The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Slum Village Part 1

Episode Date: August 2, 2023

Questlove Supreme is celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop with a month of special programming. The celebration begins with Detroit legends Slum Village. In Part 1, T3 and Young RJ discuss the city's unique history and how it shaped the formation of SV. T3 recalls how he, J Dilla, and Baatin dissed one another throughout their acclaimed Fantastic debut and explains how Q-Tip helped the group, then gave them some other attention.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed human. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits,

my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the 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. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. I'm in their hair salon now, y'all, so. Oh, that's so good. Yeah, there we go. All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode, a very Detroit episode.

of Questlove Supreme. If you're watching our never-ending soft launch on YouTube, then you know, you know why this is a very Detroit episode. If you're just listening, I ain't describing nothing to you all right now. We got Team Supreme in the house, Fonsecalo. What up? What up, man? How's it going?

I'm waiting on this one for a minute, man. We've been waiting for this one for a minute. Yeah, man. Little brother, we were honored recently in our city in Durham with a proclamation from the mayor. And, you know, so it was, we're celebrating our 20 year as well as hip-hop, you know, 50 year, of course. And, you know, there will be no little brother without the group that we have on today. So exactly, exactly. A dream come true.

I've been waiting on this one for a minute. So, Steve, what up, bro? What up, bro? What up, everybody? How you doing? What up, dude. Actually, I should say, what up, though, Shaker Steve? How's it going?

Everything's good. A couple of our albums have caught fire on our record label. But now I've got to spend my whole day shipping fucking records all over the world. That's a good problem to have, man. You had a dream of your own label, and it's happening. And, you know, that's amazing. Speaking of albums that have set the world. movements on fire, I will say that the totality, the entire legacy of our guest today

just ring strong in not only hip-hop culture, but in music and everything from their production to their delivery, to their cadence, to be honest with you, just the love that they have for their city of Detroit, the love that they have for each other, for hip-hop culture, for innovation for like doing something original. I guess you can say that their chemistry is to me like the most important element that has kept the legacy of this group alive. It's not about one specific member over another member. It's it's about just the overall chemistry and the contributions that various members have given this particular organization. And you know, me myself, nothing will ever, ever, ever.

I don't know. It's like once you get in this industry, you kind of see things different from a production standpoint, from a creative standpoint. Like there's a part of your life where music means something to you before you get in the industry. And then there's a part of your life when once you're in the industry, you see things different.

Like you see everyone as a peer. And I don't know. When anything that this group has created, I don't know. I hold it like the Holy Scriptures coming from Moses. I don't know. I can go on with a gazillion descriptions about how important the legacy of this group is, especially on hip-hop's 50th anniversary.

But, you know, we're going to get to just rap. It was something we haven't done a long time. Friends of the show, y'all, welcome Slum Village to Questlove Supreme. I'm sorry. I mean, that was like a lifetime achievement. Yeah, thank you. In the L.A.P. George Awards, speech, and you know, right?

I should have been to the VT Wars this week. I don't know. You know, RJ Rice and T3. Thank you, man. Thank you for coming. What's the word? Man, appreciate you having us. Thank you.

RJ, where are you right now? In the studio. We're finishing up this album. Okay. So you're still in Detroit right now? Still in Detroit. All right? And T3, you, the same?

Yeah, I'm in Detroit at Crip, chilling. I'm just happy to be here, man, and, you know, happy to be a part of this wonderful show. Thank you. Wait, I got to ask y'all, you know, I absolutely positively never miss an opportunity to talk out how important the city of Detroit was to my creativity. I meant, you know, in addition to just interacting with you guys and, you know, even for, Batin, for Dilla, anyone. I mean, even

Illijic, like whoever has come from the city of Detroit. But a lot of my creativity, like a lot of the music I worked on, I technically did in that city that's important to me. And, you know, so I feel like I have a relationship with the city as well that was instrumental, like between 97 and around like 2006.

And even like when I tour, Like I know places by heart, I go by myself. Detroit's a little bit different now. Like from what I'd known it as 25 years ago, like just as residents of the city, how do you guys feel about what's happening in Detroit? Like, is it progress? Like, things are just different now. Like, former firehouses are now like five-star hotels.

We rebuild it, you know? Okay. And it's a good look for the city. You know, it was desolate. bleak for so long, you know, that now we finally getting, you know what I'm saying, the downtown back how's supposed to be. We finally getting the neighborhoods that was run down, you know, they're tearing them down and rebuilding. So, you know, it's good for the city. You know what I'm saying? And I'm happy to see it. You know what I'm saying? And make me want to stay in Detroit.

You know what I'm saying? Not ready to get up out of here and go somewhere else. Right. So the temptation has never been strong to be like, all right, or let's relocate to Atlanta or like go down south or anything? No, no, not. Not for me. No, no, no, no, no. No, not for us because, you know what? It's just the vibe.

You know, we like, and you can be to yourself. You could be, you can be bothered or not bother. It's a choice you make. And I think, I think that's something we like, you know, you know us. We kind of stick to ourselves. So, yeah, Detroit is a plus for that. You know what I'm saying? You know, oftentimes, like, all right, take a city, a musical city like Austin.

