The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: André 3000

Episode Date: December 13, 2023

André 3000 and Questlove meet in Venice, California for a special QLS episode. This discussion veers from the curious — questions about hidden talents, breakfast cereals, and morning routines, to deeper dives into creative callings, conversations with Prince, and those amazing guest verses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to.

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

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

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wood. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best. advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging

your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right. It wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Quest Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. All right, ladies and gentlemen, do not attempt to adjust your dial. I'm so old school, of course, I would say dial as if it was a radio. We learned on a previous episode of Quest Love Supreme, you got to file the light.

And so we're doing something rather different. There's going to be a one-on-one interview. And, you know, oftentimes we just have to, you know what, okay, normally I would do my normal jargon of, you know, we have greatness in the room and da-da-da-da, but I feel that to a lot of pressure sometimes. So I will just simply say that there's an episode of two friends, two colleagues, having a conversation with each other. And I don't know. It's happening. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a conversation with the one and only. How do I describe it? Andre Lauren Benjamin,

aka three stacks. Shit, he's so enlightening. He might be four stacks right about now. A.K. Johnny Vulture. Sunny Bridges. I forgot about dogs. Yeah, that just chipped out. the nicest Gemini I know. Like, he's the acceptance to my new Gemini's rule. Sorry about that. Come on now.

No, but you're made, you're made Gemini, though. So, you know, I like to think you're more Torres adjacent than June Gemini's. I don't know. I don't get along with many June Jimonites. So. Gemini's crazy, man. Like, yeah. Exactly.

Yes, you are all crazy. But so crazy that you just. Into it. Like, whatever we're into, we're crazy about it. Yeah. No, you guys are bold. I mean, look, dude, our hero prince is a Gemini. Yeah.

So many Gemini's out there. Yeah. So, yeah, I want to do something a bit different because I know you're on a press run. And I know when an artist does a press run where you just do an interview after interview after interview, the muscle memory kicks in. You're answering the same exact questions over and over again. And I kind of want to use this as an opportunity to actually to get to know you as a human. All right.

Let's stretch, Dan. Yeah. And so I'm, yeah, I'll say that I'm taking a 3,000 approach in Questlove Supreme Land. And I'm going to throw out questions that I wouldn't typically ask on a QLS episode. Uh-oh. No, no, no. This is going to get fun. I assure you.

I assure you it's that. So my first question to you is, what time do you wake up in the morning just automatically? Not like on the clock. I've got to get to the airport, but what's your body clock? When do you wake up? About 8, 8 a.m. maybe. Like naturally. About 8 a.m.

Naturally, 8 a.m. Yeah. Okay. Do you have a morning routine? What do you do in the first half hour of your day? Like, I've never used social media, so I've never had a Twitter account. I only have an Instagram account now to preserve my name, but I've never ever posted anything in my life.

So it's funny that when I see most people in the world and they're constantly checking their Instagram, like, you know, kind of going through these little things. So when I get up in the morning, I have my TV set up to, like, I'm a YouTube person, man. Like YouTube is my university. So I just watch a whole bunch of shorts. just random, random shorts. I guess the same thing someone would do scrolling through Instagram. But yeah, I kind of get thrown stuff from the YouTube.

Alga. Okay. Where do you live? I live in Venice Beach. I live a few blocks up from here. I live in Venice Beach, California. How long have you lived out in Venice? About four or five years now, maybe.

So was there every time you lived in New York? Yeah. I lived in New York for four years before I came. here. So I lived in Atlanta, lived in Dallas for two years. Then I moved to New York for about three years maybe, and then then moved here. I heard a crazy rumor. Are you a fishing aficionado? No. I started going deep sea fishing. Like my family took me deep sea fishing and I enjoyed it. And I invited Big Boy on a couple of them. And Big Boy, like he's been running with it. like, Big Boy goes out in deep sea fishes all the time now.

So I think you may be confusing me with Big Boy. Well, I heard that someone told me like in Long Island once that you, like I saw 100,000, like going fishing in Long Island. I was like, Long Island. He's not from New York. It's like, yeah, he's from New York. So. Oh, no.

No. What do young people say, that's Cal. Okay. That's a good rumor, though. No, no. I mean. I mean, fishing is awesome. You know, I just, I, I, just.

I've never done it in Long Island, though. Okay. And these are also non-sequitur in random questions. No, I love these kind of questions. Like you're interviewing me like a... Like a human. Well, when we go to Europe, they ask different questions. Exactly.

You know what I mean? I like the difference. I figure you're just tired of asking the same thing. Where have you been? You know, how many instruments do you play or can you play? I can mess around with maybe four or four. five to get a sound out of them, but I don't even consider myself a musician in that way. Like, I can't even claim that I know real musicians, you know, but I can write.

I use them as kind of like writing, too. Sometimes I can record myself doing it, but I'm not proficient. I'm probably more proficient on a flute than I am on any of them. So in a world full of instruments, why the flute? Natural, how I got there, how I discovered it. With instruments, you kind of, you pick them up and you mess around with them and you start to see where am I spending most of my time. And it ended up being the flute. But then I go through phases too because I was, I did it with guitar for a little bit.

Then I did it with bass for a little bit. And then flute just happened to be the thing that I think stuck. And because I think the mobleness of a flute, too, because I mean, right now I'm holding the flute. I carry it kind of everywhere. So any inspiration I get, I just pick it up and start messing me. around, I can't do that with a bass guitar. I can't do that with a piano. You can do it with a acoustic maybe, but this is so unassuming and you just kind of carry it like a, you know, so I think that the portability of a flute probably made it my favorite. How many do you own?

About 30, 30 flutes maybe. So you have 30 versions of that? No, and they're all from different makers, but this style of flute, I probably own more of these and my double flutes than any any other style because it's kind of the flute that I really fell in love with first, which is based in like Mesoamerican culture, you know, Mayan and Aztec flutes. And now this is the Native American version of them made by Guillermo. They were made a clay originally. But I own a lot of these, but I think once I started to go on the flute path, I started to get schooled by Uber drivers because I play all the time.

So I play in Uber. I play in Cal. I play in the back. Word. Yeah. And so if I'm playing and it's a Chinese driver, he'll turn around like, oh man, that reminds me in my country. Or if it's Japanese, oh, that reminds me, or if it's African, oh, it reminds me.

