Harmony Samuels

AfroB producer, a super producer and songwriter. I think he got vocal suit in the building. How many eight money? Sam? What's kind of what's that? Listen? Actually sound like the drop? I got to talk to him about this. Remember how publish people fall out about this kind of stuff. Um, first of all, I don't like you. Let's start there. We're gonna start right there. I mean, the first time I heard about you, I heard these two Chris Brown songs. Who did that? Who did that? And why did you

do that? Why did you do all of that? I could have left some of that shot out, could have left some room for other people to produce more songs on the album. Your songs clearly by far stood out on that album as something completely different and something we hadn't heard before. I was upset because I only get upset when it's some ship I wish I could have done. I wish I would have done. I listened to it and it was so so much information. I said, funk, I just gotta find I can't do it. Snow wouldn't

bear to do it. I gotta I gotta find him. That's crazy. You are super, super duper appreciate that gifted. You know what I'm saying. This is a flowers this is a flowers pod, this is a flowers space. So I had to get the hate out of my heart first. Remember when I first met you, I had the same kind of expression, but for a reasons though, so prior to my success. Chris Brown, he was standing outside I've been in l a maybe like a month, and he

was standing outside the rucks. He had just tore the rucksy down and he was just standing outside and I'm looking at I'm gonna side out there after he does it show Yeah. So I'm looking at I'm like, why is type just standing out here? Like yeah? So I like, yo, bro, He's like, oh it's that man, You're good, and I was like, I don't like you. So it's the same kind of ine, all right, so so and he's like what I said, not in a bad way, but in a bad way. Sex, love and pain too messed up

my relationship. And he's like, what do you mean? He said? My eggs girlfriend said she used to feel uncomfortable when I would play the album in the house. I said, my nigg you'd be sucking my go that. You know, I'm sorry, And I was like, I can't play the album no more. I would play every once in a while when I needed to try and get freaky. Yeah, but yeah, I didn't like him for that because I was like, every time I would play, I was right,

you get in there, you work that, you change positions. Now, this is a good time in between songs. Yeah, get it. Like the porn start announcer, that's what my music done. Do they have, No, they don't, But that's what my music done. I'm gonna be real. I'm would be real. Your records are the records that people I go to anyway. Just you, my homie. It's about pregnancy. My music. My music is about skin on skin relationships. You understand what I'm saying, if you are putting anything between you and

that other body, you are disrespecting the music completely. Just skin on skin whatever could roll the dice when my music come on. Okay, this podcast is not brought to you by whatever kind of what are though? No, no listen I kind of brands. I'll promote you, Okay, I'm not. I will not. You will not suffocate me. What people gotta breathe. He should be breathing. Man, man, it's to be here now I've listen. It's a blessing. I'm on you both a decade plus easy and I would say

some of the most uh influential mentoring. You both mentored me in different ways. We used to share studio grounds. We would each other's room all the time. Um, I think I think certain relationships UH off for a season, and in certain relationships they last forever. Whether we talk every day or we don't talk at all, it's like it's like we never left. And and you know, I've learned so much from your both your careers and your relationship.

Because that's another thing. Y'all been tight friends, brothers, business partners. It's hard to find people who can stick together through it all. You know what I'm saying, and uh, and I think that that's been a big, big influence on me man, both of you all. He he he made a play in my life that to this day, I sold up. I was able to sell a million records

independently because this man made a phone call. You know what I'm saying, which was Major's why I love you and I always appreciate you for that to a million shout out anything anything that's hard, especially with R and B. Listen, R and B and a person no one knew, absolutely for you to have a platinum record with a new artist in R and B music, amazing, amazing, amazing. But he and you made that call. He came to the studio. That record was the first Leston. That record was the

first lesson. I couldn't leave the studio without being some part of something, you know what I mean. You knew he said what you want to do? He's like, how can I help you? I said, I've been to every record executive. They don't want it. They don't want him here, you don't they loved the records. They want him, you know what I mean? And I was like this this guy called Gazi, he was like that's my boy. You drinking called in shout the juice friends, shouting out everybody. Yeah,

oh yeah, shout out. Today is today's promo. Yeah, I got I have a juice bar. Man. It's called Urban Juice. Shot juice. Congratulations, brother, I had. There's a juice called the Valentine. Yeah, it's the one is you know you want to get you so back to hold my juice. He really got his own juice on man um. You know, flowers was gonna get you flowers keep flowers. I heard there with gifts for us, you know, I heard that

some form of a flower. Yeah. I think it's disrespectful to come into the homes of people I look up to without gifts. And so just like he got your juice bar. You know, God bless me to you know, invest in some things. And now we own a tequila cool Willow Willow f v U E l o UM. I pondered up with them about three years ago. We've been working on this brand for a few years and now we were killing it. We're killing it. We just won one of the biggest competitions in California and I'll

