The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Tevin Campbell

Episode Date: July 6, 2022

In a rare conversation, TC speaks with QLS about meeting his idol, Whitney Houston, working with Prince and overcoming the pressures of child stardom. 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar.

This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated

the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed, I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe.

On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. Ladies and gentlemen, what's up? This is Questlove, another episode of Questlove Supreme, here with my... crew, my team Supreme in the house. Laiae, how are you? How's it going?

Today, I am doing it. I know. You know, I'm listening. Yo, we've been waiting on this one. We've been waiting on this one first. Wait, right. I was here first. I've been waiting on this one, man.

I know. How you doing, Steve? How's life? I'm doing great. Life is great. I love this podcast. I love you. And hello to our guest.

you love you too absolutely you love you back yeah cool it man cool it man it's one for the record books man listen I'm good man I'm good I'm chilling I'm really excited about this episode today

this is gonna be a lot of fun yeah you know I was thinking about it this morning and I realized that this podcast is probably the antidote to my Instagram account which of course you know my Instagram account

could be another person's obituary it's like you don't like my Instagram is you don't want to be on that summer jam screen. Like, ah, will I be there next? Is he going to be right about me, you know, next and the life I lived and, you know, my death? But, you know, Fonte actually brought up a point.

You know, sometimes we just need to give people their flowers. And I think it's rather, I think it's rather apropos that we're taping this episode, especially after what I dubbed the versus comedy hour. Oh, yes, I'm here. Talk about you, brother. For real, for real. I honestly feel like if there ever was. was a paradigm shift or a kind of sea change and just in the process of what art is, you could

probably say that our guest today was probably the last Mohican. And this is not to, you know, this is not to, you know, call out other singers that came after I guest and whatnot, but I just feel as though just the level of taking your seriously, especially for black music, is, you know, it's, I feel as though it's, it's kind of in, in danger, or at least, at least in a DefCon, five situation. If you, if, you know, y'all just got to read between the line. Like, our, our, our guest today is definitely master, master vocalist. I mean, he's been our favorite for so long, and we've been dying to get him on the show.

without further ado ladies and gentlemen, please welcome freaking Tevin Campbell is on Questlove Supreme. Yes indeed. Thank you. Kevin Campbell is honored to be on.

I actually thought this was I don't know why I just thought you be unattainable or just not interested in doing it. I don't even know how we started. I think I just you know, shot my shot and DMs is like, yo,

we got this, we got, you know, like, you sent a text like, I got him. Yeah, dog, I didn't even think it would answer. I was just like, eh, he's not going to answer.

First of all, we know each other. We run into each other all the time. Right. Through good years. Right. And, uh, no, I don't usually do interviews and stuff like that, but you know what?

Questlap, are you fucking kidding me? Thank you, man. Thank you. I'm really honored. I'm honest. I'm honored. Oh, no.

You're a family today, bro. We just talking about it. Yeah. We're just talking shit. So let's go. You know, it's weird. You know, it's weird. Okay, so when I was looking up, just like your basic information, it's kind of weird how perception is, you know, like, throughout the years.

Because, like, okay, me sitting in the movie theater watching graffiti bridge, like, watching you act. Or just, like, even on the freshman, like, generally just knowing you, like, whatever, your videos or whatever. I think in my mind, from this perspective, me as a 51 year older, I would say like, oh, probably like 20, almost 30 years older than him. And it's so weird how, like, I know you were born in 76, which basically you're just five years younger than me. But it's so weird, like at 20, I felt you were like, like in my mind, I'm like, oh, he must have been four years old or five years old, even though you're just five years younger than me. Because he was living a grown-ass life. Remember? We was like, wow, look, his life must be awesome.

Yeah, man. So it's just weird how, like, we're actually, like, closer to age and peer-wise. But I don't know, my perception back when I was 20 was like, you were way, way, way younger than me. Which is now it's like, okay, you're kind of four or five years younger than me, which is kind of like we're the same age. No, a lot of people say that. But I think that's the power of the childhood start a phenomenon. You know, I mean, to this day, I get, you know, people come to me there like, you know, oh, you're Tammy Kamala, but you look older.

You have great hair, you know, like, oh, everyone still thinks you. It's supposed to be. But that's just the way the brain works, you know, like, when you were introduced as a child, everybody's going to remember, especially if you made some sort of impact. You know, I was blessed to have made an impact as a kid. People remember that. And so to this day, I get that same thing.

So you're not the only one. Thank you again for doing this for us. Where are you talking to us now from? Where are you? I am in New York. Well, first of all, what was your first musical memory in life? My aunt giving me the Amazing Grace album, the Franklin Amazing Grace album on the vinyl.

She gave that to me when I was, I think, that was the first album that I listened to continuously I think I was maybe eight or nine. She gave that to me. Her version of Holy Holy is just like, come on, man, what are we talking about? Her version of Amazing Grace is incredible. I mean, though the song was written by Slop Evil,

I didn't know that until years after a couple of years ago I learned that. But anyway, she seems like, no. Yeah, yeah, it does. It does. What was it like for you to see the film version of that after having lived with it so long. You mean the... Her, Arefah's film version,

she, you know, when she was alive, she, they tried to bring it out maybe like, you know, like 20 years ago and because of some sort of contractual dispute, she didn't allow it, so, of course, she had to pass away. Were you able to see the documentary or the concert, the film?

The Amazing Grace, the live... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry. Yeah. I thought it was beautiful. in a point in her life where she was very happy not that she wasn't happy in a point in her life

but she was glowing and she had this afro and it was just beautiful man and you know seeing her in her element I think is what's the most beautiful thing I think that people were touched by seeing that film because you don't

a lot of people don't know that she sat and played that piano a lot of the songs that she did and a lot of songs on Amazing Grace album to see her sitting there in her element been playing a piano and singing, it's just amazing all the time.

So that was... Most people don't know that she's like just as good as a piano player. She is a scene. Yeah. It's important for people to see that. So can you tell me about your... Where were you born? I was born in Dallas, Texas.

Hey. Park in the hospital. Yes. Okay. Okay. Yes. Yes. I'm a country boy.

Trying to hide my accent, but it's actually going to start coming out. It's my first glass of wine. So once I get up the second glass of wine, Oh, that's what we're doing. I just know. Well, I'm a wine guy. Oh, no.

This might be a Denise Williams episode. Let me go get my box. I'm trying to start no problems. It ain't a problem. All right. So you grew up in Dallas. Just in general, what was your, you know, your formative years like as far as, like, how you discovered music. And did you discover it with that album or were you coming out the womb singing it?

Oh, no, I was my mom. I was coming out to the world singing. I was singing since I was three years old. My mom said I used to go up to the speaker and just hold my ear up to the speaker and sort of like just imitating anything that was coming out of speaker. I was into cars and singing.

I remember when I was little, I used to run my hands on the side of cars like my hand was a car. That was how I factuate I was with cars. And singing was just a part of my, I did, that was just what I knew how to do. I mean, you know, people would get me 50 cents or a dollar or $2 to same for them, you know.

That was, I didn't think of it as anything particularly special. It was just something that was, I just not do it, you know. I could see the effect I had on people, but I grew to love it as I grew older. I didn't really, it was just a part of me. It was just something that I could do. I didn't see it as a talent or anything like that. I was, it was just, I was a kid. How old would you say you were when,

When, what age do you consider you actually starting your craft? Well, it definitely wasn't while I was a kid. It was, it was, I didn't see it as a craft. I was just doing what I knew how to do. I didn't see it as something. I took it for granted when I was a kid. So did your mother see it first then? Is that what happened?

My mom grew up singing also. Okay. Yeah, she, yeah, she saw it. She saw it for everybody saw it. But like I said, like, I did talent shows at school and stuff like that. But I didn't walk around, like, thinking that I was a good, I didn't, I was just singing. Like, it wasn't something special. It was, I wasn't, I didn't consider it special.

Like, did everyone know, like, ah, like, were you waking up, like, out of sleep? Like, sing for the people? I think I was thrown into the business. fast, like so early that I didn't really get a chance to understand, like, talent and all that. I didn't really understand what that meant. I was just doing something that I loved to do. I didn't think that I was talented because of it at the time. I didn't understand what that meant.

