The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Common & Pete Rock

Episode Date: August 21, 2024

Past QLS guests Common and Pete Rock return to the podcast together to celebrate their new album, "The Auditorium, Vol. 1." Common explains how a recent freestyle and a series of Hip-Hop 50th anniversary events reignited his passion for music-making, while Pete Rock reveals that even if the address has changed his basement studio remains an epicenter for creation. Questlove, who sequenced the new album, explains why the LP is a high mark for MC/producer collaboration. This conversation unpacks the new album, sheds light on what's to come, and gathers some friends for a fun, lighthearted catch-up.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. I'm Daniel Alarcon, and this is my friend. This is much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far. But I'm John Green, co-host of the podcast The Away End with my old friend Daniel. On our podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup.

Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Alarcon and. John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Amy Roboc alongside T.J. Holmes from the Amy and T.J. podcast. And there is so much news, information, commentary coming at you all day and from all over the place. What's fact, what's fake, and sometimes what the F. So let's cut the crap, okay? Follow the Amy and T.J. podcast, a one-stop news and pop culture shop to get you caught up and on with your. your day. And listen to Amy and TJ on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

to podcasts. It's Financial Literacy Month, and the podcast, Eating While Broke, is bringing real conversations about money, growth, and building your future. This month, hear from top streamer, Zoe Spencer, and venture capitalist Lakeisha Landrum Pierre, as they share their journeys from starting out to leveling up. There's an economic component to community striving. If there's not enough money and entrepreneurship happening in communities, they fail. Listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Dr. Maya Shunker, a cognitive scientist and hosts of the podcast, a slight change of

plans, a show about who we are and who we become when life makes other plans. I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long the need to change. We have to be willing to live. with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes. You can have opinions. You can have like a strong stance. And then there's your body having its own program. Listen to a slight change of plans on the I-HeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Questlove Supreme is a production of I-Heart Radio. Good people, part of people in the place. What's up? This is Questlove Supreme. Great episode today. I called the Summit meeting episode. Our two guests is definitely what the doctor ordered. And you always hear of Titans meaning to collaborate,

but they never do, or sometimes Titans get together. And in my opinion, the results is, you know, quasi-diminished returns. I won't name any names. But I will say that's not the case. for the project known as the Auditorium Volume 1, which I believe, I guess off the top, I can say that the auditorium volume one is it's a 15-song journey that fits like a hand-and-glove

as if these two were collaborating all their lives, you know, the raw soul beats, the witty lyricism. But it's also shows you how much they've matured in their three decades in the game because this is probably, in my opinion, one of the most soulful offerings that Pete has offered. And, you know, as far as common lyricism is concerned, you know, I love the fact that in addition to his couplets, you know, he's adding in dashes of metaphysical talking there, which is course, you know, is the result of growing up. You know what I mean? Of adulting. That's what I say. I believe that this particular album will spark a renaissance because, you know, there's also the Primo Nause album to come out soon,

Everyone's waiting for. I hear all this talk about the Snoop and Dre album and how incredible it is. And of course, De La is also collaborating with Premo and Pete. And not to be outdone, you know, my band has been sitting on the sidelines watching all this action happening. And, you know, it's made us- Yeah. Yes. Let's go.

Let's go. I will say it is made Tarek into, I fucking wrote seven songs in one day. We have not done that since our second album. This is not about us. This is about our guest today. Welcome, Common. P. Rock to the most love to priests. Bees.

Yo, can I just say, I know it's not about that today, but it sounds like the 50th has birthed a lot. Right? Yeah. Because I know it birthed y'all too, but those other projects that Amir mentioned, those sound like that all happened at the same time. Yeah, yeah.

Well, the 50th, I can't say it birthed me and Pete, but it was like I heard Kareem Riggins that played me some Pete beats like during the pandemic and I was like, man, I got to get out with Pete. So I reached out to him and he was, we was connected. But I will say that the 50th just made me realize how much people love this culture. And it is really alive. It's for people like what Amir said, like, it's people to come out with stuff and we don't say, oh, that ain't, that ain't what we like or whatever.

Peter say what he'll like for sure Pete don't play. Yes, he will. But cats, you know, didn't come out and say, man, we really, really looking for the hip hop that we love. But the 50th did that. It kind of just reinvigorated and, like, recharged and just kind of made me to remember how much I loved this music. So it was like Pete was divine timing as far as I'm concerned.

Pete, can you talk about, I feel like I want to hear more from you when it comes to the 50th of 2 and what that meant for you in that journey of last year? I mean, for me, it was great because I have so much experience. And before I even started doing music and being successful with that, I had so much early experience, you know, in hip-hop. So for the 50th to come, the celebration was so, like, deeply loved. And I'm the type of person that's so dedicated to what I do because I love it passionately. You know what I mean?

And so everything that came with the 50th celebration, you know, afterwards, me and common hooked up and here we are today. And we made this album. And it's a great, great album. And I think it will inspire people for sure. Before hip hop, the idea of a young person having an opinion or a point of view, you know, as kids, we're often taught to speak when spoken to, mind your business. not have an opinion.

And, you know, a lot of that is not just like, you know, parents doing the, the finger thing. You know, a lot of that is just post-immittal trauma, like not draw attention to yourself so that you don't get killed or hurt. And then hip hop comes along. And then suddenly the opinions of a teenager, the opinions of a young person matters. And suddenly, you know, we saw this as like a young man's game, a kid. You know what I mean? Like if you're between 17 and 36, what you say matters. Even though I put hip hop in the five-year timeline in my book,

I feel like we're the first generation in hip-hop that will be able to define adulting in a way that won't seem like an eye roll or an eyesore. You know, because there's nothing more than watching. like your your longtime favorites try to get back in the game. And no, this is like all types of music, all genres of music, you know. Um, you know, I've been very vocal about my Prince opinions on the internet. So that, that's an example of like, okay, well, he rise to the level where, you know, those first 10 years where everything was unbeatable, you know, that's, I've had opinions on that. But I will say that I think this album is a great example of how to be yourself and still sound like fresh.

You know, I commend the both of you. It sounded like it was an answer back to what Andre said about. There's nothing else to talk about. I was like, Rashid found all this stuff. I mean, what are you saying? Like. Well, you know, I love Drake 3000. Yeah.

But everybody is, you know, where they are. It's times in rap. Well, I was like, man, what am I going to say? But then I just got spark, man. I mean, it's like, to be honest, Tarik is one of the people that, like, consistently reminds me that, man, this is infinite. Like, he said something to me at the Roots picnic 10 years ago.

