Eric Benét

We want to kick this off the right in honor Okay, in honor of Eric Baname. Okay, let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. First of all, all you all of a sudden organic, Yeah, all of the sudden, all you in touch with the earth, people, hopeful, all of a sudden you wait, listen, I'm gonna tell you started this ship. There was a man, yeah, walking barefoot, barefoot huh. He had already had c shells attached the strings and ship, and we was trying to figure out

how is he doing this? Is he listen? I'm trying to tell you every girl I knew, everyone's like, oh my god, Eric, I was like thinking on shoes up. I love Eric and I'm looking at my temple and was like stent in all the name we are not we with no shoes. I'm gonna get rid of my air. Jesus here man man, Jesus everything. It was every Dame, Lenny Kravis, Maxwell, a very small group of elite organic men. We all smell like that. You back then something ladies life.

He will be on Venice Beach and then I got some opportunity for you. See this, He's been doing this so freak, you said some money Eventually eventually, now y'all coming to terms. Now you've got your feet now you now you now you're not now you hold He's been doing it and the women have been going. So let me ask you a question. Yes, as your question, please do. Was that because I want to talk about the bear feet thing? Was that on? Was that on purpose? Like?

Did you know going into this like I'm gonna give them something something different, I'm going to give them something vulnerable, something you know what I'm saying a different kind of very vulnerable with with my feet out. But I'm comfortable. I'm gonna tell you about that. I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go a little surface with it and then I'm gonna go deep. Okay. So when I was first signed back in room, it was me and my sister.

We were called Bene. We were first. My first record deal was with E and My Records, and so you know, we came up in Milwaukee. We did like the clubs we would do, like the obscure uh cities in Michigan and Illinois. And then we got our record deal. And I was always used to look into my left and seeing my sister right there. Okay, first record deal didn't work out so good. My sister was like, baby brother, you go ahead, it's music business ship crazy, I'm gonna

get me a job. So my dumbass hung in there a little bit longer and I got my solo deal. Once I got my solo deal, I started to have to perform by myself. I was not used to that. The stage right, when you are used to looking over and see your family member and all of a sudden, it's me out there. It was. It was like I'd be backstage a little debilitated, just like stage fright would will come on me like that. So I discovered one day that if I just took my shoes off and

went out on the stage. I relaxed almost I felt at home. And a byproduct was of that was women. Apparently I must have had a good foot day or something and they'd be like, oh, look at this feat. I was like, oh, y'all like this ship. Okay, I'll keep doing it because it makes me feel great. So let me flash forward. I'm a flash forward to something that I've reached. I told you I was going to go deep, something that I've just scovered, which you're probably

hip to. You're so health conscious and YouTube. But um, there's such a thing. It's called grounding and earthing. Have you heard of this? Yeah, So, basically, grounding is the science based upon the fact that the Earth is just one big battery full of negative electrons. We as human beings,

are basically electric beings were full of positive electrons. But when we walk around with shoes on all the time, especially rubber soul shoes, we are insulating ourselves from those a negative negative electrons, which balances our body and reduces inflammation, makes us healthy, makes us sleep better, makes sex more boy. So, So basically I've since discovered, which I didn't know back then, that ship just keeps me healthy. It keeps me young, It makes me feel makes me feel like I'm twenty

years younger than I am. At least an hour day, I will walk around outside barefoot in the dirt, in the sand, in the grass. Wow. Yeah, it's real ship, you know what. And and thinking about that, I just always I wonder why my country cousin's healthiest ship was so far ahead, hairy party elements. They were faster than you, like they was driving. I was like, you're not driving. Dropping the car brough you and me both because where's

your family from my mobile? Alabama? I got Alabama, I got, I got all over Alabama, Birmingham specifically, I got Arkansas, little Rock all through there. And then they all migrated. They Migrat's how they got the mill walk into Detroit. But you are, you are speaking the truth. Like we would go down to Alabama and then my other I'd be ten years old and my other ten year old cousins be like driving, got girlfriends and got everything everything.

We're going to see these goods around the corner. You want to go out, like, I ain't him up, can go? I don't know we're gonna do get exactly the joke but that was ready to get to it. It was like and then I had two goods. Like you know what she's saying with it with the whole barefoot thing is that we shouldn't make jokes about the little drunk white girls after the club because we can stun. Let's let's keep that funny. I'm just wondering, man, how that

all works. All right, let's tap into the music man. Yeah, um, let's go to Let's go to the beginning, right, we like we like to go to like the introduction of of YouTube music and music to you. You know what I'm saying, like the complete where your whole story. No, I mean you can break it down to the pieces, but the part where it's where you said, you know where it claimed you because normally claims you first. Right, you don't know what the gift is. You don't have

