R and B money, Honey, we are thanks take Valanti.
We are the authority on all things R and B.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Mon name is Tank Valentine and this is the Army Money Podcast, the authority on all things R and B.
Ah. There are men.
There are men who are writers. There are men who deliver melody. All of it there there. But there's a certain type of man.
They produce that vocal too.
They produced that vocal, that vocal, not the vocal that are the or the This particular kind of man is a scientist. He weaves into the intricacies technician of a record technician and takes a record from here to here.
He also has a beer, make some.
Beer.
The buildings a picture rally fingers. That's before your time.
It might have been before my time because I don't know what we're talking about.
The baseball pictures with this here.
He really feel like I can't grow ship bro.
Bro.
He I already knew I couldn't.
He keeps going. He's done.
First of all, I want to say this, thank you for coming right your family, But we never want to take advantage of that.
You know what I'm saying. We never want to take light of that. We know you're busy man.
We know you're a busy man. You know you're you're here in Korea. You hear me in Korea man, you know, as the original Black Man would say, even over there Koree.
Bleeding from the inside. Yes, I know, Jacob.
If you the grap crap prap that thing for me, this is a special day on the R and B Money Podcast.
You are a first. You are a first with this particular.
I don't even know what's going on.
You lied to me, you are half.
Yeah, Okay, happy birday, che.
Happy bad hay bad cheez.
Come on, man, fro.
Lied to me.
You know it's gonna come out twelve months from now.
Actual sure birthday, brother, and I can't believe you're here on your birthday thinking I can just all right there.
I just want you to I just wanted to be part of you in this part.
You know what I'm saying, So people know I appreciate it, so they can see the happy birthday you want have birthday?
Which one for him, however, he wants to receive.
You are. You are an awesome brother, one of the coolest human beings ever. Since day one, your family day one. We go all the way back to before all of the ship right.
As you. Yeah, as you are the nicest guy ever. You'd be smoking when you want to be.
Yes, we don't take his kind we can't take his kindness the weakness, because there's no weakness in this young man.
Okay, you got in his garage, we've worked out together. Okay, all right, that.
Strong I do anywhere.
But in any event, I want to start off with the smoke. JQ.
You're so nice. I want to get to the smoke who rocked. Yeah for us, sure, Raymond who I want to know?
Now?
We will do the pod the way we know what we're doing.
After we talked.
About this, that's how we started.
I remember everyone, we're moving with that. Jordan piel.
Is.
I've heard so many iterations of the story. It's wild because I actually just not just maybe a year ago, had this conversation in studio. I'm in the studio with USh like be Cox called me ushers. Okay, yeah, okay, he don't. He doesn't need the earth. Just to point that out to you, I get a call from b Cox and he's like, Yo, you know me jd uh felly, we're up Keith, we're up here working with Usher. You should fall through.
And I was like, oh yeah, and this is the this is recent.
Yes, And I was like, oh yeah, easy, easy, I pull up. I pull up, and you know, it's amazing seeing everybody and j D and I you know, know each other, but we've never worked together, you know. So I'm in the room and the energy doesn't feel like I'm supposed to be in the room writing and Brian's like, no,
just jump in wherever, and I'm like okay. So, you know, first first day, it's a little weird, but I tell Brian it's cool, like I'll come back because I'm just trying to hang out with you really, because he don't be here all the time. So I pull up the second day and we're talking and me, KP and Usher are outside outside sitting on the stairs, just chopping it up, and Keith sticks his head out of the room and just goes, hey, JQ. I was like, what's going on, bro?
He said, you wrote on yeah, didn't you? And I said what And he said, nigga, I know, but you did, didn't you? And I was like yes. Then he went back in the room. Then he popped out again and he's like, what did you write exactly? And I said I don't. I said, I don't understand the question.
What do you mean?
He said, what did you write? I said, I wrote half of it and he said okay, and he popped back in the room and then KP's looking at me like this, and I was like, I don't know. And then he comes out of the room and JD comes out of the room and I'm like, what's going on? And he was like, do me a favorite man, Just tell JD what you just told me. And I was like, well, yeah, like Sean and I wrote it together. And he was like for real, for real and I was like yeah, absolutely.
Now let me say this. Over time, I don't know, maybe people's recollection of what the story is changes. And as you guys know, when you have management, you know, a team, it's their job to make you larger than life. So I expect niggas to tell whatever story that you know it's going to help push the machine forward. But they tell me that the story story that they've heard
is that I was given some publishing for engineering. Like they were just glad that I said, and I engineered the demo, so they threw me some publishing.
I was like.