REPRESENTO and yeah hoo for you. Ye give it in. Okay, check out the brand switch because one is light. I don't want to say it. I'm gonna give it the Compson in. You give it up. Let me just look at it. Yeah, just so thank you guys for having me on this. You know what I'm saying, Guys, go check. I don't know what does that help? That's a real that's I'm gonna. You know what's phony tequila. It's we're gonna, We're gonna, We're gonna, yeah crack that one tank is

the kind of source. So I'm whatever he I'm rolling with y'all. I'm rolling with y'all. Yeah. No, But but back to back to our homie man, back to back to major, back to major, and you believing in that, you know what I mean, in his project and believing in him as an artist and fighting for him because that that just doesn't happen all the time in this industry where you know, we get to a point right where we all have to deal with a lot of nose. But then we get to a level in this game

where it's more yes than though. This guy's crazy, where it's more yes than though. So once you get to that level, a lot of executives and producers walk away from things that they that they get told no on because they don't want to be associated with the no. You know what I mean, you want to be that guy that can walk anything through at anybody. You know, whatever you bring through the rolling where sir? So, what

was what for you? What was the motivation uh to keep you going with an artist that you were being told no about? Um? Firstly, I'm a builder like uh, as a creative. Everything I own I built, you know what I mean. I built my studio, I build beat, I build records. And because I'm a builder, that means I have to find things that need building, right, I have to find artists that need help being built. You know your d M is about to go crazy. Build me, build me your blood, um and so, but that's always

been my thing. You know what I mean? I mean your company b O E Empire. But show you let me get let me get on this. I mean, shout out to this beautiful last Lord Mercy and put some ice in that. I mean, yes, sir, And this is a nice podcasting, nice glasses to look out for. Vibe is so beautiful, it's all beat something say that again, that's R and B and everything R and B is like differently, I'm not doing this at you. I'm just I'm just in your direction. No, I got you, Bros.

R and B. And that's what got me into R and B. You know what I mean, just the flyness of it all, you know, I mean it were the coolest genre. Yeah, it is the coolest genre. Other people might be, they might be more shiny to the point where hip hop has now turned R and B. But that's a conversation for later. We can talk about you. You're burst and all of it. You do all of it. That's a conversation there. But we've major back to major

when I met him, right, I got some on it. Yeah, Alien, give it to me, give it to come on, come on, what you're talking about? It all is what we do. Yeah, I got extra one for you in the car. I got you, got in the car, got you and it's well, well, look at me learning Spanish. That's not even that's not even the big one. Extra and my brother, yes, sir, my brother, yes, sir, this is exceptional Tequi. We appreciate it. To my boy Breven, he's the brains behind this is exceptional, sir. Tequila.

It stands in line. This is the sits at the table with the tequilas with the mine that I drink. Yes, sir, okay, alright, and listen. It's not a big table. I don't know about to keep it. But it's a drink that tastes good to me. It's a small taste, not that big. Of only three tequilas, not that big. Yours is number three. It's up there, Bro, it's up there. That's a big that's a big. Doors is up there with a five hundred dollar tequila. Sir. The only sits about this big, Sir.

I know exactly what we're not showing out. I don't know those I don't know those people. I'm not shouting. Yeah yeah, let's get it, bro, appreciate that. Oh my god, don't endorsement money, Like, what are we doing? Do you need brand ambassadors? Of course we do. That's why I brought the buttloover so we can have that conversation after the podcast. Like it. I like it. Back to the music,

Back to music, back major. You know. One of the things about so, me and Tank, we all we all three of us come from the church background, so we understand how okay, you give me church vibes differ just tabna, that's right. Church. I don't even know what that means. But give me God vibes. I believe in. Give me God. Believe there's a there's a thing that that works with God, faith and what you believe in right when you're working.

And so when I met Major, I had no desire to sign him as an artist because we were just I was playing at one church that was the music director there and Major was on the washer team. But he would sing his butt off and sing like he would sing and I would just see people like emotional, and I was just like, I'm the one that you playing the piano, thinking this can't be where it ends for him on on the church stage. He got it, there's more to this. And God was like, yeah, you're

gonna help him get there. And I was like, I was like, I that was a me requesting. I was just saying and so and then I was like, no, it's on you. And so he put me on that path and then you know, we started working together. Yeah, we got knows from everybody. I mean it was like there was people who play games with us. There's people who you know. It was like, we'll take the songs, but it was just always something. And the worst part was I was succeeding as a music producer, so I

was doing on the grand day, I'm working with Christal. Yeah, I was working with a lot of people, and so it was weird for me that I couldn't, you know, cross him into that space. And then then I realized like we had a problem. The problem was we needed a song that would identify him because he was new and the one powerful thing that Major has, as we

all know, is his voice. So I was like, we gotta find and a year prior to that, John Legend had just gone number one with all of me m M, and I said, we gotta do something like this that highlights your voice and nothing else. Right, think you're sexy because you think he's said sometimes be doing that. He been trying to highlight the ship. Me, Sean, my brother, my brother met Hey listen, listen when when he started getting R and B money yeah came out no, no,

but everybody almost we're gonna amost see your belly. Bro. He's like made was like when get up from Man, I got that made Major. You can send me a customer shirt man helped send me a customer shop. Right, you should get a customer sho custom You got the plan, got him, he's got to get a new one. I gotta black, they gotta give me. I got to go plan. You got the platinum plack now, all right, so let

