The Questlove Show - QLS Classic Robert Glasper

Episode Date: June 24, 2026

A pandemic-era classic, this 2020 conversation finds Questlove, Phonte, Laiya, Suga Steve, sitting down with the incomparable Robert Glasper. The Grammy-winning pianist, producer, and cultural force discusses his mission to push Jazz forward, blur genre lines, and build new bridges between Jazz, Soul, Hip-Hop, and beyond. Having collaborated with Glasper themselves, Quest' and Phontigallo get the inside story from the artist who redefined "Black Radio" and helped reshape the sound of modern Black music.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What up, what up, people? June is here, and that means it's black music one. And at Questlove Supreme, now the Questlove show, we're taking this month seriously. It's our chance to celebrate Black music, document its history, and recognize the impact it continues to have on our culture around the world. Throughout June, we'll be bringing you an episode every day. My team and I have gone back through the archives and pulled together conversation, stories, and moments that help tell a bigger story about Black music and the people who shaped it. We also got four brand new Questlove show episodes coming your way, spotlining artists, thinkers, innovators, cultural shifters, revolutionaries

from across the spectrum of black music, past, present, and future. Thanks for spending your part of June with us. Happy Black Music. All right. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another addition to Grand Imperial. Another... Quest loves... Wait.

I don't feel too encouraged when you guys were snickering behind my back. You know, that's words rappers say, you know,

the epavestis. No, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Questlove Supreme. My name is Questlove. We have Team Supreme

with us, snickering lie ear. No, that makes me sound like the person that leads our world with his weak-ass rips.

That word is too big for him, but go ahead. Yeah, I know. Exactly. How are you doing, Laia? I'm doing good, contrary to the world. No, no, actually, no, I'm doing, I'm doing good.

I'm feeling good about life and whatnot. That's cool. I'm talking to y'all, so it always makes my day. Yes, I know, this is the highlight of, you know, I look forward to these conversations. I really do. Yeah. With my friend's nerd now. Sugar, Steve, how you doing?

Hey, Quest, hey team Supreme. How are you, Steve? I'm feeling real good right now. You know, it's been a long time since we asked you about your sugar network. What's the haps of the sugar network since quarantine? Funny you should ask, we just ended season three and began season. We just started season four, which is the Blue Berrius Network. Say what now?

Blueberries. You're going to pretend after three years you don't know how the sugar network works. That's right. I'm sorry. Yes, everybody gets a season. I'm sorry, yes. Yes. We're on season four, but we're on season. on season four, but we've only been around for like two and a half years, but we're already on season four. And the new founder is Blue Berrius. So you can find him at Blue Berrius. It's the Blue Berrius Network for season four. Thank you for. But you're still the executive producer,

right? Yeah, I'm the original founder, Sugar Steve. It's, yeah, it's named after you. I've seen that. And Fontaiglo? I'm good, brother. I'm good. How's it down, uh, North, North Kekalek. It's cool, man. Um, I think the governor's said that they're about to do phase, what they call it, phase 2.5 or something. So, like, now they're starting to open some gyms. So, like, gyms can open at, like, 30% capacity.

I think restaurants can open it, like, 20% something crazy. My ass is still in the house, so this shit needs nothing to me. But that's kind of what you're moving in. The gyms out here doing the little outside thing. Like, they go on into the parking lot, too. Yeah, some of them were. Or outdoors?

Yes, some of them were. Yeah, some of them were. They were actually, actually my gym for a minute. They were kind of doing it outside. But I don't know. I think it kind of fell off. But I don't know, just being around a bunch of people just breathing hard and sweating like that. It's not seem like a good life plan.

So, yes, I just been sticking to my old man walks in the evening and, uh, let's hear of old man walks. Yes. Yeah, just I hit my walk, bro. Get my 10,000 steps in. Oh, that's what's up. you're getting your $10. That's what's up, man. Yeah, though. I'm still. Are you still every morning?

Are you still every morning? Six o'clock in the morning? Rick Rubin put me up to the task and I'm still doing it, $10,000 a day. That's great, man. Wow. Wow. That's no. I'm trying to unleash my inner strict ronabug and I'm actually going to get on a plane. Wow. Really? You coming back to see your people, see your mom. My mom is turning 70 and I'm like, blank, can't miss that. So I'm a guard. My girl, man, Sigh actually flew from L.A. She did that flight. She flew from L.A. to D.C.

And she said it was actually, it ain't, it ain't that bad. Like, it was cool. No, it's all good. I make sure I eat everything I need to eat before I get on the plane. Don't drink nothing. And, you know, and if I do, I got my Clorox whites. I'm going to have my gloves. I'm going to have my mask.

I'm going to have my shield. And I ain't going to touch you. We are all Naomi. Are you flying JetBlue? No, I'm going to probably do my mama's, my mama's carrier, United. The one that has, you know, housed and fed me for 40 something years. Oh, that's right. Yeah, it's his unite. I forgot.

Yeah, I forgot that. Hey, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this particular episode of Quest Left Supreme is being brought to you by Mazda. I got to say shout out to Mazda for letting me test drive their CX30. I got to say, it's my first grown man car that I personally drove myself. Well, that's like one of those CUVs, right? Like, they got They had SUVs, but now they got the crossover, the crossover kind of is that. Yeah, yeah. But, you know, like when I get in it,

like, my driving experience doesn't warrant a turnaround. Like, what's that? I never, for cars that I drive, you know what I'm saying? Most cars that I drive are Yeah, it's real, like they should be on the set of peewees playhouse. But I got to say

this is kind of official. I enjoy driving it and good luck in trying to trying to get this car back from me. Mazda, I appreciate that. No, I'm playing. Do that. Look, it is really. It's comfortable.

And plus, you know, I'm on the farm, driving two hours every day to the city. And, you know, this is where I, I listen to all my favorite podcast and my audio books and my meditation stuff. So, yeah, this came right in time. I appreciate this. I follow you on Spotify and I saw you listening to something of the night.

That's a good idea, Potta. Some meditation. I was like, what hell is this Amirish playing? Yo, man. I forgot that Spotify actually snitches on what I listened to. Oh my God, I'm going to follow you right now. You too, Fonte? Yeah, you follow me.

Okay. You ain't going to see me in this and nothing but the brandy album for them. Listen it. What? You love it on that? I forgot the world can see what I'm listening to because all I'm listening to is the meditation stuff. Yeah. But I bet it'd be the time too.

So it'll be it's not, you know, I mean, it'll be like damn two o'clock in the morning. It'll be late. And so I'd see. I'll say that from midnight till like 11 in the morning. That's my meditation hour. You got to get them to change this picture, though. They got your Philadelphia experiment picture.

I don't even know who that person is. Yeah. Yeah. Well, no, not you follow my. See, people follow always look for Questlove. No, you got to follow my, my, my, my, my, Oh, your government? My government name.

Oh, shoot. Amil K Thompson is right there. You are so right. Yeah. That's how you. Amir, I don't think people know this because that's why your listeners are different. You got, okay. I know.

Yeah, like only for certain people now. Yeah, that's only for Cuban link niggas, because. Exactly. Only for certain. Only for certain. That's exactly why I did that. Exactly. Yeah.

No, it's good to hear that you're facing your fears, Laya. I too am going to get on a plane tomorrow. Ain't you been getting on a plane? Don't play me. Play Lado. No, I've not been on a plane since. So you drove, because y'all drove to the all the Sharpelle's. I've been driving to Ohio since that time period.

I have questions about what y'all doing up there. Y'all doing something productive out there? I am. Okay. What do you mean? What do you want to know? Not just you. I was just curious.

I didn't know how I had to ask, but I see all the pictures posted and I see all, you know, all the nice of thoughtful celebrities. And I'm just wondering since, you know, we're in an entrance to state of the world. Are y'all like actually talking about things that could help, you know, since y'all are powerful individuals?

Well, I mean, it's not G-13, but I will say that a good four to five hours is pretty much, I don't know when these episodes are coming to be, or I don't know if it belongs to quality or Dave owns the content

but I'm You have a recording podcast? Dude I told you that's what they was doing. I told you it's about yeah at this rate I think he has no lie I think there's about 40 hours of content

yo nickel we're releasing our Dave Chappelle episode fuck that no I'm just saying oh man I'm just saying? Well, it's not, that's the thing. I don't think Dave has a platform, but this is going to go somewhere someday, but the last time I did it, last time it was a really good episode. Like most,

like basically each episode is most quality Dave. Like they're the anchors. Those three are the anchors. And then me and whatever comedian, Kevin Hart, sometimes, oh, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr was last time before that was John Ham common Tiffany Haddish and uh you know but I I will say that yeah and it's it's it's not just uh what I won't say uh it's not just us I don't want to say fluffing no it's it's not um it's a circle jerk yeah it's not yeah it's actually us holding people's feet to the fire like everything that including an hour about, you know, Quali's situation

with the, with social media and all that stuff. Like, shit got real. So I don't know when or where it's coming or how it's coming or whatever, but I mean,

I mean, besides that, Dave actually is taking over his town. I got to commend him. Like, he has the resources and the governor's blessing to, you know. And Ohio is very important,

which is another answer, you know, another reason that I was asking, especially in the election. Swings. Oh, very important. Yeah. But it's, yeah, he's, you know, he has medical people on standby. He's testing, testing his audience, testing his guests.

And then once you do that, I mean, you just, yeah, it's rather incredible. Well, that is nice. For me to go back a third time. But I also do hope that y'all figure out some other things to do, like some things, like, some things like similar to what LeBron is doing. I know everybody doesn't have LeBron money. but on some levels of opening up stadiums and figuring out how we're going to get people out to vote and whatnot in comfortable places and safe spaces, anything that could help the cause. You know what I'm saying? Outside of just some good conversation.

But I appreciate the conversation as well. Well, all I can do on my end is raise money. So, I mean, pretty much. And all I could do is tell you and you tell them and then you know, work it out. Yeah, I'm certain that that's on his mind. I mean, that's been discussed. I don't know what his direct plans are for November. You know, right now, I'm a member of team.

When we all vote, we're registering about 37,000 people. Okay. That's good. Yeah, just trying to stay optimistic. Yes, yes, stay optimistic. We can win as long as we keep our heads to the sky. This whole renewed sense of optimism is what I feel. Yes.

No, I do have optimism. What I'm more worried about, I mean, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't worried about the transition period. Like November to- Him actually getting out from November to January. Win or lose, like, you know, he wins, yeah, November to January as hell, or the next four years as hell. But lose, you know, who knows what that transition will be like for those- three months, borderline hoping that he, I predict that he's going to, I realize you can lose the presidency if you remove the goalpost of the election day.

So if he moves the election day, then instantly Pelosi becomes president. And so I think in his head, it's like, I'd rather be removed than lose the election. just yeah right so that's gonna be another that's another theory oh my god that's what i'm hoping well i'm saying that he yeah he'll plan it as the democrats force me out and da da da da da da like so that's what i'm hoping for but you know of course that they follow the law but they've been lost 99% of the time so yeah they ain't followed the shit yeah why now yeah why i'm like how much mail y'all getting it but i'm just saying i ain't getting the mailers like i used to right right exactly i got actually got my mail today. My mail's been running pretty smooth, but yeah, this shit is

nuts. So let's get to our episode. Ladies and gentlemen, today, our esteemed guest is a, is a G. That's right. He's a multi-Grami Award winning and Emmy Award winning. Not, I'm sorry, not ghetto, but you're a G. I have a Soul Train Award. Is that going there somewhere? That doesn't count. That's right. You're a Seg. You have a Soul Train Award? I have a Soul Train Award. I'm jealous, yo. And Dow was still alive when I got it.

Wow. I got a real one. I got a real one. Are you okay, Amir? How you doing? No, I'm not okay. Fuck that intro. Ladies and gentlemen, Robert Glassman.

Yes, I love it. I love it. I'm not my target, y'all. Sorry about that. Whatever. Look, I got a one. I got a one month old of a girl. When that happened?

Shut up, congratulations. Enough said. You already know. Do quarantine? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow.

All that. All that. All that. That was that was cuffing season. Do the math. That's a cuffing season. Wow. Wow.

Wow. Oh, man. Congratulations, bro. Thank you, bro. Thank you, man. What's up, Steve? Congratulations, Robert. How you doing?

I'm good. Can't complain. Can't play. Wait, let me, all right, let's let our listeners know for those that don't know because it will be a bunch of

inside jokes and, you know, a lot. There's going to be a lot of things. So literally, yeah, our guest today is, uh, he's literally worked with the best of them.

Name him. Uh, tip, uh, Michelle Deguio, Dilla, Badu, the Roos. Jill Scott,

Jay-Z. Have we worked, worked together. Oh, my fault. We did. Y'all did the, y'all. Cover. Right, right, right. Right. Swange. Oh, infante. Yeah, we did. Yeah, we did. Thanks, well. Hey, and way to circle back speaking, our theme today is having renewed sense of optimism. And our guests actually covered.

Sound of Blackness, Immortal Classic, optimistic. With Brandy. We have a new album out right now. Yes, with Brandy and August Green featuring a comment in Kareem Briggins. And probably one the craziest, funniest people I know, ladies and gentlemen, welcome Robert Glasper. Finally. Yes, there, fine. It's been long overdue.

