The Questlove Show - QLS Classic: Musiq Soulchild

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

On May 31, Musiq Soulchild is celebrating 25 years of Aijuswanaseing at the 2025 Roots Picnic in his hometown of Philadelphia. Use this reason to look back at Musiq's 2020 interview with Questlove Supreme. This conversation was real, raw, and soulful — just like the guest. This is not an episode to miss.   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. Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, 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. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. So at the end of this month, May 31st, We have music Soul Child celebrating 25 years of I Just Want to Sing at the 2025 Roots Picnic. We still have some tickets available. But as you gear up for that, listen back to 2020 for this interview.

It's two hours long and covers all the damn bases. All right. So to keep it a buck with you. In the history of this podcast, you know that meme where people are just, they look each other in the eye and you already know. Like, all right, I'm going to tell y'all, of all the episodes of Quest Love Supreme, if one of them embodies the meme, bruh, bruh, then it's the music Soul Child episode. That's all we can say.

Anytime we mention the Music Soul Child, oh, Music Soul Child is on a QMS, Fonte will be the first of me, bruh. This is a certified five-star bruh. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of QLS. What's the Love Supreme? I'm your host, Love, with us today, of course, ladies first. Laia, hello.

Hey, so now, Brown. Hi, Laia. Hey, Steve. We got Sugar Steve on. Hi, Sugar Steve. Hi, Steve. Hi, Steve. We also got Fondigolo

What up, what up I know y'all can't see him right now But fresh cut Fondigolo Yeah, man I'm happy I'm happy too I'm happy too

I don't know when I'm to get The next one Because the numbers Keep going up But I'm gonna just hold on This one as long as I can Shoutouts to the Rand States

You too Man and we were doing good I ain't about to put this on Nalkal I know We was doing right And then it just This shit just all help And then the celebration, no, you can't celebrate too early.

Bill, how's it going? Yeah. Fantastic. Here's a Hampton with the children. That's good. I will say that, you know, especially based on the buzz of the Jill Scott episode, that these Philadelphia conversations couldn't have come at a better time. It's only a matter of time before we dip back into the pool of Neo Genius for another go-round.

and our guest today, he burst upon the scene back in 2000, probably with the most unlikeliest, charmingest, platonic black anthem of all time. And the hits kept rolling and rolling. Nine or ten albums deep, I believe it's nine albums deep, 13 Grammy nominations. And I got to stay. Okay, this is the college word drop of the day.

probably the man that has done the most for Mondegrine spelling. Yeah. Oh, that's what that's called. It's called Monde green. Yes. Okay. It's based on a poem. I forget the person did the poem,

but when you, when you spell and jumble words together, it's the title of Monde green. So the Monde green king, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to Questlove Supreme, Music Soul Child. Yeah.

What's up, brother? Where are you right now? I'm in the A. I'm in Atlanta. How long have you been in Atlanta? When did you leave us? When did you leave Philly? I left y'all.

You said it right. I laid you. I ain't here either, so. I love y'all. You ain't in Philly. You're in Lally, so shut up. I know. When I was long, they're longer than both of y'all.

You don't even claim Philly. Yeah. You claim everywhere but Philly. That's not true. I claim Philly. Do you claim Philly music? I claim Philly when it's appropriate. Let's get it.

Thank you. I claim Philly when it's appropriate. Because it's true. It's part of my timeline. It's not anything that I can get away from or even want to get away from. However, it's very real that I left for a lot of reasons. You know, I love my people, but my people ain't all the way together. Philadelphia is not necessarily.

the, you know, has a timeline of mental health. We're about to tell the truth today. Okay. And I had to accept that. I just thought the property value was better in Atlanta. I'm about to learn a lesson. Okay. You know what I'm saying?

Well, I can only speak for my timeline. I can't speak for the whole city. I can only speak for my timeline, my immediate circle what was happening in my world and what infiltrated my world. You know what I'm saying? So according to that, I had to make decisions that I thought was better for. for me for my peace of mind and my mental health. And, you know, but you can't say that in interviews because they like music, you know, shit,

no feeling. Like, no, that's not what's happening. It's just that I'm just being honest with my reality, you know, and I had to make sense of it, especially being thrust into the music business with no real guidance, no real backup, no real support, no real nurturing, no real nothing. And I have to figure it out on my own. And then, you know, I can't be bothered with people tracking me down and, you know, like being on my doorstep, like,

Oh, Amir, there you go. Like, no, no, I got to go. I got to go. Amir, that's you, too. I got to go. No, see, my answer to that was just being on the door. Yeah, yeah. I'm never home.

That was, you know, everyone living in my house but me. So, no, I, I understand that very much so. Like, sometimes you got to go. You know, I've been, I've been in New York for 10 years now, and I'm only just getting comfortable. with letting Philly know that I do not live in Philly anymore. That's true. You know, there's always this thing that, you know, this invisible,

you can't leave monster that Philly puts on you, but I think it's a, but I think it's a different thing for you, you know what I'm saying, and your entire crew, particularly you and, and Reap, but it's,

y'all represented Philly. You know what I'm saying? So I think it's, it's, y'all had to be a little more cautious because people, associated Philly with y'all. People didn't necessarily associate Philly with me. They knew I was from Philly, but that wasn't such...

It wasn't on your sleeve. It wasn't on my sleeve. Y'all put... Fudd the sleeve. Y'all put Philly on your back. Y'all carried Philly. You know what I'm saying? I understand your position is different than my life.

I can slip away and be like, hey, ain't you from Philly? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm from Philly. You know, but then it's a different conversation when he's like, bro, you are Philly. Where were you born? What part of Philly were you born? I was born in, I don't want to say it. No, please.

West. In West Philadelphia, born in race. So was I. Wait, we're in West Philly. I never knew that. I've known you for the longest and did I know you were West Philadelphia? That's another conversation for another day. I'm here.

Okay. I love you, though. I love you, though. 52nd in Girard. That area. Wait a minute. Yeah. And my people's actually didn't find out about, so this is about to be a rabbit hole,

but I'm going to cinch it up. That's what we're for. This is all we do here. Then there's my dad's side. You know what I'm saying? My mom's side is actually from North Philly. My mom's side is from, you know, 17th of Jefferson, 19th of the master, Dolphins, Susquehanna, all of that.

My stepdad is also around from there, 20% of Woodstock, all in that area. which is funny how they met, you know, because, and they're both last names of Johnson, like, anyway. But my dad, dad's side, you know, he's from, you know, as far as I know, he's from 55th and popular, you know, around in that area, you know. So I was actually raised when I was a kid over, you know, Gerard and Poplar, but like on 52nd. But then as I got older, I started moving around to my other family, my aunts and uncles and cousins and them and all of that. That's why when people asking what part of Philly you from,

I can't necessarily claim one part because I spent a substantial amount of time in multiple places where I can't say that I'm strictly West Philly or strictly South or strictly North. I can't say that because I spent way too much time all over Philly. Wow. German town, nice town. I spent Philly, you know, all over the place. I am I'm 52nd and no Sage. Hey. Yeah. Move. Actually, did you, did you know that it's been rechristened as chestnut, not, I'm sorry, Walnut Hill

gentrification? Why? Why? Why? I don't know. I, I, I did my, my drive through the old spot. I'll say that every June, speaking of which, big. pick up on doing the picnic with us.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Thanks for thinking of me. Thank you. I appreciate it. We can't just leave that there. We'll come back. I know. I'm just saying that when we were scouting,

when we were headed to do our part of the picnic at the man, you know, I do my usual two-hour drive through the old neighborhood, look for ghosts and whatnot. Yeah, and that's when I discovered. I like how you put it. No, you look for ghosts. You'd sit at your grandma's house. That's real. That's real.

And, you want to see what's still standing and what's not standing? You're having nostalgic moments. Yeah. Well, of course, you know, 52nd Street was hit badly by the riot. So this is the most dilapidated. I've ever seen that block in my 50 years. Yeah, I know. I saw it on instant.

I was like, y'all just going to treat 50 second street like that, bro. But yeah, I get it. I don't know. It's for me, though, I, I, even I wasn't discouraged only because like I mean I have a personal dream like I think my life cold dream is to pull a Kenny Gamble like refurbish it and and that thing so I think this is like Philly legacy yeah I yeah I dream of I've always dreamt of that and we've actually had our first me Torek and my manager Sean had a kind of like our first conversation of now that If anybody would be perfect for that, it would be y'all.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I hope so. So we're talking about our third phase now. What's our legacy? Nice. Nice. So, well, it's good to know that we share a 52nd Street in common.

Yeah, I used to, I used to have a table there on market, 50 second in the market. What do you sell? Michael Jackson posters. What? You know. Yo, listen. Go ahead, go, go, go, go. No, no, no, it's only because...

You just said a lot. Just by not say... You just said a whole lot, bro. It's only because I just recently... Okay, so as of this speaking, I've been DJing a lot of Jackson's on my... doing my DJ sets.

And I'm trying to explain to people that I feel as the thriller did so much for the street vendor in a way that I've never saw street vendors ever in my life until the phenomenon of thrillers. So like, it was interesting. Interesting. It sold itself. It was like crack, bro. Yeah. And, you know, there was just a point where

I mean, after Thriller, then it came like the bootleg tapes and the oils and everything. And so I also allow you to answer your question. Uh-huh. Are you serious? He sold, well, not, he didn't sell incense and oils. He sold Michael Jackson. No, no. The other way, lady.

Oh, okay. He's so, okay, he so is his, that's what you do on 50s okay. But along with the, you know, the, the, the, the, the pirated, you know. Yeah, a couple tapes. Get you ready, you know, you got to keep your eyes open for the yellow van.

But he had that blue now, though. He had that blue now. Right. You got to look out for, right. You know, and you got to break your table down because, you know, you're not all the way like it. Because the, you know,

Fees was crazy. It's a whole, I've been hustling since been hustling, bro. Hustle. Hustle. That's right. You had the name. Oh, we don't, we don't want to piss Fonte off, so let's not have that conversation. Oh, shit.

I forgot. Wait, what happened? We can talk about whatever. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait. The hustle. Let's do it. That was a shot.

That was a shot. Wait, did I miss something? Yes, you did. Listen, you did. You completely missed it, but it was a correct. It's okay. it towards you. It was like a little love jab, you know. Yeah, it was the hustle. It was he had his

record, the hustle. I was not a fan of the hustle. However, what I was a fan of, what I was a fan of that I thought you would have went harder on was the Purple Wonderlove. Right. Purple Wonderlandlove. I was like, you could have put that out as music. One second. One second. So we're confusing the whole chat right now. So let's like one second. Break it down music, please. That's unpack it. Break it down. One thing at all time.

Okay. Okay. You want to know why you didn't fool with the hustle? I mean, I'm sure that it's mildly rhetorical, because I know, I know you know why you did it. But let me tell you the other side why you did it. Okay. All right. It's like you're hating on a baby for not knowing how to drive.

Oh. It wasn't anything yet. But a baby shouldn't be driving. Listen, listen. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.

So. Very spicy episode of course. But the baby wants to drive. The baby doesn't understand it doesn't have the wherewithal to manage that machinery. But the baby wants to drive. I miss your ass. So what the baby did, if you can follow me, if you can follow me. What the baby did was say, hey, can someone help me learn how to drive?

And everybody in their mama was like, no, get the fuck out the car. And all the professional drivers like yourself, Fonte, was like, No, no, no, no, no, now. In their defense, in their defense, they should have been like that. Like, fam, this is not your space. You're not, I'm not feeling this. You should stick to what you're good at, right? But you can't tell a creative person who has a natural motivation to want to get into something else.

I've been trying to get into that. And then moving to Atlanta, and that's all you here. Right. So I wanted to try my hand in it. Okay, I'd be the first one to tell you. It was trash. But I didn't know that it was trash at the time because I really want to do it. You know what I'm saying?

And he's not the only person that was like, no, I'm not feeling that. A lot of people told me, no, I'm not. That's why you don't really hear about it that much because I absent cease and desist. I'm going to, you know, gather the data and I'm a, I'm a figure. And if I can find a way how to represent it, I'll represent it. But what does it feel like for people to circle back to you, though, and no matter what, Like you were allowed to make, if you want to call it a mistake, and still people was like, but I fucks with him.

