R and beans money, honey, we are.
Thanks take valantility.
We are the authority on.
R and ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Tank Valentine and this is the Army Money Podcast, the authority on all things.
HORR and B.
Yeah, I mean today's it's.
A beautiful day, man, it's today where you know we get to talk to and interact with a man who's multifaceted, uh, bilingual, multicultural. I think he got a skin care line. I mean great skin, great skin, a character to go with the skin.
Uh.
This is how you.
Diversify your portfolio. You're seeing what I'm saying.
You're always gonna be cracking in one area and you got another area to hold you up.
And listen, I become the podcast.
Now come on now, who will somebody gonna tell me that the podcast. That's what I'm saying, in honor of Birst, to find your portfolio and being good in every asset in that motherfucker. Ye.
Hey, So, so the two languages I speak, the third language I speak it's called sexy. Yeah, it's called sexy. It's about a Scotish language. It's called sexy baby. Yes, yes, so just it's three of.
Them not two three.
This is your camera. I had to look at him and look.
Relax.
You don't speak the language.
I do speak.
Please, please, please, you try to. It's better when you're not here. When you're not here, is that sound horrible?
It's okay. I love you.
I love you. It's the truth.
Not always thank you.
So I could not have been in no no, yeah, having to New Jersey not even you don't coming to America to okay. You have to teach me and willing to learn. Listen, man, First of all, thank you my brother.
Man.
You know we're family, but you know we we we know your time is precious man, and we appreciate that you've how you've grown. Thank you, We support you, know what I'm saying. How you've been successful.
Thank you.
We don't take that for granted, you know what I'm saying. Even within friendship, man, we always want to salute and respect that. How you feeling, man, you got you know your fiendy two P.
Thank you. You're dressing like an American today? Is that American today?
I thought I was.
I was putting on like some He tried to go with a little tribal prayer.
It's coming. No, no, he's got the Michael Jordan's show.
Yes though I did that. Yes, he showed up, Like you know what I'm saying, like the Ferrari outside freak.
Nah.
I feel great, bro. You know, for me, I'm in a place of like self learning, you know, self growth. Like this year, I told myself, I'm going to do a lot of things for myself, you know, Like for the last ten years I've been working, working, working, work and work and taking care of everybody doing draining myself. And it's like, dang, like what is Roal Timmy? Like who is Roal Timmy? Genuinely, like where are we going with who I am? And what do I love to
do as a man? And so I'm at that place where it's like, Okay, yeah, career is great, this and this and this, but peace of mind is everything for me right now. Everything so just growing in self really, you know, and it translates to the music, it translates to everything, but just peace of mind and really enjoying doing it while I'm doing.
It, Yeah, because I mean there is a discovery within within working and you know, and all the trials and tribulations that come along with that. And then but then you know, there's so much life outside of work, Yes, bro, which is which is so important when it comes to your peace of mind?
Yes, you know what I'm.
Saying that what are what are? And where are those recharging stations? Those things that are going to sustain you through the.
Work Because as entertainers where everyone else's get away, getaway?
So who's what is our? Who is?
And then when we then when we don't do it, it's hey, man, can't I can't.
I can't.
It's like we're not human, you know what I mean, We'll just an imagination. We're fantasy. But people forget that. Yo, we bleed, we we we go through things. And so for me, like that peace of mind has just been prayer. It's been fast and it has been health has been just being still just saying, y'all, I'm not doing anything, you know, instead of doing so much like I gotta be a part of this got of people. It's like, no, I don't need to do anything. Let God take control.
And that's where I literally am now.
Bro.
Well, I think that's also that's also a key in terms of longevity, right, and then just another nuance to add to that the quality of that longevity yes, you know what I'm saying, Like how you're around, you know, for a long time, is just as important as you being around for a long.
Time, absolutely and trusting your talent. You gotta trust your talent.
A lot of talented people don't actually trust their talent. They feel like they're gonna run out, so they rush, They rush into bad deals, they rush into doing bad things.
You know what I mean.
You know it's like, you know, especially in this day and age, you can't that's not going away.
It's going to be there.
Like maybe we're on a different subject, but when your name comes up, you know, you gotta you know, you gotta be mindful of that. And just like I said, just just trust your talent. Your talent gonna.
Still be there. Do you feel like social media has like made it feel like I gotta do this, I gotta do this all you think is to label more so? Or do you feel like I.
Think I think system talented people have always been impatient.
Yes, yes, you.
Know it's something about singing that first note in the bathroom and being like somebody gotta hear it, somebody else got to hear it, you know what I'm saying, Like
when if you want to go that route. I think that you know that impatience has always been there, but now you get to see other people's Yes, you know, in front of you, you can see how impatient they are because if you watch it, you're like, you probably moving too fast, You probably should have let that bake a little longer, but you took it out the oven.
And you can see that now. But and for some you see that and then you go and do the same thing, or you.
Say, hey, I'm gonna chill. I'm a way too, it's my time and I'm ready.
You got to be able to identify, you know, your lane or your position within all of that. Yes, you know what I mean. And so the labels, the labels are going off of old information. By the time they get the analytic, it's already happened. So they're just in a space where they're just trying to reproduce that. Right,
but those results may not happen because of the same thing. Right, you may get the same results, but your output make al be completely different than the analytic that they got on somebody else that was doing whatever that They feel like, we have to produce that.
And to get that exactly not true.
You just have to.
Do your thing your way, yes, the way it connects, and then once you either figure out how you want to super serve that or not.
We got a lot of artists that are missed.
Three artists yeah you know what I mean, Yeah, who survive in this mysterious space and then put up one post and only got one post on their whole page.
People in a frenzy one point. There's a lot of that.
So it's just like the labels have an idea of what they see happening, but.
It's already happened. Yes, yes, So it's it's all different.
There is I don't think there is no right or wrong way in terms of being active.
