K Michelle

R and B Money.

We are.

Thank you take about the child.

We are the authority on all.

Things R and B. Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Tank and this he left and already.

Already R and Money podcast, the authority on all things R and.

B talk about.

Wow, yeah, Wow, here she's here. She you know, she don't she don't be doing a whole lot for everybody, not for everybody, but she pulled up on the family. You know what I'm saying, this is this is this is our loved one. I mean, she's she's just special to me for so many.

Reasons outside of music.

You'll get to some of that too, But she's a singer, a real one. Stomp down, black foot, flat foot, that's what case?

What what y'all were you wanting? In? Whatever one? Whatever one you want, y'all makes a noise because how you want it? How do you feel?

Hey?

Brother? You pulled up you know, brother, put.

Up full glamor on us, Like I'm trying to understand you trying to do for this is a real.

Ain't too many people pulling off the kneon?

Yes, yes, I want to do something different.

It looks good on you on your complexion, really looks cooking.

Blessed. Yeah, I'm blessed. I'm in a good place.

Come on in, brother, yea, yeah, just turn that, Just turn that though, because them niggas don't pay us, don't give.

Don't you can.

Yeah, we don't put this off camera to your name party pod.

So it's a clean pot to.

I mean sometimes we get to it.

No, talk your ship with y'all.

I'm gonna do that for me then, and you're gonna get that for you.

Okay, all right, said listen, you won't sound.

No, No, I'm clean.

I'm clean today, clean today, I'm with you. No, that's you know, that's that's what you do. Right then you get that brown going. It's gonna it's don't get this.

It's don't get an aggressive interview. It's don't get aggressive.

All right, come on and show up.

I like that. You got you gotta on the beverage. You know, you don't know what you're doing. You don't know what you have got yourself into.

I'm ready.

I can't wait to see. I can't wait to see.

I can't wait to see. Let's get to it.

Okay, First of all, we've been doing this. We've been doing this for a long time. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. We've been on We've been on a lot of stages together.

Yes, yes, you know what I'm saying.

We've been We've been a lot of houses together, We've been everywhere together, and and and just to say before we get into anything, I'm super proud of you. You know what I'm saying, because you know, none of this is promised, you know what I'm saying. And along with the hard work that goes into it, there are also hardships and setbacks and things that we go through from

So first, we're proud of you, and we appreciate you, and we love.

You, thank you so much, and we support you.

One hundred percent. And you know we need to get some food that you're established.

We'll get whatever the specials is special whatever like we do.

Ok we like to do we like to start at the beginning, Okay, and we like to start where it wasn't even you you, you didn't even know what the music business was. Somebody, somebody just knew that that that good right there can sign downside that.

Good right today?

Yes, Memphis, somebody's Baptist church to somebody's.

Convention. You know what I'm saying. That girl, whoever, whoever, all.

That is and that's what happened.

Okay, come on, give me, give me the identification of I got it or she got it? When did that happen?

Dancy Hayes Ai Hayes wife.

Hold on, hold okay, we getting right to it.

Yeah you popping off already.

Yeah you heard her.

Dancy Hayes went to my church and I would always sing at church, and she would tell my mama she need to be in the music business. My mom say, no, she's not. We ain't doing that. This girl going to college. It's not what we're playing, which is not what we're playing. And I was singing. I would look for her every Sunday before I sing because I didn't know anything about how to be famous or anything.

I didn't. I was that young.

I didn't even know Isaac Hayes. That made me like listen to his music and say, oh my god.

And I would.

She had this like like copper like hair or whatever, and I'd be looking for her when I would be singing at church because I want her to make me famous.

So yeah, so that's how it started. And my mom just realized she loved it.

She loved music. So she took me to Bob Westbrook. Hey, God rest his soul. He trained justin Timberlake. He trained Britney Spears, yeah, a lot of the Miss Americas things like that.

And he was in Tennessee.

So my mama took me to him and he said, well, who's our favorite singer And my mom was like, Whitney Houston. And he was like, I know, you know, like big voice, but I want to teach you how to yodel.

And my mama was like, what.

Are you talking about yodel? Like, we don't know nothing about that. We telling the seat know about that. He said, no offense if you let me talk to you, ma'am. They're gonna see this little black girl with this big voice and they're gonna expect for her to sing at the talent shows Whitney, Houston.

So can I.

Please teach you how to Yoda and teach to different things? And that's when the real like training and different things music came.

How old are you at this point?

I was still like ten?

Yeah?

Yeah?

He said, let me teach her how to yoda?

Yes?

And had you even heard anyone?

I know anything about that? I just know I love we in Houston.

He was like, this is so far from Whitney, Houston. Yeah.

I was like, why are we doing this? I I just remember my mom. But I love music, so I ain't fight too much. I just know I ain't want to do gymnastics.

I ain't had it.

What how did we go through?

Yoderlan was horrible, like hard boys, gym nasty, these little knock mes.

I was secretary legs.

It was just not watch secretary legs got secretary.

They're supposed to be behind the desk.

Her legs, and they said she's not going to be a gymnist.

So they put me in voice and all of that. I play.

You know, I can read music, so I played piano for nine years, read music. They were very big into music. For me, and I started to really love just like country music. And I remember watching Oprah and the Judge was yeah, and I knew every Christmas I would get a cassette tape and I remember watching the Judge and I was so infatuated and I said, Mama, I want the Judge.

