The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Robert Glasper

Episode Date: September 9, 2020

Today’s episode of Questlove Supreme is long overdue. Robert Glasper, multiple award winner, genius pianist and producer maintains his prominent position of changing how we think jazz should sound as well as how it should play in the sandbox with soul and hip hop music. Since Quest and Phonte have already joined forces with Glasper in the name of good music it’s time to get the real story behind the man that redefined the term Black Radio. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition, the Grand Imperial. Another... Wait, I don't feel too encouraged when you guys are snickering behind my back. You know, that's what it's rapper say.

You know, the epa vestus. No, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Questlove Supreme. My name is Questlove. We have Team Supreme with us, Snickering Laia. No, that makes me sound like the person that leads our world with his weak-ass rips. That word is too big for him, but go ahead. Yeah, I know. Exactly.

How are you doing, Laia? I'm doing good, contrary to the, the world. No, no, actually, no, I'm doing, I'm doing, I'm doing good. I'm feeling good about, about life and whatnot. That's cool. I'm talking to y'all, so it always makes my day. Yes, I know, this is the highlight of, you know, I look forward to these conversations.

I really do. Yeah. With my friends, never know. Sugar, Steve, how you doing? Hey, Quest, hey, Team Supreme. How are you, Steve? I'm feeling real good right now. You know, it's been a long time since we asked you about your

Sugar Network. What's the haps of the sugar network since quarantine? Funny you should ask, we just ended season three and began season. We just started season four, which is the Blue Berrius Network. Say what now? Blueberries. You're going to pretend after three years, you don't know how the sugar network works. That's right. I'm sorry. Yes. Everybody gets a season. I'm sorry. Yes. Yeah. So we're on season four, but we've only been around for like two and a half years, but we're already on season four. And the new founder is Blue Berrius. So you can find him

at Blue Berrius. It's the Blue Berrius Network for season four. Thank you for... But you're still the executive producer, right? Yeah, I'm the original founder, Sugar Steve. Yeah, it's named after you. I've seen that. And Fontecalo? I'm good, brother. I'm good. How's it down

North Kekalek? It's cool, man. I think the governor said that they're about to do phase. they call it phase 2.5 or something. So, like, now they're starting to open some gyms. So, like, gyms can open at, like, 30% capacity. I think restaurants can open it, like, 20%.

Something crazy. My ass is still in the house, so this shit needs nothing to me. But that's kind of what we're moving in. The gems out here doing the little outside thing. Like, they go on into the parking lot, too. Yeah, some of them were. Or the gyms are outdoors? Yeah, some of them were.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They were actually, actually my gym for a minute.

They were kind of doing it outside. But I don't know. I think it kind of fell off. But I don't know, just being around a bunch of people just breathing hard and sweating like that. It's not seem like a good life plan. So, yes, I just been sticking to my old man walks in the evening. And, uh, let's hear of an old man walks. Yes.

Yeah, just I hit my walk, bro. Get my 10,000 steps in. Oh, that's what's up. You're getting your 10th of. That's what's up, man. Yeah, though. Every morning still? Are you still every morning? 6 o'clock in the morning?

Rick Rubin put me up to the task and I'm still doing it, 10,000 a day. That's great, man. Wow. That's the way. I'm trying to unleash my inner strict rona bug and I'm actually going to get on a plane. Wow. Really? You coming back to see your people, see your mom.

My mom is turning 70 and I'm like, link can't miss that. So I'm a guard. My girl, man, Sae actually flew from L.A. She did that. flight she flew from L.A. to D.C. And she said it was actually, it ain't, it ain't that bad. Like, it was cool. No, it's all good. I'm,

make sure I eat everything I need to eat for I get on the plane. Don't drink nothing, you know, and if I do, I got my Clorox whites. I'm going to have my gloves. I'm going to have my mask. I'm going to have my mask. We are all Naomi. Are you flying JetBlue? No, I'm probably do my mama's carrier, United.

The one that has, you know, housed and fed me for 40-something years. Oh, that's right. Yeah, it's his United. I forgot. Yeah, I forgot that. Hey, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this particular episode of QuestLeft Supreme is being brought to you by Mazda. I got to say shout out to Mazda for letting me test drive their CX30. I got to say, it's my first grown man car that I personally drove myself.

Well, that's like one of those CUVs, right? Like they got SUV, they had SUVs, but now they got the crossover. The crossover kind of is that. Yeah. Yeah, but, you know, like when I get in it, like, my driving experience doesn't warrant a turnaround. Like, what's that? I never, for cars that I drive, you know what I'm saying? Most cars that I drive are.

Yeah, it's really like they should be on the set of peewees playhouse. But I got to say this is kind of official. I enjoy driving it. And good luck in trying to get this car back from me, Mazda. I appreciate that. No, I'm playing. It's comfortable. And plus, you know, I'm on the farm,

driving two hours every day to the city. And, you know, this is where I listen to all my favorite podcast and my audio books and my meditation stuff. So, yeah, this came right in time. I appreciate this. I follow you on Spotify and I saw you listening to something. That's a good idea, Ponte. Some meditation.

I was like, what hell is this Amirish playing? Yo, man. I was listening to something. I forgot that Spotify actually snitches on what I listen to. Oh, my God. I'm going to follow you right now. You too fond. Can I follow you,

Fonte? Yeah, you follow me. Okay. You ain't going to see me in this and nothing but the brandy album for them. Listen to it. What? You love it on that? I forgot.

The world can see what I'm listening to because all I'm listening to is the meditation stuff. Yeah. But I bet it'd be the time, too. So it'll be, it's not, you know, I mean, it'll be like damn. two o'clock in the morning. It'll be late and so I'd see. I'll say that from midnight till

like 11 in the morning. That's my meditation hour. You got to get them to change this picture though. They got your Philadelphia experiment picture. I don't even know who that person is. You're me? Yeah. Yeah.

Well, no, not you follow my, see, people follow, always look for Questlove. No, you got to follow my my, uh. Oh, your government. by the government name. Oh, shoot. Amil K Thompson is right there.

You are so right. Yeah, that's how you. Amir, I don't think people know this because that's why your listeners are different. You got, okay. I know. Yeah, like only, only for certain people now. Yeah, it's, yeah, that's only for Cuban link niggas, because. Exactly.

Only for certain. Only for certain. That's exactly why I did that. Exactly. Yeah. No, it's good to hear that you're. You're facing your fears, Laya. I too am going to get on a plane tomorrow.

Ain't you been getting on a plane? Don't play me. Play Lado. No, I've not been on a plane since. So you drove, because y'all drove to all the Chapal's. I've been driving to Ohio since that time period. I have questions about what y'all doing up there. Y'all doing something productive out there?

I am. What do you mean? What do you want to know what I'm? Not just you. I was just curious. I didn't know how I had to ask, but I see all the pictures posted and I see all, you know,

all the nice of soulful celebrities. And I'm just wondering, since we know, we're in an entrance to state of the world, are y'all like actually talking about things that could help, you know, since y'all are powerful individuals. Well,

I mean, it's not G-13, but I will say that a good four to five hours is pretty much, I don't know when these episodes are coming to be, or I don't know if it belongs to quality or Dave owns the content.

But, you're a recording podcast? Dude. Oh, my God. I told you that's what they was doing. I told you it was supposed. Yeah, at this rate, I think he has, no lie,

I think there's about 40 hours of content. Yo, Nicol. We're releasing our Dave Chappelle episode. Fuck that. No, I'm just saying. Oh, man. I'm just, saying? Well, it's not, that's the thing. I don't think Dave has a platform, but this is going to go

somewhere someday, but the last time I did it, last time it was a really good episode. Like most, like basically each episode is most quality Dave. Like they're the anchors. Those three are the anchors. And then me and whatever comedian, Kevin Hart, sometimes, oh, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr was last time before that was John Ham common Tiffany Haddish and uh you know but I I will say that yeah and it's it's it's not just uh what I won't say uh it's not just us I don't want to say fluffing no it's it's not um it's a circle jerk yeah it's not yeah it's actually us holding people's feet to the fire like everything that including an hour about, you know, Quali's situation with the, with social media and all that stuff.

Like, shit got real. So I don't know when or where it's coming or how it's coming or whatever. But, I mean, I mean, besides that, Dave actually is taking over his town. I got to commend him. Like, he has the resources and the governor's blessing to, you know. And Ohio is very important, which is another answer. you know, another reason that I was asking, especially in the election.

Swings. Oh, very important. Yeah. But it's, yeah, he's, you know, he has medical people on standby. He's testing his audience, testing his guests. And then once you do that, I mean, you just, yeah, it's rather incredible. Well, that is nice.

For me to go back a third time. But I also do hope that you all figure out some other things to do, like some things like similar to what LeBron is doing. I know everybody doesn't have LeBron. brawn money, but on some levels of opening up stadiums and figuring out how we're going to get people out to vote and whatnot in comfortable places and safe spaces, anything that could help the cause. You know what I'm saying? Outside of just some good conversation, but I appreciate the conversation as well. Well, all I can do on my end is raise money. So, I mean, pretty much-

And all I could do is tell you, you tell them, and then you know, work it out. Yeah, I'm certain that that's on his mind. I mean, that's been discussed. I don't know what his direct plans are for November. But, you know, right now, I'm a member of team. When we all vote, we're registering about 37,000 people every night on the DJ sets. That's good. Yeah, just trying to stay optimistic. Yes, we can win as long as we keep our heads to the sky. This whole renewed sense of optimism is what I feel. Yes. No, I do have optimism. What I I'm more worried about. I mean, I'd be

lying if I didn't say that I wasn't worried about the transition period. Like November. He'm actually getting out from November to January. Win or lose. Like, you know, he wins. Yeah, November to January is hell or the next four years as hell.

But lose, you know, who knows what that transition will be like for those three months. I'm borderline hoping that he, I predict that he's going to, I realize you can lose the presidency if you remove the goalposts of the election day. So if he moves the election day, then instantly Pelosi becomes president. And so I think in his head it's like I'd rather be removed than lose the election. Right. So that's going to be another, that's another theory.

Oh my God. That's what I'm hoping. Well, I'm saying that he, yeah, he'll plan it as the Democrats force me out and da-da-da-da-da-da. Like, so that's what I'm hoping for. But, you know, of course, that they follow the law, but they've been lost 99% of the time. So they ain't followed the shit yet. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. I'm like, how much mail you're getting it? But I'm just saying I ain't getting the mailers like I used to. Right. Exactly. I got, I actually got my mail today. My mail's been running pretty smooth, but yeah, this shit is nuts. So let's get to our episode.

Ladies and gentlemen, today, our esteemed guest is a G. That's right. He's a multi-Grami Award winning and Emmy Award winning. Not E-G-I'm sorry, not ghetto, but you're a G. I have a Soul Trend Award. Does that go in there somewhere? That doesn't count. That's right.

You're a SEG. You have a Soul Train Award? I have a Soul Train Award. I'm jealous, yo. And Dow was still alive when I got it. Wow. I got a real one. I got a real one.

Oh. Are you okay, Amir? How are you doing? No, I'm not okay. Fuck that intro. Ladies and gentlemen, Robert Glassman. Yes, I love it. I love it.

I'm not my target, y'all. Sorry about that. Whatever. Look, I don't know. I got a one month old of a girl. When that happened? Shut up, congratulations. Enough said.

You already know. Quarantine. Yeah. Yeah. Quarantine love. Wow. All that. All that.

Nah, that was tough. And, dude. That was tough in season. Wow. Wow. Wow. You got one month old. Man, congratulations, bro.

Thank you, bro. Thank you, man. What's up, Steve? Congratulations, Robert. How you doing? I'm good. Can't complain. Can't play. Wait, let me, all right, let's let our listeners know for those that don't know, because it will be a bunch of inside jokes and, you know,

a lot. There's going to be a lot of the news. So literally, yeah, our guest today is he's literally worked with the best of them. Name him. Tip, Michelle Dagocello, Dilla, Badu, Jill Scott, Jay-Z. Have we worked, worked, Oh, my fault. We did.

Y'all did the, y'all. I forgot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cover. Right, right, right. Slange. Oh, infante. Yeah, we did.

Yeah, we did. Thanks, well. Hey, and way to circle back speaking, our theme today is having renewed sense of optimism. And our guests actually covered. Sound of Blackness, Immortal Classic, optimistic. That's right. With Brandy. We have a new album out right now.

Yes, with Brandy and August Green featuring a comment in Karim Briggins. And probably one the craziest, funniest people I know, ladies and gentlemen, welcome Robert Glasper. Finally. It's been long overdue. It is. But can we just, for the people that's listening, we should tell them the only reason it's taking this long

is because Amir always wanted to be in the studio in a really bang-in-ass studio with Robert. And that's the only reason we haven't made this happen here because we supposed to be an electric lady somewhere. Back when we thought we had like hopes and dreams of like jam sessions and whatnot. Yeah. I kept looking at my resume like, God damn it, am I good enough to be on this name? Fuck, I need one more, Grammy?