Austin takes a pride in its weirdness. For me, though, like the black version of what I see Austin in terms of, I've just never seen a city so open. And once I realized that, you know, you guys were raised on the electrifying mojo. And if, you know, you guys listening, go on YouTube and just start listening to Electrify, Fime Mojo, you got to realize that this dude was basically one of the last of the Mohicans in terms of there was a time when radio really trusted its DJs to do whatever they wanted to do.

You know, now, like, you kind of are, you're a prisoner of corporate radio, which the, the playlist are like predetermined before you even, you know, like September's playlist has already been determined for you. So whereas a guy like Electrify Mojo back in the early 80s was like just playing some of the weirdest music ever. And so, you know, once his listeners are growing up and immersed in this music, it's like no wonder Detroit is such a creative hub where people just think different. Is that weirdness still prevalent in Detroit right now as we speak? or? I think it's still happening.

I think a lot of, a lot of the people that are the younger, people that are kind of weird, they came up after, they came up on us. I get a lot of that from the people like Curtis Roach and a couple of other cats from Detroit. But then, you know,

Detroit has a whole other side, which is just, hood. You know, people are from these creative people to just hood. You know what I'm saying? Right. Then you got the creative hood, which is kind of a merge of both, which is like the side of baby.

You know, stuff like that. See, that's the thing. I, even though I think you guys in the very beginning might have been slightly defensive towards how we saw y'all because, you know, like the music was one way. But you guys were saying some like crazy outlandish shit on top of it. Like, y'all are just as hood and creative. But I don't know. with the first time I came from Detroit, I'm like, yo, this is like a city that

will listen to Thomas Dolby and do the Carlton, but they're also going to beat your ass if you fuck with them. And that's the shit I couldn't. Right. Yeah, I mean, because you know, we've always been

a collective. We always been, I mean, we grew up on tribe and NWA at the same time. It wasn't either or it wasn't rock jazz, any music that we can find creatively, are we there?

And then we grew up on techno, which is totally something else, you know, in itself. I think that's key. I think you guys embracing electronic music and techno is the key to why Detroit's so crazy.

Yes, yes, creatively, yes. See, you had it at one point where they would play all the hood stuff during the day, you know what I'm saying, commercial stuff. Then at nighttime, when people going to the clubs

was like all techno, you know what I'm saying, stuff like that. So our prime time getting ready for the party was techno music. So, you know, we had the opportunity that had that balance, you know what I'm saying, like T was saying. Could you take us back to the beginning to where, like, if I'm looking, I guess in archaeology terms, like if I'm looking for the spark, you know, the sticks and stones that like built a spark, where does the. actual, where does the story of Slam Village begin?

I would say it began in Persian high school where we were, you know what I'm saying, a school, you know, Persian high school, which is this, because when I was coming up to be a rapper, you know, it was weird. That was considered weird to be a rapper. You know what I'm saying? Because it's just so like, even though it was a few rappers, hood rappers that was out there, But what we was on, we was extra Eleoness, extra, you know what I'm saying? So we were walking around, you know, extra clothes, extra, you know, dreadlocks, you know, we very, we out there.

You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? So when I heard about other guys that were like me, I was like, oh, okay, now we got a squat. You know what I'm saying? So now that, you know, I ran into Dilla because I heard about him. him through this guy, through that guy. Heard about by 10 and then Yajid and everything. And it just all clicked up.

So it wasn't a neighborhood thing. Like they weren't your next door neighbors? Like you heard about them from the other side of town or? I mean, we're in the same neighborhood, believe it or not. But I did not know that. Okay. I mean, in Detroit, you're not going to come outside your house and just walk around. And, you know, you know, you know, I'm saying.

So you're going to your house. You know, I don't know what I'm saying? To your destination. them back because you don't want no static. You don't want nothing to happen. So you just go into where you go. So I, even though we closed and we hauling in Coney Gardens, it was just like different random parts.

Like, and I had them if it went for school, you know. So, RJ, you know, actually, our listeners out there should know that I mean, you come from a lineage of, you know, Detroit hip hop

being as though, you know, your father is you know, the legendary RJ of RJ's latest arrival. Like, I grew up listening to shackles. Heaven in your arms is the one for me. That's the one.

Yeah, exactly. On my rotation right now, still on my spot of, yeah. So can you talk about just growing up as sort of like lineage of Detroit culture? Like, what is your childhood like with your parents that are popping? Like, you know, I have them on soul train.

I have them on. You know what I mean? Like they were national. always played on radio. So what was it like just growing up in that environment? I grew up on the road. So between them touring and stuff, you know, like I was like out on a fresh fest and you know, stuff like that with them as a kid with fat boys and run DMC and all of that.

So that's kind of how I grew up. So were there Jermaine sightings as well? Because I thought Jermaine was the only kid that was like allowed in the fresh Did you get to see him at all? No, because remember, I'm 10 years younger than T. So I was like two. Okay, three years old. So.