Exactly, and I was like, no, that's not what's happened. What happened. So we started explaining it, and I tell, you know, the entire story of how the matter of fact, matter of fact, let me tell the story, and you know, shout out to Sean for calling me. Like Sean and I were both signed to LA Read, both signed a hit. Yeah, and shake is really the one that was like, Yo, you know, I think you guys. He was like, I
think you guys. Yeah, Shakier, he was like, I think you know, you guys are the two writers that I have here that really have a chance at really stepping it up and taking it to the next level. So it was like excited, let's go. So he's like, I'm I'm thinking, if you guys can deliver me a hit for Usher that I can make sure it's hurd. I can't promise anything, but I can make sure that that it gets hurt. So we're like, cool, cool, Cool, let's let's get to it. And it's Sean that actually pulls
out some tracks from Little John. Now for me, personally, I go way back with Little John, so I'm far I go back to ninety five maybe ninety.
Five with.
With Little John, my first the first professional recording, first record that I was ever part of. It was a song that went viral maybe seven years ago Again.
And Night I Think of You.
So yeah, out of high school. This is the first record that I'm ever part of in Little John and Are that project, And that's that's where I met John and we went on to do some other stuff together. But when Sean plays the John track, I'm amped because I fucking love Little John. Yeah, And at the time, Little John was maybe one of my favorite producers moving definitely one of favorites moving around Atlanta. So Seawan is like,
I think we should write to this. So we're like, hell, yeah, let's do it.
Let's do it.
So he mess around, puts in the track, track starts playing. We get hype as hell, were about to write for us Nigga, were about to kill as we write for Usha. After about two minutes, were just looking at each other going, what do you what do you write to? This ain't nobody? So we look at it for a second. I say, hold on one second. I run out to the car, I come back in with the CD, put it in and it's if you don't give a damn will give a fuck.
Hey.
It was my favorite song ever at the time. So we listened to that ship and we're just we both amp. I curse a lot, so I apologize Mama, my kids. When you see this go crazy, I'm gonna go crazy. So we're hype as fucking now. We're like, yeah, yeah, let's do it.
Let's do it.
If it ain't just hurt, if it ain't just scronking, if we ain't just hurt, then we don't even need to do it. So we amped, We amped, and then we just confused again and about what to do, and Sean's like, play that ship one more time. So we play it and it goes off, and it's like it's got to be that hype or there's no point to a John track, So hit play again. That shit comes on and Sean goes yeah, and I go and he looks at me and we're like, Nikka, we should call
this ship. Yeah, we should call this Yeah. So now we I have been we're like, all right, what is this going to be about? What is gonna be about? And I got the call earlier to write for USh because I had done this record with Marcus Houston. I co wrote it with Neo. What's your Name? If I wanted that girl I would be with. So La liked the way that record felt, and because Usher had come off that you remind me that's what they had asked me to write before, and Nigga, I just fell short,
like it's it's hard for me to copy. I'm not really really good at that. So we sit down and you know, back this story. We sit down and we're like, all right, well, let's just write what we want to write, what we think being Usher is like. And Shake had played us before we got started. He played US Caught Up, he played US Confessions, he played US Superstar, and he played US burn And we're sitting there and he's like, well, you know what, what do these records have in common?
And I'm looking at I'm like, they're all very visual. So we knew it needed to be visual. So we're like, you know, let's make it. Let's make it that. Let's talk about what we think, you know, being Usher is. It's got to be in the club because of the way the record is. So we'd sit down and start writing, and Sean hops in the booth and Sean is melodically gifted. Nig like, he's different. He's different. So he's in the booth and he's I'm like and then he keeps going,
but it doesn't stop. So at a point I'm like, hey, bro, that's it's too much, Like it's too much, and he's like, Nigga, I'm telling you this is what hot. And I'm like, I get it, but it's too much. He's like, well what do you hear?
So I sing and my.
Ship is slower and he's like, well, that ship's boring. And back then I had a way bigger ego, Like my personality is still kind of big, but my ego, like nigger, I thought I was the best, and you better think I'm the best. So when Shawn's got a big personality as well, so we argue, you know, for a bid, we just screaming at each other and then we kind of slow down and we just talking with like, look, bro, we both because neither one of us had a record
that it changed our lives. So we sat and we talked and we're like, look, they're really giving us an opportunity to change shit for our families. Like, bro, we gotta get past this. And figure it out. So he's like, I really just think that this ship that I'm doing is the new shit. It's it. And I'm like, nigga, I agree, you just do it for too long, like people have to remember it, they need something to hold on to. So he does this and he's like, well, what do you hear?
And I'm like, da da da da da da da da da da da da.
Oh.
And he's like all right, I fuck with that. So we do all of that shit, end up writing the whole thing, write the verses, write the chorus, sing that bitch down, you know, hype the ship. We like, we listened through it, write the second verse. Then we're like, well, what do we do for a bridge, because at the time US was super musical, so we're like, we don't know if John's could have put a change in it, if he's gonna do whatever. So we're like, well, let's
just do a bridge with John. So our bridge was yay yale yale yal yeah usher yeah yah yeah, And we're like, all right, that'll be the bridge for right now. So we listened to the Shit Down again all the way and it comes out of the second verse into the second hook yah ya ya yeah, and we're like, oh my god, nigga, that has to happen every time.
So we mess around and fly that to where it needs to be and we're sitting in the room and we're listening to it, bro, and I remember Polo comes busting in the room, him and and Bubba Sparks.
