Leon Thomas

R and B Money.

We are.

Thanks, take the child. We are the authority on all things R and B.

Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Tank Town. This is the R and B Money Podcast, the authority on all things R and B.

Yes, it is the Army Money podcast. What it is you ful m? Yeah?

We tap into the new generation. Yeah, the new sign a real way, the new gifts, new excellence.

Yeah, you might have dreadlocks or something.

You just see what I'm saying.

I mean, die you tips.

Like like what the brother we got on here now has been a superstar since he was.

A childress man, it's been victorious. He's been victorious as a childster.

You understand what I'm saying.

Now he's an adult child, yes, the children and now he's an adult yeh.

He kicking everybody else makes some doors with and so what's so?

Yeah, that was an amazing intro. By the way, thank you man.

I appreciate your next album.

I mean, if you can't.

Listen, bro, First of all, thank you, thank you for your time. You know what I mean.

We know you are working man, that's what we do know man, But thank you so much for having me. I've actually been watching the podcast. It's so fucking funny.

I appreciate you, brother, and and you're we commend you, brother, because you know, this is a tough place to grow up in, absolutely a very tough place to grow up in. And and from the first time we've crossed paths, like you can tell that you were raised well.

Shout out to my mama.

Yeah, you know, I mean, I just came from a really amazing musical tribe that just surrounded me with and support.

I mean, it's funny.

I'm around a lot of artists and and and to hear that sometimes that parents weren't supportive early on, you know, it's kind of crazy to me because I don't know a world that that that isn't that. And I feel like really having God in my life too has really helped just keeping smooth.

You know, with with with with that in that parental space. Right. Sometimes I think of it like this.

As as most of us may bee, I know, our first generation to this place, you know what I mean, And so our parents when you start talking about dreaming of this kind of life, right, they're like, what are you talking about. Walgreens has some openings right now, Walmart, they're stalking boxes right now for twenty two dollars an hour.

There's no openings and artists, no artist, yeah, guarante opening. There's an opening to be a superstar.

It just doesn't. And so we're pulling this out of the air by big first generation. That dream sounds so.

In a real life crazy right to most people, you know what I mean. And the parents that you know haveven lived the crazy lifestyle, they just don't get it until they see it. And thank god, you know, you were surrounded with parents and people who at least had the music. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, to nurture you and get you prepared. As a matter of fact, let's start there. Let's go back to the beginning.

You know, it's crazy.

My grandfather just flew out yesterday and we were talking about just this whole journey in music, and he started naming names of people that he was around. He was talking about cab Calalle, he was talking about Miles Davis, you know, he was talking about Leonard Bernstein. You know, I mean this guy, he was an amazing opera singer in the nineteen sixties.

And to be black and to be.

Your grandfather, yeah, to be in that place he wasn't in that place. Yeah, I was very special around that time, John Anthony. Yeah. So, I mean every time he comes into town, and even when I traveled to New York, you know, I spend most of my time just asking questions.

Know, yeah, because your reaction could at that time get you killed.

It could get you straight killed. Yeah, So he was, Yeah, he was in a place where I mean, of course we know he belonged, but and I mean he was

Of vibe out.

But yeah, so so let's go back to the beginning to where you know, you as all things that you are, right, somebody was like, man, boy right them, I'm telling you, right, dad, if it's gonna be something, or even when you said to yourself, I think I think I got something special.

Well it it's a pretty crazy story because I was ten years old and my mom, she's also a singer as well, and you know, she was doing a really cool show and took me to a rehearsal and her friend was like, you should audition for the Lion King,

That was the moment where I knew. I was like, Okay, this is.

I was doing at that time four but I did three Broadway plays in three years, so the other ones I was doing, I was doing like eight shows a week, and you know, once I kind of got into the space of theater, it just made a lot of sense, you know.

Shout out to Linda Twine.

She was a musical director for a lot of the big plays at that time, and she went way back with my grandfather too, so there was like a bit of a family aspect to it. So it kind of felt like fun. It was like a playground for me. But Broadway is no joke. You got to you gotta show up. You got to show out.

As well at this time or not.

You know, I'm going to school, I'm waking up. I'm going to school.

Uh you know, I do my homework in the afternoon and I'm you know, going backstage and I'm doing the show. I'm waking up and doing it all over again. Sometimes I would have a mattenee on Wednesday. I would get a half day, got to do homework backstage. It was pretty crazy.

I should have been homeschooled at that time, but I was still in public school, just doing me.

So, so how is how is I mean I was never in school and famous, So how is it being in school and being on Broadway at the same time?

