The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme Presents: May Flowers Part 2

Episode Date: May 28, 2025

Questlove Supreme has always been committed to giving flowers to the artists who inspire us — whether they’re household names or unsung innovators shaping culture behind the scenes. Following last week’s Part 1 compilation, a two-hour Part 2 continues the celebration, this time with a focus on some of our favorites, with a special emphasis on Hip-Hop innovators. These moments highlight the voices and visionaries who’ve changed the game — and who deserve to hear their impact while they can still feel it.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 podcasts. 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. I'm Daniel Alarcon. And this is my friend. This is much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far. But I'm John Green. Co-hosted the podcast The Away End with my old friend Daniel on our podcast the away end. We'll share with you the magic of international football,

all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the away end with Daniel Auerkone and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. Yo, what's up, y'all? It's Questlove,

and as you heard me last time, you know, we've been talking about giving people their flowers. And I got to keep that going because honestly, one episode is not enough. We're doing it this time in the month of May because it made flowers. All right, so, see, giving flowers isn't just about respect. It's about public record. It's about making sure the people who built the culture

who carried the weight who broke the ground and inspired us don't get lost in the noise because we live in a moment where things be fast and legends can fade if we're not intentional about keeping their names alive. live. So yeah, this part is all about them. And I want to challenge myself and you to think about the folks who may not get magazine covers, but who change the way we hear, think, and move. Here are a few more moments from QLS where we honored some great ones.

In 2024, I had to sit down with another hero. Team Supreme sat down with Narda Michael Walden, who was a crucial member of the Manavishu Orchestra, before becoming a hip producer for Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Starship, and so many others. At the beginning of Part 1, I got to ask him one of those always wanted to know questions about his art, you know, especially as a guy who was tasked with getting the best out of our superstars. I'm bringing everything I ever learned from you, man.

Now, you know what it is? I'm also realizing I've met you briefly before and I will say that there are very few human beings that have an instantaneous disarming chip that I wish I had. You have a level of calm that I now know that of course your resume is that impressive because I believe that you have a sort of calming element because you produced some people that I would believe would be some of the hardest people personality-wise to even step with. I've said no to a few of these people would just like drumming with them or any of those things because I couldn't bear to think of the thought of dealing with that.

But can I ask you like, when did you develop this personality of just calmness? Like you have a very disarming, like have you ever gotten angry in your life? Oh, yeah, sure, sure. I do. Of course I do. It's just that I learned, like what you're speaking about in production, working with other people, that I wanted to get their best. And I realized that the love aspect was really powerful. It is really powerful. And then you mentioned meditation. So through meditation and the love aspect, that became the most important part. And that the person I'm working with could feel that love to do their best. and then that would just make everything just go for. So I kind of just pray, swim, you know, get myself together physically, and then getting that spirit that the person you really feel like, oh, you're not here to fight with me. You're going to make that great music.

Then they start singing, do whatever they're going to do, and the endorphins kick in, and they were gone. But that spirit of love is really, really important. That's what I want to say to you about that. Do you have a pre-studio ritual that you do or something like to kind of get ready to get into that? You know, I don't you can see behind me, I have a candle, two candles here and a candle up there. Okay.

You know, I burn a little incense every now and again. I usually bring a gift to the person I'm working with, just kind of make them feel the love on a physical level, a teddy bear, flower, something sweet. And then I want to say one more thing about what you're asking about because it's really important for me that probably the most incredible moment along this line was after I made the songs of two songs, Who's Zooming Who, Until You Say You Love Me, and Here, and flew back to Detroit, Michigan to meet Aretha.

It looking in her eyes is scary. That would scare you. That scared me. But there again, you know, I let her know in my spirit, my eyes, my love, I'm not here to fight. I'm not here to make a problem. I want to serve you, love you, and help us make the best music. And then once the music comes on, and then she starts opening up and singing,

then again, like I said, it just gets happy. And then it's like, well, what do you want to eat? You want cheeseburger, you want, you know, fried chicken, what you want, and all that sounds happening. See, I wish I had known you previously. Steve can attest to this. you know, of course, I'm still here at the Tonight Show. Lovely, lovely, lovely. And I've only had one client sort of put us through the ringer to the point where I just walked away.

Okay. And, you know, unfortunately, I've had the pleasure of playing practically with every person I've ever idolized. But when it came to Aretha and the alpha level of, testing that we were put through, I failed that test. Oh, no. You know, it was like, my ego was there because in my mind, I'm like, well, I'm holding up the tradition. Like, we are holding up the tradition of Cornell Dupree and Bernard Purdy, like her 70s,

her 70s crack band. And, you know, she wanted to have a long talk and she wanted us to audition and all this stuff and you know I I just now regret that that move but I was just like well no I'm fine if you if you want to sing behind your karaoke track then go ahead and do so and she did so and it could have been magic but you know it was definitely I I didn't know about what you just said like we're dealing with people and how to disarm them and all that stuff and so all right y'all who in 20 22, I sat down with Steve Farone and a special one-on-one. I molded so much of my drumming after Steve,

but aspects of his journey and style were unknown to me. And this conversation went on over three hours and became a two-parter filled with so much joy. Here's where Steve talks about going from playing with Bloodstone to the average white band, which is how I learned about him. I've heard many accounts of how Robbie passed away and how you got into the group. But I'd never heard an official version from an official band member. How did Robbie pass away and how did you get the gig for the average white band? Well, you know, Robbie and I were friends.

I was supposed to go to that party. I was supposed to meet him with that party. But I was doing the film doing the film with the film. No, I play, well, I might be in there, but I did the music for it. Did it ever come out? Yes. Yes. I think I have it.

I think I got it. Oh, my God. Okay. Train back to Hollywood. Yes. When they were promoting that album on Soul Train, Don Cornelius showed like a minute of the clip where they're riding in the train and they're in the bunkers and doing show tunes and whatnot. And so...

It's a funny... I mean, I had to go there and be on set with them. And then we go... We do record music. So you're all over that record? Yeah. Wow. That's not you on Natural High.

Money, money... No. That's not been a matter of it. But money, badass. Somebody actually said it to me. That's why I started looking for it. I forgot all about it. Wow.

We did that. All the best things in life are free. Right. I get it. So I was doing that and they were playing, they were doing a run at the Trubidor. And Robbie called me up and he said, come on man, come on,

going to be a party on that, you know, it was Sunday night or something. I said, I've got to work. If I can, I'll be there. And as a fate would have it,

I didn't, I didn't go. Okay. And the next morning I woke up and my, my drum tech bin, a guy that was working for me, guy named Terry Merchant, He said,

Hey, Steve, you know, Robbie's dead. And I said, what, dead drunk? Because Robbie and I used to go out drinking together. Robbie was a hell of a drinker.

And he said, no, no, no, he's dead. He died of an overdose. Robbie wasn't so much of a drug taker. I could say,

wasn't so much of a drug. He was more of a drinker. Right. But Robbie, this is, this was the thing. It was Robbie, Robbie could drink

I'd seen Robbie drink bottle of vodka and then he just switched to scotch and I'd get sick and never saw Robbie throw up never saw him he would pass out right

you know and from my understanding because I wasn't there for a lot when the whole he was there for the aftermath was that he was at this party and everybody did did this some guy would say

saying he's some cocaine. Right. And so, and Robbie wouldn't do anything small. He was not that sort of a person either. He went bigger. Yeah. Went home.

And he went, and he went bigger. And everybody, everybody else that did it got sick. And Robbie went home, went to sleep and it stayed in his system. It was, it was heroin,

and it was cut with strychnine, and it killed him. Jesus Christ. It was that simple. You know, you know, I mean, we talk.

a lot about, you know, accidental drug overdoses. You know, sometimes the house I'm staying at the moment, you know, there was three guys died of fentanyl overdoses and one of those, one of those guys was his, was his nephew. Right. And accidental, I don't think anybody does any of that stuff to die. You know, I mean, if they want to do that, they say, I'll write a suicide note. Right, exactly. And it's you did this to me, and then they're just doing an enormous lot, and they're dying.

I think that recreation, I don't think that this guy even had a problem. And I think it was just three buddies that decided to go and mess around. Let's try that stuff and see what it does. Unfortunately, it's a killer. It wasn't like that in the 60s. I can tell you that right now. But I don't think anything, any of the drugs nowadays are like they were in the 60s and 70s. It's a different animal.

So, you know, Robbie, it was a tragic accident. It was a lot of pain. It was probably still being felt today. I hadn't spoken to his widow in over 20 years, and she called me last week. Really? Yeah. Wow. He did.

And she was telling me that she just, just now has come to terms with the fact to be able to just say, you know, it's what it was and not much point running around feeling resentment and years of running around feeling resentment it just make yourself that broke her heart

for all those years 45 years it just wow yeah she remarried but still pain in the heart yeah still painful yeah

you know Robbie was a great guy a great drama and a great guy you know how long does time go by before you're getting the phone call to join the average white band

and before they call you, are they trying to least maintain the status of the name of the group and find a white guy that's funky? No. Well, I'd tell you what happened was this, was that, was that when, when I found out about Robbie being, being dead, I went, I called, I got hold of Hamish and I went over to the hotel and sat over at the hotel with everybody. And we were all drinking, because that's what we did with the Scots. and and and and and and I said to them listen you know Robbie wouldn't want you guys to stop now

you know you just got to get this airplay with pick up the pieces that's happening for you I don't know how this is all going to know but you guys is you know you shouldn't shouldn't stop there was talk of maybe we should stop the group well it was it was everybody was sitting around sort of like it was all over you know It was gone.

It's not over. And so I said, if there's anything I can do, let me know. And I was under contract to Bloodstone. Right. So what I would do is, Sticks Hooper and myself, what would happen? If I couldn't do it, if I was working with Bustown, sticks would go and play with them. Sticks briefly joined the average white band?

Or you mean with Bloodstone? They played the, no, average white band. man. So he'd go and play the gig. And then if he couldn't do it, I'd do it. And, you know, I'd go and play with them. They were auditioning people at SIR. There's drummers, all black, white. It didn't really matter.

They were just looking for a drummer. Okay. But Sticks and I would go to the auditions and we'd sit there in SIR. And they'd come in, they start playing with them. And they say, okay, no, that ain't working. and they would get more and more depressed, you know. And so either sticks or myself would go up and we'd jam with them and they'd come back to life again,

and then they'd wheel in another drummer, and then we'd sit there and we'd watch them and they'd go down. Any drummer of note that tried to audition for the band that didn't make it? Nobody that I knew. But there was a lot of kids wanting to play. You know, it was a big audition, go-to. Okay. And so I had to play this gig with them down at Long Beach,

at Long Beach Arena at the old Long Beach Arena and we sit down there and we get come out we start to play I remember this gig there was they're also like kind of static audience they weren't really doing too much

and then there was this one I saw this one guy sort of started to rock you know so I sort of holmed in on him and it kind of spread out from him and by the end of the show everybody was like dancing and going crazy and it was a great show. And I came off the stage.