It is. But can we just, for the people that's listening, we should tell them the only reason it's taking this long is because Amir always wanted to be in the studio in a really bang-in-ass studio with Robert. And that's the only reason we haven't made this happen yet, because we supposed to be an electric lady somewhere. Back when we thought we had like hopes and dreams

of like jam sessions and whatnot. Yeah. I kept looking at my resume like, God damn it, am I good enough to be on this name? Fuck, I need one more, Grammy? I thought we were friends. Robert, Robert, wait, time out. Okay, so I just, I pulled up your Wikipedia page. Have you seen your Wikipedia page lately?

I haven't seen it lately. It's weird. What's with this photo, the photo that they got for your Wikipedia? Is it with the dreads? This means they had the dread. Just look at him. It's like his Sears robot catalog pose. Oh, I gotta look.

It's the Rayquine, you know, when Rayquan puts the temple, his index finger in the temple. Oh, that would. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not proud of that.

I think we all have one of those posts, that picture with that pose. Yeah. Because when you're deep and thought, that's exactly what you do, right? That was doing my time where I was really fighting against taking photos at the piano. Because every time I took photos,

that was what you do that. I was doing the piano. I was like, that's corny. I want to be away from the piano. And that was during the time where I was like, nah, I wanted to do other stuff. And I didn't know what to do. So, and it was weird.

Photographers. This one. It's this one like this. Right. Is that one. Photographers suggested the piano to you is like photographers telling the roots we got to go out to the forest to take photos.

That's where roots are. I have an idea. We're going to go out to the forest. Or, you know, Or put shackles on your feet. Right. One of the two. Roots.

Exactly. Take out next picture next to Alex Haley. Where are you right now, Robert? I'm in L.A. I'm at the L.A. spot. That's right. He's one of us now. Yeah.

So you live out in L.A. right now. Yep. Yep. Well, I've always had an L.A. spot and New York spot, but now I'm just here in L.A. for a long period of time. So I'm pretty much, I'm pretty much here. I think I'm going to call this home. How long have you lived out there?

I had this place here for about four years, but I've never really spent, you know, you just come in for a week here, you know, but now I'm like staying here, you know. See, I always thought there was a stigma. Well, you know, you are a serious musician. And I always thought that L.A. had a stigma on serious musicians. Like there's always been this cloud of,

sort of pretentiousness with LA session musicians and L.A. jazz musicians at least in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. I don't know if it's still has held over or not, but, you know. I mean, I don't, when I'm out here, I'm not being a musician. Okay.

When I'm out here, I'm producing, I'm being a film, I'm scoring films. You know what I mean? I always say New York is where you learn how to play, and then L.A. is where you make money. That's why I moved out here. 100%. You know, I'm actually long overdue being here in L.A., really.

You know what I mean? I should have been here 10 years ago. Word. Yeah, man. Just for the opportunities of what I want to do, because I'm not trying to be the best jazz piano player in the world anymore. That's what I moved in New York to do. When I was a high school, I said, I'm going to New York.

I'm going to be the best jazz piano player. And it was all about that, all about being musicians. And you're over that. already? I'm over that. Yeah. Oh, man, you're in my lane now. You want to work.

I want to work now. Yeah. But that's what it's supposed to be, though. That's how I'm supposed to be. I had like an OG tell me, like, you know, the first part of your career, it's about becoming the best, right? Yeah. But then after a while, it's like, Nick, I got to put myself in the position to make the most money.

Boom. Exactly. So let me ask as a fan, does that mean that you've done everything you wanted to do musically, like, are your musicals or, or? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Okay. I put myself in a position where I can always go back and do that. You know, I can always make records.

It's like, I don't have to do the New York grind anymore. I don't have to be in New York and play the clubs and play the gigs. You know what I mean? I can go to New York and play my show when I want to play my shows and stuff like that. While I'm out here, also doing film scores and all that stuff. That's why you strategize and did those, those, that would you had a whole residency in New York right before you left them, right? That was brilliant. That worked.

Yeah, it worked out. So that's all I got to do. Every year I go to New York. I stay one month and do all my shows. Really? Get all your shows out the way. Yeah, just stream out of my way. Get your quota, get your quarter done and then.

I'm out. I'm out. I love it. I see my son. My son's in New York. So I go there, I get, you know, the only reason I just keep my New York spot is so I can go back and see my son all the time. You know what I mean?

Got you. But, you know, other than that, it's, bye-bye in New York. Has he had a chance? Has your son had a chance to meet his sister yet? Yeah. She's one month, though. Not yet. Oh, yes.

It's just Zoom calls, whatever. Zoom calls, right. Yeah, that's it. That's it. That's it. You and your son are hilarious. I've seen y'all on Instagram. I'm going to say, how dangerous is he as a musician now?

Yo, now, dude, now he, there's not a dilla joint he doesn't know. And there's not a deal of joint that he doesn't know how it's made. Like, he's producing beats. Him and Kareem and Riggins son, Edrease are making an EP together. I can't. What? I love it. That's so dope.

Glasper Rine. Glassber Riggins. Like, yeah, because he, first of all, Kareem's son is crazy with the beer. Have you heard his beats? No. He greased his beats. How old is he?

He's like, maybe 13. Oh, God. First of all, on drums. He's going to kill me. Yo, Korea, first of all, in drums, he's crazy. Like, I'd hire him right now for a hip-hop gig. Not even joking. We jammed a few times here in L.A.

I believe you. Killing. But then his beats are, his beats are stupid. So him and Riley, my son, they always play Fortnite. They're always on the platform night shit. And then they started making beats and going back and forth with the beats and shit. So now they're probably makes beats every day. And yeah, they're about to be next level GM and Lewis.

Okay. Yeah, he's literally, that's what he's on now. That's literally what he's on now. That's a whole generation of these kids with Swiss beats on. And oh my God, Jill Scott, her son making beats too. Yeah, yeah. Now, they have access to the tools that we didn't. Like, I mean, the technology is so, I mean, you can make beats on your damn phone now.

You know what I'm saying? But Riley's like, he hit me yesterday, that dad, can you give me an MPC one? Oh, wow. I was like, yeah, I don't know what the fuck that is. What are you working on right now? You just released the project with, uh, Knife, correct? Yeah, so we did the album called a dinner party. So good.

Yeah, me, Teres Martin, Kamasi, and Knife. And yeah, so we put that out. Felix. Oh, Felix is on there. Felix is on there. Felix is on there. Man, I love that. That nigga is dope, man.

I fuck with him. Felix is really dope. His beats are dope too. He makes dope beats too. Oh, I didn't know. He made tracks. Yeah. Stupid tracks.

Yeah. I need to start making tracks. Everybody making tracks. I know. I've never been a track. I've never been, I've never wanted to make tracks. I got to make some beats. Right, exactly.

Yeah. It's like I know all the dope musicians. Let's just get the room and make the dope shit. That's how I'm always. always like that, like pluck that. But yeah, you gotta make tracks. But yeah, so we just did dinner party. Right now, we're just finishing up a dinner party

kind of remix kind of situation where we took all the songs, but we put guests on them. So we got Corday and Snoop and a few other art, Balau on there and a few other artists on those actual songs. Tank from Tank of the Bangas. Oh, wow. Love on there. Yeah, she's dope.

I love her, man. She's dope. So yeah, finishing up that. that should be done in a few days, actually. And then I'm still in the middle of working on Black Radio 3 as well. Oh, my God. So wait. All right, can we just real quick?

Fonte, don't know. You don't know I'm working on Black Radio 3. I was like, no, no, no, no. No, no, no. I know. Listen. I know. I just forgot.

I just forgot it was. Nigga, you went like two fucking groups, niggas. So I forgot that was coming. So that means that Fonte, you are on Black Radio 3? You're supposed to be? I was supposed to be. I may be like. Here's the thing.

I'm not playing games, Tom. I'm not playing game. Let me tell you how to me first. What it happened was. I had to put you on blast. What happened was? I had to put you on blast. Hey man, you can't put me on blasts with shit.

I'm willing to say myself. So let me set the straight for all you know. Look, we in a goddamn pandemic. I don't feel like doing shit. I have to learn how to let me look. I'm in a big clear for everybody. I'm in the space where I have to learn the first like three, four months of this shit was just like,

this shit was just like what the fuck, right? So I had to learn how to create in this space. I knew how to create in the old world when we was out touring and moving around and bumping in each other and all that shit. I know how to feel that creative tank. I had to learn how to feel that creative tank in a space where we can't go no fucking where. So now I'm waking up again.

I'm kind of finding it. You know what I mean? I'm kind of finding my voice again. So now to everyone, to Robert Glass and everyone, now, yes, there's a big possibility. I'll probably be on Black Radio now because I know how to create. I'm kind of finding my voice now. But at the time he reached out to me,

he was like, yeah, man, I got this joint. Send it. I'm like, nigga, I just watched my aunt die on Zoom. Nigger, like, what the fuck I'm supposed to do this shit? Oh, I can't like. My aunt died too. Yeah. My aunt died too.

No, literally. No, last week. Oh, mom was like 10 months ago. Yeah, I had to log into an app to watch a funeral. Nigger. This is a little nightmare right now. Like, oh, that's really. I was watching on FaceTime.

You know, that's, wait. That's correct. Oh, my God. So yeah. But I have a question. It's cool. So yeah. Black Ray O'all might be there.

What's up? Okay. This might be my old age. But I'm under the impression that you actually invented or pioneered DIYness when it comes to. As far as I know, you have an apple on your phone that you do the vocals on. Then you just be sitting at the motherfucker. Well, yeah.

I mean, when me and Nick did foreign exchange, yeah, that was kind of. of the first you know in terms of I mean it was us doing and then I think before that it was the postal service with your boy from death cab but they was actually sent it through the mail we were sending it just you know through I am but even with then I mean that was still at the time where you know the world was open like we were going out I was going to doing shows and whatever yeah so the thing about now is just creating in this part where I think people are having most of the artists my homies I talked to the thing that the kind of prevalent feeling is that we're still being held accountable or we're still being held

we're still accountable for the same we're still under the same pressure but we no longer have those things we were able to do to release that pressure. So it's like you motherfuckers still want me to damn rapidly rapidly rapping rapidly sang and do all this shit but I can't go to the gym. Right, where's the inspiration? And where's the release?

Like I can't go to the gym. I can't go to the movies. You know what I'm saying? Like, well, Fonte, I apologize. I apologize and I appreciate you for having this moment because there's so many people that are feeling the same way. You're right. You're right. You know, right.

Oh, yeah. But I'm coming. But, you know, now, like, I'm figuring out. Like, I got, I'm me and pooping working on shit. Like, I got shit coming. So, so now, I mean, I'm waking up now. Like, now I figured out. So, so now, Glassboro, like, with joints, like, us being on Black Radio 3. Yeah, that more than like what happened. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I have a studio too, Robert Glashire. Uh-oh. I don't. I want you on there, too. I was going to hit you about how I had a whole idea. I want to talk to you. We'll figure that out.

Yeah, I'll do it. If Fonte doesn't do it, I'll do it. Bars. I do interludes. You can see the little brother. I'll do it. She does great. You do have great voiceover.

You do great voiceover. I'm just joking, but I'm more curious about who else is. Because I always was curious because I was like, damn, Robert, you got to, I know people be coming at you when you do these black radio albums like. Yeah. Well, I haven't even, I haven't even said it out loud that I was doing it until I released a single a few days ago,

one of the singles off the record with a song I did called Better Than I Imagine. And it's with her and Michelle DeGiocelo. Yeah, so that's something I was holding for Black Radio 3, but I was like, fuck it. We put your shit out now. Yeah, you know, because. But they can still go on the record, correct?

Yes, yes. But I was like, I don't want to hold it any longer. I don't put this one out, you know, just to put it out Because I need to put some music. I just felt like I wanted to put something out. And this was a good time for it. You know what I mean? And, you know, so yeah.

I got till December to finish it. And I'm gonna put it's gonna come on next year. What have you been doing the last six months? Have you been working at home or just like doing nothing? Well, no, I learned how to do logic pretty good. I got better than logic, bro. That's what I do. That's where I track all my shit in.

I got better at logic. And actually, I'm building a Mia Terrace, a terrorist are building a studio right behind my house right here, like literally 10 steps away. There's a one bedroom apartment behind my crib and my landlord moved out of there and we took it over and made it a studio. So we'll be finished with that in like two or three weeks. So that'll be a place where we can like really go work. You know what I mean? And so we've been doing that. And other than that, I've been complaining about the noise. No, you can't even, they can't, it's separate. It's just no neighbor. The way it is, it is. My landlord. My landlord, my landlord. My

My landlord had it built by some people from her church. It's like all cement and it stands on its own. It's like isolated. It's dope. It's really dope. You might if I ask a part of town you're in? What's how we would? Okay.

Okay. That's how we're with. That's nice about that space. Glass, but yeah, yep. You know, this is, we've known each other for the longest, but we really have never had an in-depth conversation. and what I always no no but the thing

I was always curious about was that I don't think it's the same way that Philadelphia had its renaissance in 2000 yeah you know I felt that Houston had that same renaissance in 2006

2007 you know with all these musicians who at the time like what was going on in your high school with with all these musicians that were thinking left to center, like, what was in the air? Like, what was going on? So the cool thing about my high school, which you know arts high school is because you went to one of the best ones in Philly.