Your kids know that yeast.

In that age group was fourth fifth grade? Yeah, do they even know what Broadway is?

They don't, So, like, you know, for the younger years, I'll say, like middle school, it was kind of just like whatever. It wasn't until I started doing like movies. I did a film with Robin Williams called August Rush and whould you do the film with Robin Williams? Yeah, yeah, gen Terrence Howard was in that film to man, yeah, so like and and that one still like it took

Did before on Nickelodeon and still taking the train to school and doing.

The whole man.

Yeah, I mean I'm not going.

I thought I was about to get robbed.

Who is what you got on?

You?

Some checks ain't come in?

Yeah, yeah, bro, just trying to make you know what you got on be What's that.

Did? Bro?

Like the first couple of.

Times I got recognized, I really thought I was about to get ribbed, but it was all love and that was a cool thing I felt.

Started realizing that the thugs watching Nickelodeon, Yeah, they.

Really watch Nickelodeon. Man.

At this point, I'm definitely getting to like, guys don't necessary necessarily hot know how to soften up to show love. So it's aggression either way, you know what I'm saying. It all feels the same robbing or salute. You're getting pressed.

I have to learn that early, right, Dudes would be looking at me and I'm like, what did you looking at it? Nigga? I love your music, nigga.

Okay, okay, well thank you man too. Maybe I deserved Nigga. That's some good ship nigga.

Yeah, maybe a small brother, something like just a little.

So it took me a while just to get used to that and to be more welcoming. You know what I'm saying, Somebody looking.

Like this, what the brother? How you doing that?

I definitely took time. I'm really from Brooklyn.

My daughters. My daughters grew up in New York. They came up in Harlem and so my my oldest went to p p A.

S Oh yeah, yeah, very school.

She went to Harlem School of the Yards. She was on the Metropolitan Opera. Wow, you know what I mean. So they was catching the train early. I was like, I was like, so where are you going? We're on the train. You're barely a teenager.

I mean it's just you know, how you get around.

I've never been on the train in New York. Really how to do it? At least my son made me do it. Yeah, my son made me do it because he said that's what the ninja turtles were. He was he was younger, older now he put on blast. But you tho you got.

I mean it.

Is a little that's funny.

We're probably not gonna see him. We go see a drunk nigga dressed up as a turtle.

With green handy holds.

Get different, No, it's definitely different.

What is that about you as you are in New Yorker?

What is it about the train that makes niggas get and I'm not saying niggas in terms of just men women and just get wild and beside themselves.

What is that about?

Well, first off, there's like six million people smacked into this very small location. So you're dealing with all types of cultures and you know, mental health issues, all being crammed onto a very small train. You know, it's it's very possible that's's gonna get rial, but we want.

To do It's always there. That's the that's the meetings like I mean it, maybe that's the meeting spot. It's active.

You've done whatever you've done in your job all day and maybe you had enough.

You get on the enough.

That's really what it is. You're tired and you're dealing with a lot of bullshit.

Man, yeah, it got enough. I just don't I just don't want to be on the train and.

That crack off and that crack off plenty of fights because I'm not I'm zero to a hundred, right, I'm going straight to a hundred because I want to get off the train.

Word, but you ain't going nowhere.

You go into the next stop.

I want to make this Listen. I'm the epitome of it's gonna be you or it's gonna be me.

You heard you. I'm getting off this train. I'm gonna try. You just had like a limb. I possess a certain certain kind of skills. HiT's me. But I'm getting off.

I'm just prepared just in case. I know, I got some movies coming up. You know what I'm saying. They might need a you know what I'm saying, they might need an evil guy.

So, so how is Nickelodeon for you? How is that experience?

It was a real process, you know, because I think Nickelodeon uh signed me to a development deal at like thirteen years old. So I had a record deal and they were developing a TV show around me. And at the same time, I was doing the show on Nick Junior called The Backyard Agains, which is like a huge show international, right, So there was all these big meetings.

The writers strike happened.

I had three years where I couldn't do anything, no movies, no TV shows.

Strikers, Yeah, the Strikers for three years.

So from you know, I want to say thirteen to fifteen, there was just kind of a bit of a lull and they found a show, and it was done by this executive producer, Dan Schneider, who did like all the big shows at that time, Keenan and Kel, car Lee, you know, just just huge shows. So I was really looking forward to to being on one of his, you know shows, because Keenan and Kel for me as a black kid watching you know kids kind of look like me, you know, kind of be goofy and fun was just

So I was like I needed my family, like, we need we need some home cooked meals and some strong discipline.