And this little fella came walking up to me dapper. You know, he was really well-dressed and a little beard. He walked out to me and he said, you've got to be in the band. And I said, I'd love to be in the band, but I'm under contract to another band. I can't do it. And he said, you're out of that band and you're in the band. And then he walked off. And Bruce McCaskill was the manager at the time.

of the manor. I said, Bruce, who the hell is that? And he said, oh, that's Armadert again. I'm at Erdogan. Nice. And I was out of that contract and I was in average white man. Just like that. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care where you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the fourth. 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 and 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. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that, trust your girlfriends.

I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target.

He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023,

former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring 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 Lespian and 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. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wodom. next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo.

My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with 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. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot.

He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

All right, so in 2018, Dame Funk helped us get Leon Silver's on the show. And this was epic for me because there was so much I did not know. And you hear some of that here coming out of my intro. The reason why I feel is that we commit to the show. Yes, you know, we're about the whatever. the teaching of excellence and bringing people and exposing them to the audience, you know, to audience that might not know them,

stuff like that, but just sometimes you just want to nerd out on your favorites. And I, there's so much, there's not enough that I can say about the, the gentleman that we have with us right now. I can say that, you know,

he is, I mean, he's, such a genius in every area that he's ever done in crafting harmonies and his musicianship and his songwriting. I mean, he damn near invented a genre of music. Buggy. He killed disco.

Good for you. He literally killed disco of all the, like, he invented genres and he inspired some of our greatest. I told Jimmy Jam that he was coming on our show, and even Jimmy Jam had to bow down because of all that he learned from this man, I'm about to start crying right now. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the show. Leon Silver's the third.

Yes. Yes. Thank you. Yes. I'm pleasure to be here. Man, you don't know how happy we are right now. Like, we're just... Shout out the Dane Funk.

Shout out the Dane Funk. Yes. Thank you, Dane Funk. For making this happen. Man, we got to get you up here. Yeah. We have so many questions. about your life.

Like, I've never idolized someone so much that I really don't know that much about because you rarely did interviews and things like that matter. But let's just, should we rapid fire or do we just? We just, let's go through the journey. Okay. Now, I'm going to say it. Let's start at the beginning. Y'all got to be proud of me.

I haven't said that in a while, but I'm going to say it this time. It's okay. Well, let's say. Okay. So, I believe you're. your entire family's from Tennessee, correct? Please be wrong. Everybody except me, Foster Angie and Pat.

Where were you born? I was born in South Bend, Indiana. Oh, snap. So was I. Yeah. So was I. Wow. Yes.

My father was going to college out there and my mother. And I was born on the campus and only stayed there three days after I was born, so I know nothing about South Bend. been Indiana, but I was born there. He went to Tennessee. He was there for three days. I was there for three years. Wait, you were born in South Bend?

Yeah, yeah. Memorial Hospital. Wow. That's amazing. That's crazy. Yeah, so just I just want to know it all. Talk about the beginnings in Tennessee

and how music entered into that household. Well, about Tennessee, I can't remember too much. except Roy Rogers' show. I was two. After about two years, we hit the train and came to L.A. I think I was two or three years old.

And L.A. is where everything started. Motown sound for me. Why did you guys move to Los Angeles? I think my father got a gig at, what is it, some kind of space company, something, he was doing some kind of work. I couldn't remember, but his work brought us out there.

And everybody wasn't born yet. It was just myself. Charmaine? Charmaine is the eldest sister? And you're the eldest brother? No. Olympia is the oldest of the family. I'm sorry.

And then myself, Charmaine and James, Jonathan. That was only four of us when we went to L.A. And it was started with me was the Motown sound. I was into James James James on bass, period. And Benny Benjamin, the drums. And that was my starting music. I was taking hangers acting like high hats. I took the drum, the little broom, the sweeping part, used that as a rim and snare,

and the box spring I used as a kick drum. That's how I started music right there, you know. That's where most people would take the broom and make that to a guitar. You thought to make that into the drum. Yeah. Were there any adults that were musicians that were influential in your life at that point, No, I'm just Jameson and Benny Benjamin. I didn't know nobody yet.

I was only about six or seven there at seven. What was it about that music that called you? The bass. I got a guitar when I was like, we did a, we just did four-part harmony because I was teaching everybody just Laura Scudders commercial back in the day. And my brother was three years old, but he held four-part harmony. So we was doing this Laura Scudders commercial and my father heard us

and started teaching us some four freshmen type harmony back in the day, that high lows and all that. And so we did it real easy and he got a manager and they put us on, we were called the Little Angels. Right. And they put us on Spike Jones, Arklink Letter Show, all these names from back in the day. And that's where

my brother he was three when we did our first TV show and he held he gave everybody our parts when we forgot them so he as far as harmony is concerned how did you guys even know how to notate harmony because

well one thing I think our audience should know is I feel like the the one distinction that separated you guys from any of your contemporaries

Jackson Jackson's all down, yeah, stair steps, whoever was young at that time, was you guys had the most unusual harmony structures ever. Was that from not knowing? Like who taught you those dissonant and chromatic harmonies that weren't average? I think, well, my father was into the four freshmen and the high lows and all that. So he saw us doing three-part harmonies. and one lead on this Lower Scudders commercial. And I gave them their parts, but it was, you know, simple stuff like, you know.

And he saw we can hold the note and not get off. So he started giving us harder songs, songs like it's a blue world and, well, I forgot to name those songs. But it was four and five part harmony. And we stayed on it and didn't get off. I don't know why. My mother could have been an opera singer. She was studying for a minute.

So I guess that's why we just felt we can do it and we just did it. You know, it wasn't a why or whatever. We just did it. Stayed on the notes. And I actually was the worst holding a note. Really? Yeah. James was the best.

And then it was Charmaine, then Olympia, me I was last I always would forget my note you know but James had the ear for holding the notes and he was the youngest what year was this this was I was like I was like seven six but I mean like in what year was it like probably 59 or something like I was born in 53 so okay around 59 or something like that or 60. So there wasn't even a template out at the time to, or besides maybe Frankie Laman and the teenagers, which is more like 57, 50, but there were no kids groups or that sort of thing to even. No, just Franklin Lyman. What's the name sound kind of like a kid, little Anthony back then? Oh, Lou Anthony, period. I listened to him for a minute, yeah. So were you guys instantly

in pursuit of the next level, which is to find a record deal? Was it just like, We did this television show and that's it. Well, back then we didn't have no leads. It was all harmony. So we would just stand there and sing. No personality, no charisma, nothing. Just singing, holding the notes. And we were so young that I guess the crowd thought it was amazing

that we were singing that kind of stuff. But we was just ready to get off the stage and go play kind of thing. But I loved music. I was the one teaching them and actually sometime making them saying, but I got into the Motown thing and then from there, we didn't get into seriously making moves to record companies till I was around, I guess, 13 or 14 or 15, something like that. Because that's when the Jackson's came out,

that's when I got serious. and I started teaching Edmund, my brother, because he had the most powerful voice, and he said, I can't sing. I said, well, just nothing, you won't do nothing unless you practice it. He had the tone, so I'd work with him every day and practice until after a year or so.

He was riffing and all that, you know. So all your brothers and sisters are literally coming out the wound one by one during this period. Yeah. You're just waiting for them to get of age and like, okay, your part is this. Everybody, there was nobody that came in my family that couldn't hold a harmony note. They could do that before they could do a lead.

We had to practice our leads. So as far as when I give them a part, they'd hold it. And then when we sing to somebody else's part, they would keep it and never blend into the other person's part or anything like that. We all had that, I guess. But the leads we had to work on in Edmund worked. him and Foster, but Edmund worked the hardest. And his tone reaped the benefits because I worked at it at home. And then when we got with Freddie Perrin, he heard Edmund's voice right off the bat.

But that was during the Capitol years. Exactly. When you were on Pride, who? Yeah, I'm jumping a little too fast. Go ahead. So what label was Pride associated with MGM? MGM. Okay, okay.

Yeah, a friend of Mike Kerr. which was Mike Viener. Mike Kerb was running MGM when we were signed. And he was only 24 years old. Wow. Wait, so the Mike Curb congregation? That's one of my favorite break pieces of all the time. Exactly.

The come on down, do, do, do, yeah. Oh, my God. Yeah, he was cool. He was the one that really hit me with the commercial thing because I was doing, I was really kind of into back then that social conscious type writing because the Black Panthers was out

and all that stuff so socially conscious music was kind of in and I was into that from a third group from this history teacher Mr. Simon but he was the one that told me

well Leon your music has to be more commercial you know and I was on that tip like well what do you you know, you only do pop music. Right. You know, because we knew how MGM was as far as Motown was. And he's like, you're right.

But even if I do pop music, it has to be commercial. You're doing R&B. It's got to be commercial. And I didn't want to hear that, but I did. And I started changing after I had that meeting because he wanted to give, he made up pride after that. because he told he told us to do this song called

yeah what it takes an old Barry Gordy song and he wanted us to do it and we did it and it you know it wasn't nothing you know it didn't do nothing and this meeting with me I didn't know it at the time was to get inside

whoever was the head leader of the group type of thing and I was more like trying to tell him we know what we're doing just let us do it because I realized they put us on the shelf for the Osmans because they didn't That's right. Osmans were your labeling meets.

Yeah, but we didn't know that when we signed. Oh, okay. And they didn't tell, you know, we just, we didn't have no records out for a year. We didn't even go in the studio for a long time after the Osmond's was out. But, you know, I understand the marketing thing, you know. They didn't want no other competition out there. And we were a family group that could sing harmony and all. lads, so they signed us.

Well, then I've got to ask, then if, if, because I know with one bad apple, not at one point did MGM say, hmm, this sounds close like ABC. All right, Silvers, here you go. Like, this should be for you instead of the Osmond's or? No, the Ottombs was signed already. And they were specially targeted to be the off, the other side, a white group, family group, and a black family group. That was, I understand the marketing.

after, but we didn't know that was the case till like, you know, years later, and I didn't believe it even after people's telling me, because I wasn't caring about that, you know, long as we can come out. That was my thing. So their whole thing was done, and all of a sudden we heard them out, and they was on the MGM. Nothing was told or anything, and it just came out, you know, and I actually liked the record. I thought it was, you know, but Mike Kerr was, you know, but Mike Kerr was cool because he made up pride and well he got his friend Michael Viener to uh creditable Bargoban uh because who incredible Bargo band oh yeah yeah and that was a funny story too but he his they were schoolmates curb and and mike viner and he always wanted to get in the

record business and Mike Kerb gave him that shot and gave us put us on a another label because MGM was more pop than anything. They never had no R&B groups on MGM. So Pride was the label that he put us on. Got a, well, Keg Johnson got a black promoter.

And Mike Vina was the head of Pride. And we hit with Fool's Paradise our first record. Well, it was R&B hit, you know. It didn't get no pop play. But that was that. And

when we started practicing, we went on the road and things were happening quick because we had the big naturals and people automatically, oh, another Jackson's and we had the bigger naturals. Can you clarify? How? Were those your actual naturals? Oh, yeah, yeah.

Okay. I had to know if it was weeks or not because like they were so perfect. Yeah, like the Silver's Afros, for me, the real standard of the Afro, not the Jackson Five. like that, you know. Well, we, we had a concept.