So, yeah, he's done all this grace. I didn't take it, I didn't take it no way in general. In the moment, though, it was so crushing because of how much I looked up to the homie. And in the moment, I didn't think about it in the way that I'm communicating it right now. I looked at it as, yo, wa-fam hating. You know what I'm saying? I thought we was boys. You know what I'm saying?

Not realizing that in his own respective way, it was like, tough love, like, no, that's whack, but I fucks with this. You know what I'm saying? But I was in my emotional space that I was like, man, ha. You know what I'm saying? So that's all that was. I was just kind of like, because we literally never spoke since then. So this is the first time we're actually even interacting with each other.

I'm going to be sad. I'm going to be sad. I'm going to be sad. I'm going to mention comments, you know what I'm saying? Now, this is the first time that like we like taught each other, like seeing each other. since at all. It's been years, man. It was like, we went out to dinner, like, that was forever ago.

Yeah, yeah. And that moment was like, what, 13, 12 or 13, something like that? Something like that. That was a minute ago. But yeah, I mean, the hustle records, I mean, I didn't like them, but I understood, like you were saying, like, you just have different outlets of yourself you want to express. So the hustle I didn't like, but the purple wonder love, I heard that.

I was like, dude, like, you could just put this out as music because that living life and man, that shit is gorgeous. gorgeous. Like, I love words are free, like all that. Nice. Thank you. But I'm like, nigga, this is it. I know. But the equivalent of people telling me to just call it music is like saying, like, you have another kid and say, why don't you just call them the same name you gave the other kid? So to you, you felt like a different, you felt like that was a different thing. You felt like you would damage the, you felt like you would damage your, not damage the brand,

but at least that the portal that was. Music, Soulchild, I wanted to leave it alone. I didn't want to come. I didn't want to infuse the narrative because I want to be creative because I had because you got to remember you got to think about it actually rather I ain't mad at that time I was getting so much pushback you know what I'm saying and so much feedback and so much shit this is before social media was really popping popping you know what I'm saying this is just all radio so these were my relationships with people and promoters these are my relationships with people that I engage with for the bag so I don't personally care about what y'all think

But I have to professionally care about what y'all think because it affects my, my bottom line. So to not be the dude that's like, man, y'all don't know what y'all talking about, because you do, it's literally your job. You know what I'm saying? So I have to respect it to some degree. But at the same time, I got to stand on my own. Like, I got to stand on my shit. Like, I got to stand on like, I know what I'm talking about at that time. I've been added for about a good, cool, you know, decadent and change.

So you mean you tell me, I don't know what I'm doing. talking about. So I didn't have the wherewith thought to figure that out. So just to answer your question. So yeah, there is some element of, okay, I'm not even going to mess with what's already established. You know what I'm saying? I'm just going to focus on trying to, which I wasn't really there yet, because I was really on some bucket. I don't want to do this no more because it's so I had to work through that. And that took me years. You know what I'm saying? But in the meantime, since I'm in Atlanta, I'm being constantly influenced by the sound of Atlanta, which was that turned up, you know, trappy, whatever, whatever.

And people kept asking me, like, yo, what you think about this? What you think? As if to say, but, like, baiting me for confirmation that I'm supposed to say, yeah, that's trash. These kids shouldn't be doing that. That's not real music. Why they use an auto tune like that? I was like, no, not only am I not going to not do that. I'm actually double down.

And as a show of solidarity, I'm going to try my hand in it. Because I can't speak on something that I don't do. So I said, let me go ahead and do it. you know now I had a whole lot of things working against you because one I couldn't talk the same talk that they talk because I don't I don't walk that wall you'll live that life yeah I don't live that life so but I have lived the life though but I have lived the life and that's where the name hustle comes from because regardless of what you're doing you're on your hustle it's a hustle one way or another so I have that and said okay not to say that I'm on the streets you know you know with freaking work whatever, like, that's not what I'm saying. That's a grind, bro. So I'm going to talk about that, but I'm going to talk about it from a general perspective. Whatever you about, you have to have this mindset.

Little did I realize is that I was actually self-therapitizing myself. I was actually talking myself out of the rut that I was in. And the same thing, we're purple. That was keeping me zen, because many times I wanted to turn up on folks. because I was that I was very had no filter I was very short-tempered like I was snapping off like in my shows and my my MD be like oh bro you can't be cussing out your fans like that it's like it's not I'm cussing out my fans like this shit is frustrating bro these people don't know what the fuck they want and I'm giving them what they're asking for and they're not satisfied so what did you do with all of this when did you start to feel like your fans weren't satisfied with your output again again again it was a it was a it was a mis misunderstanding. You know what I'm saying? When you do stuff long enough, I'm sure that, you know, each of you can attest to it, particularly, you know, a question, Fonte. When you do stuff long enough, stuff just changes, bro. It just changes. The people that show up changes,

their palate changes, their expectation changes. It just is what it is, man. And it's people that's in that crowd that, they're not today ones. They literally just got here, but that doesn't make them any less of a support or less of a fan. You know what I'm saying? You're a survivor, though. That's the ill part about this, looking at it from the outside and because you're in the inside of yourself. But you're being a survivor of an era like that and still being able to, you know.

But now, but when you add to it that you personally feel me, it's talking about me now, when you personally feel that you haven't even gotten started yet, because everything that you've done was request-based and you were just living up to it because you just wanted to stay in the game to get to the bread and you didn't want nobody to not include you because you didn't want to do that thing you didn't want to do that no one else wanted to do but you wanted to do it though because you wanted to get put on because you just wanted to feel accepted can we please talk about these begin

like now I've got it we got to get I'm here about to get into it but the beginnings like I'm watching the show because I'm watching the show you know it's going to go like this so well I was going to So I remember the last conversation we had, it was, I mean, this was a minute ago, but I commended you. And I was even talking to my wife the other night about when I told him you was having, we were having you on the show about how you were always one of the people that I admire because you were able to play the major label game. You know what I'm saying? And then you were. And it's a game.

You know what I mean? Straight up 100%. And you always one of those dudes that I admired because I'm like, you know what? music like he's on the label and I'm sure he got his shitty go with but every album he come with his jams like he's consistent he's keep a jam on the radio and even just his radio jam but then he still got his album cuts to be hard too so to me you were an example of someone and an artist in you know quotation marks you know i'm saying that was actually playing the the major label game right so yeah you can navigate it so what when was the point where it started to turn like okay

I'm playing the game, but now I'm feeling like this shit is starting to play me. Because the other shoe never dropped. And what was the other shoe? Me being able to do what I want, so to speak. And now because you can do whatever you want,

whenever you want to do it. It just hits different when you do what you want and it's being supported. Okay, educate me because right now I'm a blank slate on the last 20 minutes of conversation. So, break it down to me like a kindergarten. So when you're,

in a creative space, which I would assume it starts with the song. Okay, I'm just, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm with you, I'm with you. Let's start with the song. Who or what was, or who was the inner circle of support then that would metaphorically block down a shot? Or say, nah, I don't think you should go this direction or,

do it that way. Like was it a, was it a, was it a circle of producers? Was it whoever your manager was? Was it, exec? Yeah. Or just like you doing a show or maybe it's only

70% full or like what, what, what's the process that leads you to the beginning of where you're talking about, you're not being able to express yourself. Here's what's interesting. You can't imagine how complex that question is.

You really have it. You cannot imagine how complex that question is. And I will do my very best to be PC. No, fuck PC. Thank you. Thank you. Tell your truth. I'm not trying to be PC.

I'm trying to not be long-winded. Oh, no, we do that here. This is a question of Supreme. Have you met me? You best long-wind. Questions will be 19 minutes. Don't win. You best long-wind.

Stop it, Bill. Straight up and down. You hurricane. You just want to say. As a disclaimer, as a disclaimer, I'm going to say this. Go ahead and say it. I'm going to say this. Get your chew stick and rest up.

Here we go. You all must not know about me. I have lecture-esque answers. Go in. So, all right? You're your home. The floor is yours. The nigga said, I can say whatever I want.

Hey, let's go. You said, I can say whatever I want. They can say whatever you want. Okay. Go ahead, nigga, say whatever you want. So to answer your question, We have to start from the beginning. Yes.

Let's do it. Thank you. That's what I wanted you to do. Please. And I didn't even say it. I like how excited y'all are. Yeah. Dude, yo.

Because some of us know a little bit of your story. So I'm like, this is our, this is how we are. We're in a pandemic. I mean, of course you would because you were actually part of my story. So, yeah. Who are you talking to him? Amir. Amir.

No, the one above Amir. Well, to me, it's the above. No. Me? Me? Yeah. Oh. Oh, shit. All right. I hope it's the good part.

You always part of the good part. What do you mean? I hope it's the good part, too. Yeah. I know. I'm playing. The only one that was the bad part was Tigolo. Anyway. Fonte, it was me. I was the bad part. That's me. It wasn't even bad. We're making it better, so that's a new day. It wasn't even bad. That's the thing. It wasn't even bad.

A win is a win. A win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the 4th. 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 and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes.

And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that, trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of The Girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care.

So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. 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, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam.

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 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 podcasts. So let's start from the beginning. I promise you it's relevant. Just let me start from the beginning.

So my home life was shit. You know what I'm saying? I didn't get along with my parents at all for a lot of reasons that's very unnecessarily to get into at this point in time. but we didn't see eye at all. I didn't understand how detached we were. At the time, it was just instinctive. Like, I just was like, I need to get the fuck out of this house. Period.

Were you an only child? You have siblings or anything? Oh, no. I'm the oldest of nine. Oh, wow. Okay. Yikes. Yeah.

So there's a whole dynamic with that. That I'm like, these ain't my kids. So we're not going to get into that. Okay. I brought that up to say that. that I willfully left the crib, which left me with nothing. So you have to understand I've been sheltered most of my life. Okay?

There was a cult element that's associated with that. Again, unnecessary right now. So I didn't want to be associated with nothing that came from that space at all. But at the same time, I didn't have the luxury of building a relationship with anyone outside of my immediate life. You know what I'm saying? Like, for instance, you know, you said the thing about the thing with the words, the collegiate word that you used or whatever. There was no way of me knowing that because I never got to college. I never even finished high school.

Went to uni for one year. Didn't even pass. Freshment year? That's freshman year? Yeah. And it's because I didn't do the work because I thought school was dumb. But, you know, disenfranchised community, poverty, marginalized education. So I'm like, okay, well,

what do I do with the rest of my life? My stepdad said, well, you're not going to just be at the crib. I'm going to put you to work. Here comes in 50 second to market. So I'm learning about life in traffic. Commerce. You know what I'm saying? That was the beginning of the hustle.

So then fast forward, you know, I start making a little bread, you know, I'm working fast food joints, you know. Somebody, you know, did me a solid a week before my 18th birthday, gave me a gig. Like, technically I'm not supposed to hire and 17 year olds, but you know, you're about to be 18 in a week or so, you know, the process that is going to take the process of information

and you might as well start today. I'm not going to tell on who that was because, you know, well, the business is not even up anymore. So it doesn't even matter. Again, irrelevant. So I started working. I made that point to say I started making money. I started making money.

I started moving around. I start moving around. I start going to places. One of my favorite place was 69th Street. I used to go to 69th Street to go watch movies at United Artists Movie Theater. And whenever my movie didn't start yet, I will go to the Coconut's record store right next door to it, which is where I met my manager. Okay.

Still current manager or just manager at the time? Well, I didn't, well, my manager at the time. Okay, okay. And I met, and I met him through the people that were working there. You know what I'm saying? Because, you know, we would go over, I would go over there and because they were working at a store, a music store. I, you know, was obviously into music and we would just, you know, shoot the shit about. music, you know, people that came out, what you think about this?

What you think about that? Yo, this group is cool. And around the time, Brian McKnight was popping, 112 was popping. Uh, they did that, that whole area. You know what I'm saying? We're not doing names, right? We're not, we're keeping. Yeah, 97, 98.

I'm just saying just to place the time. Okay. That's all I'm doing. You know what I'm saying? Oh, you mean like, no. No, no. Yeah, okay. So, you know, we talk and we talk and then they collectively say,

yo, you should meet our manager, the manager of the manager of manager of the store he was moving around because he managed multiple stores I forget what his actual title was but he was in and out basically because the one of the dudes that was there was actually the manager of the store but he was the manager of that region I guess yeah he was the multiple stores of the whatever the product so then he's like okay cool so I finally meet him and then he's like okay cool you need to meet my partner who was working for Universal I think at the time and they I guess both of them collectively decided you know you got to

understand like I'm I'm speculating because I wasn't part of those conversations but if you put it together like obviously this is what happened they talked said yo we got a situation where we can help this dude out here it is and enter a touch of jazz studios I started working at a touch of jazz studios you know what I'm saying actually I came in as a background singer on a song for another group who was a duo. I will say their name. Is Aries?

