Teedra Moses

R and B Money.

We are.

Than take valotized. We are the authority on tall thing R and B.

My name is Tank Valentine.

This is the R and B Money Podcast.

Why are you doing?

I don't know, I under saying the authority on all things R and B. You're about to be acted. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Let's seehere this is going.

We got some of that, yes in the bills. You know, when it gets elegant, it's very you know when it gets sexy and saxony, you know what it gets.

Brown Claire is here, so pro woman in the building.

You're the set. I'm saying, real singing.

Yeah, real black woman, real writing. Yeah, huh yeah.

I don't want to label before you long or no intro because I want to talk to teacher about because I want to talk to I want to talk to him.

Ship.

Yeah, you're going to turn it on even Thursday quick. I just think I just think that you're just dope. I think that you're just awesome, and I think that you're it's I don't even think you even have to do anything. I think you just have a presence about you and a disposition that it's.

Just like.

Yeah, that's that's what it's supposed And it's like when those comparisons happened from the tiny desk, it was like, oh.

Do you see that?

What?

I don't see it?

You don't see it, not at all.

Yeah.

They used to tell my mother she looks like Claire hu It was like, what.

If Claire Huxtable could say Claire, probably can't you think about it? Probably Claire is probably in the choir.

Yeah, she has songs out.

You know what fair comparison? Listen it was, it was it's a.

Thing, but we all have someone that people think.

But again it goes back to that energy.

Yes, that's the thing. It matches.

It's all that you're doing right now, Claire.

But we're not about just Claire Hexley.

Let you talk about Shah. Yeah.

First of all, you know, I'm I'm sure they didn't whooped a couple of girls from them too, But.

Don't do that.

Yeah, you don't tell somebody something about themself. I know, I know what you don't do. Let's go back to the beginning. Can we go back to the beginning, of course, can we like get into where where where all this starts? Fatigra Moses? Who who points this out? Who tells you or affirms you if you have a gift.

You know, my mama did. My mama used to and I wasn't even thinking about singing. My mother used to tell me these songs I should sing when I make my album, you should cover this song. Or she would say, you know, make sure you don't get all those cavities in your mouth, because it is so disgusting when those ladies be on camera and they's singing and opening mouth and all that black stuff is in them mouth. I wasn't thinking about any of this stuff.

I wanted to rap. I wanted to be a rapper.

But I think a lot of the greatest songwriters they have that, especially of our era, have that thing in them where you kind of like can just come off the top of you here. So I wanted to rap, and when I first started doing music, I wanted to do it more aggressively than what actually came out.

But shout out to Paul PAULI he just smoothed it out.

He smoothed it all out for me and made it a little bit more sensual and less raw as I actually was at that time.

So who does where's your discovery moment? Where? Because I mean, I'm obviously singing in church.

No, I missed all of that. My mother's sing gospel.

Yeah, but I was like too shy, you know, in a Southern Baptist church.

If you not.

Belting out and like really getting busy still, I don't even think you can sing, you know. And my voice was a little too sweet. I just kept it to myself, sing in a shower.

You know.

But then I met a guy by the name of Paul Pauli who produced my first album, majority of it with me, and he was a producer for my children's father, Razkaz, and he he introduced us and we just kind of crafted this sound. I came in with crutches. He was like, where is she going? She has crutches, she got a broken leg.

What are we gonna do with this?

I came to the studio and crutches.

How did you.

I had?

I used to do wardrobe styling. So we were on a set up a video and I was going down the hill, just you know, going down the hill, and all of a sudden, the momentum started building and I'm going and I'm going, I'm going, and I jumped over a boulder and my female bone just.

Breaks you jump over because I mean, yeah, it was taking me.

You're young, you just got jump.

I'm gonna politely just jump it.

And so this is this is where my knee is, and this is what my my leg is doing.

And so it was all broken.

And after that, I couldn't do wardrobe style anymore because that wasn't my thing anyway. So it's like it's time for me to figure out this music thing. And I asked my children father to introduce me to producers. One was a guy by the name of Khalil Khalil that produces here in Los Angeles. I can't think of his last name, and really dope and Paul Pauli. And Paul Pauli lived in Glendale, I lived in Pasadena. Great little you know. Yeah, So we just started cooking and that's what happened.

And is it the music that that creates the discovery on the next level or are you performing somewhere?

Are you starting to You had done no shows, nothing, You just like, you know what, I.

Want to do it?

I want to do it. I was like I always liked as.

A rapper as a singer at this point.

Initially it was like I used to do.

Like talent shows, rapping. My mother would take me to the clubs and all these different stuff.

You know, this is New Orleans, this was.