Years old, some money in my Yeah, I was about to go bro like, and I had other friends who were roommates, you know, no parents around, Like they would definitely have a lot of fun.

Out of you get these you have this three picture deal? Yeah, you got this TV show? What do you buy? Did your mama let you touch some of the cat?

I'll be completely honest with you. I was a very humble kid.

The way that I looked at it was, you know, my parents had sacrificed so much of their personal business. They were running a very successful club date band at that time, which meant they were doing like huge weddings for billionaires and you know, opening up for Shaka Khan

You know.

I decided I was like, you know, anything that came in from this time period, yo, that's that's for y'all. Let me just take a fifteen percent, you know, mark and just put that away for college or if I want to start a business at eighteen or nineteen. And honestly, I want to just kind of live below my means, you know, because I just saw a lot of my

Wowright, bro, Wow what I'm.

Clack for that, because that's amazing for you to have that type of foresight to see, like, you know, I'm not the first one that this has happened for nah.

And this is yeah, see what turn that route exactly?

You know what I'm saying, Like I'll end up you know, in you know, in a situation.

Absolutely me, absolutely so you know at that time, you know, my mom was trying to start a couple different businesses. You know, I was trying to see how we could maybe you know, pivot some of the money into some of the things you're trying to build as well as even for me, you know, saving money for my artist career as well. And you know, I was really getting into production a lot, because I mean they were putting

So a lot of my money went towards like gear and stuff like that.

Just to kind of like have something that kind of vibe, you know, it's something I could kind of pay me back later on hopefully what you did.

And yeah, that's really really.

Dope, man, because, like I said, people just don't they don't understand.

That this is truly a marathon.

It is a marriage, and I'm yeah, I have to be able to survive it.

I've seen so much, man, And I mean I've also seen some amazing you know, like victory stories, you know, like seeing people really get across the finish line and really be able to just like do what they gotta do. I mean, me and Keiky we started at the same time. We were some of the only like young black faces

You know.

Wow, yeah, that's great. That's great, bro. It's just like I'm a perfect example of what not to do. I'm perfect. I am God? So what did you do?

What's going on?

Uh?

The first thing I did is you know with strip club? Okay, first thing I did. I'm mad at you.

No, I became a member.

Oh wow, So I would I would, you know, help the girls pick out out fits before the club even open.

He thought he was down a bill Okay, he thought he was down and in this place because I had this money.

I was like, god right, I was sought after exactly.

I wouldn't got me a car, are all right?

Then?

No?

No, Lexus three hundred platinum Edition, the Black on Black Bubba Lia and I bought me a gun.

That makes sense. The strip club a lot. I feel you, brother, I ain't. That's literally where my boy just got robbed.

Man.

Strip clubs are dangerous.

I say, no, you got cash? Yeah, you know, just let them know. Don't let the church, don't let the church kid food come on. How long is the cash last? I don't know, not that long.

You know.

The good thing, the good thing I had done is with my money when I when I was on tour Virginia Wine and Leah, I paid off all my bills.

I love that.

So that was the first thing. My mama made me pay off all my bills. But then when I got my you know, record deal advance and my publishing deal advance.

That's that. That's when it went left.

That's what Frank the tank came out the tank, I love it, and started getting acted. I'm talking about crab legs as big as your back right forstall case you couldn't.

Tell you real you get no record out, huh, with no record.

No record? No I was, I was. I was a thousand air background.

Was a thousand air back with a record deal with a record listen I had, I had what I had, like like about two fifty on me.

Yeah, you know, in ninety eight. He realized that I didn't know how want everything.

Exactly, so I like, you know that, And then moving to l A, you know, with I think at that point I kind of blew the money. And yeah, I had a thousand dollars when I first moved to LA and the same car. I still had the car. I didn't bring the gun. That's a good thing, and no, and I was like, you know what, I'm gonna figure this out. And I came with my NPC and my XP eighty keyboard, my rolling and I figured it out. Listen said, so when you say investing in that gear, yeah,

Don't know where these songs are gonna go.

I gonna come out exactly, but I'm gonna know how to do this so that when the time comes, I'm gonna be able to feed somebody m hopefully yourself, hopefully myself.

Absolutely.

When you so you mentioned when you first did the Nickelodeon deal, they also gave you a record deal.

What label?

I was at a Columbia, Columbia record So.

They had a partnership with Nickelodeon.

