Adam Blackstone

a little microphone, no microphone? Do I get it? There's something about that accompaniment, something about when that accompaniment is pristine, when it's when it's right, when it when it's custom. Huh but pristine, no accompaniment A couple of it. Nope, to see. I think when it's Taylor made got to be right to the to the song and to the the range. But then to the artist is Taylor Mane and did. I don't want to do no introduction. I just want to get straight to the man himself, Mr

Adam Blackstone. Yeah, you want to sound you want sound good, sound good, you want to tap in with B B. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. Come on now, this this was this is when I knew or yeah, I mean you you've always been special, but when this is when I knew you were special? Special man, when I came, when I came to the j T concert, and come on, do the initials over here, man, everybody who I'm sorry when I came to the Justin Timberlake,

HU give you your flowers? No, I'm getting you your flower. We gotta say, if you're right, you're right, you ain't wrong when I came to the Justin timber Lake concert, because you were empting overseeing, uh, the entire musical dichotomy, and and I felt like you gave, you gave justin the moment that he had probably been searching for for a long time. It's interesting, man. His music speaks to

all of us and always has. I think it was something about the different swag that I was able to bring from church, from soul music and then just being a hip hop head. But he's the thing, he's he's a soul singer for sure, right, he got he gets his pop off, he does. But he's so when you went to when y'all went to drink you away, I can't drink you away, right, that's right, young fella, yeah, let me tell you something. To take it to that

four car. Let me tell you something. When you went to that place and he got to getting to it his bad, I felt like he wanted to shout, yeah he got his Memphis. I felt like he went Baptistecostal. He wanted to shout. I said, oh my god, man, we um. That was one of them ones where he played that record for me and I just heard tim beatbox. It's it's country by nature for sure. Originally. However, however, you throw a B three on that, it can take you to a whole another place. Um. And so yeah, man,

we we took it there. And and what I love about him specifically is he embraces that side of who he has around him. You know what I'm saying. We can say it's culture, you know whatever we want to say, Um, that he might not have experience the way we have experienced. And when I bring it to him and feels fresh, it feels new for his listener, even it feels fresh and feels new, you know what I'm saying. So I'm

ain'tful to him. Man, He already know we actually you know, not to put the time stamp on it, but he showed up at my last um sun Rose event, and like just the fact that he embraces the culture and like you know, gives gives us soul musicians, R and B musicians, R and B singers, the flowers and it's like, you know, we appreciate you know what I mean? Yeah, I lie for sure, sure, for sure that big just like he's one of the ones, you know what I mean.

There's so many others out there too, but him specifically, man, he loves to embrace that. So I'm thankful for because he let me be me. Yeah I was. I was. I think I think I came to like six or sex. I was hanging out. Yeah, yeah, I don't know anybody, you know what I mean, all of his humbleness when he finds something that he rocked with, Yeah, like where are you going? Yeah you know, Tony, I'm like, what are you doing? Bro? You know i'd say something, say

something real candid too. The homie keeps around that upper echel line, so it pushes him too. So that's a testament to who you are to R and B. A testament to who you are to him as well, because it's like iron sharpens talk yeah, I was looking at the best show like he's like, you gotta see it? Yeah, yeah, it was. It was special. I'm not a concert guy, yeah, but this was an experience. I can't. I can't, but you know, I'm just not. I'm not the guy that's

a whole bunch of concerts. It's just never been my thing because I think for me, I like to hear it the way it was on the album. So sometimes if they can't, if they don't recreate that for me, yeah, I get mad. Come to it. Adam Blackstone the third person. I'm gonna tell you something. I pride myself on making that live experience is better than the album, and that's

hard to do. I'm not at all saying that. That's just what I do, and it's that no, no, no, especially because those ten thousand and twelve thousand thousand people in there are there because they like the record. If I can give somebody a moment to hear when we or slow in a different way where they're like, that makes me want to go and listen to the record even more. That's what that's that's that's that's what I

pride myself on. So it's a fine line people what they're absolutely familiar with and then got to take them on the ride because there's the thing I like to tap into two and we can talk about this crazy, But where was your mindset as an artist making this record, because a lot of talented singers and musicians and producers specifically have to bring themselves back to make a record that's audible for the listener where it's not too too crazy.

But you might want to go there, you know, I see you sitting you know when we I was just saying, saying at the piano in the house and all that, It's like, you can go there. But when you just laying it for an eight bar phrase, we gotta kind of think about what it is. So my opinion, whether it's me tapping in with Janet, me tapping in with re, me tapping in with Drake, it's like, like, where would you when you're making the record in your hands full champagne? Wow,

he's because it wasn't. I didn't do that ONCT was actually really nicknames chad At not the whole name. Not if you're nasty, not bro. Let's you know, let's go back to the beginning. Yes, let's go back to where all of this started absolutely you know what I'm saying. Born in Jersey. Yeah, my player partner from tring to man Dante Jones's let me tell you how much, Um we just was talking about him, man, new Jersey basketball legend. Straight up, they're gonna say all that on here because

then they're gonna be seeing fun. He got the championship. That shout out to my guy brought me the championship. Bocha. It's a little more personal though, because this is one of my best friends in the world where literally but his championship came against my hometown Golden State. Boy. Oh yeah, and he played a part. He played a major. They put his ass in the game and he started doing dirty ship and sucking people up and I'm cussing at

the TV sitting rightdom smiling. Yeah he that so he knew Jersey now it Jersey basketball and I'm trying to see the Clippers at night, like you might need to make that call from me right here coaching. Yeah, um, alright, cool. Yeah. And so born in Jersey, my family, my my father, church organists, and what you would deem now today as

like a one man band, like um wedding band. Guy, we didn't call it that, you know, back in the eighties nineties, but like you know, as I look back and even talk about it a lot, he wasn't the first musical director that I've seen, because when you in that in that wedding band scene, you hit one hundred vpms and you just you electric slide, you chat your slide, you you doing all the songs that just you know,

get the people going. So it's like I saw him curate setlists like in his head all the time and just moving based off of what the people were doing. Um as at an early early age. When I moved to Philadelphia in thousand for college, that changed my life culturally because I had never seen, um the impact of soul music in the culture of a city, Like a song means so much to a surrounding area and then in turn the song whoever sang that song, those people are held to a higher echelon in that area too.

