Harold Lilly Jr.

a producer, This is not an artist. This is an entity. Yes, this is This is a musical entity that we have on the pot today, A family member, a friend, most of all, an inspiration, true story to all of us. Mr Harold, Harold Lily, come on man, come on man, come on man, come on man. To to kick this off, I first want to say thank you. This is my first podcast past ever in life. It may be my

first interview on camera ever in life. True story, and I would like to start it off with something I wrote, m hmmm, dear mama, you raised the son of a gunner, hot cold, can't feel the sun in the summer, too bold to be himself in a Honda ninety five on ninety five headed the Chippingham listening the Lonnie B. I met him at Cool Lane. What the funk you telling me? I met stars and stars told me I was gonna be a king at fifteen because I had a record

with the king at fifteen. True story. I ain't lying, seen Bubba tell Earl. It was over true story. I ain't lyne seeing skill shock the world. It was over true story. I ain't lying. Being in l a too long twenty years writing songs, I ain't lying. Let's talk about it all. Yeah, yeah, you hear you, Lily, Yes, yes, girl, Lily. That is called son of a gunner. Yes, so here I am. Uh, gentlemen, this is fantappulous. First of all, congratulations. I have to let your audience know how I was

introduced to you guys. Kick it all just really quickly. Yeah, I'm a child and I'm watching television and I don't see the screen, and I hear a voice of a child if Ale you knew the way I feel about you, and I call it's not Michael. I don't know this voice. Then it goes into the hook. My heart beats for you, and I go I can't see the screen. Then it comes back around, But it comes back around not after the second verse. It was the bridge. Oh I knew this.

I know this, and Tank I hear it again. If only you knew, I go, I would follow this voice to the gates of all who's this singing? Then at the end of the song, I hear an ad lib. Oh god, Ja Valentine, you have to know this. My my, my mind, my mind, me, my my heart beach. I said, I'll follow that voice into a dungeon. That's how I was introduced to Jay Valentine. Now you, sir, oh, I see a video of you at the e of my studios in Santa Monica, California. It was it was bombs Wow,

you did a back flip. Do you know what I'm talking about? Okay? I said, this is an arm by superhero like I've never I've never seen. I just got I had just got from Richmond, Virginia. You know. I see it and I go, wow, I'm never seeing this. Then he plays me of record and the ad libis, oh yeah. I said, would you mind if why didn't they do that one? And then they did that. We had no choice, bra and then and then twenty years passed and I see what you guys have done. I'm

proud of y'all. Man, I was. I mean, I'm being honest. I heard your voice as a child, I met you coming into your lionhood and now I'm on R and B Money podcast. Ah, it's too marvelous to understand. Yeah, okay, man, I'm here. I'm here, brother. Yes, First of all, thank you for our flowers. Um, thank you, brother. You've you been our brother and family for many moons and you know you've uh, you've earned You've earned our respect and

our reverence completely, period, point blank. So for us, like you know, as we may appear the same in age, you know, in terms of this thing, you are elder to us than Yeah. Got busy, yeah by brother, I'm just noticing how busy right. And when you said that, like you said earlier before before the cameras came and he said, I just realized what I've been doing for tuny something. I just I just looked up long enough. I peeked out of the woods, just long enough to

actually see the acres of land in the buildings. Yeah, man, which is we're gonna get to because what I tell most artists is do the work. Just do the work. Thank you for telling them, and you'll wake up one day and you won't be on the floor. You'll be in some presidential suite. Hey man with security waiting for you at the front door, saying, the cars downstairs, sir, whenever you're ready. You're like, how in the fund did I get here? The work? So we want to start?

Oh my god, this is gonna be a goal. When started at the beginning? Okay, grassroots? When did when did somebody say, boy, you something? Or when did you feel Oh? Yeah, there's there's a calling. Okay, okay. I'm from Richmond, Virginia. Virginia is the first state, and I'm from the capitol. I was born there interesting place and on the land. Before I was born, there was Harold Spencer Lily, my father in Richmond, Virginia. His name is bigger than mine.

Here it's it's my father was the guy for sixty years sixty Yeah, so that's my father. My mother as a master teacher in the Richmond Public City school system, who when she sang, I saw some interesting things happened, you know. So if I tell the truth for shame the devil bro I've really had no choice. I can do other things, but in the city of Richmond, Virginia, I'm the junior, I'm the second one. You know what I'm saying. And so I didn't know him that well.