a gift. Um, you know you're able to do things that you just think you're able to do. And then there's a moment where you recognize, oh yeah, you really hit up. You really hit on something right there, because I remember far because I can remember, Um, you know Milwaukee in grade school, sixty street school and Capital Drive. Um, you know something as simple as music class. I just remember having an ability to sing and understand music on a level that was way above like the rest of

the kids. And what I would do. I don't know if you did this, but because I didn't want to stick out and be weird, I acted like I was on their level, you know what I mean. It's like I don't I don't want too much attention to me

right now. It's like, you know, the music teacher would tell us, okay, class, it's like here's the scale or here's the song, and it's like I'd already be like five steps ahead of them, and look, hit me over here, and don drelle over here is like completely clueless, and I'm just like, okay, i'mna act like I'm struggling too, Isn't that weird? No? That was me in six and seventh grade, and so I was just kind of like staying here and then really saying right right, right right.

It was it was almost like this played football, you s were you saying, I'm like, right right right. I don't know if I want to you know what I'm saying. Because my cousin was the lead singer. My cousin, Keisha was the one who was doing all the solos. And then when I finally tried a solo, I tricked it off really bad, saying I was like, I see how did I do? She was like, you was off? You know what I'm saying, So shock, I went back into training.

You know what I'm saying. Okay, So so you're starting there and you're and what about what time is it? So this is I mean, this is grade school. And then when I go home, like I'm I'm the youngest of a group of five siblings. We're all musical, we all sing. So that was the place, the whole house from me, from my mom playing the piano. My dad didn't really sing, but he had this extensive classical music collection.

So I would be in my dad's music collection listen to Tchaikovsky and Brahms and Mozart, and then with my sisters and my brother, we would sing. We would listen to like the Silvers or the Carpenters, and we would deconstruct the harmonies and like, you know, sing them, and I, you know, before my voice changed, i'd have the soprano. So Michael Jackson, Yeah, I was Michael. I was a

little Michael Jacks. So that's where music that's really People ask me who is my biggest influence, My biggest influence on my oldest siblings, because I've always equated music to love because that's how we that's how we would have fun together, that's how we would show each other. I love like like making music. So but outside the house, it was almost like, Okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna keep that talent close to my vest because it comes off

a little too um, overpowering for people outside the family circle. Now, then puberty happened. So I've always been like the nerdy and you know, I kind of still am. I've always been like the nerdy science fiction book reading, um, you know, into writing my own little weird stories and making up my own songs. And so I've always been that little kid, even in like thirteen and fourteen, where I would stick to myself. Um and like I said, I still wasn't

singing publicly in school. But I remember when puberty hit, there was a singing competition and nobody really know I sung. There was a singing competition in junior high school, and my sisters told me go into the contest and keep in mind I'm thirteen now, and my all my siblings are beasts, and that's when I come home seventh grade middle school. So I just grew up with older siblings who literally could deconstruct the song and we would put it back together. So I was at thirteen, I was dope.

So I entered the contest. Nobody really knew I could sing. Bro. I sing Lionel Richie's truly I kill that ship. I kill that ship. That's still a no no offense, Linel, but I probably sang that. But you you you respected, bro? Can I tell you? The next day at school there were two girls I had crushes on that did not know I existed. They were waiting at my locker the next morning. I was like, there's something to this ship.

Both both up, both Vicky Stanton, Vicky Stanton was Vicky Vicky Vicky stand Laura Oldenberg Olden Oldenberg, Yeah, I was. You were early there too. You were early there too. I didn't learn about equal offers a way later in my trip. I don't even know if I know right now, where are you? But yeah, and from there, you know, from there it was just like my cousin George, who was always like the musician, the musician of the family.

My George, cousin George played you know, he was like he's like played piano and he played the guitar, and it was just dope and my cousin George and my sister Lisa, and we started writing songs. Then I dropped out of college u W Milwaukee, joined this band and uh then we got our first record dealer one I told you about Bannet Me and my sister Let's go there too. Yeah, So between time wise, when you guys get your first deal, so when you get your deal and get your first hit wreck, a lot of ship

happened between that and me having a solo deal. So what's what's the what's the time frame? So we're talking about we signed the Banet here with E M I Capital in ninety two pluck from Milwaukee in Los Angeles, and that was just culture shock, man. That was just yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was I mean, I love Milwaukee, but it's like you come out to l A in the early nineties.

It was a whole another expansive universe of from musical like the community of badass music dudes to like the most beautiful women you've ever seen in your life to like people who are the but but a lot of people who are on a higher level of consciousness, like talking about eating right, and you know, you go back home to Milwaukee and you just eat a vat of pork.

You know, it's like salt pork, you eat it. But but come out here and it's like no, you know, it's like higher level of taking care of your your mind and your body. So it was just like culture shock all the way around. And that's that's ninety two.