They had a really good collaboration with them, and they had signed a bunch of people from like Glee and stuff. So I mean there was like an element of like kind of trying to figure out how to convert a lot of the actors from some of their big, you know shows into stars and music. And it was an interesting journey, you know, because it was their first run with this partnership Colombia Nickelodeon, So I was definitely kind of like it.

It was very experimental, but you.

Know, we it was.

It was really cool because I was able to do a couple of songs that actually ended up on the show that I wrote when I was like fourteen. It just taught me the process of writing a song and like that, that that feeling of people singing something back that I helped write and co produce was like special. Yeah, I was performing those songs on the show and we were doing like big.

Big shows too. Well.

That's the thing.

As as a cast, we didn't all want to tour because we were around the time when the song started becoming, you know, really successful.

We were like seventeen, you know, eighteen listening to Frank Ocean this and that, and it's like stuff for kids.

And it started to feel like, Okay, if we start touring now, we're setting ourselves up to be doing this for the next two and a half years and specifically in this one market. And you know, Arianna and I and and even a couple of the other actors on the show all knew that. Afterwards, we were definitely trying to like take a stab at this music stuff in a very real way, and we knew brand was a

So was there a Disney and Nickelodeon beef? Not at all.

We all actually used to kick it on Disney niggas. Nah, everybody was like kicking it, yo. Everybody was just vibing. I mean, we were all young, and this was essentially like our high school. You know, all of us were homeschooled at that point because we had full time jobs, to the point where our schedules were insane, so.

It was really yeah, understood each other.

Yeah, those were the kids who got us, who kind of understood what we were going through with that too.

Sure.

You know, so now is your movie TV, all of this is landed? What is your progression musically that gets you into this? You know, seventeen eighteen year old? I mean for you, it's like grown space where you're like, I don't want to chase the Disney sound or the Disney thing Nickelodeon apologies, right, we're chasing that. I need to you know, as you're listening to Frank Ocean, these guys like I need some of that. What is that progression like? And are you still with Columbia?

Yeah, I'm still with Columbia at that point, and they set me up with a life change in session.

They sat me down with Babyface and growing up, like listening to Babyface was everything, Like my dad's a huge.

Fan all so like, and I was a huge fan, so like. To even just just to be in a studio with him was like such a blessing. And he really took a liking to, you know, what I was doing as an artist, and you know, really opened his doors. He did something that I don't think I've ever seen any other big producer do for me, which was open his doors and say you can use this twenty four hours a day, just like keep making great music and you're good to go, and gave me a room that

You know, your face is like a it's like a godfather, yeah to so many people, absolutely, you know what I mean. And he has he has the space and the infrastructure and the information you know what I mean, And he does not mind paying it forward by studios. Like after I played for him, he just called me out of the blue one day and had me play for him

Absolutely man.

I mean knowing that the underdogs came from under his wing as well. And it was like some of the first guys that I actually worked with when I started doing R and B. Just kind of let me know that, like I had a lot to learn from the source of like where they even learned a lot of what they do from and and and he really genuinely taught me a lot. And at that time, you know, I was really close with Arianna. I'm still close with her

Really worked out.

It just became like a really cool Eventually we did like four or five songs on that on that first album, and it went really well.

She yes was facing and.

Tony Dixon, Yeah, and I mean Tony Honestly, I spent a lot of time working with Tony Dixon. Man. I really got to give him his flowers because he's like just an amazing producer and a good human. And he would always talk about the cautionary tales of being in R and B and all of the things that he's seen, and I mean just kind of learning from from the experiences that he's been around, kind of helped me steer away from a lot of things that he was in the trenches with us.

Absolutely, it's funny you said that because he's he gave you his example of what he's been around. Because Tony is a guy who kind of stands back. He watched everything going on exactly. So like Tony just wasn't the guy who was jumping in it, exactly. He's just that's not that, it's not his thing.

He'd be like, get out of here. Don't get out of here, guys, you know what I mean.

Like and but he's been able to move in his business without being caught up. Absolutely, I mean in whatever situations, because there are a lot of them.

He should do this really cool thing.

I mean I only participated once or twice, but he have like like once, I want to say, every couple of months he would he would do like a suit day when we would coming to the studio, everybody being suits making music.

I thought that was so cool.

Also a photographer. Now that's where the money has taken you. It was tight. I love also putting the young fellas onto something.

Yeah, exactly, you used to go to these events. You know what I'm saying. I'm definitely a big street with you. You know what I'm saying. So it was fun to, you know, switch it up.

Because he didn't invite us to suit that he didn't invite us to suit that he know I got them suits.