So UM met the roots crew in Philly and then you know, my life, how do you run into the roots? Well? No, so I was the guy, you know, just playing everywhere, clubs, sessions, jazz club I was doing everything. I was in college too, So I was like you know, who's gonna give me thirty five dollars? Who don't give me the fifty dollars, we'll talk. I'm pulling up church, different churches, all of that, and so ran into what were you making a church?

We know because we talked about with Tank made the church. We're still trying to figure out what's Tank being. It depends if I played with my dad, I made Daddy. Yeah, if I played just take this. So what was your main instrument in church? Was drums to drums? Yeah, because we don't have a bass player, you know, like that that was if you had a bass player, Yeah, for sure, it was Oregon piano drums. That's it. If you're left

foot or that's a flaw. Oh yeah. And if you went to a church with a base player and a guitar player, that you're a mega church. Yeah, you're you're a mega church. You got over eleven hundred members, you got two services. Yeah. So, um, I played drums at church all my life. You know, my uncle played drums at a different church. And then all my you know, role music role models in Jersey played drums. And so just to take us step back when we moved to

a different town. Older white gentleman band director at my school said, listen, candidly, he said, all the black kids want to play drums. I know your family. We have a void in the school for a bass player for sure. Second grade, Mr Matt Lack, you can't say that in this day. He can't say that, he said, all the kids. But I knew what he meant. Like I went to you know, urban, I was in a primarily permanent No, I was in a black community. So all the kids

want to play drums. He's right, I know your family. I heard about y'all. You know your dad's a musician. We don't have a bass player. And I was like, hell, no, I'm not caring this. We used to walk to school. You'll remember that. Remember that we used to walk to school. So he had me this instrument that long right there in the case. I said, I'm not walking to school with that. I want the sticks. I'm bringing my sticks.

Best decision I ever made second second grade, never forget, and started playing a little stand by me Doo doo doo, doom, doom doom, Like learning now, okay, then I'm learning you know, bills, bills, bills, and uh, you know beat me nine one one in the second grade. This kind of in the second grade. No no, no, no, you know what I'm saying, you know, um um. And then as we you know, that's a that spanned some years. But I was like, okay, I

can get into this. And it made me different. It did like everybody wanted to do that thing on the drums or that thing on whatever, you know, to be the only guy playing bass. I took pride in that, and I was like, I want to be great, and you know, that set my journey off to go to University the Arts in Philadelphia, and I moved to the Philly in two thousand, was doing all the gigs around town, a base, any and everything you play upright, So at

that time, now I'm playing both. Because I also realized when I saw the bass players as I got older at church, a lot of them didn't read music and I didn't have the skill set as good as them at that moment, So how could I differentiate myself? So I really started like really honing in on the ink

and like really reading. Yeah, so that that's I'm going to say, ironically enough, it's fifty fifty now my gigs today because that's why I'm able to do movie scores, That's why I'm able to write the charts out for Soul Train Awards, Horns players or I'm doing that. I just did the Oscars. I had to score for sixty piece orchestra, like I wouldn't be able to do that without learning how to read music at all. This whole episode is going to be flawed. No, this is Fowers

except the musicians. First. You have to accept except except ship Come on, I wanted out to be at to read music. I can't, But you want to encourage every musician out there is never too late. Yea. It sets us, it sets us apart from the ceiling that you have. That's all. Not that you're gonna play any better or but there's more, but it's just more that I watch. I would watch um, I would watch Tim Carmen, Yes,

Tim Carmen. I will watch Tim Carmen coming. And he's he's a he's a rare one because you know, with piano it's tough to be to be gifted and studied and be able to live in both worlds. Like he's very much. He can very much do Eric Clapton and then go to evangelistic Church of the Children and Easy Easy, and everybody in both areas be like, oh my, and then and then go play with Kendrick or Future or

what yeah, and and and what made me really? I mean, I've known him from the house, you know what I'm saying. But when we were doing that dream Girl soundtrack, he would just they would just throw that sheet in front of it and he would just get active, and I'm like and so that was a big part of my evolution as a college bass player because I was playing jazz, got a jazz scholarship. But then my walking baseline felt like I was playing shot with music. So they was like,

what is that? Ain't really what we normally used to but he moving in and out them changes like something is different to me, that was normal. I'm gonna be completely honest, not to like from learning from your father, learning from my learning from the culture. So it was like, Okay, I see B flat major seven, I know what those notes are, and i know I'm going to G and I'm like, Okay, then I'm gonna go to the flat. I'm like, oh, that's all that is. Victory is mine.