I was always told stories about him through the city. Wow. So if I'm in class, JA, yeah, her her, her, Lilio daddy. Wow. Yes. And then the next na na in the next seven minutes is about how he made them feel when he played the organ. At least seven minutes. Oh, your daddy played at my mama funeral. Your daddy came to the old folks home and played him. Uh, your daddy played in my way, and uh, this is this is my life growing up. So when it came to music,

I thought everybody knew how to do it like that. Okay, Um, So I had no choice. Grew up in church and everybody in church did it. You know. Uh. I had basketball dreams. I had. I had hoop dreams. And one day I'm trying out for a basketball team and I do a move that that gardener's respect from my peers. And after I do the move, the coach his name was Frank Three's John Marshall High School, legendary figure. He blows the whistle and he says, Lily, get over here.

I'm waiting for him to he praised upon me for the move that I just did. In the gym and he says, Lily, you know what you're gonna do. I said, what he said, You're gonna do music, because you ain't gonna be doing that ship on my court. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care what you know. You won't do that on Mike. You're gonna do music. Don't your dad to do music. You're gonna do music. And

I said, well, uh, I'm not alan. I I waited who, by the way, it is Bubba in my hoem Okay, I saw Bubba tell Earl it was over true story. I ain't lying. Uh. He's a young kid. Uh. Douglas Wilder has to free him from joh My High School. John Marshall High School played his high school, Bethel in a state championship. There is no social media. For all

we know, Bubba Chuck is eight ft tall. We walked through the gym and we see just a man until it's the fourth quarter of the game and him and Tony Rutland start to do things that were you know, that allowed them to win the game. But it was their guys. I gotta be honest, I've seen somebody win the States in that sweat. He was a sweating. I saw he wasn't sweating, And on the way home, I said, you know what will come easy to me, like I

wnna do what I'm gonna do. Yeah, will come easy to me like athletics come to him because he was not He wasn't sweating. He wasn't sweating. And I said, oh, it's music. I sing in the Talent show. What great is this? Maybe ten? And it's intentional. Before I was always singing, but it wasn't intentional. I'm in an R and B group. Uh in high school? Thank you Gerard, thank you Antoine, thank you Tony Cosby. We are we sing? Oh do the the the females and the audience they

start to scream. And I'm a young lad at the time, and I feel electricity. Yeah, come upon me. And I've been bitten ever since. Oh my god, bro, it's electricity electric Still. I must admit you, gentlemen, I don't know how you are able. There there are gifts. We all have our graces. And I remember Jamie Fox took me on the road with him for Unpredictable. He said her, you have to see what this song is doing on

the road. I agree. The cities were Miami, Atlanta, Atlanta, M and I don't know what other city after that. I left immediately. I looked backstage and I said, oh, what what attention? What attention? M You know, I would sit with you guys in studios and then I would go home. I wouldn't have to engage with the world. Thank you, Missy Elliott, Melissa Elliott, thank you, Missy Elliott. I met Missy Elliott through Nicole Ray. Nicole Ray was coming to Richmond, Jaan to do songs at my one

of my teachers. His name is Gerard Thomas, his house. Okay, she comes to the studio. Oh uh. And this is when, probably, like all of us, I don't know, we had young entrepreneurs in the city, uh, funding our dreams. Okay. And these are master master mathematicians, master philosophers, and yes, politicians, and they were sending us to Jack the Rapper. I'm watching Puff walk around with a with a with a flag and a big and all of these things. And I'm fifteen years old and I record a song with

Biggie Smalls. That's why I said in the story. M hmm, I had a record with the King in fifteen Yes, so surely I'm going to be famous because I hear juicy as I walked to you crops after school, and then I started to go home just because I got a song with biggest smalls. That don't mean I'm gonna be famous. How does this work? Yes? So how do you get this song with with Biggie? Why are the heroes in my neighborhood? They knew heroes and other neighbors

yea connected connected, These are legendary figures. Oh my goodness. Yes, so uh we do it at Master Sound Studios, Rob ohsh who Master Sound Studios then becomes the studio where the neptunes. Um. So is this the studio that Teddy Riley? Alright? That was future. Yes, that was two different studios. I remember driving from Richmond, Virginia, because we heard Teddy Riley