I thought if you would, we would go to bed instead of with the natural, flattening it up, we would brush our hair up and take rubber bands and have a unicorn going up and go to sleep like that. And we took the rubber bands off. It would just lay out like that. Wow. So that was our concept. Natural secrets revealed.

You think I ain't going to do that shit tonight? I only braid my hair and so it had that effect. I was like, damn, I could just unicorn my shit. Myesha, you're fired, thank you. I love you, Maisha, I'm the only playing. Oh, man. So, knowing or, you know, I don't know how big of a presence, the Jackson Five were in you guys' life as far as like,

that's the goal or if it was some sort of eclipse. It was. It was big. Oh, sorry, go on. No, well, I'm asking, like, was there a thing like, well, until we reach the status of the Jackson 5, like, we haven't made it yet, or that sort of thing? At least with the Pride Records.

It wasn't openly said because we were kind of controlling our, we were writing our songs. We were doing our own harmony. We didn't have a corporation, like guys that knew what they were doing. doing, you know, too. So we learned everything. So it was like a great feeling each level of it. So we wouldn't even thinking. We was just happy to be in it, really, and doing our own music. So those prior records were, was that you in the studio? Like, just pretty much doing everything? Yeah. How much was that you? How much was that? Jerry Butler? Jerry Butler had three guys, well, two. Keg Johnson and Jerry Peters working with his company. and he sent them first to meet us and he met us at Six Flags Magic Mountain doing a show

and backstage after the show he brought his records I guess that he wanted well that he did want us to hear from Jerry Butler telling him to let him hear this and I had my base ready in an amp and we were all sitting in a line well in a circle half circle and we knew he was coming, so we was prepared to play our songs. And he said, I heard you all right. Keg did. And we looked at each other and said, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's okay, let me hear something.

So we started playing Fool's Paradise, the record, our first record. And I started off with the bass, and then Shamin started singing, and we all, you know. And Keg just walked over to the trash can and then, okay, that's one. Let me hear another one. and threw the records in the trash. What? In front of us, you know we liked that. We was teenagers.

We was like, we looked at each other, yeah. So that was great. We clicked right off the bat, you know, when he did that, you know. So, well, even though buying these records and seeing the production and stuff, I knew that you wrote the songs, but, yeah, I was trying to figure out, like, how much production control you had of these songs. No, I didn't, I was learning then. I didn't want to produce.

I didn't even play on it. And I didn't want to. He asked me, did, Kegg was the producer. But it was supposed to be, it was Keg and Jerry Peters that were the producers. Jerry Butler wasn't going to produce, but it was his company that was hired. And some things went down, but Keg was the producer, and he asked me, did I want to play on it? because he liked everything he heard. And he was worried, he wasn't going to tell Jerry.

Now, I didn't notice at the time, but he wasn't going to tell Jerry till later. Oh, wow. Because Jerry was busy. He was still hot with his career. He was on tour and all that stuff. So we was actually in the studio cutting this stuff before Jerry even knew that we didn't do his record.

But I didn't know this. I just heard it from. a phone conversation with my mother, Mike Viener, and Keg. Because Keg was with Jerry, and they were about to get rid of him. Because Jerry came in and came down, and I remember I had to go in the studio, and he was telling me, now, this is what I wanted y'all to do. And he played a way worse bubblegum record than one bad apple. And I like that.

this was horrible. It was bubble gum. So I was like, you know, I was from the Knickinson Garden and Watts. So I wasn't even trying to hear it. But I liked Jerry Butler. So I said, well, yeah, we're not doing that. That's all I said. I didn't want to say nothing else because I liked him.

I just, you know, let me cut to the chase, not play around. We ain't doing it. And he said, oh, why not? Yeah, it's too bubble gum. That's all I said. And he said, oh, okay, you sure? That's all he said. I said, yeah.

And he let it go. He just made sure everything went through his company. Keg and him was going to get fired. But I liked the way he handled itself with us when he threw the records in the trash. So I stood up for him. I told him, oh, if you get rid of Keg, we ain't doing nothing. Ah, okay. I didn't know what I was, but I meant what I said.

I was only about, what, 18, no, I was 17 or something. But I was the one that everybody was listening to and they liked Kegg and we were doing our own thing. So I just told Mike Viner, hey, if you get rid of Keg, we ain't doing nothing. We'll go somewhere else. Before y'all got into the studio, how were you writing your songs like Fool's Paradise? Were you writing them on bass at home? Just bass.

Oh, wow. I would use the bass as a harmonic to the melody that I would sing. Always, I wouldn't do it as a, you know, a lot of people stay on E for the funk type thing. I would use it as a keyboard. I would always play the bass or harmonic to my melody. And then the chord. words with you could hear different ones, you know, as you listen to the melody and the

bass. So are a majority of the songs that you write, do you write it on bass first before you never on piano, never on, okay. Well, now I do because, you know, you got a studio in your hand now. Right. You know, you can do anything really. But back then, if I did a melody, I immediately went to the bass and did the, harmonic baseline because that was like my keyboard.

So for those first four, three or four initial Silver's albums, that didn't catch on the way that showcase caught on once you guys went to Capitol. But was it at all shocking to you that those records would be discovered in the new light in the era of rare groove culture and hip-hop sampling? Like, because even though in your mind, you might think like, oh, well, okay, those first few records weren't hitting, like, you know, our capital years. But for a lot of us... Yeah, that's the holy grail shit. Oh, my God.

Yeah, like, I mean, the first album alone with... Wish I could talk to you. I'll never be ashamed. Like, there's least, like, in my eyes, like, that first silver records has at least six or seven gems on it that we see in the light of. of sampling and how it's so was it at all shocking to you that like some 35 years later 40 years later that suddenly like even in my DJ said like I'll play only one can win as so that makes shocking at all well actually I felt great I mean it was like an honor for and then I start thinking how does that happen you know and then I's the only thing I could

think of is, wow, it was young people that picked that up. And I was young at the time when I wrote it. So it's like 20 years later, that same spirit, you know, musical DNA, if you will, you know, only the young could hear that. Because I was like, wow, that must be it. Same thing with misdemeanor. All those songs that was sampled, I wrote when I was younger than 18. I forgot about misdemeanor. Right, no, that's a whole 20-minute conversation. Just a on that song. Yes. Well,

we'll start it. Man. With, yeah, with misdemeanor, like how, how did you come with that? Wow.

I didn't, I didn't, I, the bass came first. I was just, I was stomping my foot and I was just hitting, mm-mm-mm.

No, I was just doing the, first one first. Oh. Oh. And then I started repeating those two over and over. And I would hit my foot kind of hard on the ground like a kick. And I had one of them old, it was, I think it was a Sanyo cassette player. They only made one. It had one big giant speaker. It was a mono radio cassette player. man it had the perfect compression for that mic because I recorded that bass line stomping my feet with that cassette man it was the best sound ever

I did everything I went and bought two of those iPhone yeah that's what the that's what the iPhone sounds like now and sort of I track a lot of my drums I put the iPhone like on the floor like 13 feet away from me and it's the same perfect man I just loved that I kept that cassette till it

evaporated you know it just had that the misdemeanor vibe on it and I just recorded that and then said the hook I don't remember

if I had the words already I probably didn't I was just and I knew because I listened to that melody lower octave with the bass in the same

register and it's wrong. It's the most horrible melody with the baseline because it's one of them notes that if you do an octave high you can get away with it. It sounds cool, almost funky. But if you do it in the same register like an octave lower, the worst thing to your ear. You couldn't, I hated it when I heard it like that. But I knew what I had when I actually did the melody with the baseline. It sounded great. I just knew I had something that people would like. I don't know why. It just had a feeling vibe.

And how old was Foster when he cut that? He was around, I think, 10 or 11. Exactly. Like 10 years old with the funky shit out. Were you, because of the pristine level of musicianship that a lot of the pride era, records were under, were you guys always using the same musicians in the studio?

Or was it, did you have relationship with these musicians or was just like, oh, who's here today? We met them because we wanted to be at every session. So it was mainly Chuck Rainey on bass or What? Oh, man. What? Wilton Felder.

Those two were the bass players. So those guys were just moonlining? No, they were the top musicians. No, no, I know that. But I'm just saying Oh, my bad. Like, yeah, that's, yeah. Well, Keg and Jerry Peters, they were real good producers back then. They did, what's that song, Friends of Distation, Friends of Distinction.

Yeah, Grazing in the Grass. Yeah, they did that and you got me going in circles. And so Keg Johnson and Jerry Peters were formidable producers themselves. So, and Jerry Peters was great keyboardists and arranger. So they knew all the top musicians. And I'd go to every session. David T. was main guitar. Felder.

They'd switch up on keyboard guys because there was a lot of them. But it was always kind of jazz-oriented guys. Is Jerry still alive? Yes. He is. Wait. It just hit me. Was it one of your brothers or three?

Somehow you guys were actually involved in the Jackson Five cartoon? Edmund. He was Marlin's voice. Okay. He was the voice of Marlon. Yeah. All right. So in this next clip, I literally tell hip-hop pioneer Lady B. Why I'm giving her flowers. Her work on radio, which reached me

in 1981. Literally set me on a chorus, which is why you know of a quest love today. What's cool is Lady B gives Lai'ia some flowers here too. One of my favorite nights of yours was the aforementioned

and Steady B versus Will Smith battle. Yeah. Now that's a tape I can't find. Dude. Okay, so Will Smith will forever, he'll forever have my respect because he somehow got the call. He freestyled that Steady B was a Munchy-Chi. And I just remember at that point,

Steady B actually wanting to fight Will and them. And I did not help matters. because I thought it was the funniest-ish I had ever heard. And I think the fact that we all laughed made him really angry. You know, we were all laughing when that happened. That was the era when Shanty stepped off that stage. That was the error when you had to come off raw off the top of your head and just, you just had that.

That was actually what you call free styling. That was freestyling. People can't see Will in that environment today. They underestimated Will because they were like, well, you're not real hip-hop. You're suburban. you talk all proper. First of all, he wasn't a suburban. He lived in my neighborhood.

In fact that, he wasn't out there, gang banging. Talk about it, B. Grabbing his join and acting, and, you know, didn't come up in a one-parent household. We didn't learn how to respect women and stuff. Just because he wasn't raised like that. Wow. Not mean he wasn't a part and just as authentic and true to hip-hop

is everybody else. That is what I love the most about him. That's when, when was the first one, you know, who made me, His lyrics made me smile. I call it happy hip hop. Everybody else was all bravado. I got a big back Cadillac.

I got this. No, you don't. You live in your mama house. I was like, stop lying. You know what I mean? But Will was like the first one. I mean, you know, it was, it was funny. It was fun.

It made you smile. And then you put a dope DJ like Jeff with him. And it was just the greatest combination ever. Wow. Ever. Ever. I can, I can, go on and on nerd and out forever.

It's been beautiful seeing your friendship too and how it's evolved and stuff you, Jeff and Will, and how they still come out and support you. That shit is dope. I just texted the guy that's on the movie set with him. I'm like, tell Will, I need a one-minute video of him. Congratulate me for my 40th. He's doing it as soon as he gets out of such as such.