But it's like it's somebody playing a head over a jazz head over top of it. I'm like, oh, I'm gonna move in and out of it's different, and they're like yo. Like so then that propelled me within the structure of my school, like he just played different, like it's right, but it's like it ain't nothing we really heard specifically from an adolescent, not that bass players weren't doing that, but at my age and where I was at school. Um So, reading music has helped me do

continuously today, help me do so so much. I'm able to juggle three, four or five gigs because I can write it down and then forget it and forget it and forget it and get right back to it, forget it. I don't have to internalize when you're learning a something on it takes a different type of brain power to be like, when I play it again, I have to

remember what I just did. When that ink is on the paper and it's telling you see to f It's like, okay, I know how to muscle memory, read through them changes, and then boom, Thank Jay Valentine's segment is over. I gotta get to this Mars Day segment. Boo and me turn the page. You know what I'm saying, okay, Bloom, Morris Day is over, Boom, let me go do so you so you wrote out slow for sure, string parts

and everything. Yeah, I mean, you know, like for the you know when Nearly came and did the John and it's like, we're gonna embellish and all of that. I gotta write it for the band. When you send me the arrangement, you know what I mean, I'm like, this is what it is. This is how we embellish it. Put the horns on top of it, all that. It's it's because we're moving so fast. You know, I'm saying, you approve of this? Cool? You know what I'm saying.

Next thing, you know what I mean, we got to I would to see the music should four four times and put it up on something because right because bro, conversation around all of that, y'all smashed. It's nuts. Thank y'all smash some Some of my favorite, you know, R and B moments have been we had some good your your your win, we win. It's still it's still in show, still in show. Yeah, that's one of the ones I don't want to have to do. Yeah, you want to life.

You come to my show right now and you will hear, you will hear your job. Yeah, you gotta do that for the shout out. Shout out Terence Vaughan even on your program Man just crazy even. I think the Cornish helped with with with um slow oh yeah yeah and shout out going to call on on the string arrange as well. But as we bring it together that I had to trust you on that because Tank sent it to me because like I said, I'm very much the

album guy, but very much let me be transparent. We wasn't about sketch five before we liked where because I had to because because it was like I was like, we need the song for sure, but in these moments, but it just needs moments, right and it needs something over top floating over top of it to make it, to make it the experience that you know, no one's

ever no one's ever had before with the song. But then we got to get to a place like so when those last eight bars like called I hit I want this and I played that this is what I want. We have to go so much when he said this is what I want, he makes a video. If he makes a video of him at the piano and saying this, whatever the instrumentation is base keys, get strength. This is what I want. I love that about you and other artists where it's just like it's let me translate what

you want in the best way structurally possible for our band. Man, you know what I mean, because there's no guessing. It's like, my job is to make it better. To make it better your idea. That was my That was my issue in the beginning. But because I'm not I don't play, so I don't have the two talented moments y'all get too talented. Just it's just reality. There were moments you know that I had learn about that. Just get too talented because you're getting your ship off. I only got

so much ship I look at it. But it's the way to get it off and for the people to be like, I'm getting off too by hearing that. Right. So he sends me, sends me to MP three and I'm like this niggad and turned slow into a Disney song. Just the first thing I said Disney, I said, Man, were fucking the Disney ship. These niggas gonna boom me. I'm like, nigga, I ain't been on stage. This nigga got me out here and singing a Disney song. This nigga is trying to ruin me before I get back.

But the way the way I structured it is I made sure that he could he could he could just stay where he would navigate. Everything would dance around him. So here's the other thing, just about television in general. We can talk about this a whole another day. When we are creating those musical moments, there's a visual that has to match. Agreed. This man, I hate to say it like this. I hope I don't get in trouble. Has been a part of some amazing men to women's

visual moments than I had to be safe. He introduced us to some people we we ain't know before, Joey and some some some moments with these strings where it's like, yes, they're playing this thing, but it's erotic and it's sexy, and we pushed, we pushed the envelope behind. Man, it is I just you know, that's like I said the wrong time. Yeah, you gotta be politically correct. This is my motherfucker show two different things. She did pole work

and she's a pole dancer. Yeah, it's almost a professional poll arenasion I respected? So is that like a singer and a singer. No, no, no, no, she's a she's a No. I respect it though, I respected. What I'm saying is so I'm gonna go back. We're gonna run in. I'm going back to say when we're creating those moments, whether that be for y'all or whether that be for any artists. Like there's also for television, there's a visual

thing that goes with it too. So those accents and those hits that he was hearing in his head or that I might put a impact on or something like that, we know them lights is gonna go crazy. We know that depth. You know what I mean. Show me what you do with that drop? Yeah? Okay, that that far. So it's like, you know what I mean. So that I'm like, I'm looking at it as moving at it. Yeah, So I'm I'm seeing the movie player. Yeah it's a movie. Yeah.

Because I'm saying, I see the set, I see the lights. I'm getting this TV. So I'm like, I'm like, once it gets to him, it's gonna really get. It's gonna really get aggressive what I'm saying. And we and I'm like, I see it. All clear is dead. It was there and it was. It was okay, so let's go back. Let's let's let's go back. Okay, So you art school, you can read. You, you're hitting the streets of Philly.

You're going crazy, rosy and how how and what was that open mic night at a spot called the five Spot we used to go to in Philly and at that point, neo soul was booming. I just so happened to be in the mecca what I consider, you know, the mecca of what it was at that moment. Through that building, the five Spot, you could have anyone from Jill Scott to Below to Music Soul Child, to Erica Badud to Ndra to Eric Banat to you know, aries. I don't know if you'll remember Vivian Green. It was

just it was just super crazy in Philly. Dre and Vidal and Carvin and Ivan and DJ Jazz Jeff and Touch of Jacks Ja. They just had the city on smash Man and so we were playing you know, those songs nightly and and and the peers of those people, even though I named some of the more famous ones, but it was another of those, you know for sure, Jazzy Fat Nasty's River Um, you know, just fourteen year old Jasmine Sullivan. You know what I mean. It just

