow. Oh, yeah. Yeah. The George Michael Tributes. Yeah. That is something. Yo, listen. If you do not follow, listen, man, Layla Hathaway is a great follow on Twitter.

I'm doing it right now because I ain't look. If you're telling the truth, Layla, I'm following. I think it was the Grammys or something. She tweeted something. She was like, why is Fifth Harmony? Harmony, five girls singing three-part harmony. That's right. I was there for that.

I fucking hot. And the thing is, you can talk your shit because it's like, ain't none of you bids you're going to out saying. But honestly, I had honest questions. And you know me, so you know for me to say Fifth Harmony, four girls, three-part harmony, discuss. It don't mean nothing to me. I don't have anything against those women.

I don't have anything against those young women. I forgot. I forgot that went down. And their minions were so upset. Oh, words. I didn't see that. Oh, yeah, yo. It was little newsworthy.

I mean, yeah, it went on like a couple of blogs. And one of my singers was like, okay, let me let you know. First there were five girls. They got rid of one girl. And I was like, oh, okay, now I get it. I don't know who they are at all. Any of those Twitterers, the Twitter thugs say, bitch you can't sing anyway.

Yes, I get a lot of, I mean, who is you? It's more like, oh my God, here are you anyway. You know, people really try to make me feel like, ooh, you shady. Like, normally I'm telling the truth. Right, yeah. You know, nobody gets two chances on the Grammys. That's the truth. Adele is great.

I don't have anything against her. She's doing her music and God bless her. But who the fuck gets two chances on network TV? Start this over, y'all. Just start over. And you needed two chances last year, too. So you got four chances. Yeah.

Wait. I don't remember that. Explain this to me? So when the first year she did, she did, Hello. She turned to hello and like she, her voice cracked. Well, no, her voice, she was like in the wrong key. She was in the wrong key.

She was in the wrong key. Hello here. He recorded hello. Hello. Hello. I'm serious. That happened in this room. And love on the rocks

And we're coming to America You know what? Okay Wait a minute This is weird I was Okay Being at the Grammys

And being backstage I didn't watch it What happened? She started hello And was just in the Completely wrong key And so Then she like

I apologize for it right She was like I can't hear I couldn't hear You know So she stopped it on national TV No no That was the first year.

That was the first year. First year she just sang it terribly. And it was bad. Second year. It was the Georgia micro tribute and they had her doing fast love. Yeah. Which is like the, I'm like, why are y'all doing that? And it wasn't the one she wanted to do.

But in addition to that, they're playing the tonic. Yeah. Here's your key. Yeah. They're playing it. And they were doing it in like a different arrangement. Yeah. It was a slow, dirge like arrangement.

It was a bad idea. It was a bad idea from the jump. It was all bad. And she just fucked up. And good for her for saying, no, fuck this, I'm going to do this right. I'm starting over. Start over. But God bless America that you get that opportunity.

And Britain, too. And she's British. Yeah. You know? Because Frank Ocean did not get another opportunity. Hey. Ever. Understand?

I don't think that didn't have another invitation to have got no time. If he had said, let me start over, you think that would let him? Right. Well, they would have had to resell all the footage. They're like, me, uh-uh. My quick time file say you got things. Thirty more seconds. My quick time, wow.

My quick. Better sing that shit out. Yeah. I get tired of singers that are not great. That's just my, I call it what you want. I just get tired of that shit. Dang, who's great in him? Like, I can only take so much a whisper singing.

Yes, the whisper singing is annoying. Children of Aaliyah. Yes. The daughters of Aaliyah. They are. The daughters of Aaliyah. Yeah. thank God for Jasmine.

I'm just, that's all I can think of. And you don't have to be all with the big, with the rah, rah, but singing key, you know, sing the melody.

If there are four of you, just somebody step out and sing another note. Because can I ask you all the question as singers? I really don't know. And this is not a shadeful question, but people like,

it isn't, but people like Sid and her and Cisa, what we call them singers? Like, I think Sid, well, Personally, for me, Sid has improved a lot.

Absolutely. And, like, her new record, if you listen to the way she's singing now, to me, she sings with a lot more confidence. And I would put her, like, with Chadee, with Michael Franks. She's, like, the type of singer that sings her material really good. You don't want her at the club covering. You don't want her covering Long Walk by Jill Scott. You know what I mean?

You guys can't, you're listening to this podcast, but the look on Bill's face right now is like, you can bear it. No, no, no, no, no, no. But just using, I know what you're, I know what you're saying. Just put her in the same sense, it's kind of offensive to me. I'm sorry. Well, no, Shade is not like just a virtuoso, like, delting saver. Bill's had it out for Sid because of J. Davey never getting their props.

So Sid will never ever. A long list, Bill. It's a long list that got on the J.D.V. You know, trains. I like her vibe. I like, I like when she sings what she's written. I like her, you know what I mean? I love Sid.

Yeah. Yeah, no, Sue's dope. She's dope. She's a little. I'm sure she's nice. But who else did you say? Cizza and her. Cisa is a singer.

I think it's an interesting time now because a lot of people really exemplify their time. And that is an art in itself. If you're going to write, if your whole stees is like the accent and the thing and the repetitive notes, like to me it's math and science, but she understands what that is.

She's up her time. She knows her parameters. Yeah, she's of her time. So, yeah, I would definitely, I like her a lot of the stuff on her record. So how can you, because I feel like you judge singers,

I mean, the way that I would judge beatmakers, like I know based on certain drum patches or certain, small, just small things that the, maybe Laia would totally get Like, okay, I don't see what makes this guy so great that you think is, you know, that sort of thing. So are you one of those I can tell in eight seconds if you can sing? Yes.

I can tell looking at you, if you can say. Oh, I want to know how you're getting that shocker conversation. I feel so naked right now. When you say you tell, look at somebody, how can you tell? What are the tales? I can generally glean from a person what their voice sounds like looking at them. Like if I walk into a room and look at it. at everybody and take it in

and then one of them calls me on the phone I can tell which one of them call me on the phone oh wow that is scary it just seems supernatural to me though you know what I mean it's not like a get it's a thing it's just it's just that's the way my ear is so what about old girl who was on Britain's Got Talent whatever like everyone

looked at Susan Boyle yeah like Susan Boyle the white woman from like oh she just she looked crazy and then like I can't call it normal I can't call it, but, you know, I would imagine, I can't say it because I've seen her and heard her. So just based on looking at us, you could tell who has a voice. I have an idea of what your voices sound like. It may be wrong, but I definitely associate you with a sound.

I think you're full of shit. That was not me. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits.

the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

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

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

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

He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodom. My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers Anchorman,

Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Farrell. Woo-woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up-and-coming talent.

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

Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East-West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects.

From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I actually looked at you, though.

Yeah, I know. That's why I said. But guys, didn't Shaka say that she does something similar to this? And then she tests people in their face. I was wondering. I was like, have you ever had a conversation? No, Shaka never said that she could just look at someone and see if you can sing or not. Yeah, Shaka was more like she, if someone tells her that they're a singer.

or she like sing bitch sing right now Oh yeah I don't do that Are you yeah like it's That's a cold thing like that's like a That you could go down in flames Like that I never want to make anybody feel bad

About anything Do people come up to you like Yes can I sing for you Or this happens all the time I sound just like your father And I'm like you probably don't We're flying How do you

I'm a veil bitch guy with the ways on my way Why didn't you do that one? Yeah, why did you do that one, Fonte? Oh, God. I love that song. Me too. Me too.