I was in LA by the time I became an artist. I moved to Los Angeles area about fourteen, originally from New Orleans, Louisian an area called Kenna right outside of I hear.

So many things.

What you hear?

Yeah, it was the thing.

I was from New York.

I was just about to say, you got some New York on you.

Yeah, because once I got here it started shaving up.

But I'm living back in New Orleans again, so scrabably coming back out of me more. But yeah, like when I first got here, I started, you know, just kind of like dibbling and dabbling. But I didn't do my first show until I already had an album. I was signed to TVT Records.

So hold on, hot, how do you skip these steps? How do you get straight from demo to deal to show?

I don't know. I just was honest at the time. I was just so honest.

I just was doing what I could, you know what I mean, Like it was just pouring out of me. And believe it, my first show, if I was to show y'all video. I had so much energy how you was talking about genuine jumping out there, That's how it was. My energy was so on tin and I had to like hone my energy in and learn how to really perform because I was just hella excited.

But you know, we smoothed it out.

And what was so in your mind? Like if in your mind at that time when you were like, this is the artist I want to be right, what did that feel like like if it's if it's comparing to anyone or never thought.

About it, never thought about it. All I wanted to be was tjer. I wouldn't even put weave in my hair in the beginning because we had hair. You know, I'm from the South. We pride ourselves for having hair and all these things. So I didn't even put weave in. Then I tore my hair up and have to start. But yeah, like I we just were very natural girls. I didn't want to do anything that wasn't the One thing I knew in my mind is I wanted to be relatable. You know, we come from an era of

To feel like Aliah's Rockaboat. That's what I wanted.

Album itself to feel like that record. Yes, that's a great start.

Gray Star.

Yeah, I wanted it to be something that and cause I love eighties R and B was just always so sensual and like, you know, grown, and that's what I wanted my my album to be on. But as far as what kind of artists I wanted, I didn't know

So you were signed to T TVT in the beginning, Yes, that's like the label they had, like Little John right.

Yes, little John ying Yan twins people and me and I used to roll with them too.

Of course, because that's how that goes. Though people don't know that.

Like right too, you know what I mean. I'm I'm I can be around men drinking and smoking and I can play those games.

I can play those games and walk out with my heels.

And yeah, tell me, I see it. I see It's okay your first album. As you're going through these motions, what are some of the things that you're discovering that you know early on and just from your experience, like the things that hit you immediately that you were like, oh, I don't know that. I got to figure this out.

Here's the thing.

I was blessed to have Neo in studio every day as I'm recording these songs, and I think that he is one of the greatest.

Of our time.

You said Neo Neo.

I called him chaffer at the time, but he became near absolutely, and he is one of the greatest vocal producers of our time. And I was blessed to have that when I knew nothing about this. All I knew about was singing my lead lines, and I put a little you know, three part harmony here and there.

And he taught me how to paint.

He literally taught me how to paint with my vocal and I think that was the first thing I realized, I have to tighten up here. This is where I have to learn to really make complete records. That's the first thing I thought of. My writing came natural. It's more so like it would just pour out of me. I have never taken a pin in written anything down, because I don't think that's how it goes for me. I just kind of stand in the mirror and look at myself and start singing to myself, you know, and

It was time to paint the vocals.

And that was the first thing I realized, I have to get very strong at that. And I've gotten much better over that time, you know.

Oh yeah, so he worked on the whole first.

Yeah.

The only song that he didn't vocal produce and arrange vocally arranged was Caught Up. That was the first song I ever wrote in my life. Ever recorded, ever did ever and that one was he but then we got to the next one. I was just getting stuck. So they called him because we want the same production company. I think it was called Bridge Kid. We were both stigned to the same production company and we would cook every day, me Pauli and Neo.

That's crazy, that's really great because I remember early Neo Yeah, yeah, me too, least work with Vig Tang. Yeah. And he was like, I'm telling you, this kid is dope. Man, Like you got to go. And I went over there and they started playing songs. I looked at this little nigga said, I said, I wanted yeah, yeah, he had a smash for me. That that Uh, this is the first time that I had heard that a writer wanted in advance.

Okay, okay, gold Neil.

And I was like, I was like, get a nigga the money. Well, my label was I was like, no, we don't pay no writers. I'm like this, listen to the song.

The song, and let's say this too.

A lot of these tracks without the song, it's just and then you put that personality, you put that that you put the record on the record, Yes.

And why you're not gonna pay that person. Why would you not pay.

Because traditionally the advance was always allotted to the.

Producer, So why wouldn't the producer? I got bills to pay. Baby, My kid's tuition is to you can't throw me something.