I'm like, thank you. He never. He's wanting to do it. He lives for Instagram posts. So you know he's going to do. No, show you miss was my 30th. He came home to surprise me. Like, I didn't even know he was coming.

into the show. Really? He performed with salt and pepper. He did, what a man. He performed with Chuck and Flav. He got out there. He was a whole S1W. He did Lottie God. He just did the whole side show. He stayed on stage all night and wait. And there's more, it rained, torrential

rain. It was like the hip-hop Woodstock. People did not lead. They stayed in the rain. Will was shaking me. Are you having as much fun as me? I'm like, I don't think so. Wow. No, man. He stayed stage all night and surprise me it was the dopedest thing ever. Well, you deserve all your flowers.

Hell, yeah. In 81, you just, you literally introduced me to the world that I get to, that I built it an empire on. Wow. That says a lot. I want to thank you for that. And don't forget about your radio mentees around here, because she got a lot of those in the world, too.

Oh. I love that one. That's, that's my little mini lady big, because she's, And though she sit up here and act like she asked, but I ain't let nobody say nothing to her either. She was the only one of the staff meets to speak up. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, be watched me get fired.

That one right there. Proud of that one right there. You watch me get fired too, girls. So it's all good. You have any, you got any children? Like, no, I tried. But my sister, again, I talk about her so much. She's been going for two years now.

No, my sister. gave me kids and then my old man passed away on me and he left me kids. So am I a mother and a grandmother? Yes, to every extent of the word. I have taught him to walk, talk, potty trained school meetings. I am a mother. And I am a grandmother and I know I literally, you know, I remember when my sister took ill, she had a stroke and I was taking care of her in her latter years and the doctor asked her, you know, you don't have a high blood pressure or anything. You don't, do you worry about anything. It says you have three children and seven grandchildren. She says, no, I don't do that. My sister does that. And she meant it. I raised her kids. She was my,

she called me her baby daddy. She sent me cards on Father's Day. Wow. You're the dopes daddy ever. That's dope. Okay. Yes. They walk right past their mother come to me. Crazy. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. 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. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes.

And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care.

So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. 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, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in so-ins, correct?

I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and 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. What's up, everyone?

I'm Ago Wodam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with 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 don't know. just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through and I know it's a place they come look for up and coming talent. He said if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you,

which is really sweet. 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 Inspirate. 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. All right. So when the Roots signed their record deal in November of 1993, our manager, Richard Nichols, wanted us to instantly get this record out the way. And so, I believe because of the cheaper rates, we recorded around like Christmas week.

Bleed these songs to mix them. We had, you know, we've recorded the songs in early December and then we mixed them right after Christmas and New Year to get the EP out by April. We were trying to move fast. And so this is around the time when Tribe had just released Midnight Marauders, their third album. They recorded at Battery Studios because Battery was the studio owned by Jive Records. They're labeled.

We chose Battery Studios because that's also where Bob Power, tribes engineer, wanted to mix our record. We love the way that Bob's drum sounded on Tribe albums and it was like, hey, we want the same treatment. So that's how influential tribe was. There was a legendary show with De La Sol, Souls of Mischief, and a tribe. called Quest that I believe was at the Ritz and Union

Square. Tarika and I went to this concert. It was like, I consider that the last time that Tarika and I were civilians. And I remember that night, I remember saying like, I joke when we walk home, I said, yo man, you know it's crazy? The next time we come back to the United States

like, we will have had an album out. Like, we won't be civilians anymore. We're going to be you know, celebrity stars. Like we had hope in the air that we were going to and like just come out of the box and like blow everyone away. That's that's what we, that's what we planned on. So we kind of went to the De La Sol Tribe Call Quest, Souls of Mischief concert,

and just went the Mosh pit and jumped around and, oh man, it was awesome. But basically it was just like, I believe that Q-Tip had come to Battery Studios to do, a quickie remix to, oh my God. They were going to do like a different version of it on stage that night. And if I recall correctly, they were using the Mini Ripperton loop that's the second song on the Adventures in Paradise album. So if you listen to a do-do-do-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d- boom, boom, that's, look up Minnie-Ripertin, Adventures in Paradise. And the song after Baby, this love I have, I remember them looping that. Like, I was, like, east dropping from the hallway.

I'd, like, go to the bathroom, but then sneak down the studio scene and put my ear up against the wall to hear them looping something. And they were going to, they were just making, like, a show debt for that particular New Year's performance. And, you know, I was real shy to talk to them, even though, you know, they'd seen us, Hey, how y'all doing? Y'all the roots, y'all dope. But then I saw them in the hallway, man. And it was like five weeks old. And I was like, yo, that three measure loop you do on electric relaxation, like, what is that about?

Like, it was unusual to not be an even four-bar loop. Like, if you listen to electric relaxation, it's a three-bar loop. And I was just getting like too overly like nerdy and analytical. And he told me then that was the red flag. Like he's like, yo, like you talk like a journalist. You don't talk like a human being. And so I got a I got put in time out until about three albums later. Like, you know, I saw him a little bit for the do you want more period.

but not that much because every time I saw him, it's just had like questions to ask. And then he warmed up to us towards the end of Ilydorf Half-Life and wanted to be on the album. And, you know, man, he's my hero, man. So big up to Q-Tip. Here, Fonte gives Q-Tips some flowers and he runs with it with a thoughtful response.

Then we started playing clips and getting antidotes. I will say, Tim, you were one of the, my favorite producers in the sense that you always, the way I've always described is like, you always kept a foot in both worlds. Like, you could do a Midnight Marauders, but then could do the infamous, you know what I'm saying? Or you could do like a Craig Mac remix. And like, you always found a way, even when you worked with big mainstream acts of the time, you still found a way to put your stamp on what you were doing. And I think that's, in my opinion, to me, that always kept you kind of, you never, to me, never came across as like that bitter,

guy, like a lot of older cats. But you know what it is? You know why? And he could tell you it's not really a big secret. It's DJ. Right? Don't you find that, Amir? Like, DJing.

Well, I'm smart. Now, I'm smart about it now. Because I wasn't DJing as heavy since maybe the last three or four records where I'm now aware of it. Yeah. Now I know why Dre, like when I saw straight out of Compton and realized the environment that Dre was DJing at at that roller skating rink, where it's like you play the wrong record

that's your ass now I realize oh that's why all of Dre's stuff is take no prisoners with his singles and stuff like it has to just got a hit grab you by the throat now I realize that yeah that's

the other thing about it too is that it's it's a you get to see what works and why you know because I you know I think that you and I maybe I think we come from the same philosophy when we spin. You know what I'm saying?

It's like, you know, current, a little bit back, another one throwback, tempo-wise, tempo match, baseline matched, and boom, now current, you know, current, you know, just to try to mix. And then sometimes you know that the crowd may not know the throwbacks,

but you just want to see the reaction if it's one of the... See if it works. Yeah, because if it doesn't stop the groove and you see who's moving it to it. It's a great stuff. You know? Psychological stuff.

Yeah. If you're just tuning in, we're getting a hip-hop history lesson with rapper, actor, producer, DJ, a member of a tribe called Quest Q-tip. The reason why I brought up the record collection is because in the era of when you guys finally get your debut record out, first of all, the long-ass title, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Why? I mean Captain Beefhearten I mean Yeah I mean you know Yeah we need a long ass title

We need to stick the fuck out What were the other options for the debut album before Was the other No other option You never either or We always had like three to choose from it Really? We decide like okay

Now we was just like yo this is what it is Really? You know okay So in the era of you guys making that record well as a music producer the first thing the reason why I have a dividing line

between the Renaissance era of hip hop and the classic era of hip hop and the thin line that's in between is the fact that you guys managed to miraculously avoid James Brown

well using anything from Break Be Loo's Ultimate Beets and Breaks collection, which, all right, for our listeners, break be Lou, shout out, what's up, Lou, Lou Flores, wisely came up with a Wikipedia or a Cliff Notes, if you will, of records.

And Street Beat Lennie, too. Yeah, Street Beat Lennie, shout out. Of all the records that Bam and Herc and Flash and Theodore would spin. been back in the day. And when this compilation came out in late 1985 through

1989, pretty much, I'll say 60% of most hip-hop relied on these breaks for their daily diet. All these synthetic substitution impeached the president.

God made me funky. It was just to the point where the average record, take a producer like Herbie Lovebug, his productions on, say like a filler cut on a kid and play record. Yeah. It was comprised. You can instantly tell, oh, that's volume made.

He used the drums from here and the loop from there and the bass line from there, you know, all on the same record where you really didn't do any heavy digging. So this is the first time, or at least with the native tongues, this is the first time that I'm hearing loops that aren't on that compilation. and it's like, oh, God, I got to do some work to figure out what they use. What this is. Was that already a rule that like no substitution, no funky drummer, no impeach the president? Yeah, we were, it was a crew of us, right?

Like, it was me, Africa, Juju. Yep. Okay, answer this real quick. Of the beat nuts, who is the music head of the beat nuts? They both are. But who's your go-to? Well, Juj-Gun to the head. I mean, I was Juju.

Because Ju-Ju. I mean, because that was my men, like, in senior year high school. Like, we were all, me, him, Rashad. Tumbling Dice. Yep. Oh, wow. Wait, they all went to the- No, no, no.

We all went to different schools, but we were all, like, meet up at the hubs and shit. Like, we just knew niggas from when, you know, we was getting up, getting beats and shit, and you'd see dudes. be like, yo, that dude got, because we always, there was a, there was a small group of us who was like anti-breakbeat. You know what I mean? Like, we had to have the right shit, you know what I mean? You feel once like, all right, the subject. The substitute is kind of good, huh?

But not once did you feel like, all right? Oh, yeah. Well, after, you know, after we've established ourselves in that way, you didn't come back. There's been times I've used substitution. kicks and shit like that and like No, that's not really. A kick, you can't tell. Yeah.

Okay. Or like, you know, and like Pete would use, he would use substitution a lot, you know. Right. Some of them shit's just as a producer, you'd be like, yo, that shit is still, that Seneas, that James Brown Saneer is still rocking.

We got a boot. You know what I mean? But back then early on, it was just about, it was about the hunt, nigga, you know what I'm saying? It was the hunt. You know, that shit just had to fight

It was just like And then we got so on it We would travel out of town And flights Yeah And Paul would get fucking rent cars And be driving Pittsburgh

Yeah All types of shit You would go to Jerry's in Pittsburgh Yep I went to Jerry's Yeah If any beat digger There's seven

Pilgrimage Like Mecca Pilgrim But Jerry's You'll never get past Like the letter D Or seat. Right, right, right. That's how large his warehouse is.

That's crazy. But the crew was, it was like, juju, and this is the crew, like, we all would know each other, we all would go to spots and shit. It was juju, diamond, large, myself, Africa,

Pete, I said Paul, right? Paul, um, Is Prima around this time? Prime had already bought a store. He already had everything. Wow.

He had a store. Oh, Latif. Letif. Let's do Latif. I said Rashad. No slackers. Nah, we was... And now, is Mark the 45 King in this?

