0:00

Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio.

0:09

Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to Quest Love Supreme.

0:12

Neil's Quest Love. We have Teams Supreme with

0:14

us. This is a morning episode

0:17

of Quest Love Supreme. So it

0:19

would be very interesting to see how the energy

0:21

is this morning.

0:23

Because you know how you doing.

0:27

Tries you ready to go?

0:29

That's an instant Jiff

0:32

b there. I

0:34

think it's Kiff. It's not Jif.

0:36

Steve is Jip. Jip is

0:38

a peanut butter.

0:39

Bro

0:42

yo man before Money died.

0:45

Before he passed, he told me it

0:47

was Jiff.

0:49

Hey man, it's just like the

0:51

thing.

0:53

Come on, man, draw draws.

0:56

I get it all right, all right, I'll

0:59

roll with the mob.

1:00

Call the creator of the gift.

1:02

The creator of the gift, like he

1:05

was one of the early people to die in the pandemic. But

1:07

the last thing we did together some

1:10

awards thing, and I asked him.

1:12

I didn't even ask him, he says Jiff.

1:15

I was like, how do you know? I was going to ask you?

1:17

Like I get asked this one hundred times a day. But

1:20

then he also said I should have said.

1:22

Gift, but yeah, or used

1:24

a jay if he wanted

1:26

it. I get it. It's

1:28

above him now, so you know he's not here,

1:31

so he's above us now. He's oh

1:38

god, all right, So Bill, how

1:40

you doing? Man?

1:41

I just I just googled it said. He called it

1:43

a gift with a soft g. Choosy developers,

1:46

he said, choose Jiff. This was, of course,

1:48

a play on the peanut butter brand Jeff's line.

1:50

Choosy mothers, choose Jeff. That's all.

1:53

And the Internet never lies, So I'm going

1:55

gift. I'm fine,

1:57

by the way, thank you very much for asking.

1:59

Well, and thank you and Steve.

2:02

Yes, I'm good, Fante.

2:06

I'm good, Man, I'm good. Been working. Men

2:10

just did something, but it said, yeah,

2:12

what are you working on? I don't know how much I'm a livinged

2:14

to say, so I let William Bill.

2:16

I'll explain what it happened

2:18

once. Tell us.

2:19

What it happened was Sponte and his producing

2:21

partner Zoe have created a jam

2:24

for the children that will air sometime in September

2:27

by very famous, fantastic

2:30

artist on

2:32

this films today. But we're

2:34

not allowed to say who that person is

2:36

other than it's gonna be awesome.

2:39

Wait, Fante wrote an Elmo jam.

2:42

Yeah, I've been right, I've been writing.

2:46

Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, I will

2:49

say that our guest today, what's

2:51

an understatement to say that she is a

2:53

monster talent, as

2:55

talented as they come. Uh,

2:57

she's an unworldly singer, one of

2:59

the you know, there's there's

3:01

people that ooze with charisma, and

3:05

I mean I've probably

3:07

have been. Yeah, I think

3:10

we're our careers are borderline neck and neck.

3:12

So since the roots have been.

3:15

Years older, but that's okay.

3:16

Yeah, but like I just started late.

3:18

Okay, so our guest

3:20

started when she was two years old. Okay,

3:24

anyway, Yeah, no, I'll

3:27

say that, even if my

3:29

memory serves me correct, whenever the Roots would

3:32

come to the Bay Area, I believe

3:34

that this person has been kind of a

3:36

presence in the entirety of my career.

3:39

And even from the first

3:41

moment we've laid eyes on

3:43

her, like just absolute charisma,

3:45

Like she owned the stage and that's that's

3:48

something that you can't find anywhere

3:50

pretty much in entertainment.

3:52

Like that's a special gift.

3:54

As of now, as we speak, her

3:56

eleventh album, entitled Good Life,

4:00

has just been released. By the

4:02

time it gets on the air, it should have been out by

4:04

then. So in addition to

4:06

a Grammy Award winning music career in multiple

4:08

genres, he's also an actress of stage and screen,

4:11

don't forget, an author, an

4:13

educator, and an advocate for others.

4:15

And this is a long time coming.

4:17

So welcome to QLs today

4:19

we have let usy welcome to question.

4:22

Thank you so much. What that

4:25

means a lot just hearing you talk

4:28

about me because

4:30

I see you DJing all the time. You

4:32

know, I would always go to your shows. That's

4:34

like one of my favorite things.

4:36

I know. This is the thing.

4:37

As long as we've known each other, like, we've never had

4:40

a moment to really just chop it up like in

4:42

every real way. So this is almost like our first

4:45

real, in depth conversation,

4:48

even though you know, again

4:50

it's it's been several decades.

4:52

And you know this is a long time coming.

4:55

Uh.

4:55

Well, I'll ask you because you know today's

4:58

is the what I say, the

5:00

birth day of

5:02

your new album. Do you still get

5:04

excited about these things

5:07

as if it were like your

5:09

children out in the world, or like you still

5:11

get like butterflies and anticipation

5:14

and excitement of presenting

5:16

it to the world.

5:17

I am so nervous right now, but

5:19

I really every single time.

5:22

But I think this one even more

5:24

so because of the growth. I never

5:27

chase relevancy. It's not

5:29

my thing. I love growth

5:32

and perseverance in history

5:35

more than anything, and so me,

5:38

I'm always adding colors

5:40

to my version of whoever I

5:42

am in that era and

5:45

hoping for people to see

5:47

another side of myself that I never

5:49

get to show. So this is another

5:52

side and kind of full circle,

5:54

coming back to the root of feel

5:56

good music, like when I started,

5:58

you know, so this one, I'm

6:01

kind of grown and I don't

6:03

care what people think anymore. I

6:05

just want to put feel good

6:07

out there. I think we needed it. I needed

6:10

it, And

6:12

what I'm nervous about is, after

6:14

three years of work, is

6:16

it enough? You know?

6:18

Yes,

6:21

I'm so glad you said that, because right

6:24

now we're going through a cycle. I

6:26

mean, you'll be maybe the

6:28

fourth or fifth artist that we've interviewed

6:31

in which their product is

6:33

kind of a direct result of

6:35

whatever they learned from the pandemic.

6:38

This restart thing, like it happened with Brittany,

6:41

with Brittany Howard and also with

6:45

Green Bailey Ray.

6:47

Yeah.

6:47

Yeah, Like you're seeing these artists

6:49

who kind of had either a pivot

6:52

or a transformation,

6:54

or they got to know themselves better. They have a lot

6:56

of self work and the creativity

6:59

that normally went on their

7:01

product before twenty twenty is

7:04

not the same way as it is now.

7:05

So would you say that for you? That's also

7:07

the case.

7:09

I think I'm a chameleon every album,

7:11

though I've always been different

7:13

every project. I think

7:16

I did a complete pivot by doing Lettucey

7:18

sings Nina when I'm

7:21

an R and B. You know me as an R and B artist,

7:23

but I've seen classical and opera

7:26

and in French and Italian, but I never get to show

7:28

that in R and B. So to me,

7:30

it's like for me, it's how I

7:32

feel, And a lot of it has to do

7:34

with ownership, being my own under

7:37

my own label and doing my own thing,

7:40

so I've never had that. The

7:42

pandemic only pushed me

7:45

forward to be more active

7:48

in socially active

7:51

online and talking to people. Before

7:53

I was more like just putting stuff

7:55

out and going away. This is new

7:58

for me, actually talking

8:01

to people more.

8:02

Wait, so you're not an engager, No,

8:05

I try to be.

8:06

I've gotten better. Twenty twenty

8:08

taught me that I have my own podcasts.

8:11

I started talking more

8:13

to my friends privately, but then I'm like, I

8:15

might as well put this out and show people that I'm

8:17

talking. You know, no

8:19

one knows and knew anything much about

8:22

me, but you seeing me around,

8:24

you know what I mean. I'm like the the oh

8:26

let Usy said the show, what is she doing here?

8:28

You know what I mean?

8:29

Well, you know what, I would have thought the opposite,

8:32

because when you're.

8:32

On stage, that's

8:35

another thing you do.

8:37

But when you're on stage, you do this like zero

8:40

to one hundred in two

8:42

seconds. And you know, I'm not even

8:45

trying to blow smoke up your ass or anything,

8:47

but literally like charisma,

8:49

connecting with the audience, talking to

8:52

the audience, engaging them, telling

8:54

jokes, yeah, talking about your

8:56

life. Like that's a hard thing to do. Like

8:59

I avoided it all costs, you know what I mean.