And that's the hardest thing for people who are really talented to actually say, oh, I could just be myself because you're taught to. Oh that worked that. Like you said, though, the labels were like, Okay, I got to sound like this person this person, and if you can actually sing and do it like that, you're like, oh, but it never connects. And that's what happened with me. So for me, I was like, oh, I can do this type of record. Oh I could do that too, I could do it
oh I do. And when I sat back and I was like, you know what, Bro, just do what you feel is right. You are really the definition of African America. You stop right there, don't you do this? Okay, get there? Okay, okay, we.
Had so much interaction before you got there. Yes, you and I personally yes, bro.
So let's go.
Back okay, okay, okay, okay back into time. Let's go back to the very beginning where somebody said to you, you you you got something or you realized it for yourself.
Who are your daddy told you need to go be a doctor instead reality both can happen the same time. Truth, all right, So it started even before I was born. So my mom had a dream. So my mom is a prayer warrior, So she had a dream that Bob Marty came to and said, your son is going to finish my legacy. So that's what she did. And most freaking parents are always going to be like, no, you need to be a doctor, lawyer. So when she had that message, she's either like, okay, well, bar Marley was
a politician. He was kind of like he was smart enough to be a lawyer. He was part of but it was the music. So when I started singing around three four, she started hearing me sing in the shower and she was like, oh, that's what it is. So she said to my dad like, listen, I know our structure, I know our family, I know everything. I know. There's no one else in the family who's ever done music. But I was given this message before he even arrived.
So she had never told your father. She never told because she didn't know what it was, like, are you going to be you know? He was into politics, you know, so she was just like, you know, until she freak finds out. So she was like, I had the dream, and once she realized that's what it was, my mom
became my first manager. So she had me singing at Nigerian weddings when I was five, six, seven, eight years at this point, so I was in New Jersey in Jersey, yeah, so Maplewood, New Jersey, actually East Strings, New Jersey at this point. So I'm singing at Nigerian weddings all over the East coast from Connecticut Phillys. So that's what started happening.
And then she was like, oh, you need to join the children's choir New Jersey Children's Choir so I did that and realized, okay, I love this type of music, but this is still not me. So she then started saying, what do you want to do? I want to be like Michael Jackson. So I was a kid that every family member was like looking at and wanting to perform in front of everybody, and that's when it kind of just realized, like, Okay, I love what I'm doing. And
then at fifteen, I did the Apollo Theater. So I did the Apollo Theater and I was just like, I just want to skip school on Wednesday. My mousel you me by myself. It's just me by myself. It was
me by myself. And I was in the adult category because I was a late add on, so it was terrifying, bro Like, so just knowing that, okay, you got thirty five year olds, thirty two year old you know, twenty five year olds in my category, it's like, okay, yeah, I might get some mercy as a kid, but they ready to move no matter what if you know the Apollo Theaters. So I did that and end up winning. So then came back the following week and I came second.
So then that's when I realized, Okay, this is really, really, really what I want to do. So yours air aired on TV. This was right before you get to there. Yeah, you get to there, you get to there. So for me, I was about to google. Yeah, I know, right before, right before I get to there. So if I would have came first, then yes, okay, So the second time came second. So then jay Z's nephews moved into town and so one of the nephews wanted to rap. His
name was Ramel, so Ramel Spanky. All of them they became a group and they were like, well, yo, you're the singing nigga all everywhere around town, like, you know, join our group. So I joined the group. And then Hole was like, look, if y'all serious, I need y'all to come to the crib and I read every Saturday that I'm in town, and I want you to perform all your records that you're writing during the week for me, so that was when I was like, okay, all right,
how good are you roll? This is really what you want to do. You got the greatest or possibly the grades of all time, you know, spending three four hours of his weekend with you. You know, so we're writing after school every day writing right right, and so we'll go perform and he would just be like, Okay, that's whack, that's great, that's yeah. Your voice not powerful on that, but lyrics is good. Oh, your stage presence is to do it again. So we'll be doing it for two
three hours. So this is now sixteen and seventeen. So by this time the group was called NBH and we're like literally performing at all the talent shows, college talent shol high school talent shows, winning everything. And then that was with the conversation that I had to have my mom like, well, I mean, I don't want to go to college, Like I want to just keep doing this. I want to join Rock Nation d D. And my mom was like a rich to mean, ya not the
nephew of this mind here, what are you doing? Not going to be he doesn't have to sign you. So it was like, all right, well, I'm good enough so much I got to study better than I mean, he's cheating blood. So so so I had just gotten accepted into Northwestern for vocal performance in Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois. So I got accepted, so my mom was like, you're going to skip basically an ivory League school to go
take a chance on you know, this group. And I was like, well, mom, you know we're good with winning this and this. She was like, no, as soon as they don't want to rock with dream, they go, let's let you go. But you always have a college degree. So and that was the So I went to college basically for my parents. And yeah, so I can keep keep finish. You finished, Yeah, I graduated, I graduate.
Are you still doing the group and all of that?
Why did you have to leave the group? So I had to leave a group. So that was the whole thing. Like we're great today, but that was the whole thing, absolutely, like oh dang, you think you better. It was like it was a whole There was a whole thing, you know. And I felt like I was betraying him. And it was like, Dan, you're not even really one of us. You never believe it. And again, we're all sixteen seventeen, right, you know.
What I mean.
So it's a tough conversation. It's hard you guys. You spent that much time with Yes, you said, sixteen seventeen, sixteen seventeen. So at this point in time, we've been working and going to Hole's crib you know, off and on for almost a year and a half, you know, so you're gonna throw it all away for this and dang, like.
I love a dream birusu reality what Yeah, yes, especially when you believe yes, you, when you when you're that close.
You're yes, Like you're sitting across from someone who could change your life.
And there and they're saying you're good.
You know what I'm saying.
So like you got an end too, because you got I'm in a group with.
Yeah, nephew, but I don't think.
