The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Estelle

Episode Date: February 19, 2020

In this episode, Estelle talks about strip clubs, looking for love in LA, gives Questlove a crash course on the UK music scene, and much more Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange, modern world. Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

Listen to 2%. That's TWO percent on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. Suprema. Suprema Role Call. Suprema. Supremea Roleca.

Suprema. Submina, sub, sub, subprima role call. Suprema. Suprema Roeca. Duke of Earl. Yeah. Milton Burl. Yeah.

Give it a twirl. Yeah. London girl? Role call. Suprema. Subrama. Subramal roll call. Suprema.

Subrema. Subrema roll call. My name is Sugar. Yeah. What's up, Estelle? Yeah. You need a sonos? Yeah.

I got one to sell. I got a C. Sub. Suprema roll call. Suprema, SUC-SUprima, roll call. My name's boss Bill. Yeah. And I'm on my knees.

Yeah. I forgot to prepare for roll call. Yeah. Forgive me and Stella, still, pretty, please. Roll call. Supremma, Supremma, sub-sup, Supremma, Role Call. Supremma, sub-Supremma role call.

It's Laeam. Yeah. And my girl is still. Yeah. We ain't no substitutes no more. Yeah. Oh, she know me well. Oh, yeah.

It took lame. Surma, Surim. Supremma Roll Car Supremma Subrama Roll Call My name's Estelle Yeah And I am Letty

I'm out here doing it In New York City Roca Supraima Suprara Suprara Roca Cobra Suprauma

Roca Cobra Supraima Role I hate y'all for not take an American boy Because I wanted to do mine around that But I was like obvious.

That's too obvious. That's why did London girl because I thought it was captain obvious everybody was going to do that. I was like, let me go for a little bit deep. Let me go a little deeper.

I'll go for pretty please love. That was good. That was good. I went there, you're not my substitute no more. Hey, you know we got to pay for that.

Oh, say, what? That was only two seconds, I heart. Yeah. So, yeah, I was going to say I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate five foot seven

being the ID height. Yo, it was a blah-blah that made sense. No, wait. I got to know which guy you date. Everybody gets me. Everybody gets me about it. Oh, you were trying to do that. I was just doing the mumble, and it made sense in the mumble, so I kept the five for seven.

It's like, so, look, we're doing the vibes, and John is, like, doing the melody, and he's like, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, so, so, so, so, so. And I was like, well, five for seven, side, that's my time. It makes sense. It's jazz. Okay. But I just thought maybe the conversion of Maybe English to American, maybe.

Yeah, I was going to say like you might want to have been like six to, but you made a lot of low self-esteem dudes feel like. You mean low-height dudes? The short men have my bag. Short guys have my bag. Okay. Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Questlove Supreme. I am six for three.

Thank you. I'm six for three as well. Ah, great. How tall are you, like you? Five foot eight. Okay. Well, you wear hills all the time. Steve.

What the fuck? My feet are size 13. That's all in my sense. That's what that is. That's not a waste of true thing. All right. So brought to you by the good folk of Aheart Radio. I'm your host, Quest Love.

Jenkins. Team Supreme is with us today. We got a boss Bill in the house. What's up? And Sugar Steve. Steve Jenkins. Yeah, Sugar Steve Jenkins. You're all related to Dijm.

This is crazy. Yeah. And lie. Oh, my God. And, you know, he don't. be rocking his middle name is last name enough for me. No, he don't. So, Bert Jenkins to me, is the best

MC name of all time. So I'm sorry, Dice. You are Bert Jenkins to me. For Lyon. Yeah. In Lyon. Yeah, how are you? What's up? Yeah, unpaid bill must be getting his bills paid because we haven't seen him in a month or Sundays.

Yeah, he hit me the other day. Like, I just got back from Sundance and I'm headed to LA. I was like, okay. They hate doing movies? I'm doing movies, too, but I'm here. Damn. Of course, Fonte promised this way back in November. He was going out for cigarettes.

We're still waiting for her dad to come back home. Ladies and gentlemen, our guest today, of course, needs no introduction. Wait a minute. I just got that joke, actually, after like 20 episodes about him going out for cigarettes and not coming home. Wow. Wow. That's how most fathers abandon us. I get it.

Go out from some smokes. My dad's a dentist. He never left. No, man. It doesn't smoke and he came home. Yeah. I just imagine your dad being like Steve Martin and Little Shop at Hors, but continue.

That's a deep reference. That's my favorite. Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, our guest today needs no introduction. She's a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter slash MC-slash-voice actress. Yeah. Yeah, you know. I will say, and I got a lot of Stephen Universe questions. Because I've just recently gotten to crystal rock technology.

Yeah, it's good, right? I used to be one of the people that laughed at people. All right, side note, the Jazzy Fat Nastys used to always just walk around with like a bunch of crystals in their pockets. Oh, yes, it's a really thing now. And I thought that was the kukest shit ever. And now I can't, yeah. You too? I love me all the time.

Literally, I keep granites and crystals and amethysts everywhere. Welcome, welcome, welcome. I feel real still, yeah. He's now apart. Welcome. Anyway, she held out to 98. She held from my other home, the west side of London. Can I say west side?

Yeah, yeah, that's right. Well, I don't know many black people that are from the west side of London. No, there's a whole contingency of us. We are there. I see. All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome my near Aquarian Capricorn sister. Estelle. to the show

I'm gonna snap her No snap Snap sorry He just made me Crunchy as hell He's pretty crunchy as hell It's just You're cool

You're cool Oh granola crunchy Got it Yeah Really? Took a sec I'm sorry Sorry

It's okay Oh okay I get it How are you today? I am wonderful It's beautiful outside It is It's really uncharacteristically

Nice I hope It's beautiful When February It is February It's like It's February It's February

It's like Is it Bill? Yeah It's late late February right now. It sure is. Happy Black History Month, everybody. Almost ending. We're still here.

Thank God. That was Steve Snapping. Oh, my Lord. Steve was snapping. Well, you mentioned in your, I know that we were all winging our roll call, but you mentioned New York City, but I would like to think that you, are you officially here? I'm in L.A. Really?

I'm in L.A. officially. All my clothes are there now, so. Okay. That's kind of how I joke. But correct me if I'm wrong, the few times, like. Yeah, I used to be here. I want to say, like, the few times I dropped you off from your house. No, no.

You've all been in the same scene and the same time. No, no, I like his version. Tell him all the time. Oh, no. No, I'm going to Quessler for a very long time. He has. Anybody that gets in my car. Yeah.

A whole bunch of people. Yeah. I'm the last one that goes home. I drop people off. Wait, in my trip and hers has Estelle saying you got me at some point on stage. Dude, Estelle has damn near been a root.

Pretty much. That was, you know, I go back to like 18th letter. Wow. Pre-18th letter, Estelle, when Estelle was MC. Yeah.

Sheesh. Yeah. So I remember like, so the first times we like met period was in London. I think I opened up. You guys used to be there a lot. And I think I opened up.

Yeah. And I opened up for you a few times at different events and venues when I used to just rap in single hook. You can, I need you to explain something to me because as much as like claiming like, yeah, London's our second home, London's our second home. There's one thing that no one's ever properly explained to me. Go ahead.

Okay. So there's so, and hopefully you can, you know, give some clarity to me and our listeners out there. There's so many sub-genres of music that comes from urban London Underground. Yeah. I mean, there's grime, two-step, drum and bass. EDM, trip hop, acid jazz, everything. Can you properly give us an education or like, what is what? No small task here.

No. Well, and the different sub-jurama is? Well, yeah. All right, so. Like, I don't know the difference. Like, okay. The, is two-step under the house umbrella? Yes.

Whereas what's grime? Grime is like a subgenre, a subdivision of what hip-hop and what the kids who weren't specifically like rappers and who were into jungle kind of made. Okay. Who weren't into UK hip-up, but who were also into like dance music and jungle made Grime and like garage. It kind of came out of the garage umbrella. So like UK hip-hop was the founding thing, right? And that came out of dance hall and all of that stuff, right? So Rodney P&M guys.

it had a really big presence and then but at the same time it was like dance music which has always been our thing like we listen to all different types of music all the time right so you've got you got us going to school being at home listening to like reggae dance or hip hop right as we know like standard

genres and you got go to school and you listen to like dance and house and trip trippy music right and it's like acid and all that stuff and so we essentially just merged them all together because that's what black people do and you know and so we came up with garage which was like emceeing over faster beats which were kind of in the house range

right? And that garage became that. And then Grime became slow it down and rap a bit more, be a bit more swaggy with it. Like you can wear echo and whatnot or you can wear like all the things that feel like you're rapping.