So everybody, I'm playing the same flute, but every nationality of driver will turn around and tell me it reminds them of their country. So that let me know that culturally, every culture has a flute. Okay. And a drama, of course. But yeah, yeah, but I started to get schooled on the street and by Uber drivers why people asking me about things like I was in Philly, shooting the film, and I spent a lot of time in Philly, and I was just walk and play. And this dude comes up to me, and he's like, oh, you're doing

that Japanese thing? And I was like, what Japanese thing are you talking about? And then he schools me and tell me that there was a whole Shaka-hachi culture where, you know, these Japanese players would walk around with baskets on their head to have no identity and no ego and just play for people. And I would just walk around in public and play. So he was asking me, was I doing that, which I had no idea what that was and went to research that and learned about that. I was going to say there's a show that came on in the 70s called Kung Fu. Yes. And of which David Caradine's character sort of, and he, Tarantino sort of alluded to that in Kill Bill in which he played the same exact flute, like just walk around and start playing.

Okay. So yeah, I was wondering like, wow, I wonder if he's in his kung fu phase. No, it's just a, I'm being taught. I'm learning and I see now that anything that I can blow wind through and manipulate the notes with my fingers, I want to play it. So if I'm turned on to a Persian na flute or Indian Bansuri flute or like a Gord, a Chinese gourd, like I just like discovering things that I can blow. You know, and it's fun, you know, pause. How long did it take, how long did it take, how long did it take you, for muscle memory's sake, to, how long? I get the feeling you're going to say, I have yet to master the flute.

Oh, yeah, man. I mean, but you do know, like, and right now when you're playing, are your hands telling you what to do, or do you know that this particular position will yield this note and that note? No, that's the fun and scary part about how I play. Like, when people hear the record, like, we made it up as it was going. So I'm discovering that melody as it's going along, but I don't know what I'm doing until I do it. So, like, I couldn't, like, if you played a note for me right now on a keyboard, I cannot tell you what that note was.

If you played a chord, I couldn't tell you. See, I understand when musicians talk about a key center or, you know, the bottom of this court, but I don't know what that is, none of that. So for me, it's all physical and it's all shapes. So I do know if I take one finger and spread, I can't say it on the microphone or how to say it. but do these ET kind of fingers, I know that gives me an odd note. That's all I know.

I know it's odd, which may be a, I don't know, a flat or something. And I know if I put all my fingers down, I get a certain thing. So when I'm playing, I'm actually responding to what note I just played before, not knowing what that note is. So everything is on a tightrope. So you're taking one step at a time? Purely one step at a time, but it is very physical.

It is very physical because I'm trying to wheel something out because I know I never trained, so I have to find another way, another route to get to it. How often do you practice a day? I wouldn't even call it practice, which I'm now getting into practice. Like, because I started playing flute, like, I'm actually meeting, like, kick-ass flute players, like someone introduced me to Shabaka. And so Shabaka will show me exercise, like, I'm, but I've never done that before. And so I'm learning how to practice.

I never went to college anything, so I don't even have, like, the, I just, I just, just never had to study. So I don't have that in me. For me, it's always playing. I just try to play as much as possible, which ends up being studied. So even before, I'm just always out playing, but I don't know, I don't have a regimen, really. Fun fact, you're speaking for at least 70% of all musicians out there. Like, I play by ear.

Yeah. I mean, I've just recently, maybe in the last 20 years, and only because, like, some of the more intellectual roots will eye roll. because I don't know, I didn't know previously how to say, like play a C-sharp suss. Yeah. See, I know those words, but that's so, that's foreign to me. Right. But for a majority of creatives, there's two types of musicians, technical musicians and musicians that feel. I'm a feel musician.

Totally feel. Like if you were to put no tape notes in front of me, I wouldn't know what the hell is in front of me. So I got to go on and feel. Yeah, that's all I have, man. that's all I kind of, and the thing about hip hop too, hip hop forces you to do the immediate thing. I don't know. It's just a certain energy that, yeah, I don't know.

We just kind of have this kind of flying by the seat of our parents kind of thing. And so when I put it towards an instrument, I'm kind of transferring in that way of, like, we just try stuff. Like we pick up something that's not supposed to be for a thing and make it for something else. You know, so I'm using a lot of that. How did you assemble the musicians for New Blue Sun? How did it come together? It naturally came about by me meeting Carlos, Carlos Nino.

Yeah. We met, it's such a Venice, Venice story. We met in Airwine. Yeah, no joke. No joke. We met it. I like their milkshakes. And actually, Mike D from Beastie Boys was there at the meeting because I saw him in line

checking out. And I went up to him, what's up, man? You know, and then Carlos comes up. So there's three of us standing right here at the cash register. Right. And Carlos invites us out to an event that he's doing at night. And, yeah, we kind of started hanging out since then. He had heard that I was in town in Venice, and people were like, I think y'all need to meet.

You know, and some people would say that to Carlos. And Carlos was like, yeah, I'm going to meet him, you know, at some point, you know. And we finally ended up meeting. And he invited me over to his house. We recorded in his garage. And that was kind of like our first kind of getting into it. And I knew I wanted to work on this wind project. And I knew a lot of the sounds that I was looking for.

That's what that's what Carlos does. And so when he was brought into the fold, he's like, man, I know a lot of people I could bring, you know, to help. And so we tried out a lot of different outfits, you know, different situations. And the core four of us ended up kind of ended up being. Syria and neat as well. Yeah, Seria and Nate, but that ended up being the core. And then we would invite just anybody in to come and, you know, hang out. But yeah, this album definitely, it couldn't have been made without Carlos Nino.

Like, Nino is, what I love about Nino is he reminds me of when I was producing early on for Outcast, like there's a certain excitement. Like, he's more concerned with what's the most interesting thing. Okay. You know, and I love that. It's like kind of kid spirit, you know. So, okay, in the credits of the album, under Carlos' title, there's also play, like, it's listed as gongs, various instruments, and then there's plants. How are plants a part of the instrumentation of this album?

I mean, you'll see when we play live, but sounds are everywhere, man. Like, anything is a sound. You know, we've only settled on certain instruments because where you, you know, we've only settled on certain instruments because we're used to them, but like Carlos may just grab a palm leaf off the side of the road and shake it. Oh, okay. I see.