was crazy man. And so it was a night curated by Rich Nichols, rest in Peace, who was the manager of the Roots at the time, Sean g who we know now is the president of Live Nation, and I'm request love and black Thought and so um. The crew was called the Okay Player Crew and so um. They used to go on the road and do with these hubs of touring shows. They asked me to go as

a young, you know, adolescent kid. But it was, you know, for the local and I don't want to say local, but like it was the underground, full underground, like real talk, you know what I'm saying. Jay Z then decides he wants to do Unplugged and hired the Ruts and hired the Roots. I actually didn't, so I didn't play Unpluged, But so what happened was the route. I wasn't a route, but the Roots the band did unplug and Jay said

that was so good. Let's take it on tour and I'm gonna do Maddison Square Garden and we're gonna call it Fade the Black. It's gonna be my last album, he said, it's my last album. It's j last, It's encore, you know what I mean. That was my first big gig. You're going the road j Z it do oh three as twenty years ago. So I was. I was through rehearsal process. I meet this guy um just kind of around producer Pink Polo Shirt. You know, he says, Yo, when this is over, you should come rock with me.

You know, I got some stuff popping. I got my you know, I'm putting my album out myself. You know, they ain't gonna help me. You know. I was like, oh yeah, you know, I got you. You know, let's let's connect after this over Kanye West, Right, I go on tour with Kanye. We do this thing called to Go on the Dark Tour, which arguably is one of the top five shows I don't mind saying. Ever, he had a spaceship on the stage. It didn't work at first, right, Like it was like issues with it, like it was

a whole thing with the major issues. But his vision was his vision. He wanted the alien, he wanted spaceship. He wanted to ban in the pit like it was Broadway. It was this thing that was my job to curate that through working with Kanye. I met this girl from Barbados, she kind of opening for us here and there, and it's like, Jay, it's like, yo, you know, I'm gonna sign this new artist whatever. We're donna cut her hair

and she's real cute whatever. They come out with him brother, right, So it's really so it's like I end up working with Re after Kanye because she's opening with us, you know, through Re and me at this amazing light skinned Canadian boy who like rap sing I had never heard anything like it at the time, and I'm just like he's like, yo, you know, after you don't really like come rock with me. You know, I got some stuff. Ends up being Drake,

you know what I mean. Through Drake, we got this kid from North Carolina on the tour with us opening. Had no idea he was. We just would watch him nightly. He just wrapped so good named Ja Cole. Right. So then that's the case. And then I meet Jermaine Dupree at the at the Drake show. He says at the time, he's like, my girlfriend's going on tour like he needs he needs And I was like, oh, yeah, call me, you know what I mean. I'm a huge fan of JD so So Deaf has been influential in my R

and B path. Janet Jackson, this is Girls. So they called me on three ways like yeah, we went to see the Drake Show and Kanye Show and it's cool. And when I started working with Janet, she had the same manager as my good brother justin timber Lake. So he said, Yo, when Janet's done, I want you to meet my other client at the time. You know what I'm saying. And so that's just the way God works, man. And it's like I've done hundreds of things in between

all of that. But I say that through line to inspire. Did you work on that infamitue super Bowl? I did not work on that early super Bowl. I did not. I did not. I did not. No, I did not. But I say that through line to inspire because I speak about, you know, relationships and how the relationship equity is sometimes more than any monetary value that I could ever deposit to myself. Um, I don't mind saying I could call y'all, y'all gonna pull up for me. We're

gonna sing a song and we're gonna kill it. But you know that I protect you all as an artist

you know, I protect the integrity of the music. And I've been able to do that for my twenty year career, so that when I do make an album like my album Legacy, and I call Queen Latif or I call Kurt Franklin, or I call Mary Mary or Leslie Oldham Jr. They're like, Yo, whatever you need, You've sewn into me so much that I want to give this back to you because I can't afford their performance or you know what I'm saying, Like, you know, we we if we're

talking numbers, I'm just being honest, it's a different type of currency. So I've always tried to be a nice person. I know that sounds so simple, but there's a lot of unnice niggas out there for sure. Yeah, And so

I've always tried to have integrity and respect for the music. Uh, not do too much, you know for somebody who likes just the album, do enough for somebody that's gonna get that special get out of it, and then also at the same time make an impact for the consumer so that the artist is like, I want those people to feel that way again, who did that about my music? My career has been who did that? Straight up and I never even said that out of my mouth before,

but it's like who did that? Who did you? Who did that? Who did Janet? Who did that? Who did justin like you know what I'm saying, Like that's my resume, That's how I get so yeah, and so I'm really thankful about that, you know what I mean, because like you know, my name is in rooms that I don't even know sometimes based off of being good work, not based off of any and being a great person, but

and trying to be a great person always. But well, I think being a great person is like the icing on the cake, right because you know, in in our in our world, you know what I mean, people will people will accept if you do good work, whatever comes along with work to the working working. So people will accept a gang of foolishness and bullshit if the work is But there's there's an extra measure umn of of what do you say, um of longevity that goes with

being a good person. That's it, man, that's it. And then you know surrounding I've realized that a lot of my favorite artists have longevitycause they're good people. So if I'm looking at how to sustain I look at Verdine and White. I look at Philip Belly, I look at Jimmy and Terry. Wow. Yeah, not that, I not that. I know. They ain't got no enemies like you know, man, I'm saying that I know, but I mean, like my

relationship and seeing their relationships with people. I'm sure they didn't knock somebody bried back in the day when they Oh my god, yeah, Lord Jesus ants at the base sit somewhere that don't look at Listen, listen, you can't be mad at let her get that off. Yeah, that's but what you're saying, absolutely right there, Yeah, absolutely right man. It's been cool and good person. Yeah, it's been really cool to see the evolution. And then now you know,