Serrain DePree was like 11, 12. Okay, I get it. Yeah, so between that and then, you know, when they would be on the road when I got to a certain age, I would be with my grandmother. And my grandmother stayed in Coney Gardens because that's where my father grew up at. So that's how all of everybody kind of came together. You know, describe Conan Gardens. Like, I know it as a song, but what is the neighborhood of Conan Gardens? It's a hood, but it's not like, you know what I'm saying?

It still got good people. It still had a good batch of people there. It wasn't overly violent, but it did have its hood aspects. You know what I'm saying? We always had a nice park. I live right across the street of a number. nice park. We had a nice, you know, place to play and whatever. So, I mean, you know, I don't know why, you know, we had so much respect for. And it's the only neighborhood really in the hood where

you see where they got the actual banner where it says conigarons, like they name this hood. You know what I'm saying? They really don't do that. It usually would be like east west, you know, whatever the name of the street is, but they actually named the whole neighborhood. So once we saw that, you know, we just grab it. to it because, you know, we had found each other in, and, you know, in this awkward little place. As late children of the 70s and 80s, just in your general childhood, how aware of you guys of the lineage of Detroit, like, was living in Detroit just like to you growing up in the early 80s, like, ah, man, this town used to have something and then everyone left it. Like there's no more music left. Like, was there still a strong presence of the music lineage that the world knows as, like, Detroit?

I definitely say, yeah, man, I grew up on a Motown sound. It was definitely part of my household, part of everybody. Everybody was still very proud of that. Even though Motown had left with Cali, you know what I'm saying? We were still very proud of that. We still had the Motown Museum. We still had, you know, we were still proud of all of musicians. that came through.

So that was a definite, just soul music in general, we was all grew up on that. That was definitely part of our, you know, our bringing up, you know what I would say. I want to ask y'all, man, specifically, when you were talking about

Techno earlier, new dance show and the scene. Break that down. Like, what did that mean to, to Detroit culture? That was everything. Everybody used to run in the house and tune in our version

of soul train. You know what I'm saying? Well, you see dancers who became popular in the neighborhood for showing up. And also, it broke a lot of rappers, too. A lot of up and coming rappers, they got a chance to perform on that. So the new dance show was everything for us. My wife worked at the museum now for the new dance show. So it's still part of my life today. Yeah, man, it definitely inspired us in many ways. I will say that the scene, you know if you to our listeners out there if you've not watched it just to describe it like most most uh territories parts of the united states would have their local dance show Detroit had the scene um I know Chicago had a show that was more geared to stepping

Philadelphia we had our show called dancing on air which found some success and actually became national known as dance party USA and that's where like Kelly Ripper used to dance on the show whatever but a lot of localized back when dances were regional um you know how they dance in Detroit is not how they were dancing in Texas and you know you would only know when you would like visit cousins in the summertime like what kind of dance is that or whatever so like for Detroit and and dancing do you guys know the history of the Earl Flynn like what is it about the and is the Earl Flynn

still a Detroit move or is that just like one specific generation? Even your history were dancing like I know

in Batten's version of pregnant on the first Slim Village album it's an interlude where he's rhyming over the Roger loop right

you know it's only like 45 seconds but he literally I read the lyrics and basically he's saying that I came to a

like I came to a party to show them how I dance and they're looking at me like I'm a weirdo and you know the jit is a Detroit dance kind of like Chicago got footwork right saying Detroit has his own version you know what I'm saying a little more technical than the footwork and um that's what he was talking about he said when I walk in there doing my jit they looking at me crazy you know what I'm saying because he jitting and he got dreadlocks you know what I'm saying so jitting was like a cultural thing here you know what I'm saying like everybody jitted for the most part so that's kind of how it worked the Earl Flynn was like if I ain't mistaken T that wasn't that like the gang Earl Flynn game called the Earl Flynn's and that was they move

that they used to do that's where it came from yes that's where it came from it was a game so answer me this around the parade album period You know, I would routinely, like Prince's relationship with Detroit is just on some other level. Even when I would go back to old album credits, at least like from controversy, 1999, Purple Rain or whatever. I mean, I didn't even realize that Prince was, Prince's love for Detroit. Like, all of his Detroit, shout out, start with, what up though? You know? And I'm like, Prince knows this speak?

Like, what does Prince know? and if you watch like concerts in 86 assuming that this is the Earl Flynn like where you wave your arms back and forth Prince was routinely so that was Prince's version of doing

I guess so yeah do brothers feel a certain way like that or like no they have overwhelming love for him see you got to think like you say go back to the uh to the mojo mojo broke Prince he would play a whole Prince album

on the air. You know what I'm saying? Sometimes even with the curse words. Yeah, I was like, how does that happen? And Prince, you could call him. He will pick up the phone and call him and thank him. So they developed a relationship. You know what I'm saying?

And they became really close. So he helped Prince break in Detroit, man. So, you know, they became great friends, man. You know, so it's just a dope. That Prince incorporated so much Detroit in there. Yeah, it was incredible. Yeah. A win is a win.

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

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for, raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the 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. When the roots first visited, Detroit was the second American city that we visited when we first started touring. And the place that they took us was a spot called The Hip Hop Shop. Okay. Which, I mean, by that point, Marys Malone, you know, hip-hop fashions were starting in 94. 95 starting to become a little national.