That's the tape I want. They was like, Okay, we get it.

So I knew every Love Can Build a Bridge record, So do y'all know right now? I just once God rest her soul. Naomi just passed like last year, and her people who did all Love Can Build a Bridge, they reached out to me. I am I for her tribute album that actual song I'm singing, Love Can Build a Bridge with Jelly Roll Yeah, and it's coming out and it's like full circle, like people can count you out, people can look over you like I love the Judge. All of my R and B fans bring me Judge stuff.

That's amazing. That's amazing.

Congratulations on that.

That's huge.

So that's how I just kind of started liking and loving that type of music.

So do you you're talking about ten years old? At any point out there? Are there talent shows? And is there the high school I want today is popular ship Michelle?

So there's no one out there that can be like, you know what, Yeah, I may not sing no more, but you know that came Michelle.

Yeah, I won.

They can't get that off.

I won. I did.

And I used to do Miss America preliminaries, and I used to Miss America preliminaries and I remember my butt was big then and then they would like wrap my mom and then wrap my butt up for the swim suit competitions, like to push it in.

You can't have a lot of ass America. You know it had to controled environment. Yeah, y, not about ass.

It's not Miss mephis what you.

Basically that's that's the one I'm trying.

To we need to go to the benefits preliminary. That's where it sat this black away this week. And you know there's a god somewhere they can take the picture.

Only God.

I care about this stuff already A.

Pageant girl, Wow, girl, you've been a show off.

That makes sense. You know it makes sense.

You finishing girl, show off?

Yeah, and I didn't really love it, but yeah, and I just was saying and saying. Then it was time for college, so I went and I went to I went to do my scholarship at Florida and University.

No, no, no, let's let's let's talk about scholarship.

Yeah, scholarship.

Wait, you get scholarships for yodling?

Florida A and M University's honored me. Uh huh, I got a yoling scholarship.

You do, I'm doing it on this album.

I've never heard you yodel.

No one have, and I always have held it.

Are you going to yodel today on my album? Today? We get yoda?

No, You're gonna hit on this album.

Every interview I've known for years, everybody have asked me yoda. And then the people in college be like, yeah, that was crazy.

They was They wasn't your brothers. Though it's fine. No, No, it's coming, Jay, It's coming. When I started playing this piano brown, let's get back to this though. Scholars scholarship for yodling.

To Florida A and M University and that's a music And.

I did that and I went in there and sang and told the same country they had. They didn't know what they was shocked. And I say, you know, I say my gospel songs. I sang all of that. I did like ave Maria. You know, that was like the basic song. You got to sing a Maria for a scholarship, you know. So I went there and they gave me scholarship. I won Miss Freshman my first year and Fam You, and then I was in the show Quiet and did all of that and Fam You and then I want Miss fam You.

You're still doing your passion stuff there too.

Yeah, and I would do likes and stuff like that.

You have to wrap up your.

Yam you, you know, let her be her man.

Yeah, that's I think that's why I got to really just not got to be me. It wasn't like to fit into anything.

Yeah, it was like it's miss fam You today.

Yeah, yeah, he said, you.

Right, yeah, I bleed on your gree Yeah, yeah, that's what. That's what it is.

Went there and did I want to say.

He used to sleep in my doorm? What we talked about that all the time. He dated my roommate. And I tried to drop out of school because Rico love and my parents went crazy, what do you do? Because I wanted to be a star, and he told me to drop out of school with him.

He's coming with me, coming with me.

I can't introduce me to his manners all of this, and I was like, I'm going, I am.

We used to sit on the bench before going into the math class and all of that, and then I know one day he ain't come back and I looked up and he was like on Ush's cribs, And I was so pissed in my parents mad.

I was like, oh my god.

I should have went with Yeah, and it's my other artist right here.

I could not believe it because we we would be around it. So all we talked about. All we talked about was music. Yeah, like music, that's all we wanted to do.

At fail you So did you finish?

Yeah?

I finished?

You know what that come on here?

Yeah?

I didn't finish. I didn't go. So I got a full scholarship to Morgan State.

Okay, okay, sing yes, okay.

The doctor Carter now got rest his soul.

And after about like two months, it was just like you want you want me turned in my math homework.

Yeah, that's what I was feeling.

You want me to English?

Would you get your degree.

In psycho psychology? And I had a music minor? And then I got a law school. Yeah, I got three law schools.

What you got into? Three law schools and.

Three law schools?

Mm hmm, y'all looking at me.

It's amazing. It's that's amazing. I didn't discovery for us like we know you for years.

But about it for years. Media don't ever they want to do one.

I don't want to. They don't want to highlight that point.

But I gonna need somebody to go off.

They never that's never been a thing like I got the Distinguished Alumni Ward from FAM you and all.

Of that, you know that type of thing.

I pledged Delta Sigma Delta, I did all of to day and they never want to focus on that, you.

Know what I'm saying.

So, yeah, I graduated. I graduated. I had my son in college. I graduated with twenty one credit hours and two incompletes with a brand new baby still in four years.

Oh you got busy, you got busy. We're celebrating that like that.

Yeah, Jacob, make that one of the highlight post got highlight posts.

Yeah, it's incredible.

I did that. And in that time, it was a lot of distractions.