I thought we were friends. Yeah. Everybody had been on the show. Robert, wait, time out. Okay, so I just, I pulled up your Wikipedia page. Have you seen your Wikipedia page lately? I haven't seen it lately. It's weird.

What's with this photo, the photo that they got for your Wikipedia? Is it with the dreads? Is it with the dreads? Just look at him. It's like his Sears Roebuck catalog pose. Oh, I got to look. It's the Rayquine, you know, when Rayquan puts the temple, his index finger on his temple.

Oh, that would. That would. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not proud of that.

I think we all have one of those posts, that picture with that pose. Yeah. Because when you're deep in thought, that's exactly what you do, right? That was doing my time where I was really fighting against taking photos at the piano. Because every time I took photos, that was going to do it at the piano. I was like, that's corny. I want to be away from the piano. And that was during the time where I was like,

nah, I wanted to do other stuff. And I didn't know what to do. And it was weird. What was you looking at? Is this one? Is this one like this? Yeah, right. Is that one right?

Photographers suggested the piano to you is like photographers telling the roots we got to go out to the forest to take photos. That's where roots are. I have an idea. We're going to go out to the forest. Or put shackles on your. feet. One of the two.

Roots. Exactly. Take out next picture next to Alex Haley. Where are you right now, Robert? I'm in L.A. I'm at the L.A. spot. That's right. He's one of us now. You live out in L.A. right now.

Yep. Yep. Well, I've always had an L.A. spot and New York spot, but now I'm just here in L.A. for a long period of time. So I'm pretty much, I'm pretty much here. I think I'm going to call this home. How long have you lived out there? I had this place here for about four years, but I've never really spent, you know, I used to come in for a week here, you know, but now I'm like staying here, you know.

See, I always thought, I always thought there was a stigma. Well, you know, you are a serious musician. And I always thought that L.A. had a stigma on serious musicians. Like, there's always been this cloud of sort of pretentiousness with, with, L.A. session musicians and L.A. jazz musicians, at least in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. I don't know if it's still... Yeah. Has held over or not, but, you know... I mean, I don't...

When I'm out here, I'm not being a musician. Okay. When I'm out here, I'm producing, I'm being a film, I'm scoring films. You know what I mean? Like, I always say New York is where you learn how to play, and then L.A. is where you make money. Oh, so...

That's why I moved out here. 100%. Yeah. You know, I'm actually long overdue being here in L.A., really. You know what I mean? I should have been here 10 years ago, I understand. Word. Word.

Yeah, man. Just for the opportunities of what I want to do, because I'm not trying to be the best jazz piano player in the world anymore. That's what I moved in New York to do. When I was the high school, I said, I'm going to New York. I'm going to be the best jazz piano player. You know. And it was all about that, all about being musicians.

And you're over that already? I'm over that. Yeah. Oh, man. You're in my lane now. I want to work. I want to work now. Yeah.

But that's what it's supposed to be, though. That's how it's supposed to be. I had like an OG tell me, like, you know, the first part of your career, it's about becoming the best, right? Yeah. But then after a while, it's like, nigga, I got to put myself in the position

to make the most money. Boom, exactly. So let me ask, as a fan, does that mean that you've done everything you wanted to do musically, like are your musicals or or? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Okay. I put myself in a position where I can always go back and do,

that. You know, I can always make records. I don't have to do the New York grind anymore. I don't have to be in New York and play the clubs and play the gigs. You know what I mean? I can go to New York and play my show when I want to play my shows and stuff like that while I'm out here also doing film scores and all

that stuff. That's why you strategize and did those, those, that would you had a whole residency in New York right before you left that, right? That was brilliant. That worked. Yeah, it worked out. So that's all I got to do. Every year I go to New York, I stay one month and do all my shows. Really?

Yeah, get all your shows out the way. Yeah, just stream out of the way. Get your quota, get your quarter done and then. I'm out. I'm out. I love it. I see my son. My son's in New York.

So I go there, I get, you know, the only reason I just keep my New York spot is so I can go back and see my son all the time. You know what I mean? Got you. But, you know, other than that, it's, bye-bye in New York. Has he had a chance? Has your son had a chance to meet his sister yet? Yeah, she's one month, though.

Not yet. Oh, yes. It's just Zoom calls, whatever. Zoom calls, whatever. Zoom calls. That's it. That's it. You and your son are hilarious. I've seen y'all on Instagram. I was going to say, how dangerous is he as a musician now? Yo, now, dude, now he, there's not a dilla joint he doesn't know. And there's not a deal of joint that he doesn't know how it's made. Like, he's producing beats.

Him and Kareem Riggins son, Idris are making an EP together. I can't. What? I love it. That's so dope. Glasper Riggins. Like, yeah, because he, first of all, Kareem, Son, E, Dries is. son is crazy with the beer. Have you heard his beats?

No. How does he? How does he? He's like maybe 13. Oh, God. First of all, on drums. This next generation is going to kill me. Yo, first of all, in drums, he's crazy. Like, I'd hire him right now for a hip-hop gig. Not even joking. We jammed a few times here in L.A. I believe you. Killing. But then his beats are, his beats are stupid. So him and Riley, my son, they always play

Fortnite. They're always on the, playing Fortnite shit. And then they started making beats and going back and forth with the beasts and shit. So now they, Riley makes beats every day. And yeah, they're about to be next level, GM and Lewis. Okay. Yeah, he's literally, that's what he's on now. That's literally what he's on now. That's the whole generation of these kids with Swiss beats on.

And oh my God, Jill Scott, her son making beats too. Yeah, yeah. Now, they have access to the tools that we didn't. Like, I mean, the technology is so, I mean, you can make beats on your damn phone now. You know what I'm saying? But Riley's like, he hit me yesterday, that dad, can you get me an MPC, I was like, yeah. I don't know what the fuck that is.

What are you working on right now? You just released the project with Knife, correct? Yeah, so we did the album called a dinner party. So good. Yeah, me, Teres Martin, Kamasi, and Knife. And yeah, so we put that out. Felix, you know, get the only Felix to sing on Felix. Oh, Felix is on there.

Felix is dope, bro. That nigga is dope, man. Felix is really dope. His beats are dope, too. He makes dope beats, too. Oh, I didn't know he made tracks. Okay. Yeah.

Stupid tracks. Yeah. I need to start making tracks. Everybody making tracks. Everybody makes tracks. I know. I've never been a track. I've never been, I've never wanted to make tracks.

I got to make some beats. Right, exactly. Yeah. It's like, I know all the dope musicians. Let's just get the room and make the dope shit. That's how I'm always like that. Like, pluck that. But, yeah, you got to make tracks.

But yeah, so we just did a dinner party. Right now, we're just finishing up a dinner party kind of remix kind of situation where we took all the songs, but we put guests on them. So we got Corday and Snoop and a few other art of Balau on there and a few other artists on those actual songs. Tank from Tank of the Bangas. Oh, wow. On there.

Yeah, she's dope. I love her, man. She's dope. So, yeah, finishing up that, that should be done in a few days, actually. And then I'm still in the middle of working on Black Radio 3 as well. Oh, my God. So wait. All right, can we just real quick?

Fonte, don't know I'm working on Black Radio 3. No, no, no, no, no. No, no. No, no. I know. Listen. I know. I just forgot.

I just forgot it was. Nigga, you were like 15 fucking groups, niggas. So I forgot that was coming. That means that Fonte, you are on Black Radio 3? You're supposed to be? I was supposed to be. I may be, like, here's the thing. I'm not playing games, Fonter.

I'm not playing a game. Let me tell you, let me first. What it happened was. I had to put you on blast. What happened was? I had to put you on blast. Hey, man, you can't put me on blasts with shit. I'm willing to say myself.

So let me set to record straight volume of. Look, we in a goddamn pandemic. I don't feel like doing shit. I have to learn how to let me, look. I'm in a space where I have to learn. I'm in a space where I have to learn the first like three, four months of this shit was just like what the fuck, right? Yeah.

So I had to learn how to create in this space. I knew how to create in the old world when we was out touring and moving around and bumping in each other and all that shit. I know how to fill that creative tank. I had to learn how to feel that creative tank in a space where we can't go no fucking where. So now I'm waking up again. I'm kind of finding it. You know what I mean? I'm kind of finding my voice again.

So now to everyone, to Robert Glass and everyone, now, yes, there's a big possibility. I'll probably be on Black Radio now because I know. know how to create. I'm kind of finding my voice now. But at the time when he reached out to me, he was like, yeah, man, I got this joint. Send it. I'm like, nigga, I just watched my aunt die on Zoom, nigga. Like, what the fuck I'm supposed to do this shit? Like, my aunt died too. Yeah. My aunt died, literally. No, last week. Oh, mom was like a month ago. Yeah, I had to log into a app to watch a funeral. Nigger this is a little nightmare right now. Like, yeah. That's crazy. I was watching on FaceTime. Yo, that's, that's crazy. Oh, my God. Oh, God. Oh, good.

So yeah, so I have a question, it's cool. So yeah, I have a question, I might be there. What's up? Okay, this might be my old age, but I'm under the impression that you actually invented or pioneered DIYness when it comes to. As far as I know, you have an apple on your phone that you do the vocals on,

then you just be sitting at the motherfucker. Well, yeah, I mean, when me and Nick did foreign exchange, yeah, that was kind of the first, you know, in terms of, I mean, it was us doing it. Then I think before that, it was the postal service with your boy from DevCab. But they were actually sending it through the mail. We were sending it just, you know, through I am. But even with then, I mean, that was still at the time where, you know, the world was open.

Like we were going out. I was going to doing shows and whatever. So the thing about now is just creating in this part where I think people are having, most of the artists, my homies I talk to, the thing that the kind of prevalent feeling is that we're still being held accountable or we're still being held. We're still accountable for the same, we're still under the same pressure, but we no longer have those things

we were able to do to release that pressure. Exactly. So it's like, you motherfuckers still won't meet the damn rapidly, rapidly, rapping, rapidly sang and do all this shit, but I can't go to the gym. Right, where's the inspiration?

And where's the release? Like, I can't, I can't go to the gym. I can't go to the movies. You know what I'm saying? Like, well, Fonte, I apologize. I apologize, and I appreciate you for having this moment because there's so many people that are feeling of something.

way. You're right. You're right. You're so right. Oh, yeah. But I'm coming. But, you know, now, like, I'm figuring out. Like, I got, I'm, me and Pooh been working on shit. Like, I got shit coming. So, so now, I mean, I'm waking up now. Like, now I figured out. So, so now, Glassboro, like, with joints, like, us being on Black Radio 3. Yeah, that more than like what happened. Because Glassport has always been. And I have a studio too, Robert Glashore. I don't. I want you on there, too. I was going to hit you about how I had a whole idea. I want to talk to you. We'll figure that out.

Yeah, I'll do it. If Fonte doesn't do it, I'll do it. Bars. I do interludes. You can see the little brother. I'll do it. He does great. She, you do have great voiceover.

You do great voiceover. I'm just joking, but I'm more curious about who else is. Because I always was curious because I was like, damn, Robert, you got to, I know people be coming at you when you do these black radio albums like. Yeah. Well, I haven't even, I haven't even said it out loud that I was doing it until I released a single a few days ago,

one of the singles off the record with a song I did called Better Than I Imagine. And it's with her and Michelle DeGiocelo. Yeah, so that's something I was holding for Black Radio 3, but I was like, fuck it. We put your shit out now. Yeah, you know, because. But they can still go on the record, correct?

Yes, yes. But I was like, I don't want to hold it any longer. I don't put this one out, you know, just to put it out Because I need to put some music. I just felt like I wanted to put something out and this was a good time for it. You know what I mean? And, you know, so, yeah.

I got till December to finish it. And I'm going to put it. Let's go come out next year. What have you been doing the last six months? Have you been working at home or just like doing nothing? Well, no, I learned how to do logic pretty good. I got better. That's what I do.

That's where I track all my shit in. I got better at logic. And actually, I'm building a me, a terrorist, start building a studio right behind my house right here, like literally 10 steps away. There's a one bedroom apartment behind my crib, and my landlord moved out of there, and we took it over and made it a studio.

So we'll be finished with that in like two or three weeks. So that'll be a place where we can like really go work, you know what I mean? And so we've been doing that. And other than that, I've been in like... About the noise? No, you can't even... It's separate. It's just no neighbor...

The way it is... Oh, okay. My landlord had it. my landlord had it built by some people from her church. It's like all cement and it stands on its own. It's like isolated. It's dope. It's really dope.

You might if I ask for a part of town you're in? What's how we would? Okay. Oh, okay. I was curious. Yeah. Yeah. What's how we would?

That's nice about that space. Glassburg. Yeah. Yep. You know, this is, we've known each other for the longest, but we really have never had an in-depth conversation. And what I always... No, no, but the thing I was always curious about was that I don't think it's the same way that Philadelphia had its Renaissance in 2000.