Right. But you're still keeping it English because that was our thing we made up. And that's where it becomes like a whole like we made this genre though. Okay. So the... And the lines get blurred as far as how you do it.

it. All right. So when we first went there in 93... Yeah, it didn't exist. Right. Okay, so drum and bass was just starting. All right, so to explain to our listeners out there, drum and bass is where you would take,

whereas hip hoppers would take a breakbeat and take it as is. I mean, someone would chop it up and flip it or whatever, but for the most part, like, what you hear on the record is what you would hear sampled. Drum and bass, they would speed it up almost past 45 to like 78. Which, okay, so my theory is that kind of the hip-hop experience in America mirrors whatever the vice of choice or drug of choice is of a generation. So, you know, if we, so my five-year theory is, I'll try to.

make this quick as possible. Like 67, 72 is our, what you would say, the heroin period. Yeah, and 72 to 77, I'm sorry, excuse me, 67 to 67, 67 to 67, I would say, I would say is the joint period. 72 to 77 was the heroin period 77 to 82 cocaine 82 to 87 No 40 ounce

malt liquor Oh wow 87 to 92 crack Okay And as and as I'm saying this Anyone else getting hungry It speaks No it speeds up

92 to 97 was the chronic period The weed everything slowed down Yeah 97 to 2002 was the sexy, what was it, ecstasy, the sexy ditty. Damn, you got this. Because you're thinking about music, you're thinking about the reaction. That was the period. 02 to 7 is the Cizurp period, the codeine period.

7 to 12, 2007 to 12. Will we say that's the Molly period? Yeah, well, no, that's after. came after 2007. That was kind of early. Well, then I would say maybe lean, I don't know. Tide pots.

It's funny, but it's not, it's not. Some kids are doing that. Shout out to the Super Bowl commercials on this damn tie commercials. 2012 to 2017 definitely Perkinset period.

And now, I guess we're currently in between 2017 to 2022, which What is the drug of the moment right now? Life. Wean, life. Ween, life. Weed never go out of style. I'm getting high on life.

Oreo thins are really good. Yeah, wow. Okay, so my whole point is that the drug that somehow permeates in each era also determines what the music sounds like. Pills. Sorry, pills.

Yeah, pills. So, oh, wait, no, no, no. In northeast Philly, everyone's dying from it. Oh, the we, the XK9, K9, 52, whatever? It's, you know, K, yeah. Yeah, it's, I don't know why the North East Philly has it the worst. It's nothing there, that's why it's nothing to do. Well, yeah, sorry.

Buy property there. Sorry. Anyway, my point is that. Wild. I felt like, but the thing is, is that I don't believe. The people. Did you guys not, did London, I don't know. You call London ever having like a crack epidemic or...

Yeah, that's a good question. It's like a consistent thing. It's not that it was an epidemic more than it's just like it's so... I don't know. It's our culture is so like you could be the highest of the high. Keep calm and carry on. Really? Yeah, that's the culture.

It's never really been like... The drug thing for me, the way I looked it, it was like it's associated with like homelessness and you're not doing too well, but now it's at a point where you're walking or it's like a D-boy the higher I was by it from the you know what I mean

from the from the guys on roadman not D-boys roadman right so it was never like oh your friend

next door to you was doing drugs and you can see it it was never like that like obvious everyone smokes right right

I didn't smoke until I was 30 I'm quite proud of myself I'm just started it's so fun I don't smoke but I like edibles

there it's a good time um wait why are you straight snitching Like, let me say that. Oh, because you said it before. I don't feel a distinction if you said it before on the show. Oh, okay.

I might have forgot. That might be a symptom. Welcome. You might want to cut back on those edibles a bit. You forgot me. Hi, mom. Good. So it was a bit more of a like supply demand thing and no one really was in it like that.

Now is kind of across the board. Like where you knew like everybody had like the drug dealer friends. Right. But like they were also your friends. So like what? Because we're all watching that show. now too on Netflix. Oh boy.

Yeah. Oh, God. Shout out to Drake. In the best way possible. I would say that we'll go in the best way. That's how much money I want where like I see a YouTube show. Where I see a YouTube show and be like, you know what? I'm going to give you all a whole bunch of money to put this on Netflix.

I want to see this. That's power, Drake. Thank you. I appreciate that. Sometimes they still need subtitles. Have you ever watched it? I have. Don't, I'm, Stel.

I'm saying that because I'm comfortable with you. I'm saying that because I'm comfortable with you. Dude. Every show needs subtitles. Even with Queen's sugar. Oh. No, no, boy. You might.

You got so mad at me. Yo, I'm not doing that with you. Wait. We were all watching the last episode of, like a cliffhanger episode of Queen Sugar, and I showed my television, and I forgot. I had the subtitles on. And they even hit me on Twitter. Like, wait, why are your subtitles on?

I was like, yo, have you heard Ralph Angel speak? Oh, don't you dare talk about that king like that? Wow. Not Ralph Angel. And that's Ralph Angel angry. Good morning. Oh, baby. Oh, baby.

That's fine. I'm almost not going on. You're just jealous. Stop it. King Kobe can speak how he. Well, we better tell her as well. Two of those listeners, now you know who's not going to be on the show.

No, Kobe coming. I mean, he's coming to the show. He is? Okay. You know what I'm saying? He's lovely. You single? It's okay.

No, that's no, bro. I can't even. Oh, that's a little bro? I know his mom. Oh, wait. That means something. It does. To me.

Wait, see, that's the difference of doing women and women. Smoothly he is. He's a whole 20 years younger to be. Nope. Nope. Wait, really? Yeah, he's young.

He's a young in. He's a young in. You know, y'all rules, man. I know. Wait, we're never going to get to your musical experiences because we're just going to talk about life for the next year. It's 20 minutes into a. Wait a minute.

What do you mean? Little bro. Like, I caught. You guys realize that there's going to be a lion's cub period in your life, right? I'm clear. I'm in that space now. I am proud of not yet though.

Quite literally a pet. Her next album is going to have a cover of Millie Jackson's young man, older woman. You know what? No, it is not. Don't say that. Yo, y'all, but we're not there yet because, you know, younger men for us still move like rabbits. They do. Like, we're not at that age where you want to date younger yet because they just still,

like, what are you doing? I'm not teaching you stuff. Oh, my God. Thank you. Good. Give off me. Stop. Ew.

Yes. It's a fight. Every day. All my life. You need your own podcast. All my life. You need your own podcast. You don't want to deal with the eye hurt?

Hey, now. Right, exactly. Look, I wanted to get to. My whole point in the whole 17 minutes, my whole entire point was, when I was there, a lot of cats were just trying to be from New York. I'm an, aka the 21 Savage syndrome.

Yeah, yeah. Like, I caught, there was an interview where, like, yeah, and then he said, and then he said, Spot, tell you. Wow, you really has a little. And we're like, wait a minute, what?

English. Yes. That's weird. I didn't know it was from there. What? I didn't. I didn't know. What?

But, like, you catch somebody young enough. Like, they're going to, their whole accent, everything completely changes. Right. But the thing is, is that I know that you guys have been waiting for this moment all of your life. I mean, really, you're pioneering that. Yeah. I mean, you're pioneering that the fact that not since maybe the soul to soul wave or even, I mean, And, no, really, like with Soul to Soul have an international acclaim have, I've seen, you know, like other countries lead the forefront of their movement and be accepted, not like, oh, what's America doing?

Let's do like America. Now you guys are right in the rules, but it's like, it's like with Mark Morrison, he's a great example. What is, what is he truly considered? Is he just mutin to his R&B or is? He's, he's, he's, he's, he's, it's, it's arm beating and it's, to us is pop. And that's, that's the reason why it's such a heavy thing. And I said this the other day, I was talking, I was at my friends, with my friends in D.C. And I said, the thing is, you guys have had such a strong culture for your entire, like, far back is the 20s.

Like, it's been black American culture. Despite what you think of it, you guys have had it. And we haven't. It's been maybe since the 50s at home. a lot from the British. Yeah, so we're like looking at it like, well, that seems to be the strongest thing to do. Let's do that. Can I ask, what's, it's weird, right?

Because then when you go to Laxonian, right, you find out that like the Brits were the biggest committers of the whole slavery thing. We are in Black History Month, right? So, and I asked a British actresses once. I was like, it seems like there's a disconnect between the cultures of your motherland in a way, too. We came over, from me. I knew, I know exactly where my family's from. my parents came

like in Senegal, Grenada, Sierra Leone like they came in the 50 they came in the 50s and 60s to the UK so for a lot of us that's where we start again in the European side of the world but we do know and like my family's big on black history so my dad and my stepdad

and my mom they teach they taught us that from like two and one like here's who you are go read these three big anthologies on sex and race I remember my mom gave me this book set And I read it. I was a bookworm. I'm still am.