That record did not work out. Um, as everybody in his industry has these stories where your first management deal, your first record deal, it's like, well they kind of sort of put a single out, but I didn't really put any money behind it, so we got dropped, right. It was this was one of the hardest times in my life because a few years prior, my my father died. My father was a detective for the city of Milwaukee. So Dad died. Um, my my girlfriend, UM, Tammy Stouth.

We became parents, right, we became parents India, UM short, my daughter India. Shortly after I got dropped, Tammy died in a car accident. So now I lost my record deal. Dad's gone. Um, all of a sudden, single dad, and I'm just trying to figure out, Wow, how am I going to do this? Thank God I have the family I have because between my mom and my sisters and my brother, they would let me like I could take India.

India was only fifteen months old mother. So I have the most amazing family in the world because I could, you know, if I had to fly out to l A to talk to some people who were thinking about signing me. You know, as a parent, especially as a single parent, you need to know that your children or your child is safe and taking care of and loved. And I never had to worry about that when I

was out there trying to make the dream happened. Um. I basically got a gig in Milwaukee as an assistant engineer at a recording studio on Fondla and I between George and this crazy ass dude who is one of the baddest keyboards ever, Demante. You know Demante? Do you know Demante Posy Nigga's bad Anyway, He's from Milwaukee. Also met Demonte and my cousin George during the off hours at the at the recording studio that I was working they would let me use the studio to record demos.

So between me and George and Damante, we just started writing all these songs, writing all these demos. That demo, all those demos turned out to be my first album, the first solo Eric Banat True to Myself album, which is amazing. Thank you, sir, Thank you sir. Yes, it's an incredible story. I'm riding with a girl through d C. Was this side? It might have been that's another beat was outside, It might have been signed, Yeah, it might

have been sided. She did you gotta hit his I'm like it really she played that, She played that femininity. Oh ship, And at that time, that's all I like. I was like everything for me was John p. Keiray and Hammond and and then it was it was it was all that I'm saying. So when you tell me to listen to something like, at this point, I had every run in the book downloaded. That's how I lift my life. I run. I don't want to go first verse, that's not glits over that that. You don't just run,

you just you kill. At that time ran, yeah, have no verse melody at all. I'm gonna run this whole five So so if you ain't doing that, I don't want it. You got running through the whole song and she started playing this song and I'm missing to the thing. He was not making the faces and ship right interesting right, and the vocal was so clean and straight ahead, and I was like, who's this again? After she didn't already tell? And then and then, and then you did something that

we're doing church. What was about the three and a half close to four minute mark, you did a van Okay, you left the band played for a minute, and then you went into a van. Yeah, that's this nineteen seventies. Oh yeah, Chris Nick. I was so at that point, man, thank you to I was coming from you. I said, you're a problem coming from and then even I know we'll we'll get to we'll get to the later in

the two thousand's. But then you started going digging into your false settle with the uh I cry sometimes sometimes like that bothered me. I took issue with that. I took, I took I felt a personal time. Okay, okay, because I took that because I'm on thromback. Let this nigga, this falsettle so clear. He's older than me. It's the only reason been connected with mending. And I hear you sing that on stage and you didn't miss a note. A no, and I'm a false settle, that's what I

do you known for that? No? No, no, literally not just a falsettle, right, You're known for not missing, which is as as guys we all sing, right, we've we've been around a thousands, but not missing it is a different type of gift, right, That's just that's that's that's

your special. Like you're talking to somebody, especially me being from the baby and my brother was talking about it, and he's like, man, because he's the first person to put me onto you, right, and he went to go see your yochi and he was like, Nick, he didn't miss. And you know, as singers, we all know what that means. But I had to ask again. I'm like, what do

you mean miss? That's a huge conference, like he didn't And you know about this that comes from that comes from going through the ranks, like like, okay, so I dropped out of college, but my college was being in those shitty clubs all over the Midwest, right, having to it's a drunk crowd. This nigga over here is about to start a fight with this nigga. There's some something

going over here. I'm gonna have to like take commands of this whole room, and I'm gonna have to do it consistently, And maybe I wasn't able to do it for the first six months I was in the band. But it was a honing process where a lot of

artists today they don't have that honing process. They might they might be in their lab, in their base and yeah, doing some beats, put a couple of loops on it, you know, and they got all kinds of technologies that catch catch a record and then you put them on stage and it's like, no, you didn't go through the process, bro. I can tell you, well, I mean they're not investing. They're not investing in the process, right. I don't even know what the is the process. Is there any reverence

for it anymore? There should be, There should be, But I don't really think that we're like probably the lasts who are who are looking for people who are actually just just season in, seasoned in some type of growth, some type of development. It's taken us years to find an artist, right because we're like, ah, but they're hot in their all time. They got this record government, but you like, that's so fleeting. I remember, like one of one of the things that I so appreciate y'all telling

me that that means a lot to me. Um. I remember a couple of times in my career, and as artists, I guess there's always some level at least for me, there's always some level of insecurity. Um. But I remember when I first got something, I first started doing my solo deal, and you're doing the rounds at the radio stations and Luther Vandross was just leaving an interview and and Luther was like, I'm the type of dude where it's like, if I know Luther is there, I at

least want to just say thank you. I don't I don't want to crowd you. I just want to say thank you. But Luther found out I was there, He's like, oh no, no, no, no, no, no, you tell him to come here. When somebody like Luther looks at you and say, you know what you're doing it right, you know, And that's all I needed. Luther looks at me. That's it. So it's like if you thought I was dope before, that's probably when you heard me go in the studio do that. Let me show these niggs was you know?