So you went to performing arts high school in Houston. I went to perform an arts high school in Houston high school for performing arts. And the cool thing about my high school, which I think we might be the only high school that did this, I'm pretty sure. Or maybe not, you can tell me if y'all did this. my jazz director, and not even just the jazz director, in all the art areas, they hired teachers that didn't have degrees. Wow. So our jazz cats that were teachers were just cats.

Wow. Yeah. They didn't have degrees. They had been out of the streets, though. They did this by design on purpose or? Yes. Because the motherfuckers that have the degrees, most of the time, you know. Mm-hmm.

But the cats are the cats. They're just playing. they out there playing. So they was coming to the school, showing us what's hip right now because they're out there playing right now. So the cats that was over our jazz classes, our jazz professor, Dr. Morgan had a degree,

but he made it so he would just hire different. Sometimes we would see one dude for three months and never see him again. Did he get a gig? But he was dope, yeah, but he was dope. And one of the cool things about our school also is we had a class period called listening. You didn't play.

You came in and we had a CD player and everybody in the class could bring anything they wanted to and you just sat there and listened. Damn. And part of the problem with a lot of musicians is they don't listen and they don't know what to listen to and they just don't listen. You know what I mean? And our jazz director

made a class called listen. So I would bring stuff. It could be gospel. It could be anything. And all the cats to bring stuff. You know, every Mark Kelly, ask Mark about it. Who did you go to school with? In my class, in my, I went to school with Mark Kelly.

I went to school with Kendrick Scott, drummer. Yeah. Really, Kelly guitar player, Mike Moreno. Beyonce, she was there for one year. Brian, Brian Cox. Michael Cox. That's my best friend. Yeah, I met Brian.

I did not know that, you know that, yeah. I met Brian when I was in eighth grade. And he told me to come there when we met at a talent competition. You called the Sammy Davis Junior Awards. Wow. You're boring, going, boy. And I was playing, I was playing a piano with a gospel group. And he was singing with an R&B group called Business or Pleasure.

Nigger. What? What? Ninety one. Because I know it was a 90. Oh, that was like, nigga, that was 93. 92. Okay.

Yeah. Yeah. So, so. Please tell me, please tell me, please tell me pleasure was spelled with a Z. Just tell me that. Just get back to the same. Right. It might have been.

I got to be. Yeah. So, yeah, so, so Brian, we met at that competition. He's like, yo, man, you got to come to PBA. Or you, we're all, all the cats playing and so blah, blah. I was like, what's that, you know, blah, but, so he told me about it. And I didn't go my freshman year because I thought I was going to be a basketball player. basketball player. So I was like, nah, I want to play basketball.

So I wasn't even serious about piano yet. Yeah, I want to play basketball. I wasn't serious. How old were you when you got serious about piano? When I got serious, uh, I was in like 10th grade when I was like, I want to play piano. All right, good night, everyone. But I was playing the church and stuff.

I was playing, I started playing the church. I literally started playing piano. My mom was the music director at church. And she sang in clubs all through the week, like clothes. of the week, like clubs, like R&B gigs and stuff like that. She was literally like Whoopi Goldberg and sister at. All that and Sundays. Did she have a group?

Yes, her and my stepdad had a group. They were literally like C-FIS and Risi. It's absolutely hilarious. Oh, wow. 100%, swear to God. Early 80s, the curls, the colors. Not even a game. No, she's a salad night or a hoon.

Yes. No, for real. But, but, but, but, uh, on Sundays, my mom is in Michigan So music, I had a small church, you know, so they allowed me to play the little broke-ass organ that was in the corner. So I used to play every Sunday that passed, who's birthday is it? And when I was 11, I was playing with one finger, happy birthday. I figured out how to play happy birthday with one finger.

And then they just let me, every Sunday just let me sit there and figure the service out. I started playing Luther Vangel's songs with one finger. Because my dad played with Vangeloves to the house every day all the time. And so I was learning all that kind of songs and just, and then I, I really taught myself. Yeah. And then I just, you know, and then I age like, yeah, maybe age 14, that's when I, no, what's 10th, 10th grade?

I don't know, 10th grade is, whatever. I auditioned with three gospel songs because I didn't know any jazz tunes. There was no guidance. Wait, but up from beginnings of church to the 15, there was nobody got no guidance, nobody to say, but this is how you really do this. See, my mom had a band, And in her band, there was a piano, piano player named Alan Mosley that nobody knows.

One of the cats from your hometown that was drunk, but was really good. And no, you know, he's a legend. You never see him. So I used to sit next to him on a piano bench, and they would have rehearsals because we have rehearsals at our career. We have pianos and ampss and have rehearsed at the career. So I would sit there and watch him. So the only song I played at my audition that was jazzy was he taught me how to play

the Spider-Man theme in the form of a C minor, a blues. So he taught me how to walk a bass line. Oh, wow. Oh, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, so that's what I did that and I did three gospel songs and then I got in. Wait, to which, wait, Robert, you remember the time I bet you that you wouldn't, ah man, this is the most, the most devastating gig of my life was with Robert. as a joke, you know, I think Robert says, I'm going to sneak the Smurfs theme into this Jay-Z song.

All right. So it was one of them, it was, all right, so me and Robert Glasper were, we were like paying tribute to Jay-Z at one of these like, you know, $25,000 plate banquet spots. and at the last minute I told Glass where I said, yo, like, you know, do something like really, you know, a high class for these people, like, you know, make it sound like classical or stuff. And he gets at the piano and starts off like, you know, you know, Alicia Keys first came out playing for Elise.

Mm-hmm. And you think of like some deep shit? So Robert goes, bong, ding. And the audience like Mariah Carey, Yoko owner, everyone's looking. And all of a sudden, this motherfucker starts playing a smirpsie. I love you. That is so great. I'll never forget that kid.

I was like, motherfucker, are you playing the smirsch right now? But then when we got to stage, y'allocke owner gave it. It went downhill from there because then Tariq forgot. all Jay Z lyrics in front of Jay Z. Yes. Yo, man. Worst gig ever. But I remember when we got on stage,

Yoko Ono was super drunk. Yo-goy-threw up on your shoe. She came, dude. She just came in a- and just fell on me and like a hug and fell up on. And she was like, oh, I don't know.

Either yoga owner or her sister threw up on somebody's shoes. And then... Yo. I forgot about that gig, bro. That was a hard night, man. That's like a George Clinton story. Y'all should remember that.

That's like George Clinton level stories. So Jay just signed into the label. I thought he was about to get dropped. All the debt jams calling me like, how could you guys forget his music? Everyone knows the song. Right. Oh.

Sorry. Robert, were you always this person, like in school too? Like, were you always funny and like, you know, outgoing or whatnot? or whatnot where that, is that the same? You always out of your show? Yeah. I was the kid that I had to sit out in the hallway.

Oh, me too many. Yeah. I was that. I've been in the hallway a couple of tennis. That was me. That was me. The whole, all the time. Yeah.

Literally, I ran into a girl. Dude, maybe in January, I don't know, December. I was in Houston. Went to a, I went to a Barzanoble, ran into an elementary school friend of mine. I met, we were in the same play. I play Huckaberry Finn play. I play Huckaberry Finn.

Oh wow. In fifth grade. That was my debut on stage. That's the only thing I've ever done acting. I play Huckaberry Finn. Who was Nick Jim? Who's Nick Jim? Tom Sawyer.

Tom Sawyer was an Indian dude. We were ahead of our time. We were out there. Oh, wow. We were at first of my, look, and I met the, I saw this girl. I saw this girl. She looked at me and he's like, oh, my God, Robert. And soon I saw her, I was like, the pig.

That's what I said. She was the pig in the play. She looked exactly the same. Exactly. And she was like, oh, my God, you still haven't changed since you were in fourth grade. This is so crazy. I was like, damn, I have it. I literally haven't.

Wait, question. Was Chris at your school as well? Thanks. Chris Dave? I don't know how old Chris is. Chris seems like he's young, but he's like 90. He's 92. Chris, he's supposed to be as good as he is.

He's 113. Chris, no, Chris, God damn. Like, no, Chris went, Chris graduated from PBA in 1990. What, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Chris is my age? Chris is like, Chris is like 40, is he, is he 47, 48? Oh my God, yo, because his voice make you think that he's, he keeps being a prodigy because you keep thinking he's the look. kid. He's old as fuck.

You're like, this is a 13 year old's amazing. God damn. How can you do that? No. So Chris, we know. So Chris, there was a drummer named Mark Simmons before you. Did you know Mark Simmons? No. Okay. So Mark Simmons was probably the beginning. No, before Mark Simmons there was, something to go to the, the lineage of drummers at the school, there was a, what's the fucking dude that played with Tower of Power. Anyway. Cost of him.

No, no, no, that was what's called. Tower Power, Germans. Um, um, fucking Dave Gibraldi. Dave Giribaldi. No, not the famous one. The other guy. Maybe he did some tours.

Oh, he replaced him. Yeah. Him. Maybe he just. Not Dave Girbaldy. After that, there was Mark Simmons. Mark Simmons, if you ever saw in the last 20 years or whatever, Al Jiro or fucking George Benson, he was on drums.

Wow. He's the guy that was elect, like, maybe a year or two old to Chris that made Chris like really shed because he did something to Chris in high school really bad. So Chris was mad at him. He had a vendetta against him the whole time. So Chris, that's what lit a fire under Chris's ass. That's what lit a fire. Have to do with the girl. That made Chris go in the practice room and never come out. That's the story. All my friends that are around that time said that story. They were like, yo, he went to practice room and then come out of the practice room. So it was Chris. And there was Eric Harlan after Chris.

They went together around the same time. Maybe Chris is the senior. Maybe Eric was, you know, a sophomore or something or a freshman. After that, then it was Kendrick Scott and then Jemeyer.

You know Jemeyer Williams? Yeah. Jemeyer, yeah. They're still putting out some great motherfucketka, James Francis. You know, he's a bit later. Francis is from Houston too? Francis from Houston.

His parents used to drop him off when I would do gigs in Houston. James used to do, his parents just to drop him off in my sound checks so he could watch a sound check because he was too young to come for the show. So I used to let him sit right by me and stuff and watch him my sound checks because he wasn't allowed to,

yeah. So when he got to New York, yeah, when he got to New York, I told, I called Poyser. I was like, yo. Oh, okay. Your recommendation, I see. Yeah. You to check this dude out.

Whenever, whenever James or Ray Angry or Kamal can't do the tonight. show than James Francis. Yeah. He was a young boy back then, but now, you know, he's on his own gigs at Pluono. You know. Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yep. That's the other thing. I used to stink him in a Brooklyn Bowl. Now, you know, where? I need his autograph. I need his autograph. Pride Month, Toronto. Pride is an opportunity for you to create your own space to celebrate your existence. Iheart Radio is proud to be an official sponsor of Pride Toronto Festival and we won't

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I love the sounds. The buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place. Soccer. Football. It's home. Why do I watch the Walk Up? That's like asking me, why do I breed? I inherited that fandom from my mom. I like watching it with my dad.

It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that make it great. A soccer game is a festival. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull.

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Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm huge. Every single day I'm still learning how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions, ever since I was born. And I still have so many questions. Where do we come from? What happens after death? How do you deal with cancellation? Cristiano or Messi? Do aliens exist? What is love? Real Madrid or Barsa? From every day and ordinary to the deep and extraordinary. This isn't a normal podcast. Everything here is spontaneous, real and genuine. This podcast is like a deep talk with your closest friends, where vulnerability comes out.

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Wow. Listen to learning to be human on IHard Radio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. To say, like I went to school with like, like these young lions. Right. Like when I was in school, like my third day of school, D. Francesco is getting pulled out by Miles Davis. Because like, it'll be like,

who was Miles' Keeper play? Was it Kenny Kirkland? No. Which year? Before he passed away, like 86, during the two-two era. Oh, one of those guys. One of those guys. I wasn't Kenny though. Definitely one of Kenny

Okay. I forget it was, but you know, I'll be like, yo, where are you going? And you'd be like, I don't know, now it's fucking up again. So Miles has sent it for me. I mean, there's typical that like Christian, you know, Alice Marcellus come and take Christian out of school for two weeks. You know, so like basically they were they were the young lines of my generation. But the thing was is that they were following traditional jazz. And obviously, I guess my introduction to your world was via Bilau. Yep. And, you know, in hearing Bilau break every rule of what all of its song structure was.

And I'm wondering, well, okay, and I asked, I was like, well, who's the music version of you? Like, who else is breaking the rules? And then I met all of you guys in a month or so. And I just never seen, because I knew you guys were seen as jazz musicians, but I was always wondering if whether or not you get embraced by the jazz community, like, would they let you play in reindeer games? Because you guys were looking at the rule books and sort of just throwing it out the window. Like, did you have to master it? Like, did you have to sneak in the house first and sort of talk their language and da-da-da-da. and then hold them hostage once you had your power.

Like, talking about that process. I attribute Bilau and you to that, to that. I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. Because when I got to the new school in 97 for college, I met Bilal the first day of school, and we were like one of eight black people at the school. At the new school?

At the new school. Like, yeah. In the jazz program. Yeah, what a lot of black people. I'm maybe exaggerating. Maybe they were 15. Honestly. Yeah, honestly.

