The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: LL Cool J Part 1

Episode Date: November 22, 2023

Years in the making, LL COOL J sits down with Questlove Supreme for a career-spanning comprehensive 2-part interview. Part 1 discusses LL's earliest rapping days, his first three albums, and the life and times behind one of Hip-Hop's first superstars.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say, you know, trust your girlfriends.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I got you. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodom. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever.

He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel funny, anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Yeah. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins, but the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctor this particular test twice in so-ins, correct?

I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and Michael Marencini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police.

As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. We're going to sound all depressed. Let's get it. Killed the vibe. All right, here we go, here you go. Supremia, sub, sub, supremo roll call.

Supremma, sub, sub, subrimo role. As you can tell, we got LL. And for the first time in history, my roll call failed. My name is Fonte. Yeah. And my rhymes is vicious. But I'll also say Yeah

Pudding is delicious My name is sugar Yeah I need a beat Yeah Like Quincy Jones needs Laia's feet Rolls

Unpaid Bill Yeah Back for more Yeah Sugar Steve Happy young Kippoor Yeah More like Chris

Yeah More like Chris Robinson Yeah Me Ron for LL Y'all Y'all must be Smoking's gone. Role call.

Superima. Role call. Suprema. Subrema. Role call. L. I say bless up. Yeah.

I'm with the tribe. Yeah. This one's Questlove. Role call. Supriva. Subrema. Subrema. So, sub, sub.

Suprema, sub, sub. Suprema. Role call. Subrema, sub, sub, sub. Subrema, Role call. Suprema, sub, Subrima.

Man, Laiaeathe, what rhymes with Robinson? Son, smoking, son? Oh. That was, I didn't hear of any of my idea. I caught it. But I was looking at us. I was looking at that's level. We were both like, wait, none rhymes in Robinson.

We started. I started with smoking sun and I, then I. With Robinson. All right. Okay. So look. All right. All right.

First of all, yes. We're live in Los Angeles. In person. Yes. We're taping Los Angeles. With no. With no ACC, but it's all good. This is the Quest Love Supreme Podcast, of course, with Fondigolo,

North Carolina's finest. Little brother, how's preparation is going for, for Charlotte Day, Riley? What city? Durham is in Durham Day. Yeah, Maid in Durham. No, it's going well, man. It's just, you know, we're at the last kind of stretch before we go. So, you know, you know how I go.

I mean, a million eyes to tease the cross. And you're organizing it too? Yeah. Not by myself. Okay. We have a team, but me and poo, we're overseeing it from tip to tell. Oh, headaches out the ass. Yeah.

But it's going well, though. Sugar Steve, how's how's life and jazz business? Everything's good. It's nice to be here. They don't let me add to Manhattan much, so it's good to get away. Okay. Super Steve is weed free right now, bro. Oh, yeah, there's that, there's that too.

So I may talk more during this show. How bright his eyes are? Look at his eye. Yeah, I was about to say you seem very clear today for some reason. Took a shower, yeah. Okay, that's good. You've been released from Sesame Street Prison. Yeah.

Where have you been? The Muppets been whole new hostage. Hostage. Hostage. Yeah, I got negotiated out from Sesame Street and I'm here. I'm excited. Really? No, nothing.

Everything's fine. No, nothing. I've been driving my kids to volleyball. Wait, but I was about to say, did the strike even affect Sesame Street? Did not. Sesame Street. So none of the Muppets are unionized. Nope.

They all, they're free from that, which is good. Okay. That's good to hear. Well, as is this speaking, of course, you know, we resolved the strike. And you know who wants me back at 30 Rock immediately. Wow, we had to grab you up this week. Let's go.

Laya, how's it going? I am going good. Now do we getting this week started? I was about to say, how long did it take you, Brittany? Let me talk about this LL story. First of all, shout-outs to Caldeen. You got a shout-outs to the people that make it happen that it took months. But it was so worth it, of course.

But, yes, it's the perfect way to start our adventure with a legend. I've been having a, what's the term of Titi-a-T. A t-a-tete. A t-et-et. With a very passionate, I would say overzealous person in the IG DMs about how we always disrespect. Oh, yeah. I saw that. So, I mean, it's not like we're talking about her feet or anything like that.

Right. They don't know that episode, Steve. It's an L.A. callback. No, it is L.A. It is. Anyway, all right. So, look, I'm going to do this. Stephen A. Smith's out because I'm world famous for the intros or lack of intros or the over-

enthusiastic intros. But I think that it's important that our listeners understand why we should address our guest today in terms of royalty without making them cringe or whatever. So basically, I will say in the past seven years of doing this podcast, you know, we've had presidents and musical pioneers and actors and sports figures and whatnot. four out of nine Jackson's we've had on the show. Wow. But this is probably the episode I've been waiting for. I mean, from a guy that has co-authored his song about hip-hop being the love of his life,

I will say that who better than to have what I deem probably, I call him a junior pioneer, only because he's the reason why my definition of the pioneer and never gets the glory, but it's the person that comes behind it that improves on the pioneer. Literally, our guest today is the reason why I think that, because, and I had to write this part down,

basically, you know, ad nausea that, yeah, okay, Curtis Blow was the first goal-selling rapper on a major label, but our guest today has improved on that 12-fold, and also he literally built the Deaf Jam Empire without his success. I don't know.

there would have been budget or whatever for the Beasties down to public enemy, down, you know, literally built an empire. Not to mention literally so many firsts that our guest has achieved. If you want to say the three-minute rap song, the idea of a course, the skit, emotions on wax, whatever. True. I had my only pair of truth. Yeah, I was about to say, endorsement for him. The idea of pivoting to something else besides rapping, the comeback, the remix.

Like, literally, I made a list, and it was like over 20, but I would bore you all. And I know he's like, yo, I can't wait to get the fuck out of here. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome James Totsmith, aka L.O. Cool J to Quaslof Supreme. Thank you. Now, you're also going to realize that the reason why we really haven't had our first true conversation yet was I was waiting for this place. Because I didn't want to, like, track you out. How did you avoid him in here? I didn't want to freak you out by, like, nerding out on you because I will go cuckoo for

cocoopuffs. But I'm like, nope. Just save it. Save it. Save it for the podcast. That's hilarious. I hope you took notes every time he thought that. Well.

While y'all were on tour, every time he thought, I hope you took a note. Like, yeah. No, literally, he would come and I'd hide. Like, I don't want to think like I'm ignoring him, whatever, not return his phone calls. But I'm also the kind of guy that wants to know, like 12 things about his career in a casual moment. And, you know, I've always scared off many. an artist.

That's hilarious. That way. So we had fun on the road, yes, we did. Yeah. Oh, man. And not to mention, I am back from Camp Cool J.