9:01

I hide behind a drum set. I hide behind

9:03

turntables and the internet and

9:05

all these things like where you have to

9:07

be out there. And I just naturally

9:09

thought there was one show I saw

9:12

where I was like, I will be none

9:14

surprised if you know, you get

9:18

an OPRAH platform just the

9:20

way that you were doing one on one with your your

9:22

audience. But that's weird to hear that in

9:24

your personal off stage life that you're

9:27

you're saying you're an introvert sort of or

9:29

worth I'm a little.

9:31

Bit of both, but more so introverted, really

9:34

shy stage though. It's

9:36

I think of the audience more so. I

9:38

don't think of myself. I think

9:40

of them and making time

9:43

and moments to come to the show

9:46

and entertain them and be honest and

9:48

authentic because I wouldn't want

9:50

to pay for that and then put myself in

9:52

their position. But

9:54

what would I if I'm sitting out there watching

9:57

you guys? I want to be like this, you know what

9:59

I mean. I want feel something. So

10:01

if I'm standing there like glue,

10:03

just letting it dry, just

10:05

boring. So I always

10:08

think of put myself in the audience's position.

10:11

Well, look, so if you are shy in your

10:13

personal life. And this is something I'm

10:15

just discovering maybe in the last two or

10:17

three years and talking to artists

10:20

like on this platform and also

10:22

just interviewing them in general. I think a

10:24

lot of the general public is rather

10:27

shocked that some artists

10:29

might have anxiety, social anxiety,

10:31

that sort of thing. And so I'm often

10:33

finding out that they have to sort of psyche themselves

10:36

up, like a half hour

10:38

before going on stage or like transform into

10:40

a new character, that sort of thing like

10:42

so what is your process to get out of

10:45

your social shyness of non

10:47

stage life into like

10:50

what is your process like an hour before

10:52

the before showtime?

10:55

A lot of breathing High

10:58

Hills does it for me.

10:59

I love wearing, so

11:01

you become a new character that

11:04

I love.

11:05

High heels, I love makeup. I just

11:07

love this becoming grown

11:10

woman like energy. It's

11:12

so good for me. It

11:15

says I belong, It

11:17

says I'm worthy, it says power,

11:21

and inside my heart is racing. I'm still

11:23

afraid. But I recycle the fear

11:25

into win and

11:28

gather tell them about who

11:30

you are, where you come from, the music,

11:32

the root, everything, it's not it's bigger

11:35

than me. But all of that gives me

11:37

power to just execute the stories.

11:39

We're storytellers, we're

11:42

creative, so we gotta It's

11:44

not about us, It's about what we're trying

11:46

to ignite and inspire other

11:49

people. They want to feel something.

11:51

So I go back to that, and but the

11:53

high Hills six it ashow

11:55

hold. I can get it off even

11:58

one.

12:00

Keeping clothes again the

12:03

first the first guest to go and grab their

12:05

shoessal.

12:07

I will fight you.

12:08

That is not a way.

12:09

What that is my

12:12

uncles? Oh your ankles so

12:14

much fun. That's

12:16

a whole performance and notes. Yeah, yes,

12:18

ma'am ninety's Warrior

12:21

ninety minutes. I love a good

12:23

hell. It makes me taller. I'm five five.

12:26

I need some y'all are.

12:27

Tall short,

12:31

all right, so noted, I

12:33

will be writing crocks for.

12:37

I have some nice make her some nice high crocks.

12:40

Me. You have some heels

12:43

with cracks.

12:44

They actually have platform crocks.

12:46

But have some, but they.

12:48

Don't they don't go beyond size fourteen.

12:50

So you know, I don't know. I need.

12:55

I love it.

12:56

It's happening, but I'll produce it.

12:58

Down in two years as well. Do

13:00

it as long as I can watch

13:03

those hips.

13:04

Yeah,

13:10

let to see.

13:11

I thought you were born in the Bay

13:13

Area, but I found out I was wrong.

13:15

He tell us where you were born.

13:16

I'm originally from New Orleans, Louisiana,

13:19

and my family comes from the Holly Grove

13:21

area. I don't have an accent because I moved

13:23

when I was twelve years old to

13:26

the Bay Area, so it's raised in

13:29

Oakland, East Oakland. But

13:31

when I get mad, my accent comes out

13:33

really nicely bit

13:37

bad. It gets round.

13:40

A new Ornan's accent.

13:43

Wait, can I ask the question of mirror that

13:45

I feel like we might have to skip because I need to know

13:47

where lettu see anee by day came

13:49

from.

13:50

It's a year but where my mom named

13:52

me. It comes from a Ochoca

13:56

song a year but word God,

13:59

my mom loves year of a music

14:01

and would sing it. And

14:04

that's where the name. It means to bring forth

14:07

is let us see and aniba day means to

14:09

bring luck, so bring

14:11

forth, bring luck. And so that's my

14:13

real name. My mom and dad named

14:16

me. They were kind of hippies and

14:19

uh that was their thing,

14:21

you know. So that's where my name comes from.

14:24

Do you remember what was

14:26

your first musical memory.

14:29

My mom would sing at this park

14:32

across the street with her band,

14:34

and she had this big afro and

14:37

bell bottoms, blue jeans, bell bottoms

14:39

in a green shirt and

14:41

some big hoops, and

14:44

she had this tambourine but she would hit it with

14:46

her hip all the time, and

14:48

I just love every time her

14:50

hip would move her, she'd sing the

14:52

audience would just I just saw them go

14:54

crazy. I didn't know what that meant,

14:57

but the sound of her voice always would

15:00

do something here. So that

15:02

memory always, I always

15:04

remember that before I go on

15:06

stage. But that was my one of my first

15:08

memories of music. The other one

15:11

is the A track. The band

15:13

would record to the A track and

15:15

it would sit in our room. We had a shotgun house

15:18

to just go straight ahead and in the

15:20

living room. The band would record in

15:22

the living room and my

15:24

mom would record her vocal part with

15:26

the A track in our bedroom, which was the next

15:29

room. So I would stare at

15:31

the A track and watch

15:33

my mom record on the edge of the bed. And

15:36

then when they pressed play and her

15:38

voice came out of it, I was just blown away.

15:41

And that's when I like those

15:43

two memories. That's when I wanted

15:45

to sing.

15:46

Did your mother does she like make records

15:48

of you're recording artists?

15:49

Or did she just sing? And she was a recording

15:51

artist. She had her own band called car

15:54

Nova in New Orleans. They

15:56

had their own band. It was interracial

15:59

race bass player

16:02

guitar. My stepdad played drums.

16:04

That's why I started on the drums. That's

16:07

why I love watching drummers. That's why I

16:09

became a fan of me. And

16:13

I would watch the way drummers set up their snares.

16:16

It slanted, is it low? Is it below

16:18

their knees? Like every little technical

16:20

thing. So I started on the

16:22

drums and I would watch them

16:25

perform rehearse in our bedroom.

16:27

But we were too young to go in the club,

16:29

so they would have the car close to

16:32

the side door so that my

16:34

mom can babysit while performing,

16:36

so she would do double duty.

16:39

So I'm a kid from that kind

16:41

of era where they did a lot of performing

16:44

and recording at the same time. But she

16:46

had her own band lead singer, and her

16:49

and the bass player would write

16:51

songs together all the time.

16:53

Wow, I know you're probably

16:56

obsessed with Darwy Jones if you're trying to figure

16:58

out drummer angles,

17:01

because.

17:01

I'm still trying to figure that out right,

17:04

that's set up.

17:05

It's crazy, Okay,

17:09

are you still drumming now?

17:10

Like? Do you can paradiddles

17:13

on a pad when I get nervous

17:15

or things like that? But not Nah.

17:18

The band always trying to make me play, but I

17:20

won't play it. I told you, I get a little

17:23

nerdy on certain times and that's one of

17:25

them. I don't want to play in front of it. I know, like

17:27

an African beat and a James Brown beat.

17:29

That's all I know right now.

17:32

You don't think your audience would go crazy if you just

17:34

suddenly started.

17:39

It was a little especially for afrobeats.

17:42

Let's go. You think I can do it?

17:44

I mean I know you can do it. You

17:46

know you can do it.

17:48

I'm in practice. If you're there, definitely

17:50

not doing it.

17:52

Do you own a drum set?

17:54

No, I think when we get a bigger house,

17:56

i'll get one. But right now, I'll wait. I

17:59

have a I have a road. It's right there.

18:01

I'm sending you a drum set.

18:03

Really what?

18:05

Well, yeah, you're also helping me because you know I'm

18:07

a hoarder and yeah, the less less

18:10

boxes I have.

18:12

Well, if you send it, I'll practice and then i'll

18:14

play and record.

18:15

I'm not bullstitting you. I'm trying to get rid

18:17

of these boxes. I'm giving you a drum set.

18:19

So well, thank you. I appreciate

18:21

it. I love the doms, you know what, My

18:24

monitor's mirror, the rim

18:26

shot, the snare and the kick and

18:28

my vocal. That's it. That's

18:30

all I have in my my monitor ears.