I didn't understand what that meant until probably, well, when I started with Quincy and started singing for Quincy and like I realized who he was, because I didn't know before I met him. where he was. But then, you know, Saravan and Ele Fitzgerald and all these people, I started to realize, hmm, you know, I knew I could sing. I just didn't think of it as, it was just something that was just a part of me. That's probably a good thing. I think it was a good thing.

For your first talent show, do you know what you say? Oh, my God. I did Whitney Houston, The Greatest Love of All. It was absolutely God, awful, because it was too high. It was so nervous. And I was shaking the whole time I was singing it. And my coach, did Pee coach. It's like, dude, why did you sing it so high?

I was like, I worked to do it in the original key. I was like nine years old, you know. Oh, so when you modulated, you just. I don't know if you call it a modulation. It was horrible. It was horrible. I know somebody recorded that. But yeah, that was bad.

I wasn't good at talent shows or anything like that. I wasn't good at that. But that was your go-to song? Oh, yeah, Whitney. Whitney was my go-to artist when I was growing up, all into my adulthood and young adulthood and everything. She was the one. Who are, like, the three artists that are your North Stars,

as far as, like, who, at least when you're singing, that you're gravitating towards them besides Whitney? When I was younger, I definitely gravitated towards Whitney. Everything I did, it was Whitney. I literally idolized the lady, her stage movements and everything. It was, she was literally everything to me. But now it changes every couple of years. I discovered who singers, like Patsy Cline, to me is one of the best singers.

Like she, her voice moves me more than a lot of other voices that she would think would move me more than hers. You know what I'm saying? Like I told my brother, Patsy Cline, she could sing. He was like, she all right. She ain't do no riffs or nothing. She's just staying in one tone. But it's not, it's not all about that. It's about what is behind the voice.

I hear all that. I'm very sensitive to that. But Donnie Hathaway, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, definitely other three for me. What is it? Because I find that as an interesting answer. I actually, I like singers who sort of don't come out the gate flexing.

I mean, nothing against Christina Aguilera, but, you know, she goes from zero to Autobahn in like 1.2 seconds you know whatever her following is but you know I just for you though what is it because I often like

singers that have that ability but often hold back what they have because I think that's a gift to sort of sing it flat and then you know sort of rise to the occasion what is it about a singer like Patsy Clim that you look for like when you hear a singer how do you know

okay, they have a good voice or what is it that you, is this something scientific that you can actually explain or is it just like what you feel? Yeah, well, it's not all about what you feel, and it's not about how good they sing. It's about how they interpret a song. Every song is not meant for runs and things like that. So being a great singer is not all about how your voice sounds

when you're singing a song. It's about how you're feeling a song, how you're living a song as you're singing a song. I could name you a couple of singers that have, actually great technical voices, but they're not good at exuding the emotion and the life of the song, you know, so it's, there is definitely some science to that. For me, it's like the Mary versus Faith argument. Like, faith is technically like the, the better singer, and I'm putting that in big quotation marks, but Mary the material.

You feel Mary. Yeah, you feel Mary. Yeah, I would, I would totally, I wouldn't say that one is better than the other one, but I would say, that Mary is definitely more raw than faith. It's just like, I mean, and I can, like I said before, I can name you various singers that have these amazing voices, but just played no emotion. And, you know, it's not something that you learn. It's something that you embody it.

You don't have to actually have went through these songs, the subject of the song. It's just about how you take it. and make it your own. It's like an actor does when he plays a role. You know what I'm saying? You have to take it and use it in a way that you can understand it. All right, so I have a question.

Now that I know that you live in this area, asking, are you, you know, are you familiar with the borough of Harlem, specifically a restaurant called Red Rooster, and I'm only specifically asking because if you are New York resident and you decide to go to Red Rooster on a Sunday,

they kind of do something very different up there. They're now doing something different with like a gospel choir, but like the first five years of that restaurant, often jazz floutist Bobby Humphrey used to host kind of the Sunday brunch thing, which is kind of cool,

but it's also a thing where you know, if you're like knee deep and smothered chicken or something. She'll have a microphone in front of your face. Like, you know, like, Dina Ross, like, puts you on the spot to see, reach out and touch someone's hands. And you're like, oh, God, Bobby Humphrey's like in my face again with a microphone. I believe that I heard the story that when you were younger,

she's the one that sort of started the ball rolling. He explained, like, her position in your life because, you know, for a lot of hip-hop fans, Bobby Humphrey was part of that. Yeah, the Mazzell brothers, like the, the Mazzell brothers, like the, the 70s Blue Note catalog. Many hip hop samples have come from her. First of all, were you familiar with who she was when you first met her? Was it just like, oh, this lady was in the business once in, you know.

No, I was 11. I didn't. I was 11. I don't know who she was. So what happened was her brother and my mother were good friends. I think they went to work together at the post office. My mom, she worked at the post office. Okay. And he knew I could sing. And so she lived here in New York.

And he called her up on the phone. And I sang for her on the phone. And I think it was you bring me joy, legal baker. And she had this club called Sweetwaters in New York. And she flew me out. And I wore this white tuxedo coat and this bowtie. And I was, what, 11 years old?

And I did once, twice, three times, I think, by Howard Hewitt. I think that's the song I did. I think you meant Lionel Ritchie. Me too. That's what I was like, wait, what? That's a mature song. No, then I kiss you was. No, it was how'd he was.

Oh, twice. Oh, that's the shit. Yeah, yeah. I was, yeah, in front of all these grown people drinking at this club. And I did, I think. You had no idea. No, no. But I knew the songs, though.

That's what I meant about saying before. Like, you know. So anyway, yeah, Bobby, I'm first. And she shot and she sent that videotape to like numerous record companies and numerous. I mean, I met everybody, Mo Austin. I met everybody. Kenny G. He gave me a saxophone.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Wait, time out. There's no rambling. Also, you got to understand the type of show that this is. Tell them, am I. Like, we're less about, we're less about, like, gotcha journalism and more about, like, the craft of how. your art is so we're all the nerd shit yeah we're kind of into that nerd sort of stuff yeah so you're basically saying that you were 11 at the time and well I know you got your deal at 12 so basically

took a year to get that ball rolling yeah because we went we met a lot of different people and uh whencing was the lot he was the one that got me wait first of all why did he give you a saxophone i don't know kitty i didn't even i didn't even get the Kenny g home game What the fuck? At least the Starbucks card and something. He gave me a saxophone. I think that's probably when I started to realize, you know, because I knew who he was.

I knew that, I knew that song. He had a huge hit at the time, and I knew it. Right. Yeah, yeah. So it was really cool. And anyway, yeah, so she was the reason why I was signed to West Warner Bros. She was the reason why that tape got to Quincy. That was the tape that Quincy actually saw him.

He was like, yeah, the Simon's kid. Wow. Actually, Ben and Medina saw it first and did Quincy. So Ben and Medina saw it. Okay, of course. So can you walk us through the process or at least what you remember the process of, like, I assume first coming to L.A. and meeting these people. Like, you know, you're meeting all these legends.

And I'm certain that you wouldn't know half of them. Who's the first person that, made an impression on you. Like, I know who this person is. I know this is, right. And I can't believe I'm meeting them. As opposed to like, Sarah Bourne, who are you?

Yeah, right. Michael Jackson was the first person that I met that, like, I knew who he was. But not even, it wasn't even Prince. You know, Prince didn't really, I knew Prince was, but I knew who he was, you know, but Michael, wow, Michael Jackson. You know what I'm saying?

Wow. All right. I have a back on the block question. And hopefully you go off for just a tiny bit of insight. Because I don't even think we asked this on the Quincy Jones episode that's never ever coming out. Yes, Kevin. We talked to Quincy for four hours. In his living room.