Like not Rica wasn't a distraction, but it was let me know, you know, I wanted to do music. Then I said I was gonna run away to Broadway and my mom was like, well, you're gonna lead his car.

You're gonna lead his car.

You're going to Broadway, walk, gonna walk, You're gonna pay your own bills. My daddy is a college professor, and my daddy is the Morning on Black Kids.

She teaches history. My dadd college professor.

So he was living in the house with educated.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's My mother was miss Laying college. She was her college queen.

So they weren't playing with you.

They My grandmother was the dean in the school, teacher superintendent.

She was all that was not playing.

It was not playing at the church. Dean of the National Baptist Congress and I don't none of that.

None of that.

My family, man, we saw so much dope. Man, that.

Makes sense, make.

Sense because even in that like I'm still from Memphis, of course, and.

You know I always it's so crazy.

Do y'all like see people now, like y'all see like young men and stuff like that, they want to be gangst so bad, like you know, they won't Like I was always super rough, I would like super rebelled.

They wanted me like my family would call me Hillary.

Banks my mom's side, and I would be so angry.

So I would go hang out.

I want to hang out in the hood, and I would get in trouble and do.

Stuff you the girl that would get us to rent a car.

Yeah, stuff like that, Yeah, coming down here to get it. Yeah.

Yeah, just get in trouble on your own. You didn't even have to do what you just did.

Girl.

Yes, And that's why I choked.

Too.

I do all of it.

And that's why I showed, yeah to hang with like, and I chose because my dad was my family and I'm wanted to go to this side of the family.

You know what I'm saying.

I would not take that back because all the ship that I did, and that was with my cousins, you know what I'm saying.

And that's how only wanted to be with my cousin.

I didn't want to be with the pageant girls though, without Memphis white Haven. Yeah, that's why I went to school and haven View. We called it black Haven, but it was called white Haven.

We call it black Yeah.

So yeah, I'm very Memphis. And my daddy always would be like, that's my son. I never had that girl, that's my son's son.

So you was definitely gave them here.

Yeah I did a little bit.

She's fresh out of college, new baby.

Yep, yeah, yep.

Where is your mindset at this point?

Because they kept telling me my life was over, Like you know, you got me fucked up? My life ain't over. So my mom was really big and FedEx. If you're from Memphis and you get a corporate job, you work at FedEx. That's all Memphis head corporate. So soon as I got out, I got in law school. I didn't want to be a lawyer. My parents like about to like write me off, girl, if you're gonna be a lost I want to.

Be a singer, and they was like no, no, no, no.

No, any other singers in your family.

My granddaddy sing and my on my daddy's side, my my grandmother used to raise bb King and listen to Mississippi.

I talked about that.

When he walked with his guitar and waywod and listen to Mississippi. All the stores is my last name, paid paid stores. He would play with my uncles and all of that.

All the families could sing, all my grandparents could sing. But it always skipped.

It skipped my mama and my daddy, but my granddaddy, My grandmama sang.

In the church until she just never was sick.

Just fell out making Sunday breakfast and just fell out on the floor. But she gonna go to church and sing. My granddaddy just passed. My best friend ninety two sang.

Yeah, he lived it.

He lived he and he got a chance to see you because he loved me.

Yeah.

Bought I put on my page. I bought my granddaddy. So many people be taking money and doing stuff from you.

I bought my.

Granddaddy a car, a truck. It wasn't nothing like you know, like it was like six thousand dollars. That was the best one I ever spent in my entire career. He was so happy I got it's on my page.

He was crying. He was just so proud of me. You know what I'm saying, that's amazing. Yeah.

So they telling you it's over and and what are your movements from there? Because you can say, you know, where do you go from there? Where do you go back to Memphis?

I went back to me because I had FedEx. My mama was you know, my mother was like miss Laying College. She had her master's degree and she had connects and FedEx.

Oh you want to go work with FedEx?

Yeah?

I went to go.

If you ain't gonna go to law school, girl, we're gonna do this. So I went over to FedEx and it was so crazy. My Space was poppering, Oh my god.

To eight though, yeah, ended up growing to top eight. Okay, yeah, okay.

Like music, I was like right, and I remember I was at working FedEx and Mace the wrapp Up he started a label. And you know how you have people in your top five. Some dude from Memphis had me in his top five. I ain't never meet him, don't know nothing about him. So he had hit Mace, Like, yo, how could I be on your record label. And Mace was like, I don't know about you, but that girl can be on my record label. So I get this random message and he was like, Mace is trying to

Was like, yeah, this nigga talks just like Mace. I no, no, better tell it like Mace. It would sound slow as fuck. And I was like this, you know, like, I'm like, think.

You got a lot of town? Yes, yeah, I think you know.

That's what he was saying.

I just feel like you can really be something if you put your mind to it.

Yes, And that's what happened.

It's maze.

And I had already I had made friends with a lady named Erica Wright and she Johnny Wright's wife.

And for those who don't, you.

Got all times that boy, yes, like what like in sync everybody, John's Bros, Everything, Jenny Jackson, He's done everybody. So his wife took to me and I called her and said, this man said he mayce. I left my corporate job and I moved to Atlanta at the less than forty eight hours, and I said, I'm out.

She talked to Mace, and then Mace moving to Atlanta.

Oh okay, So now I'm in an a and I'm doing music. Rico comes back around, because you know, Rico ends up being.