But we also knew that the pressure was on us even more because they had to be that good knowing better than good, better than him type of energy. So it was like a lot of it was a lot of stress, good stress that prepared me for life later down the road because you're starting to see like, oh man, you have to bring your a game every day even though you're mentally not developed yet, you're still like okay the dog and you was born at that time for real.
And so so you got a vocal degree, no, no, hell no, so listen, So I went to vocal went to school for vocal performance, and I realized so in college, right, so you got like so every credit, every class is one credit and you need about four credits to get past the semester. Right, Okay, so you can have like
four classes or two classes at equal one. Right. So in vocal performance and the Western At the time, I don't know how it is now, but vocal performance, every class was like zero point five point three point two. So you gotta do music theory, music and the music keyboard, blah blah blah. So you there from seven am. Then inquired you there from seven am to nine pm. I'm like, now, there's too many joints on campus, but I'm not gonna be here doing this every day.
You're talking to a dropout and it never went so what you're saying right now?
Oh y'all good?
Nah, champ. So I'm in a full scholarship. Look, I thought about it. But now to the audition. Yeah, high school. My high school music teacher was like, yeah, so you know I went to you know.
School of Music, Berkeley School of Music, and you know I have some connections. Man, I would love to Yeah, you know, I'm a seven audition.
Oh yeah, wrong, back to the black I go. So you ain't want to go at all? You were just talking so you had no planning going college.
For music, but all definitely not for music, because for music. So I had another opportunity in high school because that already it was weird for me because I had already done music professionally, you know what I mean. So when my brother, when my brother passed, we moved back to San Francisco, and you know, I had just been on soul train six months before, you know, so when I get back, I'm the kid that was just on that. Now I got to figure out how to be regular
in the hood again. So I didn't sing for a couple of years. I didn't sing at all for a couple of years. A couple of people tried to get me to get in groups and some different shit. And then when I got in high school, I realized that if I took music, it's.
An easy a. I just looked at it as an easy a. So the first music teacher was like, you probably should go look at, you know, the School of the Arts. I'm going to school to play basketball and go to a basketball school. And the teachers like, there's a School of the Yards in San Francisco too, that's good, blah blah blah, And I was like, you're talking about them kids that we're all black all day and trench coats smoking cigarettes at the bus stop. I ain't fun
with it right. The music school niggas was weird to me, so didn't do that.
Never never went because they were trying to hook me up to go check out the school lyards.
Didn't do that.
So then senior year comes same conversation, like, listen, you can go to school for free as a singer. I might go to school for free as a singer for some ship I already been paid for as a kid.
It's backwards like.
That, don't really you know, it just didn't. It didn't like you said, it didn't add up.
So I was.
I was more.
And at this point I was just in love with playing basketball. I had a you know, affinity for that. That became my thing.
So, nah, I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it, bro and I didn't. I didn't want to be I didn't want to be a starving student either. I feel you, but I had no. The thing is, I don't even remember one thing I learned in school. That's the thing, Like nothing, nothing I remember. It's true, Like it's like you it gave you structure. Yes, it gave me structure. It gave me how to how to be, how to compartmentalize my time. It gave me. I mean, I went
to school. I just turned seventeen and going to college, so I was I was a baby, you know what I mean. So like I had to go to the Midwest by myself, you know, and so it was like, Okay, this is how you survive, you know, and like I'm an only child, so being out, I was like, oh you sink or swim, you know what i mean. And then it was a culture shock. It was majority white people, so it was like all right, so how are you
going to survive in this? Okay, this is the type of music they like, so you kind of got to incorporate a little bit of this. And then I well, da da da da. So it was like, oh, this is how these guys kind of speak to people like this. So it's like college for me, it was like more about the handshakes. Environmental study. Yeah, it was like the more about the handshake you make and not the classes
you take, you know what I'm saying. So it was really about environmental and like learning about who I was. The communication the communication and even just and then at the time, it was like how much do I really enjoy music because I used to go, well, we used to sneak into that. So there was a studio there that was for the music program. So I go back. I dropped the music vocal performance because I was like, I'm not taking eight classes. Yeah, like that's that's not
fair to nobody. So I joined. I went to micro economics, and I was like, I ain't doing this. Yeah, bro, I was like this is it was calculus and all this and X square. But I was like, no, no, no, no, for what exactly. So let me just do communications, man, let me just do communication. So that was like, okay, psychology and you know theater one on one, the history of theater. It was cool and just communicate, calm. It was fun, you know what I mean. So, and it was where the girls.
They weren't in a micro micro.
Lady, I want to be with a lady.
You're gonna walk in class with the list baby. So we used to sneak into the studio that was just for the engineering kids. So we got cool with the janitor. So we sneak in at one o'clock at night and just record like our mixtapes, me and my guys at school. So then it was like, okay, I really like So we would just start printing out the mixtapes, selling it
right before class. And it's cold as hell in Chicago, so we were really on the block, like at a Northwestern Ivy League school, just passing out mixtape three dollars, and we started realizing, oh, people really buying this, okay, so then we're like, yo, just come to our show. So then we started packing out the shows. So that's when it was like, all right, so the hustle mentality, Okay, you're actually really good, doesn't matter what skin color it is, Okay,
let's keep going. So then you'll start taking like trains to the city, go to Chicago and just do like the open mics there. And that's where I met Jeremiah because he was coming at the birthday. Sex was about to drop at that time and he was doing it, so and then Will from day twenty six had his open mics, so it was like it was like a family that was starting to form out there for me, you know, but it was it was cool, man. There was a lot of growth in that time. From seventeen to twenty one.
Okay, yeah, you graduate, you graduate college.
Yes, sir, do you stay in Chicago? Yes? So I graduate, So it's how it goes illo. So I graduate, yep, so I graduate. So I moved to the hood in Chicago when I graduate. So right at this point in the hood, No, I didn't know it was a hood. So it's it's High Park. You move where you could though. I moved where I could afford. Yeah, and you know anything Martin Luther King Boulevard.
You know, I was there.