Yeah, honestly. Yeah, so check it out, though. They put all the freshmen in the room and they call you at random to come on the stage. They called me and Bilau on stage at random together to play a song together. Wow.

And they'll tell you what to play. It's just whatever y'all. No, you go up there with a bunch of cats. They call on drums, so-and-so-on, piano, Robert Glass, vocal, Bilal Oliver. We got up to play the song, we got off the stage, and we looked at each other like, yeah.

Well, do they give you a fake book at least? They're like, what do you? No, you just call tunes. Nope. You go up there and call tunes. You're supposed to know it? Yeah. Or you talk to each other and be like, you know this?

Nah, you know this? I don't know. Kind of. You know, just like you do at the jazz club now. You know, so and I think so. Yeah, you figure the shit out. But whatever we did. I do you remember what it was?

I have no idea what it was. But. When we got off, me and Balak, we were, you know, you couldn't separate us after that because it was like, you know. He actually spoke a different language. 100% immediately. And so we began working on stuff together. And one of the president of the school at the time, Arnie Lawrence, he passed away. He saw us and was like, you two have something.

Y'all should go in and work on a demo for Bilau. And we were like, okay. So he said, my friend has a studio around the corner. Y'all can, I talked to him already, y'all can go over there and kind of come up with some stuff. And his boy was Aaron Comus. Aaron Combs, spin doctors. Spind doctors. Fuck it's been doctors.

Yeah, I never believe this story when Bilau told me. I'm like, who worked on this? He's like, Aaron Combs. He's like, Aaron Combs. Get the fuck out of here. Aaron Combs. And I was like, what? Um, yeah.

So we were going over there at the school every day, just writing songs. And yeah, a bunch of just, just, just, just, jazz musicians are on the album because we didn't know anybody that played anything else. We just knew the cats from the school. So all that stuff. So that was you on Queen of Sanity, the demo? Yeah. Yeah, it's me of Queen of Sanity.

Wow. That's me of Queen of Sanity. Yeah. And y'all came just right. You and James came in there, redid it. Yeah, we kept like the piano part. Yeah, all that stuff. Yeah, that was essentially, when I, when I heard that demo, man, I, you know, again, I'm happy to say

that my, my, my, my 100% record of the six demos, ever heard and listened to and became fans of like they all became like something in the world of course you know little brother jill scott slum village um but hearing that below demo i don't know how it came across i don't know who played it for me whatever but i just i thought this person i remember you being hype amir about those below demo you know what i remember you being like I would say much, much to my detriment, if there's ever a recapping of the kind of black lily roots jam session story, like an oral history or whatever, my enthusiasm for wanting to work with Bilau definitely made motherfuckers feel a certain way. Word. Because I mean, basically, everyone had a job at this thing, and it was more like, okay, I'm the money, you know, like, so tour money, back to the jam session.

Back to the, you know, and I would make appearances every now and then, but it's like after working on, you know, the stuff at Electric Lady and then coming back to do root stuff, like, I wasn't trying to like also do five hours at these jam sessions. But hearing Bilal Singh, man, I was just like. All right, I'll come. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, I just. Yeah. And those jam sessions.

So, Blau, so we started working on a demo, whatever, and me and him used to get on a bus from school and go down to Philly on Monday. Was it Monday nights to the five spots? Tuesday, Tuesday, yeah. We used to go to bus and go, we'd go stay at his mom's house in Germantown. That was my first time who were ever going to Philly, just so we could go to those jam sessions. And then y'all started coming to doing the one.

is at Late Street. Yeah, on at, what's the name is the spot? Wetlands. Wetlands. So seeing y'all play live, Balaw was always trying to get me to understand how to play y'all shit, and I didn't understand what the fuck he was talking about.

He's like, you know, like, don't play it on, play it off. What? Play like you know how to play, but you don't know how to play. What the fuck are you talking about? No, nigga, like, like. And then I saw y'all live and I saw James Poyser.

And I was like, oh. So that may be, I kept going back. Then he would let me sit in with you or yo, you would let me sit in, you know. I was like I was a house jazz friend. And I would sit in with y'all. And because of sitting in with the roots, that's how I learned how to play that shit. I didn't, I'd never heard it. I didn't understand what it was.

See, that's weird to me because in my mind, you and all your, Houstonians just have another relationship with time, with meter and time that is beyond anything I've done, or, you know, dare I say it, Dilla, or whatever, like, I just, I'd never seen, I mean, it's like watching the animaniacs run in the water tower, like, you know, when you see them running in the Puppas smooth, that's a crazy analogy. Oh, we all know it, so it's good.

Or the Tasmanian devil. That's what I mean. But what I want to know is how did you force the jazz world to your will? Because I don't think that's, I don't think that's an easy task. Like, that's a hard. That's what they have a choice about to go into the will. Well, here's the thing. I always knew that I had to make sure that I could play jazz with the best of them

before I decided to do anything else. You know what I mean? I had to like when herbie played with Miles, put his first few albums out, there was no, you couldn't question her about shit about can you play that fucking his chops. Yeah. All that.

That was already solidified. There's no argument there. So when he did headhunters, you cannot like it if you want to, but you can't dispute him as a jazz artist. You know what I mean? As a jazz piano player, especially being black, they're so quick to want to call you a hip hop piano player. Nigger.

Or a R&B piano. There are really quick. to not want to give you the title of that. So it was in my mind. I was like, well, no. Even when I, before I got signed, I said in my mind, I knew I was like, I want to do a few jazz albums first to shut these motherfuckers up who are going to be talking.

And then I want to do my other shit. You know, it was almost kind of like, it reminded me of like Donald Bird. That's how I always kind of saw your career. Like Donald Burke, but then, you know, he did his thing. But then when he got with the Mazel brothers, it just became, you know, something else. became a thing. Yeah, for sure. Exactly. Exactly. And that's my thing. I wanted to make sure.

So then when that happened, my thing was just grabbing all the young people because I felt like jazz was for young people anymore. And what made me get into jazz was Roy. I was just about to say Roy was gas. Roy came to my school and when I was in 11th grade, I never forget it. He went there too, right? No, he went to the one in Dallas with Erica. He went to the book. He went to the book of T. Washington. And Nora. Yeah, Nora Jones, yeah, that whole thing. So that was our rival. We rivaled them all the time for all-state jazz competitions and shit.

Oh, right. So when Roy came to our school, when I was 11th grade, he was already Roar Hardgrove, the album said he came to the school, and he had on like overalls and Tim's, you know, and his band was black. I had never seen that. I have never seen five young black guys that look like me, dressed like. me talk like me up there playing jazz that never see you never seen that because you're when you're in school to the pictures of jazz is what they give you and it's

all in black and white and it's everybody has on the suit and it's not you know it's nothing it's nothing that has anything to do with you right now you know so Roy made me he he completely changed my whole shit so that's literally why I am the way I am now because I feel like I'm killing the stereotype you know what I mean I feel like when people look at me a lot of times they don't know they don't know what the fuck I do You know what I mean? And when I was, you know, selling out the Blue Note and the Vanguard and all these places, white people would walk by me.

I would be outside, hang on my friend. They walked by me looking at me like, what are you doing here? Kind of spot. I'm like, well, actually, you're coming to see me. Right. You know, but the people on the bus, a lot of that is like, you know, they don't know, they come to New York and get on the bus and they take you to where somebody famous is playing, you know what I mean?

But they look at me and my jeans and my T-shirt and it's like, oh, if I was walking down the street, you think I'm a rapper or you think I'm whatever, you know what I'm saying? you don't think I'm about to sit here and play Stella by Starlight or actually play this piano the way I do. You know what I mean? And that's what I literally got that from Roy. And that's what made kids, he inspired me so much because he looked like me. So I was like, that's what I want to do.

You know what I mean? I want to inspire the young cat. So I think when it came to the jazz world, I just ignored them and really went for the young people. You know what I mean? But still keeping the integrity of jazz, but making it to something where they could identify with. You know what I mean?

And after a while, the jazz world couldn't deny it anymore. They tried to. I think you have to do that, though, because I think even like in all forms of music, you have to kind of, if not necessarily, appeal to the young people, you at least have to know how to communicate with them because they're the ones that's coming next.

So if you want your thing to live on, you got to get the young-ins so they can carry it on. You know what I mean? Bradford in that conversation, too, like in a way, with like his projects, like, shot LePont. Well, yeah, I was going to be. I was gonna ask. You kind of know.

I was going to ask. When I was coming up, there was the jazz police. Definitely more him than Winton. Yeah. There was the jazz police of like Stanley Crouch. Yeah.

Went Marcellus, all those cats. Yep. Um, is there such thing as the jazz police like, or there's still people that. Rapper himself. Oh.

Oh, that's okay. Well, how do you? But with bucks. Has he aged into grad, grad jazz police? Oh, y'all didn't see it. Y'all didn't see it.

I don't. Right. That was 25 years ago. No. Bramford turned code on you? Nigger, hold on. Bramford put, put me out. Look, this happened maybe two years, two years ago, maybe three years ago, two years ago.

He did a, he did an interview for one of them jazz magazine, maybe downbeat or something like that. Okay. And in the middle of the interview, they were like, so, Bramford, what do you think about what people like Robert Glass? and Kamasi Washington are doing. You know, you did but shot LaFunk. What do you think about Robert Glasper's doing? He said, well, you know, Jack Kamasi,

he's not a jazz, he's not a jazz saxophone player. Just threw him all the way over. Then he said, and Robert, I mean, I'm glad he's doing what he's doing because he has the limited jazz vocabulary also. And if you ask him, he'll tell you the same thing. Those were literally his words. So Robert, do you have a limited jazz vocabulary?

Like, what? Who? No, I'm heartbroken. What? Are you talking about? What are you talking about? Do you not know who you are? So for the listener, if you have a limited book jazz vocabulary,

who has an unlimited jazz vocabulary? Who is that? Yeah, that was like, come on, bro. Like, that's now you're, now, that was, that was just, That's reckless. That's reckless. That's like, you know, he, they didn't even ask him that. That wasn't even the question. He didn't ask, do you think they're jazz musicians or do you think what they're doing in jazz? They said, you did busshot LaFunk. So they were literally speaking to crossing over. Yes. And he took that time, took that little platform to put us down instead of being like, oh, well, shit, Robert Glass with Black Radio, that's doing, that's great. I'm happy.

but something. Don't use that platform to shoot down the two top black instrumental jazz musicians that, you know what I mean? Why would you do that? Come on, bro. He's lucky he gave me Frank McCone. What do you think is required? I mean, you know, every genre has their

and they're disrespected, Bramford. You know, just there's always the grumpy old guy. I love Bramford. I know. He did that. I love him. Have you seen each other since that happened? Have you seen them?

Y'all have you seen them? Y'all ran into each other? No, but before he said that, I ran into him at a club, but we had dreams. He was playing. I went to see him play. I had a night off in Seattle. He was playing, me and Chris and a few other people went down there, hung out. I'll always show him breath of love.

He's always actually shown. We've been cool every time I see him. You know what I'm saying? But I just felt like, why are that? You was going to say that. You could have said that to my face. You could have been said that to my face, bro. Yeah.

No, matter of fact, I saw him at International Jazz Day. I saw him at International Jazz Day in Russia, maybe two years ago or something. And that, oh, you know what? And we had a little, oh, you know what? I figured that. Okay. It's all coming back. All coming back to me now.

International Jazz Day. You know, that it's like they bring in a bunch of jazz musicians and they put you in a different country every year and to promote jazz, you know, and you do a concert together. And they break you up a little groups and you do like one song. So we did the International Jazz Day thing. And me and Bramford backstage, somebody came up and was like,

so, what do y'all think? What makes jazz jazz? And we're talking about it, you know, and Bramford said, the space between the quarter notes. Okay. I was like, what? It sounds like.

It sounds like. What do you mean? The space between the, like, literally the space between the quarter notes, like the space between the, so I was like, the space between the courts. So literally, it's a mathematical thing.

Like, if you do this space, this space recorder knows, that's just, we kind of got into a thing about it. Because the answer he gave was like, come on, bro. Like, it sounded like Witten. I mean, no one has the true ant. Like, there's- No, we don't, but- There's nerds like me that wanted a scientific definition,

and there's creatives like you that, you know, that will never have the right answer or whatever. Like, I don't think any- creative truly knows what the definition of what makes their art form tick, you know. Yeah, right. But then, but we're having just a discussion and I'm like, yo, we start talking about tunes. I said, so because this is not swinging, we're talking about talking with the ride symbol, everything. And it was like, so you're, you're now defining a whole genre by a rhythm. So because it doesn't ting, Tent today and Tentad Tadine, it's not jazz. So what's Red Clay?

And he was like, not jazz. Right. I said, so Red Clay's not jazz, nigg. So this is, this is trap versus real hip-hop. I get it. This is, this is that X versus... It's a long argument, right? Versus Y and Cordang. I get it. I get it. I get it. But for somebody who made Bursa on the Fonk, I just suspected something different.

No, 100%. I expect a different answer. I just love the... But again, that was 26 years ago. That was, I mean, that was... And, look, even on Winton, Whitney innovated the music and then stopped. He did black codes and then stopped.

Black Code is such an innovative record. You know Black Codes from the underground? Black Codes from the underground, bro. It's like absolutely fucking incredible, you know. It's one of my favorite records of it is. Absolutely, absolutely, you know. Matter of fact, went and called me. Go ahead.