It wasn't just localized, but was the hip-hop shop sort of just like a localized hub for an MC back in the early 90s? Or like how, talk to me about the relationship of that establishment? Well, we had a few establishments, but that was one of the main ones. And that was the one that really, you know, had to break out artists. You know what I'm saying? And that's where Royce and Eminem, a D12, an L, and just everybody was at this spot.

So this was the spot for MCs. You go there, it was only on Saturdays. They sold clothes during the week. Maurice made his own clothes and sold them. And then he let us have an open mic on Saturdays. It was hosted by proof, rest of the piece, the big proof. And you know what I'm saying? It was just some of the, we had some of the illest battles.

Now, in Slom Village, we didn't really battle, but we used to, like, premiere songs and play certain joints and do stuff like that, but it was some dope battles there. You know, M had a few battles there, a bunch of people. So it was our spot. It was our only spot, really, at that time. We had a couple of nighttime spots, but that was the time. And it was in seven-mile, which is kind of scary if seven-mile, it's like a Martin Luther King Boulevard, you know, type of.

But at that time, it was all love. You know what I'm saying? Everybody went there, did they thing. You had some guys smoking weed in the car. You had some people drinking their little beers and then go in there and do their hip-hop. You know what I'm saying? And then it was just a dope spot for us to do it. So shout out to Maurice Malone for doing that, man, setting that up.

In your opinion, like, how is hip-hop translated in terms of like, okay, so a song like ain't no future in your front? Was that just universally accepted by the entire hip-hop community? Or was it like, okay, well, you guys are more West Coast sounding. So, you know, that's y'all's thing. And we're more East Coast sounding. So this is our thing. No, it was universal because we, Detroit is like the melting pot of every sound. We listen to Luke and two live crew on the radio.

We listen to Dr. Dre Snoop Dogg. We listened to Trot, Twister. They played everything in Detroit. So it was just like a dope song. Detroit just accepted it as a dope song. It wasn't about, it sounded more Cali. It was just, you know what I'm saying? Represented the city as a whole.

Speak on the first moment in which it's like, okay, let's start a group. Now, I know before it was Lund Village, the name was a sounds, Cineapot. Yeah, synapause. Dopeness backwards. Okay. Oh, okay. So, explain to me how, like, the year that starts and the group in that formation.

And that formation started off, like I said, I heard about these cats. Number one, we was dancing, Tim. Speaking of dancing, everybody in my crew danced, too, by the way. You had to dance. I can attest to this. Yes. You know what I'm saying? So everybody in the crew dance.

But anyway, I had heard about some cats. I heard about Della and this. And I heard about Bantan. But first it was like me and Bantan, and I got with Bantin and Wajee first. And we had a group called Hard to Oppose, which one we did two songs. But yeah, it was more West Coast gangster sound in a little bit. But yeah, we had those couple of songs. We did that.

And then we heard about Della and about the beats. And then Waji introduced me to that. then we decided to do official Cineapide stuff, which means we went to the studio, Mo's studio, this Hood Studio. And we recorded these couple of records. And one of the records had a Flip Wilson sample in it. So it was very zany.

Oh, wow. Very elevated is what you heard from Cineapide. So the Cineapide lineup was me. Waji, Batan, Della, QD. Oh, wow. QD was in this? Yeah, QD was in this.

Because that's when dancers was really a part of it. And QD started off dancing first, so he was a part of it. So you're saying at this point, L-O-Ness was kind of y'all North Star? Yeah. No, stop. Between them and organized fusion. Okay. Early.

Yes, but definitely L-N-S for sure. Okay. Yeah. So we made our couple of first records, which was called Rata-Tat-Tat-Tat, the sound of the whack. And, you know, we all doing the chance. We do it in a chance.

And you, get it. You know, all that, you know, all that, because everybody was doing that at that time. And we did a couple of records at Sinapai. Only that before we formed Slonville is sure. There are records? I said, only two records. I mean two records, literally two two.

No, no, no. I mean, like, physical, like, I can find this on eBay records? Oh, no, not physical records. Okay, y'all just made some something I was about to say, man. Okay. Yeah, no, no, physical records. Exclusive. Back then, like, what was the process of making music?

Like, who was, because you're naming a lot of MCs and a lot of beat makers. So, like, what was the division of labor, at least for that particular project? Like, I think, YG produced one. and Dilla produced one. Cudy only did backgrounds and me by 10 Diller rapped. And, uh, featured this one guy.

Um, this guy who was who turned out to be an R&B singer. I forget his name. Uh, yeah, but yeah. What? I was like, who? Right. Right. No, I mean, he's underground. He didn't blow up big, but he.

Okay. I see. And that configuration lasted for how long and then, how did it morph into the second phase of the group, which I guess is Slum Village? It may be last for a few months before everybody decided at that time that, you know, dancing was kind of been getting played out a little bit. So maybe a year, maybe dancing was getting played out of it, so we didn't really need to dance anymore.