Talk about it. Yeah, we got to hear about it. I heard about it. But talk about it. The resume you put people through. The tour was just, it was rigorous. I mean, you know,

Quest worked so hard, man. I mean, rehearsing 40 hours a day, you know, 2400 hours a day. Just bringing artists in and bringing guests in

and fitting them into the set. And like on stage, I would call him my general every night because he was, you know, just working so hard and so tirelessly to make it look effortless. You know what I'm saying, for the audience. And to make it a show where everybody could just come in. And once they get in, once they stood up, they basically never sat down for two, three hours

and didn't miss a beat. It was a lot of fun. It was dope. Yeah, we pulled up on y'all in Raleigh, man. No, it was at a ride show. It worked. It worked. It works for real.

We still got a couple more. but it really was serious. So you did a great job on that, man. Like, that was amazing. It was amazing. All right. So let me get to the Nurtum part. Okay, so without the usual rigumontal, like, where were you born on and stuff?

I actually, I want to know what was your life like in 1983 one year before you started your journey to your path? Like, what was typically happening to you in 83 by that point? Yeah, so in 83, I was just running around the city, networking with, you know, other MCs and DJs and producers and spending a lot of time in Harlem. I would go up to like see my man Silver Fox. He lived across. He had a record store across from Grant Projects. This guy named Julio Gina had a record store on a label, CCL Records. And I was, I spent a lot of time in Harlem at the record store just kind of honing my craft, talking to Fox about cadences.

and couplets and stuff like that. And, like, you know, me and Koogee rap would be, like, down at this place called Joe Grants on a hundred Tim Street in Harlem, rhyming together. And, you know what I'm saying, me, him, and Fox. And, you know, so I basically spent a lot of time. And then I'd be, if I was in Queens, I might be in, like, Herbie Lovebugs basement. You know what I'm saying? Like, when he was, like, just making beats.

He didn't have any records out of anything. But he was down there, like, so we'd be down there and just hanging out. You were born in Queens? No, I was born in Queens. in Long Island. I was born in Bayshore, Bayshore Long Island. And then, you know, I would go back and forth between Bayshore, Long Island and Queens, and then

you know, spent obviously most of my time in Queens ultimately, but I, for many years, I went back and forth. You know what I'm saying? To school. So because we always hear the folklore of hip hop and all the Bronx, Bronx, Bronx, Bronx, Bronx, Bronx, Bronx, Bronx, Bronx, Bronx, and all those tapes, tapes, tapes, tapes, how is the rest of the boroughs

getting spread of this creative pandemic. Yeah, yeah. So, that's a good way of looking at it, right? So what happened actually is me being in Long Island, I was in North Babylon. I would go back and forth between North Babylon and Queens. When I was in North Babylon next door to me was a bunch of foster kids. So a woman, a couple, the McCullors, you know what I'm saying? They had like five or six foster kids like in the house and they were from Brooklyn, the Bronx, uptown, like everywhere. And a lot of them like my man, Kenny from Brooklyn and Wayne was from the Bronx and Raynard.

And then would, you know, so I would hear all the tapes. My man Eric Ward and all them, they would play all of the tapes from the Bronx. So I was exposed to hip hop from day one. Like I was exposed to like Flash and the Furious Four and the Foursome C's before early. Like before the records, before rappers the light, before all that, I was already hearing everything that was going on in the city. There were four first before. Yeah, there was the Furious Four before they were the Furious Five.

Yeah. Yeah. So I was, you know, I was hearing all these records and hearing the cold crush. So I got into it real real early. So at like eight, nine years old, I was already like rhyming and trying to rhyme like those guys and trying to make up rhymes and stuff like that. So by the time I was 11 or 12, I actually started writing.

You know, at 11 or 12, I started really getting into it. So that's why I was actually ready when I was 16 to start Def Jam because I had already been doing it like, like, you know, maybe eight years at that point. You know, at 16 I had already been, in hip hop, like eight years, like trying to, you know, get good at it. Who was your North Star in terms of, like, that's the MCI like? It was a mix of all of them. Okay.

It was a mix of all of them for different reasons. So it was more like mixed martial arts than it was like one style. It wasn't just karate. It was mixed martial arts, you know what I'm saying? So it was, you know, and funny, you know, I actually picked that up from Bruce Lee. You know what I'm saying? Because G. Kondo was like the first M.MA, right? Like it was a way of the intercepting fists.

And it was all about taking all of these various styles and putting them together. So that's why, like, you know, early on I was able to do stories, love records, hard records, this and that. That's why, like, I can do any kind of song now. So it's like, you know, it's like a guy on a basketball court who could play defense, who could shoot, who could go left, who can go right, who could do threes, who could dunk, who could, you know, like, I prided myself in doing anything. You know, avant-garde records, like anything. So, and that came from just listening to all of them, right?

Listen in hearing Spoonie and hearing Mel and, you know, hearing Mo. But then, like in DLB for different reasons, like in Tito for a different reason, like in Peso for a different reason, like in JDL because of what he does, like in AD for certain reasons. Like a cast for other, you know, like it was all these different people, Shah Rock for the Echo Chamber and, you know, hearing like, so it was all of these different people that, you know, just kind of, I just absorbed all of it, you know what I'm saying?

Well, I got to ask you now, did you ever in your wildest dreams ever imagine that, like, one of the pegs of the ladder of your whole story, that you actually go toe to toe with one of those pioneers, like in the beginning? Oh, no. Definitely not. Definitely not. Man, listen, you're talking about Mo Dee, right? Oh, definitely not. Of course not. Like, I love Mo.

You know, I still love Mo. But, you know, it's like basketball, right, or boxing. I mean, you know, De La Jolla had to fight Chavez, like regardless. So, you know, that was just, it just came with the territory. But I didn't lose any respect for him. Okay. I never lost respect for him. I never felt, like, personally insulted.

Always took it as part of the game. Yeah. I see that. So, I mean, I've heard Ruben's side. I've talked to Ad Rock, like them, like, being at NYU, whatever. Right. So, first of all, how did you even? even have, and we heard the story about, like, your grandfather getting you,

what equipment did he get you exactly? He got me, too. I wanted techniques, but, you know, my grandfather, Jim and I wanted technique. No, you're getting Tashibas. Sears. Oh, wow. All right.

The belt drive. Yeah, I got the Tishibas. I got the Tishibas. And I wanted, I wanted a Gemini. He got me a, it wasn't a new mark. I forget the name of it, but it was a different one. And a cross-fade and a turn on it. And it didn't have a slide fader,

had a turn knob on it. Oh, just go join. Yeah, so I had the mixer. So you could DJ? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, yeah. I started off that way. Because, see, my grandfather, he was a jazz musician.