me let's do this. And I think that this the major story, um, along with the building of your empire, is going to play a big part in this conversation. But I really want to go all the way back to the beginning, right, Um. I hate your accent, but um, I just wanted his accent, like you know, you know what I could do with that accent aition in the world. I'm scared of you. I think you too confident a little bit, just smell just a little bit. I don't think you would even live in You don't think I

would know. I don't know where you would live. He tired me already. We just started many h money, Samuel's We like to go back to the beginning, Yes, like where it started? Where did what was the moment? We also like the snack and ship. Yeah, you can eat snacks. You don't one to Mike Ruben hate that all right? Um, We want to go back to the beginning, to where you said to yourself, oh shoot, I got something, or somebody said to you, I got something, boy, you got

something something. There's a few, there's a few moments. But um born and raised in London by Nigerian parents who were strict to ship. I mean they were so strict, bro, Like I had bad checks in the morning, you know what I'm saying, And like when y'a was leaving to go to school, everything's in here, what's in your back? And if there was anything outside of what was supposed to be in there, it's my ass. Like my dad was a discipline arean man. He was a strong dude.

And my mama didn't play anither. So when they found out I had a musical gift, they freaked out immediately because there was like, oh hell no, no, no, no, no, no no, no, no, you're not doing that. You go into school because we immigrants and we ain't got we ain't got a portupis in you ben to figure this out. And they were on me and so and I'm the oldest of four and so as I got to y'all called high school, we called the secondary school. I'm like

thirteen years old. I'm playing four or five instruments at this point, so I'm playing piano, drums, bassed keys. No, it's at church the only place I could touch him. So I had to learn. Now. My parents were broke trying to figure out. My dad had too three jobs. My mother was looking after the kids at home because it's you know, just three of us and at the time, and um, the only time they would allow me near the instrument is in church. Now my dream. My school teachers, yo,

your son is gifted. He he was singing. He would I would sing harmonies. They were like, how do you know how to do this? And I mean, I'm not even five six at this point, I'm playing drums on the table, and then I'm even playing drums in church. My parents just woke up one morning. We go to church and then there's no drummer on the at the drums. So it's kind of weird because like there's a whole band playing but no drums, and then they just see me going to drums and start playing along. I began

a drummer and that's how I started playing. And so I have this thing about learning by sight. And by twelve years thirteen years old, I'm going to secondary school and I could play five instruments, and my music teachers like, how you you know I had to do that? Like, and I was like, I don't know. It's just a gift. I can hear and see like I hear it and I see it like or wherever it is. If I see you playing an instrument, I'm learning and how you

are you playing? Saying I'm downloading everything and once I get my hand on it, I'm gonna figure it out. Um. And once I figured out the number system, it was cutains for everybody, um, and you know that. So thirteen years old, I go, it's my first year in secondary school or high school, and I walked into my music class and I'm like I'm excited, just like, yes, I got what's my music? She you're gonna have me do? So. She has this computer and it was called the notator.

Remember that, yes right now, it's actually cooled logic now in the in the nineties was called notator. I've never seen it before. There was a notator and they had floppy disks and she had like this, she had a cassio keyboard in front of it, and she started programming like. She showed me how you're like, oh, you know, you can compose your own songs and close your music and she started playing each instrument, you know, recording as we do. I stood there because I had never seen it before.

I stood there in amazement for at least thirty men this. I said, Miss Ryan, how the hell did you do that? Said? You know, you just you select the track you want, you press record. You played the instrument and I said, so I can be my own band. She said yeah. I said, Nick, I'm sure you didn't say that, but no, and I'm sure yeah, yeah, school bro. It was like a crackhead with a bag of coke. Ye. I lost my freaking mind, I said, okay. It went from me being at every lunch time to being at every lunch

time and off the school. Then she started giving me the key. I was in that room for two years straight, so I've gone from year to year. And she came in one day and it was like eight in the morning. She was like, why are you here so early? I said, I just had to get this idea, said you've been here a lot, play me something, and I play her one of my ideas. She looked at me. She said,

you made this, and I play another one. She's like, you made this, She said, Harmony, you need to really go to school for this, said you may have the ability to be a great composer or producer. I was like, who's that? And what is that? Who's there? Because I'm like, are your parents on board at this point? Now? My parents were never on board until I broke So my parents they never were at this point. At this point, they just think I'm going to school. They don't they

don't know what I'm doing in school. And because my I had heard my teacher as a ally, she would always value for me. He's because so just that's all I needed, Bro, she said, go look at what the producer was. The first person I looked up was Quincy Jones. I mean it starts there and like, I'm off to the flame. Man. It's just it became my mission and in my brain, I mean, I lied to every person because I didn't want them to know that was what

I was going to become a music producer. And Bro, I made track off the track and then I was like, I can put melody and lyrics. So I was just like, oh, I'm doing a hundred per centers. At this point, I'm twenty years old and I'm like, I finally someone just

someone out there blue in my church. And you know I always tell people from yeah, because I mean, like, from thirteen to twenty, all I could do was create, create, because what people don't understand about London is one of the most creative places in the world, one of the only places where I see genres being made over and over again, you know what I mean, like like in my face, like oh, this is a new genre. This, you know, I mean, like from beats me so for me.