So it's like when you get when somebody like that, like a Maurice White or Luther Vandross or David Foster, that just makes me want to, oh ship if I thought I was honing my craft before, I'm gonna have I'm really happy. I'm really going in deep now. So it's those kinds of things that make me continue to to to to strive to be better to this day. Yeah. Yeah, the hunger doesn't go away, you know, the grind, the

hustle never never goes away. So when you get that first hit record, right because Thank spoke about it a little bit, right, are you know you pulled up on them with shoes off, showing you know what I mean, showing them showing something on out, showing them something and the definitely showing out. What is the influx? Like? Yeah, you mean when you care you fresh from Milwaukee, Yes, you fresh from mill Walk, you get a major hit record, and but you don't but you also don't get the

run of the mill hit record. You get a record that nobody's heard before, you don't get the some producer was did that record? And then your producer heard it and y'all recreated and now you get that little cheek

colde hit. You had a record that set you apart from the gate, right, So it's a different it's a different level that it's a it's a different kind of vibe because back then, um, there were like you said, I mean, when you think about what I was doing back then and what kinds like de'angelo were doing back then, and like maxwell we're doing back then, that was outside of the norm for sure. It was like was brushing his teeth right video Like it's like, right, just brushing

his teeth. You don't care at all, and they love it so so we Um it was just kind of like this feeling of I don't know, being that kind of a creative person. The people who I work with when I'm in the lab and i've been I've I like to go check in on like how see how lots of people work. A lot of people like to work like they like to check out what's hot right now, like what what what kick sounds are hot right now? You know what's happening in the top ten. And I'm

gonna try to put my own spin on that. But I've never really worked. I've never really worked that way, even back then. I always dig from a more um intimate place, like even musically, like I don't I've never wanted to try to emulate the other things that are happening out there. And when you work like that, you're working in a bubble. At least I am. You're working on this note. I want to be cut off from everything that's like top ten, top twenty on the radio

right now. I just want to be in like this little fortress of musical solitude with myself and whoever I invite to come in there and create with me. All I have to say as we're doing that, we don't I don't really know how this is working, Like motherfucking here, but I don't know how that's gonna play out there because it's like so intimate to us, and we're like nerdy music heads. So that's kind of it was like

I was surprised. I was in a way. I was surprised because, um, we were signed to what I was signed to Warner Brothers as a solo artist, and they really did just leave me alone. They let me just do my thing. And then when I turned the record in, there was a reaction like somebody just reinvented the wheel, and I was like, really it was. It was just incredibly surprising because like I said, um, I was grateful um, and that it was at least it was affirming that

I felt like, Okay, you have seen the bottom. I'd already had huge loss, personal loss in my life, the mother of my daughter dying all of a sudden. I'm a solo that single father, trying to figure out the next move. I was working at UPS when I told you I was working at the studio. I was also working at UPS uh and working at the studio to make you know, to make a little bread. So it's

like I saw the bottom. And once I knew that, oh, you mean, I can win by just being completely authentic and in my appreciation for music, not the music industry, but music, I was like, Okay, I'm not I'm not gonna switch it up. And that's and that's a very unique situation as all of us have been in this music business for so long. Two Actually it's like getting drafted to the right team because more or worked for you, but universal may have not. You know, I mean, e M,

I didn't you know what I mean? So it's like in that space man, that that in itself, and you know, we try to give that type of information when we when we do these interviews for people that are trying to get in the music business, people in the in the business to understand, like this ship just don't happen the way you wanted at that time, and you gotta keep pushing. You gotta keep pushing and until you find that situation that makes the most sense for you. Eatly.