I was like, man, I've been stuck. He was like, nigger, just rap, man. He was like, you didn't put all these years in just rap. And that's always stuck with me. But, I mean, I think what you said is super important. Like, you know, for years, we have been, like, Just for survival reasons from, you know, the slave trauma just taught to be like, okay, not say too much. But hip hop gave us that thing to say, like hip hop for me, I mean, I guess for all of us gave us a way to find and express ourselves in ways.

Like, I'm saying things in rap that I don't even know I felt. It's almost like my own therapy sometimes when I hear my songs. I'm like, man, I said that. I feel that. And it also gave me my Muhammad Ali, my way to be Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali was always one of my heroes because, man, he was just speaking like, I'm bold, I'm beautiful, I'm black. It was like speaking things into existence and he had a higher purpose.

And I was like, man, that's what rap started to do for me as I started to find myself. But I want to say that what you're saying about growing older, it was a scary thought at first to be like, man, what am I going to do in my 30s and 40s? Like, that's what I used to think. And we just didn't know because we didn't. We are that generation. And thank God some of the things as I was just looking at all of us. I was like, man, I'm grateful that we had some of the things that our parents taught us,

but we discover new things, whether it's eating healthy, whether it's therapy, whether it's, you know, just meditation, just all these new things. Or rediscovered and acted like it was new because all that stuff you just mentioned. There you go. There you go. That is very true. Like you could probably go to ancient comedic things. and we knew these things.

So that being saying, rediscovering it. But the fact that we applying that allows us to like stay, like, not just young, because it's like, no, hey, I'm 52 years old, but I still like, my spirit is young, I'm taking care of myself, and I'm also seeking to grow as an artist. That's one thing I kind of want to ask Pete and you, I'm here.

Like, when I heard Pete's beats, I mean, you, and listen, we both know that it could be producers that have come from different eras, a sound is in that era. Right. I heard Pete's beats, I was like, this dude is,

this is new. This is like, I don't know. It's new Pete. It's like new Pete. Right. Or reinvention. Pete, how did you get to that point

and not stay in that era of like, okay, I'm from that era and I know what good is to me, but to create like a sound and still feels fresh and new. You know, part of me kind of wanted to hear one just rhyming with biz reminder

like I was waiting for it like, is that sound bite going to happen? Is it going to happen? I just kind of listen to all the new artists and what they're doing and kind of like said, okay, you know, let me step my game up. You know, I'm like

a band member conductor slash, you know, funk dude and hip hop, right? So I just kind of added that with what they like. and then came with some of the aura of the 90s and some of what I do and something a little different from mixed in. You know what I'm saying?

Well, one, okay, let me ask the question, so I don't wake up the sleeping bear in the cave. From a legal standpoint, from one to ten, how much of a nightmare was it to bring this album to the public from a musical standpoint? What does that mean? It's so much code in there. Okay, so here's a... All right, all right.

Let me bring you down for a lot of you without... So the thing that makes this album special, there's a period starting in 96, 97, in which, like, first, I mean, the idea of chopping, when you hear, like, producers, like, chopping and flipping stuff, um, mostly, I would say that flipping and chopping was... kind of a way to really be creative. In other words, like, okay, hey, you remember that old James Brown sample that you've heard time and time again

from this rapper and that rapper and this rapper and that rapper and this rapper? Well, I'm going to present it and jumble it up and reinvent it. And at first it was like for sport, but then I realized after 97, it's almost for survival because sometimes think of like what gospel music was to our ancestors. To them is gospel music. But to us, it was GPS instructions on how to get freedom.

So a lot of our producer Titans who made their name in what we call a four-bar loop. In other words, I'm going to take these six seconds of a song and build a song on top of that.

Suddenly, they were forced to find other means to make music because the clearance nightmare of it all just became too much to deal with. So a lot of our beloved producers of the Pete Rock ilk, of the large professor ilk, of the Tipan Ali ilk, you know, who rely on loops were sort of put in a position where they had to, some people who made the adjustment, like Primo has made the art of what we call stabbing. Stabbing is if you take a part of a song and it's that song's like an exclamation point or a musical onomatopoeia, you know what I mean? Like taking a noise, where you don't know where it came from.

Very few producers can do that all the day. But for a lot of producers who made their name in loops, the first thing I noticed in this album was like, holy shit. Like, some of these songs have two or three loops on top, which can be quasi costly or whatever. So, like, how did it feel for you, Pete, to actually just make a collection of music that was created in a non-defensive way? Like, what was it like just to be in that mind state of bringing the loop back? Well, I exercised my ear a whole lot just playing records, you know what I'm saying, just playing them over and over and over again. And then just having that passion to wanting to make music, right? Because I was a fan of Molly Maugh and Howie T and Teddy.

And I wanted to always know who was the man behind the music. You know what I'm saying? Who was the guy making it happen? And so with that passion and ambition, you know, I think that drove me to kind of like, you know, make the loop and the drums match the way I would want it. You know what I'm saying? And it worked out. You know what I'm saying?

It worked out for me. And I just kept practicing that, kept practicing that. And then boom, all of a sudden I got this. You know what I'm saying? And that's how it happened for me. And then everything that came to me was easy for me to do. So even in your spirit, like, by the time I got in the game, not even by the time I got in the game,

but by the time I, like, got my first 1,200 or whatever, you know, it was already like, I mean, by the time I really felt like, okay, I'm making beats or whatever. It was like 98, 99. So it was, you know, you Dilla, pretty much, like, y'all were chopping shit. So my entry was the chopping game and really relying on the musicianship

of the roots to fill in the blinks. The chopping game came like mid-hiphop, right? Because now we was playing with it so much. We were finding ways that sounded iller, you know, when you did it either backwards or just did it like a jigsaw puzzle and you just played around with this, oh, oh, oh.

It just happened like that, you know. And today with all equipment they got now, it's easier and much faster, but like in the 1,200 days, it was chops, right? It was chops, but we would take the best parts that we knew would match

and just rock with those. You know what I'm saying? So what is your preferred method of like building your own instruments, or the method of letting loops play out? That's kind of what we was doing, you know, but we was just doing it with the drum machine, man. I know how to play bass with the drum machine really good.

You know, I know how to mock records really good, you know, that's come from my ear and exercising all the records I heard in my life and, you know, learned how to mock that, you know what I'm saying, whether it was with the 12 or the MPC, you know, I'm really good at that. But the guitar, I don't know how to play the bass guitar. I don't know how to play the guitar. But I definitely know it's just like it comes like pluses for me, man, how the bass goes.