I see. You know what I mean? So anything. Like it could be a beanstalk, a dry, big, anything. You know, just whatever makes a cool noise that you like. And Carlos has like, man, and a myriad of sounds of stuff, anything. Like, yeah, and plants happen to be one of them. So what's the division of labor as far as?

as the technical aspect. I'm only asking this because when I read the credits to your album, there's a name there, a legendary Philadelphia name. Gentleman named Andy Cravitz. Andy mastered this album. Yes.

Now, Andy Cravitz, to me, is a very legendary Philadelphia native trauma. We got our record deal in 1993. I used to intern at Ruffalo's records. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

And so Andy Kravitz was sort of like a house producer at Studio 54. So I'm there like when he's working with Ten Dog. He's played on Steady B stuff. And so I, you know, he was like really the first hip-hop drummer I've seen with my own eyes. Nothing. Sorry, Bobby Simmons of Stets to Sonic. Forgive me.

But yeah, Andy Kravitz was like, and then he just disappeared off the radar for like 20. And I always wondered what happened to him. So he's mastering. Yeah, it's so cool that the relationship like Carlos has worked with him before. And so his mastering studio is in Venice. So it was all in the neighborhood. So like his mastering studio is right by the beach. And we just kind of go to his house and he got like crazy equipment like knee boards and a little bit of ass apartment.

It's awesome. So basically I have to move to Venice. Why Venice? I have no idea, man. I got here at happenstance, like, I wouldn't even supposed to be living in Venice and then this real estate agent lady. She was like, hey, check out this little house I got in Venice. I mean, just check it out. And all my friends in L.A., they were like, please, man, don't move to Venice.

Like, L.A. people would be like, man, we'll never see you because that's on the west side. That's way. Yeah, I was going to say it's beautiful. But then I was like, ah, man, so much on sunset and all my favorite restaurants, I would never know. I'm not doing it. But I never get back on that side, though. Like, everything I need is pretty much over here. And I think all of that, like, me moving to Venice catapulted me in the direction I needed to go.

And I will say that because I met, I went to a breathwork class in Venice. That's when I first heard this certain kind of flute that I love. And it was all because of Venice. So I have to say sometimes, them certain breadcrumbs or wherever you're, wherever you are for a reason. And you may not even know it at the time. If I didn't move to Venice, this album probably wouldn't have been made. Okay. Not in this way.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need. to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports

Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the biggest mistakes. the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal.

The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring, inconsistency. in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in so-ins, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected.

They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Alesspian, Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. this is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues,

Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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

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

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

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

Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What was the banner year or the starting year of your flute curiosity? I don't know the actual starting year, but I will say, because me and college were just talking about it the other day. Since the love below, I've been interested in wind instruments. Like I've messed around with saxophone, even though I'm like, and she lives in my life at the end, the horrible saxophone.

That's me messing around on saxophone. Oh, I thought you had a free jazz saxophone player. No, that's me. That was you? Yeah, that's me playing. It's me messing around. Oh, shit. I have to re-listen to that.

Okay. It's horrible. It's horrible, but it was like... Is it though? I don't believe in wrong notes. And I love... Now I've got to go back and listen again. You're here.

You're here. The thing is, if you do it with a straight-faced and confidence... Oh, yeah. Oh, it's always for real now. It's serious. Even if it's horrible, you're going to believe it. Okay, I just thought you had some free jazz. Okay.

Now I have to revisit that. So, yeah, I started wanting to play saxophone, first tenor saxophone, because of John Coltrane. I mean, because I was a fan of John Coltrane. and me reading bios of John Coltrane, I learned that he played clarinet in school first before he switched over to, so I was like, well, let me give me a clarinet. So I bought a clarinet, straight, B-flak, the straight one, B-flak clarinet, and I played around with it for a few months, and then we were on tour, and I went to a pawn shop in New York. And there was a Selmer-based

clarinet. I don't know why I was there, and I was like, it looked cool. A lot of time, I'm going to track it to an instrument because the way it looked. And so I saw it, and it was in its case, it was open. And it happened to be like a 1967 Selmer-based clarinet, bought it. And as soon as I started playing it, like, and the thing is with Winplay, it's a thing called armature. It's kind of like how your mouth fits over the tip of the read and all that kind of stuff. It's weird, but I was just blessed to immediately have an armature.

Like, my first time picking it up and putting my mouth on it was like, I'm, I'm, I'm getting a good tone, like a good sound. So it motivated me to even want to play more. You know, so from there, once I hit the bass clarinet, I noticed that I love the deeper tones. And I love wind on wood compared to metal, which is, you know, soprano. Which, I tried a little soprano too. Okay.

So from there, it's just me loving what I could get out of wind instruments. So I even got into oboe, which is the hardest one to play. I love the obo sound. Got into Obo, went into Obo Day. Obo Day. Right. Yeah, Obo Day at the new school, they have like Obo Day. Okay.

You see what I'm saying? Like Dre Day, but Obo Day. Right. Okay. I was like, is that a pun or, okay. No. Obo Day. I get it.

So, yeah, when I moved to New York, I would just kind of look at the school schedule of whatever performances were at the new school because I always like to go where the youth is performing new music. I don't care. Like there's something about that college age where you're dumb enough to try new things, but you're developed enough to do them well. And that's that. It's about that period. And so I would just go to the new school and see whatever recitals are playing. I don't care piano one night. It could be bassoonist, another night or a whole orchestra. And I just sit there and listen. Side question. Are you freaking people out as you're like just wandering into their school? Not really because of it. Or into their pawn shop? No, I just.

just, you know, talk to the students. You know, they were like, oh, he came to the show. But it would be maybe 15 people in there, like 10 people just sitting. So it was not like a big production or anything, so I could easily just slip in, slip out. But just my interest in wind instruments just kept growing. And so I would just collect different wind instruments. And then I discovered the Guillermo, the Maya double flute, which is kind of what really pushed me into wanting to play it all the time.

And maybe, like, even with a base clarinet, you have to, it's like a gun, you have to construct it. Put it together, put it back in the case, clean it, you know. With these, it was so instant, I can just carry it around. So it was very instant. I think because I could carry it, I kept it with me longer than any other instrument. So, yeah, I've been interested in win for a long time. Okay. Yeah.