But we got off of the influx that came with this here you're talking, you're talking. I'm gonna let you surrounded by the baptized I tell you, I tell you just here. A lot of people don't believe it is. But actually now that you now that you know me,

you can to leave it. Like I've always been the nerdy dude, like I've always been the if it wasn't for music, if it wasn't for me being on the stage and singing, like my game, like my just step up to a girl game was was garbage, Like I had no idea I need it, but I didn't know I didn't need it because you know what I'm saying. So okay, So then you got this guy who's basically uh, looking at women feeling like I don't really have that much of a shot. Two being on stage having a

hit song and having them literally come to me. It was overwhelming. And I'm gonna say this, that's one of the most like if you're not ready for that kind of attention, may speak on it. Speak you will die, yes or things around you well, because it isn't awesome. Um and I don't use the word awesome like well, it can't be great, but it is. It is an

overwhelming uh power. And if you are an insecure person who always idolized women but didn't know how to talk to them, and all of a sudden you're the guy that they're coming at to talk to you, that could be a very dangerous thing. And there is a process where, you know, for some of us, it takes a year or two or ten where you feel me where it's like I'm in that ten yeah you up, you know, I mean a little bit more time. It's a real list thing. And because it's like all of a sudden,

I can have all of it. Are you fucking kidding me? It was like like, speak on, man, come on, you start Milwaukee, Milwaukee Maryland. Yeah, right, l A, Now, now I gotta I gotta taste. When I went on tour with Ginuine, it was it was like it was a heavy taste. It was it was the taste that changed my life. No, no, listen, I definitely from yes, you are correcting that man. I know, and and Ginuine would say to me, this is cool. I know you having the time of your life. But it ain't nothing like

when it's you. And I didn't believe. I kept saying, I'm never leaving you to sing back, and you still do. You still do on stage and we got to show that he finds a way to sing back to get

up up. So it's like and when you but then when it when listen, when I watched, when I watched maybe I deserve um start charting and me going from clubs like you know what was that like a hundred people, thousand people to seven hundred people to a thousand people, and then too co headlining radio shows and Rena's and in London Chris and and and Narly you know and

and jar Rule. Jesus Christ, you have to be in a all the RV shows all because my name was Tank and so sometimes they wouldn't even listen to my music. Just saw my picture. Yes, so so so like you take you, I just I was dropped in a church. Kid. Still I'm still trying, you know. I still it's still biblical for me. It's their spiritual Lord. If you just guide me tonight, out let me. Just if you just let me get this tonight, I'm not gonna do it no more. Like, Lord, please give me tonight? Did Lord?

Why did why did her ask? After? Look like that? Lord? You? Lord? You did that? You did this? And I honestly was not. No, you were not. I was not. There is no man and people people don't understand this, bro, like you get it. There is no man on this planet who works at home depot or who was working at Wells far ago right now. If you throw him in this situation, if you just throw him in the whatever you want situation, it will kill him, will suck the life out of them.

And so it's like you have to be in a certain mental emotional preparedness, which I was not. But like I said, it will take some years and you have to live with some consequences to consequences, some losses, lossesces, and it's like wow, I need to reevaluate a lot of ship. So but there's you can't be ready for that.

And and I think on the other side of that, the the upbringing and all of these things, and having the family structure that we've had prepared us in a different way to where we would be able to survive. You know what I'm saying, Because a lot of people know, a lot of people just don't know. And and and for you, you did it on a very public stage, right because you know what you were involved in. So it's like anytime it's on the public stage, it's a meal.

It's not only magnified a million times, but there is a certain uh, there's a narrative that they want to tell to you know. Now it's click fait, but it's like to sell magazines to do this. Um, So things respawn a certain way, and then on the very tiny nucleus of what's happening on the inside, there are details that no one else knows and maybe I'll never share, but it's like it ain't mistakes were made. I've taken accountability.

That's what I've done. I've grown from from but from the celebrity, any celebrity out there who's dealing with that relationship and the fresh ship. That's that's that's a that's a hard thing. It's even it's even harder now with social media. Oh my god, it's even harder now, right because back then you just have to try to see you and take a picture of you and then write

whatever they wanted. Pig. You get tired of it or they get tired of it, and now you make your own and you started typing ship and now you're like, maybe I shouldn't, Yeah, maybe I should have. Just I'm gonna delete that. Right. They've already called me the morning. You'll call me about seven in the morning. What the fuck did? What do you want to do? What's her name? Saying? Can you stop this? No, I said, I said, but I get that, I said, Tank. What you gotta realize

to a lot of times you're talking to ghosts literally talking. Yes, are there some people that are real people that are going at you, but sometimes it's just accounts that are made to literally absolutely get a rise out of you. Well, now, what come on down, come on out, dount Can you just stop arguing on Instagram? Can you do it for me? For two weeks? Believe no, they have to hear from me.