And I read it as a kid. And I knew about, you know, the Black Queens. And I knew about how we existed before coming over again in the 50s. So, like, my perception of myself across the board is different in general. But, like, that's where a lot of us came from first. And it's a big thing. Like, we are taught at, like, in our homes. Not just, because they're not going to teach us to school.

They taught us the same things you guys know. Right. So, like, our energy and perception of, like, where we start is different. But the culture here is so long range and so dominant. You guys really have it. Like, please don't know one take this person. I used to be like, yo, how do you guys have like, and the more I got to learn about it, Black War Street and yada yada.

And then like, and at the time I was like, and the soldier boy exists. Like, I was like, don't be the judge. You said don't get offended. We're still asking that question. But sit now, soldiers like Malcolm X. I understand the context of it. But at the time, I was like, what the...

How do we... And the same thing is like that burning down and why people felt the need to get rid of it so that you could have... In the grand scheme of life, everything is everything. I don't judge it, but like, it's like you guys have it,

and I've had it for so long. There's so much wealth in it, and there's so much good, despite every attempt to burn down black culture over the past two centuries in the U.S., in around the world. 2%. That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available.

I'm Michael Easter, and on my podcast, 2%, I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-Persent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the big. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crime. crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. How old were you when you discovered your voice or you're singing voice? I was like 17. So from the age of zero to 17, you just spoke? No. No. Like, I realized I was good at it. I was seven and I realized that I could actually do it. My mom made me sing my brother in church and everyone clapped and I was like, oh, I don't, this is fun. Okay, so what is the, what's the, the black experience in church in the UK compared to?

It's, it's just as wild. Again, everything is patterned, right? Right. So it's just as wild. Holy Ghost, well, for me, I went to Kojic, which is, I went to Church of God Prophecy, which is like essentially Kojic. I was Methodist. I was Muslim. We've been, my grandma, before I was born.

Wait, everything? So here's the thing. West Africa. Culture. Yes. My grandma married a Muslim man. She was Christian. So for a while, she had to learn Muslim.

And then she realized that that was a very oppressive. The version he forwarded. For women. Yeah. And we're very women heavy in our family. So we've had to dabble, per se, just to respect it. Right. But I remember one time I came from, so here we go.

Here we go. All right. So when I was a child, did all the religions. And right before we went to real Christianity, I went to Africa. And we went to my granddad's village. And my grandma made us walk. And we get to the village and it's great, but it's very Muslim. And it's like Gambia.

My grandma brings this guy back with us who's like the village chief or a village dude guy, medicine guy, spiritual guy. And he's teaching us Arabic and they're trying to like give us these base lessons in my granddad's culture. And my mom, and I remember because I'm the big mouth in my family, low key. No key Snitch Nah, I'm the big mouth

I'm the one that's like Nah, that's not right I'm not doing that Oh you challenge people Okay All day Are you the oldest Second oldest oldest girl

So yeah pretty much How many? Nine in my immediate Yikes Yeah One older brother Six girls Second oldest

So you're Okay You're Jackie Okay Okay I can bear everybody Is Jackson Okay

Okay I'm Jackie I ain't got That's good That's good You look the best You look the best Jackie

Oh, no, he's the Bajim puffin? Oh, he's a He's a shit Dye? Okay No, that's Jimenez. No, that's Jermaine.

Oh, that's right. No, no, no, you're jacking. He's still got his natural hair. Okay, okay. He's still a little, got some king in it. You are all correct. I didn't mix him out. It was terrible.

That's so bad. It was terrible. All right. Okay. That's got a whole image. I said, wait, no, my edge is real. No, this is a fuck. All right.

Oh, man. So, he came back and he was teaching us like Arabic. And it came to a part where it was like, women must be submissive. And I just kept feeling like that was wrong. And I said to him, well, I don't agree. I was like 12 or 30, you know, some shit like that. Wow.

And I was like, I don't agree. Why do women have to not speak? Why do? And I went down the line. And my mom was like, what are you teaching my daughter in this lesson of classes? No, huh? No, not them. And she pulled us out the Arabic classes.

And that caused a rift in the family to a degree. And then we became real Christians. and that's where I kind of was like, you know, like, because we were like half and half. We would go to my grandma's, my grandma's the matriot, and that would happen at my auntie and my grandma's house. And then we would go up our house and it would be like Christian, Christian. And then we went full Christian with that after that.

And then that was just a wild time. It was like, don't wear no makeup, don't do no things. Oh, like Puritan style. Oh, like you were going to find a husband for you. And my mom was like, oh, so no. So here's what's going to happen with me and my children. It was wild. oppressive Christian.

Okay. Oppressive, but also Holy Ghost, it was a lot. There was a lot going down. And then I think it's always been music that kind of shifted my trajectory, though, because we were in a church choir. Right. And I remember being 19.

And we used to remix all the words to the song. So, like, Brandy's best friend became Jesus is my best friend. And, like, things like that. And, like, we did the dances and stuff. And I remember one, like, church, we had a church Christmas concert. And we were doing the whole like, can I do with that? Oh, my God. He's been getting to the end.

He's always been there right to say. He's so, I'm going to my best friend. And the church, like, the pastor got mad. Like, yo. Well, wait, what was he doing listening to Brandy to know that reference? Well, we was. Exactly. No, but she was more mad that, like, she was more tight that we were dancing

and it was having a good time. And she ain't like my mom for some reason. And so she essentially kicked us out at the church concert. Oh, man. It's wild. I was so upset. This has been going on since the history time. No, I just saw a church version that they performed a futures percocet.

No. See? I don't know how that works. But it was like the Christian version. What's the words? I don't know, but. Holy Ghost? Chase to Christ.

Frankincetons. Mrrh. Frankenstein's mur. Frankenstein to Mur. Wait a second. I saw it on Freddie Gibbs's Instagram. So go ahead. I'm going to see that.

A minute. So this has been going on. So they kicked us out and my mom was like to me after that, you don't have to go back if you don't want. I said, good, because I'm not. And essentially, I've never really been a fan of going back in the building and doing people's versions of events. I'm very spiritual and, you know, I read the Bible and I pray a lot and, you know, crystals and I listen and I'm in tune and blah, blah, blah. Spiritual. Yeah, that's what we go.

Oh, you're spiritual. Yeah. So. One of those. I'm assuming I have the same thing that it was hard bringing secular music inside the house

Oh my God Really? My whole life Prince Prince? What? Down 100% Snoom doggie dog punishments

All day Prince All of it All of it Like go in your headroom And listen in your headphones Yeah Under the pillow Under the pillow

I had Jodicy And I had like this little Like Jodicy was my thing In my teens And I had this little black Boombox and my bedroom's right next to my mom's and my bed was right next to the wall

and I would play it, but I would put it under my pillow to muffle the sound. But that's how I learned how to do harmonies for real, for real, like really meld them and stuff. Parents, all right, look, hopefully, if you're conservative parents and you're listening to me, I'm shocked, but just let your kids listen. They're going to listen anyway.

Just let them. Especially if they got their own phones now. Yeah. It's a rat. So just let him listen. So you're saying that by 17, it was fine. Well, wait, because again, when I first met you, I met you as an MC. I didn't know what you sang.

So. You're like, what, how did that go? I was kind of like, wait, reeked. Is this the serious down? But, yeah, like, how did hip-hop affect you? My uncle was the one I brought it in our house And it was like How old was he?

My uncle was young uncle He was just turned like 50 Okay And I'm Oh thank you He just turned fit Like he's like You know

But like he was a young uncle He was like definitely like out in these streets Doing his thing Right Like waitsters It's wild It's crazy Um

Okay And have family So what kind of hip hop Was he was he playing for Big Daddy came All of that era Queen of We would call that

classic Yeah So that was his whole thing The one thing I remember He brought that like Was like my switch On to it was breakdancing And we used to

We used to really breakdance as kids Like because it was the thing It's an age right And my mom was like Don't break dance no more The dude Was it Tebber and Oz I used to like that

For break it She liked to be Yo he broke his neck Spitting on his head So don't break dance No more And I was like I don't want to die

It's like I stopped, but I realized he didn't, but like, you know, she lied to me. It's a good time. That's how parents can told me. They must have told that to every black parent. Every. At that time. Yeah, I heard that one too.

We didn't have insurance back then. So, but that was my switch into hip-hop. And then I just liked it. It was like, then it became culture. It was a popular thing. But then it became like, as I got older, it was like, yo, I can really, I have a way we put in the words together. It's not about poetry for me.