Because in our genre of me, not even just our genre of music, but our sector of music and black music, it became where we just had more beat makers more than even producers, because a producer could have been either side of that in the beginning, right, and then they share the wealth as they see fit if they didn't pin the record or they didn't do the beat. But then when you said that a beat maker was the producer, it just.

Side you know what I'm saying. And they were like, oh, ship, that's that.

That's they.

They said, I'm just I'm the producer because I've been doing.

Cool. The first person I ever heard of like kind of taking that energy back was Missy Elliot.

Absolutely, yep, Absolutely, she.

Was a person where it was like she's like, I'm taking this from Okay, you brought it the beat, which which takes us from A to maybe G but from g on that's me, that's right, And without g on, that's sitting on the CD. I'm the producer and this is my fee. And so, like going back to Neil early in his like this is before he's neo. I'm like, pay this kid. I don't know he's getting ready be neo, but I know this right here what he's doing and special and we need to figure that out. And you

No, next thing, you know, what's the Mario record?

You should yea and just went so disrespectful. I feel so.

It happens.

I saw one day. I was like this, I got one one, Neil. I've known you for so long. One please sure God damn.

Next day, when we see the nigga and you produce, we.

Jumping on eat you seed you to start it? You just did you? Did you? Did you know that you were you? You were in a space style wise that was very unique when you were when you started creating with me and all these guys, and you started hearing the product, like once you started listening to the body of work and listening to your voice and how you how you? Uh?

I didn't think I could sing very well. You don't have to remember I came from Southern Baptist church, you know what I mean. The girls in there sound like.

Franklin.

Yeah, you know.

So I didn't think I could sing very well, and it took a while for me to like it. It took a while for me. I think once people started liking I gave myself great.

I was about to say, what was the yeah, what was that moment or in terms of, like, you know, the validating moment in a sense to where you you you you finally accept Yeah. I think it.

I think when people and this crazy thing is I don't need people to validate. That's not my personality. But I think at the time, I just it was new.

I was extremely new.

Like most people had a lot of things that they did before they started. I was extremely new, so I was kind of insecure in the sense of like, I don't know what I'm doing.

I would always tell them I don't know what I'm doing.

But even in me not knowing I was doing, I was gonna stand on what I like and what I didn't like, you know. And I think that by the time I started going out on the road. That's I think for any artist, that's the validation when you realize you got something because you start seeing the energy that it brings out of people. And I think that's when it happened. It took me getting on the road and seeing people sing my songs.

Did you did you immediately have good reactions.

On the road, Well, immediately, there was no one there first.

You know.

It was the first tour I went on was a Seagums Gen tour and it was myself, Tweet and Sel, which is a really great show, but they weren't there for me to like about somewhere around Houston and it was like two people and they were rocking. This is why now to this day, I still turn around and play with my band like we jam out together, because I start off with nobody there, so we get into

And it's a real thing because as a as a new artist, you have to decide how you're going to approach that moment if you really want.

This, because if you're doing it just to see them do that and nobody's up there. Are you just gonna be like up there just bullshitting you know, because nobody's up there.

No, you're gonna go.

You're gonna still give that energy because you're enjoyed it with your band at this point and from that day till now.

I love when people out there enjoy it.

You know, it's a totally different thing now everybody's enjoying it, but we're enjoying it.

There it is, we connected, we locked it.

Yeah. I've had many a show where I can't tell you what we call the shows trick, I'll tell you all five uh many a show where fine, okay, let's eat because I had never imagined that I would be there. Like when I started singing backgrounds for Genuine, I thought in the LEADU, I said, oh d I'm doing this forever Genuine I was like, no, no, you gotta go do your thing. I said, no, I don't.

This feels good.

I can see, yeah, this is great. I see backgrounds with you. You take your shirt up, then I take my shirt off, and then like this is this is great? So why would I want to leave? You know what I'm saying I thought having fun carrying Genuine's bag, remember the time of my life. And he's like, nah, bro, it's gonna be you like you gotta do your thing. And when they pulled me off the road with Genuine, I almost cried as a grown man, you're taking mind you you're killing me right now.

And because as you left, you go to a new space where's no crowd.

It's no round because Genuine was introducing me. So when I sang, there was motion. It's like that's Genes got girl.

To this day, he still sings background.

Don't matters going to start singing. I sing backs, give me my park, my mixtop, playing with me. But when I started singing those those two of those three, those four people like again I come from that Baptist church. You better sing. And sometimes when you're singing during devotion, the people ain't came in the church yet. People are still drinking, trickling in. But the spirit gotta be there when they get when they when they the spirit better

The devotion there you go and.