But it's a trap too. It was very It was very trapped because there was no outlets for us. Like one thing you have in America is black Americans have fought to have a voice in in in the UK, we fought, but we didn't have that voice. No matter how much we tried to get one, they would shut it down. It was very systemic because it was a lot smaller too. And so we let's think about how many R and B X we had those times, how many R and B superstars. We didn't have that many.

It was very limited, and that's because we didn't have an outlet. And whenever you know. But you know the craziest part, not even British people didn't know he was American. He was. He was British for the longest because he sounded so American to y'all, was like, yeah, we we just knew that he was. We just knew that this isn't regular British records, right, do you what the sand I mean? And you know I worked with even Uncle

mar Markey b you know so too soul. Like I've been around all of them, and there was we were influenced by American music heavily, but we didn't have an outlet. We didn't have out so all I could do is create and hold these hold these these feelings inside. And I was like, one day I'm gonna crack this. I'm

gonna crack this colde. I'm gonna figure it out how to balance between being from here and affecting the States, because crack in America was the most important thing for any British artist if you were black, Cracking America from Craig David all the way down to Sho MAXI Priest, these are British guys, you know what I mean? Like,

Cracking America was important if you cracked America. I feel like he keeps saying crackhead America, cracking America, breaking, and so so what I could do for for the longest.

And then I interned for years, you know what I mean, at studios, cleaning floors, laying on the floor in the UK, and I would watch you know, Selene, Selene Dion's producer, Chris neil Um, Marqui b Um, so many different producers that I was like in the background, Nilly Hooper, gen Stefani, and I would just be watching him and trying to get as much information because I learned by sight. So one day they were like, hey, you play pile all right,

and I'll play a little something. Hey you played bass right, or I sing something. So I was young, so I started kind of getting my my, my, my, my foot in that way. And then young young guy in the church, you know, he's a little money man, you know, a little hustling the hood. Was like, yo, you really be doing this music thing? Huh. He's like, you know, I got some bread, like what you need. I was like a studio and he gave me My first studio was

three times more than this room. But it was that that was the day, I became a monster because now I had my own outfit, like I could do anything. I helped him build his career. Shout out to my man Stephen. Uh. Helped him build his little business company he was building, supplying the hoods and beats, supplying the hood beats. Stephen the top boy. Yeah he had Steve. Stephen had to pe. He hustled and made show, kept the studio open for like five years. I never had

to pay for it. And you know, I always respect him for him because that's when I learned how to become a real producer. I learned to sing, record, vocal, produce, and I was watching y'all. That's what you don't understand. I had all your CDs in my room, in my studio room, and we played uh, Sex, Love and and Pain, or we'll play Maybe I Deserve, or we'll play Rodney Jack. Lot of Rodney, A lot of thoughts, always a lot

of timberling, shots of Roddy because he talked. Y'all gave me my opportunity to a lot of timberling, a lot of I was studying, I mean, bro and then one day I just said I gotta get out of because I tried. I was broke, you know what I mean, my girls leaving, you know what I'm saying, Yeah, my girls leaving me. At the time, I couldn't pay rent, you know what I'm saying. And she actually really believed in me. She just knew that I wasn't gonna work here,

you know what I mean. We just bro The most I got paid in eight years and making music was like three thousand dollars in eight years and eight years because it was such a hard hustle, you know what I'm saying. And so by the time by the time I got to like my mid twenties, Um, there's this young kid in in the UK that was blowing up

and music had changed again. It was not this new genre cool grime, because they had gone from garage, you know what I mean, we call the garage, and went from garage which was like this upbeat we don't call him garge garage you said, you said two different names that we don't so we called a garage. It changed and you know, it became grime. And there's a whole history that you know. I think the the UK grime scene and R and B scene and just the music scene has to explain for the world to get But

this kid called Chip, we called him Chip then. Yeah, so that's how I meant from the hood. That's how I met. Were in the hood, same studio. I end up working with him and he's like, yo, man, Um, I need you to do my album. And he just cracked the case. In the UK, he was like the first he was like sixteen years old. It's like, I need you to work on my album because he wanted to transition from the UK sound to a global sound. He wanted to penetrate America. I said, I'm your guy.

So we started working. I was transitioning to l A because Um, I was taking these interesting trips. I was like getting on the plane, just come to New York and New York was popping at the time. When it came to like industry stuff and Craig calman Um heard my music and was like, can you fly to l A. I was like, uh yeah, he said fly to l A tomorrow. I wanted to meet another executive of mine.

If he liked you, then we money. So I said cool, flying to l A. I go to see the executive and the executive just he just was like get out, like it was like, why are you hit? And I was like, damn, think I just flew six hours wait so that the executive wants you to meet. It wasn't working with you, bro, wasn't Listen. First we're in the studio and listened to my beats on headphones. That's disrespect one.

I know who this guy is. I just even though you've never told me, I already know, right you listen if you want to start, alright, listen, But I'm like, okay, phones in the music studio. That was like, oh my god. And then secondly, I flew six hour or six hours to meet with you for six minutes six minutes and say yeah, so yeah, give me these beats. And there I talked to you. You know, we'll call you or email you. And I was like, what am I supposed?