Okay. And he used to take me in the basement when I was late at me six, five, six, seven, and record me, like, doing little jazz things, and he would, like, mess with stuff, and he had, like, a reel of reel, and I'd be down there doing little jazz stuff and all that. You know what I'm saying? So I came up listening to,

like Jimmy Smith at the penthouse and, you know, all of these. But then I'd be listening to Smothers Brothers, like comedy records, but then I'm listening to like. So I got exposed to a lot of different kinds of music, whether it was Miles or Charlie Parker or Bird or Birdland stuff, and Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, all this stuff, Count Basie Records. So I got, and it was a lot of big band, too. So it wasn't just the normal jazz.

It was a lot of big band jazz. But I say that to say, that's where I kind of got into it. You know what I'm saying? And then I ended up getting the equipment because I fell in love with it because I got hit on a mini bike. And my grandfather wanted to keep me in the house. And it was a choice. Settlement money? No, no.

They were just trying to keep me in the house because, you know, we used to have the mini bikes and all that with the, you know, with the shoe lace tied to the throttle with no brakes on it. Just running around the block. And I got hit on one of them joints. And then, you know, they was like my grandmother was going crazy in the neighborhood's talking. That was like headline news. Okay. And then so he got me some equipment to keep me in the house. But there was never any resistance to hip-hop in your household.

No, no. Did they know what hip-hop was to be like, no? Well, the only resistance came later when I started becoming professional because my grandmother didn't really believe that it was real. And she wanted me to stay in school. And my mother secretly. had made a pat with her that she would let me stay out of school for two years. Because remember, I dropped out in the ninth grade.

How were you when radio came out? I was 16, 17, when they dropped. The single, when I need a beat came, I was 16. Radio, I was turning 17. I was around 17. Because you were your mom had a deal that you would secretly drop. No, my mother had a secret deal that she would let me stay out of school and pursue my dreams for two years.

And if it didn't work out, she would make me go back to school. Because I asked them, like, why did you let me do that? And she said, because you were really, really passionate about it, and I knew you were young enough to be able to go back to school. So that was a, she took that shot. I'm glad she did. No, that's not a lesson. I'm glad she did.

You know what I mean? Just curious about your grandfather. What instrument did he play? Tennis saxophone. Played the tennis sax. And so I used to, you know, grow up and just learning how to change the reeds and how to clean it and, you know, mess around with it, stuff like that. Wait, you would play sax?

I would mess around with it, but nothing of any consequence. I mean, I used to mess around with it, but nothing. You can least play, like, Love Roller Coaster or something. You know, nothing of any real consequence. But I, but I did grow up around a lot of instruments. He would buy me guitars. I would break them and pop the strings and stuff like that. Okay.

And it was just, he had a love for music, and my grandmother loved music, and my mother wrote poetry, you know what I'm saying? So, you know, and played the accordion and, you know, You know what I'm saying? Yo, how come we don't know this shit? Like this makes sense? Yeah. It sounds like Prodigy a lot too.

Yeah. Exactly. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations

with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects.

From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes, mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by.

Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And Rule 2, never mess with her friends either. We always say that, trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of The Girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck.

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

or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm A bad at you. Everyone, I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo! Woo!

My dad gave me the best. ever. I went and had lunch with them one day and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's, okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar

of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Yeah. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in so-ins, correct? I doctored the test ones.

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

This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over

until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. How did you even have a, We're with all to know that let me hand-deliver these tapes. First of all, what's on the tapes? Are you just like freestyle in the piece to president or like?

No, no. So I was about to quit because I couldn't get any, make any headway because labels, a lot of labels would turn to me down. Well, it wasn't that many. What was the first label you went to? Well, I sent something to Sugar Hill. I tried to get on Sugar Hill. Okay.

And when I started trying to get on Sugar Hill, I was probably like 14, maybe 13. Do they know this now? they do now you know so what I'm literally and so when I was like 13 14 I started sending demos to Sugar Hill trying to get on them

they responded though they were polite they said you know we just want to inform you that we're not interested in your material you know it was a standard letter right so it was cool and then after that

I was about to quit because I had been trying since I was like 14 years old and it had been two years and now I'm 16 and I'm about to quit because I'm like Like, you know, it's just, I'm not making any headway.

And I had made a decision to go pro and be a professional recording artist. And so my mother, you know, she found one of the letters. I had bawled it up and threw it in my room. And she walked in and found it somehow and was reading it. And then she came over and she was like giving me hug because I was depressed. She was like, what's wrong? Ba, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, you know, I can't, you know, I don't have no equipment.

I can't make a good demo, this and that. So she said, well, what do you need? And I told I need a drum machine so I can. this and that. You need a beat. Yeah, I need a beat. Exactly. And that was the demo.

So I went out and I did a demo. She bought me a core drum machine and I went to my man Spin Master Fennessa's house in his basement. And we played it manually because we didn't want to wait to learn how to program it. So we just played everything manually and did a pause tape overdub.

And I made I need a beat. The demo. What? Yeah, yeah, I made I need to beat the demo. The demo. Boom. Back to be that. Bab boom.

Bab boom. So you didn't even know of sequence it? Nah. Nah. I just did it by hand. And then once I did it by hand by feel, then I went back and rhymed to what I did by hand. And then I went back and my man did some scratching on it.

And I went back. I just did it that way. You know what I'm saying? And then I sent that in. And the rest is history. Here we are. So Ad Rock heard it. Ad Rock heard it.

Then he took it. Obviously, they had the real drum machines. You know, it took it to another level. It was a similar beat, but he took it to a whole other level, him and Rick. And, you know. Well, number one, do you still have those rejection letters? I probably do in my house, my grandmother's house somewhere. Yes, I would say yes.

I would say yes. I would say yes. I would say yes. Okay. Yeah, I got them. What about that demo? Did that ever come out? It's around.

It's around. Because that's, you know, it's funny. That's where they got drop, like, you know, and all that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because I did all that on my demo. Seriously? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So when the Beastie Boys did the, oh. all that, those little, some of those little lines they did, a lot of that was, you know,

based on the demo, you know what I'm saying? Wait, and while I'm remembering this, okay, so during the Grammy 50 celebration, I overheard, this is what really made me run out the room because I didn't want to hear the story. Can you please tell me this story, and I'm skipping a little bit ahead. Tell me this story of how you named Chung King Studios. Oh, so, Chung King, so, wait, just that alone, like, he named it. Yeah. So Chongqing obviously was owned by John King. Right. So, but it was in Chinatown.