18:33

Everyone's like, you're crazy. I'm like, I need to beat

18:36

Yeah.

18:36

I know this, No, this, this is great. I

18:39

encourage this highly. I encourage What

18:43

was the first album that you

18:46

owned?

18:47

First album? My own Thriller, Purple

18:50

Rain was there? Those two was

18:52

what I had, But.

18:53

Thriller was allowed to listen to Purple Rain.

18:56

I snuck it in.

18:57

Okay, I'm just gonna say, sneak

19:00

it in.

19:01

I think I think we've had one guest on the show

19:04

that was like freely allowed to listen to Prince

19:07

in their childhood, Like Prince wasn't contraband

19:10

after the.

19:11

Movie, they let it go

19:13

because we had saw the movie.

19:15

It's a rap, you know. The Thriller

19:17

was the one that was the that.

19:19

Was okay, what about

19:21

your first content?

19:23

I didn't you know my during my time,

19:25

we couldn't go. It was run DMC, a

19:28

fresh vest. It was, yes,

19:31

we couldn't go. I couldn't go. My

19:33

parents wouldn't let us go. So I have my little

19:35

General Electric radio and I would just play

19:37

the cassette on the porch and just listen

19:39

like that and pretend

19:42

like we were there. But I didn't go to a

19:44

concert until I was in college

19:47

and the first concert, yes did

19:50

never had never been a concert. My first

19:52

concert was Dian Reeves opening

19:55

for George Benson in

20:00

Sonoma somewhere. It was a date.

20:02

This guy took me on a date. That's I

20:05

got to go to a concert. Crazy,

20:07

right.

20:07

It's funny you said that because for

20:09

some reason three days ago,

20:12

what was the song about Grandma

20:16

better Days? Yeah, I don't

20:18

know why I had this

20:20

need to hear that

20:23

song, like it was always on radio when

20:25

I was in high school.

20:27

Really, oh god.

20:29

That was like I forgot there was a time in which like

20:31

Diane Reeves had like the number

20:33

one song on Power ninety nine, like

20:36

and that was the thing that also.

20:38

Likely record and also kind

20:40

of a Piano in the Dark by.

20:42

Brenda Roshrenda Russell Yeah, yeah,

20:44

era, well that still gets played

20:46

on like Piano the Dark has

20:48

this travel to well I

20:51

don't call it yacht rock radio, but whatever,

20:53

like yeah, yeah, wherever

20:56

when you're in CVS at three in the morning.

21:01

That's one of the best albums of all time, the

21:04

Russell album.

21:07

It is tell us about your your musical

21:09

development, Like do you have any siblings or is it just

21:11

you?

21:12

I have an older sister, a younger sister, and

21:15

on my dad's side, I have I

21:17

have eleven and I think I'm twelve. I'm

21:20

twelve in there in that mix. I know you're

21:22

interviewing, but I wanted to ask you

21:24

about when we did the VH

21:26

one Anita.

21:28

I'm gonna get to that. I'm gonna get that.

21:30

I'm sorry.

21:32

That is all right, all right, let's just have it

21:34

now, all

21:37

right, I'm trying to rap up to this. You

21:40

know, the thing for me is, as

21:43

an artist, the two things that I look

21:45

forward to most in life

21:47

is when someone

21:49

puts me onto an album

21:53

that will later like change my life

21:55

and all that stuff. So, I mean, I've had that

21:58

a few times, you know, like Jill

22:00

handing me her record, Oh shit, Fonte

22:04

handed me his you know, the the Little Brother

22:06

album or record

22:08

blow or whatever. But the

22:11

only thing that tops that for me is

22:14

when I

22:17

witnessed a star is Born moment

22:20

and to see what transpired

22:23

that day. Now we're doing VH

22:27

on'es uh.

22:28

It's not women who rockets, it's is

22:31

a divas. Was it Divas?

22:33

I think I can't remember.

22:36

Yeah, I think it was Divas R

22:38

and B Divs.

22:40

And I've told many stories

22:42

of whenever I'm put in those situations

22:44

in which you got to curate a bunch

22:47

of artists.

22:48

That's the first.

22:48

Time, like, but even before Hip Hop fifty,

22:51

that's the first time I had to learn that

22:53

it's not just about music, but you

22:55

also have to manage

22:58

artists in general personalities,

23:01

personalities which I didn't know. Now

23:03

the first half of the story kind of

23:06

isn't mine to tell all

23:08

the pieces of the jinga fell down with

23:10

seconds left on the clock and or when

23:12

I say seconds left on the clock, I

23:15

mean, you know, in TV world, one

23:17

should at least thoroughly kind

23:20

of you know, at

23:22

least have three a minimum of three

23:25

hours of working out kinks and

23:27

whatnot. I mean, we probably

23:29

had all of twenty seven minutes

23:31

before we started taping, and.

23:34

You know, we have a giant, gaping hole

23:37

of.

23:38

Space left that needed to be filled,

23:40

which is who's gonna now

23:43

sing sweet love? You know you

23:45

did it in such Now

23:47

I realize that, Yeah, you're telling the truth about

23:49

your shyness because you

23:52

kind.

23:53

Of very don't.

23:54

Was Sondra there as well or was it

23:56

just you?

23:57

No, it was me and Sindra. Yeah, because I had

24:00

done a tribute ever on television.

24:02

That was like, right, first, first, correct

24:04

me if I'm wrong.

24:05

What were you initially there for Aaron

24:08

Jones, Karen Jones. Yes, what

24:10

I do remember was I didn't go to you

24:12

first. I think I went to Sundra.

24:15

No, Marcia, right, Oh,

24:18

you went to Sundra to talk to her?

24:20

Yes, right, I mean, well she was there in proximity

24:22

because she was also like, were

24:24

you there to watch the rehearsal?

24:27

Yeah, we were trying to watch

24:29

rehearsal, and then we got kicked out of a room

24:31

and we went back to our dressing room

24:34

and stayed out of the way, which is what I

24:36

love to do.

24:36

Because I'll wait all I'm

24:39

going to say.

24:40

The only thing I'm going to say, I

24:42

don't know if I ever shared this part of the story. So

24:45

again, yes, the initial plan

24:47

for that moment was in

24:49

motion, like both artists were on stage

24:52

and verse and the parts and whatnot.

24:54

And then this is the craziest.

24:56

Real moment of all time I've ever witnessed

24:58

an artist due and I'm respectfully

25:01

recapitulating the story, So.

25:03

You are so respectful right now, I can't even understand

25:05

the story.

25:06

Look after I'm losing

25:08

my mind.

25:09

I'm like, I need to get a less respectful remix.

25:10

Yes, story, I know that we're about

25:13

that, but I've already been roasted

25:15

by another artist, by

25:18

her other group members. I

25:20

was the wicked boy, and I had nothing to do with it.

25:23

You know. Again it's it's above me.

25:25

But anyway, the whole point was that

25:28

there was a moment right

25:30

after the bridge in which the song started

25:32

to go rogue, and Anita

25:34

Baker decided that this moment's not

25:36

going to go down. She literally

25:39

like, so go after the bridge of Sweet Love,

25:41

like, and she's walking down the stairs, she's singing.

25:44

Then she puts her coat on and she's

25:46

still singing the song. And then we get to

25:49

the chorus and she's putting a pocketbook on

25:51

and then she's like walking down to the

25:53

audience.

25:54

You know, we're camera blocking and all that stuff.

25:57

Yo, She sang the

25:59

last of those ad libs, walked

26:03

out the door, hailed

26:05

the cab, and it went straight

26:07

to the airport.

26:09

Like but that was rehearsal though, right,

26:12

that was I mean it.

26:13

Was it was camera blocking for a show we were

26:15

gonna shoot in two hours, like the

26:17

average person would have been like, hey, stop the

26:19

song, guys. I

26:21

appreciate this, but I cannot do this.

26:24

I'm leaving goodbye. She didn't do

26:26

that, like she literally sang the song and

26:29

then like the way mister Rogers like puts a sweater

26:31

on, and she put her coat on.

26:34

You see, did you see?

26:36

No, I wasn't in the room. We were kicked

26:38

We were kicked out way before the song

26:40

even started.

26:41

Yeah, it was a lot of drama.

26:43

And but seriously, when

26:46

I think at what point she ye had govern

26:48

her mouth like this, like she put her

26:50

pocketbook on and all that stuff, and but

26:54

still doing it for Bata swing and

27:00

and she was like in the vest of

27:02

you. She left the theater still singing

27:04

with the microphone in the rest

27:06

of you. And then she walked out of the hammersteam

27:08

Ballroom, and I'm looking

27:10

at Nelson George like, wait, what's going

27:13

on here? But the way she left,

27:15

I've never seen a person with a cordless

27:17

microphone.