So I'm thinking, so I'm trying to remember. So it was 10 records. No, you say it was 10 years between the second album. And the third, in the third album. In that time, I made a record with Joe Sample. Yeah. And that's a duets record. Okay, okay.

How did that come about? How did y'all first come about? I had been playing with him since like 92 or three with Marcus Milder. Okay. And we were in Japan. We were at the Blue Note. And we were having dinner one night. And I said, Joe, we should make a record.

He said, girl, we should. Let's do it when we get home. Do you all, any of you know Joe's Hample? Yes. Come on. I mean, no. I mean, no. Not in person.

No, not personally, no. He was like one of the funniest, realest people I have ever met in my time. entire life. And we got back and we made that record. I went in and sang with them with the band for like the first day so that they could get everything done. And I realized every time Joe would change the time or something would happen, like I was getting tired. So I said, let me just, if you pick your tempos, I'll just sing everything and you have it to play to. And then I went in on the following Monday with Al Schmidt and just sang the record down. So the whole record is all just one singing down. Oh, wow. Doesn't that damage you?

your voice, though, after a while? What you mean? You're saying that you just did the entire record in one setting? Yeah, no, it's like singing five songs. It's like half a show. Oh, okay. You mentioned those J'plan Blue Note runs. I got to ask, was it two or three shows a day?

Two. Who does three shows a day? Neil fucking Diamond. I'm sorry, I wasn't cute up to you. Three shows a day is a whole lot. I've only done that once. Well, I was going to say that during that Japan run, like getting your sleep and adjusting.

But always that after that first show. And that wait time in between shows. They have the food for you. Then you got the eyedus on top of being asleep. Everyone sleeping on those couches over there. Yeah. Yes. That's a bad one.

And then they wake you up to do the second show? It's very hard. Yo. Do you feel like when you're at the Blue Note or when you're in Japan, when I feel like I'm in Japan, the entire country feels like a recording studio to me? It's tight. Like sound is tight. It's literally like the sound and the streets is kind of dead to me.

So when I'm in a space, I feel like I'm in a recording studio. Including the toilet. It's true. With the babbling brook playing. Yes. Yes. Can I ask you about the Joe Sample album? It's funny.

It was one of my favorites. But I wanted to ask you about the photo that you guys have on the cover. Because it always, it's, I don't know, it's very endearing and sweet. But I figured like, would it job? How did y'all decide that this is what we're going to do? This is exactly the cover. The man said, whisper in his ear like you're telling him something. And I said, all right, Joe, I'm telling you something.

And he said, don't stick your tongue in my ear, girl. And that is exactly the photo that's on that record. Y'all look like family. He was a crazy person. One of the greatest storytellers I've ever met. I would sit at his knee and just listen to him talk. Marcus Miller is the same way but Joe used to tell these stories

about, you know, being in the Fifth Ward being stopped by police on the way to a gig and everybody being made to get out on the street and play their instruments and because he played the piano. Oh wow, yeah, I'm like damn. They would make him dance. What? Jim Stan? So Fifth Ward, that's

Houston? He's from Houston? Okay. Yeah. Who knew Joe Sample was from the Fifth War? Yeah, I didn't know. I had no idea. I always just associated him with L.A. No. Wow, that's dope. Did you have any issues in your evolution of your look? Oh, yeah. In the beginning, you know, the hair was different.

The hair was different. It was a weevilicious time in the 90s. Everybody had to weave. And I wanted locks. And everybody said, you can't have locks because that's not. It's not what they do. What? That was a big deal.

When was that? Yeah, the salty thing going on and outrun the sky, though. Yeah, I mean, I literally, for that record, I looked like that for about a half an hour. And then went back to my regular shit. That girl shit All day You know She cleans up well

I don't know I think I think at certain points There was a lot of Excuse me Confusion about What to do with me Like this girl is

First of all she reads books And she likes jazz And I would get in these conversations Where I'm going on I'm going on BET Talk to Donnie Simpson And he's going to ask you Who you like

Now we know that you like train and Wayne and you like you know Bud Powell you can't say that. Just say SWV thank you. Yeah please you got to say Luther Van Dross you got to say Jodacy you got to say you know I had a whole little Well yeah the

not the trainers the The media coach people Deanna. Yeah that's how long I've been in this business Wait was it Deanna? No Y'all just know that's my mom Yes Oh man Yeah they coach you they don't want you to

You know they don't want you to look like you know too much So do you feel that when you got to Outrun the Sky, that was the moment where you actually took control of? In a way, yeah. I had been signed to a label called MoJas. Yeah, that was Motown. Wayman-Town. Well, Wayman-Ton was on that label, yeah. It was a Motown subsidiary.

Yeah. We made a whole record, and then the label just folded. And I was like, shit. No jazz. No jazz. And then I took some of that stuff and moved into the next record, which was Outrun the Sky. And I felt like at that point, like, oh, okay, I'm starting to marry the things that I want to do. Because in the 90s, I would listen to like Mary records and faith records, and I would think,

how come the people don't bring me those types of records? How come people don't bring me the beats? How come I want to dance? I like, I play video games and I ride a skateboard and I got a truck with a subwoofer that lights up pink. Why don't I get these, why don't I get this interaction from people? Yeah. Contemporary. Yeah, because people.

Where have you been all my life? Had a perception. I've been telling you forever we got to make a country record. He was traumatized. He was traumatized. So the biggest, the biggest ache for me in this industry is kind of like, oh, my God, I love you. I really want to work with you. And then nothing.

Nothing. Who is that in your mind? Everybody. Everyone. Really? Yeah. Everyone. No.

Almost everyone. And honestly. Why keep looking at me like, you? Oh, because in my mind, I just know that you know who. speaking about specifically, not that she was talking about you. You just want to throw me under the bus some more. No, no, no. Because in my mind, I'm like, is she talking about Farrell?

No, no, because I got to work with Farrell. Right. That's right. You did. We're still supposed to make a record, you know. And the first cat that actually said, I really want to work with you and really did it was Mike City. Mike City came to a show and was in the back of the room like, sing I'm coming back.

He was heckling me. He said, I want to get you in the clubs, Leela. Yeah. I want to get you on the radio, Layla. I want to do this for you. and we started writing together, so he's one of those cats that showed up. But I mean, the actual love that I get from people, people say, do you feel like you're underrated?

And I feel like, no, I'm super highly fucking rated. I'm highly rated. Would you just say underappreciated then? Underheard, underserved me. I'm super appreciated as well. I feel like the black thought of. I'm like a secret in a lot of, you know. She probably is.

Right, like the singer's favorite singer. Or the singer's favorite singer. Yeah. Or the jazz singer's favorite singer. Oh, God damn. Anyway. I really want her ad libs over to joy. So like with the new record with, oh, well, before we get the new record.

Wait. Go ahead. Go ahead. I wanted to ask you about the Daughters of Soul tour. What was that experience like? It was cool. Sandra St. Victor put that together, who used to be the lead of the family stand. Absolutely.