I was.
I was there with Martin Luther. So when I when I did that, it was me and my manager living together at that time. So my dad was like, Yo, since you finished school, I'll pay half your rent for the first year so you can follow music. Like, since you graduated, I'll give you six months rent to just figure out what the hell was going to do. So this is when it gets interesting. So we really didn't
have money. I was a struggling artist. You started. I'm starting to see all my my friends get economic jobs and the walk working for Wall Street because Northwestern sets you up for that. So I'm just basically in the hood now this point, me and my manager and he was like, yo, like you ever thought about acting? Bro? Like you you shot like two music videos. You're real natural in front of the camera. Like, let's go, let's try to get money to do a commercial. That was
how it started. I was like, well, bro, I don't got no resume or anything. I never really act before. Like what he was like, Nah, just just let's just put your He was like, just put the two three music videos you did and we just say you went to Northwestern to see what happens. So I go spend the day going to every agency in the city. Nobody took me because there was no agent. There was nothing.
There was nothing. I had no no resume. The only the only agency that took me was a small boutique agency. And the only reason why she took means because her son was a freshman at Northwestern. So she was like, let me just make sure alumni is okay. Like I don't know if you can act or not, but like, if you want to do this, let me make sure you're okay. So she was like, all right, let me do a camera test. You know the Gator Rays Gatoraye script that I got. Just see what you do. At
this point in time, I didn't know. I had like a photographic memory, so I don't know. I can look at something. It okay cool. So I did it and she was just like whoa, okay, this is your You didn't study Northwestern? I said no, no. She was like, all right, okay, So what we're gonna do. I'm gonna give you. I'm gonna sign you. So it's Monday. She was like, there's an audition for a TV show called Boss on Wednesday. I was like, all right, well, what do I do when I go into audition? Like, how's
it set up? Is the casting director? She's like, don't go in thinking that you're going to get this job. The job, the role is already cast for. I just want you to get used to being in front of a casting director and the elements of auditioning. So just just a friend is doing me a favorite. Her name is shout out the Clai signmon man. She she looked out. So a friend is giving me, doing me a favor by letting you in. So I was like, all right, cool, cool, cool.
So I took the papers for the audition and I was like all right, cool, well, all right, boom, I'm not gonna get this. So let me just have fun with this fun. So I learned that. So I was like, all right, I go in. So then I see Kelsey Grammar. So Kelsey Grammar is coming in to basically tell the casting director casting agency, thank you for casting my new show, which is Boss. So she was like, well, Kelsey, why don't you just stay Why don't you just stay this?
You know, if you see anything with this kid, this kid has never acted before. It's just just just see what you you know. He's like, all right, I really didn't know who we were. I just remember seeing him on Frasier. I'm saying, I really you know, So I'm okay cool. I wasn't phased by it. So I'm so in my music bag at this point. Remember when you could write the website of your your website on a wristband. Yes, yeah, yeah,
so I'm over there, wrote Tommy music back. I got you go scroll down on when you go to the website, like straight up not giving a damn, like you know what I'm saying. So I'm like, so they all laughing, so mind I was like, okay, so that little laughing is okay.
The move just got broken.
Ice is broken. So again another skill that. I'm like, oh wow, okay, Ice is broken. It's cool. So then I just do it do the auditions. So Kelsey's like I never figured. He was like, can you try it, you know, with a little list this and this, this, this, this this. So I'm all right cool, he said, so you so you study because at the time, Northwestern was one of the top theater theater programs in the country.
Did you know this?
I don't know this. So when she said you went to the Western, he was already like, oh, you probably studied with Don. He was like, oh, you studied with Don Mora because hey, haa Don Morris one of the I said, but I don't know who Don morri is. I never met Don Morris. Who is He like, no, it's a sixty year old white woman. I said, oh okay, alright, alright,
we're back, you know. So so then I do it about another three or four times and he was like, man, he was like, I've never I haven't seen natural ability since like a Jamie Fox, you really do music. I was like, yeah, I seen man. He was like, okay, well, Claire, let's figure something out. I remember that. I was like. So I was like, so anyway, so two weeks later they called and say I got the job. So it becomes I'm terrified. Bro's like, okay, my first deal. Now
I'm scared. And I was like, Yo, you're getting six figures out of school and you don't know what you do, what you're doing, you don't know why why are you paying me this money? I don't even know what I'm supposed to do to earn this money.
How am I like?
How does this make sense? So so Kelsey was like, once I got the call, once I got the deal, once I did the deal, Kelsey's like, yo, come meet me. He's like, okay, so let me explain to you the basics. This is camera left, camra right, These are called sides, These are this and this. So every time, every every time we have scenes together, I need you to come to my trailer two hours before and we will do scenes study together. I said, okay. So Kelsey Grammont was
basically my first acting teacher. Bro crazy. So he was like, man, like this little cool, cool things that like you can learn you know from only can learn from a great you know what I mean. And so it was like, so episode one was my first acting class for real. So whenever. So you go on Netflix and watch Boss. That's my first acting class of what things are and where things are. Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. It's is guy working at the right time. So my manager at the time,
I didn't have an agency at the time. So my manager at the time was like, bro, fifty got this show just like two thousand and fourteen is now. He's like, fifty got this show called Power, Like like, I don't know. Season one just went went on, but nobody's really talking about it and they interested in you. But you gotta fly yourself to LA and kind of put yourself up for a pilot season. I'm like, dog, I only got like five grand bro, Like I can I just put
my self tape? You really in self tape? Then you had to be in the room, you know.
What I mean.