This is when I remind our audience to go back in the QLS classics and listen to the Pete Rock episode. Get to know it. Get to know it. Don't remind me to shut them down, man. A win is a win. 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault in Our Stars, and now I guess also as the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game, and I fell in love. On our new podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer, football, is a story we've shared for over 30 years. since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team.

Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, it's heartbreak, and above all, it's beauty. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Auerkone and John Green

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On a recent episode of the podcast, Money and Wealth with John Hobriant, I sit down with Tiffany the budgetista Aliche to talk about what it really takes to take control of your money. What would that look like in our families if everyone was able to pass on wealth to the people when they're no longer here? We break down budgeting, financial discipline, and how to build real wealth, starting with the mindset shifts. Too many of us were never, ever taught. Financial education is not always about. like, I'm going to get rich. That's great.

It's about creating an atmosphere for you to be able to take care of yourself and leave a strong financial legacy for your family. If you've ever felt you didn't get the memo on money, this conversation is for you to hear more. Listen to Money and Wealth with John O'Brien from the Black Effect Network on the I'd Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man.

They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise. the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game.

As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up? I'm Miles Turner. And I'm Brianna Stewart. And our podcast, Game Recognized Game has never been done before. Two active players giving you a real look at our lives and what we actually think on and off the court.

Nothing's off limits. We talk trade requests. What's the vibe of that when it's like your star player is like, well, I want to leave? And then actually now I'm going to stay. We talk tanking. I mean, honestly, like, I might get in trouble for this answer, but I think it's like definitely happening in the WBA. And yeah, we talk about our mistakes, too. They pulled me to the side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night, man.

You can't be rolling around the city like this tonight before games, no, you know, doing this, doing whatever. And of course, family stories. They'll be like, Mommy, why did you miss that? Mommy, do you play basketball? Check out Game Recognized game with Stoian Miles on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, so when Pete told the story of making public, getting me shut them down, which the short version was he over slept. He was late to the studio. He just looked on the floor and, you know, the four records that made that one remix, which that one remix, people don't believe it.

Not only do I believe it, I've tested that theory. And once I did the research on other songs, I will say almost 60% of like the songs that have changed our lives or whatever, they were all afterthoughts. Like, seriously, when you said that, I thought about, you basically say you laid to the studio, you saw four records on the floor, you picked it up, you just threw this in, what y'all think?

And it changed people's lives. And what I realized, and Quincy Jones also makes this part of his thing, he has a thing called no paralysis through analysis. In other words, the more you overthink some shit, the more you get paralyzed and you don't come up with results because you're overthinking it, whereas you just do it.

And that's when you're in your natural state. And so suddenly maybe like three weeks after that interview, I got to rap to Little Stephen, you know, guitarist of the East Street band and, you know, on the Sopranos. And he was telling me like, he's obsessed with that theory. He's obsessed with songs that soul. millions that were made in under five minutes. And literally, he gave me a whole, like, glossary. Like, he said the Isley brothers had like 10 minutes left in the studio. They, like, spent the whole session on one song. And they were like, well, we got 10 minutes left. Hey, let's do that church song.

And then suddenly shout gets burned or, or I think they made tequila in like two minutes. Some of the biggest songs of our lives were just like, do whatever. One, two, three, four. And then like, so that theory works. I've been testing that a lot. You know, and that's, I think I caught wind of it in my version. And then meeting James Brown when I was seven years old, that probably did something to me right that, that night. Tell me about that night.

Did he tell us that? No, tell us. Oh, me and my younger brother, my mom's took us to a concert in New York, in Mount Vernon, a place called the Left Bank. and, you know, Lynn Collins, I remember seeing her. I remember seeing Bobby Bird and the J.Bs. And, you know, during the break of the show, you know, my mom said, come with me.

And she took us backstage to meet James. And he grabbed my hand and held it and said, God bless you. And I damn near pissed on myself, bro. My younger brother Grapp, and, you know, and we, we, we were in disbelief. I think that affected you for life, yo. That was like being anointed. Look, look.

Wow. That's being anointed. Yeah, that's anointed. That was the golden touch. But you know what? That's the, I mean, when you was just talking about that feeling that natural stuff in the music, I was just, I couldn't help but think about James Brown. And that, that's, and Phelon, all that music is that.

And still to this day, like, one of the lines that people, say the most on a song I did, I hadn't even written a line. And it's ticket-tie-tik-tah, tick-a-tik-tot-tah. And I'm like, oh, what the hell is this? Like, people say this to me. Like, I can wrap the whole light and they might not know some of the word. You're talking about the dig-a-d-d-dye song? Dik-a-d-d-dick-a-tik-ta-kill.

When I say that, when I put the mic out to the crowd, they say that. It's like, it just showed me that, man, that what that, not overthinking it, and just allowing it to come out. is exactly what the music should be. And Pete. I was just gonna say, sit there for a second on that James Brown and that FaiLi tip too because of all of these parallels. Because this album, when listening to the different messages

and the things that y'all are saying, it's a lot of parallels. I was wondering if y'all realize how perfect it is today to hear that album. Like, y'all, today? Wow, wow. Like Destiny, Hope, Faith, today? I think we just didn't even think about nothing,

but just doing what he liked. He picked beats he liked, and I was just like, yeah, boom, and he came back with a full song, and we just said, all right, we're going to use this. We're going to use this. We're going to use this. And I came together. Do you still have the basement?

Yes. Oh, not in Mount Vernon, but it's up in Rockland now. Ah, damn. No more Mount Vernon basement. But it's still, but it still got the vibe. It got the vibe, man. When I got out there, I was like... So you physically had to go to his crib and...

Yeah, I physically went into his crib and, like, sat down and see... First thing I seen in that, I was like, you know, certain things is just signs. I sat out, I saw all his records, and he had his Diller book right there. It was like the Diller book was... Here right there, and his dog Joy was chilling. And I was like, man, and Pete was playing beats, and then he would play some records. And I was like, man, this is what I always love. loved about making music, like being in the midst.

I mean, you know, we being in that studio and like, so like to be around Pete and just be sitting there, like, just vibing, we starting to talk about life. You know, that's how we form our brotherhood. That's why we brothers now to this day, like, I mean, because of what we formed in the studio and outside of the studio. But then when we in that space, it's like, man,

that's when the music starts to become just beautiful, because it's just like, we're going through the process. How many records y'all go through in this moment when you went to the basement when you went to peace? I was just playing a bunch of albums. I was like, I knew I had some dope records and I was like pulling out the dopest ones I could find and I was like playing it for him like, yo, you got to hook that one up. Then I play him another one. He's like, yo, you got to hook that one up. And then I play him another one. Same shit. You know what I mean? Like. And then sometimes he just sent me videos and, you know, he'll be messing with a loop. And it's funny because I wish I could see it. It's like you can see him bouncing to the beat on the video.