It was me, Indira Khan, Nina Simone's daughter. Simone. Yes. Joyce Kennedy, I'm going to call her Lisa. Yeah, Joyce Kennedy, Nona Hendricks. Joyce do love changes? Yes. I mean, it was killer.

We did, it was a really short run, but we were in Europe, so we were really, it was a really beautiful time. We tried to get it booted back. up and it's so hard to sell anything of quality in the United States that is, you know, it's a hard sell. But that was a really good time for me because I wasn't on the road a lot. We would go do like the Pori Jazz Festival and they would come take our picture and put it in a museum. You know, it was a really good time and playing with those people was really great. Do you, okay, do you have a tribe or are you? this lone oasis.

I'm a lone wolf. But because I feel that the only, the only true way to sell product is either through the controversial means of which, you know, the public wants blood and is thirsty for, you know, curious about whatever, a backstory. Right. Or kind of a tribe association. Yeah. I mean, if you take Kendrick's current situation, I mean, nine times out of 10, if you see a TDE associated, you know, act or whatever, you'll at least peep it for three seconds on the internet to see you digger than that association is.

Right. So is it hard to start a community of people? to gather eight or nine of you, especially when, you know, I would, I'm not saying that it would be intimidating, but I think that what you bring to the table, and I don't even mean like your lineage, but, you know, there's, in my mind, it's just like no bullshitting.

And I almost feel not unworthy, but I know, I know you're like, I don't know what you're saying. This is a bullshit you're saying. No, no, no, but I'm just saying that a lot of times, a lot of my eureka arrival moments comes at the, from a place where a lot of mistakes have to be made before. I'm like, ah, this is what I'm bringing to the table.

Right. Where I just feel like, you know, you could start singing Mary had a little lamb right now, and this shit would be spot on bull's eye. You know what? I feel like I have a tribe. It's interesting because, what people perceive of me as kind of like this jazz, urban adult, contemporary type singer.

That is a part of who I am. But my tribe is like Robert Glasper. Like I'm on the Kendrick to Pimp a Butterfly. Like they sample one of my entire songs for that record. I did a session three weeks ago with Quick. I did a session with Battle Cat and Exhibit two weeks ago. I work with Teres Martin. I find that I have this initiative called.

real music rebels. I'm generally kind of the only female in a collective if I find myself in a collective. There are other women like me, but I find that if you are a musician that has a sort of education in that field and you play jazz and you play pop and you play, like Glassboro is somebody I completely relate to, you know, I feel like I can go with him. Because both you are equally crazy. That is true as well. He's crazier than I am. But I mean, either one of us could go to any set on any bandstand and blend in or stick out. You know, I'm just prepared as a musician to experience, like, what that means. Like, to come on and play with you guys, it's not even fair because, you know, it's bumpers and that's kind of, you know,

I take advantage of it in the room when we rehearse, like, okay, let me just breathe it in. I'm super into music. I'm going to make a record with Nancy Wilson and a record with Kendrick Lamar. No, I already made a record with Dancing Wilson. I'm saying last year. What was that like? Yes, we haven't even seen her. She was not there.

But the record is killer. It's Terry Lynn Carrington's record, which is called, I can't bring it to my mind right now. I'm saying over the course of a year for me, that's making a record with Nancy and with Kendrick and with Quick and Snoop. And then with Vince Mendoza. And then maybe with Anita Baker. And then, you know, I'm all over the place in terms of what I can do. When is this Nancy Wilson project coming up? It's not a project.

It's Terry Lynn Carrington's record. Are you looking at it? The drummer. Drummer, that's what I thought. Yes. Back from Arsenio. Yeah, she's a producer. I know she's bigger than that now, but I'm just giving folks in reference.

That was like St. Michael Jordan, the actor from Space Am. Hey, guys. It's all right. Four civilians. She made a record that featured me and Lettsey and Natalie Cole and Shaka Khan and Liz Wright, and it's a great record. And Nancy Wilson was on that record, and I crafted some padding around her vocal,

which for me, that's everything. I love Nancy Wilson. Aside Nancy Wilson's story. So this is us on tour with Lauren Hill back in like 99, and Lauren Hill is like towards the end of the set. It's like a big-ass pit right in front of the stage, and she's doing an encore. core like everything is everything and then uh mid verse she said whoa whoa stop the song stop the song

stop stop stop stop stop so what got hang on she's like she looks in the mosh pit she's like nancy wilson in the mosh pit why are you in the mosh pit she was like she was this in the middle like it was like some smells like teen spirit shit like nancy wilson was in the middle of she's another great storyteller oh man Yeah. I feel like we just haven't seen her a lot lately. She doesn't go out a lot. I was worried.

Last time I saw her, she told me, she said, I'm not going to be doing this much longer. Oh, wow. She's just, she's comfortable, and she's happy, and she's with her family, and she's good. She just ain't making records right now. And Terry recorded her for that record, and I wanted to just add some color for her, you know, kind of breathe. You know, it's cool. That's what's up. I always wanted to ask you about your record, The Where It All Begins record, with Ernie G.

What was that like? Because I love that song. Like, I love that song. I love the album, but I'm sticking that song. I love that song too. Bobby Sparks brought me that song. Ah, okay. And the moment I heard it, I was like, oh, my God.

That whole baseline, the movement of that record, sometimes I put it on. It makes me very happy. I still have not met him. Oh, so you and Ernie's, y'all were in face-face. Oh, wow. Y'all foreign exchange it. Damn. Okay.

He gave Bobby that record and said, get this record to her. And then I wrote the lyric and the melody and everything and recorded it. Oh, okay. So in the studio, who's your right here, so to speak? Like, clearly if you're with an engineer, do you have someone that's like, okay, maybe you can do that again better?

Or like, who gives you feedback during your sessions? Whomever I'm working with, you know, I keep it like a tight circle. I ultimately am harder on. myself than anyone will ever be. A lot of times, if I'm working on my own stuff is hard because when I go to work with people, which happens a lot,

I'll sing it once and they won't let me go again. And I'm like, you don't discover anything like that. I appreciate the fact that it's whatever's on the top of your head. And it's the spontaneity of it and it's exciting for me to go into a session and not know what's going to happen.

And that's what you got. But there are things listening back, I wish I had taken a little more time with. So for me, in my sessions, everybody's allowed to talk. It's all super democratic. Ultimately, I am going to be like, okay, that wasn't, that's, that was terrible. What was that? And what is it that you, what you're listening for? Like, what it, because I'm trying to imagine, what does a terrible Layla Hathaway take sound like? Oh, it could be cracky. It could be just clams floating out. It could be the color is wrong. For me, it's about color a lot of times, you know, or that. Or,

That didn't taste right happening. Or, you know, let me just make that prettier or any number of things. Do you have like physical rituals and warmups? No. Not even the fun. Well, you don't do the Seth Riggs warm up thing. Sometimes I do with my singers. Like, if they're doing it, I'll do it with them.