That's great.
Actually went to college with Sparks. Yeah. So he comes in and and he's like, what's this and we're like, YOA said shot, we just did for us here and there be known. He was like, it's incredible, it's gonna be It's gonna be the biggest record of his life. Y'all just say that this is gonna be it. It's gonna be the biggest working of his life. And we both like yeah, cool. But we know that if Polo likes it, we might be onto something. So we're like, yo, okay,
here's the thing. Great musical, yeah, bro, genius. So we're like, don't play it. We tell the engineer don't play it for sake. We know he's gonna want to hear it in the morning. We want to be here when you play it. And he's like, absolutely, we won't play anything. Nigga. I get woken up by a car, I get it hooking up by a call from Shakir. It's like, yo, listen to the record, get down to the studio, BRO want you and shout down here and he talk to you,
get down here. So Sean and I get to the studio and Shake is like, I think this hook is amazing. I don't think La is gonna like these verses. You guys need to rewrite the verses right quick. And Sean and I kind of look at each other and we're like no, and you know, Shake, yeah, he's like no, We're like nah, Bro, we rock with it the way it is. So he's like, okay, okay, cool, and he sends the record bro, and we hear back. Actually, I think Shawn's in New York working on something else. I'm
with Tricky working on some Backstreet board stuff. And I get a call from Sean who said he sat and talked to La and La told him that he really liked the song, but he actually wasn't crazy about the hook. He's like he felt like Sean's exact words is. He said, La said the song was like bad sex. He was like bad sex. He was like yeah, the verses you get me all hyped up, you get me right there,
but then your hook, it don't really delivered. And the hook that we had at the time was like, I don't remember the hook that's that's on the actual album, but the hook that we did came out, Yeah, I don't remember exactly how that hook goes, but yeah, all the melodies are the same. So we were like it was like, uh, yeah, yeah.
Shout it, get down low if you think you're ready. Yeah yeah, I could turn you out baby if you let me. Yeah yeah, I want to see if you could back up what you told me. Yeah, yeah, shout it, get down low if you think you're ready.
And then LA was like the story of the verses, you got me that hook, don't go nowhere, you know. And it's one of the pluses of being signed to an amazing rite. He was able to see that, like he it was never enough for him that it felt good, like you guys are onto something. Make it better. So we get in and Sean gives me that call and I tell Trick I gotta go. I head back to the apartment. Sean hits to the studio in New York. We're on like speakerphone, and we write like five more
hooks and he's not sure which one to pick. I'm not sure which one to pick, So I go and I sing them all for viv like I sing all the courses Vivian my wife, because viv Is. Viv Is everything, bro, real fast is the reason, Like viv Is is the reason. It doesn't matter what we're talking about. Vivis the reason. So we sing viv the hooks and when I get to the one, she was all up on me screaming yeah, viv Is like, oh my god, USh is fucking his
girl's best friend. Now, when we wrote it, we literally just meant she was in the club dance with that nigga, screaming yeah, yeah yeah. And when she says he's fucking his best friend, I was like, that's exactly what you do. And I run back upstairs and I call Sean and I'm going, this is the one. We gotta do this one right here, and he's like you shure yes, because this is a story I'm telling you. So Sean's like, fuck it. So he goes and sings it. Plays that
shit for La. La is like cool, let's play it for everybody else. Fun part is and our team didn't like the song, Like nobody really wanted Bro to have the song. You know, even after talking to us KP. USh didn't really like the song. He was like, on first listen, I didn't understand.
It, and it doesn't it doesn't fit.
It doesn't no album at all at all.
And it was the the album. The album was actually done. Burne was the first single the video was and I was like, this is out of here here the ship was done and done, and we showed up yeah record and we wrote we wrote it shout out to KP. KP is really one of the people that got USh to cut the record because he told us because US was really unsure of it, and LA wasn't crazy about it, and I was good, Like I understood LA's reasoning, you
know what I mean. L A's whole thing was USh has never really had up until that point, someone standing next to him. He was like, that's by does We never put anybody next to him. It's never Usher and someone else. So he's the star. So I don't know if I want to start that with Little John like and KP's whole thing was listen, I don't know all I know is that ship feel like helly Atlanta? I fucked with it, like like cut it an old thing, nigga.
If you don't like it, we don't keep it. But there's no problem with putting your voice on it.
Just sing it.
Let's see what happens.
I want to take you on a different path. We going now that you've now that chief started this path talk.
Let's go path talk.
Make sure we make sure we call the lawyer's path talk. We said your first hit record was in the nineties. Yes, and what was that record?
My boo?
Yes, give me my bool.
My boo's fun.
Uh.