Yes. I will say their name. Please say their name, yes. Because I got nothing but love for them girls, man. I got nothing but love for them girls, bro. To this day, we haven't talked and connected in a while, but I have nothing but love for the real. They're good. They're doing amazing.

Cool. That's what's up. And I need to find a way to reconnect with them. But can you extinguish this rumor? So were you homeless or not at the time? So the part when I said I left the crib. Yeah. Okay.

So you were homeless. I was definitely homeless. Well, homeless by technicality being of no home. However, you know, I depended on the kindness of nomadic. Representing is nomadic. I was nomadic. I'm saying that from now on. That's why I don't feel bad because he didn't go to college either.

I don't use the words. Oh, no, no. I don't feel bad about it. I don't feel bad about it. I just think that it's an important piece of detail to help understand who you You know, yeah. And I think that a lot of people don't take into consideration. But in their defense, I don't really like talk about it like that either.

You know what I'm saying? So it's very easy for people to perceive me as, oh, you're the that guy. He's like, no, I'm actually a person, you know. I apologize for it. It's okay. No, at Black Lily, I always knew you just the pizza guy. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

I know, I know, I know, which is one of the jobs that I had. So just, go ahead. So as it was so eloquently written in his, It was a masterpiece. I didn't like that. It was just like, all right. I just fucking with you. Everybody's at the exam session.

All right. So, but hold. So before we continue, you have no idea the navigation that I had to do to show up to those events. What do you mean? Example. Hit me.

I don't know what I had to do to not go there. Oh, no. Oh, no. I used to go up. It was my crib. I'd be calling police doing, all right, can I get these people out my house? I mean, now that everything worked out, I'll be like, yeah, Black Willie was at my house. The fire department shows up, yo, y'all got it just first.

Beanie and freeway, yo, I call the cops. I'm like, yo, get these thugs out my crib now. That's a mere, tell your truth. Tell you, they were some real ones, bro. They were calling on them too, yeah. Burning beaties out on my rug. They were some real ones. You know what I'm saying?

So I'm gonna get back to the, you know, the timeline. But just the, at the time, you know, you have, you have Black Lily, you have Willaminas, you have words and sounds, you know, you have multiple other offshoots and whatever. And I would, here's how my day would go. Okay. So I would be at whatever job at the time, it could have been Burger King, McDonald's, Boston Market, the pizza joint. You know what I'm saying? saying, which, um, Russian comments saw me there before, because I saw him about to get in the cab

and I ran. I was like, yo, comment. He saw me, he saw me, uh, standing outside. I don't think he made connection. I recovered. And I was like, yo, he was, you know, hit me with it. You know, I was like, okay, cool. He saw me. Still doing that. That was, you know, that day was lit. I was like, that made my day. He's the home. You know what I'm saying? And whenever I would get discoveries of like whether what will it ever happen for me you know what I'm saying stuff like that would happen and I'll be like oh okay so I must be on the right track if he's part of my day okay cool anyway so I would work a job and whatever bread that I would get or whatever I would have to but I would have to wait to the weekend because I had a home girl

that I would rolling with that would get tips because she would work at the hard show cafe I don't know what it's probably the hard rock cafe now downtown I don't know what it's called. Market Street. Market Street. Yeah, they used to call the Hard Shell Cafe, and they used to sell seafood and stuff. Okay. And she would get tips every day.

This is around the time when our lost ones came out. And I remember, because I was like, yo, girl, you got to listen. Yo, you got to listen to this record. Because she was kind of doing this whole poet thing. I was like, dude, you got to list to this record. You know, it's funny how money changes your way. I was like, yo, this is genius. And all these Asians, I didn't know it was so many.

You know what I'm saying? Anyway, she would make tips every day, and if she could get like $50 that day, if she could work on $50 that day, we would both, you know, bust down on a room because she had nowhere to stay. Oh, wow. Where would y'all stay?

Somewhere in the downtown area, we would pick one, which everyone had a vacancy, because at the time, I don't know if it's like that now, there were places that would sell off rooms for a night. Not downtown, uh-uh. Okay. So, and it got kind of sketchy because, you know, know, it's a very interesting name.

So, you know what I'm saying? But, you know, but she was about that life. But, you know, I had to use whatever because I was a very resourceful dude. And we was cool. So she got a room and, you know, and I would be like, you good, you said, okay, cool. I'm about to run down to the, to the Yami. And this was like weekly. You know what I'm saying?

I wouldn't tell nobody that was, you know, nomadic. but I would just show up. You know what I'm saying? People are, oh, there you go. Where you been? I'm like, no, nothing. I'm here now. Let's go.

You know what I'm saying? Oh, fire and ice at Willaminas. You know, with Jeff Bradshaw, you know what I'm saying? Oh, boy with the trumpet. The trombard. Chifar band. No, Jafar played trumpet. And Jeff played the trombone.

Shouts out to them. So that was, I was just saying that to say, like, my daily life and trying to show up to all of those spaces, you know what I'm saying? What's interesting. But anyway, that's part of the timeline as well. So fast forward to me recording all through 98, right? I'm recording all of these songs.

None of these songs. Whoa, whoa, whoa, you can't fast forward. Yeah, you didn't. What was the moment from this everyday existence of finding a place to live and all those things to finding your voice? Yeah, finding a voice and singing and. I'm trying to answer that question. All right, my bad, my bet. It ain't happened yet.

Okay, no, no, he's in 98. Okay, go ahead. Wow. I'm trying to, I'm trying to answer the question. Okay. This is the thing that a lot of people do. They try to rationalize the timeline when I tell it to them because they're like, this doesn't make any sense.

It doesn't, right? It doesn't, but it happened. Okay, okay, okay. So I haven't recorded in a studio prior to them. Okay. There was this one time somebody introduced me to their dad crib, and he had a console in his living room and the closet, was the booth.

You know what I'm saying? And we did like one song that I could not ever remember what that song was. But you had sang before. That's the question I think Amir was trying to say. Like you had known that you could sing. I've always sang. What do you mean? My whole life.

My whole life. I remember, for instance, okay, let's go back. I remember I went to Heston Elementary and our graduation song was Man in the Mirror. They had a person that was supposed to sing the lead. He wasn't singing it right. I kept correcting him like, no, it doesn't go. like that. You got to sing it like this. And my teacher was like, you're the one that's

a song. I don't you just sing it, yeah. I always could sing. But I thought that it was something that everybody could do. You can ride a bike. I can ride a bike. Yeah, you can ride a bike. I can climb a tree. You can climb a tree. I can backflip. You can backflip.

I can sing. You can sing. Yeah, it does not work like that. Yeah, I didn't understand. I didn't understand that it didn't quite work like that. When you figure that out, when you figure it out, it didn't work like that. When people, when people, when you heard it back. Like, whoa. I guess we are all not the same.

You know what I'm saying? And I was always supportive like, yeah, you know, no, I just keep going. I'm sure, you know, I, no. You know, and then I started getting with different squads and crews that would go to, you know, creative and performing art schools. You know, I would hang out with the church kids because I wasn't. in the church. You know what I'm saying? But I hung around a lot of church kids. I hope the PKs, they would tell them about the experiences. I'd be like, wow, that's interesting. Like, don't you just leave. And it's like, it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't work like that.

It doesn't work like that. Because, you know, I'm like, I left. You know what I'm saying? I let that. It don't, it don't work like that. So I learned how to sing through being around singers, being around musicians. Like, I will go to jazz clubs. You know what I'm saying? This is around a time where I met Bilau, you know what I'm saying? I would go to the, fun fact, I wanted to be in the group, and somebody suggested Bilau, and somebody gave him his phone number, and I called him. You cold called him? Yeah.

And I was like, ask him about it, if he remembers. And I was like, you know, hey, you know, what's up? His music. And he asked me one of the most obscure questions ever. I know he did. Something like, I'm paraphrasing. You would have to ask him for the details. it hit me.

I was on the phone like, what? And it was something like, who was the first person that to call music music? I was like, yeah. That's Blow.

I don't even know you, fam. That's below. Like, why is you coming at me like this? It's like, where is being a group or no? Like, or no. And no.

And, it's a super. He was here too. You know, and he would help death. So, you know, later on, you know, we eventually started to get to know each other. He invited me to his crib. I wouldn't invite him to mine if I had one. But I met his mom.

I met his brother. I think I met his brother. No, I didn't, I met his brother at the time. No, I thought it was his brother. But it was just a dude that he went to school with that played trumpet or trombone or whatever. And so I met his crib. And he was like, he said. sat down. He was like,

okay, go ahead. Sing something. I was like, uh, I didn't know that this was an audition, but, uh, whatever. So, I'm like, okay, uh, and this is the time where I had a whole lot of hair,

but, you know, I didn't like have it like, whatever. So I just, you know, we have a whole lot of hair. You just stuff it in a hat. You know what I'm saying? He was like, take your head out. I was like, what fuck is this knicker? I love it. What the hell my hat got to be being on,

got to do with the way that I sound, bro. And it's like, I've never thought about this since then until just now. So, you know, I'm like, okay, whatever. I take my hat off. So now I'm awkward and uncomfortable because I have, you know, insecurity issues and self-esteem issues

because I come from a fucked up non-nurturing neglectful background, but he doesn't know that. I'm triggered and traumatized, but, you know, I want this dude to be part of my group, so I'm going to do whatever he's safe. Plus, I'm in his house. His mom's just cool.

I'm going to take my hat off. You know what I'm saying? He all like, and plus, you know, he looked like a super, like, clean cut jazz guy, you know? So I'm like, I'm not going to disrespect this dude in his own home, bro. So, okay. So I think I sung a Brian McKnight song

or whatever. And I think his reaction was like, okay. All right. And I think he made reference to the fact that I did a whole bunch of runs and stuff or whatever. And that was that. And then I probably saw him like maybe like once or twice since then or whatever. But not too long after that, I heard I was looking for him and somebody was like, yo, he moved to New York. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, damn. So now, you know, I never got my chance to like put the group together. whatever. So that's kind of like the next time I saw him that do have four four head of locks. You know what I'm saying? He was looking like a nomad. You know what I'm saying? Totally different than how I met him. You know what I'm saying? And you know, he just he looked way more relaxed. You know what I'm saying? I was like, oh, that dude probably found his, his shit. And that made me think about me. Okay. Go ahead. One question. The group that you were trying to form in your mind, what was the level group you were trying to perform? Was it like modern R&B group? I didn't know.

I didn't know. Well, obviously that because that's what I was inspired by, but ultimately it would have been something in the realm of hip hop soul. You know what I'm saying? And I wanted all three of us to be independently dope. I didn't want it to be a thing where all three of us, you know, one of us was dope, but then, you're carrying the other two kind of situation. No disson, nobody.

If that's your dynamic and your group, you know what I'm saying, situation. But I was heavily inspired by 112 because to me, they were all leaped. you know what I'm saying? So I was like, it would be dope to be in a group where, oh, but I'm not going to do four people, but you can't do just two. So let's do three. That's a nice, cool, easy number. You know what I'm saying?

So nobody could direct me to nobody that was interested or even, you know, able to, but everybody kept saying, yo, bala, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, okay, cool. You know what I'm saying? This is like 96, 97, something like that. I'm so glad that didn't happen. You don't even, as a fan, you don't even understand. We got so much more music, y'all be in the part.

Thank you. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? Which is why I'm grateful that it happened. So, again, me seeing him coming back from New York, because apparently he was going to university for that, going to school for that, I was like, damn, I probably should have stayed in school. Because if I stayed in school, I probably would have been, I probably would have had a better chance at being better educated in music.

And I don't know, da, da, da. I was supposed to go to overbrook. But because where I was living, I wasn't eligible to go to Overbrook. So they sent me to, you know, this other school. So I'm sure if I would have went to Overbrook, then I would have, I probably would have kept up with it. Overbrook is Woolsmith's alma. Oh, sorry.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I'm just explaining to our listeners right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We were at a touch of jazz and we didn't even get to. Yeah, yeah. No, we're coming back to that. Okay. So while I'm being.

nomad, so to speak. I'm finding myself in all of these weird spaces of, you know, feeling inadequate, not feeling good enough, not knowing what I'm doing, not having the support, not having nobody to guide me, help me, teach me, you know what I'm saying? But at the same time, I'm constantly being inspired by everybody around you. You know what I'm saying? There's Bilau. There's Jill.