the young kids. It's funny I'm calling them kids, but it's like we're the O G s now right. They're taking what I've done and just like it's scary the limitless potential that they have musically. Now, what I'm trying to do is teach them how to be people persons,

because a lot of that is that too. When you get on the phone with Jay or you get on the phone with a tank, it's like, how do you convey your idea without it sounding like you're being forceful, without it sounding like you don't know really what you're talking about, and some bullsh You know what I'm saying, And it's fluff, but like standing what you know, standing your your gift, but but conveyed polite. You know what I'm saying, like a lot. You know, I think I'm

gonna be completely honest. I sound old, but I think social media has, you know, really ruined the one on one relationship contact from artists to worker or co worker or you know what I mean, producer, you know, people sending beats and all of that. It's like when you get in the room, so I'm in that special magic from back in the day, the nineties, all that it was in their room, in the room, yo, in the room, you could just hear you like you'd be walking imagine walking,

I not even imagine, y'all know it walking through record plan. Yeah, and somebody purposely is leaving their door open so you can hear purposely or even the collaboration process. Right, it's like you know all the musicians and I know that played on the Timberland records. You know what I'm saying, it's like, you know, my one of my great great friends, Daddy is Trippett's like he played based on Crime River

and then Tie Trippet sang on Crimeate River. And I know that one of the reasons that happened is being in the room. Know what I'm saying. He ain't right there and say there's a choir part that I want to you know what I'm saying, it's like yos like

you know what would be crazy crazy? Yes, there it is magic magic, it's magic like that, and that that is one of the things that I think we missed because even verbalizing as a producer that just sent might send a beat or something what you think would enhance the record, you know what I mean without being in the room. You know, so what do you what the gig? Do you feel like? I mean it was a really crazy domino effect? Um? Which gig? Do you feel like

you really really got the flex on? Like really got to go crazy? Like in terms of just yeah, I think it was that and that that seemingly is newish is ten years old now, so maybe it's okay I met J T. Christmas ten years today. Yeah, imagine justin it's crazy. Um and then we did Legends of the Summer after that, which was jay Z and and Justin together,

which was crazy. I think I flexed on that, like I think that was one of the times work where I was able to be in front of white and black audience simultaneously and they both sets of cultures, ages, genders were like, this is crazy because you always can't make everybody. You can't make everybody happy. You know, some of my best work that I personally think it's my best work, some people don't like it, you know what

I'm saying. That was one of the first moments Legends of the Summer with jay Z and Justin where it was like you got we got it off for every for everybody, for everybody, the hood, the lawyers, doctors, you know at that time, in sync fans were thirty five plus Jay fans range any age. And then like Justin was coming out with a joint suit and tie and then it was like, you know, then they was doing

Holy Grail. Was just like this child we got off, and then I did Sinatra in the in the middle of the show, he did New York, New York, going into New York, jay Z record, You know what I'm saying, so it was like I wouldn't say, I gotta send that to you, bro, jay Z Justin is called Legends of the Summer. It's top five easy for me. Easy because I got it. I got it all off. I got to get my hip hop rocks off. I love pop music. People know that I gotta get that. I got to get that off. I got to get the

soul thing off. It was everything. It was all inclusive. Um. So that's that's the one I think that you know for me? Was was it ten years ago? But even before that, Um, you know, Kanye Going the Dark really established my m D career and that I knew leaving that tour I could do anything. And being a musical director is fifty one percent non musical, dealing with personalities, you know who we're talking about, You know what I mean. It's it was a lot for me, um and and

um dealing with ever changing sonic palette. He he went from this college dropped out to we ending the show on Stronger, you know, daft Pump. But then he went through a phase during their unfortunately right I was there today, his mom passed and he was going through some relationship things. So he went love lockdown with it. So and then I'm like, we're importing these tycho drums from like Taiwan. It's like doom doom, doom, doom, doom, doom doom, I'm

not loving you. So it's like we're going from like a range of emotion. It's just a whole range of psychedelic stuff, all being very transparent through it, through the music, you know what I mean. And so I ended that tour. We done did three albums now, we don't did Graduation eight oh eights, you know what I'm saying. And then of course his first record, which you know, we intertwined in there. So it was like it was crazy man, Like I left that tour knowing that I could do anything.

Funny story, you know, we walk into the stage. We didn't sound check once. We was on tour for a while. But he says, Yo Adam, I don't want to do the second verse tonight to the Champion and it's like five four three two, and I'm like, wait what. So I run over to the pro tools. I just was telling this story and I run over to the pro tools.

The show is starting. I'm like, you have to edit with your eyes now, I'm like, okay, yes I did, because I don't have been running back to the grid just a seriously and how I'm like, okay, eight bars, I'm highlighting right, the show is starting on the other computer. Delete those eight bars, put it together, jump back of my stage and I said, band, we're taking a second verse out. Whatever it was, eight bar, six bars, whatever, it is, right, And then I just had to trust it.

I had to trust it. So you know, that's why I say it's a lot of it is non musical. It's like you gotta trust yourself because they trust you. You know what I'm saying. I don't got too many mess ups, but that was a heart that was Did you get through that? When I got Oh yeah, I got I got through that. It was good. But also it's like I'm really a student of the music too, so it's like if I do, I know, I can look at that file and be like, here's the verse.

You know, it's also to like your uh, the people who you empower your delegation process. For sure, only as strong as my team m D is only as strong as a team because you can try to do everything, but it don't work like that, especially if I got to go to choreography rehearsal. I gotta go to strings rehearsal, I gotta go to home rehearsal. Like I have to know that each department has their own self sufficiency um,

and that comes from me hiring them for sure. But at the same time, it's like I gotta really figure out. I had to figure out, like who I just trust to say this is the edit, go ahead and do it when I see you when I get back. And one of your guys, we talk about you all the time, Danny Chang, God is our guy. That's our guy, one of the best in the world. I can text him right now and say, take the second verse out of this.