So liked that experience of singing in front of those ten those twenty people. Like that's what made me yeah, because I'm like, oh no, i'ma I'm gonna I'm gonna kill y'all so crazy, y'all gonna go get twenty more people, promise you. And I remember the day when I walked into a building and I said, I got to do tonight. Sold out? Yeah? How many? How many people here? Like eight and fifty? What? Oooh it's your you? What what? Yeah?

But see, I think it's also according what you're doing it for, right, I was really doing it for me. I like this.

I love it, you know what I'm saying.

I like this, so I want y'all to like it. But it's only a couple of y'all here. I'm gonna give it all I got to you. But whoever comes to my show just know I love you dearly. But I'm up here enjoying myself, you know, And I pray that that spills into you like the energy transfer, you know, but I'm not paying enjoying myself.

I'm gona talk how I want to talk.

I'm act you are now in my living room, you know what i mean, Even if I'm at somebody else's house. I mean, I'm opening up for somebody. We're still in the room they gave me to stay in.

You know what I'm saying.

It's like, I'm gonna give myself and if you like it, I'm glad you like it. But I'm not as much trying to win you over as much as I'm just giving myself to you.

And how you.

Take that, you take that, because I can only give you me, not back.

To the validation things. But when you feel that connection of your lyrics and the people.

And you're like, oh yeah, yeah, that's that's really feels good.

That feels really good.

Because I'm a very honest writer. I'm not poetic on purpose, you know what i mean. I just write what I feel at the time. And when I'm saying things like everybody's worried about tomorrow when they see tomorrow, I'm just trying to get mine off today and everybody's looking at me like yes, yes, singing these words like they came from their own brain. That's a really awesome feeling, because you don't feel crazy when people are like relating to you like that.

You feel like we are a little crazy.

We are insane, we are delusional, and we are insane.

We are freaking insane. But I'm not by myself, you know.

I feel like, you know, yo, all these things I've been fitling, Yeah, all these things I've been feeling.

They feel it too.

Men, women, gay, straight, you know, you name it. People are relating and that have always related to my my lyrics. I really appreciate that because I was a weird o child that always felt like nobody else understood.

What was the first song that did that for you?

The first song that did that for me was in Baltimore on the same the first tour I went on the Seagums Gen tour.

Baltimore, sing every word for word.

They started with no more tears, just kind of like some singing some of it. But of course by the time you got to be your girl, they're just singing it out, singing it out, you know, And I just dropped.

The fucking bike. I just dropped the mic and.

Just was standing there like I had to like get myself together to start back singing with them because I was blown away.

I was blown away.

I could not believe that those people, we had done a whole tour, nobody, you know, people starting to get into me knowing, you know, but now we're here in Baltimore and they're going up for me.

It was crazy.

Did you have.

A hit record as a writer first? Did that record come out first? Did Dipplo come out? Because I mean for people, I mean, we know, but y'all, I don't know.

She wrote Christina? Did that come out before?

I'm trying to think.

I think that we were almost simultaneous, simultaneous. I think I think it was around the same time. Yeah, I think maybe my album came.

Out about it dropped out.

Let me just tell you I was I was, Oh she was first. Yeah, I think I think Diplo was first. But either way, I'll never forget. I used to sing it like it's mine.

Oh you put in your show too, And no.

They didn't do it back then. Back then, nobody did that.

Back then, you weren't really singing the songs you wrote for other people.

Tank, it.

Wasn't happening but.

Used to do that with Babyface because about such a thing.

And I'm saying I wish I would have been doing that back then. Y'all heard that, y'all heard this.

That's all me every radio station because you know I was underground. So I want you to know, like what I do works when it has some support, you know what I mean?

Wow, do you I've had this moment before? And I want to know if you've had this moment as a as a singer and a songwriter where you write this song, whatever song this is for you. You write this song and you tell this story, you tell this truth, and you get it off and you send it out into the universe and one day you're singing this song where they're singing this song back to you and you finally you realize what this song means.

Yes, for sure, what song is that? I think that would probably be No More Tears, That's it. And I'm really stuck in my first album right now because I've been touring this thing right now and that's like really where my head is, and I think that's the one, that's the one, And this is when those experiences happen in the very beginning, you know, like, like I said, I was just speaking honestly when I was writing these records, and I'm seeing.

This chick crying, singing no.

More tears, which is kind of an oxymoron, but she's crying. She's like so intensely crying, like these were her last tears. She was gonna cry. And I was like, Oh, that's what I was on. That's what I was on, Like I'm really not about to be around here sad.

No.

I'm gonna get all this out and I'm not gonna be sad no more. And I think that's the first time I really saw the reflection, like the mirror of what I really was on when what's writing that record?