There's, there's, there's, now there's flowetry, you know what I'm saying? All the way from freaking your. You know what I'm saying? There's Jaguar Wright, Kendra the Family Soul, there's, you know what I'm saying? Glenn Lewis from Canada. There's you guys, you know what I'm saying? Like, I've been knowing you guys since 93, 94.

You know what I'm saying? Like, what nobody is saying? Who is these people? You know what I'm saying? And this is when I was really getting into hip-hop because I never really got into hip-hop because I never could completely identify with the aggression.

You know what I'm saying? That's odd considering the conversation. Right, no, but it's like... You got a ride to a place, though, like you. Oh, okay. Oh, you're right. The reason why, the reason why is because I get that every day. Like, I don't want to hear that in music that I'm trying to like, you know.

Yeah, you're trying to escape from that. So when, so when, you know, I'm hearing, you know, reek over real live drums, I'm like, this is amazing. I've never heard that. this before. I mean, yeah, there was tribe. Yeah, there was daylight. Yeah. But we're talking about Philly now. Like, and they write down the street. Like, this, it hits different. You know what I'm saying? So, and that's around the time where I got up with my, what my dad's family out in, 55th impopoulos. I was going through it, bro. I was, that's a whole other story. Like, my whole life,

and he decided to tell me today. Oh, okay. Anyway. Wow, you had. We're not, no, no, no, no, we're not In a book, in a book, it's going to be a book. There's a book. You need to write a book. Write a book. No, you're going to have to, you're going to have to chronicle your life one day. No, no, what the fuck are you saying? Right.

It was a shot. Okay. Because, like, it would have to be a series. It would have to be a series, bro. And I just ain't got that kind of time right now. Maybe later, at some point, you know, if the universe allows it, it'll happen. You just going to tell. me okay so all of this in all of these compromising unstable spaces I'm still looking for who

am I so I begin recording still haven't found that out which is why I said it's request base because back to touch of jazz I got called in as a you know to sing background and ultimately started recording songs because the person that I was working with was like yo you're dope we should do something about that. So now... And who was that? You were working? Was it a producer? Was it a manager? It was the engineer at the time. You know what I'm saying? Because he would get the off hours.

You know what I'm saying? Gotcha, gotcha, got you. So he would get the off hours and he could do whatever he wanted on because he locked up. You know what I'm saying? And who was that? What engineer was that? Carvin Hagan's his name was Carvin Hagan. Okay. Yeah. And he was like, yo, I got a producer, you know, who got beats. You know what I'm saying? if you want to start working on some shit, you know what I'm saying, then, you know, we can get into that. And so Carvin says, you know, I have this producer that, you know, got these beats or whatever.

So now, by then, I'm already back and forth between Philly and Atlanta. So everybody, you know, don't understand, like, I didn't just decide Atlanta, you know, out of a pick of a hat. Like, I already have a relationship with the city, you know what I'm saying? So when it came time to think about where am I going to go, well, I know people in Atlanta, let me just start there. So that's how that move was, that place was decided. If it was LA, it would have been LA. If it was Chicago, it would have been Chicago. If it was New York, it would have been New York.

But for me... I didn't know you had roots in Atlanta. I just thought you were just randomly. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I haven't. That's why I said that. You know what I'm saying?

So, you know, he would be asking, you know, why Atlanta? Okay. Because I got people in Atlanta, you know? And I'm bringing it up to say I was back and forth. And I would take Greyhound because I've never flown before. Yeah, I know. I know. I don't understand how, how, how, how, how, how,

how infinitely dangerous that trip was. I couldn't have imagined. You know what I'm saying? Certain population, it takes the bus like more than two states. Exactly. And the time that I was going was I had to go in, I had to go on the peak hours because, you know, I had to bread.

So I had to go. I would leave at night and I would get to Atlanta in the morning. Oh, God. Oh, you're on the red eye. Yeah. Yeah. Is it called a red eye on a bus? Well, it's,

The midnight train to George Middight train. Really? So you were making moves to Georgia, even when making Mama, Mama, I want to sing. I just want to sing. That was a play. Mama, I want to say. That was a play. I just want to sing.

Sorry. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And it's a funny reasoning behind that, the name, that name. I just want to say. Okay. But it's not really that funny. It's just interesting.

Anyway, no, it's really not that deep. So, yes, I'm back and forth. I'm saying it to say because the recording process of what ultimately became I just want to sing was during me commuting back and forth, you know what I'm saying, between Philly and Atlanta. Because I'm trying to figure my life out. I don't know where to stay. Like, you know, it was one time I was doing the open mic, you know, situation.

And there was some college kids that was kind of like running the situation. And I was there and they was like, yo, so what you're about to do now? And I'm like, man, I don't know, bro. Just trying to figure out where I'm living. You know what I'm saying? Just trying to figure that out. They're like, what would you mean figure out where you live in? Oh yeah, I don't have a place to stay.

So, you know, I'm just, I got to figure it out. Because I had just was living with somebody and his mom was paying his rent. But then she was like, yo, this is your last month. So you can come live with me. But your friend. All your little friends, they're going to have to like figure that out. You know what I'm saying? So he hit me with that.

I was like, wow. Now, here's this interesting. They lived on 44th and Pine. I know where there is. My neighborhood. Cool. Exactly. College area, blah, blah, blah.

Yeah. The people that I did the open mic with, they lived on 45th. And what was that? O'Sage, I think. Well, what was it? No, it was an old age. It was, um, what's the next block over from Pine?

Locus. Locus. Spruce. No, you're right. Shrews. My bad. My bad. Spruce.

Spruce. Spruce. Forty-fifth and spruce. Literally on the same block, you just bust the corner and walk up. And I'm like, y'all can't live here. I've been living here this whole year and I've never seen y'all, which you mean, like, yeah, we live right here. Wow. So I essentially didn't have to move anywhere. I just went around the block. So it's like a lot of little things like that that's happened in my life. And I'd be like, I don't know what that is.

I didn't do that. You know what I'm saying? And that's where I get my sense of, you know, faith, if you will, from. Because my spirituality is already, it was, it was, it was, my sense of spirituality was tainted, basically. So God, who and what is that? Now I'm open over another thing. Were you assuming you're Philly, it's damn near impossible to live in Philly and not at least have like 12, like, Muslim relatives?

Like deep, were you, did you start in a Muslim community or like a Southern Baptist? Very much Muslim. You got a Muslim name, right? Very much Muslim. But not, I don't think it's the Muslim that people identify with. it was a different Muslim. Actually, that Muslim had beef with the Muslims that people identified with. I was going to say the ones that I know is like Tariq's family,

which is more like Junior Black Mafia-esque. Yeah, I was in a different. What was your set? Bam. Answer? I really don't want to have that conversation. Okay, that's okay. Never mind.

Okay. The reason why I don't want to have that conversation is I know for certainty, y'all don't have enough time for that. Okay. That's a, knowing that is ill. Yeah. I know for a certainty, y'all don't have enough time for that. Okay.

And because of the cult that I was raised in, my perspective of spirituality is literally all over the place. You know what I'm saying? I had to start hacking people's sense of spirituality. The reason I'm bringing that up is because, you know, you get lost in this, in this navigational process of emotions and creativity, being an empath and you feel everything, but everybody looks at you like a weirdo

when the things that are real to you are non-existent to everybody else. You know what I'm saying? And not knowing how to articulate that in a way that doesn't make you look like somebody you can check on him. You know what I'm saying? So I'm having to navigate through that.

And, you know, I've had to reconcile a lot of relationships with people because they just clearly didn't understand what's happening. And there was no way that I can make that make sense. Because I'm dealing with it. I'm literally in the middle of it. So I can't help you right.

If you see something that you can help, won't you reach in and pull me out? But as of right now, like, this is just going to be weird. You know what I'm saying? Until I can find the words, and I'll see you in the traffic and be like, yo, that time when, yeah, yeah, that was crazy, right?

I didn't mean that, but what I actually meant was, you know, but you don't always- I'm literally going back to like just old conversation and our interactions and just being like, man, I wish, yeah, man, reference, context. Context is everything. So here's the context.

So I'm working at this studio, off and on, back and forth from Philly to Atlanta, and I'm literally working on songs that are just coming up. Now, for, you know, carving, they may have been ideas. But for me, it's like, oh, sounds cool. Okay, what can I do with this? Okay, here. Oh, that's dope. Cool.

I'm glad you liked that. What else you got? You know what I'm saying? Yeah. So when people are like, yo, your first album, you know, I know your first album, How do you feel about having your first album? That wasn't my first album. Carvin's first album?

That was my thesis. That was my... That was something I was just working on. Not to take nothing away from it, but, you know, I got to be mindful of how I talk about it because people get offended. They're like, my nigger, that shit changed. No, me and you got into it over this.

Life. And I'm like... Word. This is crazy. I don't know many artists that hold their first two to three records near and dear. Now, hey, hey, watch this. Watch this.

What if that's your entire career? And I didn't know that either, Amir. I don't, okay. What if that's your entire career? Your first three albums? No, no, no, no, no. The way that he's just said, I don't think anybody would have, what if you feel that way, end up feeling that way about everything that you ever put out?

Oh, shit. That's. No, I feel. Because oftentimes, you have to act and pretend like it's the greatest thing ever to you. And also because your album lyrically, these albums lyrically mean so much to your fans. And don't get me wrong, I meant it. But that's me doing what I did with what I just give it.

Yes, thank you for this conversation. To this day, the only time that I've ever done something out of my own mind. was my last album. And even then, feel the real. That shit was dope. Like, what? And even then, that was, no, no, no, no. Let me, let me, let me.

He was like, nigga, you did. I got me. I'm like, dude. That's just the real. It was jamming. Don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong. I have to say this because it is true.

And I kind of want to like, kind of quell whatever kind of feelings of animosity that some people may have for me right now. With that said, I wouldn't release do anything that I don't have any kind of emotional connection to because then I can't perform it. Like, y'all would sniff that out like, we don't believe you. You need more people, bro. Right. Do it better. You know what I'm saying? So I got to believe it to some degree. But when you want to talk about authenticity and being genuine, like, I can't fully accept credit.

I got to give it to the people who also were a part of it. That's not me. That was the producer. That's not me. That was me and the songwriter. That's not me. That was the label. That was the management's idea. I just went along with it. So when y'all were giving me mine as far as playing the game, oh, it's a fucking game. But no one tells you about the fallout. The fallout is you have a timeline of, yeah, yes, sir, no sir, yes, sir, no sir, yes, sir.

And as a grown-ass man, that ain't a legacy that you could be proud of. I'm proud of the positive impact at what I've decided to do, ultimately of how that ultimately affected people. I'm grateful. I'm eternally grateful for that. I'm not ever going to take that away from people. You know what I'm saying? And it's actually their reaction that made me have a connection to it. I have their relationships with the songs because on this side, it's hella traumatic.

Oh, God. Wow. Now I've got to ask. So what is it? I haven't finished. And again, what I was saying earlier about the first three records, like oftentimes, you know, like, okay, when I convince people that a particular television show is dope, and usually they'll tell me, ah, man, I saw the first episode like the pilot,

and I wasn't filming it. And I was like, yeah, I don't know. You can't touch it by that. Yeah. Most pilots suck. Right. And people get into their, I mean, very rarely, maybe like Atlanta and the Sopranos, like, there rarely shows whose first episode is like that high water.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And with albums, yeah, I mean, in my mind, I just assume that people just have an emotional, sentimental connection to their college years when they first discovered, do you want more? Like, I know I'm gonna live this life

where my first four records are gonna be, the be all and the end all to certain people. Oh man, El Delfth Half-like, yo man, man, things fall apart. You know, an occasional phrenology to, Yo, okay, so I'm about to like, you know, contradict myself by being that guy. I'm used to. I'm teflon to it now. Bam.

When y'all drop our hot music, the hot music, you couldn't tell me that that wasn't my song. I'm literally walking all in Philadelphia. Things Fall Apart was my soundtrack. When I first heard that song, if I had any freaking doubt that I had a life of music ahead of me, that was my Superman music. So much so that on my album, I had a song called Ella's Gone. I know. That's not the original. That's not the original beat.