Mark already had... He's an OG, so he was already... So Prime had the record store that he bought when he was in Texas and came. and they just shipped him every like 40,000 records of some crazy shit. So he had everything. And Mark had everything. So we were all putting our shits together kind of at that time,

you know, at the same time, you know. But it was the hunt. It was the hunt. It was like Game of Thrones or some shit. Dude, I'm glad you're saying this because even though my career came in the tail end of it, many a record dealer had the fear of, their eyes when like

because I would just straight up ask them because they like record dealers will do this thing where it's like all right they know what kind of money's walking in. Right. So they'll look at me and like okay a mirror's good for 10,000 so they have a system where it's like

they'll give you, all right, that's 10 that's 20, that's 10, that's 20, that's 20. That's 20. That's 20. No, that's right. But then they know you're itching. And I'm like, so that's it? And they'll be like, Well, you know, I got a shipment that just came in last night. Or the warehouses up the block.

Right. Oh, oh, take you over the block. Yeah, that kind of dinner. I got some dresses over here. No, but that's what it's like. And then there's just a point. And then they're running more expensive, those records? Well, I would tell them to just cut to the chase.

Like, and that's the thing. As a record collector, you never tell them like, look, only got a thousand. Just cut to the chase and give me the good shit. because no, they'll just do the same shit. The tens, the 20s, the tens, the 20s, the tens, the 20s. Where are you out there? And then they'll be like, they will usually say, like, Pete Rock was always the thing.

Like, well, yeah, we were holding some of this stuff for Pete Rock. No. You know. I'll give you an extra 10 for it, right? Yeah, but then you get desperate. And I realize, okay, this doesn't even be true. No, no, no, no. I realized, then I realized that was the hustle.

And then finally, I found a guy where he's just like, look, this is worth 100. This is worth 150. This, you know, and those type of things. So, of course, those prices would be jacked up because they would use it, like stuff already. So like a, all right, prime example. The Monte Alexander. Loving happiness. All right.

So before you use that for gangster bitch, how much? How much? I got it for $10. I know that. The album was worth like $10. Now. But because gangstabit, like he, Q-Tip single-handily brought up the stocks on all.

I'm sorry. Well, not because the stuff he was sampling. I feel bad. I feel bad a little bit because it just happened like, okay, boom. So on the new album. Yeah, my generation is now paying the extra. Look, on the new tribe album, right, I use this for whatever we will be. It's the Nairobi sisters.

That's right, yeah. Like, that shit is Skyrocketed already. But give me an example of like from once it came to whence it got once Tip touched it. No, all the time. Like, oh, Jesus Christ, I paid.

Ramp. Ramp. Ramp is a $5 record. Well, ramp used to be. I don't even think there's an original ramp record. Like, every ramp album I've seen is, I just felt like they've finally just finally just printed it in the name of the interest of finding the Benita Applebum sample. So how much is that now, rent?

$300? Well, you... For an original pressing? I've never seen an original pressing of rent. But, uh, Eugene McDaniels. Oh, Headless Heroes. I've never seen, I've never seen a Headless Heroes under 200 bucks. Original.

They landed at Plymouth. Dude. Smile on the fame. I play, I played that for my kids on next year. I played that shit I wanted to join on side note side note

the first argument Stacy and I ever had over music first argument Tasty Tasty Treat Stacy and I ever had over music was over that record

she by the time we got to that song she was like could you play a little This is the last song on Eugene McDaniel's debut album, Hellless Heroes of Podcast. I played everything.

I played everything for my kids. No, no, no. The sample that they used for this, for the tip used, it was, Jagger the Dagger. It was Jagger to Dagger. You know, we was having a ball. That's good on the mic. And actually, weird enough, Jagger the Dagger was such a dig at Mick Jagger.

Big Jagger, yeah. Like, stealing black music, but the loop was so dope. Oops, sorry. One of the last dates that we did on, when Lauren released that... Did you play that as he walked out? No, no, no, no. Oh, man. You know what?

He can't... Yes, he was scheduled... He was scheduled to be on the show. We prepared that song, and then he... Oh, okay, okay. He didn't do it. But, yeah, when he comes... We're trying to do it.

Michelle Bachman. Part two? No, dude, he's dragging a dagger. Like, what are they going to do the research on it? Anyway. Wow. Thank you, though. The last date of this Lauren Hill tour

when she did that unplug record. Oh, Smoking Groups tour. I remember that tour. Right. So it was Thanksgiving night in Seattle and I played the parasite and blasted it because I would DJ before she came on.

Dog, the look on the art, it was the best. I might have to play you. Yes, I got to, can I play the whole song please? The whole song is like nine minutes, man. That's like, no, we can't. Not right now. I mean, if you can play it on the show. A little bit.

bit. Just skim through certain points. I think it's a good close. We'll close the show with it. Okay, stop. All right. We will close the show with it. That's fair. Right down a note. Can we talk over it while he closed the show? Like, I'm like mystery science theater.

I mean, that is kind of what we do. That's all we do anyway. Okay, great. Awesome. That's all we do. All right. All right. So, what, making this making the record. Yes, sir. The debut. Yeah. People's or I call it Peter Pouture. Peter poor

Peter poor Making that record What is Because this is a group of super producers I mean it's a group of multiple MCs But it's also a group of super producers How what is the What is the agreed upon

Method of making joints Like is it just Yo I got this loop Yo I got this loop Oh I like that loop Okay let's work on that loop Or is it, you know, do you just come in with the finished product? Like, I like this.

Does Ali say, yo, what do you think about this? Yeah, that join's nice. I'll do that. It's kind of both. Okay, in the beginning, what's it like on the first album? In the beginning, a lot of it was demos that I'd done over the prior, I'd say, five years maybe. Okay, I'm calling an audible. Storytime with Q-Ten.

All right, I'm just going to play 10 seconds of random tribe joints. Okay. And you tell me, like, what comes to mind when you made this, like, if you remember any details. I mean, running away Roy is. You know what? It's one of my favorite. This shake catches a lot of slack. Like, I'll read, I'll read, you know, like, uh, uh, uh, uh, literally.

like ego trip list or whatever. Right, right. Where, of course, this didn't, description didn't. Was it Benita? Right, of course. So it catches flak as in weird debut songs by groups that will later become God. Right, right, no doubt, no doubt. But there's nothing wrong with this loop ever.

This is not my go-to song to spin. Right. But I was never mad at this loop or the place. The ending, it felt like a good ending for the album. Yeah. I used to run that joint. Actually, the B-side was even funnier. What was the B-Sy?

Pubic. No. The B-side description of the-Foot. Oh, yeah, the long joint. You guys, talking smack. It was like some comic shit. It was like it was funny. It was like it was skipped in my loop.

No, you know what it was, too? I had two years earlier, there was a store on Bleaker Street where you get all the fucking prints unreleased joints. Oh, Bleakie Gap. Billy your bobs. Well, not Bobbs, but it was another joint. Okay. Generations.

What? Generations? I think it was. Not on Bleaker, but it's off Bleaker on McDougal. You know where all the the chest stores are? Yeah,

I think it was... Across the street and down the block from Mahmoods. I think there's a story where Prince actually walked in to the store and walked out. With all his...

All his shit. Yeah, that had... Yo, it's ill because I was in there, I would always hit there after school because Kierner and I would always be in the village and shit

and I would always go get, I was just a huge Prince fan. So I had heard movie star, I heard Bob George Super Califred, the front, whatever that fuck, you know, all of that shit, like I was just like stuck. I remember playing movie star for Africa and he and we were in like

11th grade and we're like mocking the shit and listening to all this unreleased Prince shit. And this was like kind of like one of the yeah what, what? You know, it's just Bob George.

Yeah, you know what I'm saying? You're like doing all that silly shit. Underneath it is the BT Express beat. You know what I mean? I mean, it's clearly tuned out. But it was also still an overage of disco kind of house parties that was still going on. You know, you still have Frankie Knuckles. You still have Larry LeVan doing parties back then, even though their houses had closed.

And maybe Frankie was doing. and back and forth from Chicago to New York. So body and soul was being established, reestablished. So it was still a disco thing that was happening at the same time. Have you ever got to see Larry spin? Yeah. Or his systems? Yeah.

Well, I saw him at Limelight. Okay. Did he control the system there? I don't think so. This is towards... Because when you DJ, you have the world's loudest bass cabinets ever. And I know that you're always... Me?

You. You're always aiming for... for a Paradise Garage. Yeah, I'm trying to go for that, man. Yeah, okay. I'm a stickler for that sound. But the first real big system I think I heard was in the world. What was the last record that you played at yours in the club?

And you was like, ah. What? You play that same feeling. You play what? Yeah. Wow. See, now that's weird. I have a rule against playing our shit because every time I play the root shit is the

fastest floor. It's the go-to-d-d-drink. I call myself. It's like, I call myself. I don't lean on our shit either. Speaking and spin. But no, but I'm saying

it's already, it's already established that you're the establishment of that level. Like, you know, there's at least five tribe songs that are the Mount Rushmore go-to songs of a party start.

So even when you were DJing, like is it embarrassing to play What's the Captain Avi's one? I don't play none of the obvious shit. So even when you were DJing in, let's say, 1993 and you put scenario on, knowing the motherfucker's going to go out of their mind.

Like, is it still like a weird thing? Like, is it too? Yeah, I don't, I don't do that. I can't do that. I'll play. Oh, you'll play some obscure shit? I'll play something more if, like, especially if it's like a, I have a groove rolling or whatever.

Like, let's say, okay, so what is somewhere at like 105 BPM or some shit. I know what you're going to say. Do what, what, what? No, I was going to do it, do it, do it, do it. I was going to say you would probably play a... Sir Duke. No, footprints.

Oh, footprint, okay. I feel like you would play footprints. A not... I used to play footprints. Club song. But... Okay, you taught me this term. Pardon my French.

Niggage jokes. Nigga-g-g-g-g-knig-knit. Nigger what? Nigger what? Nigger what? Nigger what? Nigger drums. Is that like nigger ears or what we do that?

Nigger drums. Oh, I need some examples of some nigger drums. Nigger drums. No, he's just, it's just, he taught me that term. He's just like, it's, like, that's the secret. Like, the music's smooth, but the beat is so cracking and hard and just hard. Like, it's like Freddie Fox punching you in the nose. it's

I With the smoothest shit over on top of it Why like Celine Dion seems to you In my head Why was Freddie Fox Yeah the hip hop Yeah

Like damn it To like beat Or getting a pound From Buster rhymes You know Right Like It's

Yeah No When Buster Pigs you up It's You gotta hide your hands Like him No

D. Him and D'Angelo Him and D'Angelo The two D has the super grip Like Pools your finger Like

Arsenio But see, D is a relentless D will do it all night for two hours. Every sense, Primo says the same thing. He has his own thing. Like, he adapt you every two minutes. I'm sorry. No more.

I agree. No, D&Buster, the reason why I give pounds now. Because they will pull your joints out of so much. Give you a pound so hard. Test your manly hood. It's just, no, it's just pounds, man. It does. A win is a win.

A win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the 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. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man.

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

He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12. and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal.

The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in someone, 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 Gillespie and 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 Joe. is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Wodam. 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. He goes, but there's so much luck

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

Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Somebody Q-tip work with is Diamond D, another legendary MC producer, or as Diamond D says, the best producer on the mic. in 2023, we linked in Atlanta and got to tell Diamond what he means in the canon of hip-hop production, sampling, and album making. Dog, the resume is strong.

