The Breakfast Club BEST OF 2(Teddy Swim, Nina Parker & KevOnStage, And Leon Thomas Interview)

Djess, Hilenio, Charlotte mae'stening to the back.

Plus thank y'all for bere like coach, are leaders got family.

The Breakfast Club is where people get the information on the topics, on the artists and everything like that.

I'm running like that.

You guys went nice.

Everybody got me all nervous like you guys. Let's not go Yeah, you locked into the world's most dangerous wanting show.

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This is what I'll do this that's right, Get up about the bids and listen to the greatest show on Earth.

Ray right, Ray Yo.

Charlomagne Davy, what up are we losing?

This is your time to get it off your chest.

I got an indoor pool, outdoor pool.

We want to hear from you on the Breakfast Club.

Get on the phone right now. He'll tell you what it is.

We live.

Hello. Who's this?

Yeah?

This man?

Man?

How y'all doing?

What's up?

Ben?

Getting off your chest? Ben uh man?

I just want to first of all, good morning Jess, Good morning, charlat Man.

Good morning, he pe all right, uh firy thing.

I just want to get this.

I'm gonna say. I can't say this to my girl, so I'm gonna just say it to y'all.

I hate my girl.

Dogs.

Okay.

What kind of dogs are they?

That she got?

Some kind of little poodle dog and American pit?

Okay, I am a dog guy.

Don't get me wrong.

I love dogs.

I just didn't grow up with dogs in my house. Okay, but he's dog about to be crazy.

I don't know how.

Okay to all the dog people out there, I don't know how y'all dealing with dogs running all around y'all house and dog here everywhere, but just about to make me say, hey, I can't do it.

No more.

Cleaning up, bro, I don't.

I just refused, like, I don't even.

Walk these dogs.

You'll got kids.

I don't do nothing.

Yeah, lord, damn, he's about to walk away, because what are they doing to you?

Man?

Listen, the dogs ain't doing nothing. They just they just stupid dogs. And I hate dogs everywhere.

I don't.

I don't like going to work with dog here all over me. Okay, that's crazy. We look. These dogs don't even be in my car. And I got dog here in my car.

It's sound vacuum in my.

Car, and my all lady with every day because I'm thinking of these dogs.

It sounds like y'all need more space, like more and more space than when your residents.

Yeah, he got a nice size house.

Ain't no space.

You need to getting ready to eat.

Damn to make one of them come up missing? You don't do that.

Listen, this is what made me call this morning. I listened to this show.

Every morning those all the way to work, just like I'm doing now. But I had a dream about poisoning them dolls last night. I said, boy, I might need to talk. I might need to call charl Many talk to them. But this is something going on with the missal.

Having dreams about Did you and your wife have a conversation and tell her how you feel?

Yeah, we had to do a bigger argument. I ain't trying to go ahead no more.

So why don't you buy one of them kid gate? You know the little kitty gates. But but I want the little kitty gates and put the dogs and the kiddy gates.

That what, Charlotte?

I don't want dogs? Yeah, look.

All right, man, so let me let me walk out.

So let me tell you something.

Dog, when you heard that there was when you heard the lie that they was eating catching dogs in Ohio?

Did you did you? Did you smile a little bit?

Did you think about taking a little trip a little bit?

You have a good one, man, I have a good one.

Yeah, I have a good one.

Man, Get it off your chest. Eight hundred five five one on five one. Did you grow you grow with dogs?

No?

I didn't grove with dogs, but I have those now, Charlomagne A couple not like that though.

I had a couple of rock walls when I was young. I had a bad experience with somebody poisoned my dogs. Somebody got tired of my Damn.

I had two rod walls named band Terror, and somebody got tired of Terror and they poisoned the neighb with poison them. I can't prove it that they would poison them, but I feel like they would poison them. Uh No, which one died? One of them died because they got poisoned. One of them got picked up by the dog people could be get.

Jesus Christ. Yeah, I had shepherds all my life. My dad didn't believe in having a dog as a petty. If you had a dog, the dog need to have a job. Oh wow, so you got to protect the house again.

That different.

You ain't got no pety. You gotta have a job. You're gonna protect this house. If now we don't want a little dog, now we want a dog.

I want a dog now my.

Wife won't let me get one. Yep, I want to stop African boar board.

Well, get it off your chest eight hundred and five eight five one oh five one. If you need to vet hit us up now it's the Breakfast Club.

Good morning, the Breakfast Club.

I'm telling what you're doing.