Real Quincyish. Wow. Speaking of the wine. Well, I'm not going to. No, no, no, no. No, no, no. It's not even salacious. It's not even salacious.

but I pretty much, I think we all basically know that he was the missing link on back on the block as far as not being on the Secret Garden. And, you know, Al B. Short told us that, you know, that Michael was supposed to be on Secret Garden instead, I'll be sure got the spot. Were you to all privy to the situation in 88, 89, when, you were. he might show up, might not show up, that you go least sort of kind of share. I was a kid. No, I didn't know anything about that. No, I trust me. If I did, I tell you.

But I was a kid. I was just in awe of everything. So, you know. There's a curious moment on BT where Quincy and Sarah Vaughn are sitting with Donnie Simpson. And, you know, as a person that often talks like inside baseball to, like, like people like I could say something to one of my band members that none of the audience would know anything and I guess Donnie Simpson asked like well why isn't Michael Jackson on the record and Sarah Vaughn sort of shot a look at Quincy and said something encoded speak and Quincy and her just started laughing and you know like Donnie's like let me in on the joke he's like no it's best we not do that so I you know I just generally wanted to know if if you know I mean I do know that there was a falling out of between the two. That's all I know.

I'm just glad you was able to be a kid. Well, it wasn't a normal childhood, but I was, we were able to, to be, uh, mischievous, Miss Chieves sometimes, but it was mostly working. So, you know, that's, that's what I did. Because you are out of the classroom setting by this time, right? Like, as a kid. Yeah, well, I went to a private school. I love the way you said it, private school. All right.

I did say that very snobber. I said that very snobby. That's the why. That's the why. I went to a private school. No, it was not all. Like, when I moved to L.A., I went to a private school.

But I was never there. I was never there. Right. That was hardly there. So you weren't able to have, like, bonding or just, like, regular... Bonding friendships and stuff like that? Walk us through that, because we often hear, like,

hey, we had tutors or whatever. But, okay, so you're in, school, which I assume that at the age of 12, you're kind of in eighth grade, maybe seventh grade or eighth grade. Can you walk us through a daily ritual? Like, do you have to show up at eight in the morning? Or is it just? It was very rare that I was in school consistently for like weeks and months.

So, but the school that I attended, a lot of celebrity kids went to. So, like Rod Stewart's daughter. And all the Jackson, all the Jackson kids went there. Oh, and Rashida and Kadda. Everybody went there. So it was one of those private schools. But I was a kid from Texas. So this was new for me.

But I was never dead. But when I was there, I got in trouble and got detention every other day because I never came a uniform. When I came a uniform, my tie wasn't done on the way or my shirt was untucked. I was always causing problems at that school. But I was allowed to because I was. Kevin Campbell.

I was the one. I was sick away with a lot of things. Yeah, yeah. Like he was just on fresh friends last week. Calm down. Oh, wow. It keeps showing that episode. It's really cool, though, that they keep showing that.

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

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

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects, from hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar.

This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes.

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

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

or wherever you get your podcasts. At the top of this episode, when I was talking about being a seasoned singer, at this point is, you know, Seth Riggs a part of your exercise? eyes or, I mean, I would assume that someone must have suggested like, okay, you got to warm your voice up and all that stuff. Did you, were you a student of the great Seth Riggs as a vocal trainer?

Oh, I mean, I thought you'd be now. Yeah, I did go to Seth Griggs where my voice was changing to the point where I couldn't, I could. It was, like, there was no control, like the puberty part when that hit. So I had to literally tell me what you want me to do live. And that's when it hit. so I couldn't hit this. So you started lowering the key, modulating the key down so that you match it.

No, no, we couldn't do that. Not when you're 14 years old, you can't lower the key. You got to do it, you know? So that's when I started, yeah, there's no such thing. I can do that now in 45. You know, it makes sense to lower the key to that. Right.

But when you're 14, no. So I had to go to Seth Griggs for, I went for the whole lot, like a summer because it was really bad. I had no control over that break. And he taught me how to sort of control it. After that, there's no, I didn't go back to him. How many, so when you're training, how many hours, what's the daily regiment?

I mean, how many hours is it a day or is it just once a week? Well, first of all, you go into his office and you do a whole bunch of exercises. So you mean for me for a show or just back in? No, no. For you with you, Seth Riggs. Okay, yeah, you just go in and you just give you exercises to do for like 30 minutes. You could pay for an hour. He'd do an hour.

He used to charge like $2,000 per hour. It was something ridiculous. It was something ridiculous. And he used to talk half the time. He used to talk after time. And he did that consistency. He was a great teacher. I learned a lot from him that I used to this day, like warm up exercises and all kinds of.

For our listeners out there, Michael Jackson's two-hour tutorial is still, surprisingly, still on YouTube, which is basically two hours of hear Michael Jackson do all the scales. Yeah. And no, no, no, no, no, no. Like, all the, like, that's probably one of the greatest

vocal exercise educations that you can get for free while it's still up. Oh, nice. And it works. I mean, that's all said. He was an avid student. The set had a lot of great, a lot of great clients. But, yeah, like I said, yeah, that stuff works, man.

Man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man, la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la all that works. All that stuff. It works. Because all it's doing is just, you know, sort of warming that out. You know, we were introduced to you via back on the block. But when you were, when you were brought out there, did you immediately start working on your debut album? Or was it just back on the block? Let's see what happens first. Okay, now you get a record deal,

or was it just like out the gate? You're going to work on your album and subsequently get introduced from Quincy. I'm trying to remember. Man, 30 years. Well, I was 12 years old. I know that after the introduction to Prince, when Benny introduced,

Benadena introduced me to Prince and I did the graffiti bridge. Round around. round and round I know that he wanted to be on the first album I remember that and Warner Brothers Warner Brothers would be oh my God

there was all kinds of crazy stuff he said to get him in the Warner Brothers I'm glad you brought that up Everyone knows that I'm a Prince Stan and you know and also the prince what I call the Orgars the Prince dot orgors is sort of

they always side eye me when I start you know talking my my my my my trash now i mean this is the everyone knows that he's my north star as far as creativity is concerned but you know it it's to a lot of prince people that are very honest with themselves they would also know that that period was a rather questionable period of his life and i got to hear the p the the song that you you demo did he demo in the way that you're smiling right now

even remember, I don't even remember to do it, I swear to God tell you, I don't remember where we were. I don't remember what year that was, but all I know is that I was in the middle of that. I was in the middle of that whole thing, and that didn't stop until after I'm ready. Based

on what I can tell, because, you know, I heard his demo guide, and I heard your version, and you literally followed everything to a T. So I would basically say that if you're working with him,

is it just to assume that, okay, do exactly what I do on this track and follow it to it? Is he there coaching you, or is it just sort of like... No, he's not. It's just me. That's me. I wasn't very experimented a lot

when it came to him. I kind of sing it like the demo. The only songs I drifted away from the demo was sort of, was can we talk? And I'm ready. All those songs. your face, joints. Yeah.

And tomorrow, not at all, because it was just... No, tomorrow was all me. That was me because it was no vocals to that song. So she wrote that literally in the studio. I was just going to ask, when you got tomorrow as a fan of Whitney, did you feel like that was kind of like your Whitney song in a way? Did you remember how you felt as a kid? I didn't think that then, but I wasn't processed.

My brain wasn't processed enough to think like that, because I was too self-conscious. in the studio. But I do think that sort of now, like when I listen to tomorrow, one song, the sort of inspirational songs that I have, a couple that I do have.

I have some more, but they're not on my albums. But anyway, I do think that now. Oh. Well, eventually, I assume that you got to meet her. What was it like for you to meet her? Where did you meet her? The first time I met Whitney Houston,

she invited me to her listening party or her after party with some sort of party. But the second time which was more personal was when I, it was the hotel called the Riga Royal,

which is now the London or the Conrad. Oh, yeah. She's the Riga Royal. Remember? It was her and Bobby and I was coming out of my room

and something, and they were coming down a hall and we had this whole long conversation. She was like, how you do? I was like, I'm doing, how you do,

how you do it? How you do it? It was like, it's just us too. You didn't have any bodyguards, anybody around it. It's just us, you have to come.