Yeah. You know, I felt that Houston had that same renaissance in 2006, 2007, you know, with all these musicians. Who, at the time, like, what was going on in your high school with all these musicians that were thinking left to some? center. Like, what was in the air? Like, what was going on? So the cool thing about my high school, which you know arts high school is because you went to one of the best ones in Philly. So you went to a performing arts high school in Houston. I want to perform an arts high school in Houston high school for performing arts. And the cool thing about my high school, which I think we might be the only high school that did this,

I'm pretty sure or maybe not you can tell me if you all did this. My jazz director, and not just the jazz director in all the art areas, they hired teachers that didn't have degrees. Wow. So our jazz cats that were teachers were just cats. Wow. Yeah. They didn't have degrees. They had been out in the streets, though. They did this by design on purpose or? Yes. Because the motherfuckers that have the degrees, most of the time, you know.

But the cats that are cats, they're just playing. They out there playing. So they were coming to the school showing us was hip right now because they're out there playing right now. So the cats that was over our jazz classes, our jazz professor, Dr. Morgan had a degree, but he made it so

he would just hire different. Sometimes we would see one dude for three months and never see him again. And he was a gig. But he was dope. Yeah, but he was dope. And one of the cool things about a school also is we had a class period

called listening. You didn't play. You came in and we had a CD player and everybody in the class could bring anything they wanted to. And you just sat there and listened. Damn. And part of the problem with a lot of musicians is they don't listen and they don't know what to listen to. And they just don't listen. You know what I mean?

And our jazz director made a class called listen. So I would bring stuff. It could be gospel. It could be anything. and all the cats to bring stuff. You know, every Mark Kelly, ask Mark about it. Who did you go to school with? In my class, in my, I went to school with Mark Kelly.

I went to school with Kendrick Scott, drummer. Yeah. Really, Kelly guitar player, Mike Moreno, Beyonce, she was there for one year. Brian, Brian Cox. Wow, Michael Cox. He was, oh, wow. That's my best friend.

Yeah, I met Brian. I did I not know that, yeah, I met Brian when I was in eighth grade. And he told me to come there when we met at a talent competition called the Sammy Davis Junior Awards. Wow. Sure, boring, boring, boy.

And I was playing, I was playing piano with a gospel group, and he was singing with an R&B group called Business or Pleasure. Nigger. What? What he was 91? That was 91. Oh, that was like,

nigger, that was 93, 92? Okay, yeah, 92, 93. Yeah. So, please tell me, please tell me, please tell me pleasure was spelled with a Z. Just tell me that. Right. It might have been. I got to be.

Yeah. So, yeah, so, so Brian, we met at that competition. He's like, yo, man, you got to come to PBA for you. We're all, all the cats playing and so blah, blah. I was like, what's that, you know, blah. So he told me about it, and I didn't go my freshman year because I thought I was going to be a basketball player. So I was like, nah, I want to play basketball.

So I wasn't even serious about piano yet. Yeah, I want to play basketball. I wasn't serious. How old were you when you got serious about piano? When I got serious, I was in like 10th grade when I was like, I want to play piano. All right, good night.

But I was playing the church and stuff. I was playing, I started playing the church. I literally started playing piano. My mom was the music director at church. And she sang in clubs all through the week, like clubs, like, R&B gigs and stuff like that. She was literally like Whoopi Goldberg and sister at.

All that and Sundays. Did she have a group? Yes. Her and my stepdad had a group. They were literally like C-Fice and Risi. It's absolutely hilarious. Oh, wow. 100%, swear to God. Early 80s, the curls, the colors. Not even a game.

A salad night or a holy day. Yes. No, for real. But, but on Sundays, my mom is the minister of music. I'm a small church, you know, so. they allowed me to play the little broke-ass organ that was in the corner. So I used to play every Sunday the past, who's birthday is it? And when I was 11, I was playing with one finger,

happy birthday. I figured out how to play happy birthday with one finger. And then they just let me, every Sunday just let me sit there and figure the service out. I started playing Luther Vangelis songs with one finger. Because my dad played with Vangraff to the house every day all the time. And so I was learning all that kind of songs. And then I just, I really taught my son.

Yeah, and then I just, you know, and then I age like, yeah, maybe age 14, that's when I, no, what's 10th, 10th grade? I don't know, 10th grade is, whatever. I auditioned with, I auditioned with three gospel songs, I didn't know any jazz tunes. So. There was no guidance. Wait, but up from beginnings of church to the 15, there was nobody got no guidance, nobody to say, but this is how you really do this. Well, see, my mom had a band, and in her band, there was a piano, piano player named him, Alan Mosley that nobody knows. One of the cats from your hometown that was drunk, but was really good and no, you know,

he's a legend, you never see him. So I used to sit next to him on the piano bench and they would have rehearsals, because we have rehearsals at our career. We have pianos and ampss, have rehearsals of the career. So I would sit there and watch him. So the only song I played at my audition that was jazzy was he taught me how to play the Spider-Man theme

in the form of a C minor blues. So he taught me how to walk a bass line And it's like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. So that's what I did that, and I did three gospel songs. And then I got in. Wait, Robert, you remember the time I bet you that you wouldn't, oh, man, this is the most, the most devastating gig of my life was with Robert. As a joke, you know, I think Robert says, I'm going to sneak the,

the Smurfs theme into this Jay-Z song. All right. So it was one of them, it was, all right. So me and Robert Glasper were, we were like paying tribute to Jay-Z at one of these like, you know, $25,000 plate banquet spots. And at the last minute, I told Glasper, I said, yo, like, you know, do something like really high class for these people, like, you know, make it sound like classical or stuff.

And he gets at the piano and starts off like, you know, like Alicia Keys first came out, playing for Elise. And you think of like some deep shit. So Robert goes, and the audience like Mariah Carey, yokea owner, everyone's looking. And all of a sudden, this motherfucker starts playing a spursy.

I love you fed. That is so great. I'll never get that kid. My communication microphone, I was like, motherfucker, are you playing the Smurz right now? But then when we got on stage, you went downhill from there because then Tariq forgot all Jayze's lyrics in front of Jayze.

Yes. Yes, yo, man. Worst gig ever. But I remember when we got stage, Yoko owner was super drunk. Yo-g-old threw up on your shoe. She came, dude. She just came up and just fell on me and like a hug and fell up on me.

And she was like, oh. You know, yoga owner or her sister threw up on somebody's shoes. And then, yo. I forgot about that gig, bro. That was a hard night, man. That's like one of y'all, that's like a George Clinton story. Y'all should make sure I remember that. That's like George Clinton level stories.

So Jay just signed into the label. I thought he was about to get dropped. All the debt jams calling me, like, how could you guys forget his music? Everyone knows the song. Right. Sorry. Were you always this person, like, in school, too?

Were you always funny and, like, you know, outgoing or whatnot? Is that the same? You always spent out of your show? Yeah. I was the kid that I had to sit out in the hallway. Oh, me too. Yeah. I was, I've been doing a hallway a cup of tennis.

That was me. That was me. All the time. Yeah. Literally, I ran into a girl. Dude, maybe in January, I don't know, December. I was in Houston. Went to a, I went to a Barnes & Noble, ran into an elementary school friend of mine.

We were in the same play. We played Huckaberry Finn play. I play Huckaberry Finn. Oh, wow. In fifth grade. That was my debut on stage. That's the only thing I've ever done acting. I play Huckabberg Finn.

So if you were Huckerberg Finn, who's Nicky Jim? Who's Nick Graham? Tom Sawyer, Tom Sawyer was an Indian dude. We were ahead of our time. We were out there. Oh, wow. Look, and I met the, I saw this girl. She looked at him and she looked at me and she thought, oh, my God, Robert.

And soon as I saw her, I was like, the pig. That's what I said. She was the pig in the play. She looked exactly the same. Exactly. And she was like, oh my God, you still haven't changed since you were in fourth grade. This is so crazy. I was like, damn, I have it. I literally haven't. Wait, question. Was Chris at your school as well? Chris Dave? I don't know how old Chris is.

Chris seems like he's young, but he's like 90. He's 92. Chris, he's supposed to be as good as he is. He's 113. Chris, no, Chris, goddamn. Like, no, Chris went, Chris graduated from. PBA in 1990. What? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Chris is my age? Chris is like 40, is he, is he 47, 48? Oh my God, yo, because his voice make you think that he's He keeps being a prodigy because you keep thinking he's the little kid.

He's old as fuck. I don't know. He's my age. You're like, this is a 13-year-old's amazing. God damn, how can you do that? No. So Chris, we know. So Chris, there was a drummer named Mark Simmons before you.

Did you know Mark Simmons? No. Okay. So Mark Simmons was probably the beginning. No, before Mark Simmons there was, trying to go to the lineage of drummers at the school, there was a, what's the fucking dude that played with Tower of Power? Anyway.

For Steve Caroni? No, no, no. Tower Power. That was what's called. Tower Power drummers. Fucking. Dave Gibraldi. Dave Giribaldi.

No, not the famous one. The other guy. Maybe he did some tours. Oh, he replaced him. Yeah, him. Maybe he just. After that. After that, there was Mark Simmons.

Mark Simmons, if you ever saw in the last 20 years or whatever, Al Jaro or fucking George Benson, he was on drums. Wow. He's the guy that was like maybe a year or two older than Chris that made Chris like really shed because he did something to Chris in high school really bad. So Chris was mad at him. He had a vendetta against him the whole time. So Chris, before that's what lit a fire under Chris's ass? That's what lit a fire. Have to do with the girl.

That made Chris go into practice room and never come out. That's the story. All my friends that are around that time tell that story. They were like, yo, he went to practice room and then come out in practice room. So it was Chris. And there was Eric Harlan after Chris. They went together around the same time. Maybe Chris is a senior.

Maybe Eric was, you know. a sophomore or something or a freshman. After that, then it was Kendrick Scott and then Jemeyer, you know, Jemeyer Williams? Yeah. Jemeyer, yeah. They're still putting out some great motherfucketalphike, James Francis. You know, he's a vet.

Francis is from Houston too? Francis from Houston. His parents used to drop him off when I would do gigs in Houston. James used to do, his parents just to drop him off in my sound checks so he could watch a sound check because he was too young.

to come for the show. So I used to let him sit, like, right by me and stuff and watching my sound checks because he wasn't allowed to, yeah. So when he got to New York, yeah, when he got to New York, I told, I called Poister, I was like, yo. Oh, okay. Your recommendation, I see. Yeah.

Yeah, so whenever whenever James or Ray Angry or Kamal can't do the tonight show, then James Francis goes in. I mean, he was a young boy back then, but now, you know, One of his own gigs at Blue Note.

Yep, yep, yep. That's the other thing. I used to stink him in a Brooklyn Bowl now, you know. Where? Now you don't have right. I need his autograph. I need his autograph. 2%.

That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry.

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

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. To say, like, I went to school with, like, these young lions. Right. Like, when I was in school, like, my third day of school, D. Francisco is getting pulled out. by Miles Davis because

like, it'll be like who was a Miles's keyboard player was it Kenny Kirkland? No. Which year?

Before he passed away, like 86 during the 2-2 era. Oh, one of those guys. Wasn't Kenny though. Definitely wasn't Kenny Kirkland. Okay. I forget it was, but you know,

I'll be like, yo, where are you going? And you'd be like, now it's fucking up again. So Miles is, send it for me. I mean, there's typical that,

like Christian, you know, Alice Marcellus come and take Christian out of school for two weeks. You know, so like basically, they were, they were the young lions of my generation.

But the thing was is that they were following traditional jazz. Right. And obviously, I guess my introduction to your world was via Bilau. Yep. And, you know, in hearing B'all break every rule of what song structure was.

And I'm wondering, well, okay, and I asked, I was like, well, who's the music version of you? Like, who else is breaking the rules? And then I met all of you guys in a month or so. And I just never seen, because I knew you guys were seen as jazz musicians, but I was always wondering. and if whether or not you get embraced by the jazz community, like would they let you play in reindeer games because you guys were looking at the rule books

and sort of just throwing it out the window. Like, did you have to master it? Like, did you have to sneak in the house first and sort of talk their language and da-da-da-da-da, and then hold them hostage once you... Exactly. Had your power, like... Well, honestly, I attribute Palau and you

to that. I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. Because when I got to the new school in 97 for college, I met Bilau the first day of school and we were like one of eight black people at the school. At the new school? At the new school.

In the jazz program, yeah. What a lot of black people? Maybe there were 15. Honestly. The year of position, everybody was black. Yeah, so check it out, though. They put all the freshmen in the room, and they call you at random to come on the stage.

They called me and Bilau on stage at random together to play a song together. Wow. And they don't tell you what to play. It's just whatever y'all. No, you go up there with a bunch of cats. They call on drums, so on piano, Robert Glass, on vocal, Bilal Oliver. We get up to play the song, we got off the stage,

and we looked at each other like, yeah. Well, do they give you a fake book at least? They're like, what do you? No, you just call tunes. Nope. You're supposed to know it? Yeah. Or you talk to each other and be like,

you know this? Nah, you know this? I don't know. Kind of. You know, just like, like you do at the jazz club now. You know, so and so? I think so.