was on the land and we just looked. We looked through a fence at a tour bus and I said, Wow, this piece of my love is this is what it gets you? So missing Elliott, here's the song? Um and she supports it's me. I go to New York. I'm in a session. I see a young Jay Brown, a Sylvia arrona Merlin, Bob, I see all these people, and I'm singing on a piano for these people, and I go, this is interesting. They seem excited. I do this every day. This is ah ah. One of the songs on a

demo tape ends up in the hands of Big John Platt. Hm. I think, John, here's the song. He identifies a great song, one song out of the three hundred that he may have heard that day, and he says, Hey, what was this? Who was this Blue? Where Williams Blue? Williams tells him, Hey, I'm gonna find out, Nicole. Who is this guy? Nay harl or literally from James Are you're singing at demo too? Yes?

It was. It was so. It was a duet called talk with Time uh, and nobody never heard okay, which is why songwriters, young songwriters can I look in this charactere hey man, just because it's not placed doesn't mean that it's not supposed to place. You. He hears the song, he calls. He calls his best friend Treat in Denver. Treat called his his wife at the time new Uh was from Virginia. I think she calls him at it in Virginia and say, hey, I'm looking for a guy

named her Lily. It just so happens that the person around knew the name. Of course, of course, and I know I know his son, I know his son. I get a phone call from Felicia Sanderva or no, Big John. Actually, hey, my name Big John. I've been looking for her Lily. I want to do a publishing deal. I hang up the phone. Why I thought it was my friends plan. This is a true story. He calls back. Hello, Hey man, this Big John. Um, I'm looking for her old Lily.

This is him. I'm working at Stanley's Hardware. I'm making brackets on doors. I can always find a bracket in the room. All right, So I'm working. I get off l A. I get a phone call from from l A number three one old number. I ain't they're playing. This is Antoine Whitley playing with me. He's one of my best friends. The next thing, you know, bro, he calls back. He said, this is real. This is real. This is real. He said, just throw my name around and to see if this is real or not. I said, okay,

I never had anyone tell me that before. Tank. I go to a session one day and uh, I say, hey, guys, we all playing Sega, Uh Madden. I was electric. We're playing Sega and Uh, I said, hey, guys, it's some guy named Big John Man. They called me talking about he wants sign me and they looked at me like I had five hands j J. I said, yeah, May called. He called me the other day. I see people running to me to grab my phone. You've real what you lie? Take my phone? I have no reason. You don't know

who it is. I have no clue. So then I I decided to I then had like four four publishing deals on the table. At that time, guys people used to sign people of Can I talk to the chemra more time? A while ago, A and RS and public creative people used to sign other They would identify talent and sign it off gut no algorithm necessary, none, not one. No, they didn't have of it. I believe that he's the guy. John Platt is one of the best in the game, hands down. It isn't even And when you're the first

black anything, you must get grace. It's a lone man, the first black chairman. If you're the first black anything, that's a line. So his community supports him, you know, And so he put me in the game. Man. And I've worked with UM everybody. I work what everybody if they are original and you love their music and they mean something to your family, I've worked with him one way or another. Yes, I working both of y'all definitely. Yea. Yeah. What was the first the first wild moment for you?

Where where something that you created, like made it made a difference in a way that you've never seen or even expected. Okay, I had UM. I signed with E M I and I gotta check. They came to my house at the time, seven Hawthorne Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, and I had never I had never seen UM. Like a FedEx like I had never seen it before. Okay, like a package, yea certified package. Got sign for Yeah, I've never seen that. I've never seen that. The bad

it comes up. My uncle Bobby get to get the thing, he said her, you gotta sign for something, my sign for it. I opened it. There's a check for thirty thousand dollars. Ja Tank. I took my whole family to them all. How much was maybe four hundred and eighty seven dollars every Friday? Yeah, yeah, the whole family to them all. I said, everybody, let's go eat. We pound up in a Plymouth villager, villager, Mercury Villager, or something

like that. I tried to go cash the check. The lady at Crestar Bank on Azaia Avenue, she says, this isn't real. I said, oh my goodness, could it not be real? Perhaps? Perhaps perhaps I've been hanged. We all go to the check cashing place and let me tell you. I they gave me twelve thousand dollars, but I had to pay back hard money loan. And I said, gladly, show me where to say. I took my family to Virginia Center Commons Mall and I said, hey, man, y'all