Like, some of my favorite producer moments comes from this gentleman years. I mean, all of his records, stunts, and hip-hop. Hatred, I've got to ask you about your sophomore. Hatred, passion, and infidelity. Like, dime piece, the Gotham

and now you're brand new joint the review which is excellent work you've been doing quality excellent work and sometimes it's easy to sort of take for granted people do excellent work and they often get

overlooked and when top five list and top ten list are named and you know sometimes a person is so effortless that you tend to forget their contributions but you know that's what Questlove Supreme is for so that's it Let's welcome the one and only.

Finally. Diamond D. Wait, am I allowed to call you Diamond D now? Of course. Okay, number one. What's that? Can you please? When were you never allowed?

No, no, no. But here's the deal. I have two versions of the album. Okay. When it was like Diamond D's stump lumped in hell. And then there was Diamond. Right. Well, it was Diamond and Psychic Nerotics.

Diamond psyched neurotic. Yeah. Diamond and Psychic Norotics. So what was the situation with your name? Was there another Diamond D like back in? the day that I don't know. You know what? I'm not sure, but

I think it might have been originally, somebody that was signed to Weston Records. Oh, wow. Out of New York. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They did Tanya Gardner, Heartbeat. You know, Hot Shot was on that label.

But I think somebody had the name, yeah. Okay, okay. Well, you know, this is my favorite nerd-out moments on Questlove Supreme, so I'm going to start from the beginning. What was your first musical memory? Timeout.

Let me go to OG style. Where were you born? I was born in Manhattan, New York Hospital. Wow, I never heard any, yeah, Manhattan gets a, all right. New York, you know, all right, so what was your first? In the Bronx. Okay. All right. Your first musical memory?

Sitting in my uncle's room and him just playing music. He had a large vinyl collection. So I was just sitting in his room like eight, nine years old and just listening to him play records. What was you playing? Um, everything. Mostly funk jazz, so, you know what I mean. Shouts out to Gary. Was he very meticulous with the collection?

Like, I've had an older cousin that was that way, but you couldn't touch the wax and, you know, he was like precious. Yeah, definitely. You know, you had to hold a record like this with both hands. Right. He's very meticulous about his winters. And then, you know, when I came along with the DJ, you know, we had to put our hands on a record. I was going to say how, okay, so sometimes I try to explain to people the trouble. You know, I mean, it's easy now that hip hop is in its, and it's about to be in its 50th year.

For us to also take for granted its development and how, you know, far it's come. But, you know, I try to explain to people that a lot of those pioneers, you know, Flash got so much kickback or pushback, if you will, you know, because the general idea is that you're going to destroy the needle or destroy the belt drive or the turntable, like putting your fingers on the grooves. Those are big no-nose. Yeah, I got punishment trying to, you know, like my first introduction is scratch and, of course, was, you know, Grandmaster Flash on the wheels of steel.

And, you know, trying to practice or my dad's, you know, why he's not looking and see what happens and you get in trouble. But, yeah, like, how do you discover what that is in the Bronx and where you're, you're you like privy to any of those like black parties or anything? Oh yeah, they were like right outside. Explain it. Take us there. Growing up in Faris Projects, um, me, Fat Joe, Lord Finesse, we would all see DJs like.

Y'all were in the same building, building. The same complex. But we would see God like Grand was in the theater, mainly theater, um, sometime flash. At that point, they were already making records, but we were able to just go downstairs and just see these jams going on in the park. What was it like seeing, because I'm assuming that you're too young for Harlem World? Correct. Right.

So I'm assuming that you're an 11 or a 12-year-old. Correct. So how does the trickle effect happen to you? Like, were tapes a thing instantly? Or how do you get the information? Just watching it firsthand. You know, you've seen people out there with boxes, you know, recording or whatever. But, you know, I saw it firsthand.

You know, when Flash made Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel to Steel, I had already seen him do some of that, you know, outside in the parks, cutting up good times, you know, shit like that. But just being close in proximity to it is what drew me. And in fact, Quest, when I was a little kid, whenever I saw the DJ reach for the damn right I'm somebody album cover by the J.Bs, you know, I would lose my mind because I knew he was going to play Blow Your Head.

And that sticks, like, even now as an adult, that always sticks out to me. A lot of times people ask me, you know, what's the first song to draw you into hip-hop? I mentioned Blow Your Head. It's not a rap record. I know. It's just a breakbeat that was real popular.

And as little kids, we'd lose our fucking mind when that shit came on. The hip-hop legends continue. Eric Sherman and I had a one-on-one a few months ago in late 2024. And I told the EPMD co-founder what a lot of fans say, even though he's from New York, he's

kind of a G-Funk pioneer in creating a sound that was later popularized out of L.A. Let's listen. It wasn't often, especially back in 88, where you would see a summit meeting

of throughs from opposite sides of the coast. or, you know, wherever they were from. Like normally, birds of a feather flocked together. And seeing NWA in the big paypack video was like such a big deal for us. Like, yo, EPMD knows NWA. Like, crazy.

That's how me and Rique were like watching YOM TV rap. Like, you are a G-Funk pioneer that never got the credit. And you are also a Neo-Soul pioneer that never got the credit. But do you think that because of the sort of the thick texture of your production for those like first two EPMD records where like the zap claps were like, like that spoke to the West Coast more than any, more than public enemy could have. Because it's touring. Don't forget, it's touring. You know, so, so, you know, that that was, L.A. was one of my biggest markets because the way they thought me, and Pat, when you hear Snoop tell the story,

Snoop said he drove to Britwood looking for me in Paris, right? Because don't forget, there's a Britwood in California. So he's in Britwood thinking that we're from the suburbs. Oh, okay, okay. So he told that story a couple times. But anyway, being on tour, but me and Q was tight. Like, I had a Samara Zizuki.

When I went to L.A., Cuba picked me up. He had a samurai Suzuki, you know, and again, at the end of the day, me and Dre was two people that was on both sides sample in Parliament. Don't forget the E was doing it first in 87 before me and Prattice

even came out. It wasn't like, okay, people credit me. Like if you talk to Dub C, he'd say, yo, I got to give the West Coast hat to Eric Sermon because they showed us how to rap on this music. So while we was

playing Roger, they were rhyming on Roger. While we was playing riding high, they were rapping on riding high. So all this stuff that they hearing on, the way that me in Paris did, the funk records were different than what they was doing. So it kind of gave them a blueprint. If you hear people talk, they say, Dre enhanced the stuff I did by playing live. So if you hear woman to woman, I just sampled it. Right. He did California love

and we play so now it's bigger. And then once EPMD broke up, he was able to go to Roger too. You know? Things of that nature. How are you developing your production skills and your rhyming skills in 87 in time for like your debut record?

Because, you know, like how long did the E.P. D exists before you guys actually got strictly business to the public? One year. See, the one thing that's fast. The one thing that we didn't know, we didn't know what a producer was. We thought every record you heard was done by that person. Isn't that crazy? So we're doing what we think we're supposed to be doing.

We didn't know about we was producers. We never heard that word. We just wanted to make a record. So we took the break beats that we had that parents had, as a DJ took records from each other houses, the whole nine, and that's how we formulated EPMD. You know, we made what was in front of us, not knowing what we was doing.

Don't forget, we didn't know how to make a chorus. So Will Stockloff called the Awesome 2. Audio 2 came and said, let me get that seven minutes of funk record, because we just had the record looping. So when it's my thing, we said, it's my thing, there's nothing there. So Teddy Ted said, give me,

and he said, give me that record. So he found the, Ptip-p-p-tim-p-tum-p-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-t. So they taught me how to format a chorus. I would never even know how to do a chorus or format. It was taught to me by the Awesome 2. So there was a version of It's My Thing that didn't have the... No version.

Before the record came out, the label was telling us that we needed to have a chorus in it, to know the chorus get ready to come in. Got it. Okay. Because all we had was it. It's my thing. Louder. All we had was that.

We didn't have the drum row and the horn to be like, before it can drop down and come back to the rap. So we didn't know you had to split it up. So there's a chorus and then there's a part you rhyme on. And once we learned that, I went nuts then. And I started doing, get down, get down. Time keeps on slipping. So now I was just knowing what to do now.

And then what you're saying came around? I was like, what's you're saying? Do you up, do you up. But now we end it now. You know how to format a song. I get it. Curtis Blow was on KLS in late 2019. He's a rap pioneer with the brakes being the first gold certified rap record.

In this clip, which celebrates Curtis, he also makes a point to honor the late Larry Smith, one of hip-hop's first and most important producers, who sadly passed away in 2014. I know since you were the first to ever tour like this internationally, there had to be like some mistakes. there had to be like some moments where you and you and Russell were like, okay, so we're not going to do this like that again. Like there were just so many new things to you guys. Like did you even know about writers? Did you know, like what didn't you know that you learned in your first?

How many lost passports? Yeah. I had to learn it all. I learned it all on. Where's your traveling on to? On the fly. Oh, it was incredible. I was, I was the most sought after live act because it was just me and my DJ.

Just two people? Two people. Two turntables and a microphone. Really? Yes. So not the first to start the entourage. Right. Right.

So you were easy to work with. But then Russell in 81. Oh, boy. Yeah. So here he comes with Larry Smith. Larry Smith was playing bass. Right. Play bass on the breaks and Christmas rap.

So Larry Smith produced, Orange Crest was the band for all those. for Christmas rapping? No, no, no, no. Not Orange Crush. That came after Russell took $40,000 of my money

and bought all this band. He gave it to Larry. Larry bought the band equipment and they said, all right, you're going out with a band. I'm like, what?

How could you do that? I didn't okay this. He said, wait, hey, hey. I'm the manager. I'm the manager. So you built. Larry

Smith's career Well You provided the budget That got him All the seat money I got to give props to him Because he was excellent Yeah

Excellent musician Incredible producer Right You know I remember many of the nights We sat up and talked about You know My sound And trying to get a sound

That was in between James Brown and Sheek Right And Larry was a man He was definitely The man I love him So who worked on, like, Christmas rapping and rap and blow and...

Yeah, that was Larry. Larry was on the bass. Okay. But you had John Trope. Okay. It was on guitar. And we had Jimmy Braylal, who actually went on to become a Lindrum... Consultant and...

A Lindrum programmer. Okay. And he was on drums. And, you know, so during that time, you know, we recorded in the studio like the 70s and the 60s. It was a live band. Right. You know what I mean? And we had to rehearse and, you know, oh, let's play it one more time and record it.

And hopefully it would come out okay. I'm sorry. And we do rough. White guy in the corner as a question. Yes. John Tropia, the guitarist. Yes. So was he the guitar?

He's a, to me, he's a famous jazz guitarist. Right, right. And I didn't. He's on the brakes. Wow. That's his work? That's his. Holy shit.

That's his work. That's his hard. Is he on... Schoolly on him, you know? You see on Run DMC's stuff? No, there was, uh, Eddie, they're not Eddie Chancho. Well, Eddie Chancho did

Martinez. Martinez. Martin's. Eddie Martinez did rock box. Wow. No. I, I, I need to process. I'm not schooling on anything.