Yeah, I was. I was singing maybe I deserve one day mmm, and I didn't. I got lost, like to the point to where the song and I started tearing up. I was like, I was like, I'm getting ready to break. I was like, oh no, And they're singing there, singing it back, and I'm realizing what this song is sang from a perspective that I hadn't really looked at before. I just I don't know why I had that experience, but I was just like, this song means something so different,

If you give them the truth, then they got all the pieces to really work with.

A woman can navigate. Okay, cool, So that's okay, cool. Just let me be able to walk in there with my head up.

Oh no, I'm not walking in after you tell me I'm going in another direction.

But you gave me information for me to be able to make that decision.

That's I'm appreciative and I love you forever.

Goodbye. Let me have the car.

Oh no, you got first. I'm teaching. I am right. Oh look, yeah, I'm teaching mostly I don't I don't even know what the fuess you got going on? Oh yeah, the truth to set me free. I'm out, you.

Know what I'm I'm tired of you already.

I was gone somewhere. Where do you feel? How did you feel from a success standpoint with your first album? How did you feel?

I didn't feel any success. I'm under I'm an underground artist. I'm slowly, twenty years later, people starting to know me more, you know what I mean. I came from doing wardrobe for big labels, big budgets, all these things. I went to a record label called TVT, which was Indy, and we were thugging it, you know. And also, let's be clear, the Indy is so celebrated now. It's oh my god, that Indian. You know, it's India's Indie, Indian doing this Indy. We were not celebrated, right.

I'm from the Bay Area, so you know, everything independent.

Yeah, yeah, that's different.

But I'm saying our mindset is already where you are with it. But like you said, it's so celebrated now. But we were independent because you didn't have any like from.

The Bay and it was no industry in Oakland, yeah, you know, and you would have to come to La to become Everybody had to go to these big cities to come.

It was not like it is now. We all know that.

But so when you're indy and you're not, these platforms aren't really.

Checking for you.

These I remember, I'm not going to say his name, that's my baby. But were real cute, cool, and he was like, you know, she's too skinny to put up. You know the smooth magazine used to have with the girls and stuff like that, She's too skinny. Every time I see my swing my ass in front of like, I'm too skinny.

Huh, I'm too skinny. You said, I'm too skinny her. We have a laugh.

But these are the things.

You got that big.

So it wasn't easy.

So when you talk about success, it's like.

I didn't. I didn't pay attention. I just didn't really think.

About you at least.

I mean I was getting money as a writer.

Did you feel like I wasn't.

Even thinking about it? If I was seeing or not, I was Can.

I keep it g with you? I was working hard to take care of my kids. I couldn't worry about all of that. I just had to get what I was getting and be grateful for it and keep I have twin sons, twin sons.

Oh really, Oh my god, Oh fabulous. So they're part of it.

Before you go on, I have to tell everybody, very amazing part of a group called Coast Contra that's really really dope doing very true hip hop music.

And yeah, that's my babies.

So Chefferless is oh okay, okay, and.

That's been my homie before she had a restaurant. Okay, so when she opened a restaurant, you know, I'm going through there and I just keep saying these these these these young fellas, and I'm like, at first, yeah, I'm hold on.

And I have twin brothers.

I have brothers that are twins, so but my brothers are fraternal twins. But it's always you know, it's a thing when you see twins, especially when you see identical twins.

Right, And they was.

Just the nicest guys. Literally, you did an amazing job.

Thank you very much.

The nice when I say the nicest dudes, bro, just you know, cause you go to restaurants and it be bush it sometimes and even when it because I used to go a lot too, so you know, I would see them all the time. And they never said anything about music, right, And obviously I'm a music guy and chef knows that and the whole thing. So one day she was like, you know who their parents are, right, And I was like, we've never they've never said anything.

And she's like, y'all come here, you know, she.

Do her thing, my sanitary sister.

And they came and they and they were like, yeah, you know, but our dad is is uh Is Razskaz and our mom is teacher Moses.

I'm like, oh, as the R and B guy, and they were like, yeah, you know, we're trying to put together our music and we're doing this, that and the other.

And I just watched the progression and of them just killing everything when they do their freestyles. And those guys are so talented in the group as a whole. Yes, it's super super talented. And listen, the generations is going for you because that that is that's.

Special what they do.

Yeah, I think that. You know, when they first started, I didn't know that they wrap. I knew nothing about it. And a friend of theirs was coming up. We lived in Miami at the time, and a friend was coming over and he would come by and he be like, it's most as you have to hit him rap And they'd be like, no, no, mom, we don't rap.

We don't.

And I don't know why they thought I didn't want them to do this. I don't know why they thought that. But when they I finally did, they finally get get around to saying it. Just listen, just be good, just be good at it. And that's what they told me. We didn't want to tell you before we thought we were good enough because we knew you would tell us that we were horrible if.