27:18

Walk out the building, start on the stage,

27:21

walk in the audience, then walked

27:24

the rest of you. Like that's wow.

27:26

It sounds accurate though, Yeah,

27:31

m h.

27:35

James James James

27:37

boys and hang on, hang on, wait wait, Dame

27:39

Steak.

27:41

James, Yes, were

27:43

you with us for VH one? Divas

27:47

Anita shut up? Uh,

27:53

I think I do something from old

27:55

man brain. I think

27:57

you know, James, that you're just afraid to I

28:03

think I remember hearing about this. Was that not

28:08

playing keyboards? Who else would play keyboards?

28:10

Yeah?

28:10

I don't know either. I can't.

28:13

He wasn't in the loop like that. It was you were definitely

28:15

there.

28:15

It was a long time ago.

28:16

Maybe it was Omar. Yes, Oh

28:19

yeah, I do remember that. Wait

28:21

what I feel like I'm having.

28:23

I'm feeling like I'm having a little boy that cried

28:25

wolf moment. I'm

28:27

telling him the way that you would need a baker

28:30

left the stage. I've never seen someone

28:32

walk off the stage still singing.

28:35

Grap her coat, still singing her

28:37

pocketbook.

28:39

Sheoot a stick of gum and literally

28:42

ad libbed herself into a cab,

28:44

went to the airport, and I asked Nelson George,

28:47

I'm like, wait, what happened?

28:48

And he was like, she went home, And

28:51

I'm like, she was a luggage like she literally

28:54

I do remember that. I do. I do

28:56

remember that when you.

28:58

Asked when they said the

29:01

room started buzzing around that she left.

29:04

Yes, and we were backstage

29:06

going what's going on? And they were like, no,

29:09

Anita Baker left. I was like, what, I

29:11

wanted to meet her? Why did she leave? She coming

29:13

back though? Right? They were like, no, she's

29:16

not coming back. They're

29:18

trying to call her. So I and

29:21

when you came to my room to ask me

29:23

about singing it. When

29:25

you finally showed up, I was like, why is chues

29:28

Love coming to my room? What I do?

29:30

And I thought it was the trouble I was.

29:32

I didn't do anything, and then you came in and

29:34

explained, we need But

29:37

this is the thing I didn't tell you is

29:40

that after you asked me, I called

29:43

ab Queen Anita Baker

29:45

and said, can you police

29:47

come back?

29:49

We would love it.

29:52

Even after you asked me, because I

29:54

felt, you know, I love honoring

29:57

our grades no matter what. And if you

29:59

asked me to do their song, I always call

30:01

them and say, hey, I'm gonna be performing your song.

30:03

That's just something I do. But I felt

30:06

weird a little bit, so I called her

30:08

and said, hey, are you all right? Just checking on

30:11

you. She was like, I'm fine,

30:13

going home. I was. She

30:17

didn't she didn't

30:19

tell me what went on. She

30:21

didn't say anything. She just said

30:23

baby. I said, well, they're asking

30:26

me to sing your song and I was

30:28

hoping you would sing it, and I

30:30

thought you were singing it with another artist.

30:33

I would love for you to she

30:35

and I hope she wasn't thinking that you put me

30:37

up to that. That was just saying

30:39

please come back because it's VH one

30:41

and it was you

30:44

know, and she was like, do

30:47

a great job, honey, You're gonna be great.

30:51

But I do.

30:52

And that's all I heard. And I didn't ask her

30:54

what went on. It was none of my business

30:56

to know. My job was trying to get her to come

30:59

come back. And because I

31:01

knew a whole nother generation wanted to

31:04

see that because she hadn't been on

31:06

television along and it was a

31:08

big event to see that.

31:11

So hey, ps, just real quick

31:13

because I know he's going to try to get out of here like Peter on

31:15

The Family Guy, James

31:17

Poyser, can we get your commitment to being

31:19

a guest on Quest left the premium the next two months?

31:21

Please?

31:21

So she meet Homer Simpson.

31:23

Homer Simpson, I'm sorry, you're right wrong guy.

31:29

How much your pain?

31:37

James do an episode already?

31:42

Fred Havin. He was.

31:44

He was in his sam ash basement. Remember I

31:49

love you? Let us.

31:51

Wait? Can I ask a.

31:52

Question about the needed Baker thing? Were

31:56

James? At any point did the band look at each

31:58

other and be like, where.

31:59

The need a go? Was that?

32:01

Or it is just like it didn't matter.

32:02

It was just she was gone. No, I'm gonna

32:04

tell you why.

32:06

Because the thing is the way

32:08

that the stage was built kind

32:10

of like a pyramid thing, and I'm at the top.

32:13

And what was supposed to happen.

32:14

Is these two, these two were

32:17

supposed to saunter down these long

32:19

ass stairs left and right,

32:21

singing together.

32:27

There's this sort of rosy ending to this thing.

32:29

And the whole thing was that when I

32:31

think Sondra was next to me and I asked,

32:34

I see Sondra, I think

32:36

she said or someone from your team was like,

32:38

oh, let's you knows that song like

32:40

the back of her hand.

32:41

She will kill that Baker

32:43

fan.

32:44

She's also one of my greatest mentors

32:46

and friends. I love it. Maybe there

32:49

might be things, you know to me,

32:51

every artist has a thing, they had their cork

32:54

and what they need and require to be comfortable.

32:57

I don't know what the situation was I'm

32:59

just saying, and everybody

33:01

got a thing, they got quirks.

33:03

You know, you wasn't even going there with this

33:05

conversation.

33:06

What was your I wanted

33:08

to know for Emir doing that

33:10

kind of show, the mass it was

33:12

so massive with so many women,

33:15

like it was R and B and soul that

33:17

night, you know what I mean. It was huge

33:20

for me, and I wanted to ask him,

33:22

having that control over that kind of playlist

33:24

and all these artists in one room,

33:26

what was that like for you? Well,

33:30

you answered it, But that's why

33:32

I wanted to bring it up, like, because that was

33:34

the first time I said, come

33:36

out of being the drummer to being like

33:40

a conductor.

33:41

Run whipping bag. You

33:43

want to know something funny though, Well, you know something

33:46

funny.

33:47

That was the second most stressful

33:49

moment of a night because I had

33:52

another situation backstage

33:55

with a Mota legend

33:58

whom, like drummers will all always get

34:01

no pun intended the short end of the

34:03

stick, mainly from singers

34:05

who now I understand that if there's

34:08

certain insecurities lying

34:10

under, usually when a person wants to

34:13

micromanage tempo or

34:16

that's not right, there's

34:19

another issue at hand, you

34:21

know, that that's not about the

34:24

song's too fast or you're playing it too slow. So

34:27

you know, I was dealing with another drama with

34:29

a motown legend that she

34:32

browbeat me, and she did it something

34:34

so smooth, like I'm drumming behind

34:36

her and at one point

34:39

she's so on.

34:40

She sings something, sings the chorus and turns

34:42

around says kill

34:45

you.

34:46

Oh no, a

34:49

mirror R and B is a whole

34:51

nother beast. It has you

34:54

know this samir is so different, right.

34:56

So no, just to let you know that, like

34:59

that situation with the needle was sort of like

35:02

that was in second place. There's something else I was dealing

35:04

with. It taught me to be careful what you asked

35:06

for. And also I'll say that surviving

35:08

that prepared me for.

35:10

Hip hop fifty.

35:12

Yeah.

35:13

You know I've told our listeners that,

35:15

uh, you know, I've lost the body part

35:18

uh because of the stress of that. But

35:20

that's also that's also me

35:22

not you know, advocating for myself and

35:25

volunteering to be a whipping boy.

35:27

But I.

35:30

Said, that's what I said.

35:32

The main one I told you all

35:34

my tooth fell out.

35:39

We all smoke and drink, so we be forgetting

35:43

the camera, you

35:47

know, with our brother.

35:48

But you know, we just still.

35:53

And we can put this to bed. Let me put the cheery on top.

35:55

And say that

35:58

you came out with twenty seven

36:00

minutes left.

36:01

You ran through that song.

36:04

And it was the most beautiful thing ever,

36:07

even to the detriment of not seeing that magic

36:10

moment happen. What that

36:12

taught me was one I said to myself,

36:14

like wow, like I rarely see

36:17

an artist that's like ready for

36:20

their close up, and for

36:22

me, that was the stars born moment,

36:25

because like you

36:27

were trending number one when

36:29

that aired, and it was a whole

36:31

nother comment. It was as if people just discovered

36:33

you for real, and it was such

36:35

a moment where I was like, that's that's the

36:37

way it was meant to be.