Come on, you know I got that gassed haveing Steve Harvey, the original Steve Harvey. Though Steve Harvey suits were awesome.

Yeah, man, what absolutely no, I definitely agree.

You know what's funny.

You know there's this old picture. It was my color purple.

They did the big premiere for the Broadway play, and I told my mom I wanted color.

Yeah, yeah, color color purple.

But but.

I wanted I wanted to be in a zoop suit man. But the closest thing I could find was Steve Harvey. So there's a picture of me.

I got it.

Please pull it up to the Steve Harvey purple pinstripe suit like it was bad.

Let me tell you something.

It was a bad look for me.

But the Steve Harveys was a great's day was listen, Eve fly.

No trash back then, it was it was not I'm not gonna let you do this to Steve. I'm not gonna let you do this right now. Steve ben had it super fly ball head.

Steve is fly, but I mean hair.

Steve was.

He had his own line, Jay, he had his own his own line. That's how holded he was. I walked into a warehouse nothing but Steve suits I picked out, like six up.

This is personal? Really is personal?

What's up?

Because those were the part of the closet that I told him he had to burn When I started what the sick Steve Harvey suss In there said, let him go.

You didn't have to tell him that. See this thing.

I held onto the suits a little too long. It's okay, it's okay. You know, appreciation for they had sentimental value.

Yeah, I get it.

Steve told me personally, right these suits are for you and you could have fit a twenty inch rim into one of them pants legs.

Man, that's how we was waiting.

It's a lot going on. I don't like the disappointment on some of your faces, like this is this is how we was trapping back then.

Absolutely, man, Like you could definitely have an A K forty seven.

The definitely trapping.

They said you just started listing credits, man, that they first got out of control, you know, just starting with the Ariana Grande. You know, of course, you know, a good friend of ours, Harmony Samuels, sharing company with.

He's a great He's a legend.

I would I would like.

For you too, if you don't mind, Yeah, just start listing some of some of the credits if you don't work.

Yeah, you know, started with Arianna and then I think, you know, we really went through a nice R and B moment. So then I think from there it was like l m A you know, Chris Brown, uh, and then you know, Drake has been a really big one tie.

Dollars something.

Because we have multiple records.

Drake has definitely been been an amazing addition. Yeah, gold Roses, I did pipe down in the Bible, yeah, man, certified, Yeah, certified, certified.

What is your What did y'all record that? Y'all like the Bahamas or so?

Yeah, So that whole story was interesting, man, because all right, so love All, which is one of the records I didn't name, was one of the first songs that that we did forgot so many, but that was one of the joints we did.

A while ago.

It was like it was like the first song, I'm.

Sorry, let me start you back at the beginning, how do you get to drink? Boy?

I got a shout out to my boy Wonder.

Boy Wonder is definitely easily one of my you know, biggest mentors right now, especially because you know, I'm working with him very closely on a lot of big projects.

And boy Wondered just kind of he just took a liking to christ and I. He's so nice.

He's one of the nicest humans on the planet.

And he just you know, started working with us.

And you know, he was working on a management situation around that time called Island Management, and you know, shout out to Simon and and e K. They came in and offered us a deal to start working with them, and they're very connected to Drake and his whole team.

Made it really.

Possible to then go back to La and like start really crafting records that kind of matched his vibe, you know, And it was such a blessing. But a lot of it all happened in La but Bahamas was like more so research me than anything else we.

Made to music.

And had you ever been before, No, it's my first time. You know.

I don't really travel for fun a lot. I'm a bit of a workaholic and if I am traveling, it's usually for work. So but that was one of those situations where I was working, but we were also vibing, you know. And it was like during COVID too, so I was a little afraid of like doing too much, but we're definitely just chilling by the beach, kicking it.

So that's cool.

Then you started to mention another you know, another certified homie, super gifted tid dollar you'd use but you're about to say, tie dollar.

Sign to dollar Sign. Yeah, Ty Dollar.

I mean he's like my monster, my brother, you know what I'm saying. He's really held it down. And I started playing some of my music. Yeah, yeah, I started playing some of my music early on when he was working on his album featuring Ti dollar Sign. I was doing some stuff on that and he just really took a liking to the music and always spoke so much

But he always like, let me know, he.

Thought he thought cold.

So I was really cool, and and I was.

I was about to put my project out independently, you know, and you know, I met with Sean Barron to see if he knew any like A and RS and maybe I could hire for a little bit just to kind of get some things together and like put a good marketing team around what I was doing independently. And he was like, listen, we got a venture we're doing right now. And you know, at that time, Baby Keem and Kendrick were like just dropping their stuff together, and I was like.