A part of the whole Mace ship. Yeah, all of this. So I'm like, oh my god, Rico's here.

So we're doing this music and people this fight, you know here pastor.

So my mom like, I don't know what type of pastor this see is? Man? Yeah, he pastor. He pastor mats my little Mace.

And then I had went home and it was like a club, and then Antonio Tarvora was in there and he was like trying to talk to me, and I tell Antonio Tarva I'm like, I don't want to talk to you, but I'm over here with Mace. I'm trying to be famous. I want to do this or whatever. So he like, oh, I'm gonna put the money, okay, the investment, Okay.

I don't put the money, let me holler.

Yeah.

So then Mace was like, so he was so intrigued with you know, with Tarboro.

So I'm fine, I'm I'm good on both ends. You know what I'm saying. And then one day May tried to sleep with me, and then Taboro tried to be his ass. Take a sip, drink, yeah, and then Tabora tried to be his ass. And this ain't nothing new.

This spend when I first time I told my store of me in May school, you know, laughing about it. So it's not nothing I'm telling new or putting nobody on blast.

Like what we talked.

So then he had a record that was crazy, and then he Mace was trying to charge Tarboro for the record. Tarb was like, you finna get my girl away from you.

You I'm gonna come beat your ass. It was just all of that.

Yeah.

So then that's when I stopped doing music with Mace because then that's when Taba was like, no.

You're coming with me.

And he had the money yeah, and y'all love him.

So a whole lot of money.

Yeah. Yeah.

And then I just remember girls was trying to like run me out the road and cars and stuff when I, you know, got there.

Yeah, so you were you weren't messing with Tarboro.

Now I was messing with I wasn't messing with.

May, okay, So eventually.

So when Tarma said, now you gotta go.

Yeah, and I'm gonna just fund out a career around the you know, Mace, I'm just gonna pay for everything.

So then.

Shout out to pick up the tab Tarboro, come on, now picking up.

That's what I'm talking about. When you like somebody, you pick.

Up the okay as you do.

So he believed he you know, he ain't know nothing about music. You know how athletes always want to do music. Oh my god, they don't have a clue, but they always want to do music. But money's been the same. So I'm going through this, but I'm really getting kind of off of music because now I'm liking a guy and all these women and all of this type of stuff going on.

So I remember this. I will never forget this.

This is one of the most pivotal moments of my career. He tells me, oh my god, I got you a record deal. I'm like, oh, I got a record deal. And I thought I was being smart because I was a college you know, I was.

A college girl.

I'm like, all the money, the personal money you put this here, but the industry money you put this here.

I thought I was up on it.

Yeah, you put my business money in here. Y'all remember Cap from Sea Sick? Yes, Cap was the manager. Yes, so you're gonna put this here and then all any money for a person, anything going on, just go here. So I'm excited at all. Start we come up, and then all my friends say, can you ask can you ask Antonio kids Tarbor? Can we get rooms and all that type of stuff? And I was like, yeah, I can.

You know.

I'm yeah my friends, so I'm ready. Yeah, I'm ready.

We got the chair, We're at there and then he say he told me I couldn't go. He said, no, you can't go, And I said, well why I can't go?

He said, because you need to focus on your showcase for the label.

Yeah.

Focus, Like okay, yeah, I got I had a focus, you know what I'm saying. And so I just remember All Star came. I remember I had this meeting with Kevin Black.

Ben on Black Legendary.

I'm just I don't care about an All Star because I'm gonna be a star.

I'm gonna be a star.

And so All Star came in and Miss my Allsar came in in my meeting was like a couple of days later, and so all I know is that it was starting to circulate.

I know, I got a text mess.

Is from him, like in the middle of night, I will always love you, And then it started to circulate. So cap called me instead Antonio got married. I said, got married. I said, what you talk about?

He was like, I don't know. Okay, I don't know.

You know, Tava got married. I all start weekend. Got married, I'll star weekend. And I said, okay, but what're my showcase? And this ain't real. He ain't that crazy? Like he crazy, He ain't that crazy.

It's so got married.

I'll start weekend and I'm getting prepared, like in his house, literally getting prepared to go do my showcase. I'm like, I'm going to focus. And he's meeting me. Of course at the showcase. I can't get him on the phone for like three days, but I'm like, no, my showcase is still alone. It's an explanation, you know, I'm just young, dumb. It's an explanation for everything. And I end up getting

And I called.

I said, if you don't give me the number who canceled the meeting? You fired, Cap, You're fired.

Give me the meat, Give me the number.

I call the girl.

She booho and crying, talking back, Oh my god, oh I cancer your mean because he got married.

I said.

He didn't marry me, I said, and it was Kevin Black's assistant.

She canceling the meeting because okay, putting three and four together.

So she canceled the meeting.

You messing with her too?

Yeah, she said, I just had an abortion by him last week. And I'm like, I got a son to take care of, Like, I don't know nothing about this. I got a son to take care and you my music is good?

She was like, yes, it is.

So we get to be cool because I'm like, no, you're gonna give me my me. You know what I'm saying, You gonna give you what I mean. Let me tell you something. I'll walk into that meeting. I still have not seen this man.

Cap.

Is there, y'all? Remember Donald Woodard?

Yes, Donald Wooded was there?