And YG was like, Dillis Beasts is incredible. I don't need to be doing no beats no more. And then it was like, well, we're only people left. So it was basically it did. So we was in the basement one day. Did you know it was like when you're hearing this stuff? And I've heard even in the what we call the camp, the camp amp era, shout out to Amp Fittler. Yeah.

The Camp Amp era of Dilla's musical development. Were you guys at all aware like, all right, this is a weird ass shit? Like, I live in a territory, and still to this day, I know that a part of my production has to appease the need to please the barbershop in Tarek's head. You know, whereas, like, sometimes I want to do some crazy off-kilter shit, but then I'll give it to Tariq, like, he ain't going to fuck with this because it's just too weird-sounding. But it's almost like, like, all those, I think the earliest song I heard from you guys is, was it here come the drums or bring the drums or

yeah yeah I know what you're talking about yes right which is crazy shit you know what I mean even the early demos of the songs that wound up on fantastic were just super weird like how is there no filter for especially coming from Detroit which I imagine you have to have a protective shell of hardness to get respect you guys were just like

anything goes and if it's weird it's like yes this is true i mean i think like i say most of our albums were based on comedy so just us making each other live is what we was really doing so we had dad so we were you know when we was working our little factory jobs together we basically laughing all day creating ideas using that for songs just you know so it just basically came out of humor and it was enough of us where we felt like we could just stay in our bubble and never be a part of the real world almost. You know what I'm saying? So we was just in our bubble, just period.

So there was no like when you play it for your boys and there's no cringing like, that's a demo or fast forward like? No, all my boys was just as weird. So it was just like we was all found each other. It was a good hundred of us eventually. But you know what I'm saying? But the core was like a good 10. So yeah, we was all just as weird.

And they was like, the weirder to the better. Oh, man, you know what I'm saying? Because to us, hip hop was all new. We didn't kind of grow up on those structure like New York did when hip hop was a certain type of way. And you know what I'm saying? It was just whatever I created if you can get. You know what I'm saying? And that's kind of what we incorporated.

For people that's so immersed in pop culture, how are you getting this stuff where, at least for my first 15 years of coming to Detroit, there really wasn't nothing. Like I knew you guys, so you guys were entertainment enough. But for the average person, like what was there for culture? Well, the culture is, we're building this thing up. You know what I'm saying? From stone by stone. So you're saying, okay, when Slum Village started coming up, we start building up our audience where we had a literal following of people.

at least we can get a hundred people to come to our show. You know what I'm saying? And that's why when you hear, when you hear the look of love, and you hear the, I was going to ask, yeah. You hear the audience singing, and that's just fans before we even got it got on.

You know what I'm saying? Because we had already filled up a base, piece by piece. You know what I'm saying? And as far as the movie theater, it was one theater in the hood that you could go to called a Bel Air. Yeah, no, I didn't go there.

I know about the bell air. It was told. I used to have to catch a bus to get to it, but yeah, it's nice theater, though. But, yeah, that's the spot. And I knew you as a movie, man, because, you know, we went to the movies. One time we was on the road together somewhere. Yeah. That's my thing.

I was like, damn, nothing. What do y'all do up here? So, all right. So the thing is, is that when Fantastic is finally coming to fruition, So what's the discussion in terms of like We got to make our own tape And I heard there was a rumor that you guys were initially about to sign to

Ruben Rodriguez's pendulum label Yeah that was that was a possibility But that was later though a little bit later now But yeah that was that was earlier before Because I think pendulum came out like 92 correct Yeah pendulum is before volume Fantastic Volume 1

That was with Pops and John Sally That was true Okay yeah That's what happened Well we were signed To John Sally And his dad

They had a They had a place called Hoop Studio Okay And basically they were going to sign us They was It was between us And a digible planets

Oh wow Wow Wow y'all You're almost Yeah This explains it. The thing is, is that you guys sounds like when I heard Fantastic,

we were more amazed that like this isn't, it doesn't feel like a demo. This sounds like this group has had experience before and y'all sounded like professional. Now, Fantastic winds up in my hands in like 96, 97. So even by 92,

you guys were at least set or poised to make your grand arrival or whatever. So yeah. Now that makes sense. Do you think you guys were ready for that back then? No.

Are you glad how it turned out? Yes, absolutely. Because if we would have came out, we had this song called Is It the Magic? And it had the upright bass and it was everything you wanted a jazz slash poetry rap.

It could be. It was all that. You know what I'm saying? Aff filler was on there playing this. Shout out to Aff filler. Always showing us love. Yeah, so that was that record. No, I don't think we was ready because we were still developing styles, and I just think we weren't ready at that time.