It's about the rhythm and the rhyming of it, right? And then all my friends were like, like into it and then like mid to late 90s I really was doing it like I'd be the only girl in a room we'd be writing songs and I would actually end up like finishing off rhymes or writing my own and you know and then friends were like well just put the verse down just put the verse down I was like no I would put the verse down then it became like well actually I could really do it oh okay and so I did it well when you're I mean when you're in the thick of it um you know is there truly anybody to look up to well first of all as far as how you get it.

Now, I mean, because you're in the mid to late 90s, I'm assuming that there's a lot of Tim Westwood, a lot of 279. I miss 279, man. Me too, me too. All those guys. Wait a minute. You got to explain something to me.

What? What was the deal with the so solid crew? So they were good though. All right. So they were the original, I'm saying, Wu tank. Hold on. It's like 90 of them. Yeah, pretty much.

They still The only time I mean as an American There's a certain amount of arrogance That Americans have And I guess like Being over there Like in our mind

It was like No one could ever threaten you With the accent that nice But then Then came mega And all the guys And you look at it Yeah

You know like Like come on Like A little accent That's cute But so suddenly We're real real G's though They weren't

It wasn't some like Made up doing a game. So can you settle not a rumor? But, okay, so we know, at least for that time in the late 90s, there were absolutely no firearms.

We were told there were no firearms in the UK. I thought that still aren't. I thought the UK is like the most, literally firearms. We're so naive. That's so nice. Really? Oh. Because we was like model and I gun control

because y'all couldn't gun control. We do. The police. The police don't necessarily have guns. Oh. Let's stay there. Wow. Okay.

There's always been guns. I never knew that. There's always been. Okay, so we heard a rumor that our beloved Westwood got shot in the ass by a member of that crew. I can neither confirm nor deny who did. No one will ever tell the story of why or if that happened. It's like, you have to understand.

That was the realest hip-hop shit ever heard coming out of London. That was real. And he was kind of, and I almost felt like it was a badge of honor for him. Yep. Like, I got shot, so. But in the booty. I'm still here. You got to understand.

But why did he get shot? Tim Westwood is the figure from BBC that really brought a lot of classic hip-hop. He was the phone master flex of the UK. He's the voice that you hear on top of public enemies classic. It takes a nation of millions to hold. was back. Yes. Fresh start of the week was the name of his

show. So. He also was a white man just in case people were wondering. Yes. He's a, yes. Yeah.

But I mean, he was a pioneer. But I mean, he was a pioneer of sorts of bringing those shows over. And I guess like, you know, with how pirate radio was in the UK, a lot of all spring.

So like cats like two, when I did 279, that was a pirate radio show. Mm-hmm. But it was like a real operation like the room we're in right now. Was it like at that point, was the government tire shutting them down and they're just like, here, keep here. And then it became choice and then like choice of family, moved on to choice of family. It was like.

So 279's legit now? 279's been legit. I feel like he's a kiss or so. He was a kiss for a while. Oh, man, he sold out and got a real radio station. Everybody did. Everybody did. Erica.

Listen, it's no games. But he put it in this context. 279. I'm trying to put so solid and the vibe of it. So if you got hip-up, hip-hop, hip-hop, which was 279 and Westwood, then it became this shift when all the music became mixed up, right? And then because they couldn't quite get hold on hip-hop, it was like, that's not the new thing coming out.

You had all these labels investing in the new thing, which is garage, right, which is this huge scene that was blowing up. That wasn't hip-hop. That wasn't UK hip-hip-up. That wasn't like after establishment, after labels. And so so solid was that. but so solid was real were real dudes like they were like out there some of them were really out there there's a couple of them still still in jail right still still still in jail so like you know like it was a it was a

very oh you guys think this is for fun but like you're invested in real humans and real life scenarios so also that but i don't want to paint him as them all unruly thugs because i think like Craig david also came from Craig came from that scene but he wasn't in so solid no parts He was before so solid, but they were all kind of after the 279 and, like, Rodney Pee. And, like, I was even in that more of that scene than I was in the garage side of stuff. Like, I was really, like, rapping. Like, I was in the cyphers. I was, like, doing Dereal.

So all those names at the time that I saw, like, Miss Dynamite or Dizzy Rascal. So they came at the end of, like, the UK hip-hop side of stuff. And they really ushered in that whole new garage side. That's what it was. And they came all right before, so solid. And it's so solid, it was came in like Wu-Tang. It was patterned on hip-up, but it was just a different kind of sound. So did you ever think in your life that there would be a breakthrough?

Because, again, like with the culture that they had, even I was like, when Drum and Bass first came out, I was like, yo, this is going to kill. That's why we did it when you got me. We're like, we're going to beat everybody. And even like, Andre. Classic. Well, we tried. It's classic. And even with.

He said, we tried. What? Well, then when Bombs over Baghdad came out, you know, that was Andre's version of, they went to a club when I heard German bass. Like, oh, shit, let's do that. But I never thought, well. Say it.

Say it. Please say it. I was oranges. Yeah. Okay. Because I'm here. I hear you got me and everybody knows what that is. People here at Bums and people know it,

but they don't like rocket. The difference between you got me and Boms over Baghdad, it's like two pages there for a hero versus. versus like something from metalheads it's like it's completely different it's the same genre but completely different sides of the

plus you just teased us anyway I've been waiting for the continuation of that the fucking ever what? You just teased us with the end and then you got me it was like what 30 seconds do you know the fight I had to do for it

I'm just saying we are still waiting for the real but when you do things like that though especially because like it's such a jungle for us was our thing like I'm going to that after school I'm like I'm playing that all throughout school I'm out here like

Wicked Wicked jungle is my mind as a kid Like that's our thing Wherever we go in the world That's our thing So when we heard like Oh shit It's on the roots Did it?

Like we lost our mortal minds Like it was just like Because people will come take the music And not give it props Probably credit But you guys were there And like you got people that people loved.

Like, I'm opening up for you. Like, it was like, no, they embrace us. It's not on some. We came here to get the vibes and go back. Like, you guys spent time with us and our cultures. So it was like respect. We like to eat for today. I miss it.

So, like, why do you, well, obviously the answer is that the internet has now localized. Okay, well, I'm saying, do you feel as though the internet has colonized in a bad way? Wow. Yeah, it's colonized. Well, do you feel like the internet has colonized U.K. culture? Because, I mean, the good news of it is now you are all breakout stars. And the world can get the information at the same time.

Whereas, like, there's no breakout. There's no. But I also feel bad for, like, okay, take Ms. Dynamite. Remember, there was so much hope for her to be like, oh, my God, this is going to be the next Lauren Hill. and blah, blah, blah, and it never happened. There were other things behind the scenes with that, though. It's real life, and it's a culture thing, and you have to make a choice.

And I don't know her personally in that space to say, well, she chose blah, blah, blah, or she did this. But, you know, people give up on what they don't, when you don't fit into a mold, or you don't fit into what they think, you know? So there was stuff with it. You mean the audience or the artist? The audience and the labels.

Oh. Like, she wasn't probably going to do a certain amount. out of things, you know, and she had a kid bang in the middle, and at that point, that wasn't the excuse, but I'm saying like, because look, I walk into a room after her right after her to get signed, and I cannot front. Someone literally said to me, well, we're just working with

and she, and looked at me like, I can't take that risk. And I was just like, really? I didn't even have a boyfriend. About to say, get pregnant? No, dead ass. Was hurt about that. And I was just like, that's, that's, that's true. Wild. How about it? It's safe to say everybody in this room has heard

Amy Winehouse's debut album, Frank. Yes. I was working at Universal when that album was out here in the United States, and it was supposed to come out here, and they took it off the schedule because they didn't know what to do with it. I'm like... Put the music up. It didn't really feel like it was a

hard sell. You just listen to the record. Sounds like me pitching Roots records and Philly on the radio. I'm like, yeah, it's anything different. Play the record. And that's... In that time.

But the thing is, like, anybody I play that record for, they were like, oh, who is that? What is that? What is that? Most people don't know about Frank. Really? Most people think, like, back to back. Was it?

For good contention, people thought that that was, like, her debut. So when you're making, well, okay, what were the steps that led to the 18th day? My first album, I, okay, so I took the example. I've been in underground arts for my whole life. I've been like an independent on underground eyes for my whole life. And I was the girl that was like, I'm going to go make these records. I'm going to find a distribution deal. And I read this book.

By yourself? Yep. No manager? I know. At the time, I've had managers. Right. But I would direct them. Okay.