Oh, wait. Go ahead. Go back to that because we calls you. I do remember. A whole other ram. I don't know if you want to step into. No, let's go. No, we want to.

It was because it was because. It was because of the Lord Hill stuff. Go in. Go in. Go in. Come on. Come on with the smoke. No, Winton called me.

I was in Japan. I never forget it. He called, he texted me. And it was like, yo, is this Robert Glasper? I was like, yeah, who's this? He was like, this Winton. I was like, oh, shit, what's up? How you doing, man?

He was like, hey, man, you know, I just wanted to call and tell you, you know, let this Lauren Hill shit go. And I was like, that's his first words to you ever? Yes. You ain't go nigger. Not ever.

On the phone, we don't talk on the phone. I don't talk to women on the phone, you know. And you take to me in Japan. This shit is costing me extra money. That's extra data. You're facing my dad to talk me about this shit. He's like, let this Lauren Hill shit go. First of all, I never drug it on.

I did that radio interview and I never posted about it. I never said anything about it ever again online. You know what I'm saying? I did that radio interview posted, and I didn't put shit on my. my IG. I didn't even put that ready to interview on my Facebook, nothing. So he hit me with that, let this go. And I was like, well, I'm not doing anything, but, you know, the truth is the truth. I don't really know what you want me to do. He was just like, man, you know, she's got all

these followers and stuff. And, you know, you're not going to win that battle. And I just think it's best if you just, blah, blah, blah, blah. It ain't a battle. I'm not battling. I'm not. Wait, you're missing the most important part. When Marcellus knows who Lauren Hill is. What? And hair. You ain't that damn jazz. Yeah, I think that he cares is a whole other level too. You sell 7 million albums.

Niggas know who the fuck you are. Oh, definitely. Dude. First of all, yeah, this Lord Hill shit. I'm amazed because I never thought when he left his jazz bubble. I know. I know. And of all the things to bring up, that's crazy.

That's what you text me about. Our first text and only text to this day. Not congratulations on, you know, That's Grammy. Okay. You got your first movie. I mean, I told him, I said, with every time I saw him, every time I see him in person,

and honestly, when I go see him play, he invites me up to play. He calls me up on stage and shit, you know what I mean? So I don't have a beef or no real beef or win. You know, some of things he says, like, come on, bro, you know, but it's fine, it's fine. And he's never thrown me under the bus in some interview, you know, or tried to do anything malicious.

But, you know, so we were texted about that, And then finally I was like, yo, I'm, every time I see him, I say, I'm gonna get you on some hip hop shit. He was like, oh, bro, you know, I'm gonna just deal with the swing. I ain't down with the bitches and the niggas. And I was like, you know, all that's what I said. I said, that's what I said. I said, bro, all hip hop isn't like that.

That's one little second of hip-up. It's like there's different styles of jazz. There's different kinds. And I say, if you ever checked out anything I've done, you don't hear that. He was like, you know, well, I don't know. We'll see. But he always says that every time I see him.

We'll see him. He knows the one to get them on time. I'm not with the bitches and the nigger. Right. He's like, all hip-hop the grades. It's like, come on, bro. That's not, yeah. It's so crazy when at one point you was a young dude.

Like, and jazz, your jazz beats are so funny to me. They've been happening for like, since the beginning. It's just, um. Have you and, have you and Lauren ever talk after that since post the interview? And, uh, Black Radio, please.

You know, right. Well, you know, look, but look, hold on. And let me on that song. on so I can also olive branch that moment too. Yeah, Ameri needs it too. Yeah, he got a men's thing. No, you help feed the fire with the Robert Glassman's butt, beef patty, uh, beef paddy chef.

You changed your Twitter, your Twitter handle to Robert Glassman's beef paddy chef. All of Mary. There's no healing. It's no healing. It's no healing. The shock here is a way Marcelo, Lauren Hill, Lauren Hill, known social media,

you know the Oji's, I almost saw her. Twitter. This is a great day. Look, I'm a saw, her at, what is it, North Sea Jazz Festival? Just now. No. Sea Jazz. Yeah, yeah.

But she was late. I literally was sitting outside and a bus pulled up and it was her tour bus. And all the cats came off like, yo, Rob, blah, blah. They were like, well, Lauren just got off at the other place. I was like, oh, okay, cool. That would have been amazing if I'm sorry. I haven't seen her since then. But my thing is, my thing is that, you saw her statement she wrote after that.

right? It was so many words. It was so many words. It was a lot of emojis in it. And I was shocked if she knows what the emojis are. Shut up here. And I didn't know it was the 20, when I did that interview, I didn't know it was the 20th anniversary of fucking that album,

the miseducation. Yes, I mean. Where to God. And I've never talked that. My Lauren Hill situation happened in 2007. We did this interview in what, 2006, 7. I've never said it out loud on the interview. They asked me, what's the worst musical experience you ever had?

And that is the first one that ever comes to mind is working with Lauren. It was terrible. And I just told the truth. Did Poyser text you? Did Poyser text you? A lot of people text me, yeah. A lot of people text me like, thank you. You know, thank you.

Shit. I can't say that shit. But thank you. A lot of cats was like good looks, you know. And some of them cats, you can't, they can't, you know, I can say that shit, I don't go fuck, you know, but, you know, and all the cats that she uses in that way don't have the platform. Right. To say shit, you know what I mean? So I felt like, or the power to say shit.

And my, it wasn't me purposely coming at her. It was just that's what it was. And everything was truth. Everything was fact and everything's still happening. No, I mean. So it's like, what the fuck? Robert, you know a whole gift to jazz in so many ways, honey. Yo.

You have no idea. But look, I'm here. I'm serious. I thought about this. other day. I was like, well, wouldn't it be proper name, name and answer? I thought, what if we got her on Black Radio 3?

Look, man, it's 20-20 and we're running out space on our bingo cards. You produce it? You produce it? that would be crazy, bro. It was your, come on with your idea. I'm down for it, yo.

In a silly way, in a silly weird way, I feel like there's a possibility. It could possibly happen. I think it'll be dope. I think it could happen. Because as an artist, I have nothing against her. She's fucking incredible. You might have to extend your due date,

but I think it could happen. 100%. Yeah, yeah. It'll definitely, it probably will come out to Black Radio 19. No. It'll be on. Back to the theme of the show. optimism.

Optimism. Renewed optimism. Renews fuck. I'll be old as fuck. Rocking by Mazda. Your daughter is going to be 20 doing backgrounds. Right. Renewed optimism, though, it's going to get done, though, Amir.

It's going to get done. Listen, as a person that believes in manifesting positive energy and hold my crystal and whatnot, yes, we're going to make it happen. I would love it. I will love it. We are officially putting out the olive branch. Yeah. I think we're all better.

The world would be better with our artistic contributions. It's needed in the world right now. Ashley, really is. Let's do it. All right. So questions, why we're on optimism. I bet you're going to put the first on that, we'll find out. On the Lauren Jam?

Yeah. Oh, I mean, if I'm still alive about time, you'll do that shit, well. I got 16 for you. for you. Digger? Okay. I do you.

I was going to ask a question. Brand, yeah, Brandy, and I want to ask you specifically, what is it like tracking her in the studio, tracking her vocals? First of all,

she's probably Brandy might be the illest tracker I've ever seen. It's incredible, bro. I've never seen nobody. phase themselves out. I was gonna ask you about that. I saw another interview you did.

Three times in one, in the, in the middle of doing optimistic, she phased herself out three times. That's how on top of her vocal she is. With, that's how her vocal she is. When she stacks, her shit is so exactly alike that she fakes the computer out and it makes you think you're doing the same, the track again or some shit.

You're not really, you know what I mean? Because most people, when you read, when you sing something else and you sing it again, hey, sing it again, let's stack it. There's always something different. A vibrato. It's always an imperfection. Something, something.

She's so dead on, that shit phased the fuck out three times. From the breath, from the breathing, from when she cut it off, where the vibrato stop. Like, everything is incredible. And she don't leave the booth till the fucking shit's done. It ain't like she come out and listen and vibe. She's like, no, and she won't stop with the ideas. You have to stop her.

No, Brinney, no more vocal, no more stacks. No. That's seven times in a harmony. Yeah, and she wants to get it. She's so enthusiastic about getting it right and just wanting to try more and more ideas. She's not a lazy singer at all. You know what I mean?

Like, it's incredible work for her, man. She has to be one of the nicest, too. You know what I mean? Like even when I did, when she was on my Black Radio album before that, she paid for the studio time because she was late the other time or something like that.

She couldn't make it. And she was like, yeah, and she paid for the fucking studio time. And she, you know what I mean? I didn't even know her back there. You know, she just, this is such a nice, a really, really nice person. But on Black Radio,

on Black Radio 2, man, you had a record, it was a lot of records on that album. I love. I really love the Emily Sandey joint, somebody else. I love, that's just a great song, just the lyrics. Yeah, that's a great song.

Dude, she wrote that shit in 20 minutes. Are you serious? That song, that song, originally, Mary J. Blotch was supposed to sing it. And, whoa. I had lyrics and everything already done, but getting with Mary just always kept, you know, we couldn't make it happen.

So I had the lyrics in the song. I even had the song sung by somebody else to, you know. Emily was in town and she came by the studio and I played her to song, boom. And she was like, I love it. I love it. She's like, do you mind if I change the lyrics? I was like, no, do what you feel.

She got a pin and pat out, walked around, wrote that joint like 20 minutes, bro. Wow. Literally and put that shit down. The record you did. The great, Great Gatsby premiere, some shit. Oh, the great gas, yeah, yeah, yeah.

The record you did with the Nora record that Mooseena I love that joint, man. You and Musina, like, Musina, the child of Musina, that's like my baby. That's baby sister. That's like family. But yeah, man.

And y'all's cover of God rest you, Mary, gentleman. Oh, yeah. I need you to send me that. I love that. For a years, I kept doing I would do that with different artists every year. I would just pick an artist, hit them up like,

yeah, you want to do a Christmas song together? You know, and I'll send them the music and then put some shit on it, and we put it out. I did it with Doobie Powell, I did it with Kimberra. I did it with her. I did it a few different people. Doobie Powell. Just throw it out, do it out there for fun.

But that joint, the Nora Jones joint, so me and Nora went to jazz camp together in high school in 11th grade. Matter of fact, Amir, you have something to do with this too. Wait. I'm a connector. You're a connector. You don't even know it.

You don't even know it. So, me and Nora went to high school, to jazz camp together in 11th grade. So that's where I knew her from. Then when I got to New York, I saw her, my freshman year at my, she was at my college in the practice room, at my college, at the piano. I looked in there and I was like, Nora? I walked in there. I was like, what are you doing?

She's like, oh, I'm working on the demo. I was like, oh, dope. next time I saw her was on TV winning all the damn Grammys after that after that I sat in with the roots

at Radio City remember you did the two nights at Radio City oh crap I forgot yeah yeah yeah dude

that was one of the when people ask me some of my top moments being on stage of crazy shit oh that's right we did

remember when Jay Z came yeah oh dude that's back when Jay Z didn't know that he could play Radio City musical.

Dude. I never forget that shit. Yeah. And I forgot. Yeah. And I never forget. In the ear, in the in there, you were like, Jay Z's here. And we did a, we did a, boom, boom, boom.

Yeah, yeah. We start playing, if he walked out and had his back to the audience and the hoodie on and the lights is off. We start playing that baseline. And no one knew. was coming, when we start playing that base line, the lights flashed he pulled his hoodie up like this,

still with his back to the audience. And the amount, dude, when he turned the, dude, the amount of like, it was so crazy, bro. Like, I'll never forget that moment. I never forget that moment. And that's where I met Dave, too.

So that's where I met Chappelle, too. I gave him piano lesson backstage at that show. Oh, so you're the one that taught him after midnight? Around midnight. He still is still. He's still playing that shit. Still playing that shit. He did a solo piano at my Blue Note residency last October.

He went on stage by himself and played Robin Midnight on my piano by himself. And thank you. It walked off. No, he's been playing that for like 20. He played that at the Black Party. Like he's been. It's been around for forever. But anyway, at that show, a regular-a-stee show, after it,

the after party thing upstairs or something like that. And I'm sitting on, I'm sitting on next to you, talking or somebody next to you, let me be one or two people over from you. And I reached for some ice and Nora was on the other side of you and she reached for some ice. And that's the way we were, like, oh shit.

Nora, what's up? And then we got it said that we changed numbers and that's how we just kept in connection, you know, from that, you know, but she killed that joint man. She killed that joint man. I love Nora. I love hearing Nora in other situations. Her voice is so dope.

You know, that was a great song. I really love that song, man. She was really dope. Let it ride. Yeah, let it ride. And Musena was sick. She didn't want to write it. I sent it to Messina and I said,

and I didn't know who was going to sing it yet. I wrote the song and I was like, I need some lyrics. And I sent to him, say, hey, write something to this. And I need to get it done by this week. I don't know who's going to sing it, but write it. And she was like, oh, I'm really sick. I don't feel. I said, write the damn song.

You see me. Write the song. She's like, oh, okay. And wrote that joint and sent it to me the next day. And then Nora came in. Who have you yet to, I guess, fulfill bucket list-wise? I mean, I'm sure there's everybody, but what close calls have you had with your projects that you didn't get a chance to work with yet?