What you think, Jay? Hey, man. All thing you do, time. Yeah, that's what I say. I think it worked out exactly how I was supposed to. I was recently doing this radio show about the milestone records label. and McCoy Tyner specifically. And the guy who owned that label,

Orn Keep News, said something to the effect of, when he first met McCoy, you know, McCoy was like, you know, you gave me this one session, and then you never called me again until later on. And he said, well, back then you weren't McCoy yet. You weren't McCoy Tyner yet, meaning, you know, he hadn't developed his unique

style or et cetera, he found his voice. So when you all were starting out this time period that we're talking about, was Dilla Dilla yet, is what I'm asking. Like his earliest beats,

had he found what we now know as what he did? Quest could probably answer this question too. I think as a listener, there were already signs of what was coming in the future. So sort of like, and you know, I've got my hands on a lot.

of these like 92 beats, 93 beats. Yeah, even for back then, that was some really unorthodox thinking that, you know, I was like, wow, even early, like I'm pressed to find something that I'm like, eh, that's not really whack. Like, you see that he was searching for it.

Of course he perfects it, but I don't know. That's, that's me, like coming out the gate, it was an immediately, like, a jarring thing of like this isn't like how the hip hop I grew up sounding is made. So, but it didn't sound like an amateur making it. It sounded like someone doing it on purpose. Right. But you all recognized at that even early on that,

that he was a special talent. Yes. When I heard those beats, I was like, this is it. Early. Early. First of all,

you think it's just you and your neighborhood. Like, oh, he's just good for your neighborhood. But then you start. and start branching up, he's like, wait a minute. This guy is really incredible. Yeah, he's right.

He's right. And like I said, he started off with just the pausing cassette, took that, was then went to this and went to that, learned on it. It was like, man, I was amazed. I was just happy to be alone for the ride, for the most part, before we even got a chance to develop what Slum Village would come to be. I was just looking at him like, how's this kid? He, he's my age.

Well, how's he going? You know what I'm saying? I'm looking right away the same age. You know what I'm saying? And he was just killing it. You know what I think? What year were you born, RJ? Like, how were you at the time when this is happening?

92. I'm about eight, nine years old. Okay, so when you're first hearing this, does it hit you different? I think as an adult, it hits me different simply because, you know, I knew what the lay of the land was. For me, the lay of the land was like,

what tribe was doing? and what Delah was doing and what public enemy was doing, what Marley Maugh was doing. And so Dilla's arrival was more akin to that of like Godzilla coming to town. Like, wait, what the hell is that over there? You know, that sort of thing. But for you to come, you know, to be much younger, it's not like you had an established lay of the land of once was. Like, oh, black and white television suddenly like in the Wizard of Oz, everything turns to color. So for you, though, like, how are you receiving this at a young age?

I knew it was dope because he was producing for my kids group. So he was doing some of our demos. Oh, wow. Wait, really? For sure. Tell me about this. I didn't know this. I had a group called, first it went from four rich kids.

Kids are not. You know what I'm saying? Kids always in it. And he was, uh, and he was producing the demos for us because of the studio, we was all signed. So my pops had us sign. He had Slum sign.

He had Paul Rosenberg, Eminem's manager, was signed to the label. He was rhyming? Yeah, he was rhyming. I need evidence. He was dope too. Paul Bunyan.

Yes. As Skinny Supreme. Did you know this, Fonet? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's in Dan's book. He talks about it a little bit. No, no, I just never heard of the music.

That's all. And I never heard the music, but I've heard the story. Okay. Yeah, so it was all of us up there. And this is Barack recordings? Nah, this is Hoop Sounds. This is in 92 when he opened the studio with Sally. We would go up there and I would see him.

You know, I come home from school and seeing Della make beats in my kitchen. you know what I'm saying? So it was just like, oh, okay, this is like a big brother and I'm seeing him, you know what I'm saying, record and then he was making demos for us. So I always knew, you know what I'm saying? He was dope. So who's teaching you how to make beats at this time?

Like how old were you when you started messing around on machines? And what technology was at the studio? I started making beats the first time I was on a DMX drug. machine, just programming in the drum machine. And that was just picking up Pops equipment. When I actually started producing was around the age of 13, 14. And just being at the studio, I was like, man, I might as well give it a shot.

So I asked my Pops and he was like, man, I'm not teaching you nothing. You know what I'm saying? Get the machine, figure it out if you want to do it. So I sat there and figured it out. Eventually the guys come to the studio. You know, he liked playing some beats. This is around like 97. Okay.

You know what I'm saying? And 98. And I played them and they laughed at the beats. Dilla Bottein and T was just fell out laughing. And, you know, they like these beats funny as hell. So after they leave out, you know what I'm saying? Dillard like, yo, man, let me show you some stuff. So he showed me, you know what I'm saying, how to work the 3,000.

Okay. So I'm like, okay. So he like, work on that. When I come back, I'm going to show you some more stuff. I want to hear what you're doing. So he would come back in, check up, like what you got. Okay, that's how you work the effects in the 3000 to get delays and stuff. And then eventually, you know what I'm saying?

Corrupt came to Detroit and I ended up producing some songs for Corrupt. How old were you at a time? 15. Wow. Oh, okay. So when Dilla heard the beats that I did for Corrupt, he was like, okay, now are you ready? And then that's when, you know, it just, I kind of got in the mix with that and then producing on climax with Dilla. Right.

And mixing the record and all of that stuff. That's how I ended up at the video shoot with y'all. Ah, nice, nice. Damn, so you were literally young RJ. sure. Yes. Literally. So can you tell me how and the whole process of making Fantastic One?