We were, and I would, Yeah, yeah, you have to.

I expect excellence from my children. I told them ever since they were younger, you're great, and it said they had to figure out what they were great at, because I'm like, you gotta you're great.

It's in you.

You just got to figure out what it is. Yeah, and they figured out this was what it was. But I was not gonna be I see these people that do music and do it.

Really well, and then they have.

Kids, what are you doing, friggy business?

Sit them down and have to talk. I didn't do all of this for you to take us all the way back there. Don't make me look crazy, and my kids don't, thank god, thank god.

Put in too much work.

Yeah, now cents.

Yes, my two cents been my two cents in a minute.

And it's funny because they were probably didn't.

But you know, that's how it was as a wardrobe stylist.

No one knew I was saying. Do you know when my music.

Came out, everybody, producers, people that would be around. I would be in so many spaces, and I was very quiet, probably didn't smoked out, and just in the corner, high as hell, you know what I mean. And I never talked to anyone. But by the time it started going, people just came up to me frustrated and disgusted with me, like you did this all this time, and you told no one I was there doing this. I was just there doing this. I'm doing what I came here to do.

It's just I mean, because you know, from adding adding mom to it, like, people don't understand how difficult that in itself is, because you know, men and women are completely we operate completely different in that space. Man men detached. As soon as they leave a house man out may throw a phone call the two D, but he out in the field, he working. I gotta do what I gotta do. A woman is calling back to the house

Job, thank you, And to do it as a single parent. Let's make that clear.

Great job, thank you.

How old were they when you first went out on the road.

And like seven something like that, but they were good, Like we would have these conversations about how like listen, weird team.

Okay, don't be the weakest link because if you mess up, that messes up for me. If I messes up, that message up for you. We have to all be strong in It's like I raised them to understand we're doing this together. It was very much so what you see is what you get. Ain't nobody, no fairies dropping off, no money here. You know, I'm out here hustings. How I get it out the damn clad.

I was conversation with my daughter.

Yes, I kept a gem from like five years old.

They knew.

So these conversations made, you know, made it different and I remember once we were on the road, my son started going to roll with me. After they got older and started doing music, I would take them to the UK and stuff like that.

They were performed before.

Me and the band asked them when your mother was gone. We knew y'all would have parties. You know, y'all would have parties at the house. And they were like no, and they're like, nah, y'all had parties. No, they were why didn't you have parties? Because we didn't want to make it any harder for her.

That's real teammates, Jim saying what I'm saying.

You about to cry.

It's getting really motion.

That's man, that's real teammates, right and til this Sunen, that's my I mean to this day, my sons are my best friends, best best friends. We did it together, like and that's why you know, even now with their stuff, they'll call me and I'll tell them my opinion out in myself. You know.

We just teammates teams.

That is so cool.

Yeah, it is you.

I want to do that, Tomates. Don't make it hard over. I'm quite and I'm like, turn that thing up.

No, listen, I'm into the parties too. But don't do anything that I'm going to have to rush home.

Absolutely absolutely because I'm gonna kill you.

Yeah, and that's really why you're not doing because you know you're gonna die.

What could happen? I'm all about that everything you said. I love it. My wife is more like that. I was like, I mean, the whole wall ain't burnt.

It's just has to be balanced though two of you guys, it's just did you die?

But you know what, my trauma is different because I was like everything for me coming out of that Baptist house, in that church and that grandmother, great grandmother, great grandfather, mom and dad, everybody being there like Auntie Betty and own nit because I said, so, yeah, you know what I'm saying, and so.

I get to and I never said it. I would always.

Explain yeah and I and you know, like I grew up, asked my father Jack, can I go outside? And having to sit there, well, he smoked his cigarette.

Still that's are you still waiting to answer right now?

Still waiting to go outside? Wide?

That's why you like outside.

I would have to literally wait at the door sill for like ten to fifteen minutes and then just walk away and then later on he come walking out. You all your friends go out by yourself. All I have to say was that trauma that kind of forced me in a hard way in the other direction to number one, not my kids to be able to I think we're kind of teammates because I let them communicate.

That's important.

I let them say it how they feel it, and then we can we can make the corrections, we can make the alterations on how that should be communicated and and get into the wise of the feelings that they're having. Because I know I felt some things as a kid growing up. You know what I'm saying that I would love to have shared with my parents, but I didn't totally know how to articulate it. These new kids, sheesh, they're talking and articulating my nine year old his daughter.

It's also because they feel safer to do it. When you come from the era of like, yeah, do what I say, shut up and do us, it's a safer space to be.