I don't know too much about, about him. I just, I'd have a few records. You know his name. He don't get blown away easily, but it is Curtis Blum. No, that's just a really weird. Unexpected. It was unexpected name, yeah. Yeah, but he's a legend.

Definitely a legend. Wow. You know, I remember seeing him in the studio because my producer, J.B. Moore, was also a guitar player, and he couldn't do the guitars right the way we wanted it. And the way he wanted it, actually. And so when John came in and played it perfectly. Perfect rhythm. And it was just immaculate, you know.

Guitar drives the song. So for your first album, like, whose idea was it to do, like, taking care of business? to do all the girls and what's the other one that oh the slow one that's like all I want in this world to find that girl yes people don't even credit that as the first love

ballot so it's like for you you were making a format that was palatable to radio was like Frankie Crocker on your mind like okay or was it the label saying we need something that you know that right well it was all by design of course you know we wanted to you know have a fusion with other forms of music

because it was so brand new this thing, hip hop, and rap, you know, so why not rap over a rock and roll song? Why not have a reggae rap or I was the first to do a country and western rap? That way out west song, you know.

You know, we just tried to be different and tried to give something new. The sky was the limit, man. I feel you. In retrospect, though, do you see how like free you were in that moment? like a lot of emcees today out the gate couldn't just say, I'm a producer in that.

And this different genre, I'm like, they won't, they won't be allowed to. Well, here's the thing. I always wanted to be a singer. And I remember singing those singing songs that I, every album I put on the singing song. Yeah, I was great. But listen, folks, it took me a couple of weeks to do those vocals. I can't lie. I hear you.

In Philadelphia, party time. Very big record. Oh, yes. Which, of course, you know, well, Lai would know that. Tracy Lee? Tracy Lee. Hey, Trey. Yeah.

Like, try to bring that back. So that was the first time I ever heard full force on record. So how did you hook up with those guys as far as like, did they produce that record? Were they just the band or like, what was, how did you guys? No, they became producers after that because we sat in the studio and talked about, you know, J. B. Moore and Robert Ford and what they were doing on my stuff and how they wanted to do the same thing,

but differently more funky or more creative. So they were incredible. I met them through J.B. Moore and Robert Ford. And very, very, very talented musicians and singers. And it was incredible just to be a part of that. But the GoGo song. Talk about it. Trouble funk?

Wow. Trouble funk. That was EU. The EU. So here it is on. On my birthday, I turned 21 years old. I had the number one record in the country. And so I'm going down to play the Capitol Center down in D.C.

So I had my band. You remember the Orange Crush band? I got 10 bally's and, oh, man, we got eight, eight, nine pieces, right? Right. We rolled down to the Capitol Center. And I'm headlining this concert, and they have all these local bands there. And I didn't know what they were. know what it was.

So I walk in the spot, I'm here, um, tick, tick, boom, the big to boon, the time you're in Go-Go? That first time I'm here in Go-go,

y-go, y, y, jah, yeah, jah, yeah, the whole crowd is going crazy. I'm saying, oh,

I'm about to tear this place. Right? Yes. So they were going crazy and it was a band called Trouble Funk. Then another band came on the EU freeze,

right? They went on the same thing. Fon-DIC-T, And the crowd is going crazy again, even more crazy. So I'm like, wow, Chuck Brown was there. Oh, my God. Right, the Godfather. He comes out and tears up the spot, too.

So it's my turn. So I go out there. I don't like where you're taking the story. Let me cue this music up. So go ahead. It is. I throw on Christmas rapping. We're playing Christmas rapping.

The band is tight, clean, and everything. But the crowd is like this looking at us like, I'm like, oh my gosh. We better get to the brakes. And, you know, quick on this one here, right? Right. So I'm speeding through the set. And then we throw on the brakes.

Clap your hands. There you have. Right. Right? And then like, still. Still, right? Number one record in country. And so that night I got my butt tore up three or four different times.

And for me, it was like, my mom's always said, if you can't beat them, join them. Hell yeah. So I got all that numbers. Okay. Nice. Nice. Next year, I called my boy Sugar Bear. Yeah.

And we did it. So that Sugar Bear and then playing on party? We did party time. Damn. Okay. Yeah. Okay. And it was just wonderful to have them in the studio just doing that thing live.

And how many pieces in the studio in that moment? Oh, yeah. It was like seven. eight pieces. Yeah. And so you were the first for that too, I'm guessing. The first to do a go-go collab. Well, no.

No? Because Flash and them did a live version. Well, they actually signed Trouble Funk two Sugar Hill records. Right, right. The first live go-go that I've heard was Trouble Funk Live on Sugar Hill. So the Robinson's got there early on that. And then actually, actually, the first sample loop, right, was on the song, if I ruled the world.

And the sample was trouble funk. You know that pump, pump, pump, pump it up. That was your... I took the percussion part and laid it under if I rule the world. Okay, okay. How did that feel for you to have that song come back

and for people to learn that you're the origin of that particular song? Because that song means so much to... I like your harmonies. I got better harmonies. Okay. What was just saying? Throw Lauren in the trash one.

I'm not just saying that song right there. No. You know, you got up top of Lauren. It was just. That was you and Allison Williams actually. Right. That's Allison singing. Yes, yes, yes.

Finder Ray too, right? Yes, yes. Yes, yes. I know that name. You have the heavy hitters. And Audrey Wheeler. Yes. You had the heavy hitters. Wow.

See, I knew the harmonies were better. It was awesome It's the ultimate and flattery To hear your song on the radio That you recorded some time ago I remember when Sony sent me the tape They sent me a cassette tape And it was awesome

I sat there and played the tape in my car For about three hours Kept rewinding and rewinding it You know And it was like oh my God That's got to be Lauren Hill That's got to be Lauren Hill You know

So I called them back. I said, look, Sony, you guys got a big major, major monster hit on you. You better put all your promotion in this because this is going platinum. It went triple platinum. Yeah. Now, did you think that were too close or? Same thing. Same thing.

But I didn't hear it. I didn't hear that song like I sat and, you know, listen to it if I rule the world. Because I feel like the checks are the same. Like that song explained more than if I ruled the world, right? Yeah. Talk about next too close, y'all. It was huge. It won song of the year, I think, in 90s something.

Jesus Christ, I forgot about next. That's all the song like the song that you get annoyed because it just played all the time. Hey, that keeps the dance award, you know, as a DJ, I need that song, so I get it. A win is a win. 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 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. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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.

In 2023, former Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed, Blaring 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 Lespian and 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. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago 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 they come,

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

Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What better place to close than with the legendary Jimmy Jam? We spoke for like seven hours, and really it's all flowers. But here's the one area that I especially like. This is a series of life goals here.

Yeah, let's just... We're starting from the beginning. Let's go. Where are you born, sir? Minneapolis, Minnesota. Okay. What part of Minneapolis? I grew up South Minneapolis, so I can say like 41st in Portland Avenue, which doesn't mean a lot to anybody.

But, you know, if you think of downtown as like, you know, 1st Street, 2nd Street, you know, First Avenue, so on and so forth. I lived 41 blocks south of downtown. I feel like when any black person is from the south side of town, south side or east side, that means something. Something's going down. Like what part of, what was the part of town to not go to in Minneapolis? Well, okay, if you were black,

the northeast was where to not go to. It was called, actually the Northeast is what we called it. That's where the white people lived? Yeah. Yeah. Every town has the Northeast is always where white people live. The white people didn't necessarily want us to be there, you know.

Because white people live every, I mean, let's face it, back growing up I think the state population was something like 3% black and maybe it was 8% black in Minneapolis or something like that so pretty much white people were everywhere

but certainly you know everybody was very tolerant I guess I would say it was a very progressive town but as you can tell from the music it came out of there I think that's had a lot to do with it but no I mean really the north side probably

is where the folks were you know I was one of the only South Side guy, I mean, in Prince, obviously, because we went to school together and stuff. But on the north side of town, you had, you know, Morris Day Jelly Bean, Terry Lewis, you know, and you had the community center called the Way, which everybody used to rehearse that and that kind of thing. So it was a lot more happening on the north side of town, I would say that on the south side. So in your formative years, how many of your contemporaries and peers that you were professional ways? would you see on a regular basis? Everybody, man. It was a small community.

It was a lot like, I always say that Purple Rain, the movie was kind of a, it was fiction, but it told a lot of truth. And that was, there was like a couple clubs you could play at, and there was more bands than the clubs could hold. So it made for a very competitive situation where if your band wasn't firing, you just wouldn't be playing in the club. And so that's the way we grew up. So there was like the Elks Lounge.

There was a club called the Nacarima. Nacarima was actually American spelled backwards. And, you know, the cozy bar was another place. There was a place called The Flame. And, you know, so between, you know, back in that day, you had, you know, my band, I had a band called Mind and Matter. Terry had flight time. We were together and then we were apart.

We were, you know, we were going back and forth a lot. And then Prince had Grand Central. Morris had a band called the Enterprise Band of Pleasure at one point in a time you know so and so forth so what happened was there was all these bands but there's only a couple of places to play but all of those guys

and particularly people like and really the best probably the baddest dude up there was Sonny Thompson Sunny Thompson Sunny Timmy. Everyone speaks of Sunny Thompson like he's God yeah like what is it about

what is the legend of Sunny Thompson Well, Sunny Thompson, I remember back when I first met Terry, and I remember we put our little band together and stuff, and then they used to do these big outdoor festivals at a place called the Phyllis Wheatley, which is a big community center. And they used to do these outdoor concerts. And I remember seeing, they had a band, actually the original band that was called The Family, Sonny Thompson was in that band. But I'd never seen a brother play the guitar like that. I mean, he just was like, he was like legendary.

He was like the dude. and on top of it he had the attitude like if you didn't like him or you didn't like the way he was playing he was going to come down and kick your ass right so he'd he'd play the gig and stuff and then afterwards he'd like look at it and you'd say to him oh man he killed it sunny man

that was that was amazing because you better say that but the good news was he always what he was amazing and he was a dude that everybody just kind of stopped and stared and went damn what was his style of playing he was a great rhythm player

he played with a lot of aggression you know the thing I always said about about Prince and the way he played is I've never seen anybody attack instruments the way Prince did like he literally attacked the instruments louder or just tone

well you know he would I mean I always say like for instance Terry you know Terry's a great bass player there's no doubt about it but you know how we always use the analogy like in basketball people that make you better Prince was that person right so Terry would be playing a bass part

and Prince would take the bass from Terry and go, no, play it like this. And then he'd play it and then he'd have Terry the bass back and Terry would look at the bass like he'd never seen it before. And it's like, damn, you know. So that, but that was the way Sonny was. And I think Prince got a lot of that from Sunny, like the attack of the instruments.