The original beat sounded more like, you know, I got a story to tell Biggie. They sound more like, do. It sounded like that. after I got off tour literally immediately after I got off tour because we started doing that song to that I said where we

I know we're in the middle of mixing we're re-recording that song okay so your finger is on that album that way that's what I'm saying but I had to put myself in it enough to feel like

okay I can promote this baby it's funny because I wasn't at the time when you were recording this record. Because I think Kamal's on that, right? I think so, yeah. Everyone but me's on that song. And Hub is on a whole other song that I did. Right.

Here's the thing. Rich never told me about the Ella's going. So we were in... Oh, wow. We were in Cleveland. And your album and Shade's album, whatever she was. released in 2000. I forget the name of it.

It was Lovers Rock. It was Lovers Rock. Love is Rock. Can't you talk about surgery of love? Yeah. Right. So I remember Love is Rock, and I just want to sing coming out at the same time. I'm on touring voodoo. And we're in Cleveland.

I'm not going to get into Budo because that's a whole another conversation. That's a whole other conversation. Shouts out to the homie. But we're in Cleveland. Anyway. Mm-hmm. And Jorl of PURT pulls up backstage. And I'm hearing the next movement, but done in a really different way.

And I go to this car, I'm like, wait, what's that? And he ends in the CD case. And I call it. Like, wait. That's how first heard to join. That is so dope. And he's like, you weren't home, Amir. So.

Because what happened was my manager probably hit Rich up and probably got the green light from from old boy, you know. You know, God bless him. I just didn't know about it. So I heard, Gerald Avert was blasting it out of his wit. And I went up to his car, like, yo, play around again?

Yeah, yeah, that's how I heard that join. Y'all know that's a crazy circle considering break you off. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. God, I forgot to bring that story. Dude, I would tell you, I was kind of hot. I was. I was kind of hot.

You wanted Gerald Avert to do it? It would have been dope, but that's not the point. That's not the point. I had a huge grievance with y'all with that whole song. You and your grievances. What is it, music? Wait, what? I was like, I was like this.

This is where Amir finds out that he fucked people over. Yo, we already had Jill, so you're good. No, no, no. I wouldn't say that you fucking over. All right. You didn't see a story music. What happened? What did I do?

That you, you didn't fuck me over. It was, didn't this shit start with us? Oh, he was picked last. Wait. He was picked last. Wait. I shouldn't have been the third choice. Wait, all right, so check it out.

So check it out. If I'm about to tell the break you all story right now, stop doing run DMC poses like Ian. I'm listening. I'm giving you my full undivided attention. You wanted to speak, bro. Go ahead. So I will start off this story,

the same I started off. Jill Scott's, you got me story. For the record. With communication is not the roots as forte. For the record, I'm completely over it. just to let you know, I'm, I was over it after we did the video. You know what I'm saying? But prior to then, yeah, I was in my feelings.

All right. So check it. So here's my side. Here's my side of what it happened was. Okay. So the story break you off is that, uh, okay, who is the promoter that is, uh, the proprietor of the Kings of Comedy? Not Stan Lathen, but it's not Al-Haman, is it? Yeah. Not Al-Haman, but he's in that circle. He's the executive producer of the Kings of Comedy movie that Spike Shot. Oh, God. Hang on.

And we just skip it, and then I'll Google it. Walter, is it Walter, Walter, something. Walter Latham. Walter Latham. I wonder if Walter is related to Stan Latham. All right. Got to be. So in 2000,

Walter Latham comedy promoter who's making billions off the Kings of Comedy franchise with Cedric and Steve and everybody he decides that he wants to do well, you know, at the time I said, oh, sort of like living color.

He's like, no, this is a black SNL. And we were like, okay. So we shot a pilot of a black SNL with like earthquake like luminaries I mean I'm certain that if I saw the lineup at least seven of them would be like household names now but the only person I knew personally back then was earthquake

but it was a sketch comedy show just like SNL and we were the SNL band and that's right yeah yeah we were the SNL band and they wanted to have like guests it and what us. So they chose music and Kiki Wyatt. Who incidentally, incidentally. Right, wait, were you backstage when she tried to set her off on Rieke? Were you backstage with us?

Oh, I bet she could too. Now this is like two weeks, this is, this is two weeks after, do you remember that stabbing? Yeah, we all do. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Everybody was like, y'all, this is two weeks after that drawing, like she's, yeah. like she's fresh out of jail all that stuff okay so all I remember was all right so there was an incident backstage where you know I wasn't paying attention but Tariq obviously said

something that upset Kiki Wyatt and yeah I wasn't I wasn't there either but I heard but you know I heard about it so all I know was that she took her shoes off and she took her earrings off Never good. And like, I just remember Rich had to get in between. Oh. Like she was trying to set her off from some shit. Like, uh-uh, you're going to talk to me fucking like that. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And she was really about that life back then, bro. Back then. You, dog. I don't think it's back then. I know. Yeah, it might still be popping. It's like six kids later. I'm just saying.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So she set her off. All of them kids, bro. Yeah. That's a lot.

Dude, shout out. Same husband. Shout out. I don't know. I don't know, but shout out, man. There's a couple, but their numbers are good. They're low. Okay. All right.

Shout out to her. She's a G for that. No, real, all jokes are sorry. She's a G for that. That's a lot. I come from a family, so that's a lot, man. Her Kegel game is out of control. So the whole point is that,

okay. The whole point is that really not being familiar with this situation and like having prepared music and all that stuff. We were just jamming. So, uh, five minutes into it, you know,

Kamal was playing some shit. And next thing you know, like the, the seeds that break you off were sort of in the air. And, because it was, it was a few joints. You know,

I mean, we were doing your songs too. We were doing bumps and stuff, you know, in a commercial and whatever. And this is what people don't understand. Like, like,

like the Falling gig, y'all been training for that. You know what I'm saying? Right. Like, I don't understand. Like, since been. Since then. So that's why when it came full circle with the fouling shit,

I was like, that's dope. Makes sense. Right. So the thing was when, I think we just made a break you off, just to have an extra song for an extra bumper. I didn't think about it any further till after that. So what I didn't know was that Kamal,

did Kamal and you go in the studio to, to, he went, I know he went in on fire, like, I'm gonna make this a join. And I was just like, all right, cool. Like I, he went in. I didn't hear about it that it was gonna be a thing. Right. Until way after. And then I was privy to all the demos.

Oh, yeah, because I was like, come on, 11, 11 singers. 11. 11 singers. Don't take it. So let's, so check in music. I'm here. 11, 11, 11 singer.

11. So the deal is music. Don't even. Sorry. I'm sorry. So you're going to learn just like, you're going to learn just like with the, you got me story. So we have the single. I mean, you know, it was for me, it was a cool song just for that space. I didn't think it was like, oh, we're really going to do a song called coming to break you off. Like is this even on brand with the roots? That wasn't even, but even in the inception of it, that wasn't even. That wasn't even. the, um, what was being said. I was doing some Marvin Gay, you know, process through the Angelo mumbling. Like, I, I don't even know what I was saying, which I, I think the words coming to break you off was, was formed or something like that. That I heard at the time.

Right, but, well, I'm, you're funny. No, go ahead. I'm just giving my side of the story. And I'm hearing you, bro. I'm listening. Right. So after, after that, after we shot that pilot, I wasn't thinking about that song. Kamal went and shot a crew demo of it.

And then I guess at that point, I think Rich and I were just like, all right, so the Roots talking about. Are we going to make this the anti-Routes album? Like, let's just do a whole bunch of songs that don't sound like the roots and that sort of thing. And Rich was like, yeah, that's it. I was kind of being like bitter, sarcastic.

Like, oh, we're doing R&B songs now? And he was just like, no, the shit works. And so then I was like, so when I got a board, I don't know. I know the first contestant was Alicia. Wow. I don't know how it came to be. I know that the roots in Alicia Keys to do a song together was a thing. I mean, she was on a rocket ship at the time.

Why not? Well, she and I were friends. She and I have been friends since when she was on Columbia. Yeah, she was Alicia James, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, I forgot. Because I had to join on the ride soundtrack. No, no, no, no.

That was what's your name with the Afro? That's an idea. This is like that thread. Shit, wait. Was that Alicia? No. With the big assail. You're talking about Leila James.

Leila James. Leila James. I'm tripping. Yeah. No. So Leela James was Alicia James originally. Right, right. Got you.

Oh, that's right. That's right. I met Alicia was when I was tracking most for double trouble. Alicia was next door. That's how I first met her. She was next door at Battery Studios working on her Columbia debut, which never came out. She was on Columbia Records first. Michael Malden, that's Jermaine DePri's father.

Oh, Jermaine DePriest. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Signed her to Columbia. Like, she was 14, 15. So she shouldn't have been singing coming to breaking off. Oh, you mean way back then. Yeah, that is. So I'm thinking, I'm thinking you're talking about when she was breaking out.

Oh, I'm saying. No, no. I'm saying 97. That's when they met. 97. She was like 17, 18. That's when I first met her working on a Columbia join.

But a girl saying to break you off was a little well, I mean, whatever the case was, she famously stood us up four times. Like, oh, wow. I'm coming.

And then like, Steve wakes me up like, I'm like, she here yet? And Steve's like, it's four in the morning. No. Wow. Wow.

Wow. That's three of the morning. No. So it went from her to blalow to Renee of Shaenay. Oh God, just listening to get in here that one. Jill Scott. Now do know that when Jill Scott did it, she turned it to the magic stick. What?

Yes, she did. What do you mean? She wanted to talk about Tarek's magic. Oh, yeah. All I know is that Jill's. Jill's, we have Joe the shark here, Questlove Supreme. I love it. We are on the magic stick of.

Right. So I know, no, no, no, but this is the thing, though. We're only at four. Well, Jill actually wrote, Jill kind of wrote the hook that's the bridge to break you off. Don't say that out loud. She's going to come get this check. Amir, she's going to come get this check.

I know she's her name on him. Carvin changed the words, but that, what, That bridge that he's saying was an idea that Jill had wrote for Break You Off. And then Gerald Levert. And then I heard that one. I swear to you music, I was, after Alicia had stood me up the second time. Because I'm the one that had to wait at the studio. Steve can testify me sleeping on the couch.

And she here yet? No. She here yet? No. Calling her. After that, I was out. I was like, fuck this song. Like it's not meant.

And then DiAngelo. I mean, maybe she showed up. I didn't hear the doorbell or something. No, no, no. She just, she just ghosted us. And even what's her name, Claudette Ortiz? Yes. That's what I never forgave Steve Stout for.

We cleared silent treatment for that, that damn city high song. What's it called? A caramel. Come on, that was their hit. That was a good. Right. But we cleared it thinking that, all right, they had a little bit.

Oh. And Steve Stout would not let me. They had two. I knew was the song about child abuse. You don't remember caramel? What would you do if your child was at home? Yeah, the song about child neglect. Yeah, that's, and he's hungry?

Yeah, no, that's a traumatizing song. No. Ladies and you gentlemen, no. What do we know? Anyway, based on the caramel song, based on the caramel song, I thought bad. Oh, wow. Claudeette Ortiz will sing on our joint.

And that didn't happen. So literally 12 people later, I remember Kamal saying, Oh, God. Wait a minute, y'all. Oh. Started with music. It's getting worse. No, no, no.

Kamal said, wait a minute, y'all. This started with music. Why don't we just have music do it? And then we were all like, oh, yeah, you're right. We forgot. So I just don't want you to think that we were like. Oh, damn. Let's, like, he whacked.

Let's not put him on the record. It wasn't even that. It was just like. I didn't even take it like that per se. There might have been some element of that adjacent to my feelings. You know it was. You know what I'm saying? Right.

But I'm just letting you know. My ego wouldn't allow me to believe it can't be because they think I'm whack. Right. You know what I'm saying? It was just like, it was like glasses on your forehead. Like you tear up the room. Yeah. Looking for your glasses.

Where my glasses? Where my glasses? Yeah, you're always like, yo, man. You're in your car at night looking for your phone with the flashlight on. I know. Exactly. Like, where the fuck is my phone? So Kamal said, right, right.

Kamal said, dude, y'all, y'all going to jump through all these hoops, trying to get people to sing the song. Why don't we just go to music? It felt right when he did in a sound check. And then it was like, oh, shit. We never thought of that. Duh. And then it happened.