We're gonna go this. The pre hook gonna be four bards and then I need to manage for name changed too, though you know it's Chung. I'm sorry. My grandmother's maiden name is Chang. That's me and he always had that. Danny. I love you, Danny, I love you. We love you, and you talking about how how and how you template you know, tune B G V bus Like, I'm like, Y'll give me that tink bro stop that I need that.

That's what I want you know, he got it and he's he's transcended a lot of people's music based off of how y'all you know, I wasn't even around when y'all was working like that are still working or whatever. But um, he's been able to infiltrate his sound in R and B specifically like straight up you know what Danny mix Yo vote by the vocal. Last time I called, I was like, man, I need said, yeah, I'm just gonna man, Okay, let me let me, let me check

and see what I can do. Man, I'm about to do this eminem you know what, don't I'm finding mars. Don't call me back. Just but but listen, that goes back to saying he loved the music. Bro. He he talks about Tank and R and B and Mary and all the Merry records and talk about neo records. He's done like he loves R and B music, yo, Like straight yeah, he's been locked in for a while and even you know, you know we're talking about the Asian American here is like culturally, that just shows to me

how powerful our music is for sure. Period. It's not a black thing. It's just it's just a thing. And you know we can. We can argue all day that going into three. We are pop music, straight up. I don't mind saying that, you know what I mean. It don't get said much, but I can the way I navigate, I'm able to do that. I see who's on the b ET Awards and also on the v Maze. You feel what I'm saying. I see who's on TV one, but also on the American Music Awards. You know what

I'm saying. That's not no, that's not no coincidence that Chloe Belly can navigate through Black Music Honors and also go do vm a's You know what I'm saying. That Normandy can come from television and beat on vm as am as that Beyonce, you know what I mean, can go do dream Girls but then do the BTT Awards, but then she just did the Oscars. We are pop music. They chase us straight up. I'm you know, this is what it is. We said all the time, properly popular music,

that's all. Whatever is the most popular. You know, I'm shout out to our brother, you know, takeoff man. But like you know, like Me Goes is essentially the biggest pop group of the decade period. Change the sound. I don't care where they're from. I don't care what they look like. Favorite group, it just is what it. Yeah, So it's like, you know, I look at things like that. I look at what Dirk is doing. I look at what Baby doing. It's like, how can you deny? You can't,

you can't deny it's global. Yeah. Global. You also tapping my guy when I saw you with uh be more Brian Fraser man go work work, who played with me last night? Yeah, he was there last night getting busy. Yes, you know, you know we go my ninety seven partner. We both I laughed at both of y'all when he's like, I'll do anything and that's my word, listen laugh at But y'all, did y'all both have your shirts off? No?

He had because you know we nicknamed him the Tasmanian right, and he had the stuff, the stuff and stuff and what's crazy that you remember, you know, you go to Disney World and get the stuff animals They put us in the front of his drum. Kid, he was he was going that crazy everywhere y'all was. But he was like, you like the Tasmanian devil you are, So it was like it was crazy though he's so so dope. The concept of what Tim was doing, he didn't have that

coming into rehearsal. Wow. So I think him and Johnny Crane kind of collaborated on what it feels it sounds like, and then he just went somewhere different. Added the sauce. Junuine will be looking back at him like what is going? And I'm a drummer too, so I'm looking back and y'all never be able to You can't do that. I was like, you can't do that. I help that helps you pick your land backround. I played a little bit

of the kids. I would play bass like I played drops that church with my dad, but I don't play like that. He wanted them once and and and again. You know Philly natives um coming from church and not to even run his background down, but like when you see him migrate to Atlanta and and do Genuine and Aaliyah,

but then get the call for Janet and Madonna. Right, it's kind of like two fold where the foundation has been laid because of this soul music that he's played through church and through R and B. It allows you to play come on vote that he playing that thing like he out different controls, a different control man. He's able to have those things and live and live in it and be authentic. Let's get into the my day. I want to get into your mom. You've been you've

been doing music on a high level. Top five, Oh, top five, we want to know your top five? Top five on top five, Top five R and B artists, R B artists and then R and B song song, Oh, your top five I'm not singing with Okay, we got five, hold on, I'm still controlling this ship. I want to know he's still in the worship everybody right. You want to you're at home? Where your fives in the air? Yeah? Top five? Didn't I tell you about being too talents? Talents?

I want to know who was at home with the five spread fingers, top five R and B artists of all time of man, female, mix them together, whatever you want to do, Joe to see. You're gonna start there. We're gonna start with the problem is I'm nasty because I used to fall asleep with fiending in my ears when I when I was a kid, just I just I just I used to put the headphones on it and said, take my mom. I was like my house and my I was like, Yo, this dude crazy. Yo.