36:40

Honestly, I was scared to death

36:42

and I because I didn't have time

36:45

to do what I normally do

36:47

prepare, overthink, I

36:50

know, overthink, and I just

36:52

did it. Marcia Ambrosius

36:54

did it too, and I was happy

36:57

to have her there as well to help sing

36:59

part of the other part. But you were

37:02

like so happy. I was

37:04

honored to finish out what you

37:06

had started and do my best, but

37:08

I was freaked out, but I did

37:10

try to get a B back. I did. I

37:12

didn't know what was going on. I was out the

37:14

dark, out of the room. Still don't know what happened,

37:17

but I'm just.

37:18

Having euros

37:20

up here.

37:21

Your face though that night, well that's why

37:23

I wanted to ask why it was So how

37:26

was it for you? Because your face was you

37:29

wore out.

37:31

Yeah, I didn't know about meditation. Job.

37:34

You did a wonderful job. I have to.

37:36

Say, y'all, is this the BT Award twenty

37:38

eighteen?

37:39

Oh it was VH one.

37:40

So you didn't say Anita Baker sweet love?

37:42

A couple of times I did, but I didn't do

37:44

I did it first with a mirror.

37:46

That was making sure because I know people are listening,

37:48

They're like, how which one is?

37:49

I want to find it't not that.

37:50

So that was the first tribute I

37:53

had ever done. I do a lot of tributes,

37:55

but that was the first one on a

37:57

big platform like that. It was

37:59

all R and B people, soul, R

38:02

and B. The lineup was incredible.

38:05

I couldn't believe I was there.

38:06

I was still rmb das.

38:07

Yeah. So did you notice a paradigm

38:09

shift after that?

38:10

Moment, Absolutely tell

38:13

me about it, because I still maintained that,

38:16

you know, one, you trended the entire

38:18

night it was on and just

38:20

reading all the comments, like people

38:23

were really engaged with how you handled

38:25

it and they loved it.

38:26

So what happened after that

38:28

moment?

38:29

They were my shows got

38:31

bigger, more

38:33

people started wanting to know

38:36

more about me. But I wasn't really social,

38:38

like I said earlier, we didn't have

38:40

enough of that. I didn't even know what trending

38:42

was. I was too busy surviving as

38:45

independent artists, you

38:47

know. But I noticed in the club environment

38:49

more people were coming out to my shows

38:52

after that, and there was a level of respect.

38:54

But I also got called to do more

38:56

tributes, so it kind of opened

38:58

the door for that, which I

39:01

was like, what is going on?

39:04

Yeah, You've done a lot besides Anita

39:06

Baker. Who are your north stars in terms of

39:09

you know, who you look to as far as like

39:11

your your vocal idols.

39:13

Or like I wanted to be an opera singer.

39:16

So Leontine was one of the biggest

39:19

uh Dinah Washington because

39:22

there would be no Aretha without Dinah.

39:25

She was a big influence for

39:27

Aretha and

39:30

then of course Aretha Franklin because she could

39:32

sing, She sunk, sung everything, and

39:36

I love uh.

39:38

My mother was a huge influence. It starts

39:40

at home for me. She had

39:42

the most beautiful soprano voice.

39:45

And when she had cancer in

39:47

the throat, and she survived

39:49

and and won, but she her voice got lower. She

39:51

was worried and said, Mama, you gonna sing. You

39:53

could sing an out good old alto and tenna.

39:56

You'll be fine, you know so.

39:58

But she's one of my biggest inspirations,

40:00

is my mother, because without her, I wouldn't have been introduced

40:03

to all these other vocalists. And I love

40:06

Patsy Kaine. She's another big

40:08

voice, storyteller. We forget

40:11

country is like not

40:13

that everybody's having that country talk. I've been

40:15

on it. My mom listened to Willie Nelson and

40:17

Bob Dylan. I was like, Mom, why they can't really

40:20

sing. She's like, it's the stories,

40:22

you know. She's like, the stories are

40:24

the thing. So I was the nerdy,

40:26

weird kid that liked all the opposite.

40:28

I didn't start at the church. I

40:31

got the church stuff later when we moved to

40:33

Oakland and I met the Hawkins and

40:35

Darryl Coley, and.

40:37

Learned that church.

40:39

My mom did. She was in their choir, so

40:41

we would. I would visit here and there. But

40:43

I wasn't a church I'm not a church girl.

40:46

I loved the nerdy. We

40:48

were raised Catholics, so we were Mama me more.

40:51

You know, we didn't do all the squalling.

40:53

I learned all of that because Tremaine said, come

40:55

on, baby squall. And my mom

40:57

grew up Baptist, so I heard her voice. That's

41:00

where I got it from. Do you know what I mean?

41:02

I'm the Yeah,

41:04

she taught me how to do my first squaw. She

41:07

was in the studio. You go, like the squaw

41:12

all that you

41:14

asking and I ain't doing that

41:17

now.

41:17

But wait, if you know what Jamaine. Have you ever

41:19

met Lynette Stephen Hawkins?

41:21

Oh, absolutely met her as

41:23

well.

41:23

She like, man, like, just listen to all that records,

41:26

like you never see pressed on any

41:28

of them.

41:28

So she had her own church. So they're

41:31

really quiet, you know, they're

41:33

nerds like well, I can't say like us,

41:35

but yeah, I guess they like us, right you

41:37

can, yeah, I can't, okay,

41:41

but yeah, they're really quiet. But you know

41:43

people who were loved the

41:45

music and they keep it there. They love

41:47

being private as well. Not all of us

41:50

like to be in the front.

41:52

I'll say that the number one scene that I really

41:54

regret that I had to drop what

41:56

in Summer Soul was? I

42:00

mean, yes, they taught me off the ledgend I put

42:02

O Happy Day in, but really

42:05

there was there. There

42:07

was a solo between uh

42:10

Tremaine Walter and

42:12

Lynette when they were teenagers,

42:15

when they were you know, like.

42:18

Nineteen years old. So that's

42:20

one of the scenes I had to drop.

42:21

You know what I wanted to say about someone's

42:23

soul, Luther Vandross is a

42:26

huge influence. Why didn't you put

42:28

Luther such a good question?

42:31

Because Luther was

42:33

ace an eighteen year old.

42:35

Nobody air quotes, nobody

42:38

taped it, didn't it a little singer?

42:40

And they were like, well, we're running out of tape.

42:43

So you know that

42:45

that local Harlem band with Luther

42:47

Vanros and Phonsie Thornton and

42:51

practically Luther's whole entire crew

42:53

from listening to my brother oops

42:55

they yeah. They also

42:58

the weird thing was the same the same people

43:00

that shot A Summer of Soul,

43:03

we're also the same people that shot the pilot

43:05

of Sesame Street, and so to

43:07

them, Luthor was just

43:10

like Luther was the first musical guest

43:12

on Sesame Street because

43:14

of the band he was in singing about the

43:16

number twenty.

43:18

I searched tying Low. There was no good

43:20

footage of Luther at all.

43:22

The last time we had a singer of your

43:24

caliber or your vocal prowess,

43:27

I'll say that's one of the unfortunate

43:29

episodes in which the audio didn't work.

43:33

Are that you're talking about,

43:36

Well, you're saying it. I was just finally,

43:41

So I'm gonna ask again. I

43:43

want you to not

43:46

not to spell a myth, but the

43:48

way that singers have these very specific

43:51

requirements for their

43:53

their vocal to be open. I'm

43:56

very cynical, and I believe that's psychosomatic.

43:59

But I've heard like Fante

44:02

clap back every now and then by

44:04

saying like, no, that's real.

44:06

But he explains me what

44:09

is the deal.

44:09

With like with the artists that are you

44:12

know, they can't have air conditioning on because

44:14

they're voice up.

44:17

This is real it Your vocal

44:19

cords will clam up

44:21

from the cold air. I

44:24

have gotten sick. I remember singing what

44:26

was it called Biscuits and Blues in New

44:28

York whatever that

44:31

is where.

44:33

I want some biscuits and blues.

44:38

But it's closed now. I literally

44:40

the air conditioning was right here,

44:43

blowing into my

44:45

face as I'm opening my

44:47

mouth. It just dried my vocals out,

44:50

and you can hear as I'm singing the

44:52

show, my voice slowly go away

44:55

cracks. Everything I

44:57

said, can you turn the air off? They wouldn't turn

44:59

it off because it was too It was underground.

45:02

It was a club in New York on Broadway, but

45:05

I can't remember the name of it. But it's

45:07

gone now. It just took my vocals

45:10

out and we had to stop the show. It's

45:12

better when it's warm, it keeps

45:14

it fluid. I don't want to sound

45:16

gross, but you need it to be

45:19

in there. You need water, you need

45:21

moisture, you need you need

45:23

your vocal courts. They're really thin and

45:26

they have to flap. You should know that.