Yeah. But not really. So it's not necessary to warm up your voice? No, I think it is, but I talk all day. Yeah, I was going to say I get the feeling. There's two types of same. singers I know, like the rigorous exercise, like the quote professional singers that do all that and then there's the singers that talk and sing 24-7 to themselves. Are you one of these

in public? And I don't mean like in public like in a fame way, breakout and song thing. But like when you're home alone, are you talking to yourself? Are you? No, not really. Not out loud. My voice is always in some sort of state of warmth because of the quality of my voice. So I recognize that even when it's cold, like right now it's cold. And if I sang, it would sound okay on the okay scale.

It would not sound okay to me. Where we are right now, is cold to you? Like my voice would be cold, yeah. Oh, okay. Because I haven't sang and I'm sitting here on the mic and it doesn't sound necessarily. My speaking voice to me is super annoying. It's like a weird mirror that is like you're looking at really close. Really?

Yeah. You have a very sultry. Speaking? Every, yeah. Speaking? I wonder, here's the thing. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the fourth. 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. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And Rule 2, never mess with her friends either. We always say that, trust your girlfriends.

I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no.

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

My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice. ever. I went and had lunch with them one day and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way

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

Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest, the director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Galko joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players

flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I was like, I wonder if Layla's trying to nerd up her. No, this is me.

Her salty voice. This is super me. But you're like the thin line between a point dexter voice and. It's crazy. A very, I imagine your phone, your nighttime phone voice is on some next shit. It's regular. My morning phone voice is definitely Suzanne Plachette all day. The references.

All day. All day. Bob is very low. My voice is just really low by nature and I practice kind of talking up higher. I got intimidated at some point like, girls don't talk like that. And I started sort of trying to lift it up

and make it bubblier and more, you know, make yourself more appropriate. I think that you're on the Kathleen Turner very soldier. Who would have laughed, though? That's a Gia Roshat. Who said, V.I.O.S. He's dumb.

Man. Well, wait, speaking of where it all begins, Steve, you should note that she worked with Phil Ramon. I did. What was? He's awesome. I loved him so much. He produced something for you?

Yeah. Well, we did this thing. When we worked on that record, we had a live, we had a chance to go into Capitol live and recording the A room, and it was going to be Al Schmidt and Phil Ramon. So I got to record four of my records with them that day. And it was awesome, because basically he just walked around and smiled and was magnanimous. us and made jokes and he's really cool. Yeah, he's awesome.

I'm sorry. Oh, no, I just wanted to talk to you about your new record, honestly. Yeah. And the hate. Is there hate? Well, I mean, we talked, you know, we talk, this is offline. But how, I guess a lot of your traditional R&B fans are like, they're mad, though. Mad as hell.

They're mad because there's no saxophone on the record and stuff. Cussing on the record. I cussing on the record. I cussed on Outrun the Sky, too, but they, miss that record. You know, people really have come to know that they can come and just suckle on my bosom and I will rock them to sleep and remind them of their mother. You know, Michelle told me she said, you are my sexy mehalia. Oh my God. And I said, that is the worst uptuce, but I get it. I get it. I get that there is something in me that for people is provocative, but it's

also genetic, like a genetic, soulful memory of their mother. I understand that. Wait. Because I know it's coming. I want to suckle. I want to suckle. I knew it.

I'm sorry. I knew it's coming. I just, I'm sorry. Press the trigger before you even got to say it. He hilarious. I want to suck. Something about the word suckers. I want to go to, I want to, I want to.

But I really like the new record, though. I think it's dope. I like that it is, and I mean, I've texted you all this shit before. But, no, I like that you, that you're not, you play a lot younger than you are, I think. You know what I'm saying? What I mean by that is just like, I think a lot of times. She's 23 instead of 28. Yeah, exactly.

And I mean, right. And I mean, a lot of times people in the age. or urban contemporary, they kind of age themselves too early. You know what I'm saying? It's just like, dude, I look at somebody like Charlie Wilson that can sing over whatever and be timeless, you know what I'm saying? And so the thing that I do like about your record is that you're doing stuff that would be considered young, but you have the flexibility to do it.

And the shit is dope. And there's only nine songs. Like the shit is like, I mean, honestly, I started it as an EP and then I thought, oh, we could keep going and then we just kept going. but the record to me feels like my records in the 90s. You know, with the obvious and you got it going on and the Chucky Records and the Keith Crouch Records. I love those records.

So for me, it was about presenting something that was a little bit different, you know. And talk about Tiffany, because I don't really know. I had heard of her. Tiffany Gouche is a young woman, producer, songwriter, singer. We did the whole record together. She has records out. She got a new single out right now.

and it was exciting to me to work with one person. I didn't know going in that that would, that's what I was doing. You know, I had never done a record with just one person. I'm getting ready to start working with a cat named Phil Boudreau. Oh, what? Come on, man. That's my nigger.

Do you understand how excited I am? What is Phil? What is Phil? He's one part of a group, A-O-E, which is him and DeWon Parker, Juan Parker is a producer, keyboard player. He used to be in Drey's camp back during the Lost Ons era. I think that's him on Lost Ones, I think.

But, like, Lost Ones and all those records around that, like, 07. Oh, the Jay Z lost ones. Jay Z lost ones. I was like, wait a minute. Yeah, not Longer Hill. No, Jay Z lost ones. But, yeah, and so they have a group called A-O-E that is fucking amazing. And Phil also is a producer, singer, Trump player, a keyboard player.

And he's just fucking stupid. Yeah. That EP, I listen to it probably, one of them is my, like my wake-up alarm. Which one? Never Know Me. Oh, my God. Yeah. I never go down in your style.

Adding him to my Pandora right now. It's on A-O-E. Well, Phil Boudreau, he has a solo album called Ether. It's dope. Yeah. Yeah. That's hard to Google. So I'm getting ready to work with him.

I'm very, very excited about. I won't end on that. Something. someone come with it I'm excited I told him I wanted to record this Dionne Warwick record

Do you know this song In between you Say you love me I don't know It's a back rack song And say you la It is a beautiful record And I can't wait to record

I get excited by songs Yeah never know It's funny you mention that Because never know me I told him that that reminded me of a backer rack kind of melody. It is gorgeous, isn't it? It's kind of like a Willy Wonka melody as well.

You know what I mean? It's kind of like that record, imagination, in a way. Oh, my God. It's a killer. It's a killer record. I wouldn't pick your brain on just quirky shit.

I feel like you're the person that probably knows like Marlow Thomas is free to be you and me back on for it. I had that record. I had to sing that shit. It might make you feel better. I had to sing that in point great.

Wow. I'm like, I don't want to be the one of time. Wow, I haven't thought about that in a long time. Yeah, but I never, I always wanted to avoid the cliche questions like, where your Desert Island disco or whatever, but. What are your Desert Island video games? Hmm. All right, I'm a Final Fantasy person, but the last episode of Final Fantasy,

fantasy they fucked it up totally and turned it into like entourage it's like it's like four dudes in a car so i've never gotten to found it i never got into the japanese RPGs kind of okay i have no idea what you guys are talking this is video games oh and i knew that beyond that phrasing i was just saying i just got a switch that's pretty fun i was looking at the switch but i was like i ain't i mean those little remotes there are you still are you still capable for a switch I got my right here Oh that's what that was I was like why are you carrying

to monitor my own brother purse I mean I I had a yesterday it looked like a clutch The remotes are so small Yeah They don't make sense

I had to buy the pro control Do you take them off Or do you leave yours on It depends I mean if I'm doing it handheld Okay so I had a handheld game Like that before Which was called the Atari Links

Yes I remember that I remember that I remember the links Oh I missed that links Yeah I remember that So are you like a Mario? See, y'all got to break down. I was going to say, are you the Mario person?