If this is your time to get it off your chest, whether you're mad or blessed eight hundred five five one. We want to hear from you on the Breakfast Club.

Hello? Who's this.

Theme from the eight o three leave when I was a late night booty call doing the Walk of shame aka to ride a shame home.

So you stak right now?

No boy ooh, that got a.

Good point, you know what? But actually I don't because I don't eat meat and I don't really have an older light that to be honest, that.

That asparagus stink when you pee? Now, don't act like that.

But was it a good night?

At lea?

It was a good night.

But check this out before we get into my good night. Go to my TikTok page.

Not you, but y'all, five me listeners.

Coffee's content k A s k A F I s k O is T E n T like get back to the late night do the card? What's up?

I just asked if you enjoyed yourself?

That's all?

Oh?

I always do though, Okay, this is a regular book, this is something new, or this is a regular book.

No, it's a regular booe. And next, I was a virgin until I met him, and then I had two kids already, But I was a burgeon until I met him, because I never knew did you say any I knew?

Again?

Was missing out?

All I never knew?

Jesus well, oh, she said she was a virgin till she met Oh, because you had two kids, but you never had a well gas.

I kind of didn't have an art. I just didn't.

Okay, while I'm.

Late night creeping on the weekday and I got to be the work in the hour, and still I got this son hold myself like thirty one and.

My daughter ten how far what you're driving from? Where your booty call at role?

You a fastir road?

Yes, I do road.

Yes, the fab round ain't too far.

It ain't too far. It's like a tap on the road you're talking about.

Get your ass back home. You gotta be working a little bit.

Right right the morning, Breakfast Club.

Get home in time to take a shower, brush your teeth before you kiss that ten year old two.

You're going to smelling like.

But you don't.

Stop playing with me. I told you I don't have an owner.

I don't eat me family right, Thank.

You everybody that people, people that's thinking up. We don't know what you do.

Hey, yo, get it off your chest.

Eight hundred five eight five one oh five one. If you need to ben hit us up now. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning, the Breakfast Club.

Morning.

Everybody is e J N V jess hilarious, Charlamagne the guy we are the Breakfast Club just is out today.

Lauren's holding it down.

And of course we got our niece Nola Hill, and we got a special guest in the building. Brother Teddy swims, Hang, I'm so honored me here man, I'm fine man, happy to have you.

I really really excited, dude.

We we did our album release party last night though, so uh, you know again, excuse my drinking for.

You don't drinking early in the morning. You see that one over.

Let's hear all.

The way.

Yeah, yeah, I have one other way. Absolutely, Yeah, you're drinking with a pregnant man? Is there?

Tell us about yourself, teddy, man, that's so loaded.

I'm from Georgia, from from about thirty minutes east of Atlanta and Conyers, Georgia, Rockdale County, and you know, like singing songs and I'm a good, good, good boy.

It was a very soulful, soulful voice. Did you grow up in the church.

Yeah, so my granddad was a Pentecostal pastor. I didn't grow up singing in the church a lot, but I you know, I definitely grew up with fire and brimstone for sure.

Man.

With the fear of God. Yeah you know what I mean, you're afraid to sind? Oh no, no, not not these days. I mean, but I'm just talking about like back in the day was like a very yeah.

Yeah, you know, like girls don't get haircuts, you know, girls wear skirts, men wear jeans, like that kind of thing.

It was really real kind of tight, and I was, I mean, I'm very fortunate. I guess.

I feel like I still subscribe to so many of the principles of you know, even the police art there.

I do love that my my granddad was.

As I was growing up with my granddad, he was he was like, we wouldn't even go to restaurants that would have bar in the restaurant, you know, And not that he ever had a problem drinking, but it.

Was just he stood on his belief so much.

The thing that I was always with him was that I didn't subscribe to the idea that like telling people that they're wrong and this is the only way to believe something. I remember he looked at other churches and be like, think that the only way he believed it was right. I remember I remember the first time I sang at his church, I might have been seventeen or sixteen or something, and I remember.

Him saying, like, you know, I want you to saying at the church, Bud, but man, all these kids are like break dancing and carry it on for the Lord. And I was like, yo, pop, like nobody's broke dance since like my mom was the child and if they want to break dance for the Lord.

Fop, like, let him break dance for the Lord?

You know.

He was. He was very you know, stern, like just by the book.