45:28

Come on with the I don't sing.

45:31

You yell yeah, I've

45:34

heard you many times.

45:36

No, But it's just I don't

45:39

know.

45:40

There's certain I'll look

45:42

at the writers of singers and

45:45

you know some things I'll know like, okay, well

45:48

they need lemon and honey and dad whatever.

45:52

But yeah, I get it too.

45:54

So do you have a warm up process before you

45:56

get on stage or yeah.

45:59

I don't talk it all. I do the Celine Dion

46:01

thing. My room is at eighty eighty

46:04

degrees like Luther and.

46:07

The sweat stole.

46:08

Yeah, the sweat is good. I

46:11

sing all the high notes. Knows,

46:13

he knows. It just feels good.

46:15

It makes you ready to go.

46:17

It's funny fun They do be sweating, and it'll be

46:19

hot when I go see him sing on stage, that might

46:21

be.

46:22

And then I have a steamer. I

46:25

steam my vocal cords. See that's heat,

46:27

and it's making it loose and everything opens,

46:29

all your chests. It's kind of like when you put vapor rub all

46:32

over and it goes. That's how

46:34

you want your vocal cords to stay open. So

46:36

it is a real thing for me. The good

46:38

ones, the real singers do that kind

46:40

of stuff. The

46:43

one that sing like classical.

46:45

They don't like all that because

46:47

by the time you're on the stage too, it's

46:49

freezing cold, so you might as well stay warm.

46:52

So that's what I do, okay,

46:54

And I don't drink a lot of liquids, and

46:57

I yeah, the

46:59

steaming is incredible. I

47:01

also opera singer turned me onto the CITRONTI.

47:04

That's really good. But I

47:06

love that.

47:11

You transitioned to theater like all

47:14

your theatrical work, both in solo shows

47:16

and kyliner change and blah blah blah blah.

47:18

What was the impetus behind that? Why

47:20

so why go there?

47:21

To survive? To pay bills?

47:24

In the Bay Area, before I became

47:26

an artist, that you know is let us see, I

47:29

was waiting tables and working

47:31

at a place called Beach Blanket, Babylon where

47:33

you wear these big hats. I auditioned

47:35

when I was eighteen years old, right out of high

47:37

school, and I was going to

47:39

college at the same time working in theater. And

47:42

luckily with theater, I learned how to reach

47:45

past four rows and

47:47

not just perform right here. Now

47:50

I can fill the whole room with my voice and

47:52

all that because of theater. But I

47:54

had to do it to pay bills, to

47:56

survive. I was waiting tables at the same time.

47:59

After my thea gig, I leave at eleven thirty

48:01

and go rush to my gig. That

48:04

everybody would go see me underground at

48:06

Cafe Denor with one hundred people in

48:08

the room, so they would wait for me for two

48:10

hours, and I would rush there after doing

48:13

the theater gig with full makeup on, so

48:15

that I can pay bills, do what I love and

48:18

do what I need to do at the same time. So

48:20

did you finish school? Huh?

48:22

Did you finish school?

48:24

No?

48:24

I did not.

48:25

Where'd you go?

48:26

I went to cal State Heyward and

48:29

I studied at UC Berkeley in

48:31

the summers during high school. So,

48:34

because like I said, I'm a nerd, loved

48:36

all that classical music

48:39

there. That's where I studied. But yeah,

48:42

I never finished because I had to survive, had to pay

48:44

bills and be I left home at eighteen.

48:46

Like I said, I left home at

48:48

eighteen and took care of myself

48:51

and school and waiting

48:53

tables. But theater was I love acting

48:55

because I did it in high school and

48:58

to be able to do cabaret shows. And

49:00

then I was going to quit the music

49:02

industry because I had been in it

49:04

for as independent artist for two years

49:07

and nothing. I just kept spending all my money

49:10

and when I was quitting, I only had two suitcases

49:12

in a house that I got a commercial off

49:14

of doing a Sprint commercial. At the time

49:17

when Sprint existed, all Sprint

49:19

it hasn't Sprint back in the day, but I'm the

49:22

same time, I miss on my side

49:24

and I got you.

49:26

Hello, what year was this?

49:28

It was like around two

49:30

thousand and man,

49:34

was it two thousand and two?

49:35

Oh?

49:36

Okay, okay, thousand and.

49:37

Two or three after two thousand and three.

49:39

Yeah, because Feeling Orange had came out after

49:41

that.

49:43

You didn't have to audition for that. They found they just knew

49:45

you, they knew your voice, and they were like, I was.

49:46

Still I was teaching during the day

49:49

sometime middle schools and

49:51

going carrying instruments around. I

49:53

mean, I was trying to make money. You're on

49:56

your own. But I would also audition

49:58

for voiceovers to do children's

50:01

books and children things, and

50:04

I ended up getting that Sprint commercial that way

50:06

through someone who, hey, what a

50:08

friend of mine needs a voice for this. I didn't know

50:10

what it was for. I just sang it, and

50:12

then the little check start rolling in.

50:14

I was like, oh, I know.

50:19

There, you

50:23

know that's that's that's how I mean. My

50:25

living was teaching and waiting

50:28

tables and it's crazy,

50:30

and doing gigs late at night and cabaret shows.

50:33

People act like the first time they saw you on screen acting

50:35

was the I want to say the Nina

50:38

short that you did the women,

50:42

Oh yeah, yeah right with a shout

50:44

out to Lisa Cortez and Gabby Sabe.

50:46

Right who were behind it before.

50:48

Years Yeah, talk about that. I wanted you to talk

50:50

about that because I was like, did that come first? And then the

50:52

Nina album? Like you and Nina got some things

50:55

going on?

50:55

Well? The first uh, Gabby

50:58

was inspired by my Nina Simone tribute

51:00

that I did with Black Girls Rock. So

51:03

that was the second time I ever been on

51:05

television, was doing another tribute

51:07

and I came in saying I want to be Peaches.

51:10

I was like, I gotta do the Peaches part. And

51:13

they could have kicked me out, you know what I mean,

51:15

But I was like, I knew what part

51:17

I wanted to sing, and it was

51:19

me, Jill Scott, Marsha Ambrosius, and

51:22

Kelly Price. So I sang

51:24

Peaches and then Gabby said

51:26

the writer and Gabby and a couple of

51:29

producers they were saying they were inspired by that and

51:31

they wrote me into that short and

51:33

they always wanted me to play that role.

51:36

Later and years later, I would

51:38

meet Gabby just

51:41

in passing with Lee Daniels

51:43

hanging out and she said, I got

51:45

a part for you, and that was

51:47

the role in the

51:49

four Women short that

51:51

we did. It was amazing. Gabby's

51:54

a great director.

51:55

That debut too at a black Star shout out to me or

51:57

too dope.

51:58

I loved it.

52:00

So, speaking of which, can you

52:02

talk about the moments that led up to you playing

52:04

Maheleia Jackson and remember

52:07

me and what that was like?

52:10

By the way, thank you. I said

52:12

no to that role a couple of times, but.

52:14

The I love Why

52:17

did you say no? Initially?

52:18

Because I had did it in Selma, you

52:21

know, the little snippet

52:23

I did, and I wanted to so many other

52:25

people were doing it, so I didn't want to

52:28

be a part of that, you know, the

52:31

Mahela thing, because I already did it, and

52:34

uh, I wanted

52:36

there's another role I wanted to do one

52:38

day. So I was just waiting for a bigger

52:41

debut, you know. But I

52:43

love the director so much, Erica,

52:47

Erica, the producer, to I

52:50

mean, the whole team, Erica is amazing.

52:53

I just wanted to be a part of it. After

52:56

I met them, we met on a zoom and I

52:58

said, that's it. I got do it and

53:02

ended up doing it. It was amazing to dive

53:05

into Mahelia. We had so much in common,

53:08

like being from New Orleans but transported

53:11

into another city and then coming

53:14

trying to come back to pour into New

53:16

Orleans, and it was

53:18

just amazing role to sing, but

53:20

it was it was enormous because you have

53:23

you have to sing gospel music and they don't play

53:25

at all, you know what I'm

53:27

saying. So it wore me

53:30

out. And then I had to gain

53:32

a little weight because the director wanted me a

53:34

little you know. She said, Mahellya,

53:36

it was bigger. And when I saw Summer and Soul,

53:38

I said, oh wow, I had never

53:40

seen her like you

53:43

know that you gave

53:45

us her and I was and

53:48

I was so happy my heart. I was like, there

53:50

she is. And I before I did

53:53

even sell my visitor a grave, like

53:55

I said, I told you, I honored ancestors.

53:58

I was in New Orleans. I said, I want to know more

54:00

about her, was researching and I went

54:02

to a grave and visitor and thanked her. And

54:05

then that's when I got Selma.