Don't say her name. What? As I was asking this question, I'm like, oh, God, no. What do you think I'm going to say? Oh, you don't remember the... Oh! Yeah. Oh, I'm at the room.

Stop, man, stop. Oh, okay. I'm about saying, let's go. I... Is that so hard? What? She, that's a mayor, call her up, man. No, yeah.

Like, before Salon's, Salon's came through like a champ. Salon's came to a kid. So that she was going to do that the little dragon cover? Yes. Yes. Wow. Yeah.

What was she doing? What's the male doing? What she at? We try to make it happen. Yeah. Yeah, didn't really work out for us. Oh, okay. So yeah.

Mm-hmm. So then who else then? Who else? Salon's, I'm here. I'm here. Look, I have a song in my computer. I did the song to be the Baker. Hmm.

Was it for the Blue Note album that like never came up? Yes. Yes. Because she covered. Yeah. She did a cover of lately by Tyrese, which on paper sounds insane. Wait, what? I believe.

I believe it. I believe it. Bro. You never heard this rock? You never heard this? No. No. And it is fucking amazing.

Nigger, she body that shit. Oh my gosh. It's like it's the only, it's like one of her. only saw, if it's still on, because you know, ain't none of her shit on streaming. It's like one of the only joints of hers that's like on streaming services. That came out, that song came out?

That song came out. That came out. Oh my gosh. She bodied that shit, bro. I like, I was like, she covered lately? Nick, she hung that shit. Yeah, no, I was it happened because we were both on Blue No at the same time and Don was, was trying to hook us up. Yes. He also hooked me out with shock I produced a half a record on Shaka. I have four songs on Shaka.

We're going to do a whole, we went in to do a whole album. Because he gave her black radio. It was like, just check this guy out to do your album, because she was going to do a record with Blue Note. So she's like, oh my God, I love it. I met up with her, boom, boom. We went and did a week in LA, did like four or five songs. And then her deal with Blue Note went,

something went left. So I got five songs of Shaka in my computer that I don't know ever going to come out. But with the Niske, but with the Niske She was working finishing that album. She was finishing it up and I tweeted. I was landing in LA. I never forget it.

I'm in LA, blah, blah, blah, blah. She tweeted me, oh, come by the studio. I was like, what? What? I DM, they're like, I need her? She was like, yeah, come by the studio, listen to some of the stuff I've been doing. Her son is a DJ.

At the time, he's like going to Berkeley. He's a big fan of mine. So, you know, that helps, you know, right, right, right. You know what I mean? So I went by the studio. She played me the album and she was like, what do you think? And I even fixed some stuff for her keyboard parts and some stuff. She's like, you know, there's some things on there.

She was like, man, if I would have known you were coming to town, I would have did a song with you. I said, don't play. I said, I write a song right now. I said, I'm in town right now. She's like, I mean, but I got to turn in this album in two days. I was like, Anita. Yeah, we got time. It's two days.

Bro, look. First of all, when I walked to the studio, she was making ribs. Let's just talk about this for a second. Nigger, yes, blackness. Of it. Unmit, the vocal booth was next to the kitchen. It's the same studio, same studio. Same studio she did Angelin.

Same studio. All of them in, same one. Oh, because he's on Beverly Glen record. Beverly Glenn. She's still using that record? That's, well, back then when I did that, That was a few years ago. When I did that song, when I did that, yes.

So she had an oven mesh and everything. You hungry? I'm making some ribs. I'm like, what? Huh, niggins. It doesn't get any better. Anita Baker offering me ribs in the studio. She said Angelette.

I'm good. So anyway, when she said that, I was like, Anita, I'm going to write something for you right now. I literally went to the piano. I swear to God, I wrote some shit. I live and breathe, Nita Baker. Like, giving you the best that I got is one of the reasons why. That's one of the reasons.

Between giving you the best that I got and compositions. Between that, my mom had to 45. Look. Amen. I mean, Rapture's rapture. Rapture is like thrillers.

So it's like you can't even count that after a while. You and Nita fans always want to outdo someone by letting you know that compositions is your record. That's the one. Man, shit. That composition was a motherfucker.

Look, between that and Luther Vandross albums, Matt Adela Jr. Yes. Those were those sounds and made me want to play piano, period. Like, because that's all we heard. I heard that in the house to laugh.

Anyway, I wrote the song in like 10 minutes. I went over Andre Harris's crib. I said, yo, I need you to put some shit on here before I need to Baker. Dre was like, cool. Can I? They could put drums, bass, guitar, did that shit in about an hour.

We called Sir over. Sir came over to the crib and did his own shit and wrote the song, sang it down. We emailed her the song that night. She learned it that night. Came to the studio, sang it down in one take. Wow.

And then said, then said this to me. She said, only in my life three times has a song fit me like a couture dress. This is the third. Oh. I didn't know what the other part of the tour dress was. I didn't know what that shit was.

I was like, what's a cator. I don't know what that is. Oh, my God. I didn't know what they have that was. I forgot. All right. Oh, Houston. represent.

All right. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. But anyway, she's like, she's like, what's the other? I was like, so, so, too, pot, shat up, Chewap's brother. Exactly. That shoe pot's couture.

Exactly. That shoe pot couture. No, that's something. But, yeah, she said that she was like, there was a thing that George Duke did for her, some kind of arrangement of something, and then I forget the other song, but she was like, this is the third. She literally sung it down in one take.

What it sounds like? What it would sound? Where is it now? Yeah, where I need- In my computer? In that computer, is you talking to us on? Is that- In that computer I'm talking to you?

Yeah, is it in that one? In that computer with Gmail on it? Or at least a good quick time, the one with quick time or an ad to us? That computer with a drawbox on it? What a play button? Just a play button. Is it a play button?

What? Tangle thing, triangle? So. Every six hours with my air drop. Okay. But my dream, I'm going to hit her up because I want to see if I can use it for Black Radio 3. That's what I want to do. Yeah.

Yes. I want to do it so bad. That's my hopes for it. You mentioned George Duke. Did you, have you and him before he died? Did y'all ever hook up or? Dude, I opened up for George for like nine shows in Europe. Oh.

He never remembered me after any of the shows. You know, people like that, they up in that George, you know. And this was back in like, I don't know, 0, 08, 09. You know, I was over there for like three years. So, you know, I wasn't shit really, you know, so I'm not tripping because he's yours too. You know what I mean? But after each show in different cities, I'd be like, hey, hey, Mr. Do you, how you doing, man? He'd be like, hey.

Nice, you meet you, brother. With that face, like, who are you? And I'll be like, I'm a Rob. I play Key, um, Keys early. earlier before you start every in every night

but he ain't coming to the sound to the shows before him so you know but then we finally got to connect in a real way at international jazz day not that one I talked about but before and it was in Turkey and me him and Herbie like got a chance

to hang out and sit down and talk and you know what I mean chop it up in that in that situation that's a few years almost then he literally passed, I'm not the peer of them, but he literally passed a few months. I mean, he knew your name, that's what I'm saying. He knew what I'm saying. He knew what I was there.

He knew I play keys. He knew I play keys. That's as far as I got. But there yeah, he passed a few days, a few months later after that. Experience. You end up how with weekend gold tickets to Laso, Montreal. Thomas Rhett. Mumford and sons.

Well, here's my pride and here's my share. John Party. Old Dominion. Carly Pierce and more. And the prize gets even sweeter. With flights from Porter Airlines, three nights at Residence Inn downtown Montreal, and $1,000 cash. Download the free IHeart Radio app, listen to Pure Country for 10 minutes, and enter to win. Lasso, Montreal.

Every day you listen is another chance to win. I love the sounds, the buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place soccer, football, at home. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? I inherited that fandom from my mom. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football,

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Are they the only ones that don't like that? Nobody likes that. As we get ready for the Men's World Cup this summer, listen to American football as part of the MyCultura podcast network, available on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My first guest is Paris Hocin, Shakira, Luke and Yerrin. Samira and Gracie! I'm so excited on the bouncy bed.

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This is Sweet 305. Listen to Sweet 305 with Lele Pons as part of my Culturea Podcast Network on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. Together, we're going to have meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people, Like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer, and that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand postpartner depression.

I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And it's a ton of exciting because their new star is Javier T. Torito Hernandez. Everyone sees me as a football player, but before anything else, I'm human. Every single day I'm still learning how to live with problems, mistakes, relationships, emotions, ever since I was born. And I still have so many questions. Where do we come from? What happens after death? How do you deal with cancellation?

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The Chicharito. And Javier and together with IHA Radio, we're going to make the ordinary, extraordinary, stay close. It is a carac. Wow. Listen to learning to be human on IHad Radio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. All right, so who is the hero figure that, all right, there you go. No, what are you going to say?

What are you going to say? When you said, Herbie comes to mind. I was just about to ask you, what is it like? Because, I mean, the last show I went to of yours, you did this whole thing. He was like, oh, I'm about to go take a bathroom break. And he was like, I'm going to have somebody feeling for me real quick. And it was, what the fuck? Like, what does that feel like to be you and have that relationship with that man?

Man, he's so awesome. And he loves to be around because he, you know, he got that from miles, I think, you know, just like, you know, wanting to soak up the younger energy and just be around. He's been on that. Even since Rockie, like, that was him. Yeah, that was always him. So, yeah, that's my dude, man. Like, I love Herbie.

He's so open and cool and on it. He just pulls up. Like, he always pulls up. Pulls up to the shows, pulls up to my last record. He's on my last record. Fuck your feelings because I was, he just heard I was in the studio and just pulled up. I was like, oh shit, you know, okay, cool. And he pulled up to fucking Hinson.

And I was like, yo, you want you here? You want to, man, nah, nah, no, no. You know? Ponte, just speaking to your point, okay. Me and Herbie talked maybe two, three weeks ago. He said, this is the longest time he's ever gone without touching his piano.

Oh. Wow. He said he's in the same funk. He was like, man, I'm not even, I don't feel like, you know, He's like, I've never gone seven months or wherever long it's been without touching my piano. He's like, it's just in there. He's like, it's just sitting there, you know?

Wow. You know, so I'm like, damn, okay. Sometimes you got to take a break. 100%. You got to take a break and then come back to it. I was going to ask, I think it's different for keyboard players now because of the advanced way that technology moves in your world, whereas at least with me personally,

I'm not too interested in, you know, like new drums and, you know, the company always be like, you know, these are special trees that we used in Japan to make, you know, and I always tell them, like, give me the trashy, hell yeah, give me the high school set. It's all in your touch anyway. It's all in your touch anyway. Right. So as far as being a, are you a gearhead or are you just using the same kind of modern equipment? I am not. You know what? Because when people were doing gear shit, I was just practicing on being really good at the piano. You know what I'm saying? I've never, because my whole thing was always acoustic piano. So that's been my thing for such a long time. Even when I got signed a blue note, piano trio shit, acoustic piano. It wasn't even keyboards yet. I wouldn't even use the keyboards. For a while, they were putting acoustic pianos and clubs for me because I didn't

want to play jazz clubs anymore. I want to play cool shit, hip-hop venues, and shit like that. And I was trying to get grand pianos in there. So Stein would put pianos in there for me and shit, but a lot of times that sound would be fucked up. It wouldn't sound good. You know what I mean?

And so I ended up like, okay, let me get the key. Let me do the keyboard thing. But I've never really been a gearhead at all. People think I am for some reason, but. To me, it always seemed like, I think that's the gearhead thing is more so for people who think of themselves as producers first. or you always kind of seem like a player, you know, primarily.

Yeah. I'm like, oh, we need strings. I know a string player that can do that. Like even what we did, when we fucking did the, uh, twice, you know, Amir wasn't like, yo, pull up the string sounds. He called some cellos and violins. You know what I mean? Like, we know those guys.

We don't need the patch. I know them. I'm always, that's, you know, and all the patches, they're like, but it sounds real. This one sounds real than that one. I was like, I know real people. I know real people. I'm good.

Yeah. I know the road. I don't know the catch. I don't need the patch. Nigga, I'm the plug. But I would imagine that- You're keeping musicians employed. That's dope.

Yeah. And obviously, obviously you got to tap into it a little bit because you can't just get musicians like this anymore, especially now. So that's why now I've been even tapping into it, tapping into just sounds and getting all the plug-ins and stuff like that.

Even if it's for demo, demo's sake. You know what I mean? I'll do stuff like that. But I'm just such a live person. That's just my thing, you know. I would imagine, like, you know, I'll say like maybe, what, Steve, like once every four months the rolling guy comes in with new toys and whatnot.

We're like, oh, it's just like Christmas all over again. Like, I'm certain that every keyboard maker from Yamaha to roll, like, all these guys are dropping shit off to you. Try our product. Try our product. Well, here's the thing, though. I was on Yamaha for a long time, but it wasn't giving me that love you were talking about.

I was like, hey. Yeah, I left Yamaha too. Yeah, because I'm like, yo, why am I having to call the MD for Alicia Keys to get to the head of Yamaha keyboards? I'm actually a keyboard player. But I have R&B Grammys and Hip, I'm Grammys and shit. Hey, this works for you guys, you know? But the MDs of the people get those people, get those looks.