I was like, for a hit of you. It was totally wrong. I'm sorry. I'm sorry mom and dad, but I listened to that CD every night when I fell asleep. So I woke up and I was like, yeah, this is crazy. Then I was an album credit reader and I'm like Timothy Mosley, like who is this guy? And just you know, arrest is history, Jody see Stevie wonder

why not? Why not? Michael Jackson very easy. Here's where it gets a little tricky for me, because, um, you know, I'm a fan of so much music, and so I have to be honest and say, you know, Usher, that's nothing wrong with you know, something wrong. Confessions changed, you know, it was just crazy and even BFM on Usher Live, which was early early Usher. Um. And then number one for me, you know, arguably Brandy you said number one

to you because we didn't tell you. It wasn't no order, but number one, number, number number I would take if I was locked on the desert, it would be Full Moon for me, easy easy album. I can top the bottom every song Stranded, Stranded, full Moon Easy. I love that. You know, everybody got there, you know, the honorable mention. I gotta put Mary in there just because you know

of what she meant to the culture. You know what I'm saying, and like, you know, singing right wrong, you know, puff putting samples in there that I hadn't heard before, and then you know, you know, yeah, so that's it for me. I got a lot of people left out. Okay, yea Top five R and B songs. You already said feeling, So I think you're gonna go to Feeding for Feeding for sure because it's so wrong, it's so it's so wrong. Yeah, that's the church, and y'ad. I think I don't think

it's wrong. Everything is right to me. And it's like cortex guitar, like just so much church, so much church and nasty but like crying for you, like and you know, just just Joe to see but Feeding for sure. Top five songs, Top five Um My, my songs is weird. It's you do so much and my song is weird though it's about discovery. Yeah, those we don't know those songs. Um, what about us, Brandy? You know, you know Rodney Jugon's

to me, it's just one is an all time great. Yeah, man, um, okay, and my list changes daily, so we could talk every day. I'm gonna text youall, dow y'all, y'all bugged out, text you all every day with a new list, right. So whatever today Superstar Usher, m I'll be come on you you know yeah, um um Fantasy Earth one Fire. Yeah, let's get back to her team. Let's get back to our team. M hm, you know, get back to birth. So and uh that's four and then um, today, take

you down Chris Brown. Wow, today, great record. It's an amazing record. Today, it's amazing record. Live though too. Yeah, just that's today. You know that's got a wrong thing on it too, you know, like changes, Yeah, yeah, so that's that's But Damon is a wrong kind of guy. Yeah when he makes music, Yeah, he makes the music. Yeah, take you out very Damon makes music out of order. Yeah. I used to be sitting next to Day like that

corps don't go behind it, trust me a dude. When next first day he said, yes it does, and Eric Dawkins would come in and write on it makes sense it right, Absolutely, that's good. You guys are good. Yeah, want yeah, and like you know, honorable mentioned definitely keep Summarine keep you know, honest, you know so much music

I can't get it away. But if you realize, like you know, a lot of my favorites aren't just the stuff that I play, because like I was influenced by so Like you know, listen listening to Joe to see how main is one of the greatest feel good cool song all times. Yeah, for sure, it puts you in the mood when that record was crazy though? What about us record? Brandy record? I was. I was there when when when Rottney was figuring out the technology of the record. Yeah, man,

I don't He's like listen to this. He was. I was doing records with him. He was able producing records on me, and he was like listening. I was like, I was like, what is that? And why He's like something different? I'm telling you what this And he was like and then snares are gonna be kicks? And I was like, what are you talking about? Everything he's that happened everything that song? Yeah, what is that? He made a movie? Audio movie because Brand unfortunately didn't even go

toward that record, you know what I'm saying. And I was like a concert going person. He let us how we talked about seeing it. He made us see it by hitting play. M it different. It's a lot of people that don't do that no more Bruno Mars do he do that today? You see it? And then he got the you know, he got the visual now with it to justin timber Lake. I feel like you see it, Usher, I think you see it. I think when I listened to a sex record with Tank, it's like you see it.

You want to be in the zone. But that's before you Like, we didn't see that with Brand. You know what I'm saying, like live on stage is what I mean. What Rodney made a two bar or a four bar loop do for five minutes? Like the train that keeps part of the Transformers or something. What's what's that? What's the world? Did they from the Transformers? I don't know from time world? You're right where he made that record, yeah, bro, And they just kept moving and I was just like,

I ain't never heard nothing. I've never even tried it as a producer at the time. You know what I'm saying sounded like even fake Rodney Jerkins for about a year, I don't even try it. Yeah, I said, that is out of my leaves. I'm gona shoot these jumpers. Yeah. Yeah, he's doing something in the paste taste, something special and it still is man the way he made he's one of the people. To me, I talked crazy about music and I'm such a geek of and a fan of music.

But he makes a loop move so different. So I'm not done with you. We're gonna put together R and B votron. Okay, all right, So we're gonna take the basis the best of the best your world. We want to know who you gonna get the vocals from, the performance style, from the styling from and the passion of the artist. Who are you getting the vocals from? Dialine? Dialine, dialine, one person, one person, oh Man, one vocal, one person person. Mike is on as the kids. One person that's gonna

have a mic on oh Man today, Eric Dawkins. Yeah, that's my today. Do your research the dock I got, I got to he flawless brod. I haven't never heard him mess up to me. Yeah, let's go ahead next day. I just to you know, to open the computer, just to open your mouth and sing a song. The voice you said, right, Yeah, it's it's it's isn't it's it's nobody like him. No, nobody like him. There's nobody like him. Um, he's annointed performance style like them on stage. Who um

m hmm. You know it's like a tie. Like. I love Tiana Taylor. I think she She's a very great performed, really good. I really do. Chris is just a whole another alien from that same wheelhouse. Yeah, and uh but you know, Michael Jackson, you can't go on. Yeah, you know. It's so it's like kind of you know, the father. We got something. I'm gonna go Michael Jackson performance that's crazy. Ye happens. M I'm gonna just play keys and sing back. I'm gonna manage um styling, put that ship on, like

physically the drift. So this is weird for everybody. And I'm gonna say this, but I love the way Rick Ross dressed because I'm a big dude. That's why he gets it off. That's what he gets it. I feel like somebody's gonna laugh at me saying that's about it. But that's about it. But he has short, but he has short above the knee. That's how. That's how, that's how they show how richie are yt Yeah, they still