I'm very much the king of my castle. Okay. Control your fate. Yeah. I'm with that. I direct and I listen and I pay attention and I work with people who are incredible. But I'm very much an instinct gut person. So I was like, man.

look, these people out here, every time we go to a label, they keep talking about we don't know what to do. So let's show them. And I was like, well, let's go get these distribution deals. And so I had one. I went to a bunch of labels. They were like, we don't know. I said, cool, I'm going to show you what to do. Got my distribution deal. We sold 5,000 hand-to-hand and it was sold digitally and, like, not digitally, but like on the internet at the time, right? We were selling like one or two CDs a week, which was great at the time in and then around Europe and the UK, but also 5,000 within a month after going to the labels and them saying

we don't know what to do. Had a really dope publicist and she put me on every magazine you could find a couple covers where they were struggling to get their artists. And I had no deal. It was just me and my label, Stella Ants. What? What happened? Wait a minute. I'm like, so that whole time we were touring together, you were too

short, out the trunk? Out the trunk question. Oh, man, I got duped. And then, and then, and then the next The next set of times, I definitely was like on V2. And the same person that was like, I don't get it. It was like, I guess I should sign you? I was like, so we did the deal.

And even throughout that whole period, he was looking at me like, so that record free, you wrote it? I had to get the producer on the phone. The disrespect was so thick and so real about young black artists. You couldn't have possibly written a record that thorough of your own head and off your own heart. Because you're a little black girl from the hood. Like, you guys don't do that. It was that kind of, I called the producer and I said, so did you write any of the words on melody?

He said, no, I just play guitar. I said, and I put it phone down. And this guy was so angry and mortified. And, like, would just go out of his way to stop everything with the second album. And that's when I, no. Wait, how did you get? Even get to the 13th, 18 day. No, but how did you even get James and Omar and you got John Legend on the first record?

Yeah, I'm bullsy. You just, I just, I was recording. You just walk up the motherfucker's like, yes. What's up, son? Hi. Hello. The Kanye St. story's real. Like, I really did. I was in LA recording and I went up.

I love that story because, because I mean, now Kanye being who he is, you know, you would think that was a Kanye move. It was a different Kanye. Yeah, it was a different Kanye then, but you would think, you know, now knowing who Kanye is, you would go up and ask for, you know, Kanye's information, but you went up and ask for John Legends. Yeah, because his voice is incredible. Yeah. And I was, I get, I get my instinct again, right? I was like, no, this guy's voice. I think my boyfriend at the time was like, if you don't just go find this guy because you just out here smiling, I mean, it's cute and all. But, like, also, like, I was like, I have to find him.

And then it was just fate. Did you know about his education at the time? No. Because I have a feeling that has a lot to do with his success. So that's how I was like. John's a smart guy. But also he's the same thing. He's instinct to a degree, you know?

And we met him and I was like, y'all, it's fine and all. This is lovely. We're in record plant in L.A. And I'm like, yo, I've got like $2 to my name to get back to the hotel. Can we wrap this up type deal? Like, I have to leave in a couple of hours. And he was there. We connected up.

and I left and he was like I just like your drive and the fact that you didn't come in here giving the crap about a yay or whoever was in the studio I said no I came to find you

to do this record that I have pre-recorded the vocals and lyrics to can you sing this part please and he was like let me hear and I was like I gave it to him play this

I was like listen to it in your own time all right I had a hard drive and everything I remember it cost so much money I gave him a hard drive I was so tight

the whole hard drive Terabyte Did you ever get it back? Nah I don't know and then like I left and he called me. He was like, yeah, it's good, it's good.

Dude, I've known you forever. I've never knew the film and Louise ending car jump that it took. Damn, dude. How come I never knew that story? Sometimes we don't have time to stop and talk. For real, for real. I'm going to write a book about all these moments. But like, this has been my whole, I don't wait for the opening. I'll just push through the door.

You know, if I feel the instinct and it's like, go, go, go. Go, go, go. You know? So even then, I mean, I'm almost certain it was just, just to get to above water level was a goal, not even to like. It wasn't even about. Hey, I'm going to really kill this game and da-da-da-da-da. So, I mean, by the time you get to the second record, what are you thinking?

By the time we got to shine, I was grateful for John in a way that, like, people, you know, I'm this person very loyal. I don't care what John stuck his neck out for me without thinking like everybody that is rare mine

and everybody in his team at the time was like what is this like it was smoothly like they diss me to my face like I mean you don't know Aretha like that da da da da da da da I say I know I'm just not an Aretha singer

right and it was like a lot of different shots at me because I was supposed to be this kind of black girl And I come in rapping and singing And I have a smoother voice And I'm confident And you're not going to tell me nothing I came here with Loubertons

And I came here with my fashion And my vibes You feel me Can you animate the thing else? We're doing the tip of the house right now With our hands What you're about to do No one can hear

No but like At the same time I was very much like I'm not going to give you All those facts But like also I'm not going to take it to heart I'm just going to do what I came here to do and a lot of people

shot at him like, why you signed her? Like, this doesn't make no sense. This is a terrible investment. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And he was like, I've seen her work. I've seen a girl. Trust me, I'm just here for the ride. He literally would say it to me like, look,

if we don't need to work together in 10 years, please live your best life. And essentially we did. But, you know, but he stuck his neck out for me in a way that is unprecedented and I'm forever grateful because I went to the label that were like, nah,

And then, like, I guess I should sign you. And I said to them after, like, the first two meetings of, like, you don't really do this. It's a lie. Go find your ghostwriter. I said to them, so look, next album I have John Legend. He wants to accept to produce it. He won about 500 Grammys. This guy's touring out the world.

These albums gold at this point in the UK, Europe and the whole world. And they say to me, who's that? And I wanted to punch the wall. I said, let me go. I said, let me go. And he was like, what? I said, no, let me go. Please let me go.

And then he was like, I said to him, so the second I had asked you to accept produce, I'm going to leave the label. And he was like, I'll sign you. I said, you sure? He's like, yeah. I said, all right, come on, let's go. It never happens like that. Never.

Except in a stealth case. Consistently. Are you the only release from that? I'm like, wait a minute. Yeah, home school. Yeah. He set the label up to put me out. Just be

John. Home school records. Damn, John. So John is a G for that. People don't know that part of the story. Everyone thinks it's the A, but it's John. Wow. Yeah, he did a lot as far as having my back and just support me

and not really taking the credit as far as like, you know, where people were like, oh, people say, oh, he wrote this and you wrote that for him. He's like, he's not the one out there shouting it. People make up their assumptions, you know? He lets me, he knows my capability and stuff. Have y'all reconnected so now that y'all live in the same town? I've seen him around. Like, we're cool.

And I'm good friends with the team. We're still good. Like, that's family. It's the cousin. Well, yeah, true to how music history works. I believe the, I've heard the story before. The legend of American Boy was that, was it the last song made?

It was just like an afterthought. It was, well, didn't believe that the record was a hit. Like, the music was a hit. Yeah, because it came from his joint. Yeah. Right. He said, I don't think that's the, I said, trust me. This is what we listen to.

two at home. This is it. This is it. And I was literally on a beach in Miami. What song? It was on, not his BBE Records. It was B.B.E. It was B.B.E. It was the Interscope one. The songs about girls. The one that nobody bought. No, it was on BBE. You put on B.B.E. He put on B.B. In the UK, yeah. Oh, in the UK. It used to love me some B.B. It came out on Interscope here. The songs about

girls, yeah. Yeah. At least nobody here really did. They had a couple joints, huh? But B.B.E. And you said, I want to rhyme over that beat? Or I want to sing over that. And we wrote it like three minutes. I vocal it the next day, an hour.

And then, and then, but every time we played it to people, their energy would just shoot up. Like, it was, like, palpable. Sitting in the room, played a record. Everyone was like, oh, vibes. Yeah, I was going to say that probably, American boy is probably one of the few songs in this millennium, now that we at least have two decades under our belt,

not to age us all. Too late. No, especially with the way, especially the way that information happens and like one song just instantly replaces another song without, you know, I mean, you remember how many times you've heard Crazy by Norris Barclay

when it first came out. And it's sort of like you might hear it now, but it's almost like, I feel like maybe American Boy next to Crazy in Love, like that's one of the songs that won't ever die. Like it's still in my DJ set right now. Somebody just made a remix on it. I just saw it.

I was like, they still made a remix. Yeah, it's been about three in the past two years. I'm not mad. I heard Tam's joint, yeah. I was about to say like that's trap it out, they put it on TikTok. Just live your best life. That's what we want. I'm afraid to go there. I'm so scared. It's fun. It's a rioting. It's the Russians.

It's amazing. But I got go there to know what song to play. Oh, the Russians. No, to know what song to play. No. No, I've taken my life back. No more social media for me. Jealous a bill. So was it ever a point where it was like tiring? Like, again, like, are you, it's somewhere between Nirvana,

it smells like teen spirit where they refuse to do it now and De La Soul where... Me, myself and I? Where they just sing, we hate the song all over the things. Like, is it that or you're just like, nope, I know where my bread is buttered and I'm fine. I had to reset. I had records in the UK that people will never not let me perform like that's 90 for me

and to the point where I'm like We were down what you said 980 90 90 saying 90 I'm just like do you know the words because I don't to the second person Oh you're one of them people I'd be forgetting there's so many words in my head Oh my goodness

So many words in my head I'm gonna have a teleprompter at the 55 It's gonna happen It's gonna happen Prince used ones He did I had to reset my energy with that because I literally pray for records like that.