I was like 15, 16. And that was the last time that I saw Whitney Houston. There was a second time that I met her. I never knew her personally. Like, we were never friends, or I never called her or talked to her phone, anything like that. The only closest connection I had with her was

the Narner Michael Alden. He used to call her from the studio. But I never talked to her, but he used to call it from studio, let her hear. Because I used to say just, I used to try to imitate her. He would let her hear, like, told me what I'd do and stuff. So she never knew, she never knew that you were, that she was your hero?

Yes. Oh, yes, she knew. And it was too overwhelming for you to strike a friendship? I was a kid. He was a key. He was a key. I was a kid. You know, but she, she knew. She knew that I freaking loved her.

I told her when I saw her, especially that time in the hall. I mean, you know, it was her and Aretha. I could never act normal when I saw these two. women. I remember seeing Aretha on Broadway. We were some Broadway show. Right. And she comes with these, you know, her, where she was with. And just 10, just huge entourage. Yeah. And she knows me. I've seen her many times since I was 12 years old. I even came to sing for her. She invited me to sing always in my heart, which was one of her favorite songs. She invited me to sing that for her at some event, I think it was a birthday party. And so I saw her and I couldn't even leave. You know how you do this

this thing when you put your lip. I call that the Mariah. But you know, you don't put your lips on. You left right. Yeah. I couldn't even, I just, I couldn't even do that. I couldn't do the, the cheeks just touch. I bet she was like, what the hell is wrong with this?

But I was so nervous to even like, like, but she could tell. She could just, she knows. She, every time she saw her, it's like, how's your mom? How's your mom? She used to that. She was. I, I digress. Were you able to.

to bond with a circle of people. Like, who would you consider, you know, like, okay, so when I came in the business, then I became friends with common and we became friends and started hanging. Like, did you have peers that you regularly hung with? No, because I was 12, so there was nobody else my age. Okay. Doing what I was doing. Yeah, in our minds, you were real friends with Tatiana Ali in our teenage mind.

It was like they were best friends. No, not really. We were friends. Yeah. But, you know, I hung out a lot with the boys. Remember the group of the boys? Oh, my God. Hakeem.

Hakeem and now. The sons of light. The sons of light. Mia. Yes. We broke a lot of lamps in the hotel rooms and stuff. Me and my brother and the boys used to hang out a lot. So the boys, but I didn't bond with them.

Like, we were just. So, but the 16, 17, 18, 19, those years now, I was pretty much a loner. Yeah, Taven. There was a lot going on. There was a lot going on. I don't think I even realized how much was going on until a couple of years ago and I actually started to process everything. So, I mean, like I said, I don't regret anything, but there's a lot of, there are more

pros than there are cons to being a childhood star or former child star, you know. I mean, it's an amazing thing to be able to say that and survive. How long, on average, does it take you to get through a take where you're satisfied with it and the producer is satisfied with it? And all parties involved are satisfied. It depends. They used to call me one take seven. Oh, I was a kid.

Talk to your shit. I'm not. I didn't make that up. I did not make that up. I swear to God, that baby face gave me that name. So how many takes from Can We Talk? I don't remember how many takes I did, can we talk? It wasn't a lot.

Back then, I just went in, and I hated actually being in the studio. I wanted to be in the streets. You wanted to play. I wanted to play. I wanted to go driving around in my car and just be in the street. You know, it was like work to me. If I had to do it more than three or four times, you know, I was a brat. So, but with Babyface, it was all about the feeling.

It wasn't about necessarily detect. the calities of it. But with Narda, Michael Walden, it was all about the technicalities and the notes and they can't be sharp and the feelings. So you have to have both. So I think Nara really,

I had the most fun working with him because I worked. He made me work. And I didn't warm up really. And to this day, I don't warm up until hours after I start singing. So you have to keep singing, you know. I had to learn that about myself too.

But Nara was the best. I have the most nurtured working relationship, I think, with Arda. Okay, can I ask a question? Is because, you know, we've been doing this show for five years, and literally no singer, or at least singer-singer, has given me the dream answer that I want to hear. It's like, yes, you know, before I do a song, I sit and do me, me, me, me, me, like three hours and drink all this tea.

And all, like, everyone basically says, hey, man, I showed up, I sang it, and then I went home. So is the idea of warming up just a myth that non-singers like myself think that an artist has to go through to do their craft or like even for you, Fonte,

like even when you're doing your records. I think it just depends on the song. I think if it's, you know, if it's something where, because I've had takes where you know, you'll write something and then sing it and I'm like, okay, this sounds cool, but I can do it better. And then you'll come back and do it, quote unquote, better.

but there's just there may be just some vulnerability in the first take because you're just now learning the song you know i mean and you don't know it know it versus singing it when you know it it may you know it just may not fit the song if the song you're singing has to have a hint of vulnerability or uncertainty if you're if that's the character you're playing quote unquote then the first take generally for me you know those early takes that's kind of where the magic is once you get i go back to what ted and say once you get like three four times at that point you're just just kind of regurgitating the same thing it's kind of like a rehearsal at that point and the the magic is lost in my experience once you overdo it and keep on doing it yeah yeah you kind of seeing the life out of it you know i mean so a lot of times the first ones those are the ones if they may not be the most technically great they are the ones that are the most honest and may fit the song better is that kind of for you tevin is that the same thing or similar to yeah i i think you like you are right on that.

And I think it depends on the song. And I think it depends on actually the singer also. Every singer has this own different way of approaching the song and approaching performance. So some singers can walk into the studio and give a great performance without you can form it up. You know, I mean, there are singers that can do that. There's a lot, excuse me.

There are a lot of songs that Aretha did, that she did warm up. She just walked in and she just did. Some people, you know what I'm saying? Maybe Faye says that she won't go more than two takes. Like, that's it. I don't think, I think that's the way it's always been. And she can do that, you know.

Some singers can't do that. And she can deliver all the things that need to be in the song in those two takes. But it's definitely those first takes, I think, and I think if you ask a movie director also, for like Frank Sinatra, didn't like doing more than one take on the scene. He liked to just do it one take because he felt like that was the most natural to the most real word.

He felt like if he over did it, over and over again, it would lose its magic, like you said. So I agree. Your first album, which is the spelling of your name, was that supposed to be an acronym for something? He got dots. T-E-V-I-N, or were you just spelling it or? Oh, first of all.

Wait, would you say? What'd you say? I made up an actor. I made off an acronym for that. Oh, come on, Fonte. Transmitting every vocal immaculately, nigger. Oh. I don't know

it right there I put it at our Twitter it was like it was on Twitter this was like Twitter like years ago I think it was when you know I think somebody

they tried to like come for you or something on Twitter and everybody was just like nah fuck that that's Kevin Campbell and that was one of the things I posted it went off

and I always covered for me on too I know what you talk about that is magic no bro like we had your back no bro like we had your back no bro yes yes I was like

It was really clear. I love it. I love it. Fonte, let me go to the other side because let me go to the other side because I believe you two were kind of the same age. Yeah, absolutely. I'm 78.

So yeah, we right. Yeah. Okay, so what was it like? Are you 78? I'm 76. So you are, I am your elder. Man. Man, you're in my husband.

Your shit in seven grade, man. Hell no. So. So, Fonte, as a listener, did that make an impression on you to see someone your age doing that? Absolutely. Like the same way that I saw the Jackson 5 or Janet, like, oh, kids my age. You know, that's right.

No, that's exactly what it was. Yeah. Even though, like, again, we were only with two years apart. He was older. But it definitely felt like, you know, he felt, telling him, he felt like one of the homies like, I went to school with or like that homie did like sang in church. And you just know, okay, that's a singing homie.

And like, he's going to win every talent show. He just don't. You know what I mean? Like it was like that. It's like, he got singing home, he just like going to body everybody in the talent show and that's what it is. So, yeah, the first album, man, that was something that it definitely felt like it was, and I'd always talk about this for songwriters. It is very hard to write for kids, you know what I'm saying? Because you have to write something that's age appropriate, but also have something that, you know, adults can jam to.