And I can never remember his name. And I'm like, so we just started calling it Chung King because it's in Chinatown. And we used to get all the good Chinese food around there. We loved it. So I started calling the Chung King studios. I'm like, yo, we're going to Chung King. We're going to Chung King. And the one thing led to another. And John just named the studio Chung King. And they just incorporated. Yeah, it became Chung King. It's awesome. Because we just, you know, we just, you know, we just named the studio chunking. And they just, you know, we used to get Chinese food around there all the time. You know what I'm saying? It could have been that. It could have been that. You know what I'm saying? It could have been that. Like when you get a call back from them, is this an instant, okay, let's make it happen? Or like, are you going through the regular process of what an artist goes through?

I used to, first of all, after I sent him the demo, I would call Rick every single day for like two weeks to ask him if he got the demo yet. And sometimes he would answer, sometimes he wouldn't. But I'd be like, yo, Rick, you get the demo yet? Nope, didn't get it yet. Okay. Yo, Rick, you get the demo?

I used to call him every day following up, like for like two weeks. Then when he finally called me, called my grandmother. I came in the house. My grandmother told me some Rick called. So I'm like going crazy. So, you know, I call him from my kitchen. He called me, yo, he said, yo, come down. He said, what's up?

I said, yo, what's up, man? He said, yo, come down. We're going to make a demo, make a record, blah, blah, so I'm going crazy. And then I went down there, and I made the first, the demo. This first demo was called Catch This Break. And if you're looking for a Jenna, make you eight, buy this record, and catch this break. Right? And so I took that.

We took that, and he took that to Russell. So Russell was like, ah, it's the same old thing. It's the same old thing. So me and Rick went back in the studio, and that's when he revisited the demo. and we made I Need a Beat. Okay. And then we made I Need a Beat, and that song just kind of,

they decided, because what was happening was Def Jam Productions was having problems collecting their money from Party Time, Streetwise, the label that they were being distributed by, right? Was that owned by Arthur Baker? That I don't know. Okay. But that was what Tila Rock is yours

was Def Jam Productions. It was on Street Time. It was on Party Time Streetwise. That was the label. The same label that brought us new edition and it's Candy Girl. And so they were having problems collecting the dough so they ended up making Def Jam independent

or turning Def Jam into a label because it was a production company. Then it became a record label with no distribution. And we made I need a beat. And then we made another song. I made my first couple of songs with no contract. Okay. Because I didn't want, like, nothing was stopping me.

Like, we'll get to that. But what is a label without distribution, though? It's called pressing up the records and putting them out. We sold. Okay, so in 85, how... 84, this was 84. So in 84, if I'm a butting on artist and I want to put out my own joint, how much is that going to run me?

It is damn the impossible. It was just like, it was almost impossible. Because there were too many other hoops to climb through at that time. There was no... First of all, you got to remember, there was no access to information. You don't even have the access to the information to know how to go about figuring out how to make a record. Like, then you talk about...

Did they know? Or are you there a guinea pig? Well, they knew to a certain extent because, remember, Russell had been dealing with Curtis. He'd managed, he hadn't had any... Right. You know, stuff, but he had managed his groups running them. Had, I think, maybe one album

at that point. Right. You know, or, well, yeah, they had one album. Okay. They knew, but they... I was a guinea pig in a sense of being the first artist on the label, for sure. Like, they didn't... Never had ran a label. like that before. We didn't, you know, nobody knew what we would, you know. But I'm just saying in terms of like knowing that, oh, so there's four stores in Philly

that I need to put this in, Armand's down the market. Oh yeah, yeah, no, they did a good job with that. We did a good job. I mean, I need a beat came out and, you know, we ended up selling, you know, 50, 100,000 records independently, and then we put dangerous out and sold a little less, but did okay. Creatively, when you're making these songs, do you explain the process of how you and Rick are creating these songs? Like, is he just, like, making a beat? And you're like, I like that part or not that part.

It's exactly, what it is, it was, you know, pretty much through all of my music, but with Rick, what we would do is I would give him the basics of what I wanted to do, like the foundation, rather, of what I wanted to do. I'd say, oh, I want a beat like this. I would hum a beat or mouth a beat, you know, or something like that, right? He would go, he would take that as the foundation. Then I would rhyme to it. I would, you know, if I had, most of the time I had rhymes already written,

sometimes I would write to it. You know what I'm saying? I'd write to it. I'd do that. Then Rick would go in the studio by himself and play with a lot of different overdub ideas. He would go in and put surprises on it. He'd find guitar bits. He'd find horns.

He'd play stuff for me. I'd be like, I don't know about that part. I like that part. And he'd be like, okay, well, what do you think about this part? I said, ah, I like that. And he would go back. It was really a collaboration. It was very much a collaboration.

You talked about that when you gave your speech. Yeah. When you got you, I think it was a lifetime. Achievement Award. It was Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Right. And you talked about like collaboration. Definitely. When you worked with your producers. I thought that was really big. All of them. Always. Always. Because

you know, we change each other when we work together. Right. So it's not just add water. It's, but I like to leave room for the producer to do what they do. I'm not a believer in bullying producers. A lot of people as they get established,

they put more and more pressure on the producers and they bully the producers into a corner where they can't be free to create. And I learned early on working with Rick to just let the producer do what they do and give my opportunity and then see what it is and then work from that space. You know what I mean? So I always approached it from a place of humility when it comes to creating. All right. So the thing that I really want to know is, and notwithstanding, and I mentioned at the top that, yes, okay, so full force comes in and does something unprecedented before and they turn like the nine-minute song, the 10-minute song until like a four-minute song.

So who knew between the two of you the art of editing? Because even on the album credits, this is reduced by Rick Roo. Yeah. So was it weird to you writing just 16 bars? And now you got to have a hook and another 16 bars because, you know, before you, rappers just rap for it forever. It wasn't weird to me because I loved Rick James. and I loved, you know, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and the Commodores and the OJs and all of them had choruses and all of them had songs and it was arrangements.

So I was very comfortable with the idea of making songs, you know, and I knew the difference between, you know, I knew what I was doing. I was very conscious when I would do a song that was a song or when I'd just be doing a thing where I'm rhyming and I always understood the difference. But without the standard of knowing, like, oh, I need a hook so this audience gets me or... No, how do you know you follow the light? You follow the light. You know what I'm saying? You just get out of the way and follow the light. So, you know, when you're making music and when you're creating something, you know, everything is...

It's science and art, right? It's art and science. And it's soul and science, right? And you have to remember both. And there's a time to get out of the way. There's a time for science, and then there's a time to just follow the light. And so, you know, with a lot of those songs, it just felt like, that's right, that's it. You know what I'm saying?