We've never seen that in R and P.

That's a good dude.

What if that kind of happened where you kind of cross pollinating, you know, both worlds and and kind of like creating a platform and a bit of a co sign essentially in the space. And I mean it's it's you know, proving to be pretty successful, man. And I'm excited to keep putting these records out because it definitely means a lot to me. Being on stage is such a big part of what I do, coming from Broadway, so like, I'm definitely excited to get out the studio.

A bit and get back on the stage. I want to see.

I'm excited.

Man. Would you rather have.

If you had to choose, which you don't because you're talented in all these spaces, which one would mean the most to you? A number one record, a number one movie, or I number one TV show?

I think a number one record, yeah, because yeah, I've been on a number one TV show before. I think a number one record would be special because of just how much work I've put into it, you know, like I was signed my first deal at thirteen, you know, twenty nine now, you know, it's been a long time of like cooking up records and stopping and starting and trying to figure it out and surviving through production and songwriting and finally getting my shot right now just really

I love. Yeah. No, that number one record is just because there's so many more things that are connected to that.

It's just different and it's your story.

I mean, I'm a writer, you know, it's the direct connection to you.

It's yeah, it's not.

A character, it's not a it's not it's not an ensemble cast. It's exactly any of that.

It's a direct line to you, my soul, Yeah, in your true artistry and individuality. Exactly.

Yes, it's to the music that's it's really the only way you can do that absolutely and have that is to you know, go to the artist route with it. I just always wonder, you know, when you know we have triple threats on the show, you know, Twisted.

I definitely want to keep acting, and I mean this is the year where I'm like definitely getting back to it. I've just been like I wanted to approaching on this next run with more tools, like learning Meisner, like like just like really studying and like coming back with the ability to.

Cry on command and and just do different things.

You know.

Meisner is a technique in acting. It's like a cousin to method acting. And I think it's important now for me to really step into a space that's that's all encompassing. You know, like when you see Denzel play a character, you forget it's Denzel, you know, Robert Downie Junior specifically, you forget it's Roberts sometimes, you know. And and I want that ability to kind of dive into characters.

And that's my deeper level.

I don't know exactly what they study, but I just know that it's just a style of acting that that I'm just because.

The method acting is literally you coming as that character.

You're coming in and it's it is Now, it's not that, but it's just it's just the art of being, you know. It's it's it's it's the art of being because I think there's so much thinking that goes into acting, and and I feel like just kind of listening more is like a big thing that I've always struggle within acting because I'm so line focused and worried about my faces and what my body language is doing and things like that.

You know.

But Misner is pretty pretty next level. So I'm still learning, you know, still getting it locked in. But that's one of the things I've been trying to just kind of like put in my pocket so I can come through it and go crazy.

And she studied, crush, you studied. I have not study. I have a lot of book away.

You have.

The book is going to kill me. You know.

I have a lot of great methods that I used to approach my acting. You know, he's amazing. You've seen Okay, I mean, you know, I mean.

You talk about TV one BT you know what I'm saying, v H one and the didn't tell.

You know, but I mean, I just finished the movie which was a really really cool movie and it was it was the cool It was directed by Robin Gibbons, which was really cool because she's an act guitar absolutely like that's that's despion, Like her choices are infinite, you

What do you think about being right here, and I'm like, oh, that's nice. Let's do that exactly. You know what I'm saying.

Now, let's play like now you haven't pun that was a vacation. Yeah, we having a good time.

You know.

I'm looking at you, You're looking at my piano. It's just unlimited, man, It's unlimited how you can make music now, you know. And since it's so unlimited, we understand you got some understanding of where a lot of this music has.

Comfortable come from.

And absolutely you got artists that you love and you grew up on and protect producers and I let you know, Leon, we just want to know your.

Top five, your top five? What we want to know top five? Leon's top five R and B autists? Oh wow, R and B songs?

Who are they? Who are the top five?

Leon? Come on, brother, that was beautiful.

Man.

I think you drew it a little bit.

Man.

Damn.

All right, so my top that's pretty easy. That's that's that's super easy. Stevie Wonder if it's.

Magic just the artist, just the artist, like yeah, like this man here we go.

Yeah, all right, cool, So Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Prince Michael Jackson, Damn, and then I'm gonna I'm gonna try to find a new school D'Angelo.

Yes, that's my top five straight. I'm just basing it off of what I listened to you.