Yeah, you figure out. But whatever we did. Actually, do you remember what it was? I have no idea what it was. But when we got off, me and Belak, we were, you know, you couldn't separate us after that because it was like, you know.

He actually. you all spoke a different language. 100% immediately. And so we began working on stuff together. And one of the, the president of the school at the time, Arnie Lawrence, he passed away. He saw us and was like, you two have something.

Y'all should go in and work on a demo for Bilau. And we were like, okay. So he said, my friend has a studio around the corner. Y'all can, I talked to him already. Y'all can go over there and kind of come up with some stuff. And his boy was Aaron Comas. Aaron Combs. Spind Doctors. Spend Doctors.

Spinn doctors. Fuck it's been doctors. Yo, I never believe this story when Palau told me. I'm like, who were doing this? He's like, Aaron Comer. He's like, Aaron Comis. Get the fuck out of here. Eric Comis.

And I was like, what? Yeah, so we were going over there after school every day, just writing songs. And yeah, a bunch of just jazz musicians are on the album because we didn't know anybody that played anything else. We just knew the cats from the school. So that was you were Queen of Sanity, the demo?

Yeah. Yeah, it's been a queen of society. That's me on Clinton sanity. Yeah, and y'all came just right. You and James came in there and redid it. Yeah, we kept like the piano-part- Drums. Yeah, all that stuff.

Yeah, that was essentially, when I heard that demo, man, I, you know, again, I'm happy to say that my, my 100% record of the six demos I ever heard and listened to and became fans of, like, they all became like something in the world. Of course, you know, little brother, brother, Jill Scott, Slum Village. But hearing that Bilau demo, I don't know how it came across, I don't know who played it

for me, whatever, but I just, I thought this person. I remember you being Hylamir about those Bilal demo. You know what? You know what? I will say, I would say much. Yeah, much of my detriment, if there's ever a recapping of the kind of. Black Lily Roots jam session story, like an oral history or whatever.

My enthusiasm for wanting to work with Bilau definitely may motherfuckers feel a certain way. Where? Because I mean, basically, everyone had a job at this thing, and it was more like, okay, I'm the money, you know, like, so tour money, back to the jam session. Back to the, you know, and I would make appearances every now and then, but it's like after working on,

and the stuff at Electric Lady and then coming back to do root stuff, like I wasn't trying to like also do five hours at these jam sessions, but hearing Bilal Singh, man, I was just like, all right, I'll come. Yeah, yeah. So I, you know, I just,

yeah. And those jam sessions, so, Balow, so we started working on a demo, whatever, and me and him used to get on a bus from school and go down to Philly on Monday, was it Monday nights, to the five spot, Tuesday night? Tuesday, Tuesday. We should go to bus

and we'd go stay at his mom's house in Germantown. That was my first time we were ever going to Philly just so we could go to those jam sessions. And then y'all started coming to doing the ones at Late Street. Yeah, on at, uh, what's the name is the spot? Wetlands. Wetlands. So seeing y'all play live,

Balaw was always trying to get me to understand how to play y'all shit. And I didn't understand what the fuck he was talking about. He's like, you know, like, you know, I'm like, you know, like, play, don't play it on. Play it off. What? Play it like you know how to play, but you don't know how to play.

What the fuck are you talking about? No, nigga, like, like. And then I saw y'all live and I saw James Poyser. And I was like, oh. So that made me, I kept going back. Then he would let me sit in with you or yo, you would let me sit in, you know? I was like, I was a house jazz friend. And I was sitting in with y'all.

And because of sitting in with the roots, that's how I learned how to play that shit. I didn't, I'd never heard it. I didn't understand what it was. See, that's weird to me because in my mind, you and all your Houstonians just have another relationship with time, with meter and time that is beyond anything I've done or, you know, dare I say it, Dilla or whatever. Like I just, I'd never seen, I mean, it's like watching the animaniacs run in the water tower. Like, you know, when you see them running in the puff of smoke. That's a crazy analogy for it. Oh, we all know it, so it's good.

Or the Tasmanian devil. Like, that's what I mean. But what I want to know is how did you force the jazz world to your will? Because I don't think that's, I don't think that's an easy. It's not. Task. Like, that's not hard. That's what they're

choice about the boy into the wheel. Well, here's the thing. I always knew that I had to make sure that I could play jazz with the best of them before I decided to do anything else. You know what I mean? I had to, like when Herbie played with Miles put his first few albums out,

there was no, you couldn't question Herbert about shit, about can you play that fucking. His chops. Yeah. All that. That was already solidified. There's no argument there. So when he did headhunters, you cannot like it if you want to,

but you can't dispute him as a jazz artist. You know what I mean? As a jazz piano player, especially being black, they're so quick to want to call you a hip-hop piano player. Nigger. Or R&B piano. They're really quick to not want to give you the title of that. So it was in my mind.

I was like, well, no. Even before I got signed, I said in my mind, I knew. I was like, I want to do a few jazz albums first to shut these motherfuckers up who are going to be talking. And then I want to do my other shit. You know what I mean? It reminded me of like Donald Bird. That's how I always kind of saw your career.

Yeah. Donald Burke, but then, you know, he did his thing. But then when he got with the Mazzelle brothers, it just became, you know,

something else. Yeah, for sure. Exactly. Exactly. And that's my thing. I wanted to make sure. So then when that happened,

my thing was just grabbing all the young people because I felt like jazz was for young people anymore. And what made me get into jazz was Roy, I was just about to say Roy was Roy came to my school and when I was in 11th grade I never forget it

He went there too, right? No, he went to the one in Dallas with Erica. He went to the book of the Washington Nora Jones and that whole thing So that was our rival. We rivaled them all the time for all-state jazz competitions and shit.

Oh, right. So when Roy came to our school, When I was 11th grade, he was already Roar Hard Grove, the album said he came to the school, and he had on like overalls and Tim's, you know, and his band was black. I had never seen that. I have never seen five young black guys that look like me,

dressed like me, talk like me, up there playing jazz. You've never seen that because when you're in school, the picture of jazz is what they give you. And it's all black and white, and everybody has them a suit. And it's not, you know, it's nothing. is nothing that has anything to do with you right now, you know?

So Roy made me, he completely changed my whole shit. So that's literally why I am the way I am now because I feel like I'm killing the stereotype. You know what I mean? I feel like when people look at me, a lot of times they don't know, you don't know what the fuck I do. You know what I mean? And when I was, you know, selling out the blue note

and the vanguard and all these places, white people will walk by me, I would be outside, hang on my friend. They walk by me looking at me like, what are you doing here? Kind of spot. I'm like, well, actually, you're coming to see. Right. You know, but the people on the bus, a lot of that is like, you know, they don't know, they come to New York and get on the bus and they take you to where somebody famous is playing,

you know what I mean? But they look at me and my jeans and my t-shirt and it's like, oh, if I was walking down the street, you think I'm a rapper or you think I'm whatever, you know what I'm saying? You don't think I'm about to sit here and play Stella by Starlight or actually play this piano the way I do, you know what I mean? And that's what I literally got that from Roy and that's what made kids, he inspired me so because he looked like me. So I was like, that's what I want to do.

You know what I mean? I want to inspire the young cat. So I think when it came to the jazz world, I just ignored them and really went for the young people. You know what I mean? But still keeping the integrity of jazz, but making it to something where they could identify with. You know what I mean?

And after a while, the jazz world couldn't deny it anymore. They tried to. I think you have to do that, though. Because I think, you know, even like in all forms of music, you have to kind of, if not necessarily, appeal to the young people. You at least have to know how to communicate with them because they're the ones that's coming next.

So if you want your thing to live on, you got to get the youngans so they can carry it on. You know what I mean? in that conversation, too, like in a way with like his projects. I was shot. Well, yeah, I was going to ask. You kind of know. I was going to ask. I was going to ask. There was the jazz police. There was the jazz police of like. Bally Crouch. Couch. Yeah. lose cats. Yep. Is there such thing as the jazz police, like,

or there's still people on that? Bramford himself. Oh, that's, okay. What are he? Nigger. But with Buckshops and has he aged into Jazz Police? Is that what you? Oh, y'all didn't see it.

Y'all didn't see it. I don't. Right. That was 25 years ago. No. Bramford turncoat on you? Nigger, hold on. Bramford.

No. Put me out. Look, this happened. maybe two years, two years ago, maybe three years ago, two years ago. He did an interview for one of them, Jazz Magazine, maybe Downbeat or something like that. And in the middle of the interview,

they were like, so, Bramford, what do you think about what people like Robert Glasper and Kamasi Washington are doing? You know, you did Butchow LaFunk. What do you think about Robert Glassper's doing? He said, well, you know, Jack Kamasi, he's not a jazz, he's not a jazz saxophone player,

just threw him all the way over. Then he said, and Robert, I mean, I'm glad he's doing what he's doing because he has the limited jazz vocabulary also. And if you ask him, he'll tell you the same thing. Those were literally his words. So, Robert, do you have a limited jazz vocabulary? Right.

Like, what? Who? No, I'm heartbroken. What? Are you talking? What are you talking about? What are you talking about? Do you not know who you are? So for the listener, if you have a limited

jazz vocabulary, who has an unlimited jazz vocabulary? Who is that? Yeah, that was like, come on, bro. Like, that's, now you're, now, that was, that was just, that's reckless. That's reckless. That's like, you know, they didn't even ask him that. That wasn't even the question. He didn't ask, do you think they're jazz musicians, or do you think what they're doing in jazz? They said, You did Buzzshot LaFunk, so they were literally speaking to crossing over.

Yes. And he took that time, took that little platform to put us down, instead of being like, oh, well, shit, Robert Glass with Black Radio, that's doing, that's great. I'm happy. But something, don't use that platform to shoot down the two top black instrumental jazz musicians that, you know what I mean? Why would you do that?

Come on, bro. He's lucky he gave me Frank McCone. What do you think is required? I mean, you know, every genre has their and they were disrespecting, Bramford. You know, just there's always the grumpy old guy. I love Bramford. I know he did that.

I love him. Have you seen each other since that happened? Have you seen him? Y'all ran into each other? No, but before he said that, I ran into him at a club, but we had dreams he was playing. I went to see him play. I had a night off in Seattle.

He was playing. Me and Chris and a few other people went down there, hung out. I've always shown breath for love. He's always actually shown, we've been cool every time I see him. You know what I'm saying? But I just felt like,

why is that? You was going to say that. You could have said that to my face. You could have been said that to my face, bro. Yeah. No, matter of fact, I saw him at International Jazz Day. I saw him at International Jazz Day in Russia

maybe two years ago or something. And that, oh, you know what? And we had a little, oh, you know what? I figured that. Okay. It's all coming back. All coming back to me now. International Jazz Day.

You know, You know, that it's like they bring in a bunch of jazz musicians and they put you in a different country every year and to promote jazz, you know, and you do a concert together. And they break you up a little group and you do like one song. So we did the International Jazz Day thing. And me and Bradford backstage, somebody came up and was like, so what do y'all think?

What makes jazz jazz? And we're talking about it, you know, and Branford said the space between the quarter notes. I was like, what? I've heard that before. It sounds like. What do you mean? The space between the, like, literally the space between the quarter notes, like, the space between the, so I was like, the space between the court.

So literally, it's a mathematical thing. Like, if you do this space with this space to corner notes, that's just, we kind of got into a thing about it. Because the answer he gave was like, come on. bro. Like it sounded like Whitney. I mean, no one has the true answer. Like, there's... No, we don't, but... There's nerds like me that wanted a scientific

definition and there's creatives like you that you know, that will never have the right answer or whatever. Like, I don't think any creative truly knows what the definition of what makes their art form tick. You know. Yeah, right. But then...

But we're having to just a discussion and I'm like, yo, we start talking about tunes. I said, so because this is not swinging, we're talking about talking with the Rye symbol, everything. And it was like, so you're, you're now defining a whole genre by a rhythm. So because it doesn't ting, Tett-T-T-T-T-Dane, it's not jazz. So what's red clay? And he was like, not jazz.

I said, so Red Clay's not jazz, niggins. So this is, this is trap versus real hip-hop. I get it. This is the dot-X versus. It's a long argument, right? Verses Y and Corday. I get it. I get it.

I get it. But for somebody who made Bush on LaFonk, I just suspected something different. Nah, 100%. I expect a different answer. I just love the, different answer. But that was,

again, that was 26 years ago. That was, I mean, that was. And, look, even on Winton, Whitney innovated the music and then stopped. He did Black Codes and then stopped. Black Codes is such an innovative record. You know Black Codes from the Underground? Black Codes from the Underground, bro.

It's like absolutely fucking incredible. You know. It's one of my favorite records of his. Absolutely. Absolutely. You know. Matter of fact, went and called me.

Go ahead. Oh, wait. Go ahead. Go back to that because we calls you. Oh, I do remember. A whole other ram.