Like, you know, I mean, even years later, I mean, Rick Rubin was like, you know, he was ready to jump off a roof about I need love, you know. Really? But yeah, but I wanted to follow the light. You're like, you like that much, put it out first. He hated it. He thought it was crazy. What did he hate? Well, it's a very soft record.

I mean, emotional is vulnerable. It's like the exact opposite. It's the antithesis of Rock the Bells. the antithesis of some of the other songs I had done. So it was very different, you know. But my thing was range and doing different stuff and following the light and trusting that. But the thing was, like, we really weren't stopped

because you did, I can give you more and I want you, which were leaning towards that. Yeah, it's the execution, though. It's not just the idea, it's the execution. So the execution was a lot more romantic, a lot softer, a lot more gentle. I could give you more. right there's a little you know what I mean

I want you because I want you originally was over in between the sheets you were thinking of sampling back then yeah yeah yeah I wrote that to in between the sheets shit okay okay you know and if you listen to it if you put I want you vocals over in between the sheets right right it would have been like that would have been crazy Jesus Christ like after I did successive I need love I'm so curious about everybody else's

revelation because you already knew you knew this How did Def Jam feel when they first heard it? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it wasn't great. You had to sell it on the room. Because I thought like Russell, that's the song. Were there women in the room?

It just was like, you know, context is everything, right? Okay. So it's kind of like, it's like seeing a basketball player after they've been wearing them tidy whiteys forever and then their basketball player walks out with the long shorts. It's like, yeah, what's that? You know, so it was just like very new. It was just new. Even with the ladies in the room, nobody broke faith.

Come on, you know, besides Faith Newman, there was no women in the room. I didn't know. I don't even know if Faith was there yet. I don't even think Faith was there yet. It was more like Heidi Smith, the secretary. You know what I'm saying? Like the receptionist, you know, they were growing. We were still very new at that point because that was like I had only, I was only one album in.

And Rick and Russell were going to going through some things. But radio must have been radio then, not the song, but actual radio that made, I need. Oh, no, it exploded. Exploded. Exploded. That was one of the first rap songs I remember hearing on the radio. Yeah, no, exploded. That was one of the first rap songs I plagiarized.

Yeah, it exploded. To a girl acting like you were right now. Oh, mother, yeah, so the way that records... That's hilarious. The way that records work is that you would have to put it out three months ahead of time. All right, is Cut Creators' real name Brian? Yeah, Jay Brian Philpott. All right, so I went to school with Cut Creator's cousin.

Okay. So he would always come in with almost damn near demo quality stuff. Right, right. So I heard like, you can't dance. I heard like all this stuff on, he bringing a cassette, whatever. He was like the popular kid in school. So he had a copy, a bigger and deffer. And I begged him.

I gave him five bucks to dub that join for me. And when I heard I need love, I was like, yo, man. I've been known in my room. Yo, for real. I played Gerais, the whole first verse. It was funny. It was funny. It was all good.

Shut up. It was made good. Until that's number one on Paran 99 for like months. That's hilarious. But for the first two months, boy, I was the man. It's just surprising me that that record that they didn't get it, especially like with Russell, because what he was doing with, you know, with, I think, OBR, I don't know if that was around the time, that seemed to be alone in his wheelhouse of like the kind of R&B,

What's OBR? Original black recordings. But that was like with Blue Magic. I got you. Yeah, yeah. That was later. That was later. That was later.

That was later. That's when he got Rush associated labels and all that. Orange News Jones and all that. Yeah, that was later. Yeah, I thought that would have been right down his lane, though. Yeah, I mean, he was with it. Russell was with it. But, you know, you know, like, you'd be surprised, man,

like how many songs I have like that. Like, there are a lot of songs. A Roundaway Girl they wanted to give up on. Wait, what? Yeah, because it was slow at radios. Radio was, like, resisting it because it was new. Doing it, they didn't want to, they was unsure about. They did like, Brenda's got a big old butt though?

Yeah, they like that. Yeah, they like that. Yeah, they did actually. You know what I mean? So it's, that is crazy to me. Because like, I would think as an A&R, there were no A&R. I was going to say, were you your own A&R? Yeah, there was no A&R.

You got to remember, we, you know, at that time in hip hop, there weren't no managers. I mean, Russell was the only guy that was even in that. space and he got in that space later. So when I first started, there were really no managers. He was a promoter. There was no A&R. There was no industry. There was no hip-hop industry. So, you know, it's a completely different type of mindset. Nobody knows anything. Everything is the first. See, now, you know, now it's like everybody can kind of come off like a genius. Uh-huh. Right. Because they know, you know, they got all this Monday morning quarterbacking and everybody's

mogul and all this. You got 50 years of history. There was no industry. So, you know, it's like no America. You know what I mean? It's just like woods. You know, it's very different like at that point. You know, you know, now we're like infrastructure.

Yeah. You know, it's calling up Rick Rubin was just, that's not a thing no more. Like just calling up your favorite producer or somebody. Well, it wasn't, yeah, yeah, no it's not. It was, you know, he wasn't even known. that. You know what I'm saying? So it wasn't, he was, he wasn't known. He was, he had one song with Tila Rock. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey

from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for Raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by.

Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And Rule 2, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck.

I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings.

I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat.

Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring. inconsistencies in her story.

This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in soles, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing.

Greg, a lesbian, Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news

at Americopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a question. I've been dying, dying to know.

Okay. So it was 85. And Rick Rubin's your producer. A year later, Rick Rubin's going to helm the Raisin' Hell record. So, all right, just for my satisfaction, at any point while making the song rock the bells, did you ever think to use Bob James' take me to the Montegro with actual bells on it? I mean, that's really, I've kind of got into this before with the story, but the reality is that was what the song was. No.

No, it was, take me to the Mardi Gras. I wrote it to that, and me and Rick planned on doing it, and then Rick did Peter Piper. And I'm like, yo, Rick. So why didn't you win the tug of war match between Peter Piper? Because Run DMC had a gold album. They were coming off of two albums. Two albums at that point, right?

Like, maybe, yeah. Yeah, it was two albums. And it was just a no-no to. No, what it was, it's like, it's kind of hard to, like, look, Jay is from my neighborhood, like, running them from my neighborhood, we all know take me to the Mardi Gras. I can't really argue that, like, they don't know what it is. I just had plans for it.

And when Rick, I guess, you know, decided to, you know, do that with them. And one thing led to another and they ended up with Peter Piper. But that's why I made two Rock the Bells because that's why I made the original and didn't like it because it wasn't what I wanted and then made the second one because I was trying to. The original was never going to happen because I was going to do it to Mardi Gras. Right. I got it. So once I didn't do it to Mardi Gras, I went in, we had to figure out another one.