So this album marks a return to the spotlight for you, for the, for the, the first time in, as of this recording, 17 years, basically meaning you haven't released product with your name on it since 2006. My own product, yes. Your own product, yeah. Even though you've done things here and there. Could you describe, if you can go back that far, 2007? Like a year after...

What's 2007? Well, a year after 2006 where, you know, you're starting your... I'm sure then you... didn't think of it as I'm going to start my exile or my rest from my day job that people know me from. But like a year or two after it, when you're not in daily motion of got to have an out amount, got to figure out a tour, got to da-da. Like, what was 2007 like for you?

You were 32 years old. Um, I don't remember, but. That's cool, too. Yeah, because it's hard for me to place the dates. Like, you have to give me kind of like a, like a marker. Like that was a year after the Love Low came out or a year before Idaweil or, like, I kind of have to mark it. I think a year after, Idawhal came out in 2006, so I'd say a year after Idaweil then. A year after I had a while, I'm at home and I was blessed to start getting axed to be on remixes.

Okay. And that was a blessing for me because it gave me a chance to rap. You know, after all that had happened. That's so weird. You see it as a blessing. No, because it feel good to rap. So whenever you get the opportunity to do it and you in it. I know.

But like, okay, so I remember once when you appeared on the remix of, uh, walk it out. Walk it out. Right. Yeah, yeah. And the, so I know you're not on social media. So to see the social media reaction. to you even being on that remix. One was a shocker like, wait, $1003,000 is on a walk-it-out song and with Jim Jones, whatever.

So, but it was such a mind-blowing thing. But in my mind, I was like, wow, I wonder if he notices like that. And again, I mean this with no pressure, no intent of pressure. Like, you're kind of holding the world's oxygen supply, you know, hostage because you can spit a verse. and it's guaranteed that at least three things that you say in that verse will be like, holy shit, you're a couple of those words again? Like, it's an event.

I've seen people like, for instance, the verse on the Rick Ross thing. Like, I didn't think I'd ever experience coming from a place where we would have daily meetings about, wait, what about this? And you just start doing your PowerPoint thing and the way he juxtapose these words together.

But. Oh, man. So it's just weird to hear you say, like, oh, I'm just so blessed to be able to get the opportunity to do that. And I'm like, no. And when I say, you are the opportunity. No. But when I say, blessing, you got to understand too, this is a town, a town creating a new sound too. So DJ Unk. Like, that actually came through another DJ friend of mine that no, and Unk just said, hey, ask Andre if he would get on this beat. And it came that way. It was no, it was nothing,

no big production. Like, I don't even know if I got paid for the song. Like, I think, I think the trade-off was, hey, aunt, can you do a couple of beats that we scratched in the background of my cartoon? That'll be the payment for class of 300. Right, okay. So I think it was set up that way, but the beat was so jamming. Right. That you just want to get on it. So I say the blessing because any rapper just want to be on a good beat and be in the city. You know, you just want to be out. You want to be heard. So if producers are making new sounds or even like, even later, like new artists, so even if a Frank Ocean says, hey, get on my song. Frank Ocean, the new artist, I don't know him.

I get on my song. But when I say a blessing, that reintroduced me to a whole other generation, too. Right. You know what I mean? I were following that, you know, so I do look at it as blessings. And I say blessing because we'd just come off of speakerbox glove below, Idaho, which was a musical, more focused. melodic kind of thing. And so I didn't rap a lot.

Okay. In those offerings a little bit. So when I say a blessing, it gave me another opportunity to do what I enjoy doing. What five albums can you not live without? What five albums can you not live without? That's a hard one, man. Yeah, yeah, you should have gave me some time to answer this before we got on this microphone, man. Well, the thing is, I think oftentimes when you, when people are in this high pressure

situation of like, I got to give the most intellectual answer. Like sometimes I listen to boring ass shit. You know what I mean? Yeah. I'm on an Elvis kick right now because I just saw the Lisa Marie biopic. Okay. And I'm interested in that 68 comeback black leather. So I'm, and plus, you know, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, recing crew were playing

on that record. So right now I'm on an Elvis kick. Okay. For some strange reason. But it doesn't have to be five. I've gone through that Elvis kick too. Really? Yeah, man.

Like, Elvis was a bad motherfucker, man. Or what five albums would you not expect us to think that you're into? Hmm. Not think that I'm into? Oh, that's another thing. Because when you say your five albums, it's almost like I'm trying not to give you the ones that everybody's going to say to. so I'm double thinking like if I say you know you know love supreme songs right you know what I mean it's kind of like that's everybody you know what I mean so I'm trying to figure out that's a good

question what would okay so everyone has a go-to song that they put on to just calm them down and you know when the album came out I hit you with 12 paragraphs I'm certain the whole world was hitting you with paragraphs but you know okay I won't say an album because what's an album in 2023? What music? What's your go-to music that you escape to? It's different

phases, man. And just like you're saying right now, you're into Elvis phase. Right now, I'm into like a kind of classical Steve Reichish kind of. Oh, okay. It's very

repetitive, calming, and meditative, at the same time, but at the same time, like, very complex and moving. It's like, and it's rhythmic, you know, it's tight, you know, so I guess I'm into that and I listen to like a lot of native drum circle music, like Cree Indian, Cree Nation kind of drumming. The way they sing, man, yeah, that just blows my mind. Something very powerful about that. Is there any lyric that is ever stuck in your head, a stanza or a lyric of any song or

I've been working on a slide documentary for so long that I think almost every day hear the last line of family fear. Like you can't cry because you look broke down, but you're crying away because you're all broke down. So that's stuck in my head. Like, are there lyrics that are often just stuck in your? your head, even if it's dumb. I met her in a hotel lobby, like anything. Like the song Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, like is one of those songs that I wish, you know, people ask you, man, what song

do you wish you would? Do you wish you wrote? Yeah, like as a child hearing that song, it introduced me to, oh, you can, you can actually hit people in the heart with words, you know? And when she, when she said the line, um, uh, something like, uh, body, body's too young for, body's too old for working, but body's too old, too young to look like his. My mama went off and left him. She wanted more than he could give. Somebody's got to take care of him, so I quit school. Yeah.