Yeah, So like it wasn't really it was like can I self tape? Like yeah, but you'll kind of be shuffled and they're seeing people every day for this character. Bro, it's a series regular regular role, like you gotta go in. So I'm like Jesus, all right, So I bought my ticket boom some counting every dollar like all right, well, poly seasons about two three weeks. They might see me. They might need to see me the first day and not call you back for another two weeks. So damn,
I gotta figure out. Let me get Let me get a motel. So I went, I got a motel in east on East Hollywood, like with the essays yo, like all this side like it's it's not one of my language. It wasn't one of them. So I'm I'm in East Hollywood, bro, and like and like, I'm like, damn, how much is this from a night? He was like, uh forty, I said, Brom, I'm a struggling artist. Like I don't know how long I be here. He was like, shout out to Bob Man. It was like, okay, I can do it was an
Indian dude. He was like, I can do twenty five dollars a night for you. Just don't forget that's when you make it, man, don't forget real hotel. But I was in a motel. Bro different, it's different, it's nasty way. But I was still pulling them though. I mean, it's the man, you know. I said, this is a temporary big.
That's whoa, that's a cold bottom of the.
It's the man, not the hotel, bro, Bro, So from the bottom.
Now we're here.
Yeah, so I'm in the motel. So luckily the first day they see me, they bring me in and they're like, man, we love, we love, we love what you did. Do I said, but maybe come back. We'll keep you posted. Maybe we'll have callbacks in like four or five days. Oh my god. So that's another one hundred and fifty two hundred. I gotta eat, so four hundred all right, shoot, all right, cool, all right, cool, I can I can make it happen. Come that day boom, knock it out.
They're like, all right, well another four days. Well well yeah it's like that, bro. It's like, well I did it on Thursday. Monday was if you get the screen test, you get like the what's called like if it's down to basically you and somebody else, they basically like bring you in. So I had to wait till Monday. Now, so now I'm kind of pushing two weeks now, you know,
which I didn't know. I'm just starting to feel like you're starting to know, like damn, like this is really this is getting low, like this is getting lower.
Now.
Yeah, it's great, raised bro. So then I'm like, all right, cool, so oh shout out to say your name. But like one of my homegirls at the time, she was like, you'll come to church with me, and I was like all right. So I went to church and it was it was like it was like the sermon was like just just hold on a little longer, just hold on
a little longer. And that thing broke broke. And I was like, okay, all right because at the time, like you on the top of the world, you in Chicago, you got to hit show, your show wins a golden globe the bass, and now you're not really with three four thousand. You have money, but you can't really touch it for real. So you start to feel like damn,
like what's wrong with me? Like what how did it get to this point that I'm in a motel and you know, and one of my homegirls got it like, yo, I don't I handle it like that type of energy is I'll never feel this ever again, yo. And so so yeah, so that that mindset started changing when I went to church and I was like, all right, cool, I can do this, even if it's to my last last dollar. I'm here, and I said, I did it.
You know.
So then callback comes and it was me and the Keith. It was me and Leakeith, and he was like, yoh, so you're going there for Dre. I'm like, yeah, I'm going to j He's like you're going for JA.
Yeah, nigga, I'm.
Going for JA. He's like, if I don't get this one, I'm working on it, I might get this show called Atlanta. I was like, oh, shoot, well cool, bro. Either way, you know, you do your things. So that's how we met, and so went in. Oh I bodied it, bro. I bodied it like it's one of the best experiences of my life where I was like, damn, I just own this whole situation. But it was also like that desperation of I need this, like I for myself, my sanity,
for my mindset, for my family, for my future. Like it was like I don't care, and I knew he was nice. I was like, but I'm ten times better than anybody in this moment. You know what I'm saying in this moment, you know what I mean? So went crazy and this again is how God works too. So got the had to wait. They're like, we'll call you back in like you know, like two three days we'll know my my man is basically telling like yo, that
they don't really call right away, so just wait. You know, they still got to see other people, you know, and some people are you know, sending videos through Skype, and so just just wait, bro, you know. So now I'm down to like twelve hundred, Like twelve hundred, bro, and get the call like you booked it, and that there was the relief, like the relief, mind you we three
weeks in and just never forgetting that experience. So then when I got my first paycheck, I went back to that hotel, that motel and gave ten thousand to Bob.
You know what, Come on, man, you know what? Yeah?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, yeah.
I love I love the West.
So solid.
That's amazing, man, Bob, Come on, Bob, come on. Strip Crazy Girls is over there somewhere close, you know. So I'm at crib. Yeah I had already. You know, Ma's been my guy for years. Yeah.
Yeah, I'm at the crib and you pop on the screen.
Yeah, and I hadn't seen you. Yeah, I guess what years? Yeah, And I'm like it's the first the first season. Yeah, that's crazy.
It literally was.
I literally had that moment Oh, you know you got people that you're cool with but that you don't talk to all the time.
Yeah, yeah, that you know you it's spaces, you know what I mean. It's not like you know, I was on the call list of like, yeah, book, we know each other, we cool, but I don't know that. Yeah, yeah Nigga.
I'm literally like, oh.
Ship, Yeah, Nigga's cracking.
You know.
When I was watching it, I was like, I was, he's really killing ship because that's not him the nicest guy, say, the coolest nigga effort, and he is bodying this ship. I really kind of don't like him. Yes, you know what I'm saying.
The way I definitely had a defendant for sure.
They be like, man, dude, hell no. Even though stuff will come up with I'm like, yeah, here's a bullshitter, a whole another route there, let's go. I'm sick of this.
Ship to.
Ship.
He always look at weasel out. Don't trust that nigga.
Like I was really in the show, Yes, don't tell me nothing, like me and Ze would watch it. I said, don't tell me nothing, I want to watch it, and I really watched it from a fan. And when I say enjoyed myself. Right, I know we're getting ready to get to some more music because watching you go crazy in that show and then hearing your music, I was like, I was like, they're not gonna get that. I said, they're not gonna get it. And me, you talked about it.
He said, I say, you are so far left right now. You are such an abuser, You are such a killer and connoising motherfuckers that no one is going to be able to separate you from that character and embody your sexy music. They're not gonna find you there. Who is that?
You know?