Oh, what about the camera? You see some of those, right? And it's like I would hear it and be like, wow, this is amazing. It just gave me the musical like ocean to do what I wanted to do. Like all the experiences that we experienced in life, I felt like, man, man I'm free now. I ain't got to like, I'm referencing the $6 million man. Now I know, don't know young people know what this.

million dollar man is, but who cares? Like, I'm like, I'm going to be an MC and say the things. And that's, I mean, coming up during resurrection, the kind of raw dollar, I wasn't thinking about like, man, does this person understand this or that? I'm like, I'm referencing all this Chicago shit and just saying stuff that my homies know. So I was like, man, let me be free and not try to try to cater to anybody, like, and just write and Pete the same way.

Because at one point, P said, yo, Ross, you. You know, I could do, if you want something else, I can give you something else. Even line of music, I said, no, no, no. I want loops, loops. We look at a big risk, bro, but we got through it. I want loose, chops, whatever. You know, like, we're doing samples, bro. Like, let's do what we do.

And, like, being our home, like, it fell home to me. By the way, Ross, one of my favorite apps on my iPhone is the inflation calculator. Today, this $6 million dollar man would actually be the $30,900. $158,000 man. So it's good to know. If we do the reboot, the $40 million man. Yeah, basically.

Switching calendar app, we should just start there, an inflating calendar app. Yeah, all the time. I look at inflation calculators just to see what the price differences was. Wait, Pete, so when we did the Tonight Show,

you brought out your inner DeAngelo by pulling out your scuzzy device which is something that I have not seen Steve is laughing believe how many of them I have bro.

What's the scuzzy? Is that the zip drive? Yes. Scuzzy zip drive. Like, like it's so basically like I could make an album in this iPhone

if I want. That's how far like technology is advanced where I can make beats on my phone now. Yeah. But you know, back in 2000, 2001,

to buy zip drives, which only holds a little bit of information. And if you brought a scuzzy, I mean, that can hold maybe half a terabyte. You know what I mean? I mean, of course, now on our MacBook pros, you can rule the world on your computer. But I wanted to know, like, what is your preferred method of creating joints? Like, what did you use primarily on this album? The MPC, 2000 Excel. So you graduated to the 2000 X-O?

Yeah, because I'm on the X now. I'm on the new X standing with the stems and everything, and I'm still learning it. And I got some nice beats on it now, but I'm still learning it. I want to get it mastered before I start doing. So I was going to say, because now it's, to me, I think it's going to be a breathless race to the finish,

now that we have technology that will allow you to remove, drums if you want to or just take the bass line if you want to because I know there's always like that one sample like say your love for the Ohio players you know if you can find a way to

sort of extract Junie Morrison's adlips off of song and just have the bass alone and you know what I mean like I'm going to give you a great example of this fortunate the song on the auditorium volume one

A song fortunate we did, how I got the beat was Brazilian record, played it, listened to a part where I heard some bass and some things going on. I said, imagine the vocals. So I put it in my laptop. Put it in my laptop. I got the stems on my sorrano thing. And all I did was take the vocal out and I got the beat. See, I don't feel alone now. See, Steve, I'm not the only one.

But people wouldn't know where to loop it. So I looped it in the right place. It's so pretty. Yeah. I looped it in the right place. I was like, boom, wow, this is crazy. I had the singing going on in there. Then I took the singing out.

And I was like, ha, I started screaming. Okay, do another one. Look down my way. R.E. P. do another one. No, it's a game changer, yo. I was saying, oh, just farming on a lot of shit. And I sent it to him. And I used the drums.

Everything in that loop, the drums, I just brought the drums. out. That's the record, bro. That method is game-changing. Where, you know, I mean, there's other, you know, there's Ableton and all that stuff. But for me, like, I just put the join in my Serato. It's so old school. But, all right, so I talked to the Beastie Boys once.

And I didn't realize, if you listened to that entire Paul's Boutique album, they did zero programming. They literally one by one. They were perfectly loop a drum track as their first track. You know, each song on Paul's boutique was easily somewhere between eight to sometimes 15 samples. You know, and I'm thinking they did it the regular way where they just put inside the drum machine and programmed it that way, a laud the bomb squad. Nah, they literally would just take pieces. All the records and loop them all together perfectly. And then just auto-edited, which is the wildest way in my...

opinion to make an album, but, you know, it can be done. It could be done. I've seen it too. It can be done. So, Rosh, I wanted to ask you, so there's a point for the Roots in 2010, Rich challenged us to make what he called the Midlife Crisis record. Yeah. Where, you know, no rapper wants to talk about, like, being at a crossroads in their life or, you know, the feeling of growing up or anything that would even remotely remind your audience that I'm not a 20-year-old anymore. Yeah. Lyrically, how, like, how did you wrestle with what exactly you wanted to bring across

on the album in terms of your themes and, as Laya mentioned, on so many people? This is one of the albums I had the least wrestling to do, and I think the freedom came about because once again, like being at the fourth tour and seeing like a stadium full of people, I'm like, man, there's people out there that want this. And also, I was also like, I did a couple, I did a freestyle on the LA Lakers and I got more calls about that than any I'm I put out in the past 10 years. So I was like, I mean, you know, and I part of my gauge, my research is when my homies call me. If it reaches them, then, you know, it's real. That's when I know I'm doing something.

Like, if they call me like, y'all, Ross, that's dope. Or they like, ah, man, I might have to remind them I got something out. But when they really like something, they're hitting me up, like, yo. So what do they say about this album? This is one of my best albums ever. Some said that it is my best, and some was like, man, I can't believe you all made a classic in this era. But I'm here, let's be clear.

First, I want to give you yours because, man, And you was the first person I sent the album to outside of me, Pete and Jamie and people that was recording, like, basically. And I mean, you know how hard it was to keep that secret? Yo, I remember. At least the first week, you was like, hey, man, don't lead the shit. No, we know. Like, dog. What the fuck?