You know, a record like a Dial My Heart or a Round and Round. or can we talk. I mean, those are really hard songs to pull off. And I don't think people understand how hard that shit is. What about us? Break it down. Yeah. So that one, that was the one, like, in Home Room, like,

because they were playing it on the radio. Like, they would play that Joan on the radio. And it was almost like, oh, man, it's that, it's that Kevin Camel joint. And so in Home Room, we were talking about, you, you hear that joint? Do you after school, like some homework? Like, here, yeah, man. I don't do that shit.

I was like, I was like, Wait, what? He getting me? Yes, are you getting? Yes, I am, yes. But, yo, I have, why we hear, while we own the first album, I have to say my favorite one, like, probably like my favorite, if I had to pick one. Come on, Fras.

Let it be the same as me. Come on, come on. Man, alone with you, dude. Like, along with you. I was the fucking one. What are we talking about? And so, my question for you on that one, bro. So I did not know.

I actually lost a bet to this over this, to a friend, like, years ago. Like, she won this bet. She hears this thing. Yeah, she totally won't. So I did not know. I had the album. Casey and Jojo were singing backs on that. They're listed in the credits.

Now, they're listed in the credits. Okay. Well, then you're right. I don't know if you have memories of it. Yeah, they did all the demos for all those songs. So all the songs that I'll be produced, Casey and Jojo did all those demos, which is why I'm singing all those lick, all those rock.

I mean, that's not me. I'm doing whatever they did on the demo. Do you still have those demos? Oh, my God, I wish I did. Look at Amir, always. I wish I did. Maybe Al has him, no. Al probably.

Al has him, Amir. He got all the tape. I thought, Fonte, I thought she was going to say, just asked me, too. I always thought that was a soundtrack drum, but I didn't know that was on. It was on Boys in Hood, but they decided to put it in on the album.

I thought that was, interesting what you said though because Warner Brothers didn't care about that. They think what they had was a kid that could that have this and I realize it now. I didn't realize it back there. That had this voice that was a mature voice that they could sell to a whole bunch of adults and and I was actually and I think it's actually kind of cool that I was being used as like a muse, like for all these love songs that Jesus got in baby face. and Nara, you know, Nara was going to.

Teenage love songs. No, but he was going through stuff with his wife at the time. And so I realized now that they were writing and I was singing their experience. And channeling through you. Wow. Yes. Because I didn't know anything about that stuff. Come on.

Tell me what you want me to do. And then that knowing that we were using it to make out with. Because that's just putting it on mixtapes. Just. No, listen, along with you was a staple on my slow jam mixtape. Man, listen, that record would never. Really, like, your work with Al B, man, I got to say like that one, goodbye. Like, man, I love that song, man.

I love that stuff, too. I think he did a great job. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

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

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

Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Like on the first album, it had to been five or six singles, correct? Yeah. I mean, it's goodbye. Tell me what you want to do. round and round.

Confused, got some love. Just asked me too. They played confused on the play. One song, like there was at least six singles off this joint. And so who was the ringleader that said, okay, I'm, like, I'm, what I say goes

as far as like your head. Is it Benny that's driving the wheel? Excuse me? I really was. No, I'm telling you the truth. I mean, Beanie Medina was the, But, yeah, I mean, I'm the one that got to choose the songs. Yeah, they worked me.

They sent me everywhere. So, yeah, Warner Brothers was responsible for all that. On the other side of that question, are there any notable songs that were submitted to you that you passed on that someone else took and did something? Oh, no. I can't, I can't. No. You took all of him. Not any famous, not anything to shoot.

No, no. I took the hits. I got to go there. Are you familiar with the Usher story with... Okay. Okay. Wait, I forgot. I forgot.

I think that's actually a true story. I think that... I think it's in L.A. reads, but from my understanding, I think L.A. Reid wanted Usher to have, can we talk? But he wanted me to have Can We Talk? And, but I had it, you know, I don't even, listen, I love Usher. I love him. I actually just did a gig with him.

Okay. In Atlanta, yeah, Tyler Perry. So we shared the same stage. That's dope. I love Usher. I always have loved Usher. You birthed him. Well, that was my wine.

That was my wine. I'm sorry. That was your, that was my wine. Yeah. Oh, you're drinking wine, nice. You start. I just have a moonshire. It's a cool cup, Kevin.

It's a aluminum cool cup. I got some water over here. Oh, you know. No, I don't believe that can we talk, first of all, it's a great, so I'm not saying it's so well written. And I said this on something else. Somebody asked me about it. I could never, I got it bad as one of my favorite R&B. Mm-hmm.

Ballots. It always has been. I could never sing I got it bad. Usher and I don't believe Usher could sing. Can we talk like I could? You know it's you got it bad, but that's okay. I know you ain't being shady. It's okay. It's okay. No, it's, yeah, you got it bad. You got it bad. You got it, you got it bad. No, I know I wasn't being shade because I do have a song called.

There you go. No, I swear to God. No, no, that song sucks. No, there's nothing to fair to know. You got it bad. But that was my favorite and still is one of my favorite R&B songs about it. That's when I hear it, I'd be like, okay, yeah. But anyway, yeah, and I read the thing he said about the camera. No, it was my song. Let me have it. I mean, you know, let me have my song.

It's my song. That was your song. That's your song. That's my song. I'm blessed to have it. It's an amazing song. It's crazy. It's crazy.

It's a beautiful song. And I love it. You know, and I love that it's mine. And I didn't used to be like this. I used to be like, oh, I don't want to hear it. But now I listen to it. I actually will listen to Camry times and times. I were like, you know,

that's a good friend. Nah, man. I'm actually embracing my art, you know. So I'm very, very blessed and honored to have that song in my workshop. I had a question regarding your work with Nard or Michael Walden, because two of the records that I really loved on, I'm Ready, was Don't Say Goodbye Girl and Brown Eye Girl. Like, you have any memories of like recording those two?

I really, I really love those records. Oh, thank you. I co-wrote Brown-Eye Girl. Hey, Publishing. You know, Nard is it, I remember he likes to sit down and just start playing on the piano. And he'll just, he'll just say, he'll just say, whatever comes to mind and start saying. That's how he came up with, tell me what you want me to do. That's how we came up with Brown Eye Girl.

Don't Say Goodbye Girl was a song that he had written already, though. I love Don't Say Goodbye Girl. That's the one for, yeah. I love that song. That's one of my favorite of my vocal performances on any stuff. That's why I mean he works you. He worked me, man. Like, I had to work to get those notes.

You know what I'm saying? No, I can hear him. Yeah. And there's no kind of, there's no sort of, uh, alterations or anything on that. That's all me getting that out. Like, he's like, do it again, do it again. Do it again. Do it again.

Do it again. Do it again. And coffee. That's how I got to think it's coffee. But anyway. Well, wait, let me ask you because the Narda, the Narda Michael that I know, because of his, him being Buddhist, It's everything.

He talks about it. Is he like that in the studio? Or be just like, Yes. He's like, he's like, he's coming down and give him some feeling. Yes. And he gets all the incense and everywhere.

Yeah, that's him. Wow. That's him. I think it's the ultimate Jedi Maya trick because I know there's another person who's a Buddhist in my life. And she has the ability she'll start here, but somehow she'll calm me down and she'll talk very low. And then the next thing I know, I'm talking very low too. And I realize that's a Jedi mind trick.

So, yeah, I always wanted to know with NARDA, especially that the fact that NARDA has what I call going into the Lionsden. Like, you have to have a level of social wisdom if you're producing Aretha and Whitney Houston. And, like, you know, his entire canon of people that he's produced are singers, singers. So I know that he has to have some sort of Jedi mind trick that gets you guys to trust him. And I always wanted to know what that was. Like, it's his spirit, you know, what you just described, his whole. So when you walk into the steel, that's the vibe that you get, you know, so you don't mind working. But you know what?

It was the coffee for me and it was just him being cool. And he would record all the sessions. So I knew the camera was right on me. So I would really literally try to sound my best, you know. Oh, he would like record like video like take. Oh, he got a library. Just a yeah. He got a library.

Yeah. Yeah. Don't say nothing. No. That's crazy. So I'm sure he did Whitney that way. I'm sure he did. Ah, damn.