If it wasn't in the Bible, then it was a sin, you know what I mean. Yeah, hell yeah. My mom was worse than I was. I remember, I remember getting in trouble for all sorts of being like, I'm not doing any of that. She was thought I was doing all sorts of message. I mean, but she was a passers kid.

My mother was the But listen, I wanted to you know, when you about rebellious, you started to playing football, all right, So, yes, sir, it was her family was a big football family.

So what got you from football to singing my different Jens?

Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, an offensive offensive guard as well. Yeah, and but I mean, I just five foot seven. Wasn't really happening, you know, just in high.

School, middle school at the time.

Yeah, but I've been five foot seven since I was in eighth grade, and so I thought they thought I was gonna be big, you know, and then it just it didn't happen. I started shooting up six foot two and three and whooped my ass off.

The line we got you into arts.

Like my different Jesse, who still plays with me. I've known him since I was little kid. Uh, his dad was always in bands and stuff, so we started trying to experiment and play music and stuff. And his older sister was a musical theater and got us in the musical theater. And I just kind of fell in love with singing, and I was so I was hooked. I was hooked that singing has changed my life. I wasn't good always, but I fell in love with it, you know.

And she was so so hurt. I brought out all my memorabilia, like I can't believe you do this to us. We were playing football, you know.

And I remember my first little we did this show called Damn Yankees. I did like two lines in it, I think, and uh, after I got done, I come off stage and she was like, I'm so sorry, baby, this is where you belong.

Really you're a star, you know.

After I did like two lines, you know, but it was what do you mean by you weren't always good at it?

Like?

How do you you sound.

So we were so bad at it, you know, he was in a group.

Well, no, just me and my buddy Jesse. He still plays guitar rights and he plays guitar in my band still. And we as we were learning and trying to build bands together and do it as kids. You know, we just were really bad. You know, we sucked, like we're just not good, like you can still fine actually on YouTube. I was a senior in high school. My first band, Heroic Bear, is still on YouTube, our first little EP.

If you want to, you can go to routine. If you hear it, dude, you're gonna be like, Okay, yeah you got good.

Did you get lessons or did you practice or how did you just so good?

Well?

I think I was so lucky. I mean, I was in theater, you know, and I had a lot of good friends and they were singing. But I think I think the biggest thing was growing up in the like when the YouTube era was first kind of starting, you know, and if I had questions or if I wanted to know how to sing There was always a live version of singer singing, you know, so like I could I could watch like live videos.

Of how how is how are they moving they throw? How they moving their jaws? How are they yeah?

Sect it, you know, I could. I could just sit there and watch YouTube videos and see people singing live, you know, like singing Craig David singing like and credit recovery. I would pull up like YouTube proxy and just have it behind the video and just like listen to Craig David just I'm walking away j And I could listen to by videos and watch their them play, you know and singing.

It was like do you think you like saw somebody like Craig David and like mimic him, and that's how you found your voice.

So totally yeah, some of the best, man, some of the best that ever did it. Marvin Gay watching I was just reading man listening to Al Green, you know, I mean, I just fell in love with the instrument and I.

Was like, I want to know how to access that.

And then you started doing these covers, right, and you started covering songs and then you did one cover that started shooting up crazy.

So talk about that a little bit. Oh, I think Shania Twain. I'm still the one was al like, that was the one that really kind of went crazy for us. You know, I love my mama, and my mama loved Shanna Twain when I was coming up, I loved Shania Twain too. That was that was a real life changing

Train kind of going.

So we kept on for the next few months, and I think the beautiful thing about starting with Rock with You it started getting you know, this said. The first day we woke up, we had like ten thousand views, and it was so life changing for us. We like

Why have you tried everything with therapy?

Well, I've had tried therapy.

Now there's a you know, even as we're getting ready of our kid, me and my girls have been doing even a couple of therapy, which has been so wonderful and making sure we're coming in and having this child and the most healed, safest environment possible. But I think name of the album that was kind of to have that conversation and with myself to get myself to go.

With me, you know.

And I feel like once I got it to it, it was so much different than I thought it would be too. And I feel like there was something beautiful about having that first album and not trying it and being in a place of turmoil on heartbreak with somebody that was made me feel like my feelings were invalid or not allowed to have and having this part two coming out and being this thing of I've tried therapy,

You know, Teddy Swims is here, Charlamagne.

Can we talk about some of the music on this new album?

Sure?

I Love Not Your Man is a very vulnerable record thank you. Have you ever really felt like you gave everything to a woman and it wasn't enough?

Yeah?