And I'm like, yo, but I'm an actual piano player. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I should get those looks. And I wasn't getting them, so I left. And like you said before, everybody else is like, yo, for years wanting me. So I'm on corg now, you know. And they, they're great. I have to stop them from giving me shit.

You're right. I do. Yeah. How many? Well, the thing is, is that when Keith, keyboards are manufactured and they put all those patches inside of one thing. Like, does it matter how much product they make? Like, isn't it just the same version of...

Basically, but for me, what interests me in keyboards initially, too, was because I started needing to use a keyboard on the road when I was playing my shows and I needed something that felt good, that felt close to a piano as possible. And that sounded as close to a piano as possible. So that's what I became interested in play. and interested in different keyboards because, you know, but so the one I have now, the one I use now, the Kronos feels the best when it comes to me having to get around like

that, you know what I mean, like really get around. So for me it was always that what felt the best, you know, because at my shows, yeah, I use a piano and I always have a Fender Rhodes and then I have something on top, you know, some kind of like I have a smaller Kronos on top for my extra little sounds here and there. For years, I didn't have to do a lot of sounds because I had Casey Benjamin. He had a million sounds in this shit. Right, right, right.

Yeah, I remember we did that gig at Poison Rouge. Yeah. Poison Rouge a year ago and he was, I think you were playing, were you playing the lead, the Nord lead, the little red keyboard. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think you were playing that a night and Casey had this million. Yeah, yeah, I'm not, I'm just, I'm not really interested in a lot of sounds. I like piano, I like Rose, like a few leads, and the,

a pad every now and then, but I like, you know, I know those guys who are great at those sounds, and I even hire those guys to come do sounds. Hey, you want to make some sounds? You do that. It frees me up. It frees me up to just do what I want to do, you know. Hey, I was just going to ask you about the Miles project that I was like honored fucking to be on. Like, yes, yeah, to log into my ass cap and see a song and it's Fonte Kovin, Miles Davis, like, nigga, what? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Like, for, like, for real, for real. Like, yeah. I mean, I've told you this a billion times. I just want to say in front of everybody, brother, thank you so much for that opportunity. But, um, but, um, but no, man, I wanted to ask you, like, so when they give you

just carte blanche and say, I do whatever, how, I guess, how much of an undertaking is that? And how involved is his family in that in, you know, kind of, you know, making sure that, you know, shit is done tastefully or whatever. Like, what was that process like, man? Just doing that Everything's a good album. It actually was his nephew, right. Yeah, it was Vince, his nephew. And I've been known on Vince for years, and he's always, he's a fan of the music.

And he, you know, he knows that I'm a, I shadow a lot of what Miles already did. And I think like that and I look, see what, you know, so he hit me up about it. First, I was already doing the score for the movie. I was in the middle of that. Right, right. The miles ahead.

I was already in the middle of the movie. And then Sony hit me up about, doing that, because it was about to be his 90th birthday or something, I think, at that time. Okay. It's going to be his 90th birthday. And they were like, we want to do a remix album, blah, blah. And I was like, I'll only do it if it's, I don't want to do a remix album. Like, I'm not interested in putting some Miles Trumpets over a hip-hop.

You know what I mean? Like, that's been done. I don't want to do that. I said, the only way I'll do it is if you let me in the vault and let me take what I want. And they were like, okay. So they gave me eight hours. to go to Oh, eight hours in the vault

I had eight hours in the vault I thought you'd be eight hours to do the album I was like god damn no no no they gave me eight hours in the vault okay got you that's way too little way too little

I took as much as I possibly could in that time because they didn't want to let me in the vault originally you know what I'm saying but it was like a back and far from my people, their people and then they finally were like

okay we'll give you eight hours you know how much I got unreleased Miles was in there. I have a lot of shit. What were they, what were you taking?

Outtakes. Right, right. How you doing? Hey, Steve. Oh, shit, there you are. Well, what were you taking? MP3s, tapes? What are you talking about?

No, just MP3s of shit. Yeah, I brought my hard drive in and they were just like, take what you want. What do you want to pull up now? What I'll be on pull up now? You know, some stuff. Oh, so they have all digitize.

They had it all. Yeah. And some stuff was two-track, which you can't do much with. But then they had shit that was like eight tracks. And, you know, Kirby soloed. I just want him cursing out Tio. I got so much. I got, yeah, I got that.

I got him talking shit, cussing out, talking to Ron Carter when he was trying to learn freedom jazz dance. Yeah. Wait, wait, but, wait, did I share this previously on another? I found out something that I don't think the jazz world is aware of. Why? I was recently told by a lot of jazz.

I had to ask at least six of them. Right. I did not realize that Ron Carter does not know how to solo good. So someone brought this up to me when I was asking my other, my older jazz heads about stuff. Right, right.

And to them, they're baffled that one of the most, iconic hip hop samples and they're referencing the McCoy Tiner sample for the choice is yours with Ron Carter. Oh, okay. And Ron Carter's on base doing that. And I guess the whole thing is that they're laughing at the irony that the world's worst soloist. And I was like, you guys just can blasphemy right now. They're like, no, no, no, no, no.

Ron's a perfect foundation for music, but if you notice, Miles never gave him a solo on any of his records. And I was like, I don't believe his shit. And then I went back and for a whole month, listen to every, Miles Davis couldn't find one.

If there's anything, it was just walking solo, if there was one. If there was one, he was there just as foundation. Yep, exactly. And then when I was like, wait a minute,

Why is that so? Because Ron Carter is like, he's like, no, this is your fault. That's tribes' fault. Y'all may, y'all may be worst musician in Mount Stapest Arsenal King. And I'm like, this is blasphemy, but I didn't realize. Like, how do you judge, maybe, I don't know, like, how do you know if a cat is real or not? Well, it depends on the instrument, because the reality is, no, most people don't want to hear a bass solo anyway. Thank you. Thank you.

Well, you were Christian McBride. You went to school with the most incredible bass soloist in the history of jazz music. So you have a different outlook on it. But most people don't want to hear bass solo. That's when you go to the bathroom, man. All that. Wait, seriously? That's the joke.

Yeah. No, I acknowledge. I believe that Chris is, I mean, next Dominguez, like, I feel like Chris is the god of jazz bass. So maybe I am spoiled, but. Period. There has never been a soloist like Christian McBride. That's not even up for debate. There's not one person that's even close to a jazz-based soloist like McBride is.

No one gets around like that. It's true. No bass player makes other instruments scared to play after them except Christian McBride. When they solo, I've had this conversation with all, everybody. He's the only bass player that when he solos, you're like, fuck, what am I going to play? You know what I'm saying? Like most bases stay in their base range and they don't have much vocabulary

because you don't get to work out as much. You don't get to solo as much. You have this one base solo in a set at best. You know what I'm saying? But everybody else, that's what you do. Your job is just... So without you throwing your contemporaries under or your idols under.

But I always want to, like, and this is weird, because comedians have a whole other standard. I guess I have a, you know, like when I criticize Kanye's patches, yeah, you know, his drum patches or whatever. And even Kanye himself, now I feel like Bray him to the same. Keep it to the optimist.

Keep it to the optimist. Ask him, he'll tell you. No, but it's just like, you know, I hear, people just dismiss it as like, oh, you have like dog whistle ears. Like you hear something that we can't hear, but. Right. You know, like when I have. hear a producer, I could tell, like, based on their, you know, the way they chop their

patches and what they use and their arrangement and their tone and all that stuff, you know, stuff that I can hear that the average person can't hear. But how do you know, like, my dad would know how good a musician was based on how they play ballets. He made them play a ballot. And he was like, I can instantly tell who is good and who's not good when you play, when you give them the easiest shit in the world to play, and they fall apart in front of them. So what's your standard? Yeah, no, that's a good one too.

So that's the piano player. When you play a ballad, you're exposed, because now it's really about your touch and there's space there. So how much knowledge do you have to fill up that space? What can you do to fill up that space? A lot of people feel like, and be tasteful about it. A lot of people feel like, especially piano players,

they feel like when I go to shit like NAM or stuff like that, a million piano players, Everybody's trying to play. You still doing them? I went twice in my life. I had to go last. I did a thing for Chord just recently. I did a show there for Chord.

And so, dude, it's, yeah, you already know. Anyway, everybody wants to play the fastest thing they possibly can, Giant Steps or some shit like that. And there, when you play shit fast, you don't have to have touch, not about touch, not about this, not about that. And it goes by so fast, not paying attention. But with piano players, you can, like,

I can sit down, I can see a piano player sit down, and in five seconds, I can know what I'm about to hear. Sometimes I can do it just by your posture and why you hold your hands a lot of time. I can tell, okay, you actually don't play jazz. You have to pay church organ, but you're playing piano today. Like, for instance, you see me play organ,

you think I don't play keys because I suck at Oregon. I know real organ players. I know Shudrick Mitchell and Corey Henry and James Poison and these kind of cats. I'm not an organ player. So there's a difference in the technique? 100%. It's a different instrument.

So the shit that Corey does, like, that would, you would have to practice a lot to get to that level? 100. When he plays chords, now, lines is different. Like, lines on organ are easy because the keys are plastic and there's no weight. A real piano has weight. So when you can tell somebody's real chops

when they play a piano, because that's when the weight's there. You know what I mean? That's what you get. Dexterity got to be right. Yeah, if you're slow on organ, I can't help you. It's a plastic key. just supposed to be fast. You know what I mean? But core, yeah, any organ player that's really good. Moving from chord to chord, it's a fucking spider technique. Like, yeah, everything has to be connected

and you voice things different because you're used to having bass pedals. So your voicing's up here are different. Piano players are you not used to having bass pedals. We have to play bass here. So our voicings are different to make it full because we have to make it full here. Oregon players have the pedals. So they're just their, the chord, the structure of the core, the stuff, be like, what the hell? You know? So immediately you could tell what somebody plays by like sitting, sitting down, you know what I mean. And yeah, and the vocabulary is super easy to tell immediately.

You know, that's what I say is very. And then Rhodes players is another thing too. Like, I don't know, like, that's a whole other thing. Like, yeah. Roads is, yeah, yeah. Everybody that plays piano can't play Rose and vice versa. Facts. In Oregon.

And like all those are different touches and different vibes and like 100%. So what's your accordion game like? I'm crazy on the accordion. I'm crazy on the accordion. Depends on which one you're talking about. I'm joking. I don't put it in the fucking accordion. I do know one that's amazing, though.

I used to see him with Jeff Tain Watts on Monday nights at the Zing bar years ago. Really? Accordian and Tane. He was smashing. Smash him, bro. Wait a minute. For the God.

How does it feel to be the person that got Malcolm and Jamar Warner, his first Grammy? Wow. Man, got to be all Grammy. What's wrong with that? You know what's crazy about that, though? That wasn't supposed to have. Most of my stuff on Black Radio, I tell everybody all the time.

It's like, whenever I make an album, the universe is always a co-producer, because it never goes how I wanted to go all the way. And I know that going in, and I'm okay with it, because great things, better things have happened because the universe is like, look, nigga, this is what's going to happen, so this is, can't do shit about it.

So when I did the song, of the long Jesus Churches of America, it was an ode to the children of the Sandy Hove tragedy. That morning of the actual tragedy, I was doing it Stevie Tribute. I believe Amir you came and sat in. Was it that day or the next day, we did two nights at Harlem stage of a Stevie Wonder tribute. Damn, man. I need you around just to remind me of shit.

Yes. Yes. And Amir came by. It might have been, so it's two nights, the first night was of that day that that taxi happened. And it was another night. And you came one of those nights. I can't remember which one.

And that was my first time doing that arrangement of Jesus Church of America with Layla for them. And it was that day that happened. I woke up. And my good friend, Jimmy Green, his daughter was killed in that. Oh, wow. Jimmy.

She was in first grade. He sat in with us on the show a few times. Yeah, she was the first grade. And so that fucked me up. because I have at this point, I have a son. You know what I mean? It's like, oh, shit. Shit hits you harder when you have kids.

Things that happen with kids, if you don't have kids, it's one thing. Once you have a kid, it's a whole, no. I can't even watch movies the same. You know, when you have a kid, everything's different. Like, oh, shit. So anyway, fast forward. When Black Radio time came around, I told Lela, hey, I want to do Jesus Chis in America. You know, she's like, okay, she came in and, like, as usual,

as she did for the Shaw Day song. Oh, my God. One take. Cherish the day was one take. She was reading the lyrics on her phone. It was actually the it was the sound check. She was right before hand she said mic check one two, mic check one two. That's why I faded it in because right before that she was checking the mic and

that take you here is the sound check. So when she finished she was like okay I'm ready. I was like thanks we're good. No that was it. I was it. She did the same thing for Jesus she's in America. Jesus chose no America but she came in did that shit one time one take. I don't have bonus tracks of Layla.

I don't have bonus shit of Layla because she just doesn't want to take it. I'm good. I'm like, I'm good. Love it. Anyway, we did the song and in my mind, I was going to get Jimmy Green to do a poem for his daughter in that song, you know, in the actual song.

And so I was reaching out to him and, you know, trying to see if you want to do it. And my other friend who's really close to him, Otis, was like, man, this is not a good time for Jimmy, you know, blah, blah, so he couldn't do it. Malcolm had hit me like, yo, I want to come hang out at the studio next time you're the studio. So I hit Malcolm like, oh, we'll come hang out the studio. I'm doing some, I'm mixing some songs, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And we started mixing Jesus children in America. And I told him, I was trying to get a poem on here. He was like, dude, I'm a poet. Right? I was like, I forgot about that. You are. He was like, he was like, bro, give me a stab at it. I'm gonna go, I'll go write something right now.