Are you the gun? Yeah, I'm all of those things. You're like first person shooters? I like them. I get tired of them. I really miss like really good, full games with stories. You know what I mean? That's why I like RPG.

Have you ever played The Last of Us? I started it. Oh my God. I got stuck in the warehouse. I never finished it. It's like the greatest screenplay. It was better than a lot of movies that came out. I will.

That shit is. There's a two now. Two is coming. Okay. So how do I get back on the bandwagon? Because I'm the guy that actually has. Get a switch. Get a switch.

I got like a stock of this stuff like sitting in the closet. Never like I'll give it away for Christmas. Yeah. Keep it. I mean, yeah. I mean, I got like they're there. I have everything. But can I even get back on the bandwagon?

You can get back on. I mean, I think. I got a Merlin last week. What? A Merlin. Merlin. Remember Merlin? Merlin?

Yeah. My friend gave it to me for my birthday. You have a Merlin? Where's Merlin now? He's out on the porch. I was addicted to that. I have a broken one at home. Where you've been on my life?

And what is this now? It's a game system? It's a game system. It looks like a big red phone. Yo, Merlin. Yeah. It has nine buttons. I'm a 71.

Were you, 78? I'm 78. Yeah. Yeah. That separates us. Yeah. Merlin was like. Merlin was a thing.

Like right after that, you know, right after the home, the first home system of television. It precedes like Simon. Oh, yeah. It's like the hand-held, you know. It's like the first. Yes, remember that? I do not.

I've never seen this before my life. You have a working Merlin? I do. It works. Yeah. I cannot love you more than this moment right now. You guys can have a Merlin? Do you live nearby?

I'm going to go to go ahead. I'm over by the airport. I'm like, where is this Merlin? Oh, man, my friend gave it to me. It's in mint condition. I need to find it. I need to Google that. That person loves you to death because.

That's good friends. There's one on Amazon right now. How much? $69.99. That's cheap. That's it? That's cheap. Do you remember the game Einstein? It was like a, it was sort of like, it was Simon, but it was like what the Jewish

parents bought that we couldn't have, we couldn't get Simon. They didn't want to pay for Simon, so they got Einstein. It was like a rectangle. and it had four, you know, pads. Wait, is this not a joke? No, it's called Einstein. Yeah, seriously. It came out after Simon?

I don't remember that. Came out after Simon. It was like an, it was like the... It's like an eight person? No, no. Well, that's super signs. Just four things. I remember that one.

Everyone had Simon. I had Einstein and I had that end of the story. Yes, yes. Did you ever get into, did you play Doom? You were, you were a Doom? No, I get, my eyes were like, okay, I need people in the scenes. I don't want to be. You know, I will play Call of Duty now, but generally I'm going to get into a group and listen to everyone cussing and then hide in the corner and pick people off at the ankles.

That's what I'm going to do. So for me, the shooters are like, I get bored fast. So Final Fantasy and then what else? What else do you like to play? Mario, Zelda, you know, all the old. Okay, now you're talking what I know. Yes, Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, all of those. But I also like, love Halo and.

You know, I like a lot of the original games. I didn't like Destiny. I wasn't in the Destiny. My son loved it. I tried. It's not, it passed over. It's not for us. What's that video game they made a movie out of?

I just watched it on AP. But I didn't quite a few. A lot of them. Seriously. Like the battle. Like Ratchet and Clang. Oh, no, no. More recent.

Ratchet and clank. No, it was like a whole dragon. So even for Mortal Kombat, you would know the codes for like all the fatalities and. Wow. Wow. Babeality. Yeah. There's a baevality?

Yeah. You turn a baby. You turn a baby. Toasty. That's right. Yeah. Yeah, the new motor combat now is like super fucking raw now. Like that shit is super graphic.

It's crazy. Yeah. I mean, the way they snapped the heart out must be like real crazy now. I mean, it's the slow motion pan into the jaw breaking. I love that. Come here. Get over. All right.

So you're a gamer. What else do you do? I have a dog. Okay. Do you love this dog? I do. His name is Boston. What kind of dog?

He's a Bishon. Because of the night. Huh? A what? A Bishon. That's like a black name. A Bishan. A Bishon Frize.

He's like one of those dogs that was bred to entertain in the circus. They have the fluffy low afro, the white dog with the fluffy afro. Do you carry it in a Louis bag? No, he's big and he doesn't look like that. He's super scrappy. Oh, okay. And his name is? Boston.

Oh, Boston. Oh, I thought it was named with Bichon. true and no. And you know I'm DJing now. I'm trying. Talk about it.

Wait a minute. I'm trying. And I had a birthday party a couple weeks ago and then Battlecat showed up and I was like, I'll just wait till you finish. I'll just wait.

Who inspired? I'm certain that you can curate music as good as you sing it. And you have rhythm. Thank you from your lips. I hope. What's interesting to me is to look at

two records now that in my head before like, ooh, if I had a, if I had a Janet Jackson Acapella for when I think of you, can I put it over anything on the Weather Report 830 records? How could I, what can I do? Wait, was that you that told me the greatest- Beel Parish? Yeah, when he did Return of Forever?

He played something for him. He played out his 14-minute Return to Forever song and came out of it and played Central Heading by. Co- by Co-Wave. By Heat Wave. Wow. And it worked. Like, it was just the most cathartic experience.

Because it's like 14 minutes of just fucking chaos. And then all of a sudden, and it's like, oh shit. Yes. I love those moments. That shit was wild. I would never try that. That's a holy grail moment for a DJ.

No, I think the art of DJing really is, and, you know, like parents sort of ask me now, you know, it's like there's a generation of a button pressure kids or whatever. So I don't know if I should enable them and just start creating a generation of DJs that I'm going to hate once they turn 20. I understand.

It's going to happen whether you do it or not. Right. But the thing is, is that I tell them that above all else, one, you should really love music. Yeah. That's the number one. It's your whole impetus.

Yeah. And I think that the art of DJing really is knowing or at least having a good guess to which for any song you play, there should be five songs that can perfectly... You're exactly right.

And you're just playing some sort of psychological... You're playing psychological control with your audience. Absolutely. And telling them a story along the way. Like when we play, we have...

Sometimes we put Rock It with you in the set, right? So at the end of Rock with you, we play that vamp. Doo do... We stay there. And then I sing like 15 Michael's songs over that event. vamp.

Right. You know? And maintain the melody, just singing it in that key. Right. You know, and yeah, you can do it. Okay. Yeah, talk to me about, because we never talk about this, talking about covering, well, I guess recovering.

I'm coming back on what was that like to revisit that, you know, 20 years other than the first. I love that record. And I knew going in that it was a song I wanted to record live because the arrangement that we have of it is so different from the other arrangements. It was just one of those songs I knew, like when we asked people, what do you want to hear the shows? That's the number one record that they want to hear,

which is interesting to me because no matter how much people say, you know, maybe picked up the tempo to show a little and do this and do that, people want to come and be wrung out. And they love that record. And that was never officially a single, right? No. No. That's amazing.