You should have known that, Amir. Oh, we definitely give Nardo on this show, man. You got to get out. I mean, she has some great stories. But he creates an atmosphere in his studio, Tarpan Studios. It really helps, man. When you walk into that atmosphere, you're ready to work. And he makes you believe that you can do it better.

You can do it better. You can do it better. You can do it. Like, at what point in your career, as far as your albums are concerned, where you feel as though as an artist, you have ideas that you want to express and production? that you want and a certain sound that you want. Like are they letting you get a word in edgewise?

Or is it still like, here, work with this person, here, work with that person. No, I had no interest in anything in that sort. I was too busy trying to figure out life. Yeah, and I had no time to figure out life because I was working. So I didn't care. All I, you know, I got to choose the songs.

That's it. I wouldn't sing anything that I didn't like. that no one made me saying anything I didn't like. I had to last stubs on the songs. But as far as trying to say something or do a place, no. I didn't think of anything like that. I mean, besides, like, the radio shows where they would do, like, a summer jams or a powerhouse or where you come and just do your two joints,

like, did you ever have an actual touring experience, at least similar to the one, like when you did round and round on Arsenio, Princess Band was your backup, and that she was perfect to me. It was great. But, like, how often did you really get to go out on the road with a band and tour and that sort of thing? Did that happen at all? It was just, like, spot dates. Yeah, no, that didn't happen a lot.

So my mom didn't allow a lot of that stuff. Because I was already traveling doing... You have the option to say, no, I don't want to. to tour because I would figure like in the 90s, you got a tour, right? His mama had that option. My mom was, she didn't play. I went on one tour with Boys and Man and Babyface.

I opened up for that tour. And that was for, I think, three weeks. And that was on my Christmas break. And that's it? My mom didn't allow. But I was working so much already. That's why I think that's probably why she didn't allow it. I was always

traveling, promoting the album. But that's the Right. Touring is like the money, though. Really, right? I'm not then. Oh, okay. It wasn't the same as it was now. I mean, I don't think, uh, I mean, it would be, no, I can't think of any, and plus I was one of the only kids doing it.

But I think the boy groups went on tour, so maybe like the new kids on the blocks and- New Edition. New Edition. They probably went on tour, but, uh. So it would have been hard to pair you with someone. Yeah, exactly. It, that, yeah. But I always wanted to that because with Tracy Spencer and Brandy, like there's...

Tracy Spencer would have been good, yeah. Yeah, where the hell is Tracy Spencer? Ain't she a veterinarian or something? Oh, wow. That's pretty cool. Someone told me that she does like spot commercials where like, I mean, you don't know that that's the mom in the supermarket or that sort of thing. I believe that that's like her lane. Like she's done a bunch of...

We did assume they all knew each other, right? Amir. I'm like, so, Tavin, you knew Tracy. Right. Right. Yeah. But I really think that my mom, I know my mom was very protective with me when I was, when I was a kid in the business.

She didn't, you can ask anybody, you know, she didn't, she was very protective. So I was, uh, she couldn't stop me from being a pest. But when it came to like, like, just working and she had to make sure who was going to be around me. And I had these people from Warner Brothers, Carolyn Baker and she, you know, Shelton, it was always the ones that would travel with me when she was with me. She was very protected for me. So I think that's probably a lot of the reasons why I didn't go out on tour. I would explain no hip-hop collaborations.

I got questions about Back to the World because to me that was such a shift, at least working with the hitman and whatnot. Can you talk about that experience with working? Back to the world. Yeah. That was a confusing time of my life. Because I didn't really understand what was going on with the whole Warner Brother situation. I didn't understand why back to the world wasn't.

It was sort of like they just forgot about me. But it's like you had all the pieces in place. At least I know Chucky did stuff on it and like the hitman, Stevie J. I don't know. I don't know what Puff's role is as far as like. He was there. I'm not going to be. He was there.

And Puffy's great. We both Scorpio's. He was there and then, you know, he wasn't there and then he was there again. So let's just put it that way. But that wasn't it. It was, there was just a shift in the whole Warner Brothers makeup. So Bo Austin, Hank's fan, Ray Harris, all those guys left. Left, yeah.

It was not on black music anymore. It wasn't on me anymore. It was on some other thing. And so, I mean, and I didn't understand it at the time. understanding now. It's a business. But at the time I did not understand it. So that was sort of a weird time for me. And so I showed up at the photo session for that album with twist. And they were like, what the hell did you do? I was like, yeah, I got twist. Yeah. Just just rebelling, you know, being mad. So yeah, that was that was not a good time for me.

My favorite record on that album was the, I don't know if it was a single, but could it be? Like, that's still like I love that record. Thank you. That's the one. I love their record too. Do you remember recording that one? You have any memories of it? I do have memories being in the studio with Rassan. Because he wrote all that stuff.

He wrote all that stuff. Rassan Batson, yeah. Did you work with Keith Crouch as well? Yes. He was on that album. Keith Crouch. Jamie Jazz. Okay.

James, yes. It was a great. It was fun recording it. I had a great time recorded the album. It was just when they were trying to prepare for the release of the album. I was trying to remember. I was like that. In hindsight, did you feel as though like you just wanted to break because you basically been doing this since you were 12, like, without any breaks of whatsoever?

Maybe that's what it was subconsciously. Maybe I wanted to break. I don't know. Maybe that's what it works. Because there were three years between I'm ready and back to the world. Like, what was, what were you doing in that? I don't know. What was that doing?

I love it. Ain't nothing wrong with it. I graduated high school in 95. Okay. And I think we started probably recorded in 96. I'm ready. It came out in 93.

Yeah. Right. So it was a... Oh, and then, oh, we got the goofy movie. That was 95. I did a goop. I did a lot of stuff in between. There was a lot of soundtracks

and a lot of stuff I did in between that. Oh, boom, whoa, whoa, bo, bo, bo, bo, bo. Hey, just. You're forgetting something. We're forgetting something. Which is it? Dude, can you please talk about Black men United.

Oh, yeah. 100% yes. You know, we would have killed ourselves. There's always at one moment when the interview's over where we're kicking ourselves because we forgot to ask something. And I was like, I know we're forgetting something. That you will know. That you will know, right?

Hell yeah. Yeah, he's on the fur. You son, lead off on that one. Hell yeah. Now, let's go. Man. Yeah. You would know.

I mean, yeah. I just remember the video shoot. again, being a pest and I showed up in the video shoot I think I got it to an argument with somebody and I left the video shoot that's why you see me in the booth on the video by myself, not with everybody else

I know some other people after the fact yeah, it was bad how old were you? How old town? How were you? I don't know, what was it? Well, you would know came out in 95?

That was 95. 94, 94, 94. That was. It was a. 18, 19, such a brat. I was such a brat. But that's a great song. That's a great song.

I like the live performance better than, I like the record, but the live performance, we were all on stage. Yeah, you guys did at the American Music Awards, and did you do it on Arsenio as well? I don't think so. I remember the American Music Awards.

Yeah. Yeah. I could be wrong about Arsenio, though. Okay. Well, I know I've seen it once. So it was the thing where they just sort of gathers. gathered all the people on that song at different places and they did their parts. And it wasn't like you guys were.

Kevin said I left. I was gone. Yeah, I left. I was something else. I left. So I got into it with somebody because I was late and I just left. You got into it with somebody because you was late. You got into it.

Yeah. It wasn't D'Ansela. So I was in test. Right. It wasn't D'Angelo. Ah. Oh. I'm playing D.

I'm playing D. Don't kick my ass. But somewhere there's an elder. who's been watching you from the jump and they're like, yeah, that stage in Tevin's life wasn't my favorite. He was a little bit of an asshole. There's somewhere there.

I had angels watching over me. I'm telling you that much. I was a kid. I had a lot of authority. So, you know, when you give kids authority sometimes. So wait to that question. It's interesting because you were one of the first

of an era in that way. So do the other young guys who kind of followed in your footsteps, does anybody ever go, do you know what? Let me call Tavin. I know he's been through this. I hope they don't.