54:08

And here she is again. Like

54:10

the answers is to me, they call I,

54:12

let stuff happen to me. I just do

54:14

the work and get out the way. That's

54:17

why I got Nina, That's why I got all

54:19

these tributes. They just happened, and I don't ask

54:22

for them. I say no to all

54:24

the time. I say no, no, no,

54:26

and then you have to do the work. Finish,

54:29

finish.

54:29

The work is their favorite experience.

54:31

I just wanted to know, because you did mention a

54:33

couple of times that you've been called to honor

54:36

a few times. But I just got to know, like, was

54:38

there a favorite experience and why.

54:41

My two favorite tributes I've ever done

54:45

is Shaka and it It.

54:48

It's still Shaka,

54:51

that Shaka tribute. People are still talking

54:53

about it. You can go online now.

54:55

No, I've seen it live. I just forgot because I smoke, but

54:57

I.

54:57

Got it

54:59

that that was years ago and it's still amazing.

55:02

That was my favorite only because she was

55:05

the first person to bring

55:07

me back out of quitting the business,

55:10

meaning she was the first,

55:12

one of the first artists, her and Rachelle Farrell.

55:14

But Shaka let me open for her and

55:17

gave me a gig, and that's what made me want

55:19

to come back after meeting

55:21

her, cause she's like, you can't quit there's no quitting,

55:24

you know what I mean?

55:25

Just pussy talk about that real quick,

55:27

Like, what was the decision that led

55:29

up to that?

55:30

Well, the industry kept saying, you're not pretty enough,

55:33

you're not good enough, You'll never make

55:35

it. Then I went ahead and did it

55:37

myself. But I was spending

55:39

so much money and didn't have the knowledge

55:41

that I needed, and we didn't

55:43

have internet.

55:44

Then, to elaborate more on that, like

55:46

being an independent R and B artist,

55:50

Like speak about because R and B generally, I mean,

55:52

anybody you know R and B is a money game, you know what

55:54

I mean? Talk more about just independently,

55:57

Like what was it like being an R and B artist.

55:59

I came out at a time where you

56:01

know, it's about

56:03

who you know and who's going to give you the leg up.

56:06

I didn't have a leg up. I would

56:08

do Black Lily here and there. People

56:12

would come out and see me, and they didn't like the way I look.

56:15

Industry people. Yes, I

56:18

did back Lily and invited a couple of industry

56:20

people. They said, well's just the start.

56:23

I remember when you came to those phrenology sessions

56:25

too.

56:28

I went, I hung out with a mirror

56:30

in the studio. That was so much fun. You

56:32

know what I learned from you a mirror. I

56:34

learned from you about simplicity

56:37

and more about what hip hop

56:39

does, why the space is so important.

56:42

And I never forget it. I said, Amir said

56:44

less do less, just more, this

56:47

is more And when that was my first

56:49

time hearing that, and uh,

56:51

and I carried it. I still carry it with me

56:53

today. But anyway, those things, I

56:55

would hope to meet people and they would help me

56:58

or do a gig with me, or for

57:00

me, or endorse me. But

57:02

really I just had to keep endorsing myself.

57:05

I had to spend my own money to

57:08

get a publicist, and

57:10

my own money to word

57:13

of mouth. I would chop up flyers. Back in

57:15

the day when we had Kinko's, I would

57:18

do programs and make

57:20

up my own flyers and pass them out. Because

57:22

we didn't have internet. I would go to the flea

57:24

markets. I would go to the record stores when

57:27

they had record stores, Please take my CD

57:29

on consignment. That's what I was

57:31

doing. Me and Sundra, we would call and

57:33

beg people, Hey, give us a leg

57:36

up, help us out. That's what I

57:38

had to do. Now you get to go online.

57:41

Sing a song. If they like you and

57:43

you have enough followers, then

57:45

boom, you're relevant. That's

57:47

why I stopped chasing that game. The

57:49

long term for me is if I can get

57:52

five people, I'm happy. If I get

57:54

ten people, I'm happy more

57:56

and more or artists, I

57:58

got all the legends, they're on my side.

58:01

I gracefully. I did it

58:03

in God's timing and not trying

58:05

to push things to happen, because

58:08

every time I pushed, it wouldn't happen. But I

58:10

always had to honor them first and say

58:12

thank you, here's let me sing the song

58:14

and honor you, and then it brought

58:16

more people in. That's the only

58:19

way. And all the things you saw me

58:21

on is because somebody believed in me. It'd

58:23

be one person in the room.

58:25

In a should be here.

58:27

This is the only person knew me on Black

58:29

Girls Rock for That for Women

58:32

was Faverly Bond and Kim Verse all

58:35

the other people. They didn't have a clue

58:37

of who I was, but they knew me from

58:39

being an independent artist. And

58:41

I know a lot of artists I'm gonna be honest here

58:44

that saw me and could have helped me, and they didn't.

58:47

I was about to ask you how you do how did you maintain

58:49

your not being angry? Now these people are

58:51

singing your praises and they're like, yeah, I've been known that

58:53

it was great?

58:54

How do you do that?

58:55

Is this also why you advocate?

58:57

Because I know that you work with Naris and the Grammys

59:00

or artists and you play a major role into

59:02

that. You've had a hand in these

59:04

new categories. People don't

59:07

know like you're behind that. Is this why you

59:10

also into that area?

59:12

Because the Recording Academy came out

59:14

saw my independent show, said

59:16

why aren't you a member? Come

59:19

be on a panel for Grammy You the

59:22

Youth. I saw

59:24

that they were helping the elders

59:27

with advocacy

59:29

with a Grammy museum, and

59:31

I was blown away because I didn't

59:34

want to be the industry thing. I

59:36

didn't even want to be signed to a label. I

59:38

did it to survive because I was gonna

59:40

quit. But when I did,

59:42

it opened another kind of door. So

59:45

when I went in the Recording Academy, all I focused

59:47

on, not the Grammy. I focused on the

59:49

youth. I went to

59:51

Grammy Youth, did all the panels and

59:54

talked about my journey, rejection,

59:58

recycling, rejection and fear

1:00:00

into winning. Just complete

1:00:02

your work and do your best work. And if you get

1:00:05

five people loving you, those

1:00:07

five will talk about you and it'll

1:00:09

bring more people. And I told

1:00:11

them about focusing on their craft

1:00:13

and all that. I love advocating because

1:00:15

that was me. That's how I got to

1:00:17

study classical music. My mom couldn't

1:00:19

afford the violin or the

1:00:22

piano lessons or the classical lessons.

1:00:24

She had to Someone came to

1:00:26

our school said we have free

1:00:29

programs, and that's why

1:00:31

I joined. So I'm that person

1:00:33

now, you know.

1:00:35

Let me go back to my question originally, So

1:00:38

have you always been that person? Or did that take

1:00:40

some self work because that moment

1:00:43

and knowing that you've done all this work and

1:00:45

now, like I said, people are now like.

1:00:47

Let us see, I've been known, I've seen you. I say you there

1:00:50

like you know, like.

1:00:51

Being hose didn't want me.

1:00:52

Now I'm hot holes all on me.

1:00:53

There we go, tell me about that.

1:00:56

See. This is the part why I love being

1:00:59

from New Orleans because we are

1:01:01

prideful people. We know we're

1:01:03

dope, but we don't have to brag about it. We

1:01:07

remember what happened, but we don't have

1:01:09

to bring it up, because what we

1:01:11

do is just take the energy and refeel

1:01:13

it. It's a faith thing, it's

1:01:16

a honor your parents

1:01:18

thing. Don't cut up embarrass

1:01:21

them exactly.

1:01:25

Come on, Miror you know, I, me and your sister

1:01:27

are good friends. So it's like we

1:01:30

we just do our classy work. I

1:01:32

just follow the lead of the ancestors. But on

1:01:34

the side, yeah, we talking, but

1:01:36

I don't want to talk about it in here.

1:01:40

With human in that way. I'm sorry.

1:01:42

I am very human you

1:01:45

too. But a lot

1:01:47

of people could have helped, but they didn't. But

1:01:49

it wasn't for them to help. That's how I look

1:01:51

at it every now that I to see

1:01:53

it unfolding. It's supposed

1:01:56

to happen this way. I'm supposed. I

1:01:58

have so many strong relationships

1:02:00

advocating than I do in my own industry,

1:02:03

just being an artist, from artists to artists.

1:02:06

When you do be of service, it's

1:02:08

the best gift for your

1:02:11

career ever ever, so

1:02:14

it comes back to you.

1:02:15

Mm hmm mm hmm.

1:02:17

Absolutely, I was as you.