For as long as I can remember, Like I'm a like I'm an army brat. So I was raised globally, but I graduated high school in Alabama, like a small town in Alabama called Anniston, and they all like, I'm a Southern kid. I've always loved bass and ato waits and you know all of that. And I remember being a kid and trying to get my big brother Greg shout out to Gregg, who is an amazing musician. I
wish I was the musician he was. And I remember telling them all the time, bro, we should sing over that, like I'm watching what happens when they play that ship at the pep rallies because I play football, Like when they play that ship at the pep rallies, when they play that ship at the dance, when they play that, that's what we should sing over. Ain't nobody singing over that? And he used to clown me all the time. That ain't real music, boy, real music. And they start playing
the keys. This is real doing that thing y'all do with the show.
This real music.
So I so like, fast forward. I get out of high school, move to Atlanta, following my big brother, like just literally trying to be like him. And I mess around and you know, start meeting my own people, start going to the Art Institute of Atlanta, start meeting my own people. And I met this, you know, one lady named Akima day Achema.
You know, of course I know Achema.
Okay, so yeah, Achema would take me around. I would I would, you know, arrange and do a lot of the stuff on her demos, and she would be like, yo, so what do you think And I'd be like singing this, do this, do this, do this. So she called me one day and was like, yo, I gotta you know I got the song I gotta do. Will you come with me to the studio? And I was like absolutely absolutely. So we get to the studio and they start playing the song and it's everything I've been waiting for.
They're playing the track or they're playing a song.
The track and the song, so they're playing it and I'm sitting there like, yo, this is fucking awesome. So they're like, let's let's cut it. Let's get it. So we're sitting there and we're cutting it, and I'm arranging and I'm trying to help out the best as I as best I can and and they're giving a Chema hard time, but they're not really giving her a hard time. They just keep saying it's hit suck, like this don't
sound good. And Kimmi gets frustrated after a while because they really go in and she's delivering what's written, so they're giving her really hard time and she she ends up dipping and I'm not trying to dip because this is my first professional session. So I'm like, well, what y'all want? And Little John is there and Little Jo looks at me and goes, hey, Janny, you should sing it.
And I go this is this is this is this song for a girl, no disrespect, but you kind of sound like a bitch when you sing.
So I'm like.
This repet So I'm like, I'm like, no, I can't sing it, but I can call my girlfriend. So the girl that's singing the song again, no, I don't think was my girlfriend. We met at a junior college in Alabama called Southern Union, So I called Virgo and I'm like, yo, you should get down here, like there's a there's a song.
We could sing this song. So she comes down and she comes down with with THEO who she was doing a lot of I think it was there who she's doing a lot of work with at the time, and she starts singing that and they kind of react the same way. This ain't it. So immediately THEO is like, well, the problem is like the melodies jacked up, like it's not the song. So niggas start working on the melody. So I'm just hopping in, Hey, well what if you sing it like this? Well what if we did this
part like this? So niggas mess around and changing and yeah, wed the melodies sing the song like Virgo singing the song. I'm yes, and I'm singing the backs on the record to this day. To this day, Yeah, the only voices that you hear on that song are virgoing me. So we we redo the song, and it's crazy because they had told me, like, we'll give you guys one hundred and fifty bucks for doing it, niggas out of high school trying to out.
I was like, yes, so much Taco bell and fifty man what so we we we do the.
First day and we come back the second day and they haven't given us the money yet. So V's like, let's just sing it, and I was like, no, Like if we sing it, there's no reason for them to pay us, Like it's one hundred dollars hundred and fifty bucks. Like, I'll talk to them. So we go in there, nigga, and I need you to understand, like y'all know me for a long time, this is the pretty much the biggest I've ever been in my entire life. Now out of high school, nigga, I was a and I'm like, yo,
like getting the booth. We need to finish this record because they are on the time batter fact right, And I'm like, we're not singing anything until y'all pay us, Like y'all said, y'all was gonna give us the money if we sing this. You ain't got no reason to pay us. Bro said, oh, you ain't singing like no. Man reaches in his bag, pulls out a nine dressed that bitch on the table.
Do you know the name of the person that did this?
I absolutely do. I'm not gonna say I love it, I love it, I love it.
This nigga tank turned in the flag.
No, I don't know, yeah, exactly what it was. And I'm like, he look at me. I was like, no, I just said I need a little water before the vocals. A little drive fucking had night, had Night, went in the booth, went the booth, and we saying that bitch down. We're saying that bitch down, and then we dip. They never gave us the money, and it was also the last song that was being recorded.
Trying to say, y'all gotta give us at least some water before I start singing any damn thing around here.
Bro.
So we sing, we sing it, and they end up putting it out as the single, and it ends up doing really well. Her just her voice and your Yeah, they put it out as a single and it does really well. They start trying to perform it and they're getting booed, So who is this the social death? They start trying to perform the song because it's in Atlanta
in the South. The ship just becomes a hit, but Virgo's not performing it because they treated us like shit and they're getting booed everywhere because the girl the singing this ain't the girl that's on the record. So they end up, you know, reaching out to us and like I remember John calling me and being like where you live And I told him where I lived, and Bro pulled up with a goal plaque. This is my first goal plaque.
He was like, we straight.