I don't have anything. I can't. You ain't got nothing for him? I have nothing for them. You have to sort of go through life, your own life and learn from me on the space. Unless I'm under a rock somewhere, it's not like, you know,

of course, you came right, right before social media was even a thing. Lucky for you, yeah. Thank God. Lord, she's smashing my childhood on social media. Lord, I mean, you know, it's crazy. You know, the 90s, the stuff that we did back of the night. But anyway, sorry.

All right, I got to ask. Did you crash a car or something? Oh, yeah, I crashed it plenty times. Me and I can crash several cars. Oh, wow. What was your first car? Since you were a car person, what was your car fleet like? What was your first car?

Oh, my, what was my first car? Yeah, because you loved them so much. too. I only had a couple of cars. It was what the big long Mercedes. Oh, the West African John. Oh, the S 500. Back then it was 92 at the long gray. Yeah. In DC, we called them Nigerian Benzis. Yeah. Oh, they're coming to America. Oh, wow. Going to America. That Jaffey Joe Ferrer, John. Oh, my God.

Y'all bringing back some crazy memories right now. I picture myself riding around. I'm like, oh. Ain't even a parallel park that, John. I did some drunk driving and all that stuff. Like, I did bad things. I did bad crash. Dad.

They are so lucky. Oh, they so. I'm only asking because, like, I just generally never just, it wasn't like you, I don't think that you were, in that Britney Spears lane were sort of like, oh man, I don't think he's going to make it. He came before. Yeah, it wasn't like train wreck.

I don't remember, you know? Well, she's white. When you're white and in the business, I didn't have to worry about paparazzi and stuff like that. That's not something that I don't know how I'm not trying to be racist or anything like that, but it's just true. This is one benefits where being black famous versus white famous. Don't worry.

Steve didn't pay attention. Go ahead. There was a little sec. Damn, Steve, you're really on the 12th floor right now? Yeah, he said when he went to the grocery store. He didn't read, he had mastered a couple set audio. Listen, go ahead. What you're going to do?

Yeah, I was going to say, this is probably the rare situation where being black benefits you in the fact that if you were white, you would probably have been on the gloat and whatnot. 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 fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

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

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players

flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes.

And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield and in this new season of the Girlfriends Oh my God, this is the same man A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist I felt like I got hit by a truck

I thought how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care So they take matters into their own hands I said oh hell no I vowed I will be his last target He's gonna get what he deserves Listen to the Girlfriends Trust me babe

on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. As far as a mentor is concerned, like, who would you say, was there anyone that could get through to you? Like, as far as being a mentor, a Quincy figure or whatever? At that time, no.

Was you listening to Ms. Rhonda, your mama? Just, I, no. And then when I didn't, I fell on my ass hard too. Yeah. So my mom was pretty much the only person I could get to me. That's kind of the lesson that I'm learning now. Like, oftentimes the universe or life will present a situation to you in which you either heed the call or continues, you know, sort of be hard-headed. And oftentimes people only learn the lessons when they hit a rock, rock, rock bottom.

And it felt like the hairspray period of time, too, was a turnaround. Like, I felt like hairspray was a whole lift meet. Like, it was a... Well, I've had many turnarounds, but most of them I didn't listen to. I didn't pay attention to it. I mean, you see what's happening with... Mainly with younger rappers or whatever.

But, I mean, first of all, do you think that you're even in a space in life in which you could actually, like, mentor someone to be like, yo, like, I was you in the situation and... Nah, I don't really believe in that. I really don't. Because everybody's, excuse me, life is different.

Everybody, every experience is different. If you ask me my advice on something, I'll give it to you. But I don't believe in mentoring. I never believe in that. Oh, word. I just don't. I know that's weird. I just don't believe in it.

I just don't believe in. It's just fascinating because you come from so many mentors in a way. So people perceive mentors. Well, even their words, even the advice that I got from them didn't work. You have to understand life in your own way. I don't care what advice someone gives you. You know what I'm saying? You have to go through life in your own way

and understand stuff your own way. That's what I've realized in my life. I don't know. You got to learn on your own. Yeah, I mean, there are things that I remember my great aunt seeing when I was little. You know, when I used to talk back to my mom, she used to say, and I used to tell her,

well, she annoys me. She used to say that there are worse things after you die. there are worse things that that can happen to you if you talk to me. I'll never forget that. Like she was saying you're going to burn in hell. You keep talking to your back to your mom. I was about to say, I got a hard head meet it's all fine. Hell yeah.

I'm like, oh, you ain't get no whoopens. That's what that was. I said, okay. I see what's going on here. Okay. Yeah. Like little things like that through. Yeah.

The last album, it was self-titled. But I remember reading a review of that one. And I think the original title was Dandelion. I saw it. Was that the title of album? Probably. Yeah, probably. But another way, I really loved that song.

Like another way was, I thought that was really going to go up, you know what I'm saying? I don't like, I don't like it at all. I don't hate it, but it was a point in my life where I did not care about the album. I didn't care about any, I did not care about that. I didn't care about that. There's a couple of songs that I like. But that whole period was just, just, just, confusion.

Ah, damn. I got a question about the Cocoa song. Damn. Oh, that's a lovely song. I like that song. I like that song. Yeah, I was going to say I went to school with one of the song writers on that song, but did you, like, did Suzette Charles just submit that song to you or?

I don't remember how it happened. I mean, I remember going down to Darryl Simmons studio and we recorded it, me and Coco, me and Coco. Okay. And it was a lot of fun, but I don't remember how it was submitted it, I'm sure. They were submitted it through Warner Bros. or something like that. But it's a beautiful song. I love that song. Yeah, Suzette is the young lady.

I went to school with her in elementary, but she was the young lady who replaced Vanessa Williams when she had to give up a crown for Miss America. Oh, wow. First place was Miss Jersey, who was also a black woman. Oh, dang. Oh, dang, the untold stories. Wow. She was best friends with my sister, Dawn. So, you know, I kind of grew up with Susette,

and I know that she did some songwriting or whatever. Yeah. Kevin, do you mind talking about the Broadway thing and like what made you make that transition into theater? No, I don't mind talking about it. No, someone just got to call Quest. They were trying to find me, and they called Quest and they finally located me, and they asked me

come out and read for this part. So it was Matt Lins, who was the assistant director, his partner recommended me for the part of Seaweed. He was like, where's Kevin Campbell? And they found me. Wow. And I came out and I audition in front of all the people that are directors and their body.

And then I walked out and then called me back in and told me, you got to pour it. So I played seaweed and hairspray for like on Broadway for like four years. And then I went to Australia. and lived out there for two years and did it with a whole different cast and directors so it was a lot of fun. Yeah, so I play seaweed for like six years

on the Broadway, on the theater stage. All right, can you answer something for me? Australia, and I keep trying to tell people this that, you know, I come from Philadelphia, which was, you know, at one point, you know, they held the torch for a certain type of soul music. Okay, I'll say it, Neil's soul. I don't see Neil's Soul as a four-letter word.

But oftentimes, like, you know, on social media, whatever, just the amount of soul singers that I see in Australia is staggering. So, Ruan, one of my managers, when I was DJ and during the pandemic, he's kind of like my DJ manager tech guy. He's from Australia. And he explained to me that similar to the UK, you know like we live in america where basically corporate radio controls the music that you're listening to six months from now you know a clear channel will have already pre-programmed you know the next little baby song or the next doja cat song

like we're going to play this 50 times and you know they have monopolies which is why we hear the same songs over and over and over and over and over whereas government radio i.e. BBC 1, BBC 2 and the same with Australia, it's still kind of like 1978 or 79 in America where they actually trust the DJ to be like, this is cool, this is not cool, and so as a result, Rue explained to me, because I was trying to, like, suddenly out of nowhere, I just start hearing like music that I would have gravitated towards, but by these Australian musicians. I mean, you see it now with hiatus, coyote, and all that, but Rube was basically explaining to me that on mainstream radio, you know, Erica Badu got equal time, you know, to Justin Timberlake or Christina Aguilera or whatever. Like,

it wasn't like pop radios here and black radios here. Like, it don't got black radio in Australia, right? Because they don't got more people. No, but that's the thing. And that's why a festival, there's a soul festival that's almost like three times the size of Coachella in which the lineup is basically like the Roots picnic on steroids

like every time you see the lineup I think it's a gag or like not true it'll be like Maxwell DiAngelo you know SWV imagine seeing that sort of lineup but just with every black act you ever love and I

my whole thing was when you were living down there Did you notice a love for black music or even your catalog that you weren't finding in the States at all? Yeah, yeah, and both on the radio and from the cast I was working with. So the girl that played the lead part who was like 26, 25, she started singing Good Times by Rita Franklin. I literally almost had nervous breakdown because I never heard a white girl. singing good times by Rutha Franklin literally. And she had this amazing voice. She could really sing.