get what y'all want. Man, all right, but what'd you get? I don't think I got anything. Same thing, same thing, same thing. I couldn't even spend it. My first year, I couldn't spend it. I went to the mall with the cash and I still had the City National Bank envelope. You didn't find anything. I like, I got money. I found a bunch of stuff. What did you It was a breakda? I found strippers, okay? You found yeah, found strippers who needed the money? Okay, okay? I found also

in that same place. There were crab legs and shrimp the size of your back. Yes, I needed those. Were you still living in Okay? Okay? It was used to be Mirage Nightclub, but then it became Nexus Gold Club. I found a gun Okay, I purchased. Who was your first check? My first check was was seventy five dollars. My first artist check wasn't it? Wasn't it? And then my publishing My first publishing check was a hundred thousand dollars. Oh you was bad, you know my twenty five small

sets small set. My deal was for more. But the first check as an adult, like, yeah, my kid career or whatever. My daddy got that he did with you know, he got that my first adult check, my first publishing deal at Warner Chapel. Shout out Denise Weathers. Be shout out Denise Weathers for believing in the young player. Yeah. The first money, the first part of the advance was k the bank held it. They held they had to

hold it for it. See that's that's the difference. You was in Richmon, so they made you got to check that. They knew mine was real because you were in I was in Los Angeles at the time. But they were like, yeah, we're gonna hold it for seven days because you have a new account, we're gonna give you undred. Can we say something, Can we just go back to the past and talk about the holding the holding of And then they went to seven days, you get one piece. The

up of seven, you're gonna get the next piece. And I would sweat bullets while that's seven or fourteen days. I need my money, Yes, I need all of it, to look all of them to hit. Asked me how fast I went through that money fast? I don't know, too fast. I was blowing money fast way before being all right. So so this is the good thing. So johant head is set up to where the structure of the deals were. You get half upfront and yes, as you go m Drnimum delivery required. Talk about say that again,

minimum delivery required commitment. Oh I whatever that number was for me, I would want to obliterate it because it seemed like that number stood in between me and food shell. Okay, okay, So I said, let me get rid of that number. And uh, look, man, I moved from Los Angeles to Richmond, I mean Richmond to l A bro You talk about off the first thirty coaches. Shot, well, I was here for a year. I was here for a year, and uh, I never forget John was telling me, her Man, you

might want to move him. Man your rod to account getting up there. You're standing in the motels. You were in them cars because he was flying me out and it was putting me out, you know. And he said, Harry, won't you just move? And I'm like, these people are strange here. I will stay, i will work and I will go home and I'll never forget it. One day we do take you out for Luther Vandro come on, come on, because he was just gonna say it like it was just he was gon skip by. He almost

whispered it. Yeah, you know you're not gonna do that true story tank. Oh god, I'm talking to the man and and in the bowling alley, me and Warren and John Jugu Smith. Let's get first. I was introduced to Warren Campbell Baby Baby Baby dub Warren Campbell through John playing Okay, I the first time I meet Warren Campbell. They're celebrating him and Mary Mary's success for Shackles being the biggest song in the world. On my first introduction to him, on a trip on my first trip to

Los Angeles. Uh, layover with Chris Henderson from Dallas, Texas. This is interesting. So anyway, as a man named Mr Clive Davis, he started a new label, UM, and it's called Jay Records. And you know when you started record label, you gotta go get a big artist at everybody. No, first, let's just grease the gears here so this thing can go easy. Luther Van Drass is the one of the artists that decides to work with Clive Davis. And they're looking for songs. I see a beat tape. Uh, John