The US business? And so I'm standing outside the studio like in tis because I'm like, firstly, I was in New York and it was like October, so it was coldest boots and now I'm in l a the same outfit and the green weever. I'm confused, Bro, I'm crying and so and I'm broke because I'm trying to figure this out. So, and I'm sure you want to choke that white bro. I wanted to say everything under the sun about his nostrils. But but you know, I thank

God for grace. And you know the guy that had, you know, been around me at the time was my managing Matt. He ended up managing me after this whole situation. He was like, Yo, I met with this guy and he keeps talking about you. And I was like, what's his name? He said, r J r J. He said we should meet. He was like a big time producer man. I said, funk that I ain't coming over the way to me, no punk cast r J so podcast, Like I said, you needn't see like everybody like mad, like

you can't see this thing. Just disrespect me. You even say nothing, say nothing like you know what I'm saying. I'm standing around two white people like he white. What I'm saying, No, baby, y'all seeing the jumping on me. Now, I do nothing. Just let the white man. So I was just so it hurt, and so he said, I said. So, I kept saying, He's like, no, I really think we should go see him. And I was like, man, what's this nigger's name? He said, Rodney Jack. I said. I said,

I'm sorry. I said dark child, Ruddy jack is. He's like, that's it, that's it. I said, Nick, do you know who that is? You should have left. He was like, I think he's I said, you think he's wait, yeah, let's go. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. And then as soon as I walked in and they were doing puff at the puff at the TV show, I find it making a star making it was making a star. It was like the It was like American Idol, but

there was like a and Rodney was a judge on it. Okay, so I've gone over to that show and Ronnie walked out and he called me immediately he was like Harms. I was like, okay, you're gonna change my name to Hars. He's like, yeah, your beat cause harm, it's causing harm. And I was like, where do you hear my beats? He said yo? I was so head a joke while this dude is disrespecting me in the studio. He was at Jimmy's office and my beats. I don't know how

I tape got in there was being played. Tell him who Jimmy is, because you know Jimmy so while while he's having to meet with Jimmy. He said he could hear my beats in the room next door, and he said he was knocking so hard. He was like he had. He's like, Jimmy killing I'm just to go to bathroom, give me a second. And so he's going to the bathroom. He walks in the rooms like, Yo, whoever this little

nigga is, find him and bring him to me. So that's how Matt got the email saying, Yo, Ronnie's looking for y'all. He wants to meet with y'all and so I shouldn't. He was like, yeah, my name, my name is Harmony. Was like Harms and I'm gonna call you Harms from now and and said, uh. He said you when you leaving? I said tomorrow. He's like, no, you're not. You canceled that flight. Come to see you tomorrow. And the rest is history. Man. He basically was like yeah, yeah.

He opened that door and was like, yeah, you're with me, and uh. It's probably the biggest life changing experience I've ever had in my life. Mind you. He was the next day I go to see him. He's working on the Devil Wears product, so I'm just like, you know what man for giving you an opportunity. Listen, I'm a stranger from nowhere. When that when that other man phones off, listen, I did so head the thing about that's why you

know full circle. A few years goes by, I'll break an artists, a new artist that no one ended up heard of, and they Craig. Craig actually calls me back into the studio and says, yo, come like I want to meet you. I was like, Craig, you met me before, I say I did. I was like, yeah, a seven years, six years ago, you flew me to l A to meet with the other dude. And he's like, I did I remember you? He said, whatever happened with that dude? Walk in? And Craig was like, you don't remember harmony.

He's the guy that I sent here six years ago, Look look what happened. And I was just like we love that moment. It was one of them ones where it's just like, Okay, thank you, I'm glad that I didn't have to be a nigger that day. God got my back. Absolutely, what are your parents saying as you're saying no, not now, even though as you're saying R J p j J says, first of all, to stay a few more days. Secondly, I'm going to l A. So this is, this is, this this is is gonna get a

little spiritual at this point. So there was things that I learned about making your moves in silence. So they didn't know a lot of my moves. They didn't like I hadn't seen my dad in publicly five years, because at this point you're grown man. Well I was. I've definitely grown man um. But me and I really had problems. Like when I was younger, he was like physical, you know what I'm saying, and so uh, I had a lot of anger issues towards him, and so he just

wanted to me to be the best. Now understand the nigga. The nigga you know when you realize, damn pop. He was under some different stress, but as a young man, I wasn't. And it was just it was too much. I mean, I was going home school with black guys and well happen said I fell over and playing both soccer or whatever, and I grew I grew up with a resentment. So too. To prove my point, that became my driving force. I was like, I'm gonna show you pop,

who the funk I really am? And so that thing used to see in my eye where it was like just monstrous. It was him because every time he told me no, I would have it was it just became like a battering ram in my hand that I was just like, so I disappeared. I didn't tell him, And what I realized was I had to tell her. I had to keep it a secret because if I told him I was trying to do, they would emotionally get in my head and kind of pull me away from

the opportunity that was in front of me. Yes, I didn't know what was gonna happen, and it was like You're going twelve hours away on a plane to a land that nobody knows yet. On TV, the story is go gain drugs, rock star life Michael Jackson got killed. So England had you know, in London, there was a perception of what Los Angeles was. You know in London at one time you said Los Angeles, they called it Babylon. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. That was the perception. And