You wish you wrote that? Yeah, it was like we were listening and watching a real life. Like, it's almost like the black kind of a trailer park story. You know what I mean? Right. And you were on the wrong. ride the whole time like these big dreams of her and this dude. And someone running away from a past life.

And it went full circle. Right. Like she had these big dreams just like a mama did. Then at the end, she got to keep moving. Like, whoa. Right. Hard. Okay.

Yeah. Anyone that has ever asked me, like, what song that I wish I wrote or a part of? I will never hesitate to say. Nothing will ever beat the moment. in which we were in our tour bus. We had one week to finish our Things Swallow Part album. We were coming back from Pittsburgh. And this is August of 98.

Okay. And, you know, back of the day, of course, your album had to be done like three months ahead of time. Oh, yeah, man. Yeah. So somehow my publicist was connected to, Drew Dixon at Arista and had a copy of Aquamini.

And the feeling of fear when Spodioli Dopolis just came on, I was like, fuck, they sound like a better band than we do. And instantly I knew like every black university

marching band, like this was going to be something I heard like forever and I was like damn how come my ideas don't come to me like that man like what the fuck you know and plus it's very it's it's it's it's rare in which you hear stream of conscious thinking mm-hmm mm-hmm and man uh that paralyzed me so goddamn much man like I wish I don't know if I should say thank you or sorry I like you know what I mean it made me it made me try harder man And I've yet to still create that. So, like, in my mind, that's what I'm doing.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations, with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the player. flying under the radar.

This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcasts on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in so-ins, correct? I doctored the test ones.

It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian, Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap.

Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There's two golden rules that any man. should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl.

You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me?

The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wode. My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network, It's Will Ferrell My dad gave me the best advice ever I went and had lunch with him one day

And I was like And dad I think I want to really give this a shot I don't know what that means But I just know the groundlings I'm working my way up through And I know it's a place they come Look for up and coming talent He said if it was based solely on talent

I wouldn't worry about you Which is really sweet Yeah He goes but there's so much luck involved And he's like Just give it a shot He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration.

It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right. It wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

It actually, best piece of advice, I would say, came from Erica's grandmother. Erica would all, Erica's grandmother would always say anything, any problem, any issue that come up. She'd be like, ah, keep on living. It'll happen to you. That was it. Did you know what she meant? Yes.

Okay. Yeah. Keep on living. It'll happen to you. Yeah. Okay. it's as simple as that. It's going to happen. Keep on living. It'll happen to you. If you can astral travel, if you can astral travel back to 1992, and you were allowed,

you today were allowed a 20-second window to disrupt the timeline and talk to yourself, and I believe you were 17 in 1992. What would you tell yourself in those 20 seconds? This is like before first album? 92, I consider that at the beginning of podcast. What would I tell myself? Get ready for the ride, man. Get ready for a ride that you don't even know how to hold on. Because you can't even fathom what's going to happen.

You know, so I don't know if there's any more advice than that. Just get ready for the ride and just, yeah. Yeah, because there's nothing to prepare you for, because we can have plans like as humans. We, you know, you just want to rap. Okay. Those are kind of on the ground, you know, goals, but then there's a higher force that takes you further

and that things that I couldn't even imagine that I couldn't even think about. So really just get ready for the ride. Most people, when they dream, they often have themes that occur all the time. Yep. Trains are always in my dream. For the least the last 30 years,

trains are always in my dream. What is the prevalent theme of all of your dreams? Flying. You're always on a plane? No, I'm always flying. No plane. Do you have a fear of flying? No.

Besides trains, and this is weird. I live in an apartment in New York and I'm on the 73rd floor. And people always ask all the time, wait, aren't you free to be up here? You know, that sort of thing. But yet, when I sleep, because I often believe that times you're, brain can't register fantasy in real life. So I tried an exercise where, you know, I was watching somebody on YouTube and they said, like, imagine yourself flying.

And when I close my eyes to, like to stand on a ledge to make that leap, I get that, I can't imagine myself. Even in my dreams, I can't imagine myself flying over. Like, it's the same fear as if I were on the ledge and want to hang on to deer life. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So in your dreams, you have the ability to just transport and fly. Yes. And it was from wherever I am, like not a, I have to be on the top of a building. Like, I can be on the ground. And I start to do this type. It's almost like a, a hover. Like, it's like a floating kind of thing. And you're kind of like, it's not like direct control. It's almost like you're drifted and you're able to. manipulate the drift a little bit, but not fast. So if I want to make a turn, I got to start drifting a little.

But yeah, like I'm always flying. I'm looking down on the world. Like I'm looking down on mountains. I'm looking down on things. But here's the craziest thing. Whenever I try to show my friends, like I remember when I dream, I was trying to show C-law, like, see, look, man, check this out. And I tried to do it for him.

It didn't work. You know what I mean? Like, it's almost like you want to share this. planning it, you couldn't do it, but when it just happens. When I was by myself and it was happening, I was, whoa, look at this flying thing. And now at this point, I want to show people, you almost like, I almost want to show off the trick. Like, oh, check this out.

And whenever I try, it just doesn't work, which is weird, you know. But I have that dream a lot. And it's the same flying style, which is, and it's kind of like, it's a really awesome style. because it's Because even in your dreams you're cool shit Because it's so It's so floaty

It's so floaty It's not like a plain shit I'm able to make quick rights or anything So it's almost like It's hard I try to describe dreams on a microphone It's hard

I get it It's hard Who are three of the most In your career Who are three of the most important People that you've met L.A. Reed, who signed us,

Big Boy. And I just, I say third, I'd have to say collectively the dungeon. Those are most important. Okay. Because, because, and for different reasons, but well, L.A. Reed, of course, he gave us our first opportunity,

you know, so he saw enough in us to sign us, to give us an opportunity to do something. Big Boy, because he's my high school friend that started this whole thing with me that, oh, we can do this, you know. And not only that, just contributing in like a music form, but in a motivational form too, because Big Boy knows me more than anybody. And he knows, you know, when I'm not feeling a certain thing or, you know, when I've given up in a way. And Big Boys always been kind of like the chili.