That story, bro. That's a sad story. I love you, though. Do it all. I still love you, man. I still love you, man. I still love you, man. I still love you. I'm sorry. It's all good. I never, you know, I never let it interfere. Like, you know, it's a whole lot of stuff. You know what I'm saying? By y'all. But I'm sure it has a lot to do with, you know, miscommunication, lack of communication. And you got a whole tribe. You ain't the only one that thought they would slighted. never came up. It might have never came up. You know what I'm saying? It's cool. The rules are the worst. Yes. I will, I will. And for years, and for years, I used to be like, yo, I rap so hard for these idiots. They will never shout, shout, shout me out or look out or nothing that stuff. But it's like, you can't take it that way, man. Like, them dudes, they're, they're, they're, it's like, they don't shout out nobody. Shut up, liar. Anyway. Anyway, but I'm just letting you know, like, you know, well, just, just clear

I always do my best to make myself. We were the worst I communicating and never once, it never hit me. I just want, I just wanted to make a point to say that despite all of the spaces I found myself in what the hair or there about y'all, I always find a way to reconnect to, you know what I'm saying, my initial affinity for y'all. You know what I'm saying? It's bigger than the individual people. You know what I'm saying? Y'all represents something so huge that you can't let your personal feeling. for individuals to get in the way of that.

Like, I was hot with Frank for a second. You know what I'm saying? Because when y'all was on voodoo, you know what I'm saying? I wanted to go say, what's up to D? And he was like, yeah, no, he's not seeing no people right now. I was like, well, can you let me know when he's seeing people? Yeah, yeah, I let you know.

I was like, James, Amir. Now, this is, now, let me tell you, I only went to two concerts before I pop. Right. It was, it was when, and it came to Philly. It was DiAngelo, and it was Lauren Hill. Right.

That's it. Because those are only two that I was even interested in. I love job, but I'm like, I can see y'all whenever, you know what I'm saying? Right, right. That might have not been a cool thing to do to be so dismissive, but I'm like, I'm going to see them. Like, no, we mad easy, son. You know what I'm saying? But so I'm literally after the voodoo, you know, they get a house of the field.

Everybody walk off. I was like, this is amazing, this epic blah blah. So I'm walking back to say because I'm like, I literally know, like 75% of everybody on that stage. You know what I'm saying? Let me just go say. what's up, you know? And Frank caught me at the door was like, oh, what's something?

I'm tapping up with the deal. So it's a fool if I go back, he was like, ah, I don't know. I don't think he's seeing anybody right now. I was like, but it's me. A whole me. But can we all? That don't mean anything.

Can we all agree? I'm about to give a compliment in a backwards way, but can we all agree that as much as the slighting that you may have felt from like any, any Roots crew situation, the circle back is amazing. Because even if you just think about like you headlining the Roots picnic, it's just, it's always a circleback. So I just to their credit, you know what I mean?

Yeah, well, you know, that also is a little slightly triggering. So I did it because I needed to get over my own. You have to understand something. I did the Roots picnic. The earlier, what I decided to do when before COVID, pre-COVID, which is all it, which is why I was grateful that it came back around and I was thought of, which is why I met, I meant, like, thanks for thinking with me. Because y'all could have been like, you know what I'm saying? And I don't know. So I did that for me because I needed to get past that.

What I needed to get past was, was the Chappelle's shit. What the fuck is going on around here? Exactly. Oh, my God. That exactly. I didn't put that together. I'm not, again, I'm not coming. Oh, the block party.

I was literally right. Yeah, with the Chappelle party and also that photo. Okay. With the photo. Aquarium. That's not even get into, bro. But you're in it. Okay. All right.

Time out. No. It's okay. It's okay. This is what I'm saying. Okay. I need to get past it. So every opportunity that it comes up for me to do something for y'all.

Let me explain the context of the sole querian photo. Just the ancillary events that I'm constantly being, I'm sure that you probably don't even know about. I don't know about it. I don't organize it. All of these things, it's okay. It's okay. But in my mind, because I don't know the inner dynamics of y'all's situation, I think I'm doing this for the heart.

Right, right. Damn, y'all, you got to communicate, man. This could have cut this 10 years ago. So I did the Roots picnic because I needed to get over my own issues surrounding y'all because I didn't want to have no issues, but I didn't know how to interact with any of y'all like that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, there's a ways I can get folks' number, but I'm not going to call nobody. Like, you know, it's cool.

It's no beef. It's not an on-site situation, but I'm not going to act like we interact all like that either. You know what I'm saying? You understand what I'm. Yeah, what I'm slowly realizing. No, and this is the first time, like, I've heard that even this week, Cosmickev was like, I feel a certain way. I ain't asked me to do nothing.

Nigel always feel a certain way. Don't, uh-uh. I'm sorry. No, no, old boy. What's his name? Willow's partner. Gilly, Gilly. Also the same thing,

which, no, it's, it's never, like, we're never like, nah, let's not ask them. A lot of times it's either like finances or a lot of these things we do is by the skin of our teeth or a favor for favor. Like I keep saying. We love everyone.

It's so not, not. This is why I keep making it a point to say that I love you, man. This is why. Because my family, because at the end of the day, we family. I'm not just saying it just to be saying it. Like, I have, because that's something that I have to know and feel in myself. That's the only reason why I did the filing situation. I wouldn't have did that shit because I'm like, for what?

They never asked me to do nothing. For what? But I was like, nah, it's the roots. Like, they're on an ill-ass platform. You know what I'm saying? And stop acting like you don't want to be a part of that. Like, go ahead. That's a lot of our stories.

I just need you to know this. Like, it's so. No, it's cool. It's cool. But, yeah. Even this, even, even this, I don't, I'm not going to be in people's faces talking right now. Unbeknownst to y'all, I'm in a very weird, emotional, psychological, and emotional space. You know what I'm to the point where I got to tell my, my, my, um, my, my, uh, publicist, fam, you might want to chill on the interviews because I'm spilling my guts too much, bro.

And don't know if I want to keep hearing this. Like, let me deal with my stuff, man. Like, let me get into a better place so that I can be the person that people are kind of sort of looking for. You know what I'm saying? Then you better take Amir's call when he send it to you. Because if that's the case, if you try to be progressive and be better, then I don't want to hear that black man, whatever. I don't want to hear that black man.

What's progressive? I said progressive. You do what I meant. I'm just saying, don't be all black man in 1980s. Like, I don't do that. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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. 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 Podcasts on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot.

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

He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Before this turns this is a nine-hour conversation. How have you been adjusting? How have you been adjusting to life pre-COVID? Like for a lot of us, this is the first extended break that

we've ever gotten and a chance to regroup and reconnect with our families and like I've been saying, which is which is what has like instigated, at least for me to get into the minutes of my timeline, which I still haven't finished because I'm literally still at the beginning. Yeah, keep going. Yeah, we're still at the beginning.

You know what I'm saying? Oh, yeah. But I'm making a point to say that is all of these, all of this baggage, I can't run away from unpacking now. I used to be able to hide behind working. I don't have the luxury of doing that anymore. Big facts. It meets me when I wake up.

It's there. even when I go to sleep. I wake up in pain. Like physical muscle pain because I know that in my sleep I'm like, hell of trigger. And you tense

because you got shit all up in there. Yeah, man, my jaws be hurting because I know I clinch at night. I know that. You know what I'm saying? Like I know because I have a lot of unpacked shit, man, that I'm dealing with.

And then I have. have new shit that comes to me. Like I'm dealing with a whole situation that I don't even talk about. You know what I'm saying? It's people that know. And I know they're like, wait a night. Is he going to say anything?

Is he going to say anything? Is it a personal situation? Is it a business situation? It's a personal situation concerning personal situation. Okay. Okay. All right. You know what I'm saying?

That's a whole, it's a whole person that's on a whole different wave that I can't, even understand right now, you know, and I'm trying to manage that, you know what I'm saying? What the fuck is the last thing that made you smile? Like, what's bringing joy in your life? I mean, my son does it, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm grateful for him. He has little things that he do in moments that I have with him. You know what I'm saying? That'd be like, you're funny, you know? But like, I said this to one of my brothers, well, my only brother that I really fool with like that. Like, it's so fun to be a good.

a part of a potential oh shit moment and be like I love you little homie like I actually love you dude I'm gonna clean this up but I love you you know what I'm saying rather than what the fuck you know like that's fun

I love being a part of that you know what I'm saying emotionally nurturing this dude like I love that like that brings me joy you know being something that you didn't have right like you know that you didn't have yeah man so To answer your question, like immediately, the short answer is, you know, things like that.

Okay. You know what I'm saying? But trying to, like, go back to the story. So a touch of jazz. So, you know, I'm already, you know, I know the story, you know, touch of jazz, Jazzy Jeff, fresh friends, Ida-da. You know what I'm saying? Like, I didn't sit the Kool-Aid, bought the Kool-Aid, bought the recipe, tried my own version of it. You know what I'm saying?

Like, I'm all the way in. but my relationship never actually gets established. Hey, I see him every now and again. It's all love. Actually, funny enough, it was because of Jazzy Jeff that I was introduced to Dilla. So we're not, that's a whole other. Right.

I still speak to T-3. By the way, me and T-3 are a group called Traceau-N-E-8. We put a song I'll call Once Upon a Time. You might want to go check that out. Anyway, I'll check that. Oh, yeah. T-3 is the home. Yeah, Trace-L-O-L-N-8.

T-R-A-S-U-L-N-8. So back to the church of jazz So me and Carvin working on joints We come up with Just Friends We come up with 17 We come up with Girl Next Door Funny enough Jill Scott actually wrote the girl part

On Girl Next Door Oh yeah Oh wow Okay But I don't know what the details Went into her actually being on the song She didn't get that money She didn't get that money. Oh okay

We've never talked about it since You know what I'm saying But she actually wrote that part Oh shit And I'm saying But that's a number another story. It's a lot of strong man stories that I can get into, but I want to stay focused. I'm working on all of these songs. And in my mind, I'm not thinking, yeah, this is going to be my

album. I'm like, oh, these are some cool songs that I can play for people to show them what I can do. So here it is December of 99. I'm in Georgia. And these, my managers at the time, it's like, yo, where are you at? We got to be in New York. You know what I'm saying? Tomorrow or the next day or whatever the day was. And I was like, for what? And it was like, because we got a deal on the table for you. I was like, what you mean? What does that mean?

Oh, God, you didn't know nothing. Like, I'm fresh off the streets. Like, I don't know. There's no conversation of deals. You know, there's no conversation of, you know, we're shopping you to this place and that place. If there were, like, I don't remember. Right, right.

You know, and they definitely weren't extensive. They were, you know, we're going to play something for these people or whatever, if that was. But I'm so not dialed in. I'm just recording. You think you're a session dude. Yeah. And they're like, wait a minute, where are you? I'm like, I'm in Atlanta.

What do you mean? Why are you out there? Like, see, this is how much we don't like. Communicate. All of us, yes. Y'all just expected me to just be damn around. It doesn't help that. The fact that I was always around, but that's not the point.

The point is. You know, if y'all was more invested in a nigga personal life, you know, we wouldn't get me so confused right now. No, nigga, you're a worker. So they're like, well, we need, nah, nah, fan, we need to, we got to get back out of here. I'm like, okay, well, you know, if you could, you know, you know, don't me some breadies or I can get a, um, get a Greyhound ticket. I'll be there, you know, you know, tomorrow. Sometimes like Greyhound, like, what do you mean, Greyhound? Nah, man, we need, we need you back like now.

Like, we get you a plane ticket. playing. No, bro, I'm not getting on no plan. That's not that's not happening. I'm not, that's not happening. I'm not, I'm not doing that. You're Aretha? What's the, shut up. Can I finish my story? Sorry, yes, sir. Can I finish my story? You go on back to our old selves. I'm sorry. Yes, go ahead. Thank you. Anyway, before I was really interrupted. I love you, la you. I love you too. I love you too, liar. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. I'm in love with you. Okay, let's pause. Yeah, that's not creepy at all. No. I don't know why it would be creepy.

I don't know why it would be creepy at all. That was so awkward. That was so awkward. Like you don't know Steve. Not creepy as in the lecturist way, just creepy as in. A Steve way. You're just going to hijack our moment right now. That is Steve.

That is funny. It's about me now. Okay. It's all love, bro. So I'm like, no, I'm not getting on no plane. Like, I know Greyhound. I know that. We're going to do the bus route.