pocket new Rosses fly. I know that. You know you're gonna you're gonna dress Uh, You're gonna dress him up as a big nigger. You know what you said? This is my transformation, right. I gotta budget. I got a voice budget and I got a clothing butet I got a voice budget, a performing budget, and a clothing budget. This is me. This is what I'm doing. I want, I want the whole thing. Here we go crazy. I know that sound crazy. Sing like Eric Talkland, dance like Michael,

dress dressed like Ross whatever. Who I bet you if you're going two k right now and make that sit I bet you be my player. He yo, we need an R and B two K. Let's get it bad. You need to call a sports right singing competition video. Let's get it. It's crazy. You said we own we own him that. Yeah, let's do it. Do that. I'm telling you you're just we're doing it. You have a virtual microphone, and then I could compete with you anybody else done. We're all right? Yeah listen, that's that's that

sounds crazy. Time stamped and with the thing on. Going to concert and build your concert, body, build your concert, drip build that's different. That's different. It's different. That's kid highlight music, avert metaverse. Um, okay, the passion of the artists. Who you getting the heart from? Wh're gonna make you cry, I'll make you laugh, jump up. I've never seen anybody more passionate than puff Daddy Wow period. He refused to lose.

He refuses to lose. That's your He needs a shirt and I respect he needs what I respect it what he literally passionate. He needs a shirt, says I refused to Yeah, I've never seen he inspired. He inspired me. Uh did the bad Boy of Reunion tours some of the best music I've ever listened to in the nineties that I was able to translate to my instrument and play.

I've seen him jump on table and I've seen him throw the set designs because it wasn't He was like, yo, I don't this don't meet my standard, you know what I mean. He's one of those people as well that he's a designator and if you if he feels like you are not doing your best, he's going to challenge that because he wants to be the best. I've seen him stay at rehearsal till two three four in the morning while we're tired. I'm like, yo, I can't be tired,

and he's still here. That don't make sense. He is a Lee Dirk straight up. There's no body like him. People can question his tactics, but he brings the best out of people. You know what I'm saying. Um, he is passionate about what he does, and he's passionate sometimes more than you, about what he wants you to do. All right, I can't you know, I can't. I can't get you know. We're going now? Yeah? Oh so we

got this segment put right? Yeah, because I went to I went to somebody's event and they put me under the motherfucker's right air conditioning. So now you had a good time. Now I'm out here with my bad white So it's called I ain't saying no names. I ain't saying no name saying I ain't saying the name, where you being, who and what you did and what I don't know? That is though. Listen, story funnier, funked up, are funny and fucked up? Oh man, I got so

many bro, this is Adam Blackstones. I ain't saying no man, I don't even know where to go with it. Come on, my brother, let me think. Okay, okay, okay, yeah it's great. I ain't saying no names. We got that same almost crazy this this this is crazy. But actually I think people will know what this is. But um, we had the v amaze Man new record just came out with an incredible artist and m she decides to uh, when I have a reptile on the stage with us, right,

the joint snake goes crazy. Bro clears out the whole sound check and I mean it's just like crazy trainer trainers off to the side, grabs a dancer, bam right on the thing, right, Bro, When I tell you, I was scared than a mugg dog. That was not fun. Me and the girl dancer couldn't perform the next day at the VMA. They had to get her blood tested and like all this stuff. Bro, it was it was crazy. Yeah bro, yeah, and then you know, I ain't see the snake no more. I just put I don't know

if they put him down, put him down? What you calling euphonize reptile. Yeah, bro, they had to join out there for sound check. We're playing this song, ain't gonna you know, the nice reptile and just keep saying that and that John, I think like a pyro went off or something that was everybody was like, yo, crazy man. It was like a movie. It was a full terrified. It was a full movie. Yeah, no, we're not with that. I would not. I would we not. I wouldn't have

played that game. Yeah, we're not with that. Yeah, it was rough. We cleared that. We cleared that stage so fast you would have thought, uh, earthquake was happening. I don't need know. It was worse than that. That's one of them one, you know. Um wow, I ain't saying on names. Yeah, I ain't staying on names. Be careful with this, listen, brother man, um Mr Adam Blackstone. Man, we appreciate you. Thank you for having me well like you already know you are. Thank you for sharing to

get for this. Yeah, man, you are. You are a high level guy brother than you And I don't just mean that just in musicality, man, but just as a brother man. Since day one, man, you are absolutely um, completely solid man. And you do amazing work. Man. So those two hand in hand you will not lose. I feel it. And I appreciate you all always having my bag. I know I can call y'all at any time, and you know we can shoot shoot, shoot it up like this.

And but also you know, don't get it twisted. We're getting that lab and create something crazy or hit that stage. And so you know, um, being solid is you know, mean something to me. So you you you all have that and I just appreciate being here. I appreciate y'all letting me plug legacy and and and also you know, seeing the fathers that you all are and and seeing

you know, the family men. That goes a long way for me because it's teaching us that it's it's a lot more than just this R and B met you know what I'm saying comes back to that because that's what we love. But like we do it for legs, and we do it for our families and and and even this just to have something to stand on. Um, this platform that you all have is just incredible. Man. So thank you all for having me. Appreciate you, Appreciate

you ladies. A gentleman. I am Tank and this is the R B Money Podcast, the authority on all things R and B. I gotta call this men the architect. It is him right here and here used to have a black Stone. Thank you for having me die R and by Money. R and B Money is a production

of the Black Effect podcast Network. For more podcasts from My Heart Radio is it that I Heart Radio, app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows, don't forget to subscribe to and rate our show and you can connect with us on social media at Jay Valentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode, subscribe to YouTube dot com, forward Slash, R and B Money