We know Amir, and it's okay. No, you know. Because I'm proud of you. Did you hear the album? No, I'm proud of you. Listen, Laia, Amir is the best. brand promo person you could ever have, meaning he ain't going to let it leak to the public,

but he's going to get it to the right people. I saw that FaceTime you had with Premo, Alchemist, and all that. Like, playing a little snippets, but that got the buzz going, hey, it ain't nothing like if Amir feeling it. But let me tell you, the first thing, Amir text me,

when he heard the album, but this is what, first of all, I was sending it to listen to it because I want him to sequence the album. I wanted him to have that input. And the first thing he said to me was, damn, I can't believe y'all did this shit. It was like, he was like, yo, y'all, he was like,

I got total confidence in P. Rock, I got total confidence in you, but this is beyond what I thought to be. Is that because what's the part of me, is it because of the label? Because I was curious, too, like the label part of it, because, I mean, I know as an artist, you know, everybody got their opinions on your shit, it seems like this time y'all didn't have to worry about that part of it right yeah i don't oh man see the last time i offered my two cents about a hip-hop opinion that shit started trending

on twitter okay so wait i will say this because i think that they even agree with it all right another oh shit hit compete no no no no listen okay in the case of of steel dray That's a great example of Jay-Z and Dr. Dre working together. However, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre have worked three or four times together. And I don't know if it's the pressure. It's almost like an all-star game. It's like if you're going to have Kobe and Jordan and Iverson and Magic Johnson and Jack, I mean, I'm just randomly naming. I'm surprised Steve's not sparking right now.

I'm impressed. Keep going. Thank you. Yeah. Sports ball all day. Keep going. Thank you. Anyway, I love the sports.

Anyway, the point was that their collaborations on Kingdom come and it didn't yield the magic that it should have yielded. But I think that's almost with every artist. Like when Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson got together on the bad album, that wound up being the... That happened? Yeah, exactly. Right, right. A win is a win. A win is a win.

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

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the kids. 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. I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault and Our Stars and now I guess also as the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist

and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game and I fell in love. On our new podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer, football, is a story,

we've shared for over 30 years since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team. Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, it's beauty. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Alarcon and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew.

Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives. franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this.

At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. On a recent episode of the podcast Money and Wealth with John Hobriant, I sit down with Tiffany the budgetista Aliche to talk about what it really takes to take control of your money. What would that look like in our families if everyone was able to pass on wealth to the people when they're no longer here? We break down budgeting, financial discipline, and how to build real wealth, starting with the mindset shifts. Too many of us were never, ever taught.

Financial education is not all right. ways about like, I'm going to get rich. That's great. It's about creating an atmosphere for you to be able to take care of yourself and leave a strong financial legacy for your family. If you've ever felt you didn't get the memo on money, this conversation is for you to hear more. Listen to Money and Wealth with John O'Brien from the Black Effect Network on the I'd Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Money Players and I Heart Podcast presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne.

This is my best friend Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later. We're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast.

We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just take it. What are you out?

Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would. Come on. Can you believe? I would buy it. Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky I'm not a drug addict.

You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You are. I'm lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I feel like it's too much pressure when two gods get together and you don't know,

because it's never going to be 50-50. It's going to be either 60-40 or 70-30. Like, you don't know what it's going to be. And for me, this album, like, I was just shocked that y'all probably got 50-50 on it. Like, to me, it established and reinvented Pete. Wait, I got to ask you, Ross, did election, Have any influence on your flow with that? Let me say this.

Jay Electronica has had some influence on me because he's dope. So it is inspired. I get inspired. But I wasn't listening to him. It was strictly that beat. And I was just having fun. I was actually riding from I was riding from Pete's career. It just gave me the beat.

And then, and then, you know, I was just riding home. And then the rhymes came to me. Like, she knew me from the city. She knew I was sweaty. She knew I had power. And maybe some sense like city. Let's go. But that's what I'm saying.

Like, any other MC would have just smothered the track with as much wordplay to flex. But the fact that you did couplets and only asked about J. Electronica because a lot on his album that he released during the pandemic, he would allow himself to do a couplet, like couplets and spaces and all that stuff, which usually MCs' MCs, Especially Rock Kim influence MCs, got to, like, make sure they pack in every ounce of space with words. And the fact that you were just playful with it, that to me is the magic place, man. But listen, I got to say, all this experience, like, for me, like, doing the light water for chocolate, doing the electric circuits, doing universal mind, like, wrapping over different type of things, I'm learning and I'm seeking. I'm wanting to be better. So I don't like over rapping stuff.

I know at times I can over rap, like us MC's getting caught up and like, I got to be cool G on this shit. So let me be, you know, but I'd rather be just an instrument. I'd rather be Marie's White or a Q-tip or, you know, like, I want to be an instrument to it. So I just now, I just try to just allow the music to inspire me and get me going. You know, I mean, I did the music.

The music always inspired me. now I think because of certain experiences, I know where the one is. I know where the one is. I mean, most of that. Hey, hey, Amir. Ask them in a man. Act them. Ask them.

Guess what, Rosh? What are songs? You don't know where the one is, but I'll let that go. Me and the mirror know where the one is that. Me and that's the thing. You said that too? Yeah, I'm saying me and a mirror know where the one is at. Oh, he's not.

It's no big deal to teach somebody where it's really at. Like, I just wanted to show him where it was really at. I'm used to rush now, so he gets a pass, you know. I'm here. I'm here. We had that song called There is a God that's on the album. Yeah, yeah. I wrapped in a different space.

And Pete, after a while, I was like, bro, that ain't where the rhyme should be. And I was like, bro, this is where it's supposed to be. Me and PJ, PJ wrote the hook, this girl, PJ, who was incredible. She was incredible on the album, yeah. I said, this is where it is. And he was like, bro, I made the beat. I'm from the school of James Brown. I know where the one he is.

Yo, we was going back and forth, man. Hey, hey, Pete. So on this song, do you come in? Does he come in on the one, no? He didn't come in on the one at first. At first. But he does. You fixed it so that he does.

Yeah, I can understand. Because he's not the only one that I've dealt with that come in, where they come in. And sometimes it's cool when you just make an anything type of beat. And you just like, I just go, just eat it. But at this, this is our album. So I'm like, yo, hey, go to one right here. It's right here. He's like, nah, Pete, but I wrote it like this.

I'm like, but that's not where the one for us? So then it went a couple of days went by. A couple days went by. He's like, yo, you know what? I'm going to try it your way. I'm trying to try it your way. then he sent it back the way it's supposed to be. And I said, they go to song right there.

And he said, and you say what, Rosh? I mean, I guess that's good. I said, you know what? He had to live with it. You have to live with it. I did have to live with it. But it's been many sessions where Amir and James is playing and they're like, Ross, the one is here, man.

Don't be. I thought you would have learned that on like electric circus or something. No, don't give James them props. James don't know where the one is either. P.S. Yo, P.S. I just want to say, I'm glad y'all said the title of that song because shout out to my girl. I didn't know what accent she was saying God in. But y'all know that's an interesting way of saying there is a go.