We walking to this meeting. Donald Wooded was there. I'm thinking he had got me a high profile lawyer. He's the lawyer. Dah da, dah We walk in.

I go in, and Tony or Purpose and say, yeah, they're gonna sign on the spot.

So we need Donald Woodard to go. So we Donald. We all get there.

I ain't even put him personally, and I think I'm being good. I'm just doing business.

We get there.

He come in like nothing happened, with his shades and shit on. He sit down, Kevin Black. We knowing I'm finna get it there Kevin Black and say come in and say what am I here?

Fault?

What's up? He said, oh, you look like Hesha called I had never I was. I was like what.

I was, like what?

Because he they said he had said he was Finns sign me.

He don't know nothing about it.

Though, you don't know nothing about it.

So the assistant she got Antonio Tarboro tattoo.

Antonio Tarboro tattoo.

I had this song that keys y'all know, Tempthy Bloom Keys, and the song was saying, what you may not know is that your boyfriend he's a host. It's gonna shock you't for leeve and she just bop it and she gonna say, show Liz Donald what to say. I can't believe this. I hear him say this and I said, I feel I canna be a punk. Didn't get no deal, Ken Black didn't. It was so much negative energy. You

Mm hmm. He yeah.

I can't make it up.

This is this is cold, this is this is different.

And they did talk to me too about about this.

Seemed like it's just a movie, like I see you like this in a movie.

I was gonna tell you.

Everybody know that happened. I've been talking about, go.

Tell you on our vacation that I got married.

Yes, yep. And then you know what he did.

He left.

I had to leave the house. He gave me ten thousand dollars in.

The Jaguar severance package.

Sean yep.

And I ain't had nothing.

I had that.

I had ten thousand dollars and had Jaguar, and I came to Atlanta. He got all he signed on an apartment in Atlantic Station, and I didn't want to have nothing to do with my music, like none of that, and the money was running out, all the type of stuff. I was so embarrassed. I didn't want to go back home. And I see how my son, you know what I'm saying. So what I do Because I'm in Atlanta here, I am misfamu everything I go.

So I gotta go be a stripper. I'm in Atlanta.

I got all I got is this, and I need some quick money so I can fund my own music and do my own thing. Yeah, And I ended up working at the strip club Flashes that was on Roswell. I remember my first day, the girls on drugs and everything, but that I can honestly say, even through college, that was the best learning experience I ever had in my life.

I did all that.

I didn't know what had happened to my life, and I wouldn't didn't want to say nothing. I didn't want to go be a lawyer. I didn't I wanted to be a singer. I was determined. I had bragged at home.

Where were you telling your parents?

I was telling them that I was okay and he was still taking care of me.

And I had it handled. I had it. I didn't want to die.

Did they know that he was married to Yep, yep, but.

They didn't know I was no stripple. They didn't know what to whatever. I wanted to be left alone.

I got it. I got it. I got it.

You and you yep.

My baby was with them then, so I was like, I'm ot here, I'm doing something.

I got it.

So I went into one of the worst strip clubs ever, holding the wall because I didn't want about it to see me.

So you didn't go to You didn't go to Magic, you didn't.

Go I didn't want about it as no I see. So I just remember I was like, oh my god. And I remember that the guys would be like, you're too smart, like what.

Is going on?

And the managers loved me because I wouldn't gonna be prostituting. I never on God's track now, I never prostituted I was really in there. I almost like my degree. I would talk to the white men and about them and they life. They that's I realized me and hate they wives and hate women.

That was like the thing for me.

I realized how many men hated women when I when I went in there, I couldn't really understand why they wanted to.

Always get away.

I always get away from them. And I would just sit there and talk to them, and they would pay me a lot of money.

And so you were a strip club therapist basically.

And I would only dance to Rascal flats Man. I danced to God, Blessed the Broken Road.

I had overalls on God.

That led me straight to you.

I was up there stripping and my my manager would say you should take off your clothes sometimes like I was saying, it was a performance.

I was singing and like perform up there, like.

You know what I'm saying.

And no, they love me like O girl.

In Pa Valley who had like a full like I had, like a.

People like And I would make money all of that.

And I know one night Erica I had well, I had no connects mm hmm, and I said I had.

Made a lot of money.

It was a Friday night and I made a lot of money, you know people, and I'm not going back to strip club. I said, I'm not going back to strip club. I didn't have no plans, so I just said I'm going back. Erica Wright called me and said that Wayne Williams. Wayne Williams thinks that you are like a female Arkelly, and you need to meet with Rob and.

Wayne and so you have music floating?

Yeah, I gave her.

She all had a demo that I had already got from these men, you know, like the demo, that type of thing. That's all I had was a demo. So I would go and take the money, try to go to the studio. I remember one day Jersey Fake came in the studio in the cir club and I ran off the stage.

Just like he can't see me though.

Because but I knew he was jes Yeah, and I like took off like running. And I would look for people from college because this is ms FAM you yeah, Like I would look and the like run off.

Like two years for two years?

Are you put in time?

I remember the tags out on the jag while going down Roswell having.

To go to jail because the tags.

Was it inspired on you just always and some ship.

I didn't know none of I knew pieces of it, but the in depth mm hmmm, when I said, you've been pushing through this is a whole nother level.

No, we ain't even got to the phone when I met Zema, because that was a whole like.

Williams, Williams and Rob rob Yeah, so do.