Because for me, the bomb that Dill had Dill had dropped on me was that he made the music for Fantastic Volume 1 after the vocals were done. He was like, he would just do a hi-hat. And you guys would just rhyme to the high-hat. high hat. I would say this, number one, it is what happened, though. Volume one got done because a beef, a dumb beef. It was the group Fiaella, shout out to them.

The same Fyella that's on all of y'all's on a dance, stuff. Wait, are y'all you singing? Wait, is this 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 L.L thing again? Are you all like beefing with each other on the song? Yes, yes. Wait, wait, wait, I was only playing. Are you serious?

First of all, every song on volume one is me to talk about Dylan. Diller talk about me or him talking about Bottein. I didn't even ask that question. I'm talking about other crews. You guys are just basically using the microphone as a pulpit bully like method. Yes. Yes. You got to give me specifics because.

When Dill is saying, I'm sick of niggas popping up in my crib, but he's talking about about it. She's talking about me because this niggins, he told me, he said, he intended you to come to his crib and then he won't ask him the dog. And then he'll say, I'm popping up in the day. I'm going to pop up in the crib. You're talking about to come. I never knew this shit.

It's stuff like that, man. I was tons of stuff like that. Yes. And so what, can't fit niggas be running? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's coming back. Yes, we, that's all we did all day was talk about. each other.

On the first of all you want. You were lightly ranking on each other. Yeah. I mean, you know, because that's got of the niggas we was. Wait, so I don't know why the fuck I'm fucking with you? All this. Well, that was the chick that Dillon was messing with. That's that way, it wasn't, it wasn't, I ain't talking about.

But then by 10, threw a couple of slick lines in there too, though. So yeah. Yeah. All they, what we used to do. But like I said, it started off with a beef with them. And Dilla had produced their whole. a whole tape. Now, man,

you slum village didn't came out with official nothing yet. And they was bragging like, oh, Dill did our stuff before he did jobs. Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. Boom. So here come Waji, hyping us up.

The first song we're going to do is players, talking about them. That's the first song we did. Players. We was talking about them and this other guy from the old hip-hop scene that I was talking about personally because we was dating the same girl, and he got mad.

And I tried to, anyway, but yeah, it's something like that. So, so that's how it all kind of started, you know, after that. What is the 78? 78 is our birthdays. So I'm, I'm, uh, Dilla's February 7th. I'm, uh, November 8th and by 10 is March 8th. So it's, it's just our birthdays. You guys are weird.

All right. So it was inspired by that. So we, we did like half of the tape. to just clicks and then half we did beats. So I went off. But then even with the beats that we did, he still remixed. And he would change them.

It wasn't the same either. So that's how we did volume one. And we did it, like you said, we did it in a week. Because we had all these rhymes that we, in songs, you know what I'm saying? Just from 10 years of being together, we were together for a long time before we actually came kind of out.

You know what I'm saying? So what did they record volume one on? because it sounds like y'all just recording on like headphone mic, like what kind of equipment which I use? We record it. We record part of it on headphone mics. Because we had two mics

and then we had to do part of it straight to that. So it's stuff straight to that. I mean one takes. I mean if you fuck that we had to it all over again, do it again because we're doing straight to dash. Then we took part over to RJ's studio once we got some time to do that. So it's all over the place.

It's going to have to roll. Fuck that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's why we saw I had to roll, because I really did it like 27 times. Like, oh, fuck that thing. Yeah, I mean, but I enjoyed the process. And when we made it, when we made it,

if you listened to me at the end, I'd be like, ooh, I already knew. Right. I already knew that to end the one of those songs. I already knew it was going to be a classic. I was like, ooh, this is it. So question. All right, I always wanted to know this.

And I know I'm like asking you to remember. like inside jokes from like almost 30 years ago. But so on Fat Cat song or at least at the end of how we bullshit, after listening to this song for like 25 years, I listened to a fantastic like its entirety last night for the first time in like maybe like maybe for like five years. Like it's been a minute since I just sat down and listened to any album in its entirety. But it finally hit me. Am I correct in assuming that you guys, at the time that you

recorded it, the Soul Train Awards must have just came on because you're obviously talking about escape, like at the very beginning. Like you guys are trying to remember their name. You're like, you know, the group that sings, get back your seat, relax it. Right. But then there's a moment where I believe that you guys are mocking Colony Bad's first single of their sophomore album Time and Change? Yeah. That is true.

That's true. Yeah, yeah. Because everything was comedy. Everything was comedy. That is true. All right. Do you remember the second album that Columie Bad did Fonte where...

Yeah, time and chance. Yeah. Yeah, where they decided to enlist Bootsy and the Peefunk All-Stars as their band. Oh, I missed that part. It was really weird. Like anywhere they were going, like, literally, like, I'm looking at Gary Mudbone Walker and Bootsie Collins and Catfish.

Wow. But just be side guys to call me bad. Not like, hey, like, at least in Delight. Like, Delight was like, yo, y'all, we got rock. Bootsie's rubber band as our band. But literally, I saw a performance on the Soul Train Awards. Finally, I looked it up.