1:02:20

About one of your you

1:02:22

know, people that haven't helped, but just one of the people that has

1:02:24

a REX rideout. Yes,

1:02:27

one of your on all your albums. I just see

1:02:29

him as like, you know, someone you've always worked

1:02:31

with, and I just want to talk about you guys creative

1:02:34

partnership and how it was developed over the years.

1:02:36

Well, when I was gonna quit, we were outside

1:02:39

his garage talking and I said, that's it.

1:02:41

You know. We met on doing

1:02:43

My Sensitivity with Bonnie James. Verve

1:02:46

had a tribute

1:02:48

for Luther Vandross they were doing and

1:02:50

that was the one song that Bonnie

1:02:52

James had agreed to have me sing on

1:02:55

and he was actually telling me how to sing, which

1:02:58

was trippy, but I did whatever he asked

1:03:00

because that was the session. And when they found

1:03:02

out they came to when Rex came to

1:03:04

a live show, He's like, oh my god, I'm

1:03:06

so sorry. We were telling you how to say

1:03:10

but then we started. I told

1:03:13

him, you know, in private, I'm quitting

1:03:15

this industry is too hard and I don't

1:03:17

think I fit in with everybody. I'm gonna go

1:03:20

teach and be comfortable there, get

1:03:22

a freaking health insurance, you know what I

1:03:24

mean. Chill out. And he was like,

1:03:26

don't quit. You know, I'll help

1:03:29

you with better signing with

1:03:31

a label, just to get in

1:03:33

and start somewhere. Because they

1:03:36

are interested in you. Verb was and

1:03:38

here's a jazz label at the time, interested

1:03:40

in the R and B singer. I said, I'll only do

1:03:42

it because I'm like

1:03:45

anti be entrepreneur,

1:03:47

you know, own your stuff. But

1:03:49

I was like, well, I gotta survive. Okay,

1:03:52

I'll try it. He said, just record, just

1:03:54

record, So we started recording together.

1:03:56

We did a whole bunch of songs and

1:03:59

Verb went crazy and wanted them.

1:04:01

And the first song that I wrote was all Right.

1:04:04

When I was on doing Carolina

1:04:07

Change. I wrote it and I was recording

1:04:09

in this box on my bed with my microphone

1:04:12

because I didn't have anything to cover the mic.

1:04:14

So it was singing this life get mad,

1:04:16

you know what I mean, trying to riet on

1:04:19

the bed. I was such a techy because I interned

1:04:21

there's a

1:04:24

yeah, exactly techy.

1:04:27

So I was trying to record it right for

1:04:29

Rex, so I would send him my vocals

1:04:32

and all that, you know, back in the day, and

1:04:36

all Right, blew up. Just

1:04:38

it was the first song that came

1:04:40

out that people got it. I

1:04:42

told the truth. I don't know if I this

1:04:44

is rough out here, you know.

1:04:46

I was wondering that if people walk up on you

1:04:48

and ask you because you you talk about relationships

1:04:51

and self love and strengthen so much.

1:04:53

And I'm like, do people walk up on you a lot? And is

1:04:55

that?

1:04:55

Is that a lot of pressure to how do you?

1:04:58

I just I didn't need them advice quick girl.

1:05:00

Because I'm in a situation.

1:05:02

You know. No, they don't do that,

1:05:05

but they do tell me how a song has

1:05:07

gotten gotten them through.

1:05:08

Okay, that's a little easier, all

1:05:11

right.

1:05:11

It is the one they

1:05:14

love those songs the women. I gravitate

1:05:16

towards women a lot. That's just what

1:05:19

it is. But yeah,

1:05:21

that's I don't get the therapy questions.

1:05:23

Okay, good, speaking

1:05:26

of therapy. Nice segue.

1:05:30

What was she like in real life? Because

1:05:33

I watched y'all Love Fixed My Life and well,

1:05:35

I mean it used to come home.

1:05:36

He is who she is on that show in person

1:05:40

direct and I

1:05:42

met her. She was the first time I met her, she said,

1:05:44

oh, you have daddy issues. You need to fix that.

1:05:50

Hello. I just said hello.

1:05:51

I just said he.

1:05:54

You, But in

1:05:56

front of a whole group of people. That's just how she

1:05:58

is. She's direct, you know, and

1:06:00

she's like, you got to fix this and that.

1:06:06

I love her and also

1:06:10

I want to ask you as well, doing Black Love

1:06:12

with your husband? What was Oh

1:06:15

no, yo, yeah, what

1:06:17

was the experience like? What was the aftermath?

1:06:19

Y'all?

1:06:19

Did Black Love?

1:06:21

Yeah?

1:06:21

Man, that was We did it during

1:06:23

the pandemic. I always been a fan of the show.

1:06:25

They've always asked me to be on it, and I didn't

1:06:29

respond because I feel

1:06:31

like, you know, those parts of my

1:06:34

life, like I said, I'm private, I

1:06:36

love, I want to stay married.

1:06:38

I don't know about y'all. You know Coston,

1:06:41

Philly though he is from

1:06:43

Philip He's amazing

1:06:46

too. But I'm glad we did Black

1:06:48

Love because you know, people got to see

1:06:50

another side of me, you know, and uh

1:06:53

and see who I'm with and it

1:06:55

was great. But there I love Tommy.

1:06:57

Tommy is incredibly good people,

1:07:00

the good people. So yeah, we

1:07:02

did that show. And that's all I'm gonna say.

1:07:05

Tell us to the plans for the Good Life Tour that's coming

1:07:07

up that you're about to do.

1:07:09

Yes, I'm going

1:07:11

on the twenty seventh city tour with

1:07:13

the great Raheem Devine is coming with me

1:07:16

the Good Life Tour BJ the Chicago

1:07:19

do it a couple of dates when Raheem can't

1:07:22

do it and I'm just looking

1:07:24

forward to it the band. We

1:07:26

did our final rehearsal last

1:07:28

night and it just sounds so good

1:07:31

and it feels good. So I'm

1:07:34

excited about it. I hope. I'm trying

1:07:36

to see if these hills gonna work, but we that's

1:07:38

the ones.

1:07:39

I want to.

1:07:40

See what happens. But I'm looking forward

1:07:42

to it. I'm gonna do a lot of a mixture

1:07:45

of the old and the new, the well

1:07:47

my classics and the new, a lot

1:07:49

from the new album, so I'm really looking forward

1:07:51

to that.

1:07:51

I feel the thing I

1:07:53

was gonna say the single delt too oh you like Yeah,

1:07:56

I love it, Thank you Good

1:07:58

Life.

1:07:59

That was a great project to work on. It

1:08:01

was hard, but I'm happy it's out and

1:08:04

uh again with Rex. I got

1:08:06

DJ Camper on it again. I'm

1:08:08

working with Camper and the sell

1:08:10

you No Dreams new producers No Dreams

1:08:13

God and Joshi. I've never

1:08:15

worked with them before that I think one of them

1:08:17

is from London.

1:08:19

And also Brown.

1:08:22

Butcher Brown. We did a song called quality

1:08:24

Time that I wrote with Corey.

1:08:30

These are That's what I was thinking.

1:08:32

To and I

1:08:34

wrote quality Time together on the

1:08:36

Butcher Brownton I've been always wanted

1:08:38

to work with her. We've known each other for about five

1:08:40

six years, but we never could find a song.

1:08:43

So I got one. I think this is the one we

1:08:45

should get together. I love writing with songwriters.

1:08:47

I love sharing on this show too.

1:08:49

I love our little Quest Love Supreme Extensions.

1:08:51

I know we got to go on here.

1:08:53

Thank you for doing this with us, Thanks.

1:08:56

For having me. Thank you, I finally get

1:08:58

to talk to you.

1:08:59

I know a right longtime

1:09:01

company on behalf of Aya

1:09:04

and I'm baby Bill and Chudie, Steve and

1:09:08

Fron Tigelow and.

1:09:09

The Great Letter see Quest Love.

1:09:11

We're signing off and we'll see you on the next go round

1:09:14

of Quest Love Supreme.

1:09:16

Thank you for your support. Thank

1:09:19

you for listening to Quest Love Supreme.

1:09:20

This podcast is hosted by a Mere Quest

1:09:22

Love, Thompson, Liyah Saint Clair, Fante

1:09:25

Coleman, Sugar, Steve Mandell, and myself

1:09:27

unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers

1:09:30

are Meir just walked into the Goddamn

1:09:32

Room, Thompson, Sean g and

1:09:34

Brian Calhoun. Produced by Brittany

1:09:36

Benjamin, Jake Payne and Liah Sainclair. Edited

1:09:39

by Alex Conroy. I know Alice Conrad, producer

1:09:42

for iHeart by Noel Brown.

1:09:45

West.

1:09:45

Love Supreme is a production of iHeart

1:09:48

Radio. For

1:09:52

more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the

1:09:54

iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

1:09:57

or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.