We're not getting on no plane. It was like, you've got to be kidding me, dude. I'm like, yeah, no. And I thought I was, you know, I had, I didn't have no leverage. I thought I was negotiating. I was negotiating. Because I came anyway. Right.

It's not like you wasn't going to come. Right. So, and I was in a mood because I had just cut my locks off. because I couldn't get a job in Georgia with my lots for whatever weird reason. I don't know. Maybe has something to do with. I don't know.

That's because of racism. So I'm already, I'm already in a mood. I'm in a whole mood. You know what I'm saying? And then I lost my job. Two weeks later. Like, wow. Okay.

Yeah, this sucks. Life pretty much sucks. Yeah. And I'm, oh, and I'm like, I'm having to deal with the fact that, you know, even though I'm in Georgia, I still don't have a good relationship with my parents. You know what I'm saying?

So that was still fun. with me. I don't know my brothers and sisters. Yeah, I know them, physically know them, but I don't, I don't know them. You know what I'm saying? And there's a whole lot of weirdness that was going on at the time. But, so I was like, you know what? Whatever. I'm literally not doing anything else with my life. I'm getting another, I get that again. I'm living off of this, so this is doing this, uh, uh, with selling rooms for like $50 a week. I was like, well, that's a come up thing, $50 a night. You know what I'm And so cool, I'll take this. But no plumbing, no, no window.

It was literally just a space. It was the coming to America apartment. Basically, yeah. So I'm like, you know what I'm saying? But I got at least had the luxury of living by myself. You know what I mean? Right. And I have to live on top of nobody.

Progress. So I thought I had a little independence, you know what I'm saying? And that was at the time where I was, I think I was, no, I was, I was, I was, I was, where was not working? You still working? I don't know. I didn't work at so many places, bro. Like, I didn't forgot where I didn't sign in this deal, you still working?

No, no, no, this is right at the time where they told me that I had a deal. So I found my way back to Philly. You know what I'm saying? And the dudes that I told you that I met at the open mic situation that let me stay at their crib because it was right around the corner. Now, what it was was a bunch of college kids that lived in this really expensive three-story,

four, if you come up a basement house, that I'm assuming their parents, paid for. And it was like, you know, you can just stay here for free. Just pick a, pick a room. It doesn't matter. Like, pick a room. And I was like, brah, this is dope. You know what I'm saying? They always had food in the fridge. It wasn't that deep, but, you know, I didn't go hungry. You know, if they felt inclined to, they would throw me a couple dollars. You know what I'm saying? And it was cool. You know what I'm saying? And I started doing music with a couple of them, but we kind of like went in a different direction. I actually did a whole project with a whole bunch of

stuff on it and I got one of them on it. I did like a Fela inspired song and I got, you know, I got them on it. You know what I'm saying? But that project never came up because when I ran about a label, it didn't sound like music Zoldia. It was a whole project. I might need to relive it. It was called Universal. Where is it now? I said somewhere, I got to find it. It's still

on CD somewhere. I did a song with Frank McComb. This was pretty cool on it. I did a song. I did a song with a little John. It was like a punk rock, a punk, a punk. I don't know. black punk, Afro punk kind of song or whatever. Little John Roberts or Little John Roberts or Little John Roberts. Little John Roberts.

Oh, okay. Thank you. I don't know talking about. School on the mirror. I'm glad you was right because the other would have been a problem. Yeah, little John Roberts. You know, I did a record with him. I was supposed to do a song with Rick, but, you know. Oh, Lord, you just call him a Lord.

Okay. No, I'm not saying this to just call people out. I'm telling you about my timeline. These are the things that happened. So this is still before you signed the deal. No, this is afterwards. I just brought that up to say, you know what I'm saying? These people that I lived with, you know, I tried to, you know, bring them up with me.

But, you know, opportunities just never, like, came to fruition. So now I'm back in Philly and I'm living, I'm just staying with one of my managers because I didn't have nowhere to stay. But I knew that I could stay with these guys if I can get in contact with him. But he was like, nah, stay with me tonight so I can know where you are. Right. We're going to all go to New York together. You know what I'm saying?

So that was the first time ever. No, I didn't get on the plane then. I got on a plane when I had to show up to the premiere of the Nuddy Professor 2 because I was on the soundtrack in L.A. That's when I showed up. That's when I actually took a plane. That must have freaked you out

because that's a five-hour flight. Yeah, it really was. It really did freak me out. At the premiere and at the premiere, I ran into Vivica Fox while she was eating. I was so star-struck and I wanted a picture. She was like, sir, I'm eating.

I was like, oh. It's full of disappointment. My motherfucker's just disappointing you. Left there right. He was cute, though. Anyway, I know I'm like going off on tanges,

but this is, you know. That's what it is. It's all good. Yeah. So, but New York. So I'm sitting in front of Kevin Lows.

Deaf soul. With a fresh haircut. Well, it's not not fresh. It was a fresh haircut. it was just freshly cut. Okay. Okay. I didn't have time to get a cut up.

So I'm woofing. I don't have no coat. That's how I know you from Philly. You said wolfen. So I got to borrow my manager's coat who's what, six, six. I'm how tall he is. Yeah, he is.

And I'm like, no, we're just telling stories. Okay, yes, you're figuring it out, but let's just tell him. So I'm in this big bubble coat, this big, brown bubble coat i think it was fat for him i don't know and i'm sitting there you know red man is sitting on the table i'm talking to this dude i never met before i ever heard of Kevin louds because i'm thinking because when i asked him on the phone i was they was like yeah we got a deal for you on the table i was like deal what does that mean like what does that mean no we signed your record deal i was like well who with death jam he me like with russell simmons in them it was like no man russell

simmons is not over death jam and i was like i don't know i just you said death jam russell simmons It's all I know. He was like, nah, this is a dude than Kevin Lousous. I was like, oh,

like Kevin Lows. Like, I was like, I don't hear the bell, bro. Sorry. He was a virgin. People don't understand how,

he was a virgin. How like, not knowing that I was. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? Super green. I was vegan. Damn.

Anyway, not technically, but anyway. So, you get it. So I'm in, I'm in Kevin Law's office, and they're talking to me about all of this stuff that's like,

bro, I have no idea what any of you are talking about right now. Here's what I propose. Since you like to work so much, won't you give me the bread and let me go back in the studio and work on what I want to work on? No? No, these songs are great, bro. These songs are great.

You should put these out. I don't want to put these out because these don't represent how I feel about presenting myself. Mind you, music Soul Child, wasn't even the name. What is it? People knew me as music. Technically it is, but people knew me as music, but if I, but I told myself, if I ever

became a thing, I would call myself SoulChap. Gotcha. Because that represented the thing that I was trying to do. But I got the, no, bro, like people already know you as music. So what would you do? No, nobody know me? But you got the compromise. You got the compromise.

So I said, you know what? how about we do this? How about we put it together? We got music soul shop. It's like, it's like bust the rhyme. It's like a trial call question. You got to say the whole thing. You know what I'm saying?

So it was like, cool, fuck it, whatever. You know what I'm saying? As long as we can get the music, I was like, okay. That's why there was a discrepancy around like my second album because I was like I don't feel authentic with this name. SoulStar. It would be different. No, no, no, no, no, no.

No, he dropped the soul job. Yeah, it would be different if I was actually living up to the name, but I don't feel like I'm living up. to the name. So until I do, I don't think that it's authentic, you know what I'm saying, for me to call myself the full name. Let me focus on it because as it turns out, y'all have been running this show. Music is y'all's thing. Somehow along the line, broken telephone, everybody got the word, you better not call them soul child. So people will be like, so is it music? Is it like, why y'all keep asking me this question? No, because we keep getting told, you know what I'm

like, you know, we better not because you would get mad or some shit, some weird. I'm like, no, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Well, y'all doing way too much. And that's why after the third album, I was like, you know what, let me help you all out. Let's bring it back to music because apparently I can't get around it. Okay? Cool. Let's go back to music, Soul Child.

But then that created even more confusion. You know what I'm saying? Because they couldn't deny that they were basically being browbeaten by, I don't know, the deaf jank goons. to, you know, fall in line. And now, mind you, I'm not a part of none of this, but I got to get in front of it, though. Again, communication. No one's talking to me about any thing.

What you want. Right. And then they got moved over to Atlantic. And they kept going. So when I tell people in 2015, I haven't even gotten started yet. They're like, what are you talking about? Right.

You're like, ain't you you? They don't know. Right. How can I communicate that to the? How can I make this make sense to people? It's been 15 years. I'm going to have to ask Deanna. That sounds like a problem for me, Deanna.

You know, it's been 15 years and I still feel like I haven't done me yet. You didn't feel like Phil the real was doing you? That's in 17. Oh, yeah, there. Oh, you talk, you're talking about in the... But to answer your question, but to you answer your question, yes, but before we got side-trak. But before you got to that, got you, 2015.

But even then, but even then, that was me doing me with things that probably wouldn't have seen the light of day. So you think of it, think of Philadelphia's like a, like a lost tapes, so to speak. You know, a Nas, a Nas is lost tapes. That's what that feels like to me. Because that wasn't me going in the studio and actually working on things from the ground up. That was like stuff that I had around that I thought was. doper than anything.

Like a lot of those songs are like 10 years old. Wow. Almost. You know what I'm saying? Well, at least the concepts of it. I just pulled back from the vault. You know what I'm saying? Maybe not 10 years old.

Maybe that's putting extras on it. You know what I'm saying? But they're like way older than the year of that album. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? What was life on earth the same way? Life on Earth was different because that was all Warren Campbell. Literally every song is Warren Campbell.

Now, there is a song on there that is like about 10 years old. It's called Alive and Well, you know what I'm saying, that I did way, way, way back. Feel the Real actually played one of the songs on the benefits. I played that for Knife. Okay. I played benefits for Knife. And Knife was like, yo, so what we doing?

Like, you're trying to sign the Jamla. I'm like, it's not that simple. Like, I have a prior engagement with a whole other company. That's funny. That I have a contract with. I love you. you. But we ain't doing that.

Not right now. Maybe we can have a conversation later. You know what I'm saying? That's why rap is on it. You know what I'm saying? Because I came to him for rap because I'm like, yo, I need rap on my shit. Like I need her.

You know what I'm saying? Gotcha. So, yeah, that's why she's on a, on a, on a, on a, life on earth. Yeah. No, she's on a joint called Far Gone.

On Life on Earth. You know what I'm saying? That's how she got on there. And I actually wanted to do a whole project with rap. You know what I'm saying? But I think, you know, the communication got broke down. You know what I'm saying? We had a whole talk about it.

You know what I'm saying? At least me and him, me and rap didn't really talk about it. I told her that it was something that I wanted to do, but we never really like discussed it, discussed it. But I discussed it with him. Like, yo, and the whole shit could be produced by all jammer producers. Like, I don't care. Like, I want to go right now.

You know what I'm saying? you know, you got Jones, you got crisis, you got, you know what I'm saying? You got all these people that does mad, good shit, you know what I'm saying? You got you, you know, let's go. But, you know, it just never happened. So hopefully, you know, a music and rhapsody project produced by, you know, all jammed producers might happen, might not, I don't know, that would be dope. Are you just getting started so shit?

Like, why not I'm saying? It got so bad. I literally just started starting up groups with everything. That's why me and T3 are a group. You know what I'm saying? Because I was like, I need to start doing me now. You know what I'm saying? And I want to work with everybody.

I actually was talking, I don't know how realistic it is, but I was talking to Robert, I was like, yo, I think me, Bilau and Jasmine need to be a group and you should produce the whole thing. Jesus, nice. That would be a... And I talked to jazz about it. She was like, did you, did you talk to Belal,

Bala? Oh, I was like... Right. No, I didn't actually. Now, I don't have his number, and I have no way of contacting him. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? But he would just, you know.

Yeah, it's so funny because you know. He stopped taking my calls after a while. I don't know why. But, you know. He's so happy about that. He would just, different. He would just move, I guess, you know, whatever. So I just stopped, I just stop calling, you know.

Oh, wait, time out. You know there's such a thing called social media, right? Oh, you have to, you're under the impression that I frequent peruse those names. At all, at all. At all. At all. I stay away from the circus. I don't know.

No one's number. I just go in their DMs. Yeah, I don't even, I don't DM. Ain't gonna be no, ain't gonna be no music versus? Probably not. I'm literally telling you why. I'm literally telling you why. That would be a dumb ass question.