I did originally, I didn't like it. And I was like, this ain't good enough because I wanted Mardi Gras. So then we made another song, the second one that everybody cuts up. How long did it take you to finally settle on the Trouble Funk Go-Go Version? It didn't take long. It kind of came together. You know, God had other plans. It came together well.

It came together. It was all good. You know what I'm saying? D.C. was happy. You know what I love to? Well, first of all, listen. I was just talking to somebody about that. the other day. I love go-go.

Like when Chuck Brown and the soul searches did I'm bad over, I was like, yo, that was crazy. I love EU, you know, junkyard, you know what I'm saying, like Chuck, all of them. Like, I love the go-go scene. So that was always influencing a lot of what we did, too, you know what I'm saying, rhythmically. So, okay, you, in all the first that I mentioned, you know, I'll also say that what's different about your success is that unlike other pioneers, Sam Cook, Ray Charles, James Brown, who kind of had to watch the, and I'll say the alternative versions of themselves blow up,

i.e. the Elvis syndrome, where, like, you really became, like, the first solo teen idol. I mean, you just got to experience stuff that neither Spooning nor Curtis Blow and them got... So in 85, as this thing is clearly going to be like important, what is stardom on that level like that none of your peers in hip hop or experience? Maybe an occasional run DMC will know it, but I think it's different when you're singular. So what is that like? Because I know by this point, because the thing is like you have a cool factor, a danger, you know, I think rappers a danger of factor, a cool factor and all this things.

And sex symbol. Yeah, and all that stuff. So I know that people are trying to, in succubis manner, like, just pull from your energy. And so, hey, come hang with us. Come party with us, dude. You wanted to? What is it like in 85 doing what I would consider the most, not debauchress, but that period of a lot of debauchery. So, you know, it was two things.

It was like, when I'm on tour and I'm on the road, like, you know, if I go to a sneaker store, it's like crowds and kids outside, you know what I'm saying? And, you know, banging on a limo and chasing a limo. How long did it take for you to like, oh, I can't be normal anymore? Oh, no, 85. That was pretty much the beginning. Or are you, are you, do you walk outside with nothing on, like no hat, no glasses? It doesn't matter. No, they know.

No, they knows. Okay. Yeah, it was. Okay. Yeah, yeah. So they knew. You know, and so it was that. And then, you know, the other side was, you know, just I was in Harlem a lot when I was home,

hanging out with, you know, you know, all the guys that ultimately became the Payton Full movie. So, you know, it was like when I was in. Yeah. You knew those dudes. Oh, no, that was who I hung out with every day. I hung out with, you know, my man Chuck and Rich and Alpo and A-Z. And that was where I kind of, as a young man, those are the guys that were around. around me, they kind of like took me in and I had, you know, I got rocked the bells out and

I'm running around and Harlem with them all the time whenever I'm home and then I go on the road and do my shows and stuff like that. And that's where, you know, so I started getting the big Cool J. Rings and the ice and the jury and the furs and the banks and all the cars and the benches and all that. I was bringing all of that hustler stuff to hip hop because that's who I was hanging out with. You were more Harlem home base than at that point. Yeah, I'm always Queens forever. I'm a, I'm a, always be a Queens guy. Queens by all means. That being said, I did hang a lot. You know, I formulated a lot of my, you know, that energy I learned a lot in Harlem. So when, when Queens is going through their first,

you know, for an outsider like me, hearing the, the Shan versus BDP war thing, like, which now I clearly understand what's happening, you know, Shans like, I didn't say that hip hop started in Queens or whatever. But do you feel some sort of way on the sidelines? Why? watching someone kind of go at Queens when Queens had nothing to do with the battle or whatever? Like, did you feel at any point like, let me step in and... No, because, you know, to be honest with you, you know, especially, you know, the mindset I had back then, he was smart to put my name in it and be complimentary on South Bronx. Fuck! I totally forgot.

I said I tried to take... I didn't even think about that part. So he, you know, that was smart, you know, especially the way I was built. my mindset, like it was best that, that was the right approach. That kept me... So you did sort of feel like, hey.

Yeah, but it was... But I was cool because, you know, instead of time to take out else, I was like, okay, uh-huh, yeah. Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Now that I mentioned it, I totally forgot. Did you pay attention at all to the Chan thing at all? Oh, yeah.

Of course. Of course. Were you ready to respond to that? No. Okay. No, because I didn't feel, I didn't feel disrespected. Like, you're just talking, you know?

With the record, we never, Lady B'd never play that song in Philly. So I didn't know about... Oh, you mean with Shane when he went at me? Right. Oh, no, I didn't care about that, man. I thought it was funny. Really? I mean, I'm in a limo.

You know, come on. Oh, champagne bobby. Beat biter. Like, it was hilarious. Like, I'm laughing at this shit. Like, you know, at that time, come on, B, be like, Pete Biter. Okay. Besides, I like the pattern, though.

You know what I mean? Okay. But besides like, you know, like the folklore of Busy B.D. Like, beef really, really wasn't a thing besides, like, the Roxanne Awards. But with you, it's like, obviously there's something in you that makes people want to like, okay, he's at the top of the pile, so let me try and take him out. Yeah. Like, how did that feel?

Like, did you have a, by that point, did you have a, not a crew, but I just mean like your native tongues like okay well no because like I told you I was like I had my dude like I told you who I hung out with so that was my mindset so if anything it was more like um you know just making sure that I'm protecting my territory okay that's the way I looked at it like I'm just not going to let nobody step on my toes you know it's all good but if you say something about me I got I got to I got to you got to get this because I got to protect my territory. That's the way I looked at it. It's very simple. Now with I ST, I know the history of it, but I never knew how the Mo Dean thing you started.

Well, the Moe thing, look, first of all, I love him, right? Like, Silver Fox took me down to a studio one time. He was down there. I started rhyming in the studio. He was doing a session or something. I think we've, no, actually, I wasn't, I was, scratched that. I went to his session, and we were watching, and he kicked me and Silver Fox out the studio. He didn't want us in there and all that, you know. Oh, okay. So, you know, but I still never said nothing, you know what I mean? That was on him.

And then he just decided I'm bigger and better on all this, you know, forget about that. Put the can go under the child. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, and that's when I just started doing, you know, going back and forth with him. You know what I'm saying? But who's, like in your ear? Because even then. Who's in my ear?

I heard, like, I heard your response after the fact. Yeah. Like, again, like, who's in your head? I didn't nobody. I didn't need nobody to tell me that. It's kind of like, uh, You know, there's some people, they're just built to, like, they'll hide in the bushes and wait for you, and nobody got to tell them to. Some people are built like that.