That's just not easy. I have this outlook on life mistakes that might be a little different because granted, in the moment they feel like the exact wrong thing you've allowed to happen, or you participated in happening, or that has happened to you. Um, but in my fifty four years on this earth, you come on not know that. I think I'm buying no more shop. Yeah. Man, what

I've learned is mistakes, all of them. And this is gonna sound like some cliche you see on the Instagram with a lion in the background of such but from something that's just a terrible human. He's probably horrible for the girls. I'm talking about some certain people whatever, it's a terrible humans, right or the Instagram models with the ass and it'd be like, you know, it's like, yeah, you know, I've got some growth, Like could be like

only God? You know anyway, so what what was those things? Mistakes? Only God? Mistakes for me have all been an opportunity to grow. So yes, I have made mistakes in my life. Um, And I feel and I think it goes back. I think it goes back to something something you hit on the parenting thing my mom and dad instilled in me a long time ago, Like, you are going to make a lot of mistakes in your life? What do you do with those mistakes? What do you do with those

traumatic events in your life? So when I have um stumbled, when I've fallen, or when I've made mistakes in business or in my personal life, you know, I take a moment to fall back and see, Okay, God, what was the lesson you were trying to teach me? What this one? Sometimes those lessons are obvious as hell, and sometimes they're not so obvious, But every time it happens, it's it's an opportunity to be a better version of yourself. My first record deal, um, to answer uh, the question that

deals with more professional situation. My first record deal that I did with my sister Ny, it was an incredible opportunity. It was uh, two kids being plucked out of Milwaukee, coming to l A, seeing things and experiencing things that I only saw on Magnum p I and stuff like that.

You know, but uh, the record label didn't really give us autonomy, didn't really give us control two make all of the music we wanted to make, too, pick the producers that we necessarily wanted to work with, or or at least we felt like I shouldn't say that because there was a lot of energy on my part where I felt like I doubted myself enough. Is that twenty something your old kid who well, I certainly can't know.

So if they tell if they're telling me I should work with this artist and that artist, and I guess I should. That was a mistake. That was a mistake, and that's a mistake that every young artist like needs to know right now. The reason why they own your ship right now, young artists out there, the reason why you get and the attention you're getting, it's because you're a dope. Because the creative decisions you make are are dope.

Don't doubt that, you know, like, lead with that. Don't let somebody else who have who's been on their own journey and have seen their own ascent to fame and fortune, um tell you this is how I did it, So you need to do it. You need to do it like this. Look, some of those lessons that they bestow on you are appropriate and you can use that, but their path is not your path. So I think that's probably one of the biggest um uh lessons that I learned.

I think I learned early from that mistake. That's why when I had an opportunity to the solo album in ninety six Eric Benet record, I was like, look, okay, we can do this record deal thing, but I have to be in charge of everything from the way I address to the way I look to the songs on the album. I told you like the whole album. My first album was like the demo between my cousin George and Demante and me just me, so um, I need

to be in control. To the point where I named my first album true to Myself because I had been through the whole uh the alternative. I could only imagine Eric Bonet coming out as like the fifth member of Joda see with like because that's the type of like it's not you, you are somebody tried to get me and like to get me in like a three boy band group where it was me. I was the singer nigga and it was like this dark nigga from from like Nigeria or something, and it was a white nigga.

Who was who was who? And it was like I almost did it. And this was before my first record deal. I was like, and I was in the meeting with the two guys, and You're like, come on, bro, this is our chance. Well if you don't like it, you know, we could blow up and then you can do your own thing. I was like, yeah, but I don't know. This is the same for me. So you're absolutely right. Man. It's like, you gotta, you gotta. You're gonna be true

to yourself. You gotta be true to yourself. You have to be honest enough with yourself to know your gut, to know your soul so that when something doesn't vibrate right with you, you were the first to know and and and act upon that. No matter how old I get, I'm still that hungry, young creative dude from Milwaukee. No matter what happened. Shut shout out to Milwaukee. Thanks. Hey, Wisconsin came through, didn't they with that orange? Uh? Hold up?

You know what? And that's that's okay, movie star writer all of that. Um, that's pivot to that because you know, I don't really do a whole lot of politics. You know sometimes and listen you in between you and b l you my god, I think that's the old that's the old man in me, you are out there. The old man ship is real because once you get to a certain age, it's like, I don't get I was

just like you are saying it. I remember when I first started doing it, my management was like, yeah, you know, you know, we really respect that you want to voice your opinion, but we got to remember there's there are people out there who like your music who aren't exactly on the same political like that man, we're talking about a damn you know ship, damn Hitler he started kid. Here's what I say. It's like it is a double edge short right in terms of the political part of it,

right right, right right. Once you start dabbling into that place, um, you can you can feel the shift of people who were there for the music and then knowing find discovering too much about you that makes them either go way left or way right with you. But you're right, You're you're out, You're outspoken in terms of you know, in terms of the political uh, in terms of your political stance.