I'm looking at this ship to say Q Smith. I'm like, hell yeah, we straight? What hell yeah? And John and I end up like doing like a remix for to Me and doing some other shit together. Like I just remember hanging with John when because John started out as you know, an executive, he like he was had a head an an R Soso And I remember back then him going that he just wanted to be like Uncle Luke.
He was like he was gonna do that. He was going to figure out how to be a rapper and be like Luke Skywalker like and I'd be like okay, and it was DJing and figuring it all out. I ended up running in the in the Virgo later because we broke up. But I ended up running in the Virgo when we hooked back up and she was like, oh my god, did they Did you get your plaque?
I was like, hell, yeah, I got my plank.
She's like, how much money did they give you?
I was like what.
Money?
She was like they never paid.
She was like, yeah, they gave me, like they gave me I got twenty thousand.
Oh.
I was like, watch, you should be outside.
She takes me outside.
You take me outside to see the new Purple Ultimate.
I was like, what.
Money?
Yeah, a good story. Don't learned a lot.
Did you ever get paid?
No?
I still haven't been paid and I still ain't been paid. It's all good though, Like I messed around and I.
Ended up.
You know what, I ended up getting paid.
ID you give them two hundred, three hundred, one hundred and fifty twice?
I got two hundred, you got a hundred hundred.
You know what, It's a good birthday present.
I tell I take I'll received this in the name of every birthday, every Birthdaylujah, all of it, all of it.
Man, what a story. That is great.
That is a great story, bro.
And now I will never be able to listen to that record the same again every time I hear it. I'm going to think of this story.
Bro.
You can hear me the clearest on that. When they get to the bridge. Boy, you've got an back then. Nigga couldn't use no autotune either. Niggas just had to.
Get it right. You heard that, didn't you. Okay?
Oh for clarity, I ain't got no issue with auto two God bless you.
No, no, no no, But I'm just saying, yeah, we've been we've been doing this way before the plug in. Boy, what I'm from the tape, from the tape that boy, what I'm from the tape days, the VCR days.
Hey, Dad's.
They could never sink up. They just could waiting for your part.
We talked about that flight vocals.
You going to lunch real quick, He'll figure it out. Let's go.
I like you format today, man, Yeah, I like what I mean he's I love the way he got to break come here.
I love the way he's breaking it down.
You know what I'm saying, and I want to get to I want to get into his real moments like a boy, which I thought.
Was like a boy thought, I think it is a crazy fun like a boy about to be the shortest story ever. God, God bless the Clutch. I did like nothing on this record. This is one of the records where you know inside the clutch. When we started, the Clutch was a company that I co founded, that carry and I and Zeke and Ballewa and Candice Nelson co founded, not that I could that we co founded.
With huh huh, Jack kick out the clutch before before he became a car and you put it in the car to make the clutch.
You know, you know him.
There was one guy we didn't kick We didn't kick him out though we didn't. Tab was there in the beginning. We did not kick Tab out. Tab just kind of walked his own path. But Tad was there in the beginning.
Uh, Tab got kicked out like me.
You didn't get kicked out.
You stop it, you stop it.
I was never.
I was in Miami formed, but I was never the first time the first time we worked together was Miami. It was the weekend of Hurricane Katrina. Yes, it was weekend of hurricane.
Like crazy.
Yes, what what years thousand and five, two thousand and five, two thousand and four or five might have been four. It was while, but we we went down there to work and like Ethiopia and Fulan are really the masterminds. They put together writing camp and they were like, he brought three people from Universal ful Ay and brought three people from Hicco and they stuck us in the studio. I think where a circle. Yeah, they stuck us in the studio for like a weekend. We wrote six songs,
recorded five by the time we left Sunday. By Tuesday four them host was placed.
Yeah, I don't think this song I wrote with him got placed that I got kicked, but we can't place no records for him.
We did it, and I want to say Epic Epic had funded it, so all the four records got placed with Epic and we were like, oh, that was cool. But then we heard from Larry Jackson. It's like Jay Records started asking, Yo, we heard you guys did this thing, and it was pretty cool. Why didn't we get a call? So then Jay Records flew us out here and we did it again. And during that time, me and Zeke came up with the name the Clutch, and and Antonio Reed Jr. Was there as well. And that's just because
we were at record Plant. Speaking of record Plant, I heard y'all talking. I can't remember who y'all were talking. You might have been talking to Oh, you were talking to somebody about how when it was when you was popping that record plan, you got a little name plate on the scooter and y'all saying, y'all never got I just wanted you to know, y'all know, I held on to mind.
You know what gave my mother.
I can't take it back, and took our money.
Can you look smash your cupcake?
This was fine, man, I let this think. Shout out, Shout out to Pearl. When the Clutch decided to move the home base really working in Atlanta, we knew we wasn't gonna be out here so much. So I asked Pearl if I could have my name plate and she gave it to me. So I've kept this whole time. Stays in my studio pel But yeah, bro, we did it. We came back out and like did it for Larry Jackson. Inside that session we figured out how we worked best. Carry and I were all were already writing together all
the time. Zeke and Candice were writing together a lot. So you know what we started doing early is they would split us into two rooms. Out of those two rooms, we would do two to three songs a day in each room. So we were turning in anywhere between four and six songs a day, and people would just book us for like five days or a week and then just have thirty forty songs, you know what I mean.