I don't know if you want to step into. No, let's go. No, we want to. It was because of the Lord Hill stuff. Go in. Go in.

Go in. Come on. Come on with the smoke. Come on with the smoke. No, Wenton called me. I was in Japan. I never forget it, he called, he texted me. And it was like, yo, is this Robert Glasper?

I was like, yeah, who's this? He was like, this Winton. I was like, oh, shit, what's up? How you doing, man? He's like, hey, man, you know, I just wanted to call and tell you, you know, let this Lauren Hill shit go. And I was like, that's his first words to you ever. Yes. You ain't go, nigger. Not ever. On the phone, we don't talk on the phone. I don't talk to Witton on the phone, you know. And you text to me in Japan. This shit is costing me extra money.

That's extra data. You're wasting my data to talk me about this shit. He was like, let this Lauren Hill shit go. First of all, I never drug it on. I did that radio interview and I never posted about it. I never said anything about it ever again online. You know what I'm saying? I did that radio interview posted and I didn't put shit on my IG.

I didn't even put that radio interview on my Facebook, nothing. So he hit me with that and let this go. And I was like, well, I'm not doing anything, but, you know, the truth is the truth. I don't really know what you want me to do. he was just like, man, you know, she's got all these followers and stuff. And, you know, you're not going to win that battle. And I just think it's best if you just, blah, blah, blah, blah. It ain't a battle.

I'm not battling. I'm not, you know, wait. You're missing the most important part. Right. When Marcellus knows who Lauren Hill is. What? And, you ain't, you ain't that, Dan, jazz. Yeah, I think he cares.

That that he cares is a whole other level, too. Yeah. You sell seven million albums. Niggas know who to fuck you are. Oh, definitely. Definitely. Dude, first of all, yeah, this Lord Hill shit. I'm amazed because I never thought when he left his jazz bubble.

I know, I know. And of all the things to bring up, that's crazy. That's what he texted me about. Our first text and only text to this day was about that. Congratulations on, you know, a guest, grammy. It's okay. It's been to your first movie. I mean, I told him, I said, with every time I saw him,

every time I see him in person, and honestly, when I go see him play, he invites me up to play. He calls me up on stage and shit. You know what I mean? So I don't have a beef or no real beef or went. You know, some of things he says like, come on, bro, you know, but it's fine, it's fine. And he's never thrown me under the bus in some interview,

you know, or tried to do anything malicious. But, you know, so we were texted about that. And then finally, I was like, yo, I'm, every time I see him, I say, I'm going to get you on some hip-hop shit. He was like, oh, bro, you know, I'mma, I'ma just deal with the swing. I ain't down with the bitches and the niggas. And I was like, bro, all hip-hop ain't like that.

I said that. That's what I said. I say, bro, all hip hop isn't like that. That's one little second of hip-up. It's like there's different styles of jazz. There's different kinds. And I say, if you ever checked out anything I've done, you don't hear that.

He was like, you know, well, I don't know. We'll see. But he always says that every time I see him. You know, he knows the one to get the most of them. I'm not with the bitches and the nigger. He's like, all hip-the-grade. It's like, come on, bro. That's not, yeah.

It's so crazy when at one point you was a young dude. Like, and jazz beats are so funny to me. They've been happening for, like, It's just the beginning. Have you and have you and Lauren ever talk after that since post the interview? Black Radio 3? No, you know, right. But look, hold on.

And let me on that song so I can also olive branch that moment too. Yeah, Marin needs it too. Yeah, he got a mince. No, you help feed the fire with the Robert Glassman's butt, beef patty, uh, beef paddy chef. You changed your Twitter, your Twitter handle to Robert Glassman. beef paddy chef. Oh, there.

There's no healing. It's no healing. It's no healing. No, man. The shocker is of with Marcelo, Lauren Hill, Lauren Hill known social media, using the emojis.

I'm going to see on Twitter. This is a great day. Look, I almost saw her at, at, what is it, North Sea Jazz Festival? Just now. No. She was late.

I literally was sitting outside and a bus pulled up and it was her tour bus and all the cats came off like, yo, Rob, blah, blah. They were like, well, Lord, just got off at the other place. I was like, oh, okay, cool. That would have been amazing if I'm sorry.

I haven't seen her since then. But my thing is, my thing is that you saw her statement she wrote after that, right? Yes. It was so many words. It was a lot of emojis in it. And I was shocked, she knows what her emojis are. Shut up here.

And I didn't know it was the 20, when I did that interview, I didn't know it was the 20th anniversary of fucking that album, the miseducation. Yes, I mean. Where to God? And I've never talked, my Lauren Hill situation happened in 2007. We did this interview in, what,

2006, 17, 17, yeah, it was a minute, yeah. I've never said it out loud on the interview. They asked me, what's the worst musical experience you've ever had? And that is the first one that ever comes to mind is working with Lauren. It was terrible. Did Poyser text you?

Did Poyser text you? A lot of people text me, yeah. A lot of people text me like, thank you. You know, thank you, shit. I can't say that shit. But thank you. A lot of cats was like, good looks, you know. Some of them cats, you can't, you know, I can say that shit.

I don't go fuck, you know, but, you know. And all the cats that she uses in that way don't have the platform to say shit, you know what I mean? So I felt like, or the power to say shit. And it wasn't me purposely coming at her. It was just that's what it was. And everything was truth. Everything was fat and everything's still happening.

No. You know what I mean? So it's like, what the fuck? Robert, you're a whole gift to jazz in so many ways, honey. You have no idea. But look, I'm here. I'm serious. I thought about this the other day.

I was like, wouldn't it be? Proper name the answer. Yeah, he's about it. I thought about that, though. What if, what if we got her on Black Radio 3? Look, man, it's 2020 and we're running out space on our bingo cards. You produce it. You produce it.

That would be crazy, bro. What you see? It was your, come on with your idea. I'm down for it, yo. In a silly way, in a silly weird way, I feel like there's a possibility. It could possibly happen. I think it'll be dope. I think it could happen.

Because as an artist, I have nothing against her. She's fucking incredible. You might have to extend your due date, but I think it could happen. 100%. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it'll definitely, it probably will come out to Black Radio 19, but No, okay, okay. Back to the theme of the show.

Optimism, optimism. Reunit optimism. I'll be old as fuck. Your daughter's going to be 20 to our backgrounds. Renewed optimism, though, it's going to get done, no, it's going to get done. Listen, as a person that believes in manifesting positive energy, and hold my crystal and whatnot. Yes, we're going to make it happen.

I would love it. I will say Lauren Hill, we are officially putting out the olive branch. Yeah. I think we're all better. The world would be better with our artistic contributions. It's needed in the world right now. Actually, really is. Really is.

All right, so questions, why are we on optimism? I bet you want to put a verse on that, will find out. On the Lauren jail? Yeah. Oh, I mean, if I'm still alive, I'm still alive about time out, do that shit, well? I got 16 for you. Digger?

Okay. I do you. All right. So I was going to ask a question. Yeah, Brandy, and I want to ask you specifically, what is it like tracking her in the studio, tracking her vocals? You're probably the...

Brandy might be the illest tracker I've ever seen. It's incredible, bro. I've never seen nobody fazed themselves out. I was going to ask you about that. I saw another interview you did. Three times in one, in the middle of doing optimistic. She phased herself out three times. That's how on top of her vocal she is with stacking.

That's how come of her vocal she is. When she stacks, her shit is so exactly alike that she fakes the computer out. And it makes you think, you're doing the same, the track again or some shit. You're not really, you know what I mean? Because most people, when you read, when you sing something else and you sing it again, sing it again, let's stack it.

There's always something different. It's not perfect. It's always an imperfection. Something. Something. She's so dead on. That shit phased the fuck out three times. From the breath, from the breathing,

from when she cut it off, where the vibrato stop. Like, everything is incredible. And she don't leave the booth until the fucking shit's done. It ain't like she'd come out and listen and vibes. She's like, no, and she won't stop with the ideas.

You have to stop her. No, Branny, no more vocal, no more stacks. No. I love that. A harmony. Yeah, and she wants to get it. She's so enthusiastic about getting it right and just wanting to try more and more ideas.

She's not a lazy singer at all. You know what I mean? Like, it's incredible work with her, man. She has to be one of the nicest, too. You know what I mean? Like, even when I did, when she was on my Black Radio album, before that. She paid for the studio time because she was late the other time or something like that.

She couldn't make it. And she was like, yeah, she paid for the fucking studio time. You know what I mean? I didn't even know her back there. You know, she just, this is such a nice, a really, really nice person. On Black Radio, on Black Radio 2, man, you had a record. It was a lot of records on that album, I love. I really love the Emily Sandie joint, the somebody else.

I love that. That's just a great song. Just the lyrics. Yeah. Dude, she wrote that shit in 20 minutes. Are you serious? That song, that song, originally Mary J. Blach was supposed to sing it. And I had lyrics and everything already done, but getting with Mary just always kept, you know, we couldn't make it happen.

So I had the lyrics in the song. I even had the song sung by somebody else to, you know. Emily was in town and she came by the studio and I played her to song, boom. And she was like, I love it. I love it. She's like, do you mind if I change the lyrics? I was like, no, do what you feel. She got a pin and pat out, walked around,

wrote that joint like 20 minutes, bro. Wow. Literally and put that shit down. The record you did. The great Gatsby premiere, some shit. Oh, the great gas, yeah, yeah, yeah. The record you did with the Nora record that Musina. Yeah.

I love that joint, man. Yeah. You and Musina, like, Musina, like, Mousina. That's like my baby. That's like family. 100%. Yeah, and y'all's cover. of God rest you merry gentleman.

Oh, yeah. I need you to send me that. I love that. Yeah. For years, I kept doing, I would do that with different artists every year. I would just pick an artist, hit him up like, yeah, you want to do a Christmas song together,

you know, and I'll send them the music and then put some shit on it and we put it out. I did it with Doobie Powell. I did it with Kimberrail, I did it with her, I did it a few different people. Doobie Powell. Just throw it out, do it out there for, you know, for fun. But that joint, the Nora Jones joint,

so me and Nora went to jazz camp together in high school in 11th grade matter of fact Amir you have something to do with this too wait

what I'm a connector you're a connector you don't even know it you don't even know it so me and Nora went to high school

to jazz camp together in 11th grade so that's where I knew her from then when I got to New York I saw her made my freshman year at my college in the practice room

at my college at the piano I looked in there I was like Nora And I walked in there, I was like, what are you doing? She's like, oh, I'm working on the demo. I was like, oh, dope. Next time I saw her was on TV, winning all the damn Grammys.

After that, after that, I sat in with the roots at Radio City. Remember you did the two nights at Radio City? Oh, crap. I forgot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dude, that was one of the, when people asked me some of my top moments

being on stage of crazy shit, oh, that's right. Remember when Jay Z King? Yeah. That's back when Jay Z showed up. He didn't know that he could play Radio City musical. Dude. I never forget that shit.

Yeah. I forgot. Yeah. And I never forget, in the ear, in the in there, you were like, Jay Z's here. And we did a, we did a, boom, boom, boom. Yeah, yeah. We start playing,

Nicky Jay Z walked out and had his back. to the audience and the hoodie on and the lights is off. We start playing that baseline and no one knew he was coming when we start playing that bass line the lights flashed he pulled his hoodie up like this still with his back to the audience.

And the amount dude when he turned the amount of like it was so crazy bro. Like I'll never forget that moment. I'll never forget that moment. And that's where I met Dave too. That's where I met Chappelle too. I gave him piano lesson backstage at that

Oh, so you're the one that taught him after midnight? Round midnight. He's still playing that shit. Still playing that shit. He played at, he did a solo piano at my Blue Note residency last October. He went on stage by himself and played Rob Midnight on my piano by himself. And thank you. And walked off.

Now, he's been playing that for like Twitter. He played that at the block party. Like, he's been, it's been around forever. But anyway. at that show, a regular C show, after it, the after party thing upstairs or something like that. And I'm sitting on, I'm sitting on next to you, talking or somebody next to you, let me be one or two people over from you.

And I reached for some ice. And Nora was on the other side of you. And she reached for some ice. And that's the way we were, like, oh, shit. Nora, what's up? And then we got it said that we changed numbers. And that's how we just kept in connection, you know. from that, you know, but she killed that joint man.

I love Nora. I love hearing Nora in other situations. Her voice is so dope, you know. That was a great song. I really love that song, man. She was really dope. Let it ride. Yeah, let it ride.

And Musina was sick. She didn't want to write it. I sent it to Messina and I said, and I didn't know who was gonna sing it yet. I just wrote the song and I was like, I need some lyrics. And I sent to him, see, hey, write something to this. And I need to get it done by this week.

I don't know who gonna sing it, but write it. And she was like, oh, I'm really sick. I don't feel. I said, write the damn song. She was in. Write the song. She's like, oh, okay.

And wrote that joint and sent it to me the next day. And then Nora came in. Who have you yet to, I guess, fulfill bucket list wise? I mean, I'm sure there's everybody. But what close calls have you had with your projects that you didn't get a chance to work with yet? Don't say her name. What? As I was asking this question, I'm like, oh, God, no.