Jubu Smith and Warren Baby Dup Campbell. Uh, they have some music. They're working on music. I take a tape home. I was staying at the Best Western on the four or five of the full or five and Santa Monica meets. I wrote, I wrote People's Childhood and the hell town in my head, yeah, right across you from the from the gas station. Yeah, and so I wrote take you out. I think nothing of it because I don't know how this works. One day, me and Warren go to a

bowling alley. The phone rings. Warren looks at me, he goes, he's right here, but Warren looked like he's seen a ghost. Well he looking at me like I got five heads. He's right here, Harles Luther Van draws. No, I said, m I'm twenty two years old, and look at that. Warn Campbell is telling me God is on the phone, the Lord. I get there. I get the phone and I go hello, and he says, hold on, hold on, hold on, and I hear so amazing to be I follow you to the I go. He has his own

old music. Wait wait wait, no, no, no, no no, I think you just hear that in your head. No, no, no, he has whole music. Yeah, yeah, yeah he when he puts you on hold, you heard his music. I gotta be honest. This, this conversation set up to set up the next This conversation set up the framework of my career. He gets back on the phone. He says, yes, uh uh, who am I talking with? This is her? This is her? Litly Okay, good, um, Look, you gotta hit You're welcome.

Oh it's gonna be a smash. You're welcome. I'm gonna use your backgrounds. You're welcome, all right? Whoa, This is a lot of energy. He's telling me you're welcome. And I haven't even said thank you. What's happening? What's happening here? And then I say, okay, thank you. He said, listen, I'm in the studio. And he said, the first verse I need in the new first verse. He said, your first verse is very gender specific. You're you're talking too small.

You need to think bigger. Luther's bigger than women. Luther is bigger than men. Luther's biggest love. And I said okay. I said, well, I'll get it to you, uh, you know, in a couple of days. He said, oh, no, I'm at the studio now. I said, well, I'm at the bowling alley. He said, oh, you're at the bowling alley. Okay, he said. I have a lot of cars. I go, oh, where is this going. What does automobiles have to do

with a verse that needs to be rewritten? He said, I have a Jaguar, have a Rolls, I have a Cadillac. I have many many cars. What if I took one of my cars to a mechanic shop and I need a new spark plugs and they told me, oh, we can't get your spark plugs today. What am I gonna do with the car? I said, you're gonna take across the street. Do you want me to take your song across the street? No, sir, I'll have it done good. I feel like I've aged seventy eight years on this

particular call. Then he tells me the most amazing thing he said, and another thing said, Yes, sir, I'm gonna tell everybody I wrote it. I said, well, this is too much to understand, ship, but let me submit my will and my I did just get here from Richmond, Virginia. Uh I, I was making brackets about three months ago. Or yes, sir, would you like to know why? Yes? He said, well I'm gonna go on Oprah. Oprah is gonna ask me a question. The way I answered that

question can make you more money. So what's the question? The question is, oh, Luther, all right, I want you to tell my studio audience and the millions watching how you came up with this song. The first answer is, oh, a guy named her a little from Richmond, Virginia wrote it.

I said, hmm, that doesn't seem exciting. He said. The next way I can answer that question is, Oprah, I want you to take all of my songs so amazing in our house is not a home power love never too much, roll them into one and introduced it to a new generation. That's how this song came together. He said, which answer is gonna make you more money? I said

the second one. I don't know. Listen, I don't know how much y'all be on it of there, but you know I'm tapping here there And there is of me in a video of a man from the Bay Area saying, you gotta you're think it's too small? Big, big big. That was the That was the conversation ever since. The guys I've said nothing. I've said nothing. I've said nothing. And the people who needed to know, they know, and they know. The people who needed to know, they they

I talked to them often. Now recently, I am submitting to the information age. I feel like now the age demands the information. If you have information, the age will receive it. Why in your phones is your birthdate and your social in your credit card? And the age it's gonna get that information. And I have a company. I have a I have a place where there are children doing some immaculate things that come out of the speakers, and they're telling me, Harry, can you say something. I

don't know. Why would I do that? God told me not to. This is about hard that was you as a songwriter. You're not you're not. You got people here, and I go, I do live in Los Angeles. It is storyline. If you tell the story in Los Angeles, guys, uh, you kind of tell it everywhere. It's the third largest economy in the world. I'm like, damn, man, we gotta there's a lot of names. Brove, I've been blessed. Bro I've been blessed. But then I go, well, maybe I

should start talking now, maybe say something. Maybe I should. And the irony My first Grammy was a song called you Don't Know My Name irony of I'm not gonna say your name. Yes in your first Grammy being you don't know my name? Uh, Alicia Keys is coming off ten million real album so like this is ten million