Everybody don't need to be told stuff. Like, I've never been a guy that I don't need you to tell me nothing. Like, I'm paying attention. So it's like, you know. But that makes you a different animal because I'm saying this. But then the reason why I'm asking you this, because I think it's amazing. Well, for starters, you know, when we talked about this briefly on the tour, that, you know, because I, too, was wondering, well, How's this iced tea thing going to work?

Like, you know. And but then I realized like, wow, that's crazy. Like, L.L. has amicable relationships with everyone. Clearly, it was a sport. Oh, definitely. I never, ever, ever. But we also come from a culture in which blood has been easily shit without even thinking about it. So let me tell you.

I can explain that to you. So one thing I learned, right, and this is the honest-to-god truth, by me hanging out with gangsters so much as a youngster, I learned that the last thing you want to do is walk around trying to be tough. That's how you get yourself in trouble. Trying to be a tough guy. So what does that mean? That means that now, mind you, if somebody tries to do something to you, that's a different conversation. We're not talking about that.

But I'm talking about the one and around with your chest poked out. That's how you get yourself in trouble. So when I see Moe or when I see it's not, I'm not beefing. It's what it is. Okay, you said that. That's where we're going to leave it at. And we're going to leave, you know what I mean? Like, it's not, I don't have to get, it doesn't have to go further than that.

Because I'm confident in my skill set on the mic to handle this. Okay. That's how I felt. And I didn't see any reason to try to go further than that. Plus, yeah, because why? I'm not going to test you as a man. I don't need to do that. I don't need to try to test iced tea as a man or test Modi as a man or put them in a position where they got,

we got to go further because then that's just, that's kind of would speak to my weakness. It's more about like, yo, this is what you said, okay, so we're going to settle it like this. That's what you want it. Now, I mean, you know, and I wouldn't go no further in there. If everyone else has followed suit. Fast forward 30 or more years, seeing him on that four store in the form, that was a moment and also realizing that y'all have been these men who you are today

longer than anything before being famous. So I'm so curious, like in that moment, I know y'all greeted each other backstage and everything, but did y'all have a moment of like, damn, first of all, hip-hop built this, And second of all, brother. Yeah, I want to, look, I told, I said, listen, man, do what you do, man. I told him, like, yo, Ice, get out there, do what you do. Remember? I'm like, yo, do it.

You weren't into this, you. I'm like, he did a little something. He said a little something. And Ice came to me like, yo, man, I don't want to do that. Like, you know, I'm bad now. But it's also weird watching him because he's tutuola to most people in real life anyway. So to him do those songs is also kind of like. But I loved it.

Like, my thing is like, yo, it's like, that's why I still did I shot you. I still said Croke-Mody Hammer and Icey's Curl. I love Hammer. That's my man. I love Ice, I love more, but I'm going to still do the songs. Like, I'm not going to respectfully, like, you always got to ask yourself this question. If you did then, what you're doing now, would you be here now? I'm not, I'm not changing that.

I'm not going to be editing my songs and pretending that the song was something different because I've gone to a different stage in life. I'm not doing that. You know what I'm doing the song. I'm doing the song. This is the song. Now, I was so happy to see it at the show, because that, first of all, that was my first time ever seeing you live. Yeah.

And so I was so happy to see you do Jack the Ripper. I knew he was going to do the hits. I was like, okay, I know we're going to get them bad. I know we're going to get, Mama said knock you out. But, bro, Jack the Ripper, Mr. Goodball. Yeah. I was like, yo. No, man.

Who did see? I was like, oh, we did candy. I was like, oh, he, like, that was for us. I told him his filler is just as important as the hit. You said it. You said it? No, bro, no, straight up. Also, shout out to, you know, Z-Trip also.

Yeah, but you did say it. You guys both said it. It was important. It was important to do both. All right, so what I want to know is, oh, God, we're still on the 87th. How did you meet the L.A. Posse? Right. And why didn't Rick produce the second album?

So Rick and Russell got into a beef over. I don't know what it was about. Whatever it was, they started having tension in their relationship. Rick was angry and, you know, somehow they separated or, and Rick didn't want to produce it because of that reason. So it was political. It had nothing to do with me.

Mind you, we laid a... Did you want to work with him? Of course. Absolutely. I mean, it was a comfort zone at that point. You know, I mean, we had just had this platinum album. Like, it was, everything was great. But, you know, politics. So it was time for the second album. And the L.A. Posse were working

on records with a another artist and the records were sounding like they were trying to make LL sounding songs. It sounded like they were making LL sounding songs to Russell. So Russell played, gave me, told me to get with them. And so I got with them and we started talking and vibing him. You know, we were all, you know, there was just some dudes from California, which I loved. Yeah, now, how strange of an adjustment was that? It wasn't strange at all because, you know, my father had moved out to Cali.

and I had on when I was 14 you know what I'm saying I had been out there already with my pops a little bit and so um you know getting with Bobcat and getting with muffler and getting with all of those guys in California I loved it and they would take me down in the hood and all that and you know Bobcat would have me down there over the set all this crazy oh man it was the wild out so you know we you know I loved Callie so that's why I have such great relationships and friendships in California and so many so much much love out there. So my second album, this 87, I made I'm bad, I need love, all of them songs with Cali producers. So I was already kind of with, like, getting outside of the box. It didn't, it was about the music for me. It wasn't about where you're from, because I felt

like I was going to write the songs and bring to it, bring to it, you know what I needed to it. You know what I mean? So that was the vibe. You know what I'm saying? And we, we, we, We ended up, so that's when we, you know, you had K-Day and Greg Mack and, you know, world on wheels. Did you live out there? You just recorded it off? Actually, I brought them to Queens. Okay. And they lived across the street from my grandmother's house.

I got them a room. And then I, yeah, yeah, I got them a room and the lady across the street from me, her house in the basement. So they was living across the street. Okay, you got to answer this one question for me. What is a recording budget? So Paz told me on tour, the Three Feline Rising was. made for 14

no no no 3 Fion Rides were made for 21,000 to save money because Pasa told me that a Q-tip verse got a race from Afro Connections at a high five because Paul was trying to save two-inch tape

so he told me De La Sol's Dead cost $14,000. What is what was a budget for a record back then? Well, it varied. So, you know, I mean, around that second album, I don't know, maybe somewhere between 150 and 250. Okay.

Somewhere around there. Which seemed like it was fair for then. Correct? It was crazy. I mean, it was, I mean, you know, you get a bends for 30 G's. Okay, okay. That was crazy. All right.