And it's the same with the keyboards. We used to break keyboards all the time because it wasn't like you would just hit the keyboard, politely it was like we were doing all kind of swoops and wow and all that kind of stuff like we we would break keyboards I mean that kind of stuff I mean that was the way he wanted you to play and so I mean that that kind of attitude to me was the thing that you know set him apart along with a whole lot of other things but it really set Prince apart for sure what were the what was a goal club to play in Minneapolis at the time like was First Avenue a dream that was

unattainable? No, actually, here's an interesting thing, yeah. Now, First Avenue was actually the first place that actually allowed, like, black bands to play. So there was a quiet segregation? Or just not in your fleece? Oh, it was, I guess

you could say it was quiet. I mean, if you were a band and you were trying to play somewhere, you knew there were clubs that were just unattainable. You just weren't going to play that club. And I thank God to this day that that happened. Because what it did, as history has always shown with black folks, is from adversity comes all good things. You know, you look at what you don't have, and then you figure out that you can't go the easy route that everybody else is going,

and then you figure out a way to go get it done. So what we used to do back in the day, we knew we couldn't play. I can't remember even the names of the clubs, but there was all these very fancy white clubs, and they all had white bands, but they were all playing R&B music, which was ironic. We knew we couldn't play those clubs. So what we would do is, for instance,

there was a hotel downtown called the Dykeman Hotel. It was a hotel that was probably about a year away from, you know, being torn down. I mean, it was just nobody stayed there, rooms were ratty, the whole thing. But what they had was a big ballroom. So what we would do is we would take, you know, We'd go to the owner of the hotel and we'd say, hey, can we rent the ballroom out? We'll give you the liquor, whatever the liquor sales are, you keep, and we'll take the door, we'll charge, you know, three bucks at the door or whatever. And so what it did is it forced us to become entrepreneurs because it wasn't like we just had the talent.

We could go play. It was like, okay, we got the talent. Now we got to figure out how we're going to go play. So we would do that. Now back in the day, there's no Twitter or no social media. So it was go to Instu prints That was the place. You go and you print up a bunch of flyers

and then you put them on people's cars and you'd say, you know, ladies get in free, two for one drinks. You'd say whatever the heck you needed to say to get them down. And all of a sudden you get on Saturday night and all of a sudden you'd get 1,500 people in this ballroom.

Meanwhile, the white clubs are sitting empty. So now they're going, wait, where's everybody? at tonight. And they're like, well, they're all going to see the band. You wouldn't let play at your club. And so what happened after that was there began to be a little bit of a thing where people begin to recognize that maybe there's a talent or maybe we should let these folks in, you know, because these guys are talented and they're obviously drawing, right? But the first person to really act upon it was Steve McClellan at First Avenue, who said, we'll book you guys

in what was called 7th Street entry, which is like the little club. Right? So if you were cool there, if you could get it going there, then we'll move you to the main room. But he was the one that really gave us the shot. And he gave, you know, back,

it wasn't just, by the way, it wasn't just black bands, but it was like new wave bands. You think about like the replacements and the suburbs and all of those bands. Those bands all started, those white bands all started in that 7th Street entry. Were you even mixing with those guys at all?

Like, would you see replacements? Mm-mm. We didn't mix it all. not, I mean, just because we didn't. It wasn't that we didn't like them. We were aware of them, and I think they were aware of us, but we, no, we never mixed together at all. It was just kind of the same dudes from the neighborhood that we grew up with. It was all of those same guys altogether.

So kind of jumping ahead a little bit. Did you have goals to make it out of Minnesota or was it just like, okay, we'll just be a local band here and maybe. Well, no, I mean. Or I'll get a job. Like, are your parents supportive of this? Well, okay, so two really good questions. So my parents, first of all, my dad played in a band and was always a professional musician. Used to take me to rehearsals and stuff back when I was, you know, six, seven years old.

And, you know, at that point, I had the music bug totally. So I got to see it. I used to get to go to the studio and the whole thing. but he was always he never made it really where he wanted to he was always kind of that guy on the cusp of making it you know he'd get on a few

back in the day there were kind of regional records that were hits and my dad would play on those records and then they'd ask him to go tour but because at that point of his life he had me and he had gotten married my mom always used to kind of frown upon you know like well no you can't you got responsibilities you got family

and you got you know you can't just run off and go on tour and that kind of stuff. And that really affected what happened with me, because when I got to the point where I really wanted to do music, my mom was 100% behind me because she realized that my dad never had a chance to do the way he wanted to do it. So she really kind of stepped out of my way and was very supportive of me. So that was huge for me, by the way, because they separated. And so, or they got divorced. And so, I basically stayed with my mom. So she said, you know, whatever, as long as I see you doing music, you can do whatever the heck you want to do.

But, you know, as long as you're serious about it and that kind of thing. So that was, that was important. What was the industry in Minnesota? Like if cars were Detroit and black families were there, middle class and buying instruments and stuff, and the same for factories in Indiana and the Midwest. What was the industry in Minnesota that can't? Was that an industry town at all? Well, the things I remember growing up were, first of all, grain and flour.

I remember gold metal flour was a big company back in the day. Pillsbury was up there, big company. General Mills. Yeah. I forgot. I was going to visit General Mills factory. I just now realize he said that the ghetto boys. My thought he had came, but it was gold metal flour.

Oh. Now I get it. It was flour. Right. Thank you for solving that mystery. You know what I'm good. I thought it was gold made a flower. Gold made a flower.

Right, right, right, right. Like the most popular flower. No, I never heard of all my life. Because his accent, you know, I, too, thought it was. Thank you, Jimmy. I thought it was gold made a flower. Solving the mystery of Willie Dee. I didn't know there was a mystery.

All we had in the house was gold metal flowers. No, we had it, but I just didn't. You didn't put it together. Yeah. That's what he was saying. I'm what you, uh, Fonte. But all of those were up there, and obviously 3M was up there too, Honeywell. there were some pretty big companies up there for sure.

And just to wrap the other thing we were saying, the whole idea, yes, was to get out of town. That was our focus, because we knew we couldn't sit around and depend on playing in the clubs that weren't going to let us play. And we knew that we couldn't make it playing in a club circuit where there's two or three clubs and there's eight bands or whatever it is.

Like that was not going to happen. So we set our sights always on making it nationally. That was our whole thing. When Prince made it out, that showed us that it can happen. And it also, because he was so unique in what he did, that then brought everybody started looking at Minneapolis like, okay, what else is up there? Because that happens with all towns. Happened with Seattle. That's just the thing that happens. It's like something great comes out. And it's like, oh, what's up there? What else is there? So we were definitely the beneficiaries of that. and there's a lot of great, I will say,

a lot of talented white musicians playing R&B music. They never made it out in Minneapolis. Some of them made it out because Jesse took a couple of folks with him when he did his band, Jesse Johnson Review. The Peterson's?

How many Peterson's were there? A lot. Yeah, I was going to say, that was the musical family up there. I mean, just so much talent, you know. But there were, but there were other. ones too. And I'm just kind of blanking on names and stuff. But there was a lot of talent, but because

they didn't, they were very comfortable. So they had no reason to try to think outside of getting out of Minneapolis or anything like that, like we were. So a lot of great talent up there that people didn't know about until, like I say, until that time when, you know, Jesse picked up a few people. And I'm trying to think Margaret Cox, who's actually tomorrow. Margie? But yeah. But Margaret Cox was insanely talented, you know, so as a singer. So, yeah, people like that. So when, can I assume that Funky Town was the first, at least indication that an escape could be made or something could happen? Was that just like a fluke one off in your eyes? Well, for us, you know, Prince was the example that you could make it.

Because Prince was like three years before Funky Town. I forgot. In my mind, I'm thinking Funky Town's like 70. But no, but Funky Town was 80s and that was, you know, at the height of the disco craze. and when it was, and actually when disco was being playing on the radio, not only in the clubs, but actually the format. Because I remember we had a radio station up there that went

from a rock format to a disco format, which was very controversial. But disco was hot at that point in time. But we thought what did you grow up listening on, like, what were you listening to? For me? Yeah. Well, there was nothing but pop radio up there.

I mean, I grew up as a kid. My earliest memories were always, you know, I always loved the harmony groups. I loved Seals and Crofts, America. America, wow. Yeah, you know, that kind of stuff, bread. That was, I mean, to this day, that's the way I stack my harmonies because of the way they sang those songs back then.

A little bit later in life, I liked, like, around the time I met Terry, I was really into Chicago. That was my favorite band ever, you know. And me and Terry both loved them. And then Terry then turned me on to when I met him. him he turned me on to Earthwinning Fire, Tower of Power, New Birth. I met Terry in 72. Okay.

Yeah. So we're talking last days in time, Earth, Wind and Fire, and music in my mind, Stevie Wonder, you know, these were the albums. And Terry turned me on to those records. So black radio, you didn't have a black radio experience at the age of 10, 11, 12. There wasn't a black radio experience for me. When I got into high school, I was really into junior high, and into high school, I was really into Gamble and Huff and everything coming out of

Philadelphia. Blue Magic was my favorite all-time group. I know everybody was into stylistics, but Blue Magic was my group. But how could you hear it? Or see it? Was Soul Train a thing? Yeah, Soul Train definitely was on. And you definitely would hear it on Soul Train. But I remember I had a friend of mine

whose dad was an executive at Music Land, which is one of the big retail stores back in the day. So he used to get every single record that came out. And my thing was, I was always a big liner note reader and a big label reader. So my thing was... Wait, we all collectively pointed Fonte and Bill. Yes.

So my whole thing was, I remember there were records that would come out, and I would, particularly during the Motown era, because I really loved the Motown records, all of that stuff, the Hall of Dozier, Holland. Like, I remember looking at a Supremes album at like a family reunion or something back in 62 or something, or 60,

I was like three or four years old, and I remember that Holland Dozier Holland. The album was called The Supreme Sing Holland Dozier Holland. That gold record. And the gold record, right? I had no idea what that meant. I kept going, what does this mean? What do you mean they're singing Holland, Dozier, Holland? And somebody explained to me, no, they wrote the songs.

The girls are the singers, but somebody wrote the songs. And something went off in my head at that point that always made me look who wrote it, who produced it. And so I remember like all the Motown records would be the first ones I'd always go to. And I remember like staring at the first time I heard I want you back, Jackson 5. And, you know, Dinah Ross presents the Jackson 5. And I thought, oh, wow, that's cool. And I looked down the record. I'm like, well, I don't see Dinah Ross's name anywhere on here.

There's some dudes called the corporation. I got to find out who the corporation is. You know, so that was always my thing. and I knew that because what I learned was there were certain there were groups I liked, but it was all about who produced them. Like it was like, you know, like Eddie Kendricks could come out with a song and I would be like, yeah, that's okay. And then he'd come out with a song, I go, oh, I love that song.

Okay, who did that song? Okay, Leonard Kasten and, you know, Frank Wilson and okay. And then I'd hear another song that had nothing to do with Eddie Kendricks, but I'd go, oh, I like that track. Who did that? And it'd be the same dudes, right? And that's when I got, that's when I started going, okay, that's my thing. And so for me, that's what always excited me.

And that's what, you know, ultimately made me want to become a songwriter and a producer. All right, that was Jimmy Jam. And I thank you all for tuning in. And please give people their flowers while they can still smell it. All right. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHart Radio, visit the IHart, radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that

not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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, for 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. 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 IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 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. I'm Daniel Alarcon. And this is my friend. He's much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far. But I'm John Green, co-host of the podcast The Away End with my old friend Daniel.

On our podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why, of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to The Away End with Daniel Auerkone and John Green on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart. podcast guaranteed human