I was like, so I can't tell nobody. I literally moved to l A and lived in l A for a year. Before I told him, wow, that's wow. I lived in l a fourth and I made sure that I popped off. So when I called him, I was like, yeah, the under made it. Yeah. So when they came over, it was like, nigg, so what's your what's the your son? They made a moment? What is that? What? What? What milestone had you reached that you felt like this is enough to let them know that I'm good. This is

my career. There's a couple of about that. The one that really did was when I paid their house off, when I was like, you ain't got got that A lot of the Irianna Grande about it. That was the life changing experience of my career. Like I was like, I went from he's adult producer, he's a he's a great producer to super produce. After I did that and ire on the ground Ate the way feature mcmiller gad right there, big Sean, how long has you been out

here before you get that? Three years? So I moved here officially two thousand and ten, January two thousand and ten and two thousand and eleven, I was cutting those records on that in two thousand twelve. It blew up, Oh my god, and so Chris shot first. I'm gonna shot out my bro Chris Brown, because when I say, outside of Tank and y'all, he's probably the most authentic individual I've ever met in the music business. This man

didn't know me from a kind of paint. He just heard a record that I had produced for Juwan Harris and he was in the video and he kept saying, Yo, who the hell made this record? And they go this kid harmony and he walked up to me, didn't know me from acount of paint. He was like, he made this record. Bro. I was like yeah, He's like, yeah, we gotta work. I'm scratching my head like you, Chris Brown. And not only did he say we gotta work, he made sure we worked. And those records changed my life.

Save with me and all my love, those same records that you heard and even that session numb years ten. Bro, I just moved in. So it's like ending the two thousand ten, so January two, ending the two So I've been in nine months. I'm in the room with Chris Brown. And so the reason why it sounded so crazy a couple of things. The fact that I was about to prove to my dad I made it that angle was all over there. That was there was a lot of rage.

But Chris was so confused me because he walked in. Firstly, we do you know what it is with Chris Brown the studio. He's gonna play ninety records, a hundred and nineties. It's more now. Yes, I mean Chris was playing records from his childhood, but they really work from last week because just how much he works, that's just how much he wants songs or not. So, so this is first something to move Chris. He's played like a hundred songs. We've been there. Like, have you placed anything before, like

like a major place you had? I had one placement with Maroo five No curtain call, that's a that's Maroo five. Ye, that was the first. That was your first placement. And I'm gonna be honest with you so fact. But it's a guy in that group named James Valentine. Shout out to James Valentine, James Valencize. Some relations, relations, relations relations, no relations with our names are very similar. That's pretty

cool cut and call. So I was I was actually one of the first producers to actually work with because basically Maroon Fight was like a like a real band. So they only had like one producer. So when I made the record, they Broodi pick up the phone. Was like, Adam, I got something for you. It's crazy. Is my young producer just produced it and sent it to him and came back. I was like nigger Marion vibe. And then

you know, so that was my first placement. I didn't really see any success from it, but it was to let me know that a conversation, conversation in the room. I mean, so, what have you done? You know? I got. Well, that's how b came to find me. He was like, always there, always there, there's somewhere that Big John has been in your life something. Yeah, Big John came over and was like maon five. So I guess that kind of had people looking at like, what's this kid about?

And then creates we're doing Chris Brown. We had just done Chipmunk and Chris Brown Champion. Because I was just about to ask you, from my understanding, you did that Chris Brown, and because that's how I met you. Yes, basically I did Jowan Harris And I always tell people, do not be afraid to work with people who aren't known. Humble beginnings can lead to bigger doors. Like I always tell people that Jawan Harris was a new kid, but he sounded like Michael jack And I had this song

that had this motown field. Mark Pitts was like, I need this for this kid. So I'm like, I'm like your Mark Pitts, I don't know you are have it. So we end up making the record with the kid sung the song down like I was just looking at me like you're about to be the next Michael Jackson. You have to be. There's no way, um benomest to me. Uh, we go mix the record. This is how so this record actually was the start off for a lot of things. We end up going to Jason Joshua to mix it.

So that's how I met Jason Joshua. And they putting you in all the right so I'm like, who is he? He's amazing And he started mentoring me out the gate this is what you gotta because he's looking at me like where have you been? Like where did you come from? Like and he said this record gonna change your life and I'm like, big bro, you finger So he's like, I promise you is gonna change I'm like, ohn't no, big bro, this is a cool record, but I'm not

gonna change my life. This nigga was prophes signed into my future. I go to the video shoot, marks like, as at least we could do is come to the video shoot. So I was like, okay, cool, who's doing backflips in the video shoot? Chris Chris Brown? And Chris is like, I need to work with you. And I'm like, from that song, that song and that unknown artist and now and now my life change and the record never did well by my life change. And Chris is in