So we're working. We worked that way, and after stuff started picking up, what we decided to start doing was all right, so that everybody eats fairly, you know, whatever records are created. You know, on this trip, we're splitting. We're splitting. So the crew showed up and they mrked like a Boy. Funny thing is though we actually wrote like a Boy for Kelly Rowland, wrote Like a Boy for Kelly Rowland, which is hia areas because like fast
forward a long time. I end up in session with Kelly Roland maybe a year or so later in Atlanta, and we're in session and she's like, JQ, what I really want is a record like that, like a boy song, and I was like stop and she was like what. I was like, Kelly, stop and she was like, I'm being serious. JQ. I was like, we wrote like a Boy for you. She was like, why didn't you let me hear it? We did? Now the A and R that we sent it to happened to be in the room, and we're like, we sent.
It to him.
Oh yeah, yeah, I love that. And it's the It's the only time I've seen fire in Kelly's eyes, because Kelly is actually the sweetest person in yes, And Kelly turned and looked at him and said, you don't make another decision about a record without me, And I was like, OK.
I like that.
Wow, that is great because you can never pinpoint who dropped the ball. There's always somebody in between the office or it got to such it never made it too.
Until you start dealing directly with artists.
Oh my gosh, that's beautiful. You didn't think you had a great story that that piece right there? That doesn't for me. Here we go, Icebox.
Back, won't you?
Icebox is actually my favorite song I ever worked on that's been released. Wow and quietly fucked quietly not quietly. Oh, Marion is my favorite artist to write for. Wow, because when I write when Omrion sings it, it sounds like it sounds in my head like his delivery, like as not just as a songwriter, but as a vocal producer, as a fan, i'ma be honest with you, I don't I don't care as much about your ability to get to the notes as a lot of pure like musicians do.
All I care is that I believe you like music. To me, music has one fucking job, and that's to make you feel something. That's the only job you know. And inside of that, I like, I believe that a music is like a three four minute audible movie. It is my job as the writer to give you the best script possible. As a producer, it is your job to make sure that the song, the record as a whole, comes to fruition in the way it's supposed to. As an artist, I don't care how fucking will you sing.
I need you to get in character and I need you to deliver fuck singing it. I need you to deliver the record the way that it needs to be delivered. And when oh sings shit, it has the.
Urgency my brother.
Talk. You know, understand how long I've been waiting to hear this song live.
Top five?
What is Jake U?
Top five?
Top f what is that cap?
Top five?
Are these sigles? Body?
So yo, don't go, don't don't go top your top Paul on.
Top your top five?
Yeah yeah.
Yeah, JQS top.
Fuck.
It's better live, y'all.
It's better lives that ship your top five R and B singer.
Come on, brother, I had to write this down.
You prepared?
You want to slip up on the pod Top five R and B singers. Okay, this is difficult because I definitely got seven.
I became prepared and I'm prepared.
Okay, first and foremot Well, I guess I got way more than say. If you break it down, uh, boys to men.
Hmm, easy, you don't have to explain it. You don't have to. We'll take off.
Usher huh. I don't think there's anybody better than us. Beyonce umber right here.
That's some time.
Yeah, it's difficult.
It's difficult to say the list you wrote.
Exactly.
I'm just trying to.
Trying to go, Okay, we're doing okay, it's your birthday.
It is my birth okay, boys and men. Prince yea m J, but specifically Young m J, Young Usher, Beyonce, Jo Deasy and Whitney.
I don't have a gagle because niggas say groups.
That's just because I don't think. I don't think. I don't think groups.
Getting you're right, you're right.
And as a person, if you yeah, you gotta say Sean. If you're gonna say Casey, you gotta say Joe.
I like, I get it, I love them both. Would as a person, I would say Sean first. I would say Sean. Then I would say one. Yeah, Okay, it's close. Here we go your top.
R and B songs.
Let's go see it.
Mm hmm.
Can you stand the ring?
Jesus?
Mm hmm nay, who.
Can we talk?
Mm?
A lot of questions, A lot of questions, questions.
Unbended m M and begging super Woman huh like k why what Karen?
Why?
Yeah?
Master masterfully Yeah, yeah yeah, Shadowy Superwoman out there.
Though.
It's funny when I was when I was going over the list, I was like, bro, every song, for the most part is Kenny and Jimmie Lewis.
They are no air mhm.
They shut up on that. And Vive brought this one up and I had to go with it just because it's the irony bro Janet. Let's wait a while.
Mm hmmm.
I'd love to know how many babies were made to a song that was that was about abstinence. It's the sexiest song maybe ever.
I think that's six too.
I think you just.
It's your birthday is back to it's your birthday.