There is a gourd. Yes. Yes. There is a gourd. Yeah, that's a real, that's some real Chicago slash southern slash church. God. There's a god, God. I knew y'all did that purposely. I was like, y'all made her say, you say it like you say it at home. Okay. It was outside Chicago.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Say it like you said at home. Yeah, shout out to the gentleman. So the album title, why did you give it the title, The Auditorium? And also, what was the significance behind using King's Theater and BK as your album cover? Well, Auditorium, listen, I was watching Smokey Robinson in the interview, and he was talking about how he first wrote his first song and how it was no music. I mean, it was just music and there was no lyrics

and they was about to perform and they was in the auditorium and he was like, asked his teacher, could he write some words to it? That's how he began songwriting. And I was thinking like, man, the auditorium, like, that's where I started my first, like, I got my first performance off too.

Like, I was, it was breakdancing but it was in my school auditorium and that's where I was part of a player. And then later that day, I rolled past this place that it was called auditorium. And I was like, something about that word, I just liked. Like, when I'm choosing titles, I like sonically first, like, I mean, how they sound, like water for chocolate or beat. Like, I wanted to, I like titles that sound like books sometimes, too.

Like, so I was like, the auditorium, ah, that could be dope. I kind of felt like it would be a place where we would invite people to our auditorium musically, like, just so they can enjoy our art. But listen, the story goes, we get this title. Pete does his adlibs on dreaming, and I'm super geek. Like, I'm like, I got Pete Rock adlibs. This is a man. Right, right. But like, like, and on a dream, he says the auditorium, 24, the auditorium.

So this is like, I don't, I'm going to say he loved the title, but he knew that was the title of the album. Fast forward. Four months later, Pete called me, hey man, I don't like the title of the auditorium no more. He said, man, I don't think that we can't call the I'm the auditorium. I'm like, oh, no, man, please, bro. What was we going to call it, Pete? What did you want to call it? No, I can't say the titles because they're so dope.

Somebody might steal it, but I had a different title for it. And then, you know, we were going back and forth about the title. And then, you know, like the men we are, we just sat with it for a little bit. And I saw his way in it, you know? And I said, you know what? As long as we could put volume one on the end of it, so they'll know something more. coming. Right. That's what's going to. It worked out, though. You're not going to pull a haul on notes, though, and never put it out a part two. Yeah, exactly. How many records you already got

on the part two? How many records put a part two? I know y'all already got some. I can't be sitting on this music no more, so, you know, I'm ready to give it to the world. But we already started dibbling and dabbling right now. He just sent me something today, like, to remind me. Pete, I got a question. I always wanted to ask you. So, for me, actually let me hear it. I always wanted to know, what do you do with the fail beats? You know what I mean?

And Premier has, like I asked him, like, do you sometimes, like, you know, when you're driving, do you hear drill music or a trap joint and be like, all right, let me try to sit down, see what I do? Yeah. So Premier gave me six. He gave me six very un-exam. premier sound and joints like straight up like 808 drum machines keyboards like

whatever whatever elements that makes a primo he took away and you know it's weird like I'll say that at least four of them joints sounded like you know I'm I'm a big big big uh loose ends fan oh I'm I'm so it's huge it can't off more, like his 808 joints sounded more like some loose end shit. And so, like, for you to challenge yourself, do you ever, like, have a thing where it's like, all right, well, let me learn. Like, have you ever said, all right, let me see if I can make trap or that sort of thing? Yeah. You have 808 beats and shit?

Yeah. I used to play around in the crib all the time just to see, you know, not to, you know, just to pinch myself to make sure, like, you know, I, you know, I, you know, you know, I can do what they're doing. It's as simple as cake. So I like to play around in the crib. And sometimes I play around to the point where I really make something. You know what I'm saying? Like I really make some fly shit.

And I'm like, yo, you know, trying to put it out or give it to some money to hear. So while I'm asking, do you think you'll ever make an avant-garde unpeat-rock-sounding album, like a project? Well, I'll say a little bit of that is like all the piece of tremendous. you ever heard, all the instrumental albums you ever heard. Those are kind of not. I wouldn't say failed beats, but just beats that weren't used. Yeah, but there's still non-factor beats. Yeah, you can still call them non-factor, yeah.

But I'm talking about just like crazy shit, like 5-4-meter shit or, you know, using drums you would never, ever use in this life. Okay, so for this new Roots album, Mm-hmm. Ashley's Roots clip to me, if you take Rakim out the factor, Yeah. Ashley's Roach clip to me was never a desirable breakbeat, even though it's a classic breakbeat.

Ashley's Roads' clip is the drum break that we know is Peyton Full. But it's also PM Doherne's breakbeat, EMF's unbelievable, like, girl, you know it's true. One thing about I learned from Molly Mall is how he EQ'd his music to make it sound a hell of different. you know like you'll take in peace to president drums and make it sound totally

different from the bridge right Eric B's for president and he sounds totally different from the bridge they don't sound the same you ever listen to that you ever really listen to the difference yeah he's he's presented in peace to president in ways that just sound different

and that's what I learned from him which is hella important for hip-hop and for you know producers to know is to like how to disguise your music. So what's the one drum break that you feel is the mountain that has not been

fully climbed yet in terms of like flipping or like for me for all the all the allure? If I tell people that I was about to say is he going to tell? Okay, well I'll ask you. For all the legend and the allure that we credit funky drummer, to me,

impeach the president is the most used breakbeat because a piece of president of me is almost like meat and potatoes like the basic elements whereas funky drummer to me is almost like it's sushi it's well depending on your palate yeah it's high art delicious food that is not for everybody right right right you're right about you're right about so like have you have you ever figured out a way well i'm about to ask you. Faking jacks. Not even fake.

No, no, no. Not even with a major president. I was about to say with Funky Drummer, but I totally forgot about your first EP. You successfully flipped funky drummer. I forgot. Like, you're the one person that actually did it. Yep, just a snap. So, yeah, like, for you, what's the one taboo breakbeat that you have yet to flip and be like,

all right, I'm gonna. Damn, it's such a choice. It's hard to just pick one, but I'm gonna pick one. We were real hard ones so nobody else could do it. Let me see. Yeah, but even if he does it, he does it. Right, that's true. That's true.

Break B. I mean, something you wouldn't tell us, like, boogie back or 2001 or... I'll say boogie back, but then I also say substitution. Really? Yeah. Yeah, but, I mean, just wrong. Like... That's been used a lot, too.