I was like, no, and I got one, and I was like, how dare I be ungrateful and say I don't want to sing it? And it makes me happy. There's so many ways to sing that record. And like, sometimes I don't sing it at all. And then you have to consider it. Are you just Bobby Brown it? Don't sing it.

Genuine that. That's my new reference. Genuine. He said, he said, if you're, oh, let's. Oh, my God. I said, good Lord, this is amazing. They just sing everything. Every word.

I hate for you to sing it. He just a bad guy. I'm just a... Hey! Buddy girl, buddy, yeah. Get it. I'm right there. I'm the one in the back screaming,

looking for a father. What? Me. It's me, genuine. Hi. What? Who knows how to... This is terrible.

I was 12 singing Sucfew. Ain't you related to it to Genuio? I'm about to say. You're related to Genuine. You never told me that ever. Levantreous? Lavandrius is related to. Wait, what?

No, I'm a character on Parks and Rec. Thank you very much. Oh, yeah. And Genuine is me and Reda's first cousin. That's revealed in the last episode. That's the other black person on the show. Yeah. It's, it's, it's, yeah, you don't watch Parks and Rec.

I didn't know we're still. Parks and Rec. It's not. It's all. It runs everywhere. It's the Wu-Tang of comedy. Yeah, I know that. I know everybody came from Nair's.

It's one of the best sitcoms. Yes, but one of the longest running jokes was about her long-lost brother, which they had me play. That's dope. And Genuine is her first cousin. Oh, yeah. She's on that Netflix show. That's right. Yes, exactly.

And they had Genuine come out and sing Pony for a little something. No. I'm going to go watch. Thank you. It's amazing. Yeah. It's a good show. Thank you, Mark.

Shout out to my first cousin of Genuine. Elgin. Lumpkin. 2%. That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter, and on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory.

We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-Persent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 beach. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we picket here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. For all of me.

Yeah. Which, okay. Slight side note. Go ahead. I'll admit it because Bill's like, you fake motherfucker. You know, I forgot about the interlude. I totally forgot about that. So even in rec.

Caping your music, I was like, oh shit, I'm on this. I totally forgot about that. What was your, what was your, what was your, What was the impetus or at least the process in creating this record? I was going through a lot. I was coming off of a, like, the Shined American Boy. All of my worlds were completely shifting, and I say that in the nicest way. Friends were wilding.

I was wilding. Boyfriends. What is that whirlwind like? You're not on the ground, and you're trying to desperately hold on to the ground that you know, but God's like moving it out from under you anyway. And with nine siblings. Also, how does that affect you? Oh, it was wild.

Like my little sister, my family moved out of London because so my little sister, one of them was so hype. It was just, it was unsettling for them. And that's when I realized I say it to people now. They took on your success? I got siblings too. Not on purpose. One of them got a little while with it,

and then we had to move the whole, then the whole family moved. Okay. Because it was like, you know, taking my stuff to school and to, like, do the school thing and like all my sister's this and people liking you for the trainers you wore or you brought that your sister's trainers and then news people creeping up around my family house we still sort of lived in the hood a bit and going to the drug dealers two doors down and talking and I was like my littlest brother who's an accountant and a lawyer and an incredible brilliant young man had to go up there and be

a bit gangster and it's just like um nah that's my actual family I raised and you know you know so I'm dealing with that whilst never be in the home and the people that you're trying to call your family were out here just not having your back. It was just a lot going on during the All of Me period. And I'm dating a dude who was just wildly trash. We all are trash. Not all of you.

He was. You should start out that way. Ten years ago he was trash. So here we are. Almost 10 years ago. And I was going through a lot and trying to just hold on to something that looked like love or look like home. and it was all needed to go.

Is it hard navigating that, you know, I know that where most people either had is their home, but I mean, you moved to the States and kind of without any stable family. Well, I don't know, for some people, getting away from the family might be a necessary move. No, it wasn't necessary more than I just knew I had to do that for my career because it was.

It was like, one, it was just tiring every three months getting on a flight and your energy just just up and down, right? You know, that toured extensively for a very long time. And so imagine doing that. And then everyone demands all this stuff of you. So I was like, I'm just going to move there. My mom was like, I knew it was going to happen eventually. They helped me, they sent me off, and they would try and come a visit, and then the visits dwindled,

and then I was never home, so it didn't really matter. And then I would go home to London, and I couldn't go home. And so they come and see me at the hotel for the time. two hours, right before I go to the airport again. And it was just like I lost touch per se, not on purpose, but by force of we just didn't have the time. So it would be like I was so grateful for the hotel suites that I had because the whole family could come and I was come crash and I just got to sit down.

My mom would bring African food and we would sit down. Yeah. Right. And the whole vibe and they were gone and I have to go back to being a stellar robot, you know. There's a lot happening. Actually, there's a question I do have that I'm probably certain I wouldn't be able to ask had you come on the show a year ago. Now, you're dealing with, okay, when we say the fuckery that is this current administration, you're actually dealing with this two times over.

And so what is the, not not, you know, know, DefCon 5 or whatever, but what's the current concern of yours or level of fear concern when it comes to you traveling overseas or your family coming over here or you, because I see where this is about to go if old money gets a second term in office. Well, I mean, two weeks ago, there's been nine. There's been nine other countries added and all them from Africa. Because of the year of the return, you think? Wow, you really think that?

I believe it. Was Ghana added to the... No, but because they have other deals with different U.S. countries, but I feel like it was just the idea... Here's my thing that I've seen. You give the energy of, you scare people, you make them feel like, you know what I mean? And that does more for people's energy than people's perception of what's going on than the actual thing. You know what I mean? And I feel like that's what he's doing.

That part. Yeah. And it's like the fear of like, oh, well, now it's going to like, can we really go there? But meanwhile, the energy at the top of the year was like, we can do this. It's not as crazy as Nigeria? So has travel been hard for you coming in and out of the States like extra, like longer at the? As soon as I saw that go in, I actually wouldn't apply for my passport. Okay.

So like I have dual citizenship. Okay. So like, because I was like, no, no, no, no. All my things are here. And then luckily, all my things are here. So let me make sure I'm good on both sides of the war. Yeah. Your family's passport says Britain on the floor.

Yeah, but the beautiful thing is we also, like I said, I'm very clear. So dual citizenship's there. We have Senegalese. We have family-owned passports. We have different, we could go. You know, we've done smart things strategically smart. My brother and sisters, I love them for this. They're very smart about how they handle themselves, and I'm proud of them and that.

You know, they really hold their side of the family thing. don't look at me like you got to do you know they really are brilliant in their own rights so I'm proud of them they hold it down five passports I'm never going to jail okay how about that take that to heart yeah it's not a game because he's wild this guy's crazy so now now that we are where we are and well the aforementioned 21 Savage being one of the one of the biggest UK exports. I'm still like no existence. I don't know it.

Oh wait, you're just finding out now? No, like whatever I found out. Oh, right, exactly. So, well, I'm just saying that it's ubiquitous. Like, how do you feel about the current climate of today's artists that are coming from the UK and kind of the... I love it. I would love to see more of them actually do the effective work here, though. you know like besides the big pop artist that they pull out the UK

I'd love to see like the R&B and the hip-hop artists do more of the groundwork because I know that everyone's always like yo you really did it and I'm just like you should be here doing the radio runs and doing the doing like the smaller the black culture things because it's like they're selling you on one thing but the thing I know I had to do with the All of Me album with thank you was work backwards so American Boy came and it blew right black people here didn't really know me like that though

so when I did thank you I was like it's fine we're gonna and they were like no no no you're going to Mississippi no no no you're going to go see some black people and you're really gonna talk and be out there and I had to do it and that's the stuff that I think that people miss when they say like oh you're you're big around the world you're going to America you're going clean but you know Joe in and in Champaign Illinois don't know you you know and it's like and you know and you know and and Mavis over there in Mississippi has no clue.

Just as sorry that names. I love that in your mind. Like, it's not Joe Mavis. It's absolutely not. Your hypothetical audience. I don't know. I have the same names as my grandmama. I was like, tell us more where you think.

Yama, Bessie. But it's true. Like, but like real folks who just like, in the same way that like. I was going to say, yeah, that, it just hit me that. My mom I don't know Bruno. They're not. So in the same kind of way, like, look, it might be the popinist thing and you might look like. But go and do the work.