I should make a song about abstinence. Man, you can't this ship you.
They gonna know you don't know what you're talking about.
Waited before when.
So segment the next segment, segment, We're gonna make a volt trying an R and B volte trying your artist you're.
Starting with. We want to get the vocal performance style, the styling of the artists, and the passion of the artists. Who are you getting the vocal from to make your R and B.
Artists audio top thirteen usher Mmmm he said, he said, yeah, go with him.
If you're going your ability to deliver tempo and deliver a ballot. One of my favorite vocals ever recorded vocals ever might be can you help me off the eighty seven on one album?
Like Yeah, no, No, He's greater and everybody can't do both absolutely right.
You cannot cannot performance style.
It should be getting difficult because I feel like I'd be having answers. But then when I take the time to look at the artists as a whole, I like Nigga. That's a while looking at artists, I don't. I don't understand on stage the way they perform. Oh yeah, no, I understand. That's so difficult because I would say I would say Chris, I say CB but Marvin Marvin's ability to make people move mm hmm, it's different.
I like that.
A combo guard.
I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go Chris.
Mm hmmm.
I'm gonna go Chris because.
The energy.
Is unmatched, unmatched, unmatched, unmatched. Love the Marvin reference though styling close artist rip.
Chris Quick Quick.
I don't know anybody who's and I'd have to do more homework. Has ever been more in touch then Chris and Chris has lived for a long time in the spotlight. Yeah, in the spotlight and somehow right in front whatever the movement is, but is.
Globally fly Yeah he's not like Yeah, demographic doesn't matter.
Where you go and people respond, And I think that's the job.
The passion of the artist, the heart of the artist. Where you getting that from?
Yeah, don't be mad at me, y'all?
Yay for what upset about? What? Yeah, he'd be rocking, he mean it, yay is yay is I was at that.
I don't how about say, I don't necessarily.
Not agertating it was Colosseum.
Mean, yeah, it's not necessarily And that's not always about always agreeing with what everybody says. But I respect in some of the state with this.
Political ship man the nigga like Kanye when he performed.
No, I just mean, hey, listen, wherever you are with your politics, how do I unpluy? Okay, you're pretty but speaking over talking me.
Speak of ship speak your ship.
You said you weren't coming here to be political.
Oh I'm not.
I'm not.
I expected some crazy question.
No, no, we anna do that.
But we're here now though I didn't get none of the kick out questions.
You take me out. It's cool, it's here now.
Though.
It's here now thoughcause you just said a few names.
But what can he do?
I ain't saying no names.
Are you saying the man? Ain't saying no man?
You was.
What you did, don't say she.
Saying no names.
Are you ready, j Q, I already we need that story, all right, funnier fucked up, all right, funny and fucked up this story.
Hold on, hold on, I didn't know, no, got to introduce you, right because you're a j Q swift Man and you are mother fucking legend, legend, nigga.
I apologize, and we want.
To introduce the legend and what he's done and what he did. And he ain't saying ship. This is j Q, mister icebox himself where his heart used to be. You know who you know who you are and broken. He ain't gonna say he already said your name whatever. Well on this segment right now, he ain't saying no names.
J Okay, This this story happens over a few years, so early early, and you know, in my journey, I was in a group with my brothers, myself, my big brother Greg, my younger brother Chuck, and my cousin Dre. Do those names that's not the d okay, Yeah, that was a lot of names.
This is birthday and birthday, tough talents names and me.
But I was in this group and even back then, like I wanted to be part I wanted to help. I had ideas so and a lot of people may not know this about me. I never wanted to be a songwriter, like this was never, never in my dream. But I'm in this group. We're in the studio working with you know, these producers, and we signed to these producers because they've got major backing from a professional athlete. And we're like, yeah, Bro, were about to do it, were about to get it. And I remember being in
the studio and the producers and songwriter writing. It was a production team. They're writing, writing, writing, and I'd be like, oh, what if you said this? And they just kind of turn around look at me. They'll be trying to figure it out. Oh it would be cool if we talked about this, and they look at me again, maybe third or fourth time, and there's a room full of people,
so it's not just us, it's us. And then because they're in this huge mansion that the professional athlete has gotten for them, it's just a gang of women, bunch of niggas, And I go, yo, what if we say and Bro turns around. The songwriter turns around and says, won't you shut your corny ass up? I'm a songwriter he's a producer, you the artist Alabama and turns back around and the whole room is cracking up. I'm like, okay, cool coo Goo Goo goo goo Google. You know, take time.
We end up getting out of that situation, you know, fighting trying to figure out my situation, end up over at noontime. I'm over at noontime and I've been working and writing there long enough to where now I'm one of the guys that they call you'll go too, And now they have this artist and I co wrote the first single, I wrote the second single, and we're tracking
the second single. At the time, we didn't know the second single, but we're tracking the song and one of the partners come in and go, hey man, we got some people that you know, wanna you know, want to get up here and want to start doing some work. I told him to come in here and play this stuff for you. And I'm like, okay, well, I need to get finished with Buddy Vocal, so if I could have like ten minutes to just wrap this part up, it'll be cool. And it was like, yeah, I'll send
him in there in ten minutes. I was like, thank you, bro. So I'm sitting there and we're going over trying to get all the backgrounds done. That was back in the day when I thought more harmonies meant a bigger hit, right, So every note I could think of, yeah, I know, it's we already got that note in there.