I think once you hit fifty, is there like any any whatever like filter I had left that ship just because you were you were attacking who was who was? You know, you said something, you said something running, ain't singing and if it's in insane you know because you and you young nigga, now you're putting we grew up on you, man, stop doing that. Man, but a love attacking the kids. Who was attacking the kids? At some

point We're gonna have to stop. You ain't know back when I was growing up, when I was in the studio that I said, Eric, come on, man, stop, people ain't ship you know, you just saying a dime on it. But it was like like you were just I mean, you were being honest about now you felt about it, but you know what I mean, Like I think I was having one of those moments where hey, I love like I am. I'm one of the biggest fans of like dope runs and people who can run. It's just like,

I don't know. I think it's like one of those things where before the run, that needs to be the melody, Like can we at least know what the melody is before you start? Like and I know what I said, and I agree with you, but had to say it, but because because because I grew up, Yeah, you said, Kim Barell, We'll see that's it's almost so guess what I need it like she she didn't. She didn't make a song that was like a straight ahead or a

commercial thing until way later. I know that sounds like bullshit, but it's almost like that's different because because Kim Burrell, Kim Burrell is a whole another beatle, it's not different because I needed what she was doing. I needed it. I agree with that. I'm not disagreeing with you. Like what young nigga Kim Burrell probably that's what it's like.

It's like these young niggas would hear Kim Burrell and be like, Oh, that's what I need to do, and it's like, no, before Kim Burrell was I don't know, I don't. I mean, i've met Kim Barrel. She's a wonderful person, but I don't know like her whole story. But I would imagine before she could do all that, at some point she had to bay sits like she could do a melody, sure so, and she had to

evolved to that. But I think one of the frustrating things for me, it's like young singers would see the Kim Barrel and be like, Oh, and that's where the song is. That's all it is. But as I was able to grab use it and use it in spaces. And that's what the beauty of running like you you well you're a songwriter, you're a producer, so you know, construction of of of to learn to to stop singing

versus myself. You know what I'm saying, Like mode will never be able to do this, Like that was my mentality when I went into the studio, and you're not gonna be like like maybe I deserve was like in my mind my worst song vocally one of my biggest, and I didn't understand why until fifteen years later. That kind of stuff is incredible to me because kind of feel the same way like with some of my biggest songs, with some of those songs where and it's interesting how

this works. It's like you can be in the studio and you can have some song that you feel like it's a masterpiece and you just have to put no every every box of that song. No no no, no no no no, that wasn't right. I want to can we can I bring the can the gatapler come back to the studio because he wanted them to listen on this, you know. So it's like you can create this masterpiece and people were here and be like, wow, let's do okay, um,

let me hear another one. And then you play a song where you was in the studio for like four minutes throw away. Yeah, you can be in a song where it's like, okay, we we were just vibing on this, and then I put some words on this motherfucker and it's like, oh, ship that that's the one. So it's like a story of my the story of my career. The song please Don't Go have been played for numerous

artists who album whose albums I've worked on. I was like, I got this one thing right here, Blair, It's cool. I'm in Glenwood Studios working on uh, working on sect of Him Pain, and I got one day extra. I finished all the songs I wanted to relate here. They was like, it was like, well, you got one more day. If you wanna do something, you do something. Okay, they got good cookies, hang out at the studio, chill, and

I'm gonna record this one track is one. I was like, I got this one track and just recorded Lonnie My Lonnie. He's like, he's like, what you working on teams? I was like, I'm just working on this song right here, like he's like, let me get some of that bridge. Absolutely, it was a hundred percenter into the bridge. So he puts the bridge down. I've seen the bridge. I'm not I'm just turning in with the rest of them. Turned the song in what was and it was pleased don't go?

And they called me two days later, you did, nig You did that ship? Nick? And I started naming every other song, Oh oh, you like that ship right there, and they're like, nah, said, oh, I know what you want you talk about. You talk about that one because I put that song No, not that with nigga. Nigga, please don't go. I said, what right, nigga, it's a smash, I said, are you sure right? You know what, I haven't been out in five years. I've been on the bench. Yeah,

I've been at war Company five years. And they're like, this is a song and I'm like, I don't I don't think. I don't think that after five years of being absent, that this is this, this is where we go. We don't start with this, and they're like this, yes we do, right, yes we do. Records I got I got the same story. So it had been a minute since I went through this whole thing with Warner Brothers where um I um, you know, we did A Day in the Life and that was a big record for me.

And then I did this other record, another album UM called Better and Better, but they rejected my album, so the whole the whole album. So I'm going to the record label and I'm like, Okay, y'all don't really get this album. Okay, will you let me leave the label? You let me out at my deal? Nope? Okay, will you give me like a budget to go in and do some more ship like if you didn't like No, So basically I'm just sitting. I'm just sitting for a

couple of years. They wouldn't let me out, they wouldn't give me a budget to do anything else. And so I'm back home just vibing some songs with my dudes. Ultimately I got another, um, I got a green lid to do another record, and we were in the hum My promotion man's room, Ken Wilson, you know that, my god. Yeah, So we're listening to all these songs trying to figure out, like what's the single, and we're listening we had a couple of dope choice so yeah, yeah, man, you got

help man, man, this dope shot on that. But that's all. It's like, I got this other thing. But you know it's not a sad already shot that down. No, no, no, nobody, this is something. This is something new that I was like, that's this other thing and it's probably not a single, but I mean, I'll played it for you. Maybe we put it on the album for the Japanese release, like bonus track some ship like Nigga. I played the song Ken Wilson, Nigga, that that motherfucker right there, Nigga, that's