You ain't no way you not making good music, Ain't no way. Now with that top five, you have no choice. Absolutely ship, impeccable taste, impeccable taste.

Parlor of the gods.

Man, appreciate at you.

What about your song? What about your song?

See the songs. I'm gonna do some deep cuts.

Now.

If it's Magic by Stevie Wonder. It's just one of those records that I just started going back to. It's very simple, it's just him and a harp, just vibe now. But it's just so dope, like how he wrote that, and we have so many songs about about love, and this was about life.

I thought that was really tight, you know what I'm saying. Marvin Gaye, what's going on? Once again?

A record that like talked about life like things that were going on at his time. I thought that was really special. Sam Cook, Change is Gonna Come? I felt like that once again was like talking about something like really like taking us there, you know, a studied man. And then this is a is off the cuff one. But Prince he has this album called Dirty Mind of course, and like record head Head.

Is one of my favorite Prince records because it's just nasty.

You could tell Prince was up there just viving.

I feel like he was just at the crib going crazy or wherever he was, but at the crib just five, and I thought that was really dope. And then.

Michael Jackson human nature.

Listen, let me tell you something that human nature timeless. It's you can't get away from it.

You really can't.

Human nature has been in the top five for countless people who've come on the army, you know.

Quincy says, you know, we're always chasing chills, you know. And that's one of those records.

Man, Like the first time you hear it, like bro, like yeah, always get.

G man. Okay, all right, you've dazzled with me, young man. Is that great feeling games planning?

I think it might be he was.

I put nothing past Greg feeling games.

Greg is actually a really good friend of Babyfaces. How we know, Bro. He would come out of studio and just like tell the stories, like guy, the stories Man.

Were the coolest guy. You know. He thought that Juvenile was saying Greg filling games.

Yeah, I'm no, lie, I'm I'm eighteen years old and I'm in the studio with Babyface in Greg feeling Games. And he thought that they were saying his name or back then up and I said, no, sir, no, sir, he yo, I don't I don't know, sir, juvenile.

But.

There's no way. Yeah, my boy was a wilent.

Y'all would never listen to that record the same again next, Yeah, Greg, you gotta stop this year. Now, that's crazy. This is out of control, I promise the guys saying Greg feeling gangs. Yeah on the record. I just never forgot that. That's buddy we gotta have on the podcast when he comes.

Absolutely, there's a rumor going on that Jason started, that's great.

Okay, alright, le okay, you think you you think you got all your ship together? What's up? We going? We're gonna do an R and B voltron. I don't know what that is, but let's go.

Okay. Oh like if we could get a bit like a band together.

That's no, it's not a band, that's all right. I don't know, man, okay, young man, young.

Man, vault it was transformers, No, it's it was five lions.

Oh okay, five machine lions got red, black, blue, yellow, and.

I said black, black, blue, yellow, red, and white. It was a white green green and they all were on their own lion machines and everybody. And there were five people that operated the lions, and they would go and fight evil all throughout the universe. And then when they came against the big monster, they would form a big line the big person that looked like a human being. All the lions. Two lines with the arms, got another two lines was it was defeat, and the middle line

Anyway, word the Vultron is you putting your superhero r and b artists together where you're getting the vocal from, the performance style, the styling, and the passion.

Here we go. Who are you getting the vocal from for your Vultron transformer?

The vocal from, I would say Jasmine Sullivan right now, yeah, yeah, okay.

Okay, yep, yep, yep, all right, I'll see what you're doing. Performance style, performance style, on that stage. I would have to say Prince for sure, absolutely, because he takes from everybody. FREDI stare James Brown and he's also playing all those instruments. Yeah, if I could get that with the James Jasmine Sullivan voice.

What else? All right? What else? How you feel styling?

Styling?

Steve drip? Huh, disrespect the drip, Steve? I love you.

That's interesting. His R and B has went through some waves styling wise. I'm trying to think, who's really been consistent, you know what I say, somebody who's been consistent through multiple generations. Beyonce, let's go. I really feel like I'm trying to just build build a real strong move here, let's go.

I like, I like, let's go, let's go. Okay, alright, alright, watch yourself now, all right? Okay.

Uh.

The passion of the artists, part of the artists.

Passion mm hmm hm hmm. Yeah, that's James Brown.

Passion.

So passion because half the time we didn't even know what.

He was talking about, bro, and we didn't care.

We give a fun because of the passion we really cared about, Like how he delivered it.

He said chicken change.

Ticket DAGs what, no idea what it means? But like yo and felt gun, don't do no damn squealing. No you heard him, you heard it, but you heard him.