Hell yeah, man, I think it was important to start this one out like that because I was. I'd have wrote this forever I was. I was in a place with somebody where my you know, it's hard. I don't want to talk about her in a way that because I now, as I've grown and healed and moved on, it's I I thank her for for what we went through, you know, and I'm grateful for that time and space

I don't don't I don't want to. I don't want to say it. While both man. Physically she was, she was just not good. She was not a good person, and I've won the best for her.

But yeah, it was a very tough thing to try to try to heal somebody, try to make space for someone to heal, try to give somebody everything. You would think you would think if you.

Had a if you had a passion.

I'll just make it like this, you had a passion in your life, and you had somebody in your life that says you could quit your job and just focus on your passion.

I'll take care of the rest.

You got it, and you don't do anything with your life, but you just eat Zaggs all day and lay around and blame somebody for your shortcomings when you have the opportunity to follow your dream and somebody that would support you with your dreams, and you'd be like so surprised to see if somebody had the opportunity to follow their dreams and they had everything taken care of. How many people would be like, if everything's taken care of, I'm going to do it anymore.

And you can't.

You can't put ambition and drive into somebody.

You can't heal.

Nobody, you can't save nobody. And I've started to go on that tangent.

But from that situation, do you feel like you no longer inable because it's like, though you want to.

Do something out of love to better somebody, sometimes it's to their own detriment.

Yeah, I think I think, yeah, I think it's it was an enabling at the end of the day. You know, I was doing something to help someone become but I think at the end of the day, I was enabling somebody to do nothing, and if that was inside of them, I was enabling that.

And I think it's a common pattern, you know.

But yes, I'm trying to heal and learn to see somebody for who they are and not who I want them to be or think they should be.

I can tell you got a big heart, but people will take advantage of hell.

Yeah, and I'm also grateful to be I don't want to say I'm grateful be taking manage that.

I'm grateful to be available.

Everybody's gonna use you, but don't let people miss use a man.

Yeah, I have a last question for you.

I was reading this interview you talked about because your girlfriend's black, and you talked about like when you guys are in the South, you get like looks from people and like it bothers you because love should be loved. But you're about to bring a baby into the world. You're so positive, she seems so amazing, but the world is not always like that. Like, how do you defeat that because you're really a really nice person, Like it breaks my heart.

I mean, you know, I hate how much she's go through. So her dad's black and her mom's white. So she tells me about stuff all the time, about like, you know, how she felt not wide enough or not blacking up, and how much her world in her life has been such a I guess, like a juxtaposition in both sides, you know, never feeling like she wasn't quite accepted by either side, you know.

And so there is not a story.

I won't I won't tell you her story because she's better saying it than I. Well, I'll never tell you her story. But I see how like how beautiful she is, and how I guess how like elegant she navigates being who she is. She's the most incredible human being I've ever met, man to talk to.

I love that Johnson and White, the Song of Money Loan. Yes, sir, that title is a little on the those, don't you think, Yeah, yeah.

I think I think that the point of it was kind of to the core of love in itself is black and white, Like it's a it's a black and white issue.

Love is love and not love is not love and loving.

Whether it's a person of a different color, shape, size, sexuality, same sex, whatever it is. I think that the thing was trying to say that we no matter what, we could come from different worlds. It's it's a true I guess wrote me on and Juliette story. You know kind of is the basis of it is that like you know, we we come from different places, we come from different cultures, we have different things. But when you're in love, man,

You know, love is love.

You know, I love that record and it's a good stamp because you know, money Long recently went viral for saying she's not writing soulful songs for white artists.

Did you see that?

I did not? Oh I'm glad I got that one before she said exactly when did she do that song?

Was that long?

Did you do that a while ago? Yeah?

We did it.

It's had to be a few months ago now. But diffriend Jeff Kitty and Mickey Echo is a part of it with us too, and we we like started working on it. And I remember Jeff Kitty as has been working with Money for long years and years and he's like, man, should we see if Morney wants to do this song with us? And I was like, I mean, yeah, that's like that. We'd kind of like to do a record like this. We would kind of need that, you know.

Man, what a bad bad ass man.

Now, you also said you wanted to meet one of your musical idols, were Stevie Wonder?

Yeah, you ever get an opportunity?

Yeah, you know, we haven't met in person, but yeah, yeah, and I got I got a chance to do a record with him too. So uh, I think he's gonna put out on his next record, I hope. So, I hope it's gonna come out. I'm really excited. It's it's a good record. It's called Politics Player and uh yeah, which is such an honor to be on our Steve Wonder record. But yeah, he did FaceTime. I'll tell you that. It's so funny. Man, he FaceTime.