Damn. I was going to know. My grandma. Like, you know, like. Well, wait. I was going to say. So that's, that was smart of you to. Yeah.

Yo, don't. You're just hitting me now. And nobody else has followed. Nobody's looked at those steps. I can't name the amount of times that we performed in Mississippi or Alabama or, you know. I mean, at least in the last. I mean, we don't do the, the down south states as much as we do our regular. Because y'all were built on colleges too, though.

Don't you think so? Because of the foundation and the way. Yeah. But then you also have a different way into people's spirits with TV. So it's a different, you know. Yeah, but he's still got to get the black folk. I mean, well. But that's still Jimmy Allen's band.

The black people are populating in that audience on Jimmy Farrell. They do their research and their kids put them on. Because all our families are begging us for tickets. He has nice Super Bowl commercial, boss. Oh, thank you. That whole thing? There's a certain amount of work they're going to do. that I still am just like,

I want to see a Georgia Smith come here and do that run. Yes. And I want to see, like, I want to see Ms. Banks come here and do, you know, and it's that fine line of you. You don't have to,

but you should. You know, I said to Sims, I was like, you don't have to move here, but you should come here and stay for a while. Or come and whatever you want to do.

Like, but you don't have to, but you should for a while. Come in, you can't sell somebody or tell someone that you get their culture if you're not here, in it? You know, not for...

Like, you went to the UK and you lived it. You could talk to it. Not for nothing. Well, I mean, we did it because, like, we knew they would accept us. But not for nothing. When you're fine and... Okay. It's good, yeah.

You have a potential second chapter as a manager. Or at least... It's going to happen. I mean, a lot of your talking points of that of, like, almost Kara Lewis, like an agent. Wow. because I don't think that your average when a person comes from from where they are to the United States

I think nine times out of ten they're just thinking of New York, L.A., Vegas, maybe, Chicago, like a major city. Whereas, you know, people aren't thinking of long range. I had to physically do it. That's why I know it works. Once you see them, don't you see it still? Once you see them and you go to their town,

they love you for life. They love you for life. Look, I went to Selma and Sang Conqueror on the, not on the next day when TV One did the special. And I met Tremaine Hawkins, who to me is like the garden arm in gospel. Things like that. And she knew my record and my whole heart exploded. Wow.

Things like that. Like, I lose my mind about things like that because it's like, this is who I grew up listening to is a eight, nine, ten year old in my mom's kitchen. And I'm sitting there going, what shall I do? And then she's standing in front of my face. singing conquer and I almost collapsed. But you don't, you're not going to get to those moments where it's

those people, we stand on their shoulders if you don't go and touch their people, you know what I'm saying? Like you're not going to get those. And I just feel like we have so much great we write the rules. Come here and talk to people about the rules that we write in, like come and help them understand

the new swerve, the new energy about it all. And from our point of view, like It's wildly lonely. It's been wildly lonely for a very long time being me, Marsha. Right. Me and Marsha. I mean, it's just as much as much.

Well, I tell people all the time on this show, you have to build a tribe. Like, there has to be nine, at least nine like-minded people. Yeah. Well, I started my label like on that because I was like, well, I have all of this to give. And I want to be able to leave this legacy

Like do the work And you know Come here and put time in And you're not going to sleep For like 20 years But it's all right It'd be okay You'll have a ball while you're doing

Yeah you know I have fun Sleep when you're dead man That's like The only option You'll have Like so also So do you like L.A. now?

I like it Do you like it as a single lady? No Okay I didn't think so I just wanted to clarify Because you know That part is true I don't listen.

But here's the thing. Okay, okay, okay. I have to change my energy about all that things, all that stuff. Because there might be potential. It's definitely, no, there's a couple of potentials out there. Okay, good. In L.A.? Yeah, well, it's like two, three, baby.

Are they brown? Yes. It's funny. People don't know that that's hard in L.A. It's hard. This is the podcast I'm waiting for. Yeah. Go ahead.

Talk about navigating the single life in L.A. Short version, it's trash. No, long night. It's not trash. It's just. My friends always say to me, look, as hard as you work on your music and your life and your career, you have to work on your love life. Exactly. It's hard.

And I had to change love things. But wait. They have to come out of town. They have to come from out of town. And did Angie give you the speech that she gave me about, listen, Laia, you have to open your mind when you come to L.A. You have to say that. Andrew Stone or Nissel? Angela Nissel.

Oh, she was like. Stone. Angela Nisle and Don Wight were like, listen, you got a day outside your race. I was like, but they don't have to be how much. They don't holler. They holler. I tried. It was interesting.

Right. It's just not the same. It's just like, why go for the second if you want. It is the accent. I know. You think it's an accent? No. Just say yeah after everything.

No, but I want. But I want what I want. And if they, I mean, I want the best like the rest do. You want what you want. You know what I'm like. You know what? But like LA has opened me out though. Like I am a lot more like I see two sides of everything.

It's balance. It's how is that. person feeling when they, like, I'm not human. Because I can't be a Judgey Baptist. Like, I've done too much, I've been through too much to, like, put anybody on anything, put anything on anybody and say,

well, that's that. And, you know, I just kind of, I'm open. But also, like, I want what I want. It's like, six of a while. Compromise on something. Every day I have to sit here and be like, I mean. You know something else? Wait, you just let me. You do sometimes,

is chameleonize yourself into another person. Slight confession. Tell me. Okay. Oh, no. So when I went to Smart Black and Funny, he did. It took me eight minutes to realize

I was sitting with you and Melanie Fiona. Are you serious? I didn't hear a trace of accent. That's wild. And I was like, oh, these girls are so nice to me. That's so cool. That's wild. We sat there.

I probably had different hair too. And then Melanie called me, your hair was changed. I was sitting behind you at first. And then Melanie said something. I was like, wait, I felt like I know this person. And her hair was different.

Yeah. And then your accent came out. Oh, fuck. Is it still? Is it still? Melony Field? Look, because, no, this has been my, I've been learning American accents, too. Because every time I go, so I'm doing acting, more acting now.

Oh, here, they're going to take our job. Let's the accent. Let me hear. More going to take a job. No, it's terrible. Come on, Cynthia Reeva. Go ahead. Give it to it.

Go ahead. Mm-hmm. You know that's a thing, Amir. You know, they're coming over here. They're getting me. acting jobs, you know. Oh, you're in. I've been doing it.

Some of the best actors are from the UK. I've been doing it. Let me tell you. But like, the thing is they keep giving me these roles. I laugh at my manager Mike because I'm just like, first of all, what? So they keep asking me to be strippers. And I keep being like, where? I don't see it.

I don't have enough for this. I never looked at you walk away, so I don't really know. You know what? Go to Rosco some more. I don't have enough for this, okay? Mike looking like, if you don't shut the fuck up on me? I'm sorry. No, I had beefed with one of my agents like,

yo, stop sending me these damn, like, we're not, nah, bro. You better have said yes, the hustlers, but relax. No, I didn't get that one. I should have got that one. That would have been fun. I could have learned how to actually strip. Then you would have been on the Super Bowl. I put, I have wild.

I'm just joking because I love her. Wait. That's what I was like, the her husband, by the way. The hell back, look. The her back. Yo, strip a pose is in the bowl? I had a time. It was a, no, stripper's story.

Sorry, I was in the street club. First time I had my song outside in Atlanta. In Atlanta, it better be Atlanta or don't count. No, magic. Magic City? Magic City or Onyx. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.

No, it was at Onyx. Ooh. It was an onyx. And we went there to treat the guys because, like, life. We were on the road. And I was like, let's go to the trick club then. All right. How they got good wings?

Sure. Let's go. Yes. Strip clubs are based on their wings. Swings. Shout out to spirit. All right, listen. You can't even get the names out fast enough.

I know it's so many good strip clubs with good food. Come on, let's go. No, no, no. I'm, I kid you not. Wait, there's a good street. I thought it was good because I was like, well, here we are. When the other day, I was like, here we are. This is interesting.

What is it? It's Sam Browns or something like that. It's downtownish. Well, I didn't eat the food. Oh, but the girls were nice. The ladies were lovely. And so here's the thing I go in there and I'm just like

Again I'm not judgy I don't care Live your best life, right? And it was just always weird when they play my record And the dude set it up like We got some So I remember this You had

Don't you hate that You had Lloyd in the house You had like Lloyd and this is years ago Lloyd bow wow And a few other singers right Early singers Right R&B singers

And they're like that side of the club And I'm just like Oh shit Oh this like And I'm just in there trying to like, okay, but I'm me though. And then the guy, my girl, my assistant had told the dude that I was there. And she's like, yo, we got a real singing in the house. And I was like, shit.