real albums, so real. Yeah. Yeah, like no, she's coming yeah physical, she's coming off of so you got to pick the plastic off of these Yes, yes, And then there's some tape, Yes sir, Yes, sir, you gotta undo to take. You're gonna see Uncle Bobby's name when you when you open up. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I seen it, yeah, and so guys. I but again it was work man, I didn't. I didn't. I see Kanye, I see Alicia. He plays beats. That was meant for Blueprint. We was at qualit that day. We did uh m hmm. You

don't know my name and Unbreakable. I was like, but it was to me it was a job. So I gotta I go, I gotta, I gotta do this tomorrow. So it's I gotta. You know, my bird saying this used to do something. Definitely, here's the very same. You didn't walk away though you walk away the game. Oh no, I'm I'm actually no mm hmm. I was. Um. You know, when you write songs for a living, you have to serve. Can I talk to the listen writers? Your job is

to serve the artist. Uh, it is not your session, it is not your album, it is not your budget, but it can be your vision. Okay, and so please understand that you're there to serve. Okay, got that on doing so, I've been serving in these studio sessions. Hey man, Uh, we've abbing out with Jamie. Jamie wanted to talk his ship. Be Jamie deserves and should talk every amount of ship that he wants to talk. If I'm in the room, if if if Warren called me he needs a song

for the Soul Secret, let's go back. If Jamie wants to talk his ship, Yes, you should be able to talk to ship, and I should be able to serve that as a song. Where as you serve that, Yes, what do you do? What do you serve? Unpredictable? He's coming off of ray. Uh, he just want an oscar talk about it and it was the hottest project to get on at the time. Clive Davis was holding Bungalow meetings for the songs. You know material, Can I say another? You have to bring it the writers. If you can

read it, it'll probably sing even better. Okay, I go to the place he tells me about Jamie. He's like, he's And all I know at the time is it was just if you That's all I know. That's all I know at the time. And I know he's a dynamic actor, and um, it's the biggest project to get on. Brian Prescott talk about it the Guy with the King, but for the new ones. Yeah, Brian Prescott calls me and says her out of hit boy, I out of hit I'm trying to take now. Prior, prior, our first

record together was Brother by Andrew Stone. This is the second one, he says. He says her, I got a record it's crazy Big d and Jim Johnson, and I was fans of theirs. I was fansy Big Things. Okay, it was cooking. Oh that was cooking. He sends me the Unpredictable track, so dry and ruinated. Baby, Baby, time write a song, Okay, Boom, send it back. It's it's gonna be the s We're getting this, you know. Brian starts to Brian, I go, oh, chamber records it. We

go down and I forgot what movie he was filming. Okay, yep. And the the engineer of Unpredictable was a man by the name of Camel, and he was on his way to be the like you know he would have like Manny and Jason and all of those guys. Now he was that's where he was headed. One of the best guys ever met. He passes away, right, And so when he passed away, I said damn, because he called me, said, yo, I've been New York Baby Unpredictable going crazy? Oh hey, baby.

A couple of weeks. He's gone. Best guy ever met at that point in my life. He was younger than me, and uh I named my son after him. Yeah. Yeah, I mean one of the best guys I ever met. Man, And so all these records Man Tray songs just gotta make it. I gotta stay it, unpredicted, ok. I gotta stay there because I was there. Yeah, you were there. We did a song called three Letter Words. I was there and I remember I said, Tank is here here. I can get Tanked to sing on one of the

songs that I was able to remember. It would be legendary. It's a tank. You think you can sing on this song? Oh? Come on, man, whatever Tank goes in the booth. Ah and I hear Tank, Dude does Tank? My life is into it. I'm Sarah lily As. You've been reading um as you're a scholar on the subject. He's about Yeah, doctor it over doctors probably. Yeah, I've heard it other about this here. Yeah, we we need we need some information from me. We're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna, we're

gonna pick at your rm B mine. Okay, yes, sir, you know you got it? Yes, sure, I need to know top five R and B singers from any time, male or female, Male or female female, Top five all Time, Your Carotti, Aretha Franklin. Yeah, you're gonna start there. Wow, Sam Cook, I'll see where you going. Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Michael Land, Prince. I'm sorry. Who was my top five?