Give me a stab. You don't have to use it if you don't want it. He went to the, we're in Westlake. and he went upstairs, took it like an hour, wrote it, came down, spit it. And then that was it. That was it. Wow, man.

Surprised. Yeah, bro. Yeah, bro. But a lot of those things were Black Radio. That's a Black Radio, the actual album, I canceled it like four times because it was too hard to make because nobody's schedule was lining up. So I literally said, fuck it.

We'll do it next year or some shit four times. And then out of the blue, my manager hit me. I was on tour. I was on tour of my band. and my manager hit me like, I don't know what happened, but every guest is available next week in L.A. And this is for Black Radio 1 or two? One.

One. Okay, got you. In L.A., everybody's available. Has it been around Grammy time. Yeah. I was like, oh, shit. Yeah, it might have been. It might have been.

It might have been. Everybody was there. January February is where you catch all year. Yeah, yeah. So it's like, oh, shit, okay. So I canceled my tour and I flew, I flew in, and I flew right. And I went right to, what's the girl, King's house?

That was when King started having a little. Yes. When they had a little, and Amir, you were like talking about King and Erica. My friend, Megan, she was happening to kind of be managing them at the time. At the time, I remember Megan was, Megan was the big. And she was, and I told her, I was like, man, I want to get them on a record. I think that'd be dope. They got some fire now.

So I went to move love, John. Move love. And I went to their house and to meet them and to write the song. And they happened to have a washer and dryer. And I had just came from. in Europe. I went straight to the crib. I got laundry. So I was like, nigger, I wrote some chords and I said, okay, y'all finish it. I went to the laundry room and did laundry while they were writing the song.

And in the middle of that, I had Lupe come over to their house to meet up with him to give him the idea I had for him to do what he's going to do for the record. And then I had Most come over a little bit later. So they were freaking out. They were like, what? Oh, my God. You know, most came over a little bit later. So I could tell him, hey, this is what I'm thinking about doing, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But that's, and then literally that's just how that would happen. That process was Black Radio 1 was five, was five days of recording.

And then Black Radio 2 was like six days of recording, you know. Man, on Black Radio 2, we have to ask a guess that we had earlier. Oh, Lord Jesus. Does music like, oh, yeah? Oh. Because I love that song I'm a little good question

It's a real question I love that song It's valid He don't like it What do he say? He don't like his song So we He has a very complex relationship

With his back catalog Okay When we had him on the show We didn't specifically ask him About this song So no he didn't slander We didn't ask him about it But no that shit is hard as fuck

Yeah Like, what was the, what was it like recording that? Did he be into it or what was it? He loved. Matter of fact, last time I saw him live, I just happened to be in Oakland. And I saw he was at Yoshi's and I just walked in and he was playing all year. He was singing. So he liked it.

You like it. You like it. Okay. You like it. Hey, Mikey. Well, all yeah, that's another universe. That's another universe thing because I flew to Atlanta. I did the music already.

I flew to Atlanta so he could write the song and we went to studio and, That's why he liked it. The first night, the first night we were in the studio, he came up with the hook and blah, blah, blah. They were like, we had another night. So the next day, matter of fact, you have something to do with this, Fonte. We never talked about this.

Okay, because I'm tired of having something to do with you. I think I know what this is. If it's, okay, go ahead. I was in Atlanta and the next day, you, Ford Exchange, was having a show at some festival or something. In Atlanta, everybody on one music fest. It might have been.

Yeah, that's right, because we hit. You, yeah, you came on. stage and I came on stage and sat in with y'all. Hell yeah, that shit was dope as fuck. I remember. And Chrisette Michelle was there. I think she played after you. Yep, she did.

I saw it. I didn't say that. First of all, don't show. I didn't say. I was, yeah. Pist us. Hope, hoop. Murphy and Boomerang.

Hope, don't touch me. Okay. All the black radio. I love all black radio. No, because that was, that was shout out to Jodene on that. Jodene, hit me. Oh, that's right. Shout out to Jody.

She hit me. At the time. At the time, our keyboard player and M.B. Zoe, he had like another gig. He had something to do. It's like the only F.E. gig you ever miss. And she was like, yo, Joane was like, yo, so Robert, would you mind if he just come up? I was like, Rob, like, Rob, she's like, Glass, I was like, hell yeah. Like, that's my nigga. Tell him to come on. And that was it. From sitting in with you, Chrisette saw me, it was like, I saw her after that. I was like, yo, what's up? with a fight. She was like, oh, my bus. And she was like, I was going to fly back to New York, but it was a storm in New York. Really bad. Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy or some shit. Hurricane Sandy, yeah. And she was like, I can't fly back to New York. So I'm going to be here an extra day. What are you doing? I was like, yo, I'm in the studio. Come hang out. Come by. She came by the studio and I handed her a pin in the pad. And I was like, write the second verse. So that's literally how all year came about, the two, her being on it. Because originally just a song of music. But literally came about because I came to sit in with you

and Cressette was there. Watch God work. Great connector. Robert, Robert Glassburg, the connector. Black Radio 2, the Bill Withers thing. Bill Withers came to the... So, for a random,

for some random reason, Casey, when we set up at the studio, was like, yo, let's play Lovely Day for the sound check. And I was like, okay, we literally never play Lovely Day. I'm like, Okay, what's the changes again?

Show me the change. I was like, cool. So we just did one take down, Lovely Day, boom. That's literally what you hear on the fucking album, on the extended version. There's a Black Radio 2, then there's extended it. So anyway, one of the guys there was like, yo, I know Bill, I'm gonna call him and tell him you did that. I was like, okay, whatever, cool. Call Bill. Everybody can call Bill.

He called Bill. Put me on the phone with him. He was like, yeah, young man, I wish I could come here yourself, but, you know, I'm feeling a little sick or whatever. I was like, oh, okay, no problem, man. But honor, honor that you even took the time to talk, whatever. Cool. So fast forward the next day, who was that I was going to comment in Macy Gray, I think, the next day.

And Rosh was writing his rhyme and he ended up having like a writer's block in one part. So we were just upstairs chilling, kind of talking shit or whatever. And walk up, up the stairs, Bill Wither's walked in. Wow. Like, what? What? Dude, he walks in and he's like, well, let me hear this song. Like, oh, shit, okay.

So we go to the downstairs the studio. I play on the song. He's like, yeah, I like the song. I like what y'all did with it. And then talk to us for three hours straight. Stories. Just stories and stories and stories. Got all video stories, story, story, story.

From that, Rashid was sitting behind him with a pen and the pad writing some of what Bill was writing down, sing. Hell yeah. So, Rosh's second verse on I Stand Alone from Black Ritter 2 really is a lot of Bill Withers' words. Oh, I mean.

Wow. Oh, no, I'm going to listen to it right after this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's one of our bucket lists, man. I hate we never got a chance to get him for your pants, man. Man. What is your show? I really want to Bill Withers on QLS.

So, Rob, are there any, like, is there any, I mean, besides the eventual collaboration album you'll do with your son. Yep. Are there any bucket list projects that

you have yet to, you know, are you going to do a foray into classical music? Will you play guitar? I don't know. I would like to hear a Robert Glass would take on like a Brazilian love affair. Oh, my God.

You know, what's funny, though. Yes. And not a cover app, not covering that, but you know, something in that, you know, your own shit, but just that. Right. Like the movie. Like the movie. Oh, my lady. My lady is Cuban.

Okay. So I went to Cuba, hits, we have a kid. And with Cuba. She took me, I didn't meet her to Cuba, but she took me to Cuba in November to see the vibe and go see the music or the clubs and everything. And it was so fucking inspiring, bro. Like the musicians out there are fucking incredible. Oh, you got to see like the whole Afro-Cuban side of things. All of it.

All of it. All of it. All of it. I even got cool with Chucho because of that I've been to Chucho's career. And we hung out and played Chucho Vades. You know what I mean? Like crazy. So I want to do like a, I definitely want to do a like a project like my shit meeting Cuba.

You know what I mean? Like that kind of shit. Remind me a red hot back in the day. You know, red hot. Wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I definitely want to do something like that, where it brings that, that sounds together

because so many people take from Cuban musicians, but you don't see the musicians because the motherfuckers can't come over here. You know what I mean? That part. Right. That part. You know what I mean?

That part. So I was like, yeah, man, I'm learning so much from her about the culture and everything. And so, it's so deep and rich and so dope, you know what I mean? But also, I thought a Brazilian one too, bro. Like, I want to do something with Brazil is just like, you know, the chords in Brazilian music, You just be like, oh, you know, just over the piece.

My fame, my son, no one. I have so many. Yeah, yeah, I have so many. But I have so many projects in my mind that I want to get done. You know what I mean? But, you know, I definitely wanted to do an official, like, some shit, official thing with the roots, a real one. You know what I mean?

I've sat in so many years. But I attribute a lot of people asking me, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, where am I, where my sensibilities come for playing hip hop and things like that, how I got into it? because I wasn't playing hip hop when I was in Houston. I just started playing hip hop until I got to New York and Below started taking me to y'all jam sessions. And my first time playing hip hop with the band was with you.

You know what I mean? Like so I got a chance to play with the roots a lot, which trained me in that world and sit there and watch James Poyser and, you know, and watch June. You know what I mean? Play, you know what I mean? Like Dumbcats and Amir and that really trained. That's part of my whole shit.

You see nothing but a word. it so one and I'll be looking out too glass one be hitting you up we're in the process I was putting the buggy ear now since you in LA we're trying to figure out somehow trying to write a sketch for season two a Sherman showcase and we want yes we want you to be we want you to play the lonelious month of course we don't know how yet so so just it's going to be ready I'm down that's it Palinus Monk Orange Termin Showcase. Yo, can I just, a little suggestion for the Amir Robert Glassford thing?

I don't know if you recall Robert, but there was a Roots picnic about, what was that? Six years ago, did you perform that? In the morning? Okay, so you remember telling me, I remember I was talking to you and Marcia, and I asked you like, you know, what was you like as far as this Roots picnic? He was like, I would really like to perform when he gets dark outside. People are there. I was so mad.

Look. I always just like for you to also take this moment. I'm like, when the Bruce picnic come back outside. They were setting up tables and shit, like cooking. He performed for the food trucks. Hey, man. I was like, God damn. What the hell?

Robert, even I don't attend my, the first Roots picnic I attended was the first one in this year. You hadn't gotten there yet. That's how early it was. Yeah, no, none of the cat is there. The Roots hadn't even gotten to the roof picnic. So then everybody sees me like, yo, you plan? I was like, I had played nine hours earlier.

He did. He was there all there. Poor baby. I was there all. I'm putting a mirror on front street because I'm like in a way too. I don't know how much we've gotten a real live great black radio live situation. But I was just saying, what if we could like recreate something else? Were you not part of the, the joint I did with Esperanza or was that not you?

Okay. No. That wasn't you because you were affirmed it. That was probably Raymond. See? See? I had you on a good path. So back to the rest of the news.

But I think you threw me under the bus. No. No, no, no, no. We're doing some bothering. Come on, I'm going to build this picnic for 2021. Robert Glenn Hill in the studio first, and then we'll premiere the next Roots picnic. And then let's get the president out of the office so that way we can have a Roots picnic. Oh, there you go. Yeah, exactly. There's that. That part. That part. That part. I just said 21. I said 20. All right.

Well, it's hope. It probably would be 22, but yes. 22, whatever. I just, I wanted robbery with clasper in the roots, I was just saying. Boom, let's do it. Let's go. Yo, I'm here. Whatever happened to that,

did that thing ever come out that we did in Dallas with the orchestra? You know what? You know, it's weird. Shaka's portion made it on YouTube. I don't, I, your guess is as good as mine. I think whoever, like, underwrote that, like put it out for quarantine entertainment,

But that's a good question. No, it hasn't officially coming out. But that was- We did some with Erica, too. I think I did a piece with Erica. Yeah, we did. Erica, you, Sakha Khan, the Roots and the Dallas orchestra.

Yeah. Fuck yeah. That was dope. We did some amazing stuff together. So, you know, you're my favorite. Absolutely. We're going to do shit together. Let's go.

Let us go. Yo, Rob, we thank you for doing Questup Supreme. Finally. It's like a two-parter. Yeah, so on behalf of Sugarstee, Laya, Fantigolo, and Unpaid Build Somewhere. We also like to give a shout out to our pals at Mazda, and they're glorious CX30. Thank you very much, Rob. We appreciate it. I appreciate it.

And congratulations again on your daughter, man. I had no idea. Congratulations. What's her name? What's our name? Her name is Lola. Oh, Lola. Lola.

Oh, yeah. Riley's how old is he, man? Riley's 11. He's 11. Going on 43. Going up 43, exactly. Exactly. For sure.

All right. This is Questlove, and we'll see you on the next few around of Questlove Supreme. See you. Boom. Questlove Supreme is a production of Iheart Radio. For more podcasts from IHart Radio, visit the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for.

Why do I watch the walk up? That's like asking me, why do I breed? And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fit. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force.

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