Goddamn it really am And I was like, I felt like there was a disconnect. Yeah, absolutely was because you were doing so good, which is good and bad because as a musician, as an artist, you're like, I just want to be able to do what the fuck I do. Appreciate me everywhere, but people will believe wholeheartedly that that motherfucker devil and yeah, I lost half on a bet movie lost. They will play my movie for educational purposes.
Don't fall.
In churches and in school, got run.
That's a tough space, like for a new artist. Absolute, it's really tough for Tank. It's it's tough, but it's a mind fuck for you. It's a mindful right, But we're very mindful incognizant of that to this day though, of when roles come in, what you think?
I'm like, you can't do it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can't do it. Not that one.
He's like, what if? I like, but if you do too good? You're him?
Yeah?
Yeah, And how do we you know what I mean, I get around you know what I'm saying. So we we are every time a role comes in, we have those conversations.
So what is your feeling like you're you're killing no power and you're also trying to have a moment in music. Yeah, and within all of those conversations, like, what is your realization about your process?
That?
Okay? So it was it was steps and levels and transitions. So when I first got there, it was okay, oh not when I first got Oh yeah, there's two sides that. So when I was filming Season two, when my first season with Season two, all my if you remember Dre and Canan fifty were the best of France, right, So I spent majority of my season with fifty, all my scenes with fifty. So I started realizing like, damn, I don't want to really bring up my music because it's
not the right time. And then people on the street are giving him mixtapes and he's throwing it like I'm like, I don't want that to be me. Let me chill, like exactly, I don't know how to do my job after that.
So then excuse me, what the hell is this man.
Should have done? Man thrown my drives?
Man crazy?
So so yeah, so I was like, nah, he's either gonna have to hear me on the radio somehow or somebody gonna have to bring it to him. So I'm telling you the story of how I got my deal and then we'll go into the transition of everything. So we're filming season two, so I don't know the magnitude of what Dre is gonna be at this time. We're literally filming, so no one's seen it yet, so we're just working, you know. So so so yeah, So one day I still haven't told fifty four months into working
with him, almost every day that I do music. So I go to this session one day. It's these two white producers and they were like, hey, bro, I never met them, but they've been asking to work for about two three weeks at that time. So they're like, hey, Bro, so somebody's gonna come to this session because we just won a Snapchat beat battle and the guy from in the Scope is going to come and get some records for some of his artists. So I was like all right, cool.
He's like, did you mind? I was like no, dadn't come. So oh boy comes in and the record that I'm working on is the record called my record called Lotto with Fifth and eventually records I'm working. He was like, yo, yeah, my name is Tony G I work with in the Scope.
But who's this that.
I was like, that's me, Bro. He's like oh, He's like okay, did you do music? I was like yeah. He said, what do you bring this to New York. I'm like, well, I'm filming a TV show called Power. I don't know if you know it. You know we're filming season two right now. He was like, bro, what I do the music for Power? Said? I do all the music for Power. It was like, Bro, I'm I'm the head of G Unit Music. I said, what, Bro, I played Dre. He was like, oh, you played Dre.
Yeah.
Fick was telling me about this kid Bro come to the come to G unit tomorrow. I said, look at God, Bro like, so I go to So it's how it works, right. So my meeting, I was living in Brooklyn in the studio apartment, so I had to go. If you know New York, the traffic around one, two three to go to Times Square, it's horrible. So my meeting was supposed to be at one o'clock with Tony G. And you know when you play records, the meanings like thirty forty minutes in and out kind of thing, right, But I
was like two. I was like, I was like an hour and a half late. So I'm panicing, like, damn, this is I lost an opportunity man brola blah blah blah. So Tony's like, nah, it's cool, Bro, it's cool, cool, cool Now we just getting started. Anyway, So I sit down and fifty comes in at two thirty. So if I came on time, I most likely would have missed. Yeah, that moment, that moment. So he comes in, He's like, hey, ro, what's you doing?
Bro?
What you know here?
I was like, oh, man, Tony G came to the studio. He's like, studio, what you filming? Something else there, So no, no, like music studio. He was like, where you do music? I was like yeah. He was like okay, let me So. I don't know what he I don't know what he expected he was gonna hear. But I played the record. I played Lotto and he made me play that song nine times, back to back to back to back, and he was like, oh yeah, let's we're gonna do a deal.
Oh what the fuck is this? We're gonna do a deal? Oh yo, ro I'm gonna do my verse tonight. Have your lord, let's set this up through. This is easy, let's go. So I signed with Gan.
So today.
Man, right now, what's on your mind? Where are you in terms of you know, the things you're working on and where you want to tell the people to go to things, where to be when you're gonna be there?
Yeah? Yeah yeah.
So So first and foremost, we got a TV I mean, I got a TV show called Will Trent that I'm on now. It's on ABC. So we had to crossover and go that sign you know what I'm saying, and it's it's a beautiful thing, man, shout out to ABC. So I got a movie house party. If you haven't seen it yet. It's out in theaters right now. I'm doing really well. I got a broken Lebron house. Yes, yes, sir, yes king, yes sir, you know, yes, yeah you go. He signed an argument.
We don't have a basketball podcast, so I'm not gonna everybody know, Michael Jordan Green.
It just is what it is.
Six times I don't have a go.
We just I don't have a go. What you're doing, what you're doing. This is how he win his little argument. You know, you know I can't play no pim, so whenever we start allgeting, he break out the pimo. Come on, man with your man go ahead, what you're gonna do? I just want to know your.
Top five, your top five? Mm hmmm, top five, Your top five?
Who?
Your top.
Singers and song homes? R and B top us?
Yeah, where it be?
Your top top five?
Hold on?
Still first, your top.
You're top.
Five. He showed out because you dissed his accent. He showed up. Yeah, that's been five R and B singers, Man and woman lives who Marvin start off right, Joe?
Yeah, I know what I know what box you in right now?