And then he puts the regular. I like Lloyd. I do too. I'm my fan is. And I was just like embarrassed. And he goes to me, yo, sing the song. And then I'm singing the American boy. And it's like.

You sing in the club? And she's like. And she's major. And she's like, oh, that's really good. Okay, go, come, take you, Your Honor, who. And then she's like, I just love you. You're so cute. You're so, like, you're so classy.

And I was like, yeah, okay. And then she hugs me and it's like, oh, is that weird, awkward? Oh, with the, with the lotion smell on you now. All over me now. And the glitter. And then it happened again. It's Stadium with Thank you. Oh, in D.C.

At thank you with Stadium. That shit was all. No, they played Break My Heart. And then they all came up to me in the line, like a greet, me and greet line. Like church? But they didn't dance for you No But they were like

Coming to be like nice So it was like no you're you Like No I need you to dance Take them clothes off No don't I will put money in the In the dancer's hand

What? I can't go to the strip club I was just considering it You just messed up It's not gonna happen Oh my God I'm gonna eff it all up Oh still

I'm the killer of vibes Are you take your dollar piece No I'm like Amazing You put in there I have a Stevie J story. It's happened in Diamond's like that. I had a wild and crazy life.

Don't be bad, Mike. No, no, no. Mike knew about this story, Stevie J. Mike was probably there with it. No, the guys had set me up. We were on the road and I said to myself, I tweeted something like, yo, Mimi be like, when he leaves, I'll be quiet, when he's here, I'll be quiet,

but when he leaves, I'll be talking again about Stevie J. When it first come up on the show and it was first on the show. And I tweeted that. And then the team was like, what if he came to the show tonight? Ha, ha, ha, ha. So the team make him come to the after party. And I'm there like, oh, my little sister and me, Stevie J.

My little sister comes on the road. She's my, she's my rody, my homie. All right? She comes on the road with me. She's like, yo, I was like, it's Stevie J. We're having this whole breakdown in our soul, right? And Stevie J comes in the room. And I'm just like, I got to ask him if this is real.

So I says, yo, he comes off. He goes to say, yo, get to meet you, sis. And I'm like, hi. And he's like, I said, wait, you have to tell me. Is that real? Like, do you really be, is this real? Like the face and the rat face. Oh, it's real all day, baby.

And he does the face. And I'm like, okay. It gets worse. It gets worse. So we end up in a strip club with Stevie J. And my whole team is trying to find a way for me to have an interaction with Stevie J and the stripper. And they're just doing this for their pure shits and giggles. Oh, they're doing this for their because they know it's about.

They're doing this. So they can laugh at me. And so we end up. And look for a new job tomorrow morning. So I'm lucky. No, I didn't have it. But I was definitely like, oh, this is weird. Oh.

I go to the bathroom. On the way back, he grabs me and he pulls me to the stage. And I'm just like, oh, what's going to happen? I'm really in my soul like, oh. Like a old lady. And he pulls me and it's like a big lady. And she's like, going. And like, she's going in her booties up.

She's smashed you in your face. No. And she's like, this girl is uncomfortable. I'm just like, yeah. And so if I'm standing, if her booty's facing the audience, I'm standing with my right side. I remembered it. And he's like, yo, look at her, man. I was like, what?

He's like, yo, look at her. And he says worse things. I was just like, oh, it's all right. She's doing great. He's like, look at them titty. Look, I'm traumatized. Look, I'm traumatized. Why are you going to the strip club?

You don't belong there. I don't. But it's fun. And the wings of dress. Check it. Check it. Check it out. I gave her the money in the house.

Here, go. Thank you. That was so great. She was like, thank you. But I feel like they appreciate that. I don't throw at them and be the middle. I feel you.

Look, if we're in Vegas, we're going to go to experiment vinyl because they had the best French fries ever. Okay. I'm with you on that. I have been there. We had the wild bell for then.

I've been in all the shit clubs and I'm the most polite. I feel like. I can give y'all a structured breakdown on the best foods. I actually am very interested in that. In Atlanta, Atlanta is actually the best strip club in Atlanta is actually Follies. Ah. Like the best dancers. At Follies?

Yes. Diet. No, not literally. They killed, no. What are they doing? They really want to dance at Follies. Because they have a good rate there. Like the old goal club.

I got you. Yeah, because the owner, lets them keep their money. At least more than most do. No, no, no. Some will tax the shit. Yeah. Oh, I know.

He makes a killing off of the bar and more importantly the water, which I don't want to give his secrets away. Charges for water. Interesting. Yes. But he has a great deal on bottled water.

I don't know. Maybe a friend of ours gives him a friend of his a friend of ours. But, yeah, yeah, it fell off the truck. But, yeah, Follies, it also has great food in Atlanta. Whole commercial.

Yeah, right. You have to do, like, a little book. This is a new book. John Gis said you're not allowed to do those. We're going to have something. I mean, I mean, that would be fun. Like, I would, I'd want to know

or do a site or, I don't know. We've got to find a chip club. We need to have a green book for entertainers. Right. No, so serious. A green pork sauce. At least you know, they serve breakfast after, you know, like four.

No, real life. I'm going to have to talk you about this. This is the quiet as you ever been, Steve. I'm nominating myself for this job. Oh, God. All right. So we got wrapped this up, y'all. Yeah.

We talked about the church in the UK and immigration and pancakes at Follies. So, okay. So, and love and. LA. So for you, what is your hope for this year? We're already in February. Like, what are you? I'm really, like, so my main thing is a label goes up. I have a new artist that I really, really, like, will go for, like in the same way John went for me. She's incredible. She's a great singer. She just, my thing is, I'm not investing in anybody who I have to pull from the ground up.

I'm investing in people who are doing the work and who want to actually learn the business and be sustainable on their own, you know? So. Where's she from? She's from Illinois, Chicago. Okay. She's really dope. I love you. I call Illinois.

Illinois. It's so respectful. What about Chicago? She's from Illinois. She's from Illinois. But family in Chicago. And like it's, she's been working, you know, and she's been really trying to do this. Can we name her?

Yeah. Yeah, Jamie Woods. Okay. She's incredible. That's a hard name to follow on on Instagram. Jamie Kurtz. Jamie Woods. On Instagram, but she has a beautiful voice.

She just stands and sings, I believe. She's going to be. incredible you're going to see it sweet um but she also knows the business and is learning it quickly you know okay um and like so the labels going up we're doing tv films documentaries we're expanding like the festival space which is you know i know a lot of things that i see and i understand a position that i'm in and i just want to make sure that going forward anybody that comes here understands that they have this outlet and they have this unique space that they can really run down whether you, you know, because we all need, we needed that person, I needed that person to,

what's the word, help me and I had to figure out a lot of things myself, you know? So, yeah, mentoring is essentially the key. So I've, you know, a lot of artists come through and I definitely touch. There you have it, folks, paying it for it. That's happening, yeah. And essence this year is going and, like, we're going again. We have the baseman, the dance, all, the soccer. Nice.

And I think, I feel like, I don't know if I spoke too soon about that, but, like, yeah. Wait, wait, did you just, I didn't hear rap. What? So every year, no, essence, it's like. Oh, you want to ask this year? Yeah. They're expanding their, it's not just the side room. They have other facts of black culture.

Diaspora then. Last year we did it with them and it was the first year we sold out. It was the highest rated like performance and so this year we're doing it again. And my thing was to make sure that whenever we touch down and you understand the diaspora's here, it's not just about, it's definitely black culture, but also here we are. Because that's where I come from. Like, I never do a American boy show. I go on and do a show on this. bashman, it's dance, all it's all the music, it's drum bass, it's house.

And I want people to know that that's, we can touch all those spaces about feeling like, oh, your alternative or all you're different. Nah, this is what we do as a people. That's what it is. So we're doing that with essence and that's what we do. Put your flag down. Yeah. Hell yeah.

Strong J. Strong J. Strong J though. Strong J. Strong, girl. Strong. Yeah. We have the team are strong and we get it down.

We're getting it down. There you go. Yeah. All right, well, Estelle, we thank you very much for coming and speaking to us. Lever's rock. Yes, yes, yes, yes. All of your product is now streamable. I was supposed to see in your local record story.

It's all up there. Teams and cassettes. We've got new records coming this year, so, too. Beautiful. That's great to hear. All right, well, on behalf of Team Supreme, Steve, Boss Bill, Laya. Go to the strip club. Yes, let's go to the strip club.

Yes, we're going to strip club right now. Sorry, uh, Fon Ticcolo, you're still out smoking cigarettes and... All right, we will see you on next week on the next go-round of Questlove Supreme. For more podcasts from IHeartRadio, visit the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the signs of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our

strange modern world. Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's TWA% on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.