What do you think I'm going to say? Oh, you don't remember the... Oh! Yeah. Boom. A male of the roof. Stop! Yeah, stop.

Oh, okay. Let's go. I... Is that so hard? What? She, that's a mayor, call her up, man. No, yeah. Like, before Salon's,

Salon's came through like a champ and... Yeah, Salon's came to a kid. So she was going to do that the little dragon cover? Yes. Yes. Wow. Yeah. What was she doing?

What's the male doing? What's she doing? We try to make it happen. Yeah. Yeah. Didn't really work out for us very well. Okay. So, yeah.

Yeah. So then who else then? Who else? Salon's from you used to. I'm here. Look, I have a song in my computer. I did the song with a Dita Baker. Hmm.

Was it for the Blue Note album that like never came up? Yes. Yes. Because she covered. Yeah. She did a cover of lately by Tyrese, which on paper sounds insane. Wait, what?

I believe. I believe it. I believe it. Bro. Wait, you never heard this, Rob. You never heard this? No.

No. No. Anita Baker covered lately by Tyrese. And it is fucking amazing. Nigger, she bodied that shit. Oh my gosh. It's like it's the only, it's like one of her.

only saw, if it's still on, because you know, ain't none of her shit on streaming. It's like one of the only joints of hers that's like on streaming services. That came out, that song came out? That song came out. That came out. Oh, my gosh. She bodied that shit, bro. I was like, she covered lately?

Nick, she hung that shit. Yeah, no. I was, it happened because we were both on Blue No at the same time. And Don was, was trying to hook us up. Yes. He also hooked me out with Shaka Khan, I produced a half a record on Shaka. I have four songs on Shaka. We're going to do a whole, we went in to do a whole album.

Because he gave her Black Radio. It was like, just check this guy out to do your album because she was going to do a record with Blue Note. So she's like, oh, my God, I love it. I met up with her. Boom, boom. We went and did a week in L.A. Did like four or five songs.

And then her deal with Blue Note went, something went left. So I got five songs of Shaka in my computer. That I don't know if ever going to come out. But with Anita, she was working, finishing that album. She was finishing it up. And I tweeted, I was landing in L.A. I was never forget it.

I tweeted. I'm in L.A., blah, blah, blah. She tweeted me, oh, come by the studio. I was like, what? What? I de-end they're like, Anita? He was like, yeah. Come by the studio, listen to some of the stuff I've been doing.

Her son is a DJ. At the time, he's like going to Berkeley. He's a big fan of mine. So, you know, that helps, you know. Right, right, right. You know what I mean? So I went by the studio. She played me the album and she was like, what do you think?

And I even fixed some stuff for her keyboard parts and some stuff. She's like, you know, did some things on there. She was like, man, if I would have known you were coming to town, I would have did a song with you. I said, don't play. I said, I'll write a song right now. I said, I'm in town right now. She's like, I mean, but I got to turn in this album in two days.

I was like, I need them. Yeah, we got time. It's two days. Bro, look. First of all, when I walked to the studio, she was making ribs. Let's just talk about this for a second. Nigger, yes, blackness. Of all, the blackness of it.

Unimitt, the vocal booth was next to the kitchen. It's the same studio, same studio, same studio. Same studio she did Angelin. Same studio. All of them in, same one. Oh, because she's on Beverly Glen record. Beverly Glenn, yes. She's still using that record?

That's, that's, well, back then when I did that. That was a few years ago. When I did that song, when I did that, yes. So she had an oven mesh and everything. You hungry? I'm making some ribs. I'm like, what? Huh, niggins.

I love it. It doesn't get any better. Anita Baker offering me ribs in the studio. She said, Angelette. I'm good. So anyway, when she said that, I was like, Anita, I'm going to write something for you right now. I literally went to the piano.

I swear to God, I wrote some shit. I live and breathe, Linda Baker. Like, giving you the best that I got is one of the reasons. is one of the reasons why. That's one of the reason between giving you the best that I got and Compositions. Comptuishing.

My mom had to 45. Look. Amen. I mean, Rapture is like thriller. So it's like you can't even count that after a while. You and Neander fans always want to outdo someone by letting you know that compositions is your record. That's the one, man.

That comes this was a motherfucker. Look, between that and Luther Vandross albums, Matt Adela Jr. Yes. Those were those sounds and made me want to play piano, period. Like, because that's all we heard. I heard that in the house to laugh.

Anyway, I wrote the song like 10 minutes. I went over Andre Harris's crib. I said, yo, I need you to put some shit on here just before I need to Baker. Dre was like, cool. I. They could put drums, bass, guitar, did that shit in about an hour.

We called Sir over. Sir came over to the crib and did his own shit and wrote the song, sang it. down. We email her the song that night. She learned it that night. Came to the studio, sang it down in one take. Wow. And then said,

then said this to me. She said, only in my life three times has a song fit me like a couture dress. This is the third. I didn't know what the other tattoo dress was. I didn't know what that shit was. I was like, what's a cator. I don't know what that is. Oh, my God. I didn't know what they

that was. I forgot. All right. Oh, Houston. Represent. All right. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. But anyway, she's like, she's like, what's that? I don't know what the hell is. I was like, so, so.

Shupac, shut out with Steve Harvey's. Brother. Exactly. That Shupac Couture. No, that's subtle. But, yeah, she said that she was like, there was a thing that George Duke did for her, some kind of arrangement of something.

And then I forget the other song, but she was like, this is the third. She literally sung it down in one take. What it sounds like? What it sounds? Where is it now? Yeah, where I mean? In my computer.

In that computer. Is you talking to us on? In that computer I'm talking to you. Is it in that one? In that computer and that computer with Gmail on it? Or at least a good quick time. The one with quick time or an act to us? That computer with a drawbox on it?

What a play button? Just a play button. Is it a play button? Trangle thing, triangle. I'll be here every six hours with my air drop. Okay. But my dream, I'm going to hit her up because I want to see if I can use it for Black Radio 3.

That's what I want to do. Yeah, yes. I want to do it so bad. That's my hopes for it. You mentioned George Duke. Did you, have you and him before he died? Did y'all ever hook up? Dude, I opened up for George for like nine shows in Europe.

Oh. He never remembered me after any of the shows. You know, people like that, they're up in that George, you know. And this was back in like, I don't know, 0, 08, 09. You know, I was over the middle of like three years. So, you know, I wasn't shit really, you know, so I'm not tripping because he's yours too. You know what I mean? But after each show in different cities, I'd be like, hey, hey, Mr. Do you, how you doing, man?

He'd be like, hey. Nice, you meet, brother. With that face, like, who are you? And I'll be like, I'm a rob. I play Key, um, Keys early. earlier before you start every and every

every night but he ain't coming to the sound to the people to the shows before him so you know but then we finally got to connect in a real way at International Jazz Day not that one I talked about

but before and it was in Turkey and me him and Herbie like got a chance to hang out and sit down and talk and you know what I mean chop it up in that in that situation

that's years almost then he literally passed I'm not the peer of them, but he literally passed a few months later. He knew your name. That's what I'm saying. He knew what I'm saying. He knew what I was there. He knew I play keys.

He knew I play keys as far as I got. But there yeah, he passed a few days, a few months later after that. 2%. That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.

I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-Persent on the I-Hart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand-new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

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

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English.

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

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

No, what are you going to say? When you said, Herbie comes to mind. I was just about to ask you, what is it? it like? Because I mean, the last show I went to of yours, you did this whole thing. He was like, oh, I'm about to go take a bathroom break. And he was like, I'm going to have somebody feeling for me real quick. And it was Harvey Hancock. And I was like, what the

fuck? Like, what does that feel like to be you and have that relationship with that man? Man, he's so awesome. And he loves to be around. Because he, you know, he got that from miles, I think, you know, just like, you know, wanting to soak up the younger energy and just be around. He been on that. Even since Rockie, like, that was him.

Yeah. That was always him. So, yeah, that's my dude, man. Like, I love Herbie. He's so open and cool and on it. He just pulls up. Like, he always pulls up. Pulls up to the shows, pulls up to my last record. He's on my last record.

Fuck your feelings. Because he just heard I was in the studio and just pulled up. I was like, oh, shit. You know, okay, cool. And he pulled up to fucking Hinson. And I was like, yo. Oh, handsome. Did you hear?

You want to, nah, no, no, no. You know? Ponte, speaking to your point, me and Herbie talked maybe two, three weeks ago. He said, this is the longest time he's ever gone without touching his piano. Oh. Wow.

He said he's in the same funk. He was like, man, I'm not even, I don't feel like, you know, he's like, I've never gone seven months, wherever long it's been without touching my piano. He's like, it's just sitting there. He's like, it's just sitting there, you know. Wow. You know, so I'm like, damn, okay.

Sometimes you've got to take a break. 100%. You got to take a break and then come back to it. I was going to ask, I think it's different for keyboard players now because of the advanced way that technology moves in your world, whereas at least with me personally, like I'm not too interested in, you know, like new drums and, you know, the company always be like, you know,

these are special trees that we used in Japan to make it, you know, I always tell them, like, give me the trashy, the high school set. It's all in your touch anyway. It's all in your touch anyway. Right. So as far as being a, are you a gearhead or are you just using the same kind of modern equipment? I am not.

You know what? Because when people were doing gear shit, I was just practicing on being really good at the piano. You know what I'm saying? I've never, because my whole thing. was always acoustic piano. So that's been my thing for such a long time. Even when I got signed a blue note, piano trio shit, acoustic piano. It wasn't even keyboards yet. I wouldn't even use the keyboards. For a while, they were putting acoustic pianos and clubs for me because I didn't want to play jazz clubs anymore. I want to play cool shit, hip-hop venues and shit like that.

And I was trying to get grand pianos in there. So Stein would put panels in there for me and shit, but a lot of times that sound would be fucked up. It wouldn't sound good. You know what I mean? And so I ended up like, okay, let me get the key, let me do the keyboard thing, but I've never really been a gearhead at all. People think I am for some reason, but. Yeah. To me, it always seemed like, I think that's the gearhead thing is more so for people

who think of themselves as producers first. Right. And you always kind of seem like a player, you know, primarily. Yeah, I'm like, oh, we need strings. I know a string player that can do that. Like even what we did, when we fucking did the, uh, twice, you know, Amir wasn't like, you know, pull up the strings.

sounds, he called some cellos and violins. You know what I mean? We know those guys. We don't need the patch. I know them. I'm always, that's what, you know, and all the patches, they're like, but it sounds real. This one sounds real than that one.

I'm like, I know real people. I know real people. I'm good. Yeah, I know the real people. I know the catch. I don't need the patch, nigger, I'm the plug. But I would imagine that. Y'all keeping musicians employed.

That's dope. Yeah. And obviously, obviously you got to tap into it a little bit because you can't just get musicians like this anymore, especially now. So that's why now I've been even tapping into just sounds and getting all the plug-ins and stuff like that, even if it's for demo, demo's sake. You know what I mean? I'll do stuff like that.

But I'm just such a live person. That's just my thing, you know. I would imagine, like, you know, I'll say like maybe, what, Steve, like, once every four months the rolling guy comes in with new toys. and whatnot, and we're like, oh, this is like Christmas all over again. Like, I'm certain that every keyboard maker from Yamaha, the world, like, all these guys are dropping shit off to you. Try our product.

Try our product. Well, here's the thing, though. I was on Yamaha for a long time, but it wasn't giving me that love you were talking about. I was like, hey. Yeah, I left Yamaha too. Yeah, because I'm like, yo, why am I having to? to call the MD for Alicia Keys to get to the head of Yamaha keyboards. I'm actually a keyboard player.

But I have R&B Grammys and Hip-Om Grammys and shit. Hey, this works for you guys, you know? But the MDs of the people get those looks. And I'm like, yo, but I'm an actual piano player. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I should get those looks. And I wasn't getting them, so I left. And like you said before, everybody else is like,

yo for years wanting me so I'm on corg now you know and they they they're great I have to stop them from giving me shit you're right I do yeah how many well the thing is is that when keyboards are manufactured and they put all those patches inside of one thing like does it matter how much product they make like isn't it just the same version of basically but for me what interest me in keyboards initially, too, was because I started needing to use a keyboard on the road when I was playing my shows, and I needed something that felt good, that felt close to a piano as possible. And that sounded as close to a piano as possible. So that's when I became interested in plugins and interested in different keyboards because, you know,

but so the one I have now, the one I use now, the Kronos feels the best when it comes to me having to get around like that. You know what I mean? Like, really get around. So for me, it was always that what felt the best, you know, because at my shows, yeah, I use a piano and I always have a friend of roads. And then I have something on top, you know, some kind of, like I have a smaller cronos on top for my extra little sounds here and there. But for years, I didn't have to do a lot of sounds because I had Casey Benjamin.