I like O R Kelly, Kelly got you can't take away from a box you I know for my life Carl Thomas, m hm, Carl Thomas was crazy. And I gotta go with Mike and Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson, that's my start because you were the Nigerian Michael Jackson as a child, I was better.
Did you have glitter?
I did?
I did all of it.
I made it myself.
It was in Glitan Gold.
That's a great box. That's a great box. Top five R and B songs.
Oh oh, Summer Raine, m m Summer Raine US in Chicago. Yeah, you just can't help but to you just can't help it. Oh my god, it's just so good man.
You need to find lenen, loose linen. When Summer Raine come on, it's got to write a little bit with something. It's gotta be tropical.
You can be twelve years old, you still feel like an o G. When I record.
You gotta have on some different kind of sands, maybe a throng sand.
So I say Summer Raine. Then I go with Oh wow, that's dang. There's so many songs. Uh, I'll go with I'll go with Thriller because of just watching the visual with it and seeing like yo you can, you can actually make a movie.
It's never been done again never and it's been done, it's never been recreated.
It can't ever.
You can't recreate thrilling. It can never be trying to find a jacket for Halloween. Recreate thriller Oh for You by Kenny Latimore. M. Yeah, that was hard to sing. Oh, bro, that's crazy. Don't don't don't. I don't recommend anybody try. That is incredible.
Speaking of that's that that is like the top of the top of wedding songs. Yeah, what is a Nigerian wedding song? Because you said you're a Nigerian wedding singer.
So it was more gospel songs. Yeah, it was more like Jesus paid it all. It was more of like, uh but it was like so at that age it was for me. It was Jesus paid it all. So it was like the ceremony of just like basically celebrating them together before like the African music came. I mean, where am I at three? At three summer?
Thriller for You?
For you? Oh Joe, I want to know? M man, that's crazy great, my crew. The song I sang a lot in high school. That just played, not even sang a lot that played a lot was dang it was on Jamie's unpredictable. Uh damn was it unpredictable? Yeah it was actually no, no, it was. Yeah, it was predict It's unpredictableable.
Do what to do?
Actually? Do what to do?
Is it not?
Yeah? Yeah? Do what do? That's for what it represented for me, man, it was it was. It was incredible because it was the first one do you know that record?
Tank?
Do you know that song?
I mean, I just you know, got called the Miami Shooting Miami Weeis to help him finish the tune.
I don't know. Just check the credits, bros. Incredible, incredible, incredible.
Bro, Like it was for.
You know, for me, that was one of my surreal moments when I knew how much I was like the big I still am, for sure, but I was the biggest Jamie Fox fan in high school in college that the first ever celebrity that actually took me in in Hollywood was Jamie. Oh yeah, So I'll tell you the story. Tell many people have that story, bro. So it was twenty thirteen and he was filming Jangle with Leonardo and he was like and I was like. We were at a Clippers Clippers private parties. It was my first time
really in LA. I'm just young, just like, oh my god, I'm here my show popper. It was a golden globe we had just Kelsei had just won a golden globe. So somebody taps me on my shoulders. So I'm like, you know, okay, cool whatever. It's a dude with like this beard and look dirty. So I'm like, yo, who is this And it's dark, so I'm like, who is this nigga trying to touch? He does it. He's like, yo, man, I'm a fan of you man. And he's literally in
full everything. They're still in the middle of filming and he had a scully on and his shades on. So I'm like, yo, this is and he's dressed like different. It's not what I expect the Jamie Foxx to look like.
So he tells me.
I'm like, hey man, I'm like, what's up, bro, Like, thank you, thank you man, I appreciate you. But she's tapping me. He's like, look, nigga, turn around. I was like, oh my god. I said, oh my god. He was like, man, yo and me and Leonardo we stop everything and watch boss Man and you're super talented, bro, like what you're doing out in La And at the time I was there for Gold and Glove about still recording music. He said,
you do music. I was like yeah, man, like, yo, come, there's a playoff games like come to my crib, come to there. Yeah, my family gonna be there, My sister's gonna be there. You know, come pull up, man, like you know, just just just vibei kicking with us for the for the day went over and it was just like he's like, Yo, let's go to the studio. Play my whole cattle out. He was like, man, like you
my little brother. And so every time, even if he wasn't there, like most of the time he wasn't there, I was just to stay at the crib, you know what I'm saying, And like just for that to be my ushering into Hollywood, it was like wow, like someone that you see yourself doing similar things and just admires, like, oh, he's taking me under his wing. I remember like maybe four or five months later, I had a hosting at some little club. It was my birthday. He got on
stage and like, yo. In the next five to ten years, this man gonna be one of the biggest people in the world, man, and it was just like wow.
Now his footprint is on the entertainment business. It's it's unmatched, it's unmatched.
It's unmatched, man.
It's literally he's the guy that you meet and you're like, it ain't all fake. Yes, yeah, when you meet Jamie Foxx, you realize that it's not all fake. You're like, you know what, you can go to the highest levels of this ship and still be.
A real one. Absolutely, man, the greatest. So for you to have that story, man, it's amazing to hear it, and it's amazing to hear it over and over of different people that you Like, I saw ed shearing at his crazy bro, what's the readier white nigga bro? He likes different.
Yeah, crazy Jamie believes really early man, and he I think he just loves He just loves talent.
He loves talent, man, and he embraces it. So that's that's super dope. Okay.
So that's your that's your five songs. That's five artists. Let's get a lets get a volt tronk going. Okay, we're gonna make a vult tronk an artist super artist. I want to know who you'renna get the vocals from. Who you're gonna get the performance style from. Who you're gonna get the style from, and you're gonna get the passion from. So let's start with the vocal for your vultron. You're okay, what person are you going to snatch the vocal front?
Wow?
Give me Whitney m hm, can't go wrong.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Performance style, performance style, how they rock on stage, Prince Ship, Yeah, that's getting aggressive, aggressive styling, what they look like on stage.