I love that teammates. Shout out to my teammates, you know what I'm saying, get them rapping or something. Get you were Grammy nominated songwriter.

Yeah, I can't even remember what song that's crazy, right, because I'm trying to think because it happened a couple of times. She does know to me, and what song was Grammy nominated?

You said that because it happened a couple of times.

I remember about below them damn checks. So I was like homeless, me and my kids didn't have anywhere to stay. We were like kind of just going from political posts. I just went out on that tour something about and I didn't have no money, and we were going to do this and I wasn't going to sell my publishing. That wasn't my thing. So we're going to do this,

Okay. Cool.

So I still own it, and my lawyer it was like December, you know, everything closes down, and she's like, but there's some jargon in the in the contract that's just not right. And I'm gonna get back to it in the new year, what cause I'm homeless.

I need to way, I'm gonna get back to it.

We'll get back around to the new year.

But God talk about.

It must have been like my kids, somewhere around like the second or the fourth. My son's birthday is on January fourth. I got a check for like three hundred and something thousand dollars home more more my see what I'm saying. Wow, that's what I remember about dipping it pick it up slowly. Yeah, it was like, you know, that's when I that's to what I remember. That is the moment that I said, oh, you will never own me. I'm gonna own all of me every time. If I fail,

You to the people that have held me down for all these years.

Like I said, I've been underground, but it's been consistently growing the entire time, and I'm grateful for that.

And yeah, just thank you. I'm grateful. What's your playing over there?

Brother?

I got songs? Why does that sound like sometimes it snows in April a little bit?

The beginning of it.

I don't know what that is.

Press press no time, the neighborhood.

On the way though he had a principle.

I love Prince, you know, I'm talking about like in real life, like you knew Prince you.

I didn't know him, but I met him.

Yeah.

I feel like Prince met you too many times.

Yeah, teacher, the people are concerned about some information that they need from you. All the singing and all the touring and all the shows you've done, there's been some musical influences they would like, they would like to know who inspired we do all of this. And it's segment cold far You're top fa.

Mm hmm t far.

Your top pat I beasings, come on all and me songs.

We've got to move then though, you call there all you you more you you Yes, right, you're.

Tap f.

Mm hmm.

Okay, So you want to know my top five R and B singers singers, I would start with Anita Baker. Anita Baker because I think she gave birth to a whole generation of singers. I think that uh, Donnie Hathaway has one of the greatest tones I've ever heard in my life. Jasmine Sullivan is the greatest singer of her generation. Uh, let's see singers.

Mm hmm.

Let me see who else tank mm hm. I'm not just saying that because you're here, not for real. I've heard you sing live. Yeah, I'm not playing with you, bro, I've heard you sing live. Really, I've heard you sing live, and I've heard you pull it out of your spirit on them at the moment. I'm always amazed by that. I can't do that like that. I gotta go with her civilian figure it out. Would my last person be?

Can you sing the song? Can you just sing the song?

I feel man, you're talking about feeling something.

And if you've seen her live, you know it goes just like the record.

You know, I never seen that.

I said it. I need to see. It's just different. Yes, it's different.

I'm gonna find out if I can go find her in one of them castles that she lives in the castle. I don't know that, but I think I know that.

Castle for sure. I want to hear it saying.

Yeah, it's like her on stage is everything her music is, you know it is it is.

It's so good. She is probably one of my really top artist period.

Of all time. I would I love that she don't have to move, she.

Just and there's no other of her.

No, there's no more. I don't think that ever be okay.

Top five R and B songs.

Adore You by Prince Greatest Sex R Kelly.

What a song you can close your eyes and see everything?

He sang.

I was so angry I heard that song.

How did you get to anger?

Because in my mind I was always competing against him, even though I wasn't at that space yet, and I was like, he's still so much better.

Let's see what else do I have? Stronger in pride? It's one of my favorite songs.

Is it?

Beauty?

True?

Hill?

Real? You mean absolutely? That song angered me too.

That was a good one though.

Signed. That's when I was signing the Cliff and Jerry and it just got off tour with him and they dropped that song, and I think it was Jerry, look me, you ain't make sure like this. I can. That's how you motivated. Ain't making sure like that? Get your ship together?

Beautiful songs. To this day, I listen to it and it just makes me feel so good as a woman, Like you know, I I love that there are male artists out here singing for women, but that's like one of those key songs. It's like, if you as a woman, if you just want to feel good, you put that record on. I don't know, I think that might have been three or four. Crush Jeanne hmmm, yeah, I love them. By the way, I was a third member of that group.

He just see he just tells his whole story.