No. You know, Gary Taylor wrote that song. Yeah, he wrote These Whispers and. Yes. He also wrote the song that I demoed that he then gave to Anita Baker, which is Good Love. You know that record? I want to know what good love feels like. Yeah. Stressdown. I demoed that record. Stressed out. Thanks for that. Yes. I demoed that record for Anita. Basically, I did it for my record and he's like, you know, my kids. My kids want to go to college. So I was like, yes, let's do it.

So that was my first kind of sort of interaction with her. I was so excited that when I heard her, she was singing it sort of in the way I was singing. And I was like, wow, you know. Do you have the original? Do you have your copy of it? Wow, that in Merlin. I'll be over your house at 9 p.m. a woman. Can you cook to?

Yeah. Of course. What's your go-to dish over there, Layla? You know, I will make a chicken real quick. It seems simple, but yeah, I would just make a whole chicken. What's your size, though? I might make some greens, you know. Oh, with some turkey and you?

You know. Okay. Wait, are you hijacking my dinner date? Were you finding out for me? Oh, yeah, that's what I was doing. No, I don't think you. Yeah, potato with sweet potato. My thing right now is a pot roast.

Like, I'm trying to really. perfect a pot roast all. I made my first pot roast all. My dude is super meat and potatoes, dude. He's from Nebraska, so. Dway? Is he from Nebraska? Yeah, he's from Omaha.

Wow. I didn't know that. Mm-hmm. Going and raised. Wait, you said you made a pot roast? Yeah. So all those posts on Facebook, that was you cooking? Yeah.

Oh, I thought you were watching people. No. I cooked, man. My bad. Okay. Damn. It's fun. Now, the pot roast, the cropped pot is also a lifesaver, too.

Yeah. You put it on and just let it slow to that. I like the big Dutch oven. I like to just cook it really slow. So are you satisfied? With life? No, pot roast. No, just in where you are right now, are you satisfied?

Hmm, that's very interesting. I think all artists are insatiable, but are you, is there anything left, you know? Oh, God, yeah. Well, I mean, okay, that's a bad question to ask. Is there anything? Everyone wants world domination, but kind of like to near on the heat, like that whole 30 seconds thing. Like, is there something behind you that makes you want a lot's wife turn around and just be like, okay, let me, I want a number one pop single or just. Yeah, fuck yeah.

I mean, yeah, I want all that. I want to, I want to see what my potential is. I'm on the path. I feel like I'm done. Just like literally I'm singing for 20 years or 23 years on record. And then one day I just sing a chord on a record. What will happen in 20 years from now? Like I don't know what's going to happen.

I really want to realize what I have. And I feel like I'm just at the top of it right now. I would agree. You, like, you're one of the few people I know that it seems like, you know, however 20 plus years in. It really does feel like you're just getting started. I feel like that is crazy. Waking up to you.

It is crazy. to me like I know a lot of girls went like that and I feel like I'm sort of you know at times it has felt like it ebbed off and then it would creep up a little bit but I feel like I'm on the path I definitely would like the opportunity there seems to be a weird like when I go to radio stations or when we do pitches for TV when we do all the stuff people are always like oh my God, we love you. I have your record in my car. I sang your father's song at my father's funeral. Your record and your dad's record got me through divorce. All of these, these monumental landmarks that people have me in their life, and it's hard to plug those in in a mainstream way.

It's a weird situation for me because, like, I'm from Chicago. They don't really play my records in Chicago on the radio. Whenever I go through Chicago, I make time to, I make time to to go to the radio station and meet everybody. I know everybody. I've sang it everybody's kid's birthday. You know what I'm saying? Like, everybody loves me and there's no, you know, I've been seeing a lot of these same people.

People like the idea of Layla Hapaway. People love the concept of it and. Yeah, can you? You're not alone. I recognize that. I recognize that problem in Billy. I believe, oh, yeah, but see, the thing is, is long as, as

you avoid the crazy potholes and you don't seem like a person that I will say that what really

truly separates you from a lot of the contemporaries of yours that I personally know in personal

life, male and female, is you don't seem to have at least on surface any any

sabotore kind of spirit about you. You seem rather fearless in your approach to stuff. Mistakes can be made or whatever. Let me try this out. Let me try. Okay, let me go with this. Let me try snarky puppy. Like, you're just, you're curious

about it, and you just, with reckless abandonment, you just indulge yourself in it, which is good. Because a lot of times, a lot of singers I see, they will second guess and talk themselves. out of a good thing and that sort of thing

and tailspin until, you know, it's 15 years between albums. Yeah. That sort of thing. Okay, so before I wrap up, okay. Oh, well, yeah, we talk about your Grammy. Well, you have multiple Grammy. Singing a chord.

Can I make this into my personal therapy moment? Okay. I'm going to get over this, but it's just her and I in a room right now. One, how long have you had that gift? Since I was probably 12 or 13. That's the thing, though, when I asked you, like, and you're alone and stuff, for you to perfect something like that? First of all, it's not perfected.

No, it's in the shower. I'm in the shower like, what can I do with it? And I will show it to people. What is this? What can I do with it? And people are like, well, I don't know. It's cool. What can you do with it?

And then I did it on a John P. Key record. and he kept it. John P. Key of all things? Yes. Wait a minute. Was this during the 10-year hiatus? No, this was like 10 years ago. Oh, okay, okay.

He kept it. I did it as a joke at the end of his record. Do you know crash cuts? Oh, my God. John P. Heck yeah. Heck yeah. My, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma.

For being my friend. Yeah. Wait, I'm putting it out there. If anyone knows how we can get the crash cuts. I need him on the show. This Levin'cad a crash cut. It's a spirit. Let it modify in your life. He's a truth.

Let it modify. He's a lie. Focus on Jesus. Amen. Jesus. Just the fact that you mentioned John B. Key, I was like, man, you have to know Levin'clock. I did it for him, and he kept it. And then people said, you should do it on records.

And I said, well, it's not cool on a record because people can think you manufacture it. Yeah, they can't see it. So when I do it live for people and I can do it in key and it's in context, then people see it. But if you ever have watched that video with Snarky Puppy, I am realizing at that moment, oh, I can do this. The first time is whack. Second time I started like, okay, just fucking go for it. The third time it was clean and then they changed keys and then I was able to change with them.

I did not know what Corey was going to play. So what is that called? What is that? I don't know. It's not called anything. It's funny people on YouTube. Like, that is. The Layla Hathaway technique.

I don't know what this is. I don't know anybody else. Patting that shit. I don't know. I think I have. I have not heard it. So is it hard to produce on the spot like whistling on the mic? Sometimes it's a fourth.

Sometimes I can get a six, like a major six. Wow. Not that I asked you to do it on the spot. I'm glad you did because I had no idea what y'all were talking about until at the moment. It's real ugly right now. Follow along. You don't realize that she could harmonize with herself? Yes, but I didn't know specifically when you were like, what is that that you do?