It's been used a lot. I would figure that there's some other break that, you know, know, is your, that you haven't climbed that mountain yet, but. Amir, is there one that you would like to hear? Maybe, um, funkadelic. All right, good old music. This is the connections album. I used, I've been chopping that.

I've been chopping good old music. Really? Yeah, if you listen to. See, it's too much reverb on it for me to even consider, like, usually if a session is dry, then I feel like you can flip it on your own, but if it's so much reverb on there. Okay, yes, I know there's a lot of insight. baseball speak on here. Sorry. I've been chopping that up. There's so many ways to do it.

Damn. Okay, Pete. Talk your shit. Before we wrap up, tour-wise, how are you guys doing the rest of this year? Like, you're marking on the tour, correct? Yeah, we're going out on tour. Starting in late August, we, you know, we're going to hit the Blu No Festival,

and then we're just touring the States. That's right. Y'all start with Robert Glasper. I love that. We start with Rob. out in Napa. And what's so dope, we, we had our first show in Brooklyn, but like summer stage in Brooklyn, Von King, Bestar. Yeah, right, yeah. And it was super dope because it's like,

we're getting to rock the classic joints, we were rocking new joints, but for me, to be on stage and Pete Rockets, shut them down, remix, I love that ride, love, you know, jump around. And we've been going through joints, man. So the tour, it's going to be crazy. Pete also going to be up on the stage with the empty store. Doing some of it live, yo, we're going to cheese.

You know, DJ dummy will be rocking, but Pete go out of the drum machine. We wanted to feel like the basement. By the way, I mean, you lit the idea up for the Jimmy Fallon, bro. That junk came off so crazy for the Tonight Show. Yo, I got so many calls about that performance for When the Sunshine's Again, bro. That was like, ooh, bad. I felt like y'all made that in the basement. You know what I'm saying?

Shout out to my guy Tuami too who helped me make that. Yeah. Can I ask you a dumbie, rock question? I don't know if this is dumb Pete, and I know people probably ask you this all the time, but I'm just going to add to it. So now that you really in your bag and stuff, do you think about doing another soul survivor or?

Oh, wow. I mean, I would love to. That's in the works, though. That's actually in the words. The beats are, you know what I'm saying? So when we ready, I could present it to people and see what, you know, I'll do another one if people are down. I think it's a right time for just you,

for the artist that's at this level, the roots. Yeah. I mean, you're playing me y'all stuff. I'm like, man, this stuff is phenomenal. There's some phenomenal root stuff out there? Let me tell you something, Rosh. All right, I played shit for Rosh. Let me tell you something.

So I think between and, yes, I do credit being your best promo guy, Because literally the first people that got the first draft of, yo, like I went into the room, it was pizza Friday at 30. I went in that room and I was like, yo, we are in trouble if we don't get on the ball. Because the thing was, you know, we started when Richard died in 2014. I bless his soul. I bless the soul for real. Yeah, like that froze me for like three years. and then like I created distractions.

Like, oh, I'll make a book. I'll do a movie. The pandemic. And then it was like 10 years later. And between me walking in the room, I was like, yo, dog, you ain't going to believe this. But I said, Rosh and Pete, like, made the perfect summit meeting record. Like, no person's outside of the other person. Like, everything.

Everything's people. Yeah. And, like, y'all both brought out, you know, it's like, it's like, like y'all wrote each other and I was just like going off about it and I could tell I planted a seat but then after the Hollywood Bowl I think after the Hollywood Bowl performance that we did the picnic goes to the Hollywood Bowl thing yeah I think that lit some under Tarik and so now I mean I can say like in the last two weeks you know he's knocked off at least 80 percent Dice at 30 Rock, too. This is good.

I'm like, is this what I'm seeing Dice? Okay? Okay. Let's go. I mean, back in do you want more days, like, re-can-write like six or seven songs in a setting? Wow. Damn. This album is definitely, like, it does not,

today's the first day, the first time I'm saying, like, and Steve's my witness, it's probably what he's working on right now as I speak. He's the lightning in the bottle like that dude, man. Yeah, so he's, And that's this year, Amir? You think, you think 2024?

Election year? I know the exact date. I want to release it, and it's not 2024, but it's a seminal 2025 date that will make sense once it comes out. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

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

we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault and Our Stars, and now I guess also as the co-host of the Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old.

I watched every game and I fell in love. On our new podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer, football, is a story we've shared for over 30 years since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team. Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game.

I love its history, it's hope, it's hard. heartbreak, and above all, it's beauty. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Alarcon and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On a recent episode of the podcast, Money and Wealth with John Ho'Brien, I sit down with Tiffany the budgetista Aliche to talk about what it really takes to take control of your money. What would that look like in our families if everyone was able to pass on wealth to the people when they're no longer here? We break down budgeting, financial discipline, and how to build real wealth, starting with the mindset shifts. Too many of us were never, ever taught.

Financial education is not always about, like, I'm going to get rich. That's great. It's about creating an atmosphere for you to be able to take care of yourself and leave a strong financial legacy for your family. If you've ever felt you didn't get the memo on money, this conversation is for you to hear more. Listen to Money and Wealth with John O'Brien from the Black Effect Network on the I'd Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They hold and Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues.

I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the T everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it.

I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up? I'm Miles Turner. And I'm Brianna Stewart. And our podcast, Game Recognized Game, has never been done before. Two active players giving you a real look at our lives and what we actually think, on and off the court.

Nothing's off limits. We talk trade requests. What's the vibe of that? And it's like, your star player is like, well, I want to leave. And then actually now I'm going to stick. We talk tanking. I mean, honestly, like, I might get in trouble for this answer, but I think it's, like, definitely happening in the WBA. And yeah, we talk about our mistakes, too.

They pulled me to the side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night, man, you can't be rolling around the city like this tonight before games, no, you know, doing this, doing whatever. And of course, family stories. And we'll be like, mommy, why did you miss that? Do you play basketball? Check out Game Recognized game with Stuy and Miles on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yo, and one other thing before we go, I got to just once again say, I'm here.

Thank you, brother, for you gave us like the sequence, man, and that meant so much to this. What? And talk about it. And there's place in the project because we haven't talked about it. Let me say that. Like, first of all, let me say. I have to be the person that's like, okay, I got Pete Rock producing this album.

He is a producer, arranger, right? So I also know Amir, I know his mastery and what he does as a producer, but also just in sequencing and all that. Like, I remember seeing some of us old, like, man, this dude is just brilliant and everything together, man. This dude, it ain't nobody like him. So I'm like, when I sat on the album

and he responded the way he did, I was like, man, I'm here. Can you see? He's like, man, listen. I remember another thing he said, he said, this already one of your best albums without me sequenced. Once he's sequenced, I was like, this is going to be amazing.