Yeah.

And here's the thing thing. He is actually blind, y'all. This is true life.

He was blind.

I'm saying people say it. People, there's a conspiracy that he's not.

Look.

Look, I'm telling you. I'm telling you. I was on the phone with this. I was facetiming this man and he said, he turned this. He had put the camera around. He said, this is my son over here, and then he said I'm over here today. He's pulled it up here and he said, and this is my niece. And then he had he had phone facing her. And for the next ten minutes of the conversation, I'll look as.

Far as you are. I looked at his niece and knock and he was holding he was holding the camera like he was holding like I not all. See I did not have to hold it.

She was she was sitting there.

She was sitting there text on her phone.

I didn't have the hard to say, hey, I can't see you, but you know, my dumb ass man, my numb that's the reason he called me because.

I was in Tokyo.

I was in Tokyo and I had found I had found my favorite album, all time, best album ever, Songs in the Key Live.

I found a CD of it.

It was a Tokyo version of it, like the Japanese version of it, and my dumb ass taxing him a picture of it.

My goodness, I get.

Idiot like he was gonna see it right right, Like I just chech that's what I found, Bro, I found, Bro, what are you saying? His FaceTime? So I was like, my dumb ass too, was like you give a touch. He's definitely he didn't see it, Bro, I don't think. I just just to put all those things to rest.

And shut down.

It's crazy.

All these years black people have been trying to figure this out and you are the one that.

Solved the problem.

I just I just know.

I was looking at his knees about fifteen minutes. Again.

Well there you have it, Swim. You appreciate you for joining us. It's the breakfast Club.

Good morning, It's topic time.

Eight hundred and five eight five one five one to join it to the discussion with the Breakfast Club.

Mourning.

Everybody is thej Envy Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne the guy.

We are the Breakfast Club.

If you just joining us, we open up the phone lines eight hundred five eight five, one oh five one. We're talking about older men dating these younger women. And when I say younger women, I'm talking about teens or low late or early twenties.

I show no, no, no, no.

When I'm talking about younger women, I'm talking about these guys that are thirty years these people seniors.

That's what I'm talking about.

Like, I think, when you're fifty some years old and you're dating a twenty year old, that's ridiculous to me.

And I mean, I'm consistent.

I'm talking about teenagers eighteen, nineteen, early twenties. Somebody could be thirty two dating a sixty year old And are you cool with that? What a thirty five year old dating a sixty five.

Year old man?

A sixty year old man?

Yeah, I think that's even more because this man sixty plus years old old, but he said thirty thirty at least, like yeah.

Growing up and that's going to say so it's not the difference we're talking about.

You're looking at her a little crazy, like, damn, what you want with that old ass man? He must be rich.

Right, Well, let's let's ask Jess. Jess, you said you dated a forty year old man.

You were at age I was twenty three.

Why yeah? Money? Yeah, he did.

Make about the line.

I was really about to say, yeah, he had money, and I always had like a little old solo or whatever, you know what I mean. And I met him at the car dealership and no, ain't buy me no car, but he helped me with the down period.

That's why.

He helped me with the down pay much. And I think the down pay I was getting like a little Honda. It might have been like five thousand or something. But I act like I ain't have it all, and he was like, you know, you know, and how give you? He gave me like three thousand dollars.

Yeah, for like six or seven months. It really wasn't long.

But I broke it off.

Not even I broke it off because you you get and like relationships with older guys as a young woman, because you think, oh this is gonna help me grow up, or I'm doing something that ain't nobody else doing I'm in you know, and he's very childish.

She was childish.

You you automatically just think because you did an older guy that they're gonna have it all together.

They're wise, you know.

They they can teach you.

Things, try to do those things when you're like, nah, I know what I'm doing and do this. So he try to be like, treat you like a child or no.

Yeah, until he realized that he couldn't do that, and then that made him. That made me even more attractive to him, Like he liked that. It's okay, so you're not a young dummy.

You smart.

Now let me show you how dumb I am. It was just weird, Like I was like, oh no, I gotta no, I can't. Like he was very childish and stuff. He didn't know how to have sex, he didn't know how.

To ghat the box.

I was like, oh my god, you're too old and I know these things. And I started dating back in my age.

Break probably gonna taste the way they used to.

The ones from my area taste a whole lot different, right.