the studio, so this is the scariest part. He plays Yes three X look at Me now, the song with Bieber uh no bullshit, like the song we did on the Door, Like I'm like and he's like, yeah, so Harms, I need you to this. I said, I said this is your album, this one right here. I'm like okay, yeah. And Chris is a genius, like he's he's practicing in one room, he's playing basketball in another room. He's got

a video being in the level room. But like the baddest chicks in the room, every executive is walking in it out, every producer from Dr Luke, Like, I'm just like, this is like this is my first Yeah, I'm like, this is it's too much, that's wild, that's actually insane, And so walk into until you explain it to it like the way you just have. I've never looked at it that way because yeah, so you know, we a honey of years in with Chris, so it's it's like

we're just used to that's just Chris. But you playing it as a new producer coming from a whole another country and walking into that. Yeah, and you know, and the seven Street is there, k Max there. I'm like, this is overwhelming. H your money, Yes, sir, Top five song, R and B song. I'm gonna say things your man won't do. Jesus Christ by Joe. Let me tell you why amazing. Let me tell you why. Firstly, I mean that song has lost it how many years and probably

when we've left the Stay be Here. Yeah, that red is the all time that pre chorus I talked to Joe about. I say, you're so disrespectful that don't see. I don't think I will ever hear another B section that great. I wouldn't argue with you because it almost was bigger than the hook. Oh that is that is very great. It was almost almost I think it was right. And when you see when you see it in concert, which we've had to do so many shows with him,

I understand exactly what you're saying. And remember the first I just remember going, are we allowed to even do that? He did it like I was like huh, And then he does it so effortlessly. Is it magic by Stevie? Somebody else just yea, yeah, yeah, just put us on. When he just put me on that song I didn't know about that song, is like like I cried to that song because that song was just like when I like, I don't know when he just played it for me,

I was like, what is that? And he produced that by himself blind He stop saying Stevie, let not get out of here. Stop this Stevie is magic. Stevie. Oh my god, um, come and talk to me, boy Joe to see boy you're talking to talk today you listening to it's between Come and talk to me a further of my lady them to kind of like the same that that came at me. At the same time, I was kind of mad, we'll come and talk to me. Got the remix come and talk to me. Just was like, yeah,

are we allowed to do that? I kept asking like is this allowed? And it was just like the remix as well, with no music. Goto talk to me and it was just like these dudes from the street dressed like it was screaming harmonies at you, like come and talk to me. What can I talk to you? And they looked like the home I talked to me, How are you yelling at me like that? I'm gonna go to the king human nature? Uh, I'm sorry, dog like I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry like that that I mean,

there was five hooks in that one song. It had a musical hook. It was five foots in that one song on my musical hook and ends with on some musical cinematic like that. Everybody tries to do you know, do you know? Do you know as soon as it's soon as it happens, you know what the hell is going on? It's unmatched? Why why I just tell him it's just human nature? Nature? Why? Why are you doing me that way? Are you doing me that way? Does he do me? Now? I try to preach this all

the time. We are not perfect. Ladies are here, We're not here, We're not no, no, Michael said it best. It is just human nature. We are flawed by nature. Nature didn't nature is, Nature isn't perfect whenever Maxwell, Yeah, yeah, Max, you're hot. You're hot. Yeah, you're hot right now. That song you're hot right now, that song we ain't gonna be here, that song gonna be here. Song is going to be here forever. Max was still towing off that motherfucker.

Just a different kind of monster. It's a different kind of monster. All right, your money, go go in the building. Shout out to go go in the building. Um eh, money, thank you for having her. By the way, come on, absolutely anytime we're gonna build. We're gonna build an R and B artist. But it called this the R and

B Voltrin. Okay, where you're gonna get the vocals, where you're gonna get the performance style, where are you going to get the styling, and where you're gonna get the passion female male hold on, that's up to you and you can mix and match up however you want to. All right, so let's start with the vocals. Who you

want to get the vocals from? Brandy m Well, I don't waste no time then, I mean, if I'm gonna I mean, I mean yeah, but it's understood the vocal bible does not have to be for me, my generation and our generation I mean ship. So yeah, definitely Brandy on the vocal especially rest in peace Lashawn on that magic magic um. Who are you getting the performance style from? Queen Bee? I mean Beyonce? Who can I say, who can entertain them? I mean the stadium Queen Bee? I mean,

I mean fifteen years, twenty years? Does it get any crazier to that? No drop off? None, no drop off? You know what I mean? And I put Queen Bee because she sings that ship live for real though you know what I'm saying, You know what I mean. So I just think it's one thing to sing in the studio, but then you perform it live and do it exactly like the studio. Get on my nerves, all right? Who are you getting the styling frou you want your artist

to look? That's a wide one styling yeh in R and B anyone, I'm gonna say Army, I'm gonna say Janet translates. Janet translates in all genres at all times. Or it doesn't matter what time of the year we are, what decade, she's showing up. I don't think it matters

what time of the year it is. You gonna roll with whatever she got on five years old, Janet will layer up on you in the middle of the something still be flying and fine, fine with you, okay, I mean you're doing really good at that I wanted as your brother. You really shine it. Press my legs. Yeah, it's fine, it's fine. Who are you getting the passion from the heart of your artists? The heart that's different. I would say a name and she just takes me there.