And you should patent that. I did not know what you meant. Right. Right. And that's since 12, you've been able to do that. Yeah, in some form. It always just sounded, there are some things I'm working on that when I get them, they're going to be awesome. Like, I'm really working on finding the fundamental note and then working the overtone over that.

It sounds like shit right now. But when I can get it, it's going to be killer. I'm still working on those chords. They don't always come out like I like, and they don't always, I'm not in control of the color of it, and right now I can still only do it or an ooh on a sound.

So for me, it's not perfected. It's just something I still, I just have in my back pocket that nobody else can do. It's just the way my instrument is set up. Way my instrument set up. But that's the thing, though. You just did that so effortlessly, but I know you have to have a place of trial and error and experimentation and where does that happen?

Just right just now. I'm for real. You can do that thing where you go, I can't do it. You know what I'm talking about that. Do it. What? Like when you stub your toe or when you see something like that. What?

That, that, that, that, that, that. Oh. That one. Do that. Like that? That's pretty impressive. That's a chubacca thing. You gotta be.

You got it. You got it, the chibok. I think it's impressive. I was being sincere, but I knew it. It came off the opposite, but I think I can't do that. I didn't know I could do it until I just tried it. Well, yeah, I...

I'm trying to learn out to sing Overtage right now, right, but this sounds crazy. And everybody can't hear it. So, oh, okay, so can you? So, like, I can hear it in my head. I know you guys can't hear it. I'm only getting a third and a fifth. So I'm working on that.

And one day, I'm going to do it somewhere and it's going to flower into this thing. And people will say, wow. And they'll be like, when did you work on? I'll be like, I'm not free going now. Can't hear the. every time so. You are out of this world. And again, not in an alien way or whatever.

Just being in black three way. Simply brilliant. Can we just say we love each other now and we'll just be friends? Sure. Because the last time I saw you, he was weird. You were like, you said, Motherfuck, we stop asking us the game. I'm trying to help.

We hope we're finding a word. I'm sorry. You said something and I said, I thought I told you that. I said, what did we cover? Jolene. We covered Jolene. Oh, Jolene. Oh, man.

And I said, I've been telling you we should do that. And you said, yeah, but now we're friends. And I said, I thought we was friends. What I knew was, yes. I can be friends. One day I'll get over myself and be able to. be in front of your brilliance. Remember that time I came to see you in DeAngelo in the studio that time?

During the voodoo period? This was like six, seven years ago. During the voodoo period? No. Y'all were working. Listening to stuff. You don't remember? You have to remind me.

We were in New York. I came about to hang out. I had my deal with me and my cousin. You guys were working on some. stuff, listening to some Michael Jackson stuff. All right. So obviously, I was... They weren't just...

They weren't working on stuff. They were just listening to them. Just listening to MJ. Oh, yes. Yes, at a... MSR. At MSR? At MSR?

Like 48th Street or something like that. I don't remember. Can I just ask y'all the question that the music fans are thinking right now? Like, is there any chance in the future now that we've ironed this shit out that we can get like some roots? Layla shit or some like... Oh, my God. I mean, I just...

I'm sorry, I'm, I know you're like put it on a spot, but I'm like... No, listen. I want to make absolutely positively 10,000% clear is that I've always loved Layla. Oh, yeah, I understand that. Let's get to the work. I need you. Where are you...

Listen. You got a card. You got a card. He's like, like... Black-ha-black-black. He's some little tight-ass little... Yes. Appreciate.

We take the submissions. But seriously, though, the fans say that they want. That's what they want. Yes. Especially, like, as, you know, right now in the life and times, I just feel like there's just something there. It's so nice to work with a band, too. Oh, wouldn't it be so great? And you need that.

Yeah. Okay, she has the job. You don't have to. Yes. Anytime. We will. Y'all let me know. I'm not bullshitting.

Yes. I would love. to work with you. Write it down, Steve. Let's do it. This is a radio so that we're documenting for the world to hear. We have like a million listeners right now. Yeah, Layla, I thank you so much. Thank you.

Oh, no, my, my bad. Two questions. It goes so fast, doesn't it? It gets over so fast. It's not fair. When it's right, when it's done, right. Yeah, no. So I hope this question doesn't anger you because I don't know how you feel about

this particular record, but your very first single. Anger? Some people don't like talking about their very first records. Okay. So Inside the Beat. Oh. I didn't know this record existed until about three hours ago. Are you serious?

So Inside the Beat was a demo. Really? That we didn't even give that demo to the people to get a deal. So whomever booted like that and made it into a single, people come to me and say, I loved you. I loved you since the 80s. And I'm like, well, no. I didn't have any records out in the 80s.

He was just born. Yeah, that record came out. And then I did a Japanese cigarette commercial where I were. recorded night and day. Wow. And they made it into a record. Wow. It's for sale now in Japan.

Huh. And it was for a cigarette commercial. And when you buy it... That explains the cover of the single... It doesn't make any sense, doesn't it? It makes absolutely no. It's like two random white people. And you know, it's a Japanese ad.

Like it's a motel in 60s? So it's a dude with a teddy bear and a ham at a bar, smoking a cigarette. So you don't know what it's for. But that record, I'm just scatting at the end of it, Acapella, and they kept it for the record. So a lot of things happening in the 80s. But that record...

is so, that's a funny record to me. I have to find that now. Have you ever heard it? I've never heard it. I didn't know it exists until like a couple hours. Let me just sing you to hook. Inside the beat. That was it.

That's it. That's a jam. I like that. I thought it was Morgan's Luther. It's over now. It's already so bad. It's hard to beat. It's super, super disco type, you know, occasionally I got to throw it into a DJ's

very 80s. It's super. Super 80s. Don't judge me when you hear it. I'm going to love it probably. And my final question, how did you hook up with Martin Ware and Ian, I can't remember his name? The EF people. Yeah, for the... After my first record, I did a lot of records.

They were one of the groups of folks that approached me and said, hey, can you come and be on a record? And Billy Preston was there, and we recorded that slide tune. I don't even know. I just got really lucky based on my first record. came to me that I would not have associated with the type of music I was recording. Like Marcus Miller came and I started working with him until now, you know. So I don't know how I got so lucky. I just...

Because I always thought that was kind of a strange pairing. I mean, the end result was great, but it was not one that I would have thought what happened. Like I have a record out now with a cat called Mr. Jukes. You know that record? It's a really interesting record. I don't know how this kid knows who I am. You know, he's a huge star. somewhere else in the world and I made a record with him and I don't know how that happens.

I have lots of records. People say, I have all your albums, even the obscure ones. And I'm like, no, you don't. There are records that I'm on in Japanese that only came out like in Fukuoka, like really, you know. So I just keep getting lucky. What's your favorite market to perform? I love Atlanta. I love Tokyo. I haven't been a whole lot of places, actually. is becoming one of my favorite places to play. It was a hard place to play in the beginning because people would just come sit and look at me. Right.

You know? But that happens everywhere I go. Like there's a certain amount of people in the front row that are just kind of like in some sort of weird. I see your father trance, you know, which I recognize. Sorry. It's all right. How did the Mary tour end up going?

It was cool. It was a lot of fun. It was great to be in front of her audience, even though I know that part of that audience is kind of my audience as well. Every night my DJ would say, how many of y'all this is your first Layla Hathaway show? And a lot of hands went up. And that told me like I'm in the right place.