I'm gonna be I just think it's corny. There's no way you should be dating a woman who was in somebody's womb when you was thirty.

Yeah, okay, imagine imagine being thirty years old, Yeah, standing over a crib with your out like that.

That just looks crazy. That that sounds that's yeah, how you should look at it? How you fifty?

If you fifty plus years old dating a twenty year old, that makes no sense to me.

I don't know why men have not grown out of that. I love discipline, I love stability, I love having a family.

When you if you.

Fifty plus years old, you should be kicked up. You have your feet kicked up at home. You got your wife over here, you got your kids over here. Why are you chasing these other I.

Disagree with that standing over the crib, which sound like that? Now listen.

The only reason why, the only way I would think about it like that is if way around the way, and you've seen this girl grow up and you waited for her to get a.

Certain age like nineteen eighteen something like that to date.

Her, then I get that notion of it.

But to these if you're just an older man and you see a younger woman, younger looking woman, you know whatever, it's like, all right, they are attracted to young women, you know, but that's different. I'm not about to think about it as I'm standing over a damn crib with my watch this little girl grow.

I will not jump, I.

Won't say this.

Everybody's not made for marriage, right. He was married and didn't enjoy it, so he wants to be a bachelor. And I'm not mad at that. But I look at it a little different, Charlamage. You got four daughters. I got four daughters. I don't want my twenty one, nineteen twenty two to twenty three year old daughter dating a fifty four year old man. There's there's nothing in common. The only thing I feel like you dating that young is because you want to control. That's that's what that's

Somebody your age, go get you a nice forty something and exactly what you said you want to control, because that guy at that dealership gave me three thousand dollars because he just knew she greened now going to control her, and did not.

He didn't know. He's dealing with Jesse Baltrom.

Go find somebody that can help you regulate your cholesterol. Go find somebody that they dealing with their blood pressure. Really, go find somebody that can recognize the signs.

Of I gotta go get a colic colons. But you don't know what that is those?

You know what I mean? Who is?

Who is Calvin? Who's hello?

Who's this?

Hey? This is key?

How y'all doing?

I'm good?

Key?

How old are you?

Key?

No?

Hold on it, says key, was seventeen dating a forty year old man.

Come on, it was forty something, a little bit older than forty.

And y'all got married. Break that down.

Yeah, we end up getting married. We had three beautiful children together. We are no longer together.

Because he dead.

Oh my god, is he dead?

No, he's still he's almost sixty one, still dating younger women.

What state of y'all in that that was legal?

Huh?

What state of y'all in that that was legal?

It wasn't Virginia.

But you said y'all got married when they got married, probably when she get married.

Until I was like twenty. Oh, dug right, So long story short, it was.

It was very hard.

My twenty my early twenties twenties was very hard, very displessing. He was very controlling, was always gone out doing what he wanted to do while was at home taking care of our kids.

It was it was really hard.

It was something that I would not recommend any young woman ever.

Was he very controlling?

He was.

It was a domestic balance situation. I definitely finally got the courage to leave because I didn't want my children to keep on, you know, seeing that I don't didn't want them to think that that's normal. And then in fact that our oldest son, he's sixteen, now I had to put him in therapy because you know, it just it was just horrible.

Yeah, yeah, thank god that.

I had to pray my way out of that situation because I was really in.

Love with him.

Where was your father at at this time? Was your dad around?

So yeah, let me let me.

Protect my parents. My parents are both retired army and they were both overseas fighting the war and Iraq. So I was in vi Jinga with my with my grandmother. I was at work when I met him, so it's not like my grandma just let me do it ever work, you know, he took that opportunity to you know. Yeah, and he used to come pick me up from hool and everything like Jesus high school, you know, signed out.

So yeah, definitely old enough to sign your out.

That's wow.

Crazy.

But but thank you for sharing your story that you're still hear and that you are out of that situation.

Yeah, definitely.

I didn't want my kids to think.

That I was normal, So yeah, thank you.

Key.

And he's a horrible father, so.

That means he a horrible grandfather too.

Yeah, he is people, all right.

The moral of the story is, I know y'all like to be out here bragging about smashing these young girls, but that's not a flex to me. You know what I'm saying, You fifty four years old, in your fifties, you should be later with your wife and kids, or at least be with women that's close to your age.

Like that's that's me, yeah, you know, and I'm consistent with that.

I said that when Diddy was out here with young Miami and you told LEONARDA, I don't know what y'all seeing these young girls.