And I believe that that's what you guys were mocking because like at no point did you guys think that that was ever going to get out or get back to them or anything like that? So I think we thought we was being so coded that people was going to really be like, you know what I'm saying? It took me a minute.

As possible. And that was shout out to Frank Nick. That was Frank Nick that was saying that too. That was Frank Nick. For real? Okay. So I mean, like I said, everything was based on jokes, comedy. I don't know why we decided to say that before the song that we was getting ready to record.

Right. But we just kept it. Like, oh, okay. What was your level of shock that not only is this going to take off in your city, but at what point do you realize that this cassette demo might actually be not only hip hop's most. important creative shift. Very quietly, though. I mean, not like in terms of Dr. Dre, like, turning

the whole world around with the sound of the West Coast, the G-Funk sound, but at what point do you realize that this thing is going to be bigger than just something local or something that's dope for hip-hop, but almost like damn near

its own genre or a way of life. Like, at what point does that hit you? Believe it not. Once we got that demo or that volume one took Q-tips hands and he

started calling this person and people like you and there people like DeAngelo and all of these people saying, oh man, that's when I'm looking like, okay, these are people that I admire. You know what I'm saying? I love their music.

And that's when you know, okay, we do got some legs. You know what I'm saying? We got something to stand on. But you know how long that takes because it's word of mouth. First of all, you had to mail the tape. Remember you had to...

Yes. And syndicism. Okay, now you got to wait. Then they got to listen to it. Then they got to play a boy. Y'all ain't in the same state. So he... But Q-Tip single-handedly

played it for everybody. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, he did. I can attest that the first time I heard, Her Fantastic Volume 1. I was in Germany and living off a per diem and weekly stipend. So, you know, like, you know, to be a broke starving musician living on about $375 a week on your own to fend for yourself.

And the temptation, you know, to pick up the phone to call the United States. long distance for 25 minutes. Right. Right. No, literally, like I told them, like,

set up a microphone to the speaker phone. I want to hear this whole entire thing. That was, that was a $168 phone call that I could not afford. Wow. No, seriously, I was like,

okay, I can live off of Pompfreet. There's a joke in the, community, Palm Friets, Buku Tamant. Usually after midnight when bodegas or like those late night spots that are about to close, right before they close, they might like sell the food for cheap. So when you're touring Europe, you know, you'll go to the kebab dude and he'll cut off half the price.

So I was like negotiating my meals. Like I can live off of street, street kebabs, Buku tamats, and Palm Friots. and at the venue I knew I was good for a turkey sandwich like you know they give you food at the venue so no man I had to starve one week for some slum village

over the telephone but oh man sorry you hear that thanks but on the other side of things so is it jarring to be in this bubble that's so influential in which on one hand people are embracing

you. But on the other hand, it's almost like we get to sample and taste the nectar of the fruit before you yourself get to enjoy that. Well, it's a lot. It was a lot for us. Number one, out the gate, we got kicked in the rump because Hutev decided when we did finally get him on the record that he wants to use our record as a platform to leave hip-hop. Right.

When I heard that verse, I was like, wait a minute. Right. So guess what New York said to Slum Village? Boom! You got rid of Tribe Conquest. I was like, no, I did. I just wanted a verse. Right, right.

You know what I'm saying? I just wanted him first. I didn't know when I went down there. He was talking. I was walking with Q-Tube down the street. He was going to Suburro's Pizza. And we was going to some studio or something after that. And he was like, man, you know, I'm really thinking about quitting, man, I'm out.

And then he loops up the original hold tight, whole tight. Right. And he starts spending these sentimental lyrics. It's something about this group that makes people want to, you know, some sort of catharsis release that happens. That makes everybody confrontational on a slum village cassette. Yeah, it's where, so right now, this is, this is 20, five years of a legacy of

of this brand name, a way of life, amazing influential music that I deem very refreshing. Can you guys tell me, especially in hip hop's 50th year, how is hip hop still refreshing to you? Right now, Sloan Village is at a space where we just create And whatever we feel that's not in the market, I can do me like to the total. So because the label situation ain't there no more,

you don't have to, nobody said, hey, make sure you do a hit single or make sure it is. Nobody knows where's nobody coming. It's wild, wild west. Everybody out there with their pistols and they like, anything can hit. Anything you can hit. It don't matter what it is.

It's just, if you can deliver it to the audience and present it in a compelling. way it don't matter if it's trap shit boom bap shit whatever it's like it's not i love it i love that wow west yes i'm out there with my my my pistols i'm ready to go so right now i'm having the best time of my life making music right now slung village is just living in your heart i mean it's like the beginning like what what you feel that's dope and incredible for you in your heart that's what you're given to the world okay q ls listeners this is sugar steve that's where we're going to stop part one of this two-part interview with Slum Village.

Check back next week or on your podcast feed for part two of this Questlove Supreme conversation with T3 and Young RJ. In part two, they discuss Slum Village's evolution through the years, new music, and more. See you there. Quest Love Supreme is a production of Iheart Radio. For more podcasts from IHeart Radio, visit the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. A win is a win.

A win is a win. Yep, that's me, Cliford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

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