Andre two thousand. But he's not R and B. But no, no, no, no god ye bang bangs. Give me a Andre two thousand style. Yeah, put the show paths on Jersey. You will know, you will know not miss him like no means I was like it okay. And then the passion of the artist, the harder, the soul of the art, the passion. Give me Quincy Jones mm hmm. Yeah, he's relentless. What you know anybody else that went over to France? And steady strings for your strings? You know what I'm saying.
I'll be back, come back to the whole.
No FaceTime, FaceTime, the phone.
You gotta letters, letters, your letters.
I'll be back. I gotta study strings and.
Who that's a different type of passion. That's a different that's a dedication. Man wrote out everybody's parts like with his hand. So you know what, I'll take the gig for less. I'll write the charts off crazy. You're talking about Frank Sinatra. Bro, people don't even know that in charge for Frank Sinatra. Come on, who are you? Come on? Quincy Jones, Jones that relentless?
Yes, yes, Michael, we have to keep that. What do you mean can get away? That's the best part. So Michael, all the time, you can't keep fighting for the magic man for the magic.
Yeah.
No, so man, Yeah, I ain't saying I ain't saying.
That saying.
That you did.
I ain't saying.
No names.
So we're here, and we're here. It's time you give us that story, funny or funked up. The only rule you can't say no name. I can't say no names.
The Travels of ro Timmy, the Body, Scott's Travels travels. Yeah and listen, if if, if you want to be here, when you tell your story, tell your story.
If that makes you.
Feel better, yes, it makes me.
You can't say no name.
So right now this is Rotemy aka Dre the nigga.
You love him again?
Now I ain't saying no names. Hmm okay, all right. So when I was a young buck in this game looking at all the giants, Yes, there was one particular joint that was an actress. And she was beautiful as golden beauty can be. Yes. So as a young girls, I didn't know what to do. Didn't have any idea what to do to say to this beautiful woman. You know, I said, I have to give money.
I have to do it.
What I have?
Do you have to pay for this thing?
What am I doing?
I don't know. I was twenty one, twenty two years old. She was in a that T six or so. Yeah, yes, he who guy? Yeah, well she met the lion. You understand, she met the lion. So as she met the lion, right, so great, so she met the liar. Right. I realized that this woman was I was twenty one, twenty two, so she was recently divorced divorce. So her man was a big time business guy. But I said, listen, women, I don't have any money. I don't have money. I
just have sex appeal and I have a gigantic thing. Yeah, I have something that will change your life if you're allowed to happen to you. If you want it, you'll never go back to any other mail ever, is that is once a lifetime baby. So as I get closer to bringing her over to my place, remember my place was nowhere to be found with a luggage and furniture, you don't finish it there. It was just a computer chair. But I had a computer chair for her as well.
So in the computer chair, I said that I have not in here, but if you want, we can we can just talk. There's no I don't have cable, so we can have conversations. Do you like cards? We can play cards. So, as this moment is happening, the lights go off. The lights have gone off. This is one of routine Miss brookest moments ever. So as I sit there as a broke nigger, right, she says we can't just have conversation. She said, I'm so used to all these things that this man tried to do, but your
conversation changed my life life. So we put candles and we almost had flaw sex. We almost remember, remember we all got flow after the conversation, but we did it. We had sex in the computer chair. So that was my story of this actress lady that is still popping to the Hallelujah Jesus and you are not yes, yes, well I will not see a name computer chair.
Well, we don't call the computer.
Yeah, I love the computer chair, sir.
Right, yeah, lost lost our up in the chair. No, I haven't, no even tied up in the chair. I'm married now. Look so look man, first of all, man, congratulations to you man. Congratulations to you man. Thank you. Before we yes, you know, we get into those our mutual brother that we all have to make sure we shout out the ghost himself, who has no because between all three of us, he's always been a bond between all three of them.
Absolutely, he's always made sure.
That if we're all in the same city, Hey, come come, come pull up on me. What's what's what's that?
What's I got here?
We got you know what I'm saying, like another genuine guy, absolutely human, Yes, great human that has just always been super super solid man that we all rock with, super heavy.
And I know he gonna tap in. I know he gonna watch this podcast. Got a shouting bars for you to.
It's not a regular Hello, no no, no, no, no, no no no.
I just want to check on you and the tribe. You know, as you know Ows is also connected to me, a friend of mine, close to my heart. And then you know Brot Timmy who also you know, played a big part in developing on our show w as we became close and you know, now we're in such a great space, you know, spiritually as many as soldiers and bondage.
And then back to you, my brother, I just want to say hello, Hello, a.
Shout out to the brother.
Brother.
But man list congratulations to you brother. Your product of hard work. Man of course, the gifts of course, right, but you are a product of hard work and and that that is not going to change. Skipping steps is never going to be. There's DNA, it's not even you know.
What I'm saying.
I'm bow legged too.
For that alone.
You know what I'm saying. I know what you you're made up, I know what you're gonna do. I know you've had great success. I know you're on your way to even greater success. And you will always have the backing and the support of your brothers man, the entire r and b money army.
You are army.
You represent you know, but Scotch to you give me a chair, baby, give him episode.
We got to bring the chair.
You know, you know, you know, you know to reverse swivel.
You know what I'm saying.
Make sure nothing again. Thank you.
Whatever you need man, Thank you, insane, insane, absolutely congratulations on all the success. Like I said earlier, it's always great to see when a good guy wins man. Thank you Man. You a good dude.
Thank you for flat out everything else. You're a good dude man, always been the same you fastest hell.
To hey man, fast and fast dude.
And loads to the ground to got real running back spirit. Emmitt Smith's.
To you know what I'm saga man, cornerback Darrel, thanks for pulling up on it than Valentine.
And this is starting money podcast.
No it's not. It's about Scotch Army and I'm going.
Make some.
R and B money.
R and B Money is a production of the Black Effect podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Don't forget to subscribe to and rate our show, and you can connect with us on social Media at Jvalentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode, subscribe to YouTube dot com or slash r and B money