Like visit you here, my dear, my dear, and that that's the one, that's the one. And I was in heavy heartbreak when I listened to that. He was just like talking about her calling the cops on. It was just he ran the whole thing down. It's really really good. Yeah, so that would be my top five.

Dear.

Wow, I ain't saying no next, I ain't saying no names. I ain't saying no names. Saying no names.

You was.

What you did, don't say? She said.

So we had a very very important part of the show.

Pivotal, very very pivotal.

He would say, segment of the show called I ain't saying no name? Okay, will you tell us a story?

They or fucked up?

Are funny and fucked up?

Okay.

The only rude to the game is you can't say no name.

Okay. I got a few of those.

So when I first started out, was going on tour, and I told you I had never really done a show. So going on tour, and let's be clear, my sisters, my management, we've been like this for the whole time. We both with New Booty. We knew nothing going on. So the label gives us money to put together a band and everything. There were certain people that were pretty you know, well known for doing it at the time, putting together bands, mds, you know all this stuff.

There's this guy.

That we gave the money too to put it all together. I ain't gonna say his name, but this nigga took my money and just left it, just took the money. We had rehearsal. He just did not show up. One person in the band that he put together came. I'll say his name, mister Wild Jones, who's an amazing arranger, producer and MD.

He came and he.

He kind of like helped me put a real but I had to go get some more money, yeah, because they took the money.

Right.

So then he goes and gets people. It's my first time going out on the road. He goes and get people, pull together a really great band. But the day, but maybe two days before it was time to go out on the road, the guy that we didn't rehearse with all this time. And keep in mind, I don't know how to just pull thing together things together like I can now, you know, I'm.

Just new booty, right.

And so the guy goes to jail, one of the guys the band. Yeah, he goes to jo but we gotta leave tomorrow or the next year or something like that. I can't really find somebody else to replace him. So I go bail him out because that's what I thought I would have I was supposed to do. Now I wouldn't do that, but back then, that's what I thought I was supposed to do. So cool, So I got him out. Now we go and we do the first show we're doing a song produced by Rafael Sadik in

It's time.

There's like this boo bas thing. I turn around.

It's my first time, maybe my fourth time ever being on stage, first show of the tour. I'm in front of these killers, right. I turn around and this nigga is then forgot his bass and he's only playing key base. I want to throw the whole experience away.

I have my money. So he got fired never and he's my friend. He knows who he is. He's my friend, still my friend to this day.

But this was my This was the beginning of me having experience of like going out here on the road and having to deal with band members and and music directors. And I was green and I was a mark and they got me and y'all know who you are. And when one of them, one that took my money, see me act like.

Oh, you never got that money back, never got the money back.

Yes.

I saw him at the homing house one time, because.

He'd be with them.

So I see him at the house and he goes, he goes like he's talking to me like everything normal, and I'm like, okay, cool. As soon as they let you know that nigga stole my money, right, like that nigga stole my money, and like it's like, do you did you do this so much that you forgot everybody you stole? Probably I want my money back, Yeah, I want all of it with interest.

Yes, stole my mom. I mean, it was just ridiculous.

My start out was just like this is pure hell.

You gotta you gotta know you want it, because I was like, this ain't fun.

It's not cool, it's not funny. Mean over here, over here, it's not fun, and people are mean.

People are mean.

But you know what great experiences that taught you. You know, how to be a shark with the sharks, you know.

They got me.

Well. First of all, thank you, thank you for coming.

Thank you so much for having this was so much fun. You are not.

Like so I ain't coming on there.

You are.

I feel like you' the crazy one. You to calm.

It's perfect and we switch sometimes, yeah, but it ain't good if we switch.

If he crazy, craziest, fun my craziest, My crazy.

Is dangerous, somebody might get killed.

Yeah, you're not trying to nobody.

That's why I try to say okay, good good, good good.

I like that. Yeah, it's about if we're both crazy. Oh man, God bless a child. But you I love everything about you. Like I said in the beginning, you're you're super dope. Your energy is is very much needed, almost required in a sense, you know what I mean. Those stories and those things that you've been through, and in the amount of time that you've put into this and and the way you're still standing in it, like

So we're happy that we can help people see it.

Yes, thank you, thank you, and thank you all for what y'all doing.

We appreciate you anytime, the safe We're here for you. Whatever you need. You're going to nowhere, new music, yes, new album.

Yes, all that.

I'm gonna come school on between.

Come on, yeah, maybe saying a little bit. My name is and this is the R and B Money Podcast, the authority on all things R and B just don't just essence, you know, just all of elegance. Yeah, sexy, just fly and talented.

Thank You.

R and B Money is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcast 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 jy Valentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode, subscribe to YouTube dot com, forward slash, R and B Money