I would never meet Rob Wick, never mean me. He was always busy. So I went up to Jive it was Jive Records at that.

Time and where uh.

New York.

I went up there and I ended up playing the music. And then this guy he was so handsome. It was myth hits and he walked by and he was like you know how this was like it's if he had a nine on one chain. I was like, oh, I'm from Memphis. He was like really, And so he was doing this regular flirt. And so then the budgets was closing, like in January, and Wayne Williams didn't have the budget, but men pits they had gave him this big.

Did so he said no, I'm signed.

No, and then berry Wise said, I don't care who sign just Simon. So I went with the Mephian, this is your first deal, my first d I went with the Mephian and I remember R Kelly, you know how me and the Egos, and R Kelly was like.

Oh no, I was supposed to signon.

So right after I got signed, I had to go to Patchwork and meet R.

Kelly, and I never forget. I walked into Patchwork.

And the first thing he said, are you a stripper? And I said huh. I was like, you had me come. He said, noah, but you came in here like give me my money. What's so with my money? And I said and I said no because I at that time, you know, they be so open now that yeah, this time it was like embarrassing.

I was hiding it and I was like, no, I'm not no.

And so I remember being so hot in the studio that all the equipment shut down, and I was like, it's so hot in here, and he was like, yeah, that's the problem with y'all young artists. You spost sang out a desperation and I said, okay.

They had on the bubble coat.

He said, he had on the bubble a bubble.

Coat, burning up, an equipment shut down. He had bubble coat and I.

We're gonna create the theatrics.

Yeah, he had bubble coat and I was.

Like sitting there and so I played He's like you wrote that.

I was like yeah, he was like okay, And so then I know, I tried to leave it. I was hungry, and then he was like what you want and he was like, yo, what you want?

And I want to walk the house. And then we was friends like it was since then.

It was like, I guess he never wanted me to leave, and it was that situation. So then I had a car, I had myth Hits.

But you signed yeah, but I'm signing.

His okay, okay.

And but our Kelly has grown fun you know, norma situation. You know, I'm chilling whatever. But Memphis is my knight in sharing the armor because he is fine, okay, and he from my city. He talked my language. He talked at Memphis, you know.

What I'm saying.

Yeah, but he's still he was still our Kelly, but it was different language, you know what I'm saying. So of course by then, memph Hits had all these women issues and things like that, and then I started to date myph Hits like really ended up moving in with him bare wise and then was like, this is not what he's supposed to be doing over here, Like I'm honest, like this is not supposed to be doing over here all the day.

And then I would go see R. Kelly and then to do this and then Memphis would getting.

Mad like that type of thing, and then he yes, and then Memphid, I still said this, this was my first I did. I did Dime and Drama Boy like I did do their interview some months ago, and I was able to kind of really give Mempids his you know props. You know, issues happen and things happened, and yeah, Mempids has a real volatile streak that I wasn't used to because I was I was kind of like a favorite,

That ain't that ain't what we're doing.

And I just remember he was very violent, and I know my career was caught up and dead, and I just remember kept on escalating the violence and everything kept on getting very bad, and he was like threatening to take my career.

And then I remember that.

I Kelly found out about the abuse and told him let me have a let me sign and and then me and people was like, oh my dead body, oh my dead body.

We're not doing this. So I remember me and Dondrea.

You remember, of course.

He wouldn't let r.

Kelly sign me MEI let me going out and went through abuse and dealt with all that, and he was like, taught me online and everything.

I remember me and Dondrea went to his house in Camp.

Creek and we went and pulled all the flowers out of his flower bed.

Because I was so mad and I wanted Kelly to sign me and I want.

Him to let me go and pull the I didn't know what to do, a random act of.

We were gonna turn it, you know, peaceful.

Yes.

And by then he was still holding.

Me, and then hear me and then he was cheating on me with Toya. I remember he made me watch Toya and Tiny show and I sat there and watched this show knowing that she was fucking hum and she knew about me and everything.

And this is the manholding your career.

Holding my career in his hands. Yeah, ald of my career, be my ad, keep my music. So I went over there to pull all the things out the flyer bed because I Kelly said to them, just let me through the project, just let me and whatever. So when people be trying to make me be angry with Rob, I'd be like, well, one abuser took me from another one. What you want me to do? Like that was the only person that really did it was a person who gotta save me and got my stuff going like would you?

So you were able to get out of the deal and no, I was.

Able to say leave her the fuck alone because of this abuse and leave this girl alone. You're gonna still get your credit, but we won't. This is our superstar here. We want him to write this music and we want him to do that.

So did that end up happening?

Yeah?

Yeah, And that's when stuff really started to look out for me when I went and stayed with Rob.

So how long were you working with Rod?

A long time?

I was walking Rob a long time, and yeah, I got to just see a lot that was, like I say, those experiences that I'll never forget. But that was the most musical and the most I learned musically. But I've had some of the craziest, funniest weirdest experiences.

Of my entire career. But rob one thing, he really did believe in me.

Some reason he did, so I was not left, you know, like trapped in closets like I did.

Get to work.

I was always working and you know, doing things like that, and I just learned the whole world, yeah, of different things, and this.

Whole time you're on jove yep. So none of that changes. You still change.

None of that change.