He had a million sounds in this shit. Right, right. Yeah, I remember we did that gig at Poisson Rouge. Yeah. Yeah. Poison Rouge with years ago and he was, I think you were playing, were you playing the lead,

the Nord lead, the little red keyboard? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think you were playing that a night in case he had. Yeah, all this shit. Yeah, yeah, I'm not, I'm just, I'm not really interested in a lot of sounds. I like piano, I like Rose,

like a few leads and a pad every now and then, but I like, you know, I know those guys who are great at those sounds, and I even hire those guys to come do sounds. Hey, you want to make some sounds? You do that. It frees me up. It frees me up to just do,

I want to do. You know. Hey, I was just going to ask you about the Miles project that I was like honored fucking to be on like just to log into my ass cap and see a song and it's Fonte Cove and Miles Dave's like, nigga, what? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Like, for, like for real, for real.

Like so I, yeah, I mean, I've told you this a billion times. I just want to say in front of my brother, thank you so much for that opportunity. For sure. For sure. But, um, but no, man, I wanted to ask you like, so when they give you just carte blanche and say, I do whatever. how, I guess, how much of an undertaking is that and how involved is his family in that

in, you know, kind of, you know, making sure that, you know, that shit is done tastefully or whatever. Like, what was that process like, man? Just doing that, everything's beautiful. It actually was his nephew, right? Yeah, it was Vince, his nephew. And I've been known Vince for years and he's always, he's a fan of the music and he, you know,

he knows that I'm a, I shadow a lot of what Miles already did. And I think like that and I look, see what, you know, so he hit me up about it. First, I was already doing the score for the movie. I was in the middle of that. Right, right. The John Tito is, miles ahead.

I was already in the middle of the movie. And then Sony hit me up about doing that, doing the, because it was about to be his 90th birthday or something, I think, that time. It's gonna be his 90th birthday. And they were like, we want to do a remix album, blah. And I was like, I'll only do it if it's, I don't wanna do a remix album.

Like, I'm not interested in putting some Miles Trump it's over a hip-hop. You know what I mean? Like, that's been done. I don't want to do that. I said, the only way I'll do it is if you let me in the vault and let me take what I want. And they were like, okay. So they gave me eight hours.

Oh, eight hours in the vault. They got eight hours in the vault. I thought you'd be eight hours to do the album. I was like, God damn. No, no, no. They gave me eight hours in the vault. Okay, got you. That's way too little.

Way too little. I took as much as I possibly could in that time, because they didn't want to let me in the ball originally. You know what I'm saying? But it was like a back and far from my people, their people. Then they finally were like, okay, we'll give you eight hours, you know. How much unreleased Miles was in there? I have a lot of shit.

What were they? What were you taking? Out takes. Damn, Steve, that was a lot. Right? Hi, Steve. How are you doing? Hey, Steve.

Oh, shit. There you are. Look. Where are you? Well, what, we're. What were you taking, MP3s, tapes? What were you talking about? No, just MP3s of shit.

Yeah, I brought my hard drive in, and they were just like, take what you want. What do you want to pull up now? What I'll be going to pull up now? You know, some stuff. Oh, so they had it all digitized. They had it all digitized. Some stuff was two-track, which you can't do much with,

but then they had shit that was like eight tracks. And, you know, Kirby soloed. I just want him cursing out Tio. I got so much, I got, yeah, I got that. I got him cursing out. I got him talking shit, cussing out, talking to Ron Carter when he was trying to learn freedom jazz dance. Yeah. Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait.

I, wait, did I share this previously on another? I found out something that I don't think the jazz world is aware of. Why? I was recently told by a lot of jazz. I had to ask at least six of them. Right. I did not realize that Ron Carter does not know how to solo good. so someone

brought this up to me when I was asking my other my older jazz heads about stuff right right and to them they're baffled that one of the most

iconic hip hop samples and they're referencing the McCoy Tiner sample for the choice is yours with Ron Carter and Ron Carter's on base doing that

And I guess the whole thing is that they're laughing at the irony that the world's worst solo is. And I was like, you guys just can blast me right now. They're like, no, no, no, no. Ron's a perfect foundation for music. But if you notice, Miles never gave him a solo on any of his records. And I was like, I don't believe his shit. And then I went back and for a whole month, listen to every Miles Davis. couldn't find one.

If there's anything, it was just walking solo, if there was one. If there was one, like he was there just as foundation. Yep, exactly. And then when I was like, wait a minute,

why is that so? Because Ron Carter is like, he's like, no, this is y'all fault. That's tribes' fault. Y'all may, y'all may be worst musician

and Mao's Davis Arsenal King. And I'm like, this is blasphemy. But I didn't realize like how do you judge maybe I don't know like yeah how do you know if a cat is real or not well that's it depends on the instrument because the reality is no most people don't want to hear a bass solo anyway thank you thank you yeah well you went to school with Christian McBride you went to school with the most incredible bass soloist in the history of jazz music so you have a

different outlook on it but most people don't want to hear bass solos that's when you go to the bathroom man all that wait seriously that's the job joke. Yeah. No, I acknowledge I believe that Chris is, I mean, next Dominguez, like I feel like Chris is the god of jazz bass, so maybe I am spoiled, but period. There has never been a soloist like Christian McBride. That's not even up for debate. There's not one person that's

even close to a jazz-based soloist like McBride is. No one gets around like that. It's true. No bass player makes other instruments scared to play after them except Christian McBride. When they solo, I've had this conversation with all, everybody. He's the only bass player that when he solos, you're like, fuck, what am I going to play? You know what I'm saying? Like most base, most bases stay in their base range and they don't have much vocabulary because you don't, you don't get to work out as much. You don't get to solo as much. You have this one base solo in a set at best. You know what I'm saying? But everybody else, that's what you do.

Your job is just, yeah. So without you, without you throwing your, you're contemporaries under or your idol's under. But I always want to, like, and this is weird, because comedians have a whole another standard. I guess I have a, you know, like when I criticize Kanye's patches, you know, his drum patches or whatever. And even Kanye himself, now I feel like. Keep it to the stuff.

Keep it to the optimistic. Ask him. He'll tell you. No, but it's just like, you know, I hear, people just dismiss it as like, oh, you have like dog whistle ears. Like you hear something that we can't hear. But, you know, like when I hear a producer, I can tell like based on their, you know, the way they chop their patches and what they use and their arrangement and their tone and all that stuff, you know, stuff that I can hear that the average person can't hear. But how do you know, like my dad would know how. how good a musician was based on how they play ballads.

He made them play a ballot. And he was like, I can instantly tell who is good and who's not good when you play. When you give them the easiest shit in the world to play, and they fall apart in front of them. So what's your standard? Yeah, no, that's a good one too. So that's the piano player, when you play a ballad, you're exposed because now it's really about your touch and there's space there. So how much knowledge do you have to fill up that space?

What can you do to fill up that space? A lot of people feel like, I'd be tasteful about it. A lot of people feel like, especially piano players, they feel like when I go to shit like NAM or stuff like that, it's a million piano players. Everybody's trying to play giant steps.

I went one, I went twice in my life. I had to go last. I did a thing for Chord just recently. I did a show there for Chord. And so, dude, it's, yeah, you already know. Anyway, everybody wants to play the fastest thing they possibly can, giant steps or some shit like that.

And there, when you play shoes fast, you don't have to have touch. It's not about touch. It's not about this, not about that. And it goes by so fast, you're not paying attention. But with piano players, you can, like, I can sit down,

I can see a piano player sit down, and in five seconds, I can know what I'm about to hear. Sometimes I can do it just by your posture and why you hold your hands a lot of times, I can tell, okay, you actually don't play jazz. You have to pay church organ. But you're playing piano today.

Like, for real, For instance, you see me play organ, you think I don't play keys, because I suck at Oregon. I know real organ players. I know Shudrick Mitchell and Corey Henry and James Poison and these kind of cats. I'm not an organ player. So there's a difference in the technique? 100%. It's a different instrument.

So the shit that Corey does, like that would, you would have to practice a lot to get to that level? 100. When he plays chords, now lines is different. Like lines on organ are easy because the keys are plastic and there's no weight. A real piano has weight. So you can, when you can tell somebody's real chops when they play a piano, because that's when the weight's there. You know what I mean?

That's what you got to be right. Yeah, if you're slow on organ, you're, I can't help you. It's a plastic key. You're supposed to be fast. You know what I mean? But core, yeah, any organ player that's really good. Moving from chord to chord, it's a fucking spider technique. Like, everything has to be connected and you voice things different

because you're used to having bass pedals. So your voicing's up here are different. Piano players are you not used to having bass pedals. We have to play bass here. So our, our voicing are different to make it full because we have to make it full to hear. Oregon players have the pedals. So they're just their, the core, the structure of the cord, and stuff be like, what the hell, you know?

So immediately you can tell what they, somebody plays by like sitting, sitting down, you know what I mean. And yeah, and the vocabulary is super easy to tell immediately, you know, that. And then Rhodes players is another thing too. Like, I don't know, like, that's a whole other thing. Like, yeah. Yeah, Roads is, yeah, yeah. Everybody that plays piano can't play Rose and vice versa.

Facts. In Oregon. And like all those are different touches and different vibes and like 100%. So what's your accordion game like? Oh, I'm crazy on the accordion. I'm crazy on the accordion. Depends on which one you're talking about. I'm joking.

I don't play the fucking accordion. I do know one that's amazing, though. I used to see him with Jeff Tain Watts on Monday nights at the Zing bar years ago. Really? Accordian and Tane. He was smashing. Match him, bro. Wait a minute.

Where to go? How does it feel to be the person that got Malcolm and Jamar Warner, his first Grammy? Wow. The man got to be all Grammy, son. What's wrong with that? You know what's crazy about that, though? That wasn't supposed to have... Most of my stuff on Black Radio, I tell everybody all the time.

It's like, whenever I make an album, the universe is always a co-producer. Because it never goes how I wanted to go all the way. And I know that... I know that going in and I'm okay with. it because great things, better things have happened because the universe is like, look, nigga, this is what's going to happen. So, show the fuck, this is, can't do shit about it. So when I did the song Jesus Church of America, it was an ode to the children of the

Sandy Hook tragedy. That morning of the actual tragedy, I was doing it Stevie Tribute. I believe Amir you came and sat in. Was it that day or the next day? we did two nights at Harlem stage of a Stevie Wonder tribute Damn man I I need you around just to remind me of shit

Yes yeah yes and you can And Amir came by it might have been So it's two nights the first night Was of that day that that taxi happened And it's another night And you came one of those nights I can't remember which one of them And that was my first time doing that arrangement

Of Jesus Chishol of America With Layla For for them And it was that day That happened I woke up And my good friend, Jimmy, Jimmy Green, his daughter was killed in that. Oh, wow. Jimmy.

She was in first grade. He sat in with us on the show a few times. Yeah, she was first grade. And so that fucked me up because I have, at this point, I have a son. You know what I mean? It's like, oh, shit. Shit hits you harder when you have kids. Things that happen with kids, if you don't have kids, it's one thing.

Once you have a kid, it's a whole, no. I can't even watch movies the same. You know, when you have a kid, everything's different. Like, oh, shit. So anyway. fast forward, when Black Radio time came around, I told Lela, hey, I want to do Jesus Chisdom America. You know, she's like, okay, she came in and, like, as usual, as she did for the Shaw Day song,

Oh, my God, one one take. Cherished the Day was one take. She was reading the lyrics on her phone. It was actually the, it was the sound check. She was right beforehand, she said, mic check one, two, mic check one, two. That's why I faded it in, because right before that, she was checking the mic, and that take you hear is the sound check. So when she finished, she was like, okay, I'm ready. I was like, thanks, we're good. Nah, that was it. I was it. She did the same thing for Jesus Chism America.

Jesus chose North America. She came in and did that shit one time, one take. I don't have bonus tracks of Layla. I don't have bonus shit of Layla because she just doesn't one take and I'm good. I'm like, I'm good. Love it. And anyway, we did the song and in my mind, I was going to get Jimmy Green to do a poem for his daughter in that song, you know, in the actual song. And so I was reaching out to him and, you know, trying to see if you want to do it. And my other friend, who's really close to him, Otis, was like, man, this is not a good time for Jimmy, you know, blah, blah, blah. So he couldn't do it. Malcolm had hit me like, yo, I want to come hang out at the studio next time you're the studio.

So I hit Malcolm like, yo, we'll come hang out the studio. I'm doing some mixes of songs, blah, blah, blah. And we started mixing Jesus children in America. And I told him, I was like, I was trying to get a poem on here. He was like, dude, I'm a poet. Right? I was like. Right.

I forgot about that. He was like, he was like, bro, give me a stab at it. I'll go, I'll go write something right now. Give me a stab. You don't have to use it

if you don't want it. He went to the, we're in, we're in, Westlake, and he went upstairs, took it like an hour, wrote it,

came down, spit it. And then that was it. That was it. Wow, man. Surprised. Yeah, bro. Yeah, bro.

But a lot of those things were Black Radio, that's a, Black Radio, the actual album, I canceled it like four times because It was too hard to make because nobody's schedule was lining up.