your first thing. It was you're the only one? Wow, right, but you played as your throwaway. Yeah. I thought it was just like Jese. Yeah, I thought it was. I thought because when we wrote You're the only One, I thought it was one of those like throwback to you know, the whole vibe. We were doing like a seventies throwback thing, and I was like, I don't know people ready for that right now. It's probably just gonna be like a cool vibe on the album. He it was like, that

was the vibe that ship right there. Maybe I don't know what you're smoking. So yeah, and that was that was number one for like number one, man boy's got a lot of my money mine. You have a part of the show. Okay, right, you can do it, you he can definitely. Does it involve calistinics or doing push up? No, no, no, no, no, okay, it involves talking that talk, so it's called I ain't sand on that. Whoah, listen, listen, listen, listen. It can be funnier fucked up. Are both funny and fuck up

your story. But you do not say the names of the other participants in the story. But you give a no like, oh you're talking about that could have been at saying, ain't saying Okay, but you know, I know I didn't prep you for this name. You like to do it on the spot. We like to the spot. We'd like to get it honest, you did not. Let me see now in my memory, I'm you know, I'm doing like the fucking uh. They don't know, they don't know who that is. No, not that either. No, yeah,

we're swiping. I'm swiping right now in my brain. Oh hell, let's see no name, no face, no case, there's that. I'm trying to think. It don't fit. I ain't saying no name y'all edit this ship. No we broke you name man, whatever you need, whatever you need. Um, Jamie told us don't Edie ship. It cuts us out. But wanted to add some ship. Okay, okay, okay, I ain't saying no names. I mean this's I mean just in the spirit of the conversation and being from Milwaukee, and

you know Milwaukee gets cold as ship. Mhm. A somebody was this was I used to before I actually moved to l A. I kept my I kept a place in Milwaukee for a while. And uh there was an artist. Oh god, I can't believe I'm telling me mean burn me here. If I didn't have like three glasses of wine, I probably wouldn't say this. So that was somebody. There was this female artist who I was kind of vibe

and by the way, full disclosure, was not married. This was like Eric and Milwaukee, just like being at Milwaukee A baname. There was this artist in Milwaukee and um we uh we had stayed. I forgot how we got each other's information, but we stayed in touch and she was like, yeah, I'm I'm in Milwaukee. We should have some drinks. We went out. God, this sounds horrible. It sounds horrible, man, but it's really not that bad. So

we went out, you know, east side of Milwaukee. It's all kind of dope little bars and dope pizza joints and where one drink after another and as cold as ship. I think it was probably like it was it was it was. It was either December or January Milwaukee. So

you know, that's no way, no joke. So we are, um, we're drinking, we're eating, and as we're drinking and eating, we're getting a lot more touchy Philly with the laughs, the laughs, the lingering hands are lingering longer and boo boo whoop, and then ah, we're both drunk, which this is everything about the story is horrible because because I'm drunk in the bar with this person and now I'm gonna drink, I'm like, where are you saying? What? What hotel?

You saying? Okay, I'm just driving that I'm not drunk, incredibly irresponsible. So we're in the car and she says we're driving past esther Brook Park. She says it's kiss streaking. I'm like streaking, Yeah, let's do it. So it's like one o'clock in the morning. It's probably like eight degrees outside drunk as hell. That's a great idea. Pull over, Oh my god, pull over. And that's the book park in the parkt lot looking ship. We take it off

our clothes. We run through es the brook Park one o'clock in the morning, but ass naked ended up in the bushes and that's where I leave the park and the bushes eight degrees? You are? Did you have me here about the nude run in Milwaukee? This this is what we said. I got a lot a lot of crazy white boyfriends in Milwaukee, so they got this are they used to? I don't know if they do it anymore? But on New Year's Eve, you got the polar Bears and they jump into the polar Bears. But y'all did

don't know what the polar Bears is. It is a bunch of crazy as white people in Milwaukee. On New Year's Eve, they will strip down out to their swimsuits and jump into sub zero water, freezing ice water for whatever reason, I don't know. But anyway, some other homies in mine, some of them I went to college with. But some of them were just like crazy as white dudes like I would go have drinks with every year

they would do the nude run. You would run from like River West all the way to the lake front. But as Nick what, Yes, so you would do the nude run and you would ultimately end up at this public swimming pool that of course was closed, and then it would turn into they were breaking the swim. Yeah. So I did the nude run in in Milwaukee once, but I feel like you do. Probably probably the nude run walking. I didn't like what I know. I was lying.

You could tell I was lying, all right. Every year like newde Road run, This niggas Will ferrell a n that's franking tank right here, the gentleman. This has been Everybody podcast with our brother Aris, but may be na name name. Are being money money