You know, I'm getting in front of folks. Getting new fits. Yeah. That's awesome. I'm good. Okay. Well, Layla. Anyone?

Anyone? No, so thank you, Layla. Thank you. I'm honored that you thought of me. Anything else? What was the song we worked on at Electric Lady? First time I met you. It was like a...

Was it a Mary J. Blige record? No. You did do that Mary Dway. I was either the assistant or there. Which one? Was I produced Mary J. Blige and Stevie Wonder? No, no, no. It was, I think, was that a Christmas song maybe?

Like, was it? The way you dropped that, though. That happened once. Was it might have been a cover of this Christmas? No. For some, like. I just did that for Spotify for the first time. Wait, what year was it?

You remember? It would be the late 90s. something like that or early 2000s. Do you remember who the session was with? No, I don't remember much of anything. I hear you, man. I don't know.

I feel like I've always known you. I don't know if I ever tell you that. There's something about you that I feel like I have always known and I don't know what that is. He's every engineer you've ever met. No, but you remind me of this kid I went to high school named Todd Heckman who gave me a lot of records. There's something about you I connect with

and I don't know what that is. Maybe it's a sign thing. Maybe it's the records. Maybe I'm going over to her house tonight to get some chicken. Chicken and some Merlin. So have you, have you, have you fulfilled your bucket list as far as the people that you've wanted to work with? Almost.

Who's left? I mean, shit. Well, I know there's a lot left. I mean, but if I got hit, by a bus today, I have to say, well, you did all right. You did Prince. You did Billy Preston, Stevie. Billie Preston, Anita, Shaka, Vince Mendoza, Herbie, Wayne, Dizzy.

Little Uzibert. Hiram. Wow. I don't know. I really, there's a lot of people left. Now we got to work together because I don't want to be on the, I don't want to be on that. Yeah, I want to be on that.

I already know there's a few people I really want to work with that. I talk to every time I see them about working and I know it's not going to happen. Let's go around. Who? Stevie. You haven't worked with him yet? Not officially. Man, I would have thought he would have been the first one.

He came. He's, he's, you know, I love him. He's off your ear off. Yeah, we always talk about it. He's got a song for me. I need to go. I need to call him. I'm going to call Aisha.

I'm going to keep calling. I'm going to keep trying to do it every time. But I don't know that it's going to happen. Wait a minute. And it's okay. There is. Wait, wait. Now I'm thinking.

That's the thing, yeah. Now I'm thinking what song would she be good for? All of them. No, because one time I heard him trying to give knocking on your door to Jennifer Hudson. Really? And I was like, no. Oh. No, no, no, no shade to Jennifer Husband.

But it's just that song. I understand. Yeah, I'm jealously. You know what? I think I might know one. We have to, we can't play it on there. Oh, damn. Okay.

Are y'all saying y'all got some unreleased TV stuff going on? No. You would never say that shit. Never, never. We would never say that. And thank you for not throwing us under the bus on your own radio show. Oh, no, I was, I was, man. Yes, even the Pandora people are looking at you like that.

I'm drunk. I'm drunk. I've been drinking. Yeah, I got some unreleased stevie. from bad boys. Some unreleased Stevie J. Some unreleased Stevie J tracks that he did for the Mr. Dalvin record.

Yeah. What happened to that? The out takes. It came out on Maverick. It came out. Shut up. Mr. Dalvin. Yeah.

Why can't. Wait, Mr. Dalvin had a album. Met amorphic. Met amorphic. And the single was called, Why can't we? That's why he did those DJ Blad interviews by himself. Oh.

I was wondering why, like, he was getting the star of treatment. Like, he had a project out. Well, that was like 98, 99. Yeah, it was, oh, I came with that. It was back in a day. It, no, no. That album's horrible. No.

No. No. I never really heard him saying. There's a reason. His, Mr. Davin jams was always the soundtrack jams. Like his soundtrack jams. What was that one? True O.G.

That was on Dangerous Mind. There was another one. Get Mine. Yeah. Yeah. That was on like cares club or some shit. That was my shit. You know what?

I want an episode where you two just Siskel and Ebert. Whoever that is Whoever that is Were y'all did Siskel and Ebert Every R&B record Known to Man I'm down for that It's an art watching these two

Like go gaga Over names I've never heard of before Obscure B-sides And soundtrack songs You never heard of Mr. Belvedere I heard of him All right So yeah

So Stevie Yeah Stevie Stevie. All right. There's a lot of people, though. You know, because when I mean people, they say, I want to make a whole record with you. They don't say we want to make a song.

Like, that's why I came to see DeAngelo that night. He's another one. I keep telling him, we should make the blackish record ever. We should do it now while we're both living. We should both, we should do it now. Give her her chances, Amir, what you think? Every time he says it, he says, you know, I love you. I want to do it.

Let's do it. I love you, but. Yeah. It's more R&B. It's more. Bobby. I wish it was happy. Angela was on the show for three words.

We had a wager. What was the wager? Everybody was going to get, was it, 100 or 1,000 or $1,000 Christmas bonus? They said that I could never get DeAngelo on the show. And it just so happens that DeAngela had to stop by the studio to pick something up. Nice. And on the mic. He sat in for like a little bit.

And then he went out for a pack of cigarettes and never came back. Yeah. He pulled the black daddy on us. the Black Daddy. Yep. Anyway, yeah, I thank you for coming on the show. Thank you. Thank you.

I had so much fun with you all. Oh, man. Thank you. Thank you for singing. I mean, we wanted to do this for a long time. We've been trying to, I was trying to catch each other, New York and stuff. Thank you so much for doing this. Fonte and Conan for making it happen.

How about y'all going to be here? Forever. We're shooting. What? Forever? He'll be here forever. Well, not forever. I mean, we're going to do a couple more episodes.

and then, you know, I'm in town to like Tuesday and Wednesday, so. You want to go bowling or something? Yeah, I live here. Let's go. Where do you live? Hollywood. So, yeah, I thank you for coming on the show, Leila.

Appreciate it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Mary, appreciate it. And we will work in the future. So on behalf of the Team Supreme crew, on behalf of the Team, what, you're not part of the Team Supreme? No, I just got tired. You ain't going to say our names this time.

You usually be like, you know, Bill, Fonte, you know. Yeah, we want some individual credit. All right. So I'll be have to Sugar Steve and Boss Bill and Fonticelo and Sweet Feet. Wow. Yeah. It's like, yeah.

Anyway. You know you like Feet? My name is Sweet Feet. All right. It's a sweet feet. So, yeah, actually, Laila, we sort of did work together now to think of it. This does not count. Well, then you and Nancy Wilson didn't count then.

It does count. That does count. But on record, technically, we worked together because of the hidden figure soundtrack that the roots just totally remade. Oh, I can't wait to hear the whole thing. Yes, it's freaking awesome. And we're going to release it for a record store day. That's awesome. Yeah.

And this is your contribution called Sorinda. My favorite join on the record. Yeah. Thank you. Yes, let's go. Westlove 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. 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 unfilled 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest, the director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Galko joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else.

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed, I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves.

We always say that, trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe, on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Wode. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there.

Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot in life. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.