And I and I and I didn't even mention Marvin and Barry Whine because it gets crazy kids, So I have to talk about our mothers and our fathers before I talk about the children. Wow. I like that. Top five R and B songs. Who you are a songwriter? Man? Tender Lover by for sim God. What a song. Okay, that's number one. What a song? Jeez, Louise My who wrote that? Who wrote that? Jamm and Leuis thank you? They wrote it from from my You're standing Yeah, love

so tender. I love tender no more. They don't They're not tender no more. Joy and Pain by Frankie Beverly and Maids. Yeah. Yeah, sold out Arena's worldwide. It's like going R and B, R and R and B Top five greatest songs. Mm hmm okay Piece of My Love by Come on guy, come on? Huh Huh, you gotta have all of it, but you get a piece of it. Huh. Four has to be Oh buddy, mm hm hm m hmm Forever My Lady by joviash Don't Hold It, Oh Goodness, Oh goodness. And then number five oh man m h okay.

There's a song by Stevie Wonder. It's called Seems So Long. It's off the Music of my Mind album. This is when he's allowed to produce his own album. Before this, he had done maybe eleven or fourteen albums where he had to do what Barry said. You know, Barry basically said, no, you're not gonna write anything. You're gonna learn from the best writers, producers, arrangers. And it's a song on his album called Seems So Long Music of My Mind is.

It's phenomenal, It's phenomenon And this is one of the first songs he's ever written. Well it was it was on his album that he got to create creative control. He had creative control. Man, it seems so long. It one of my favorite songs. Bro so the theme today, I have to go look at us. It seems so long. Steven wanted to brow it up. Yeah, I listened to this song and that I listened to that song and that Okay, we're gonna we're gonna build an R and B singer. We called this the R and B voltron.

Who are getting the vocals from? Who you're getting the performance style from, Who are you getting the st from, and who are you getting the passion from the heart of the artists. Let's start with the vocals. Whose vocals are you grabbing to build your artists? Aretha Franklin, I mean, why not? Why why not? Why not? It has to be We're gonna be on the mountain. Performance style, James Brown, this, this, this person is already wonderful. Oh my god, like what

you really think about it's wonderful, Oh my goodness? Who unfolding ones, unfolding majesty. The vocals of Aretha, the performance of James okay with us? The styling okay, looking like, oh this is gonna be interesting. Um, this is styling has really not been. But I know every time I saw Prince, the intentionality seems so inality, it seems so worri intentionality. Yeah, it seems so real, like, wow, us that your pants, You're really gonna have you do this?

This was intentional? This was intentional until I mean the the outfit, the shoes, the silver shirts, to makeup, the hair. It was a movie. Oh my good Yes. And then he made him, Yeah, a movie. Every time I've seen him, him and Michael looking. You can't mistake somebody being Prince for Halloween, you can't exactly. Yeah, even when it was a bad it's a prince. Fix your hair, it's prince

for sure. Yeah, Prince started. And you know, even Diana ross Man, she looked like a walking, living, breathing queens like black elegance and excellence all and like di was some girls from Detroit talking to queens and kings. Yeah, talking, yeah, carrying themselves. Come on, man, royalty Okay. And this is and this is the power of this music. This is the power of the people that do this thing called R and B. Come on, man, come on man. So I got them my three? You got anywhere? Yeah, you

don't got something else? One more thing, who are you getting the passion from? Whose heart? Whose heart and soul you're putting into this artist? Mm hmmm hmm. It has to be mine. It has to be mine. It has to be it has to be But I've ever met anyone more passion. I don't. I don't think i've met them. I'm fighting, never met. I'm introducing myself to myself. And this is why I'm sitting on the couch. It would

it would have to be. It would just have to be I know, close, yeah, yea, eat, sleep, breathe bleed the music. Yes, I'm no corporate person, and I'm I'm seeing now that whole I'm dealing with corporations. I never professed to be a businessman, but now I'm dealing with business people all because I closed my eyes and go into a room and sing in a microphone. Mm hmm. It would have to be met. That is the front. It would have to be me. It would have to be.

It would have to be. So yeah, yeah, I agree. Yeah, I know, yeah, I haven't agreeance. Yeah, I'm gonna jay do the rest. I'm talking because we got a special part for you too, alright. You know that's really important to this showy alright, yeah, and I know you know, I know you watched the show. I know you tune into your brother. Yes, sir, yes, sir, yes sir. I ain't saying no names. I ain't saying the name. And as you know, this portion of the show can be

either funny or fucked up. Are funny and fucked up? The only rule is her literally ain't saying no name. Okay. The year doesn't matter, the place doesn't matter, the scenario I don't think matters. But let's say this. I have been holding on to a promised favor for twenty years. M hm, yes, promised favor. And the person who promised me said favor is um I'm sure as a person of their word, okay, And I am expecting my favor. H that's all. I'm expecting it, and it's gonna be marvelous.