Like I remember before we even first, our first album came out. our first showcase, people didn't like us, you know. And we got the feedback from that showcase when all labels were coming. You would do your act and, you know, it's kind of funny to think about it now. But we got word that, you know, some feedback was, oh, they're okay. They're not stars. You know, that was the feedback. And so at that point, I remember we were kind of sad.

We were at the dungeon. And I was like, oh, well, shit, man. I'm going to go ahead and do this art thing. Like I thought I'd be drawing in paint. That's what I started doing. So the plan was like, all right, when we're just going to art school now, you know, this rap thing isn't not working.

So Big Boy is kind of the person like, no, man, we didn't came this far. Let's do it. So that value, importance in my life and career. The dungeon, because they created an environment to show me, well, to make, we feel comfortable enough to do all the things that y'all are seeing now.

Like, you have to have a good grounds to feel comfortable enough to try stuff. You know, I mean, you've seen it. You've produced, you've been in the studio, like, you've gotten certain things out of artists when they're opening and, you know, freer than if they're, you know, nervous or, you know, they're scared to fuck up, you know, or scared to not be great. You know, you got to create that environment. And I think the dungeon created that environment for me to, yeah, for me to know how to dream. Like they taught me like, yeah, they taught me how to get out, you know.

What's the hidden talent that you possess that the world doesn't know about? Drawing, painting. You still actively paint right now in sculpt? Yeah, yeah. Are you into selling your work? Yes, very soon. Stay tuned, very soon. Yeah, I want to be for it because that's, I collect works from different artists.

Yeah, man. So finally George Clinton gave me an official piece. Yeah, man. I can't wait to share it because it's a whole other thing. And I've been sharing it a little bit, but only like on Outcast CDs. Yeah, all the art work. It's a little quick. And that's another thing.

That was a Big Boy thing. Like I did it one time for the first album. And then Big Boys are like, you're going to do another one for the next one? I was like, yeah, sure. Why not? So it became a thing because he actually. So you've done all that. artwork of on the actual disc.

Yeah. Yeah. That's your work. Okay. Yeah. And I'm, I call myself more of a, like a classroom drawer more than anything. I wouldn't say I'm, you know, full flesh. I'm learning how to paint now.

But yeah, I've been doing it for a while now. And I'm loving that I'm finding what I am, loving that I'm finding my style and can't wait to share it. But that, uh, I cook. How good? I have to cook and you have to tell me. Like, but people. that have had food, they enjoy it.

And I'd really be doing the same thing that my mom and my dad showed me, just recipes they showed me. So it's like... What's your go-to gym? Salmon patties and cheese grits. Okay. Or fried fish. My dad had a fish shop on Riverdale Road.

Okay. And my mom taught me, you know, recipes. I'm only child, so I cooked for myself a lot. So I had that skill to do it. Okay. Other talents? I can make. water noises with my mouth.

Okay. You want to hear him? Hit me. Andre 3,000, ladies and gentlemen. What's the greatest cereal of all time? Woo! I would have to say, you got to eat it quick.

But them fruity pebbles, though, like... Oh, before it becomes super soggy? Yeah, yeah. Them fruity pebbles, man, they're something else. Okay. The story that you told me before we started, at taping about Coachella night one. Yeah, yeah, man.

Could you share that story? Yeah, for sure. And it's funny for a long time, I wouldn't sure if I, you know, when people pass away, you just want to kind of respect. Right. But I think Prince would, I think he would enjoy it. So yeah, like I don't, I've met Prince in passing. Like when I was finishing up the love below, I lived in L.A.

And I remember me and a homie going out to a club. on sunset, normal night, and I go, I say, hey, I'm going to use the bathroom. I'm walking away you used the bathroom. And this big, huge bodyguard dude comes in grab and you say, hey, Prince is in the corner he wants to meet you. And so that was my first time meeting Prince when I got a pee. What years is this? Oh, man, this was.

Well, you're making the love below. No, actually, this was, hey, y'all was already out. Hey, y'all was out. Yeah, and that's the only, like, the whole album. You were just meeting him then? No, the album had just come out. Yeah, I hadn't met him before. Crap.

I did not know that. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah, all my friends had met him. You know, Erica told me stories. You know, I just, I never met him. But, um, so his bodyguard, I never mind you, I still got to pee.

Right. So I go over to this booth and this prince and he's sitting and I'm very nervous, man. He, you know, motions his hand like, sit down, sit down, man. You know, so I go and sit down and I just, I didn't know what to say. And he could, he could tell that I, I didn't know what to say. Right. So he was like, it's all good, man.

He didn't say all good, but he was like, it's okay or something like that. He's like, it's okay. He's like, we don't have to talk about everything now. That's what we say. We don't have to say everything now. He's like, you can come out to Paisley Park. You know, he invited it, which I'd never been to Paisley Park. But, and so I'm sitting there, and I didn't, so he starts talking about, hey, yeah.

And I didn't know if it was. Did that freak you out? It did. That he knew you were alive, that you existed? Yes, but what he said, I didn't know how to. take it. I didn't know if he was taking a dig at me or what because he said, yeah, I like that song, Hey y'all, man. He was like, I thought I was the only person that did songs in those tempoes. That's what he said to me. And I didn't know if he was like, take that nigga, you know what I mean?

You know what I didn't? I didn't know how to take it. You know, this is my hero. I think he considered you a peer. Like, I don't know. I don't know. And so naturally, the album had just come out and we were trying to figure out what's the next single. Right. And so I didn't know what to say to him. And I just said, hey, have you heard that album? He's like, yeah, I've heard it. And I said, well, what do you think the next single should be?

Then he said another Prince thing. He said, in my day, we only had one shot. So basically he was saying, it don't matter now. Right. Whatever you do, it don't matter. Right. And I didn't know how to take that either. You know, it's like, okay, okay, cool.

the next time I saw Prince I'm and it's always random so I'm walking down the street like close to Rodeo by myself and a limo pulls up close to me I'm not I swear to all the gods man

no dude every Prince story is this random yes I know because I've heard them too yes and so he so this window rolls down and this little head pops out and his prince in a limo and he said what's up man I was like what's up man you know

And then he was like, you heard about this. I can't say, I remember which magazine, but they would, they opposed the thing. We want to put you and Prince on the cover of a magazine together. And Prince said, you heard about that? I don't know if it was a rap page. I don't know what. Complex? I have no idea which magazine he was.