So I literally said, fuck it. We'll do it next year or some shit four times. And then out of the blue, my manager hit me. I was on tour. I was on tour of my band. And my manager hit me like, I don't know what happened, but every guest is available next week in L.A. And this is Black Radio one or two?

One, one. Okay, got you. In L.A., everybody's available. In L.A. Grammy time. Yeah. And I was like, oh, shit. No.

Yeah, it might have been. It might have been. It might have been. Everybody was there. January, February is where you catch all year. Right. Yeah, yeah. So I was like, oh, shit, okay.

So I canceled my tour and I flew, I flew in and I flew right. And I went right to, what's the girl, King's house? That was when King started having a little. Yes. When they had a little, and Amir, you were like talking about King and Erica. Yeah. My friend, Megan, she was happening to kind of be managing them at the time. At the time, I remember Megan was, Megan's the beer.

And she was, and I told her. I was like, man, I want to get them on a record. I think that'd be dope. They got some fire now. So I went to move love, John. Move love. And I went to their house to meet them and to write the song. And they happen to have a washer and dryer.

And I had just came from Europe. I went straight to their crib. I got laundry. So I was like, nigger, I wrote some chords. And I said, okay, y'all finish it. I went to the laundry room and did laundry. Why they were writing the song. And in the middle of that, I had Lupe come over to their house.

to meet up with him to give him the idea I had for him to do what he's going to do for the record. And then I had most come over a little bit later. So they were freaking out. They were like, what?

Oh, my God. You know, most came over a little bit later so I could tell him, hey, this is what I'm thinking about doing, blah, blah, blah, blah. Tomorrow when you come to do, you know, blah, blah, blah. But that's, and then literally

that's just how that would happen. That process was, Black Radio 1 was five, was five days of recording. And then Black Radio 2 was like six days. is a recording, you know. Man, on Black Radio, too, we have to ask a guest that we

had earlier. Bill, Wizard. Oh, Lord, Jesus. Does music like, oh, yeah? Oh. Because He liked it. That's a good question. That's a little, good question. It's valid. It's valid. It's valid. It's valid.

He don't like it? What do he say? He don't like a, no, no. He has a, he has a very complex relationship with his back catalog. When we had him on the show, we didn't specifically ask him about this song. So, no, he didn't slander enough. We didn't ask him about it. But no, that shit is hard

as fuck. But, like, what was the, what was it? Like, what was the, was it like recording that? Did he into it or what was it? He loved a matter of fact, last time I saw him live, I just happened to be in Oakland and I saw he was at Yoshi's and I just walked in and he was playing all year. He was singing.

So he liked it. You like, you like, you like. You like it. Yeah. He likes it. Hey, Mikey. But, yeah, that's another universe. That's another universe thing because I flew to Atlanta. I did the music already.

I flew to Atlanta so he could write the song. And we went to studio. That's why he liked it. The first night, the first night we were in the studio, he came up with the hook and blah, blah, blah. They were like, we had another night. So the next day, matter of fact, you have something to do with this, Fonte. We never talked about this.

Okay, because I'm tired of having something to do with you. I think I know what this is. if it's, okay, go ahead. I was in Atlanta and the next day you, Ford Exchange, was having a show at some festival or something. In Atlanta, it might have been on music fest. It might have been.

Yeah, that's right, because we hit. Yeah, you came on stage and I came on stage and sat in with y'all. Hell yeah, that shit was dope as fuck. I remember. And Cressette Michelle was there. I think she played after you. Yep, she did. I stopped. I said, I was like, first of all, don't show. I didn't. Hold on.

Hold on. Hoh, Hoh, Hoh, Hoh, Hoh, Hoh. Don't touch me, ho! I love all of Black radio. I love all black radio. No, because that was, shout out to Jodine on that. Jodine, hit me. Jodin, she hit me.

Oh, that's right. Shout out to Jodd. At the time, our keyboard player and M.B. Zoh, he had, like, another gig. He had something to do. It's like the only F.E. gig you ever missed. Gotcha. And she was like, yo,

Jone was like, yo, so Robert, would you mind if he just come up? I was like Rob, like, Rob, she's like, glass, I was like, hell yeah. Like, that's my nigga, tell him to come on. And that was it. From sitting in with you, Cressette saw me, it was like, I saw her after that, I was like, yo, what's up?

What the fly? She was like, I was like, I was gonna fly back to New York, but it was a storm in New York, really bad. Sandy, Sandy, or something. Hurricane Sandy, yeah. And she was like, I can't fly back to New York. So I'm gonna be here an extra day. What are you doing?

I was like, yo, I'm in the studio. Come hang. out, come by. She came by the studio and I handed her a pin in the pad and I was like write the second verse. So that's literally how all yeah came about, the two verb, her being on it because originally just a song of music, but literally came about because I came to sit in with you and Cressette was there. Watch God work. Great connector. Robert. Robert Glassburg. Look at her. The connector. Black Radio two, the Bill Withers thing. Bill Withers came to So for a random, for some random reason, Casey, when we set up at the studio was like,

yo, let's do, let's play Lovely Day for the sound check. And I was like, okay, we literally never play Lovely Day. I'm like, okay, what's the changes again? Show me the change? I was like, cool. So we just did one take down, Lovely Day. Boom. That's literally what you hear on the fucking album, on the extended version.

There's a Black Radio 2, then there's extended it. So anyway, one of the guys. there was like, yo, I know Bill, I'm gonna call him and tell him you did that. I was like, okay, okay, okay, cool, sure. Call Bill. Everybody didn't call Bill. He called Bill. Put me on the phone with him.

He was like, yeah, young man, I wish I could come hear yourself, but, you know, I'm feeling a little sick or whatever. I was like, oh, okay, no problem, man, but honor, honor that you even took the time to talk, whatever. Cool. So fast forward the next day, uh, who was that I was going to comment in a Macy Gray, I think, the next day. And Rosh was writing his rhyme,

and he ended up having, like, a writer's block in one part. So we were just upstairs chilling, kind of talking shit or whatever. And walk up upstairs, Bill Wither's walked in. Wow. He was like, what? Dude, he walks in, and he's like, well, let me hear this song. Like, oh, shit, okay.

So we go to the downstairs the studio. I play on the song. He's like, yeah, I like the song. I like what y'all did with it. And then, you know, talk to us for three hours straight. Stories. Just stories and stories and stories. Got all video stories and stories. From that,

Rashid was sitting behind him with a pin in the pad writing some of what Bill was writing down saying. Hell yeah. So, Rosh's second verse on I Stand Alone from Black Rider 2 really is a lot of Bill Withers words. Oh, I mean. Wow. Oh, no, I'm going to listen to it right after this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow.

He's one of our bucket list, man. I hate we never got a chance to get him for your past, man. Man. Man. I really want to build with this on QLS. So, Rob, are there any, like, is there any, I mean, besides the eventual collaboration out, you'll do with your son? Yep.

Are there any bucket list projects that you have yet to, you know, are you going to do a foray into classical music? Will you You know what? Play guitar and I don't know. I would like to hear a Robert Glass would take on like a Brazilian love affair. Oh my God. No, what's funny though. Yes.

And not a cover app, not covering that, but you know something in that, you know, your own shit, but just that. Like the movie, like the movie. My lady is Cuban. Okay. So I went to Cuba, hints we have a kid. And with Cuba, she took me, I didn't meet her to Cuba, but she took me to Cuba in November to see the vibe and don't see the music or the clubs and everything.

It was so fucking inspiring, bro. Like the musicians out there are fucking incredible. Oh, you got to see like the whole Afro-Cuban side of things. All of it. All of it. All of it. I even got cool with Chucho because of that. I've been to Chucho's career.

And we hung out and played Chucho Vides. You know what I mean? mean, like, crazy. So I want to do like a, I definitely want to do a, like a project, like, my shit meeting Cuba. You know what I mean? Like that kind of shit. Remind me a red hot back in the day. You know, red hot. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I definitely want to do something like that where it brings that, that, that sound together because so many people take from Cuban musicians, but you don't see the musicians because the motherfuckers can't come over here. You know what I mean? That part. Right. That part. You know what I mean? That part.

So it's like, yeah, man, I'm learning so much from her about the culture and everything. And it's so deep and rich and so dope. You know what I mean? But also I thought a Brazilian one too, bro. Like I want to do something like it is just like, you know, the chords in Brazilian music. You just be like, oh, you know, just over the music. My fame, my son, no one. I have so many.

Yeah, yeah, I have so many. But I have so many projects in my mind that I want to get done. You know what I mean? But, you know, I definitely want to, I want to do an official like some shit. official thing with the roots, a real one. You know what I mean? I've sat in so many years. But I attribute a lot of people asking me, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, where am I, where my sensibilities come for playing hip hop

and things like that, how I got into it? Because I wasn't playing hip-hop when I was in Houston. I just started playing hip-hop until I got to New York, and Below started taking me to y'all jam sessions. And my first time playing hip-hop with a band was with you. You know what I mean? Like, so I got a chance to play with the roots a lot, which trained me in that, in that,

in that world and sit there and watch James Poyser and, you know, and watch June. You know what I mean? Play, you know what I mean? Like dumb cats and Amir, that really, that's part of my, part of my whole shit. You say nothing but a word. Let's do it. 100%. And I'll be looking out too, Glass, I'm going to be hitting you up.

We're in the process. I was putting the bug in your ear now since you're in L.A. We're trying to figure out somehow, trying to write a sketch for season two of Sherman showcase. and we want you to be, we want you to play Thelonius Munk. Of course. But we don't know how yet.

So, so just, we're ready. I'm down. That's it. For sure. Monish Munk or a Sherman showcase. Yo, can I just,

a little suggestion for the Amir Robert Glassford thing. I don't know if you recall Robert, but there was a Roots picnic about, what was that, six years ago? you performed at? In the morning.

Okay, so you remember telling me, I remember I was talking to you and Marcia, and I asked you like, you know, what was you like as far as this Ruth's picnic? You were like, I would really like to perform when it gets dark outside. People are here. I was still there.

I was so mad, look. I was just like for you to also take this moment. I'm like, when the Ruth's picnic come back outside. They were set, look, they were setting up tables and shit. Like, who are going to be. He performed for the food trucks. Hey, man. I was like, God damn, what the hell?

Robert, even. Even I don't attend my, the first Roots picnic I attended it was the virtual one this year. You hadn't got there. Yeah, no, none of the cattle there. The Root hadn't even got to the roof picnic. So then everybody sees me like, yo, you playing? I was like, I had played nine hours earlier. He did.

He was there all day, poor baby. I was there all day long. Don't play a mirror on front street because I'm like in a way too. I don't know how much we've gotten a real live great black radio live situation. Wait a minute. But I was just saying, what if we could like recreate something else? Were you not part of the, um, the join I did with Esperanza, or was that not you?

Okay. No. See? That was probably raining. See? I had you on a good path. So back to the roof picnic. I think you'd throw me under the bus on my own show.

No, no, no, no. No, no, we're doing some borrowing. Come on, I'm with you. Build this picnic for 2021. Robert Clever first. He'll on the studio first, and then we'll premiere the song, the next Roots Picnic.

Look, Mark Hollenberg makes his play. So that way we can have a Roots picnic. Oh, there you go. Yeah, exactly. There's that. Sorry. That part. That part.

That part. 21. I said 21. All right. Well, it's hope. It probably would be 22, but yes. 22, whatever. I just, I wanted probably clasper in the roots.

I was just saying. Boom. Let's do it. Let's go. Yo, I'm here. Whatever happened to that? Did that thing ever come out that we did in Dallas with the orchestra? You know what?

You know, it's weird. Shaka's portion made it on YouTube. I don't, your, your guess is as good as mine. I think whoever, like, underwrote that, like put it out for quarantine entertainment, but that's a good question. No, it hasn't officially coming out. But that was, I did some with Erica, too.

I think I did a piece with Erica. Yeah, we did. Erica, you, Shaka Khan, the Roots, and the Dallas orchestra. Yeah. Yeah, fuck yeah, that was dope. We did some amazing stuff together. No, it's, you know, you're my favorite. Absolutely, we're going to do shit together.

Let's go. Let us go. Yo, Rob, we thank you for doing Questup Supreme Final. Finally! It's like a two-parter. Stand-nearing two-parter. Yeah, so on behalf of Sugarstee, Laya, Fontegelo, and unpaid build somewhere.

We also like to give a shout out to our pals at Mazda and they're glorious CX30. Thank you very much, Rob. We appreciate it. And congratulations again on your daughter, man. I had no idea. Congratulations. What's our name?

What's our name? Her name is Lola. Oh, Lola. Lola. Gotcha. Oh, yeah. Riley's 11. How is he, man?

Riley's 11. He's 11. 10. 10. Going up 43. Going up 43. Exactly. For sure.

All right. This is Questlove, and we'll see you on the next few round of Questlove Supreme. See you. Boom. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHeart Radio, visit the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available.

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