I need somebody that can know at least all at least six members of.

Wu Tang six. It's a six of them. Yoh godess I never told you this story about how years ago.

I'm not gonna say his name, but there was a record rep and he was talking to me about how man. I tried to talk to one of these young girls and she was real smart, and I said to her, you a regular doogie Houses?

And she was like, who is doogie houses? Just don't know exactly? You know who don't know? No, okay, exactly see.

Regular doogie houses?

And now tell me what's the dog house.

Doogie House was a hit sitcom back in the day that Neil Patrick Harris.

My grandma said, I know, Neil Patrick, you got the.

Ladist coming on you. See what I'm saying.

I would tell everybody outter that thinking about it, Just imagine when you have daughters. Would you want your daughters to date a fifty four year old man at the.

Age of nine.

Imagine being thirty button neckad standing over somebody's crib.

That's what you should be thinking about when you.

Were here ready to holler these twenty some year old girls when you fifty plus cut it out.

If you just joined us this context, this context, Yeah, it's the breakfast club in the morning, the Breakfast Club.

One of everybody is team was just hilarious, charlamage to God. We are the breakfast Club. La La Rosa is here with us, and we got some special guests in the boland this morning.

The host of the new show Friday Night Vibes on TV as the new host Friday Night Vibes on TVs.

Dina Parker Kevin on.

I walked that up because you know, keV didn't talk about that last time he was here. And I saw Nina in Chance and Nina was like. Nina was like, I don't know why he was up there and did not mention that we're in a new home.

Friday Night may be having tunelevision, so you got all these other projects he was. I watched the interview and I was so excited, like, I can't wait till he mentions Friday Night VIX because we were in the middle of filming Friday Night Vibes.

Man Friday Night Friday Night Vibes, and I had just.

Did Taron Hall. I was like, Keith, I mentioned you and shouted you out. They showed your picture on the back. I'm being ghastling, I said at first, So it means it's true, baby, that's just who you are.

Because you know one of your best friends was up here right like just right here, and when we told him that you were coming, he was like, he didn't even tell me he was here in New York.

He was like, we were playing pool and friendship.

We saw Tony just in the grind.

I was like, what are you doing?

Tony didn't tell me he was doing the breakfast club. But men don't share details like that, Like if it would have been me and my homegirl, we would have been like at the hotel having breakfast before we came over. I feel like, y'all just see each other when you see Tony had a show in New York. I didn't know that I got tickets to a show, surprising. I was gonna pull up right ticket because always buy.

I don't even play that. I'm not trying to hear it. Don't hear me because people you ain't even cool, Like what's up on the tickets? Kevo stays dot com. It's what I'm telling them. My parents buy tickets to my show, and.

I want to support, but then they want you to give up the ticket. Yeah, that ain't support parents. Buy tickets to your parents.

Refuse to get free tickets. They're like, I believe in you and what you're doing. I'll go get tickets.

They won't make sure they got loan you no money ever again.

No, well, yes, you keep doing good. You know what I'm saying. I need you to make it.

You know they're not just testing you just to see if you're gonna say no, no, no, y'all have done enough.

I got you.

No, they buy them, they support for the next show. My friends, I don't mind these people.

I don't know.

We ain't got a relationship. You're trying to get the free tickets, Manna, Okay, it's like a hookup. When I work in Popeye's, I give my friends a hook up. Not everybody, some of the biscuits.

If you see the price, that's true.

How did this come together?

You know what's crazy? We actually chem tested together. Kevin and I knew each other only on social media, like I was a fan of his work and we had never met, so we would, you know, exchange on social media. And then you know the show used to be hosted by Tiffany Hattis and do y'all cold. They were revamping it and so they did like a big casting call so when we got called and sometimes when you get to a certain level, you're like, oh, I still got

Yeah, it was like you you spend five minutes with this person and okay, y'all done and this person and when Nina and I went, it was like this sounds cliche, but I was like, I forgot we were even auditioning.

We were just chopping it up and they stopped us. We were like, okay, cool. I was like this, we got this. Like there's sometimes I feel like you get that little voice you know when you're when you're in this industry, you just know when something that is magic. And we were sitting next to each other and it was so easy with him. And I've had a lot of co hosts over the years, and keV is by far like the easiest person I've ever worked with.

Oh that's an ultimate compliment.