They tell him, you're gonna have to You're gonna chill out because my budget, it was I was the only one who had an open budget. So even when Hugh was having the songs and all of that, they were spending my budget on chains and stuff like that because no one had an open budget out of all them artists he signed up. So that was a problem. I was like, I didn't get that. I didn't even know

Also paying attention to your budget too that well, No, I just knew.

When they started to say I ain't I'm like, I don't have anything, you know what I'm saying?

We can't keep on recording this, this, this, that and all of that. I started to know.

And then I would start talking to people and and I don't know if anybody know, and she'd be like, oh of like Wu tang and all of that.

And she's like Kelly's right hand. And she started to talk to me and be.

Like, Okay, this is what's going on with you in your situation.

Let's show you.

But the whole time, you know, running the studio now running and Rob was.

Really doing no career, Rob wild.

Have Running and all of that record and me and Running to this day, that's my brother, never stuff together, his kids, my little girls and all that kind of stuff, and Running would just take the shit for free and record me money.

Yeah yeah.

And so when do you start to kind of see some light when it comes to like your your music coming out and you're getting an opportunity.

I started to see some light.

I remember I was very I was upset with Rob, and I remember I went in his his face, Oh I'm popping out, okay, and his face and I was like I just said, though, I love you and I care about you, but you keep on hurting me. And that man wrote that song in my face. I mean, it's genius now, but I was so it was so disrespectful at that. If a woman come and you be like I can't do this, like I'm not with this, and he say, do I love you, ain't care about you?

Like this everything you were saying to him, he was turning into.

It, just started singing immediately, and that was my single.

I'm like, whoo, I feel to make some music.

You know what I'm saying, Like, I got it and it's not age. It ain't no age in country music. The older, the season, you're better your season. You can sing a song if you place. Yeah, I did, and I'm ready. I can't put out a country album to two months after this last R and B album.

This is my country and today is out of here. I'm doing.

Hanging out, yod around around words go together, Jay and you know they do, they do.

But while we own this R and B thing, yeah, we still got you for two months.

We still got you for two months. But she got over there, Chap and what are the name of your restaurants.

Okay.

So I saw that two weeks for COVID and the Garden Park is still open with my partner, and these.

Are Memphis, of these in Atlanta.

These are okay, And the new one is in Brookhaven. It is five thousand square feet. It's absolutely gorgeous.

That's open now, Garden Park. Okay, So we got to get by there.

Yeah, I gotta get back there. I had my partner do that.

Some army money is coming by.

You got it, I got.

You what you like whatever y'all get to do, you tell them because.

I'm going there like, shame up.

It's not that in the corner.

No, but I know you like torquing on chicken. That's not what I'm doing here. I can't take what.

I don't know how they be.

Yeah, but it's like this thing like I don't understand why we can't have nothing.

It's why, why does it have to do? Why nobody? I don't want your talking over my chicken. I don't want it. You know what I'm saying. It's certain places you go do that.

But now this restaurant is very nice, like it's it's beautiful, it's about to open, and I just do a lot of different food cuisines from different places and like different.

It's creative, like you.

Know, like I love you know titles, so I love like doing K's bath water and all these type of.

Things just like me.

And you get to be like so creative. So I'm excited about this about to open. It's like the biggest one for me. So it's about to open up.

Thanks, let us know when you open.

Okay, yeah, I gotta be there. I'm definitely gonna dry y'all crazius. I could be there. What you finking?

Come on, mister.

Rogers, are your top five?

My top five? F you're tip five, top.

Number one.

Me?

So okay, we walk case counry myself.

We want to know you leave your time.

Yeah yeah, and you can tell you we got soul your time.

Okay, Time five, not saying because I'm your face.

Definitely tank time five. Think I would say so it definitely powerhouse power.

I would say three usher like yeah, don't play with us, like, let's not do this, Mario.

We have a show a.

Couple of weeks, yes, sir, yeah, well we had four.

And then I would say female female lettsy.

Yeah, yeah, people better start playing with.

Letters yeah, yea, let us.

Can cook five flat for the cook none.

But it just feels like love.

Let im like that.

I would say, top five R and B songs.

We'll leave the segment, go ahead, do your thing.

I love Jenny Jackson. Let's wait a while.

I don't know why new addition?

Can you saying the ring?

Yeah?

But Mary J. Blash and I can't beat it after very.

I love and people will not consider this and even think about this. My favorite being save record is I Miss You like every Day the Friend.

But it's like one of my favorite. It was like, you know what, but like I love that record, and I always say, oh, like I love Mint Condition.

We all like they know the pretty brown eyes like.

Them type of r Vy rocks.

It's for me, like you know what I'm saying, Oh, and I love the don't want to make a scene. I'm like, I went to sing, but I'm like, I just look like when I think R and B get excited. Yeah, yes, oh, but we ain't gonna leave out my mentor we we just cannot we cannot leave out seems like you're ready.

I'm gonna why you're not fella play with Robert Selvester Kelly Okay, so.

I would saying them songs.

Yeah, okay, you're gonna build a Vultron.

No, he hasn't been in Voltron quite some time. Listen, they kicked him out of us. They kick him out of about three movies.

Ago Entertainment.

With him Transformer. We're building a Voltron. Voltron is your super hero R and B artist. You have to tell me what person we're gonna build it. What person You're gonna get the vocal from? What person You're gonna get the performance style from? What person? You're gonna get the styling from? What person you are going to get the passion from the heart of the artists. So you're building your super artist from one person? Are you going to get the vocal from to build this artist?