But I was like, yeah, I heard about it. And I was asking him, like, what do you think? And he said, don't let them do you like that. Yeah. And I still, you said, you said, Like, I don't know. But now, like, in retrospect, I think what he meant was don't let them boil you down to being next to me. Right.

You know what I mean? That's what I got from it. Like, you know, you know what I mean? And people would try to put you in them boxes, you know what I mean? Yeah. And I respected that from him. You know what I mean? He was like, you're more than whatever people are saying.

You know what I mean? And that's what I took from. So fast forward. Yeah. I hadn't talked to him or seen him that whole time. Big Boy didn't tour 10 years. So we have this Coachella opportunities. Outcast 20 years.

Wait, you must really be off the radar because Prince is super, like I will see him in the most random situation. Yeah. So you're saying 10 years went by before you saw him again? Yeah, I think it was seven to 10 years. Damn. Okay. But I'd move from L.A. too. So I only saw him in L.A.

I think he was hanging out. Right. I hear a lot. So the Coachella opportunity comes up. I was kind of like whatever about it. Like, you know, there were certain times I hadn't even remember my raps. You know, I was kind of all right, whatever, let's go ahead and do it. So the first night of code, the first weekend of Coachella, um, nerves, like I hadn't been on stage.

You know what I mean? Like, that's not my normal every day anymore. Big boy does it every night. So this is normal to him. So I'm coming out in the dressing room. they start the show, I'm walking to the stage, and I see Paul McCartney. Oh, no. Walk to the left side of the stage and sit.

I saw Prince walk to the right side of the stage. Oh, no. And sit. Oh, God. I'm sorry, Andre, man. Yeah, so you see what I'm saying? You see what I'm saying? Tyler, the creator just met us backstage.

Tyler is new. I'm sorry, man. We're talking. He came backstage. We're tripping. Right. I'm nervous as fuck. I'm walking to the stage.

Right. And I see these gods standing on both sides of the stage. Mind you, my whole career, I've never used in-ears, you know, the monitors. We always just worked off of whatever speakers on stage. My first time ever using in ears and they're acting up. So they're clipping out. I'm hearing voices I don't even know talking in my ear. I'm like, what the fuck?

Right. So it was a disaster to me. Like, I was trying to get through it. I didn't know how to do it anymore. Like, it was just a new awakening for an old thing that I used to do. So halfway through the show, I'm checked out. Like, I'm already just trying to get through it. I'm just trying to get through the night, you know.

I'm already in my bed. So as soon as I walked off stage, I went home and went straight to sleep. When you crash, you go straight to sleep. Like, it's like a bad night. So you just let me go to sleep and, you know, wake up in the morning. So when I woke up and I'm driving back to L.A., my manager called and said, hey, Prince wants to talk to you. So he calls. I don't know where he got the number from.

Yeah, he doesn't. Yeah, so he should work for, like, the secret service. Right, exactly. But he calls and it's Prince on the phone. I'm like, hey, man, I'm like, you know, I don't even know. Like, I got Prince on the fucking phone. Right. first thing he says he says you know what your problem is he digs he goes in straight like that

he said you don't understand how big y'all are and of course i'm telling him my sob story like yeah man you know i ain't really been wanting to do it anymore like i don't like doing old song he's like and he this is him he's saying i've been there man like i know exactly what you mean i've been there where I don't want to do those songs. Blah, blah, blah. But he said, but you're a grown man. You've signed up to do these shows. So do them.

Just like that. And so that conversation made me have to re-figure out, how can I make these shows exciting to me? You know, how can I be in it? And that's when the idea to try to put messages on my uniform every night. That's what got me excited. Where are those uniforms? We have them in storage.

All of them? All of them. Okay. So my biggest excitement of that tour was figuring out what I was going to say that night because I was trying to say something new. Like I love, I mean, here's my thing. I love the blessing of the songs that we've been given. I don't like performing old songs, really.

I just don't because I'm in a whole other space and I have to kind of get back in to remember what that felt like to do that. And I don't necessarily like doing that. It's almost like playing dress up to an eighth grade. picture that you saw and now you're trying to re-be that person again. Right. And so I was trying to figure out, how do I make this exciting, this tour? And so the messages on the suits were just fun to me.

It was just hilarious. What can I do to make it fun? That's how I got through it. And that gave me something, an entry way to make this exciting. And that's, yeah, oh, but back to. Back to Prince, another thing too. So when I was telling him about, you know, how I felt, and he was like, yeah, I've been there. I've been there. He's like, but you got to do these shows. You're a grown man. And then he said, oh, so back when he was like, you got to remind people who you are. She's like, when you've been gone for a long time, you have to remind people who you are every time. He's like, you got to do that first. This is him telling me, like, you got to do that first. And then you can do whatever. He actually said, if you remind people what you do first, you can shave off all your hair and tell them to do it and they will do it. These are his words.

And he said, I learned that from Mary J. Blas. This is Prince telling me, he's like, toured. I did a couple of shows with her and I'm trying to do all this new stuff. And she's doing what people know. And he said, I learned that from Mary to give the people what they want first. Then you can do whatever you want after that. And him trying to, I guess, plead his case about reminding people who y'all are, he started naming artist. And I won't name the names because I don't think it's about these names.

But he was like, this person, this person, this person, none of these people would be here if it wasn't for y'all. And you have to remember that. And you have to remind people of that all the time. So, and then he said, and this is, I guess, the musician in him, he was like, and why you didn't play your guitar on Hey y'all on stage? Why you didn't do it? I was like, I'm not like a great guitarist or anything. You know, it's like I know how to play a couple of chords.

He's like, but you're good enough. You should have played it. So, you know, he's digging it. And then I didn't tell everybody at the time because I wanted to keep the momentum together, but he totally dissed our band. Right. Yeah, he's like, and what's up with that fucking band? This is Prince, saying, what's up with that fucking band?

And at that point, I was like, oh, man, you know, I really didn't want a band. I was trying to find a new way to be modern looking on stage or something like that anyway. I said, but, you know, I'm in a group and, you know, we have to be fair about decisions. I'm telling Prince about my inner, you know, my inner decision with me and being, you know, being like, I want the band, the band, you know, shit. You know, these are our folks who support our band, which I'm wit on that. But I wanted to do something new, but we are together in this thing.