Thank you so much. Thank you, bro. Thank you. No, thank you. You guys, look, this is all you. I don't even want to talk about sequencing this album is all. You don't want to talk about it all. You don't want to say enough.

You have to realize how important sequencing is when you put, the records and the audience. It is. Make it make sense. Make it a life thing. Like, you know, like you could project it. You know what I'm saying? As, as, as, as you listening to it, where you, if you got to drive seven hours somewhere, you know, about things, you know. Exactly. No, for me, you know, and part of the doing the work on myself and especially in the last, uh, four years of just like where I am now in my life, I'm more in tune to what's in here in my heart. And for me, I always felt like I had the gift of synesthesia where if you hear a song

or hear a melody, you instantly see colors and whatnot. And for me, when I sequence records, it's almost like a, it's a color spectrum, like your brightest to your, to your darkest, to your brightest. And for me, like, I don't know, the album just spoke itself. It's weird, though, because when you gave me the original, I don't know if you just randomly handed me the songs in a particular order, or if you just had them that way as a proposed secret, but it's so funny to me because daydreaming was like almost to the end of the album. And it was almost like the six or seven song

when I heard it, suddenly I was like, uh-oh, that's the first. Like, whoa, to me, the first three seconds of that shit just sounded like, a sum burst, like that sort of thing. And instantly, I was like, all right, I now see it. And so once you have that one sum burst there, it's like, what do I want to hear after that?

And after that, and that's so. That is what makes classic albums, because if you got songs and they're not put in the right order, that shit can, it can, the story ain't told. It's like a movie. And if you, if you don't do the right sequencing of them, you know, edits and stuff. And I got to say, man, one last thing on that is just,

that, like, Pete, I was super grateful that you was, like, open to it. Like, you know, because it's hard. Like, you're a producer, and this is your project. Can't do everything. So why not, you know, when that was someone who knows how to do that? Was that hard to ask Pete, Rosh? When he came to me, I was immediately with the idea. Yeah, he was with it.

And then we just sorted through, like, figuring out, okay, you know, and then we got them in the ludes. And by the way, man, shout out on the outro. Y'all did it, too. I mean, I found that record. Oops. Found that joint. I was like, oh, that's what they did.

Oh. Yeah, man. Yeah. I found the record. I got the record. Yeah, man. Classic. You know, everything from soup to nuts, man.

This is an awesome records, man. You two need to be commended. Hey, Amir, can I just, can I ask a question for Jake real quick on his note? Because I'm curious to know the answer about this, because Jake feels like this is like the album that is going to, if you care, like win all the awards. Do y'all care and do you all feel that? I mean, wow. I mean, I'm still pinching myself that it's just since this album drop has just been go, go, go. I'm tired.

Okay. So you, that means yes, Pete. Yes. Let me tell you, do I care? Yes. Yes. Yes. And like to be recognized for this music would be amazing. Like when you put your heart and soul into it, the one thing I just said that he'd go operating heart. One thing I know is Pete Rock came from the heart and soul. That I came from the heart and soul. I mean, she came from the heart. I engineer was heart and soul. Like this is. You got Jamie to do it.

The Amy showed up in Chicago yesterday. Jamie stopped at the shows now. Like he's heart and soul. That being said. That being said. we would love to be recognized in that way. That would be amazing. Like, I ain't going to front it. It would probably, I'd probably be ball and tears. If I, to see Pete rock up on that stage. Yes. Well, then yes.

For Pete to just get the flowers and he been there. It can happen. Yeah. Pete Rock got the first chair at the Tonight Show. Yes. That's my first time. And it was just unbelievable feeling, man. Thank you.

Oh, Doug. About time, Pete. It's your time, man. It's your time. Y'all need to be applauded. Pete, thank you for helping Common find the one. Now he knows where the one is at.

Now he knows where the one is. Bye. This is, once again, the incomparable Pete Rock and Common on Questlove Supreme on behalf of Laia, unpaid Bill. And Sugar Steve, yo, this is Questlove. This is a great episode.

Thank you guys so much. Buy that album, support the record. Stream the record. Yes. Okay. We are. often complain that, you know, we ain't getting the quality we deserve and then we get it and then we neglect it. So support this record is important. All right. Stream this record.

Like stream like you vote with your dollars. That's all. All right, y'all. Quastleaf Supreme. See y'all next week. Thank you. Man. Thanks, y'all. That was fun. Hey, thank y'all for listening to Custlove Supreme. This podcast is hosted by an afro, a mouth, a rapper, an engineer, and a man with too many jobs. aka Amir Questlove Thompson, Laia St. Clair, Fonte Coleman, Shuka, Steve Mandel, and unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers who get paid the big bucks, Amir Questlove, Thompson, Sean G, and Brian Calhoun.

Ask them for money. Produced by the people who do all the real work, Brittany Benjamin, Jake Payne, and, yes, Laia St. Clair. Edited by another person who does the real work, Alex Conroy. And those who approve the real work, produce for Eyeheart. by Noel Brown. Much love Supreme is a production of Iheart Radio. For more podcasts from Iheart Radio,

visit the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,

or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford 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 Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. I'm Daniel Alarcon.

And this is my friend. This is much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far. But I'm John Green, co-host of the podcast The Away End with my old friend Daniel on our podcast. the away end, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Alarcon and John Green on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Dr. Maya Shunker, a cognitive scientist and hosts of the podcast, a slight change of plans, a show about who we are and who we become. Life makes other plans. I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long the need to change. We have to be willing to live with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes. You can have opinions. You can have like a strong stance. And then there's your body having its own program.

Listen to a slight change of plans on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Amy Roboc alongside T-Jourke. Homes from the Amy and T.J. Podcast. And there is so much news, information, commentary coming at you all day and from all over the place. What's fact? What's fake? And sometimes what the F. So let's cut the crap, okay? Follow the Amy and T.J. podcast, a one-stop news and pop culture shop to get you caught up and on with your day. And listen to Amy and T.J. on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Saturday, May 2nd, Country's biggest stars will be in Austin, Texas at our 2026 I-Hard Country Festival presented by Capital One. C. Cain Brown. Parker McCollum.

Riley Green. Shaboozy. Dylan Scott. Russell Dickerson. Gretchen Wilson. Chase Matthew. Lauren Elena. Tickets are on sale now.

Get yours before they sell. at ticketmaster.com. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.