She knew all the oldies. And so we were riding around. They would be playing stuff that I had never heard in America by these artists, these R&B artists that I had never heard. And that kind of surprised me. And it wasn't, you're right. They don't have black station, white stations. They just kind of blade it all together.

But they have a huge appreciation for art. Right. I was just trying to understand Australia as a country, As a content anyway, like, do they have black people outside of the natives, the aboriginal people? Yeah, I'm like, is they, do they have concept of black America and where these lyrics come from and all of these things? Or is it just like white people listening to this only? They have more of a concept of us than we do of ourselves because let me tell you something about Australia. Please tell me.

And you speak to anyone over there, they can do an American accent easy. You can speak to an eight-year-old and they can do an American accent because they study us. Right. That's an American accent. David's telling it. What I'm saying is they know our culture. They know our culture. They know, they can tell you shit about hip hop and shoot.

I'm telling you, it's some hip hopsters over there. They love black music. I lived there for two years. I'm telling you, it's like that. Now, not all of the white people are like that in Australia. But I was surprised by the knowledge. I was surprised by the knowledge that some of these people that I have met had of black music past and present.

Wow. So they're better students than the just. Japanese. Like there was a point where, I'll say like in 96, 97, where pre-Fergy Peas or group like the Jurassic 5 or even like Ben, Ben Harper, I mean, selling out like Yank, can you imagine, like literally the first thing was like, I call my boys up like, yo, man, we're, we are actually open up for the Darax of five and we're playing like. a Yankee Stadium type of venue. Like, we couldn't believe,

like, that was the big industry that basically, like, underground black acts get treated like gods over there. That's what I'm saying. And we couldn't fathom it, and simply because there really wasn't an apartheid with radio yet, you know, like, they all got equal billing,

which is, like, imagine, like, listen, it smells like teen spirit, And then, like, a second lady, they're playing, like chicken grease. Like an album cut. Not like, oh, here's the single. But it's just crazy like that over there. This is culture is different, too. Yeah, it's cool.

I'm glad y'all liked it. I just didn't know if it was as much many black people to, you know, enjoy that culture. Okay, good stuff. There's some black people over there. There are a lot of Ethiopans over there. Okay. They don't live in the same area as, you know, it depends on where you go. You go to Melbourne.

You get African people. I'll also say this much. Most of the underground, like, hip hoppers, like, you know, I can name, I mean, I can't rattle off names right now, but I'll say a good 10 to 20 of them have made their homes in Australia now, which is just like, you know, basically like America just, there's, there's almost no future here if you're trying to make a living or make a splash as far as culture is concerned. I'm listening. I'm like, you know, Roe versus Way guy motherfuckers thing a difference.

So I'm listening in places to go. So where they regulate a woman's body more than they regulate guns in this country. That's what we're doing. Yeah. Oh, my God. It's insane. You know, for you

to have this illustrious career in your 30th year, what are your top five Kevin Campbell's songs as far as like songs that you like and don't give me that every song's my kid like oh i won't i'll give you i give you some good songs because you're appreciating them now okay he said he said i do i appreciate my work now more than i ever have okay uh so i'm gonna give you some real answers i love i know my redeemed livid i did that on

the hameless messiah soundtrack probably i've even heard it um no idea you never heard that i know my redeemed i'll look it up can we talk i like my book my book my mom vocal performance on there, I think is one of the best. Oh, Holy Night. All right. Oh, Holy Night. I like a perfect world from the first album. It's just, I love it.

I'm trying to think of a really good one. Did I listen to? We'll leave. Oh, yeah, tomorrow. Tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow, definitely. Yeah, that's one of, yeah, I enjoy listening to that. Because I sound totally different.

And it's when I, it's my first record. This is so cute, you know? Like, you know, I'll never, ever sound like that ever again. And it's the first one. So, yeah, that's really special to me. I like that one. So for you and your future, is there, are there any other bucket list things that you would like to accomplish?

Return to the stage. I return to the theatrical stage. Are there any of the Broadway with performances? Are you ever going to return to the stage? Okay. I would love to go back to Broadway. But I really wouldn't be happy until I won a Grammy. So, and all it takes is one song to win a Grammy.

So I really do, I'm working on that album, but I really, really want to release another album. I just need a Grammy. I'll be happy when I won my Grammy. I would love to act. I would love to do film and TV. I've always wanted to do that. Yeah, how was Queen Sugar, man?

You did Queen Sugar for a doubt. How was that? Oh, yeah. I wasn't, I shouldn't. I should have, I need to do it again. Because I was like, not ready. Oh, shit, I got to catch up. What season?

What season? I got to catch up. Season four. A long time ago. Years ago. No, it wasn't. No, it wasn't. Season four.

Okay, thank you. I didn't get to season four yet. I'm still catching a point. But, no, acting. And I would like to write a book when I'm like 60. I would like to write a book. I wanted to do a podcast and talk about the pros and cons of childhood starting about the best.

Okay. So what's up? Hey. What's up? A whole bunch of a whole bunch of childhood form. Child of Stars on there. But that's a love got a network. I really would like to do like an album like Barry Manilow did like classic songs.

I've always wanted to do an album like that because I love classic songs like Frank Sinatra songs and stuff like that. But I'm just thinking out loud. Have you been saying no to feature requests, Kevin? Because I feel like a lot of these young kids, they haven't hit you up for the, for the Tevin sound like they? Oh, I'm good. You've been saying no.

You've been saying no. I haven't been saying no, but I need nobody. asked me nothing like that. Man. I can't believe Tom Dollar Saunds. Todd Dollar Saan didn't call up. Like, he didn't. I just, I don't believe it.

Time Dallas. I'm like with all of this, you know, everybody. You know what? That's the question I, that's the question I avoid the most because I hate when I'm asked that question. Like, people always be like, so did anybody do the day that you like? I didn't ask that. No, no, no, no.

And I'd never ask that. But I'll just. is ask in general, is there anyone that's made a record in the last 10 years or something that really touched you like, okay, I like that record or that song? I like Jasmine Sullivan. When I heard her, that makes sense. Hotels really sort of. Talk about it.

It was interesting how she just put her whole life, that story into the hour. Because that's kind of what I want to do with my story that I'm trying to tell. And I think I was very impressed at how she did that and made it relatable and entertaining at the same time. So Jasmine can make the call and you would say yes. Okay. Oh, and I love her voice. You know, I think she's a great singer.

I think we haven't ended Jasmine, do we? I think we got a little something, something, something. I think we have an end to her. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. I like Lord too. I think she's very talented. Her songwriting and the way she tells stories. She is dope.

Her album, that album influenced me. I think it was her last album that she released. So those two albums, I think, really got me thinking how I want to write my album, because it's not going to be, can we talk, it's not going to be I'm ready. I kind of want to tell my story in a way that everybody can relate to, though. So I don't want to stir people too far away from the formula, but I do have a story to tell. I have stories to tell. I can't just sing about love all the time.

This has been a long time coming. I think I first hit you like two years ago. I'm so glad that we finally got to have this conversation. All right, well, on behalf of, you know, Sugar Steve, Unpaid Bill, Laia and Fonticillo. This is Questlove, another great episode of Questlove Supreme. We will see you good people on the next go-round. Questlove, Supreme.

See you all later. Thank you. Much Love Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHartRadio, visit the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice. Podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects.

From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcasts on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands.

I vowed, I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an amazing. IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.