The give back it's gonna be marvelous. So that's that's probably all I can say. Uh. I mean, can you imagine a twenty year favorite? Can you imagine it? There's a lot of interest in that favorite. If I could be honest, the favor actually propelled me into the unknown just so I could make sure I would get my favorite, because you can't just tell me anything. You know, your new name is the Riddler, right, you know? Ler. It's like, hey, man, do you know you told me something a long time ago?

And I hope you didn't forget because I didn't no, I think now it was a good time. Um for the favor, whatever that may be. I don't even know what it is, but I was promised and I shall get my favor. It's taken me many places, but it's like you said something to me, and I know you were going to fulfill your word. I was a child, I still am in a lot of ways. But um, I'm not saying any names, but I want my favorite. Give that man his favorite. Please. You know who you are,

you know who you is. Just you know what? You know what The story reminded me of. Uh, it reminded me of what's my John Wick reminded me of John Wick. And when he went to john Wick to collect on the favor, which was in blood, he said, he said, I need my favor. John said, I I'm out. I'm not in no more. I can't give you that blood right here. Yes I need my favorite? Yes, yes, And John Wick reluctantly yes. After many fights and shootouts, he had to pay his debt. Did you just tell her

to get it back in blood? No? No, No, what I'm saying is what I'm saying is for man or woman put their word in we have it might as well be in blood, so we have. I was a young kid man and I had no clue. Uh. You know, things happen in this business. Uh. And guess what. I'm glad everything happened the way it did, if I could be honest, because it calls me to say, Hey, who

I am is so much bigger than what I do. Okay, who I am will be bigger than all of it, you know, hurlet Maybe this favor is actually worth um. Maybe this favor is worth more than money. Um, but make sure that you receive it. Yeah. So, but I ain't saying on that. The wonderful, the masterful man, thank you, the highest level of this song writing. Oh my god, I'm going to tell him. I don't know if I've ever taught my favorite songwriter. Thank you, harl Lily Jr.

Hey man, thank you brother, Thank you man. That means that Lily Jr. The original, Yeah, the original man. Yeah, man, yes, sir, because you know, but you really about to say, I know what the name means Richmond, Virginia. Yeah, let me tell you there's a place called the world, Craig, Yes, yeah, the world. I took that name something. Yeah, facts, it's been beautiful, man, I, and I'm still wrapping my head

around it. Time to be honest with you, bro. I heard on I heard talk about our love the other day and I said, man, Brandy was singing on that jung mhmm. My sister sent me a video of a man's choir in Richmond, Virginia singing It's all God. I said, Wow, I can't even believe it. They're singing my song on third Sundays across the nation, Men's Men's Quiet. Then trade the men's choir, you gotta you gotta record. They don't have many songs Man's Quiet, a few selections, and they

don't sing them. Same song that that that song going I'm gonna be gone. They're gonna be singing this song. So my sister sent it to me. I said, man, I've never engaged with it. Um, I just never engaged with it. And so now I think it's okay to engage with it. And you tap into a flower. Thank you, bro, just because because the truth for the matter that those that know you, yeah, we love you, and those that just know your music, they love you, and they don't

even facts. They love you, and you should you should receive that love. Yes, sir, and we're here to put you on this platform so more people can put the face with the name, with the sound. Thank you, with the feeling, with the feeling. So thank you, brother, thank you, thank you, thank you man. I mean, listen, listen. I'm Tank. This is the arm by Money podcast, the authority on all things R and B. And this has been incredible

to say, the police and listen. If you're gonna look up incredible in the dictionary as a brother sitting there just chilling, looking really inconspicuous, not bothering nobody in his hands like this, ya do your history and that and that's his picture. His name is Harold Lenny Money. R and B Money is a production of the Black Effect podcast Network. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

listen to your favorite shows. Don't forget to subscribe to and rate our show, and you can connect with us on social media at Ja Valentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode, subscribe to YouTube dot com, forward Slash, R and B Money