Oh, wow. That would be a trigger fest for me. You is so right. I'm so sorry. That would be a boring ass versus. You would be fabulous. I think it would be quite the opposite. Then somebody needs to be represented on my behalf.

Because I'll just be there like, oh, my question. Well, my question. Well, my question is... Oh, yeah, you remember that record? Oh, wow, cool. Yeah. Is there a part of you, is there a part of you even in the midst of, you know, feeling like, you know, you talk about not being able to really represent yourself and kind of what those early records represent? Is there a part of you that does feel like you did in many ways get the last laugh?

Because of everyone in that... Yeah, nigga, like, because in the midst of that Soul Currian photo, right? You're the one that had the most, like, chart success, the most long genit. I don't even think about that. Nigger, you won. Well, is it because of the check? I don't even think about winning. You got to understand.

I don't see if I want. Winning is a perception. I don't even see the win. Guess why I don't see the win. But you're not working at the pieces spot. I know. Yeah, but winning's perception. It's, yeah, right.

Everybody loves citing my timeline. to me like I'm not me like I get it I know I get it that's my way that's people's way I'm trying to make sense of it that's all no no and like I always say people always try to rationalize it you know what I'm saying because they don't want to contend with the reality that everything that I've done up until now is was per request so even if the fact that it was successful doesn't mean anything to you it's like no no no it was but which but if you want me to be all up at arms about how great I did I didn't do great.

It was a collective effort. It was some of the guys. They did. I'm saying. And it was, but it was, it was, it was a collective effort, but it was, it was essentially under duress. You know what I'm saying? Not that nobody was putting a gun in my head, but I didn't really have any other opportunities.

So my best, it was a whole span between my third and my fourth album that I was on the phone with members of the label. And they were trying to explain to me like, fam, if you don't move in this direction, it could very well be over for you. It's a rap, yeah. And I had to sit with that. It's not good with Leor or Julie or any of the... Oh, I ain't got no beef with Leor and Julie like that.

I never really dealt with them directly. Yeah. Okay. Well, I just know that... It's the Negro. I would see them in passing. You stupid. I would see them in passing, and it was all love.

Like, I have literally no beef with either one. I don't have a relationship with them. More so with Julie than Lee. are, but even then it's like, it's touch and go. Like I don't, you know what I'm saying? It was, it was, I went to work, you know, those, right. We work together. You know what I'm saying? Um, my relationship was directly with Kevin Lows and even sometimes not even with him. It was on at the behest of Kevin Liles. You know what I'm saying? Right. So yeah, like, and it's hard and that's why I don't talk about it because I know how much it undermines people's relationship

with my music and the expectations they have of what they're going to get. So I try, I do my best to live up to it. But when you start getting older and you start looking yourself in the mirror after you just did, you know, some shucking and jiving, you don't feel good on the inside. So yeah, even though I can account for the successes and I'm eternally grateful for the blessings that came from it, because I wouldn't even have a name of credibility or way to provide from myself and loved ones. That's not lost on me at all. It doesn't take away the real reality, though, that my time like, brus with us. Hell. Yeah, I got it. Wow. So let me ask, how would you explain your 20-year experience as far as your creative output, your actual

albums, your art? How do you explain that to your son? How do you break it down to him? How do you He doesn't care. That's the best, that's how I get off. He doesn't care. He doesn't even know it's a thing. But he will. It's not part of his day. He literally has no clue that you're this using icon.

He literally has, he literally, not just me, his mom. I was about to say his mom too. He don't know. Like he gets an honest both ways. And he literally has no clue. Wow. He doesn't even like us singing to him. He gets emotional.

Wow. He literally starts crying. Yeah. Wow, that's ill. Yeah. Yeah. That's crazy. I mean, but, you know, he has his challenges.

You know, he's not, he's not really good at communicating his emotions and his thoughts. Like, that's a challenge for him. So we don't know whether that's a, please stop or I don't know what's going on. Like, you know, so we're still managing that. You know what I'm saying? But I don't take it no way. Like, I actually prefer that he doesn't know so that, you know, all he sees is daddy. That's all he sees, you know.

I don't want him to see. Same here. I better, you know what I'm saying. I better, you know what I'm saying? Because I want him to like, dude, no, no, no. See, see, see often the QLS family will do this to me because I hate the idea of roses or taking roses or accepting compliments or owning shit. But I mean, let me just say, you know, okay, we're about to get super romantic. Let them do it.

Let them. Take it. I wasn't finished. Because now he's gone. Stop. Stop. Stop. It doesn't matter.

Just take a pause. Take a pause. You take this good shit music. Don't make me call you by your government. Take this good shit. Go ahead, Amir. No, dog, I'm just saying that you have done a great service. You have, dude, you made a definitive, you made a definitive wedding song.

That's hard to do. It's not a wedding song. It's not a wedding song. It don't matter what you think it is. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, which one are you talking about? I've been at least a 10 weddings which love. But they only really do the two. It's either, I've been to 10 weddings where love is the new you and I.

You know how emo that song is? It's a gospel song. No, no, it's an emo song. You know how emo that song is? Oh, wait. Is this another reasons? Wait, wait, what? Inside joke with Earth, Earth, Fire.

reasons not being the song that black people mean it for. But I didn't know that. And funny enough, Matt you brought that up, I actually remade that song with Warren Campbell. It's pretty lit. You might want to go check it out. Oh, word. So, Matt, speaking to Warren Campbell, so you talk about songs not representing you, please tell me, is until one of the songs that represent you. Hell yeah. I love the song. I got the pleasure of performing of having that be played on the radio station In LA at KJLH by Stevie Wonder.

Nah, I was going to say, Stevie. Okay, okay. And Stokely Williams called in and was like, bro. Oh, you win. That's a win. That was, what, like a freaking highlight. Okay.

And that's a song that was produced by Warren Campbell. With a Gat band, really Charlie Wilson, sample in it. And I'm also referencing Marvin Gay. Like, I can't make that. No, I love that fucking song. There we go. The resident DJ.

I can't make that up, bro. Like, that was a highlight of my life. And then Steve decides to get on the keys, live on radio. Decides to get on radio, live on radio and plays keys. Like, you're like, egging me to sing love. You know what I'm saying? Like, Stevie is literally the God. Like, literally.

For me. You know what I'm saying? So just to wrap up the question that you asked me. I didn't ask a question. I was trying to give you compliment, but you shot me, the previous question, the previous question, the previous question. You know what I'm saying? And also to sew up a lot of loose ends for Tigolo,

because it keeps asking me certain things. And I'm not, I'm not, he's like, okay, at least tell me, blah, blah, blah, like, yeah. So I know, I love those songs. I want to make sure they come from a spot, you know. But that's when it changed. It changed with life on. earth. But even still, it was

a Warren Campbell production. Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm saying? I loved it and we kind of had out falling out in the process. We since made up, I called him was like, bro, I'm not going to walk around with shit in my chest for you. I'm letting it go. We cool. You know what I'm saying? Because it wasn't even him. It was ancillary individuals in the midst. Well, an individual. So we not even want get into that. But I love that project. And that was when I was like, that's when I was really

definitively like, I'm done. That's why my first single, I do. I went to LA. Thank you. I went to LA and he was like, yo, I got this joint. I want you to be. I was like, dude, I'm not even, I don't even feel like. He's like, dude, just get in there and sing whatever you want to sing. Like, just do you. So the first thing that came out of my mouth was, sometimes I don't like you. You always got a problem with anything that I do. I don't always understand everything about you. And I thought, I better clean your shit up.

But I know I just can't leave without you. Clean it up. I do. I do. I do. I do. And, you know, and then I fell out of it again. But then I ran into this dude named J.R.R. from Atlanta.

And we did five records together on Field of Real. You know, that dude literally brought me out. And we're a group called Denham Road. So y'all should hear about that. Damn. You're the most collaborating group starting. Sugar Steve and music about to have their own group in the second.

I'm literally legit in three functioning groups right now. It's Denham Rose with J.Rell. He's my producer that we worked together, DeFivey Records on Phil the Real. It's Loomy Trice, you know what I'm saying, with two guys from Atlanta, one from Alabama. And, you know, it's actually more, it's like a singer's version of a Tribe Called Quest type situation that I'm trying to do.

We put two singles I'll call Same Way and PDA. P-D-A is actually pretty fresh. You might want to go check out P-D-A. And it's Lumi-T-R-I-C-E. And I'm in a group with a T-3. Trace-L-N-A-8. We got a song called one more time. I mean, once upon a time.

You know what I'm saying? And that's the ones that are functioning. There's other ones that I'm still waiting on somebody to pick it up and help me, because I can't do it by myself if we're in a group. You know what I'm saying? But I don't want to pressure nobody. to like, you get to it whenever you get to it. You know what I'm saying?

But in the meantime, so fast forward to today, the most on-brain music Soul Child project I've ever done, it's called Do It for Dilla, the Soul Brother series, Volume 1. Okay. It's available. It's available on Van Camp. I literally took Dilla Beats and I did remakes of

Dany Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gay and Prince. I'm a peep- That is the most own-brand music soul child thing that I've ever done in my entire career because it's literally me going back to where it started for me. Because I got lost. I couldn't see the road no more.

So something in my head said, dude, just start from the beginning. Why are you even doing this, dude? Like, what got you into? What made you want to do this? Well, it's because, you know, I'm listening to all of these people that I felt like was super dope

and they helped me learn how to find my voice in music. so let me honor them and then I've always been trying to like you remember Amir I've been trying to do this Dilla thing I did a he actually sent me a a chop up of dancing machine and I did a record over and I played it for you

because we were supposed to work on some stuff but that got weird you play that you the first the first time I heard you and Dill was supposed to work on some stuff and it got weird no no no no no no no no me and I'm here was supposed to work on oh got you yeah yeah yeah

but me on Amir was supposed to work on stuff but I moved and we lost communication and, you know, they're the roots. And he's never too late, bro. It's shown us ain't, plus you need some things from him right now. So we're going to, like this compliment, so I can wrap up. Oh, God, okay. I appreciate, my motherfucker.

You just said, you got to wrap it up. Yeah, you got to wrap it up. No, bruh, I appreciate your artistry. I love you, brother. These aren't empty, meaningless, brown-nosey words. Platitudes. I'm sorry. But you are.

You are appreciated. No, seriously, man. Straight up and down. For real. And sometimes we just forget to tell each other, hey, man, we love it. For real. For real. You just forget.

Because we all got shit. That's the crime. Yeah, and that's how I take it. I'm not taking no way. It is what it is. But understand nobody else's voice could have sang those songs that made us feel the way we feel

regardless of who's pen. Facts. Exactly. Okay. Now, I just want to be. Here we go. Why you got to just leave it? No, no.

You can't. No. I'm just saying, I just, in honor of that, I just want to be more authentic. That's why I'm always trying to be, do me. You know what I'm saying? I'm tired of doing other people's stuff. Thank you for throwing me the ball.

I get it, but I want to, I want to take the ball and run with it. And we read. Did you feel like, did you feel, did you believe that her, the record with, uh, you and 88 keys was that you? Do you feel like that was you? Because that's another one of my favorite ones, too. You pick it. I fucking love.

Nigger, that's my one. I stuck it in there. Okay. That's why I stuck it in there. Yeah. I think I love that right. Because I wasn't confident that the label would have allowed it to have its own ID. You know what I'm saying?

And the only reason why they let me do the whole Bilal thing was because Bilal was a Bilal thing. You know what I'm saying? And plus it was epic. That's why I introed the song the way that I did. Like, I don't care if anybody agreed with me. This is a monumental epic moment. Me and this dude on the same song. It is.

It is. I don't understand how huge this is. We do. This was in 2000. We got it. We got it. We got it. We've been watching. We fans. Don't do that. No, for real. No, jokes aside, man. We love you, man. We appreciate you.

And we'll, we will do, I will do better personally to stay in contact. I'm also, I'm Mr. Hermit. No, it's not what it is. It's the change that can be, for real. For real. We thank you. For real. All right. So on behalf of Questlove Supreme, Fantigolo, unpaid bill went up in the rapture maybe. for Art Tigolo and Sugar Steve and music. Thank you very much for joining us. My name is Questlove. We will see you on the next

go round. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHeart Radio, visit the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 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 Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft.

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, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Tim Slice of 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 questions. I got you. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodom. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell.

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. 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 of luck. Listen to thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.