Jasmine?

Start off strong?

Okay?

The performance style on.

Stage, oh, Michael Jackson easy, yeah, okay, the styling.

Fly fly only with child.

Doing it the whole time, and the passion of that artist, the heart of the artists.

Mary, that's a cold last artist, that's a cold Yeah.

No, it will be the greatest starts of all times. I like those.

Laura Heil Oh yeah, huh mis education.

Yeah, that's an artist.

She just told you the album that they're gonna make to.

What's the title of that?

What's the title of that artists album?

Walk around, find Out and bound out?

Name something from me? Your titles got hit? Yeah, that's got conversation to it.

Yeah, what what else you got over there?

Chief?

So let me give you, let me give you a phrase, and you make a song.

Okay, Shells Cay Michelle's.

Here, okay, here, okay.

So if we any any phrase, you make a song.

Okay, because let me tell you this, this one story before we do it. Every day when I live with ar Killing, he would wake up and he would do a new you know, in first place in the morning. Step in the Name of Love will come on in the house every day at ten o'clock over the whole house like a speaker. So no matter, it's gonna say step in the Name of Love. So then he make a drink every day, and a drink would be like call sex, sex in the city, sex on the counter,

Okay. So let's say sex in Atlanta. It's like sex in Atlanta, but just like a song. Come on you sorry to y'all? Okay, ship sex and Alama.

Mm hm m hm.

She was from a small town.

She had never been around room stars before. Come on, she can do the strip.

Clar up for.

Some wings and things.

I told her about the place. I told her that a long scene. She said, were we going now? I said, to my room.

To room room, to her room, to her room.

She said she was down in order to know where we're going. Whatever you want to, Yeah.

Whatever you want me? And this good sex. And and Lena, this.

Niggas called this nigg is called he had sex in and Lena?

Yeah what we when.

She put it down?

But she worked from Magic City City, She's been around.

I can't come this mello.

Ain't saying no name, no name.

Amazing what you did? Don't say I ain't saying no name.

Lets play the game, Oh ship, there we go.

We got k Michelle and the bill.

We do the title of all titles, Title of all titles.

So this game is called I ain't saying no names. Will you tell us a story funny or fucked up? Are funny? And fucked up all of your stories? Are you queen of this ship?

I got what you that do not.

The only rule to the game is you can't say no names. I won't so right now, Okay, this is miss Ky Michelle, okay, who always likes to say names.

It can still be real, be real.

I just don't say their names.

Okay.

No receipt, no receipt.

Okay.

So I was touring and there was this one R and B dude that was trying to mess with me, right, but then it was this rap.

Dude too, Okay.

So I decided in DC that I was going to use my tour bus. I was just gonna go with the rap dude. So we go into the strip club stadium, his friends around. I think they look like they the police. So he supposed to be like a street dude. I'm like, yo, is your dude's real police like? He's like no, no, no, then and street is. He proceeds to try to hold my hand in the club, okay, before getting any high pocket anything.

So why watching the strips it was like he was fashing the street.

This is fair, This is so fair.

So then he go back, he get on my tour bus and all my friends there, all his homies and all this stuff. He got an intimacy problem. And then he drops his pants like no foreplay. He just assumed that I was gonna give him some. He drops his pants and bow bow. Guess what happens. His chain is bigger than his ditch. And I could not believe that

Yeah, no name game, that's it.

One of your.

Yeah.

And it when I want to cad like I'm not the girl to be like, oh you gotta have this big I'm not even with that. It's just the fact that that you so like, you know, you just think that this is so much around here, it's so little down there.

That was like a lot for me, you know, to.

Experience and thens like find out Santa Claus like real ships.

At a different type of experience.

And you didn't proceed you.

Because I was shocked in the first place, and I didn't see them like I didn't see them like they and then it was a whole thing.

Yeah, and then they get mad and they tried to say it was a situation. I said, I said, I don't trust rappers.

Mm hmm did you? Did you? Then?

No? The RN got me cool right now, I don't even know if he likes ship.

Well, listen, let me tell you something. Come on, we can we can come through.

Come on, Bishop can come through in a real way, in a real way. And I meant it when I said at the beginning, you are. You are a testament to you know, to fighting for it. Thank you to saying this is, this is what I'm going to do. And however in the hell I got to get there, I'm gonna get there.

Thank you.

And people can hear these stories and and people can say what they wouldn't do or try to judge from uh from from from their living rooms, but they will never understand what it takes to chase it dream, to have a real purpose in life and knowing that nothing is going to stop me from getting to the place. There's a destination over there, period and whatever I have to go through to get to that that is just

Well, you have my bag. You have my beg when people didn't believe me.

Then when I had them nked pitches, you have my bag about the naked pitches.

You're trying to get the naked pitches down.

Yeah, Like, no, y'all, My brothers and y'all have been thorough like. Y'all have been solid a in an industry where people are not solid, y'all have remained who y'all are. And that is so respectful from where I'm from.

So forever, forever, I got y'all forever my name.

And this is the Army Way podcast on all things on R and B and.

Country and Country Now.

And this his it will always be Kay Michelle.

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 OAR Show, and you can connect with us on social media at j Valentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode, Subscribe to YouTube dot com Forward slash, r and B Money,