So we had, we made decision to do the band. And it was our first night. So we're trying to get as tight as we can be. But anyway, he was like, what's up with that band? They sound horrible. Yeah, that's all I remember from that conversation. But, yeah. Brother, you know, I just want to say that I've been a long time, long, long, long time fan of yours.

One of my prime career regrets in the early start is that we never got to shop it up or, like, work together then in the, the, the, the, what I call the fossil years. We started our careers 30 years ago, folks. But man, no, but you're an inspiration in terms of like pushing boundaries. Because, you know, a lot of us are walking out here sort of mired and self-doubt. You know, thinking of survival first, all right, I got to get, I got to bring this money in so I can, you know, help my mom out. Yeah, do that da-da-da-da-da. obligations and stuff like that.

And we'd never allow ourselves to like break free and dream and take risks and do these things. And, you know, you've proven time and time again that there is a payoff when you do listen to your heart. And I'm a brain person. I used to be a brain person where I'm always thinking fight or flight, survival first, that sort of thing. And not what do I really feel? Yeah. And yeah, man, with new blue sun, man, dude, it couldn't have come at. a better time in my life because that's the type of music I always listen to just to calm down.

Yeah. Just a 24-7. That's all I listen to. Listen like tones and all those things, man. So, no, man, thank you, man. I'm glad that it's useful for you, man. Like, I'm just happy to be a part of that this time. You know what I mean?

You set an intention and you never know where it's going to land. Like my idea of what people are calling the flute album, which I think is, I think it belittles it to call it a flute album. You know what I mean? It's not just a flute. I do play flute on it a bit. I play electronic flute on it. But it's just music, man.

It's just music. Can I ask you something? Have you heard from Stevie Wonder yet? No, I haven't. To me, this reminds me. So my father and I, our bond was always been shopping records. Yeah.

I grew up in a household with like 3,000 records. And so. Once a month, we just go bin shop and everything. And one day in 1979, he comes home with Stevie Wonder's journey through the secret life of plants album, which is like a three-year follow-up to songs in the Key of Life. Songs in the Key of Life was like one of those events like thriller, you know, everyone had to have it in the household. And we're listening to it together as a family. It brought the family together. And so we're waiting three years for this follow-up record.

and the look of utter disappointment on my dad's face where he's like, Stevie Wonder doesn't even sing until like the fourth song. And he couldn't get it. Now I'm eight years old in 79. So I've never had a dark side of the moon psychedelic experience. So for me, I'm putting my headphones on and I'm like imagining space and all these things. So I totally took that record different. And I think that for a new generation that this is going to be that for them.

Like for me, I use it for meditative and sleeping purposes. Because I've heard a lot of that, man. I used to sleep to the news, especially with the past administration. And it's just unhealthy to have MSC on like 24-7 and all that bad news. So then I started sleeping to that. and when your soundtrack, oh, man, that to me, that was everything. So I thank you for that, man. Man, I'm so happy that you're finding use and people are finding use in it.

Like, it's becoming a thing that people are actually using. Yeah, it's a tool. It's like, I have to be in traffic. So I put this album on and I'm not mad anymore. Yes. You know, like, so I'm happy that I'm a part of something that can contribute positively to somebody's life. You know what I mean?

And the sleep thing is really important. because I've read, like, a lot of people like, man, I don't really sleep. And I've gotten the best sleep in the last three days after listening to the album. So to me, I'm just happy that it's working in that way, too. And not just on a, you know, oh, this is a moment and he's a rapper and he made this flute thing, you know, like beyond, beyond that. You know, and I'm kind of, I'm upset that people are upset. But I understand because if you've been waiting for a thing for 17 years, which I haven't been waiting for a thing. which I haven't been waiting for a thing.

That's the difference. I've never said, hey, I'm about to put this solo album out. Hey, I'm about to put this solo album out. I didn't do that for 17 years. So I didn't see it the same as like when I put it out. I forgot, oh, it has been 17 years. So I didn't see it as, hey, fuck y'all, listen to this. I just saw this.

This is where I am right now, you know, put it out. I didn't think that it would have as wide of wings. as it's had. I'm happy for it. Are you planning on the visual aspect of it now? Are you trying to figure out how to present this live, either by film or some sort, like what salons used to do, take over museums and? Both, both. We did shoot a film to it that's going to be playing mid-December.

Okay. A very simple kind of thing. It's going to be in IMAX theaters. So you have a visual to it. But live, man, like that's what I'm really looking forward to because that's honestly, that's the kind of jewel and the magic in it. It's kind of like the feeding off of each other and making that thing. You know, it's kind of like watching a formation. Like, and we don't know, especially I'm not a trained musician.

So it's even more surprising to me when a note comes out or something falls a certain way. You're like, when it lands right. Right. And you don't know it. Like, I don't know, like, music theory-wise to make something land. I only know how to land because I jumped up before it. You know what I mean? Right.

So that's the only way that I know. So doing it live and actually doing music with these brothers, like, that's the fun. And I can't wait for people to experience in a room watching us do it, do it. You know what I mean? So that's, yeah, that's what I'm looking forward to. Well, let's have it. Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of my fellow Questlove Supremers, Laia and Fontecalo and Humpeville, and it's your birthday today as we do this.

Shout to Brian and Cousin Jake and Brittany as well on the home front. Once again, the great Andre 3,000 on Questlove Supreme. We'll see you on the next go-round. Thank you, brother. No, thank you, man. Appreciate it. Thank you for listening to Questlove Supreme. Hosted by Amir Kirstloaf Thompson.

Laiya St. Clair. Fonte Coleman Sugar Steve Mandel and unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers are Ameri Questlove Thompson, Sean Cheap and Brian Calhoun.

Produced by Bridie Benjamin, Cousin Jake Payne, Elias St. Clair. edited by Alex Conroy, produced by Eyehart by Noel Brown and Mike Johns.

This episode, was engineered by Trevor Young. What's Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHart Radio, visit the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. A win is a win. A win is a win.

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

and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects.

From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins, but the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice in selling, correct? I doctored the test ones.

It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian, Michael Ranjini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is love trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues,

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

Trust me, babe, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration.

It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.