Every time fantager m m with are shoes off? Yeah, across the stage. That's a woman that I've seen. He's going to sweat like every like she does not. I mean that one has had me in tears outside of working with a just seeing her just see my songs back loose to win again, and she said, I'll be like, that's that's that's not how we did it. She putting in a whole another level work, like I'm talking worship in the student where Mike the Microsoft set up people,

was like, thank you Jesus, hallelujih. I'm like, yeah, you're you're different, different, different passions. That's that's a co vote. Run about your mind that that might be right there. That's a terminator right there? Are you about to break the other one open? I'm just showing the people. Come on, come on, come on with the promo, come on with my people love you. Yeah yeah, I'm rocking with it. And I mean, since we've had a beverage, yea trving a good good time to get to this segment. What's

this segment? You know, since you watched the show, I'm sure you know it's becoming the thing he's kind of known around these streets a little bit. Card I ain't saying no names. Yeah yeah, I got the good enough saying you actually said he already tell some stories. We need to say no names earlier. But you know, I need you know the story funnier, fucked up, are funny

and fucked up? I got. We got a lot of those, we all do, even though Tank tried to tell one that he told on somebody else's show, and I damn there, cust my my co ho, that's crazy, it's crazy. I'm gonna look at you. I know he's looking at me, but I'm gonna looking at you while he looking at me, because I don't understand why he would do that. I understand it don't make sense to me. But today we're here with AH money people, I'm still not looking at tank.

We're here with AH money today, and we would need harmony aged money. We need your I ain't saying no names. I got some plus more like man whatever, you won't just the only rule is you can't say that name. Yeah, that's fine, that's easy for me. Here I don't like say people didn't anyway, um ah damn. We just wanting to do that. Where do I go? Says you know a lot, I say no names. Here we go. There was a song I made for artists. I took an artist. I took an artist she was also a songwriter to

this session. And um, this artist was a good friend of mine and the artist was a good friend of mine, and one of them was successful already, the other one was trying to make it, and uh, I got caught in the middle of a situation. So we go to studio. I said, y'all come to studio. And it's like, m I want to come to studio do that session because you know, I'm trying to be an artist right now, and so I'm scared I'm gonna write a record that I'm gonna want to keep m And I was like, man,

just came, trust me. You never know, like connections like me, I like bringing people in. They takes a village, like you know what I mean, like you come to the studio or whatever. Like. So she comes and she write, we write a monthster well, a couple of months go by. Look six seven months go by. In the session. She looked at me, She's like, I knew it, and I

was like, you can't keep it. So a couple I like like, I'm never like a year plus goes by and this other artists, established artists, you know, had gone ghosts. So everybody would be like, what's going on. I was like, I don't know, and you know they're doing that thing they got there. So they the writer artists called me and was like, yo, let's going on the record. I said, I don't know. I ain't spoken to me for a minute, so I don't know what. She's like. She's like, man,

I'm gonna try to use it. And I was like, well you should say something. I don't know, you know, they might want to. It's like now I want to use it and I was like, all you, so I said, let me at least find out. So that's why managers can be dangerous. So management had conversations and they they the conversation was, and I think it was a front, Yeah, we don't know if you want the record? Da da da da da, because they didn't want to pay, because it was like, yo, if you want to record us, no,

because we could picture somewhere else. So I was like, hey, I got an email saying that your good money, so go do the thing. So all this goes to do the thing, go a deal off one record that I did, and that was supposed to be the next single. So it turns out the established WRO came back. It was wrapping up the pun. It was like, no, I want this to be my single. And so now I'm in a funk because I got both people trying to use

the record of a single and it's up to me. Yeah, pretty right, And unfortunately, you know, you know how it goes. I know the rules. So the one thing I goes to the playbook, how's the song written, who was the song written for? Does that person have publishing or then that person has more say regardless of whether they den the record or not. I gotta go with the person who we did the record for because they own the recording at that point. That's how it goes. I had

to go to the playbook actually paid for the session. Nigga. When I say they cussed me the work out, I mean it destroyed a relationship that was dear to me because it was someone else that was connected and it really kind of like damaged relationship for a period of time. And but I had to do the right thing, and you know, I let it. I let it go. Fast forward later they end up doing a record together. Anyway, So did your record ever come out? On either one?

It came out. It came out, and it did good. It did good, um and they both ended up doing very well. But I got cast the funk out for something that had nothing to do with me. It's a great, that's a great. We want to know later. I'm gonna take a sip. I'm gonna take a sip. I'm very fancy. Thank you for having my beautiful sister endorsement deal with. I'm just throwing out wild number any any time anybody said you want to do something, you just throw out

a wild number. Five times okay million. Um, you are a brother. Um, you are a loved one. You are special to us. Um most of all you are you are. It's extremely special to this universe and everything that you have to offer, from from your struggles to your successes. And we hear the Army Money. We love you, ladies

and gentlemen. I am Tank and this is the arm by Money podcast, the authority on all things R and B. And this has been our brother Harmony, H Money, Don't Go, Don't Go, put up, dot Go Beautiful, R and by Money. Arm by Money is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, is

it the I Heart Radio app. Apple podcasts are wherever where 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