Rappers heard him.

You rappers heard him, And.

No damn squealing. I ain't saying no names. I ain't saying no names. I ain't saying no names. I ain't saying no name. Where you was?

Who was weird?

What you did?

Don't say? She ain't sharing.

No, you're saying, of course that's beautiful. Man.

So this segment, what's it's called? I ain't saying, can you tell us a story? Funny? Fun up? Okay, funny and fucked up? All right? The only rule is Leon Thomas.

I cannot say no names. And I just said both of your names. You got two first names? Or is that two last names?

What you got? Because you could be Thomas Leon too, Thomas.

You could be Thomas Leon Leon, Thomas Leon came through here. Man shook this the whole thing.

Man, she got crazy. You know your first and last, your last and first either one? Just don't say theirs?

Okay, got you?

So this is all that? Are you ready?

I'm ready yet?

This is Leon Thomas Leon Leon the Victorious man himself, the Lion King himself show up as the color of purple.

Go on.

Now I ain't saying no names.

Okay, So this was my first ever production session with a really huge artist. And they get to the studio and we're working hard on the record. We finally get to the point where they're about to record and while they're singing, they'll stop and all I hear is they start doing push ups in between every take.

Dang.

I was like, man, this is this is something else, but I'm talking about like intense push ups.

Man. Throughout the entire session, we had to cut like breathing out of some of some of the lines.

But yeah, just really just like going going, And I was like wow, And it was my first time ever, like, you know, producing you know, a big artist, and it was definitely different for me, to be honest with you, Yeah, but it was kind of cool because the show.

Is I mean that finished journey. Yeah it matters you feel me. Might take some hints.

I like that, of course you do.

Like that.

Take some hits show because I was I was intense and listen because after about you know, you have to get to twenty five thirty.

Yeah, yeah, whatever you got to do after that. And but the crazy thing is it actually opens up the vocal course too. Though.

It opens up when you're doing your push ups and ship it opens up your voice, you know what I mean, because you're pushing, You're pushing through.

You know what I'm saying. It's exercise. I was just doing it to make sure. I just want to be this nigga here, just want to You can take your shirt that's from a Testavie, right, got you listening? Everybody not taking their shirt off at the show man?

You know why not?

We're gonna sell something on man, tell you on that to tell you that melody is a titty you you go, you don't enjoy one of them.

You understand what I'm saying. Come on, I love it.

I love it.

Mockers for real.

Leon something my brother.

Thank you man, Thank you bro, Thank you for for represent man. You know what I'm saying. Thank you for just like you know, everything about you is solid.

Man.

Yeah, I appreciate it.

And you could have taken your music in a whole bunch of different directions, but you stayed true to this R and B thing. Man, You know what I mean, because you had You've had the opportunity to go to other genres of music because of what you what you worked for and were afforded by being in that space. Absolutely, you could have clearly been like, yeah, yeah, I'm about to go do and took this immense and amazing talent that you had and took it somewhere else, but you stayed true to R and B.

Bro Man, and we commend you for that, man.

Thank you.

I mean, it's a genre that I love, I grew up in, you know, and it's a it's really the art of storytelling, you know. So I genuinely want to continue to do R and B and find new ways to add some of the elements that I've taken from some of the other genres I've worked in and mix them in.

But yeah, R and B is always going to be be home base for me.

Thank you for that.

And thank you Army Money. Army Money podcast is always home for you, that love.

Man, Thank you so much for sharing your platform you need from us.

We show up. I love it, we show up and.

We cheer for real man, Thank for it.

Thanks likewise, Yeah, it's it's about it.

It's about continuing to to to establish maintain that bridge you know what I'm saying, Like, it's important that we are all connected.

Absolutely, it's important that.

You know what I'm saying, that the things we've learned and whatever fuel we have to feed into you to keep this thing going at a level that we do that it is important for us to do that.

I really appreciate it.

I mean, obviously, I've been a fan of y'all for a long time, you know, so, I mean just even being here and kicking it. I mean, we've met a bunch of you know, a bunch of times in the past, but you know, this really means a lot to me.

So thank you, man. I appreciate bro.

I like, it's love.

That's a young man right there. Your grandmam say, do you know that nice young man? You should be more like him. That's who you should be like with your raggedy ass ladies and gentlemen.

Name is.

And this is the R and B Money podcast, the authority on all things R and B. His name is Leon Thomas. His name is Leon Thomas. His name is Leon Thomas.

And he's a superstar. Thank you, Thank you, appreciate you.

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.

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