You rocking. Like, you are out of control with that. Like, you, sky's the limit, baby. Woo, we're in here now. Do you still own your grandmother's house? Yeah. So what is it about that environment? Because I believe that you said that you always write your best

when you're in that environment. So, you know, my uncle told me there was some magic there. So, you know, I just believe if you're going to write songs for people, you have to be able to relate to the people. Even nowadays, you know, jumping in and out of, you know, Uber blacks and town cars or being fancy, you're not connecting with the world. And the thing that you lose- Set up all of y'all.

Why all your motherfuckers look at me? I was thinking about LL, literally. I'm like, he's right. He's like, his magic is damn, maybe out. Like, yeah. You know what I mean? That's about you. That's your inner guilt.

I know guilt was that. That is you, sir. I have no guilt. I was going to be able to less got that name back. So you got to be a nice car too, by the way. Very nice, very nice. I was like, yo, I got to get one of them. That was very nice.

All right. Very nice maybe. Quest got a very nice maybe. That's a very nice maybe. That shit is nice. Mean. That's just mean. Talk, we'll stop.

But that's about it. Let them cook. Let them cook. Let them cook. So I'm like, yo. But, you know, I just feel like you got to connect with the people. And the thing you lose sight of is danger. And danger makes you write differently.

Wait, did I hear a rumor that you once entertained the thought of writing at Rikers or some shit? Like. Well, I visited the jails a lot. I visited the jails a lot. I did. I visited the jails a lot. But did I imagine that you actually said, like, I got to see... No, I would visit the jail and then go to the studio.

I did that during the goat album, actually. You visited, like, the folks there, or you visiting somebody personally? Both. I knew guys in there, I didn't know was in there. And not just right, like... What you're doing here? Just right us. Just right this.

Just right? Yeah, I went up north right now. I probably know half to do that joy. Like, three decades after there, three decades plus after the fact, do you find... Okay, so I understand that some might see, and I'm not one of these people, as evidence how many songs I'm trying to throw from Panther in the set, right? That people's relationship with Panther is different after the fact that it came out. Light told me the story about your involvement with self-destruction.

Oh, yeah. And I didn't realize that you wrote Lights verse, and he told D. Nice, like, look, not for nothing. but when I come back, I got to come back on something. Yeah. So you, like, can you tell the self-destruction? Yeah, self-destruction. So basically, you know, they asked me to be a part of the song, and at that time I just didn't want to do it.

I just didn't feel like that was the right way for me to reintroduce myself to everybody coming off of this record that had been kind of, you know, panned and people sleeping on me and all that. But at the same time, I wanted to make a contribution of some sort, So I wrote MC Lights part, you know, Scotts tape with a razor blade tape to your collar and all that. You know, yeah, yeah. So I did that for Light.

And, you know, I felt great, you know, people didn't know, and I was cool with that. You know what I'm saying? Like, I've done that a lot. You know what I'm saying? The self-destruction joint, that made me think the Heel record, the Human Education Against Lies. Why weren't you in the video for that?

One of those records, I was busy. And then, you know, man, my schedule back then, you know, was different from most rappers. You know what I'm saying? I was on a different level. Yeah, I was selling records. So I was on a different level. So I just was busy.

And I just couldn't do some things. And I would say no to other things. And I'm unapologetic about it. You know what I'm saying? Like, it is what it is, bro. Like, I did it many times. You know, EPMD. Yeah, I was late to the party.

Like two years ago, I just, someone's like, you know that's not LL and? No, it is. The Rampage. Yes, it is. That's you? That's absolutely me in the video. Absolutely.

Listen, the real story is that, you know, at that time, I was in, I think I was in contract negotiations. I was midway through it. My father, just, who was my manager at that time, just absolutely did not want me in that video and just drove me absolutely bananas. And I said, well, we got to figure something out. So, you know, I finally just say, you know what, let's just put a silhouette there. I do it for a silhouette because I can't play these guys like that. Right. And so I did it with the silhouette.

You know what I'm saying? And so that was my way of doing something for them. You know what I'm saying? That was my way of doing something for them because my pops was driving me bananas. Yeah, what was that like having him as your manager, bro? My father was, he was funny, man. He was something else.

He was something else. Because remember, he had his own label before that. He had a label? Yeah, my father, you know, had a label, Salsa Picante and records. And, you know, he used to, you know, different artists like the coasters and different people.

He was, uh... Yeah, my father, yeah, my father was a singer. Dude, your lineage. Yeah, he was a soul singer. Okay. And so he was, you know what I'm saying? And so, you know, but he was funny, man. You're going to get this kid his money.

He's pulling out knives on the record company. He was bananas. He was bananas. Sounds like that. I love him. I loved him. I loved him. He was something else, man.

Oh, he was, oh, he was a piece of work. Was he managing you until he couldn't anymore? He managed me until, It got over his head. It just, honestly, it just... Like TV film? It just, to be honest with you, to give you the real honest answer, the career and the money that was come,

the stuff that came, it got beyond his ability to handle. You know what I'm saying? And it's, you know... I get it. You know, I got to pay my taxes. You know, my taxes got to be paid. Like, we can talk about all that tough guy shit, stocks and equity are.

Did you pay your taxes? Like, let's start there. You know what I mean? So I got to pay my taxes. So I got to pay my taxes. So I was like, yo, you know, I start getting little calls like, how much? What? I'm asking him and he's like, oh, don't worry about it.

Oh, my bad. I'm seeing wine from Trader Joe's on the corporate card. I'm like, yo, come on, dude. This is ridiculous. It ain't that big of a deal, but it was just like, come on, be. I feel you. I feel you. I love him, though.

I love him. He was a good guy. What up, QLS, fam? Okay, so I think. I think this is the perfect place to stop part one. Can you believe one hour and we only got to 1990? Yep, believe it. But we wanted to take our time with this one

because y'all know this is years in the making. So come back next week or check out your podcast feed, part two of QLS and LL Kool-Jet. This one was definitely worth the wait. Shoutouts to LL and make sure you stay tuned for his album, The Force. Thank you for listening to Questlove Supreme. This podcast is hosted by Amir Questlove Thompson, the boss man,

Lai'e, St. Clair, So Blackety Black. Myself, Fon Ticelo, Fonte Coleman, Sugar Steve Mandel, and Unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers are Amir Questlove Thompson, Sean G, and The Unbothered Brian Calhoun. Produced by Brittany Benjamin, my dog, cousin Jake Payne, my motherfucking man, and Laia St. Clair, my workwife.

by Alex Conroy. Produced for IHeart by Noel Brown and Mike Johns. Audio engineering by Graham Gibson, aka A.G, at IHeart's L.A. studio. Thank you for tuning in. Check us out next week. What's Love Supreme is a production

of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHartRadio, visit the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends.

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

If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins.

But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Ellen's, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian, Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young.

This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human