But this does a little bit different.
Yeah, sing this one. So Bro singing and they come in the room, Hey hey, and he's like, well, I'm looking for JQ, and you know I'm JQ.
Now.
When I started, I was just cute. So I'm like, yeah, just give me one minute, give me one minute. Yeah, all right, perfect, bro, come on out. We'll get back in the maybe like five minutes. So I spin the cheer around and nigga that called me corny and told me to shut the fuck up is looking at me. His eyes get big as ship and I'm like, what up, bro, And he's like, uh, they just wanted me to come in here and play, so you up here, you're up here now. I was like, yeah, man's that's kind of
home now. I was like all right, yeah, yeah bro, yeah, yeah, So I was you might know these songs. This nigga plays me my demo, plays me all the songs that we cut, and I was like, yeah, I appreciate your time. We'll get back to you. Bro left. It was petty, but I never felt so much joy ever. Bro comes into the partner comes in the room, He's like, what did you And I was just like, I don't funk with him, no kind of way. He's untrustworthy, he's this,
he's that, this nigga is Bob. I don't funk with him. And he was like, what did you think about the songs? I said, He played me songs that I demoed four years ago and he was like, that's enough for me. Then I turned back around and finished recording single, my second single.
My my mind.
Be nice to be cool, not even you know what, may not even have to just be nice, just be cordial.
We just don't don't don't don't shoot on especially if they don't deserve it.
Bruh.
You can, you know, pull pull a young man to the side, shoes a young fello at the time and we're gonna we might work you in, but you know, let me focus a little bit, even if it's said that way. Yeah, and definitely don't don't don't diss where you're from.
My father from Ala.
Oh me, you know, because it could.
You could very well be in the other chair at.
Some points around it was amazing.
Oh it's you and on the other side of it.
I'm gonna tell you another story. When the camera's off.
We're gonna get these cameras out. Brother j Q, amazing man. You are amazing man. Outside of all of this, man just an amazing brother.
You know what I'm saying.
Anytime you know, and JA can attest to this man anytime your name comes up, it's just good energy all around.
You know what I'm saying. And then it's infectious. You know what I'm saying.
I love you guys. There's not it's crazy. I was talking about this yesterday in the session. I was like, I know a lot of people.
You know.
We all was like, but I don't think I have a lot of friends. Like I don't trust a lot of people around my I don't feel comfortable enough to have them around my kids.
Be out.
I love you guys. You guys have been solid from the beginning. You made me better. You make me better. You also introduced me to Sean Stockman. It's amazing.
That's my brother. Yeah, my brothers, all of us. Yes, Yeah, he's been a blessing.
To all of us Christmas project that's coming out.
Yeah, because I was you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, I got the call.
You know.
But thank you, bro for being who you are and for being consistent.
Absolutely I appreciate it. Can I say one thing to the creatives that may be looking, but I just want to say this just because I feel like it needs to be said, and I wish somebody would have told me really early in my career. Is one thing that I wanted to make sure I said, for those creatives that are out here trying to figure it out, understand that success it's easy. And when I say easy, I'm not like it's going to fall out of the sky
into your lap. But it's not compleated. Like success is a combination of good decisions.
You know, learn.
To make decisions that move you in the right direction. You know, whenever you're about it, is this moved me closer to my goal or not closer to my goal. I swear if you do that, you know you will get to where you're trying to get. Like math is math two plus two will always be four. If you keep walking in the direction that you're supposed to be going, Eventually you will get there.
You know.
Have the people that fall flat now fall flat for a couple of reasons. They have a very bad relationship with self discipline and self sacrifice. Like there's too much. And I'm saying it's because I speak to a couple of young people now and that's all of this thing. Everybody's scared of missing out and all of that. Just understand that the real fucking work gets done alone, you know, Floyd. When it's time to get it in and they're preparing for a fight, bro, don't go out and bring a
bunch of people around. They go into isolation. When Kobe was ready to really ball out, he would say, I'm in a cage. When I'm in that cage, don't fucking talk to me, don't touch me. You learn who you are by your fucking self. Learn to trust you. I'm sorry, I got a little amped up, but y'all fall into that. I swer I hate.
Y'all, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Tank Valentine. I'm JQ, and this is the Army Money Podcast, the authority on all things R and D. This episode has been.
I'm gonna get y'all that picture. I'm gonna get a picture of.
Man. Thank you well.
R and B Money. R and B Money is a production of the Black Effect podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Don't forget to subscribe to and rate our show, and you can connect with us on social media at Jay Valentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode, subscribe to YouTube dot com, forward Slash, R and B Money