By the way, it's not just to him as to his wife Melissa, right, because his wife is he knows how to there is a there's a dance, as you guys know. And then when you have like a co host who knows how to communicate in a healthy way with a woman, it's just like even like he'll be like do you need to sit? I'm like what because I'm used to people being like get off the way, and it's just he's very kind. So it just makes it so easy to work with. Nina.

Go ahead, I tell you that all the time. When somebody says you're easy to work with, that's beautiful. When somebody says you're a pleasure to work with, you always work.

Yeah, because it's so long. The work is hard.

So talent is evenly distributed, you know in La New York, but good people to work with is not so much. And then it's already stressedful you got early call times and all that stuff. If you're also a jerk on top of that, it's like, bro, I don't even want to do it.

It's life be lifing, as you know, so it's like it's hard to get on and have to like turn all of that off. You know in filming. So when you have somebody that's like keV is really like my real life brother, you know, I really love him. I love his wife like, we have dinners like and so it's just it doesn't it truly doesn't feel like work. So we just be cutting up, and you know, this show really allowed me to be funny and like really tap into cause I feel like I've done so much

Yeah, and we need to helped me too, because I had never done official TV, never worked off a prompt before. So the first day I was like, dang man, like there's a lot of pressure and you can't really mess up. It's time for you to do your job right. And he was like, oh, it's all good. There's how you doing us run through it once and Nina, man, let me tell you what she big sis for real, because when I don't want to do stuff, she'd.

Be like, ah, we ain't doing that, y'all. We are doing this.

Like you can tell she's been in the game for a long time, never rude or anything like that, but she she knows how to assert herself and people respect her for that.

And I'm more of like, I never done this, so whatever y'all say is cool. But also when you've done it a long time, you know when people are patty time, like you're like, we don't need we got this. We can just roll through this, like y'all ain't got a babys Like, we're gonna come in, we gonna knock this out, and we're gonna go home. Everybody gonna get home on time, y'all, hill over time stop.

Is hard for you, keV being on a production that you don't control, no low key, Actually it's free because someone, oh my god, there's a certain amount of stress when you control it, Like the talent is just one aspect. Then you got to worry about the budget and the controlling, the editing, the delivery day. That vibes brother, When it's over all right, y'all, and it's it is, it is a welcome reprieve from having a duel. I don't want to have to worry about post edit deliveries, time code

Okay? Perfect, see you all tomorrow. Just come on time.

Do my job.

Chopping up with Nina, I knew we was cool. Need to let me her she was getting braided down, like y'all real friends, man, you let me see the the breakdown.

No, That's why I think that camaraderie and chemistry from the audition through the show, it just carries on throughout. And then that's why the show feels so natural. Our guests come on, they feel really natural with us, you know what I'm saying.

So, and it doubled the ratings. So we did the first season, we only had like twelve episodes, so it was just the first Friday of every month, which right now, you know, TV is very difficult. They actually doubled our episode order because they were saying that our interviews with each other and with our guests were spiking over the movies. Yeah, so I mean listening to get a double order during this time, we feel very blessed.

Were still picking it with Nina, Parker and keV on stage the new show Friday Night vibes is on TVs Lauren.

I was going to ask you, Nina, because for us in the journalism where you talk about brooking and hard journalism, I know you come from TMZ. Your career and how you've been able to diversify your resume. We all watch it like how because it is hard when you're such a journalist and do things where they allow you to show your personality. What was your first lesson in like I even want to try to diversify.

Well, my first lesson was I got fired and you know, as you know, it's like you got fired from well, I got fired my first week from TMZ. I didn't know it.

So my first.

I'm gonna let her talk her story.

So the first time I got fired was my first week in TMZ. I just moved to la and I was not even a PA yet. I was a runner. I didn't know anybody in l A. I literally got the job by emailing contacts they used to have like a contact TMZ, and I just emailed and was like, I got a degree, can I like you know? And they were like, you've been out the game for a little bit, because I had stopped working in journalism and so they were like, we'll make you a runner. You

Oh wow, yeah, that's age of myself.

But I was I got lost. La is very difficult to navigate. You like, why is it too sa? So I got lost, So Paris Hilton got arrested, and I had to go get the tape from the paparazzi of her coming out of CNN for her first interview with Larry King.

Oh my heart just dropped for you. Yeah, got lost with that tape.

And I got lost, and if you know, CNN was on sunset and I took Highland to get back to the valley, and Harvey was like, why would you take Hiland and not Kawanga? What's wrong with you? Your fire in front of everybody? Choice, do you understand how that's very different? And you know, like this is before you could transfer digitally. You had to have the tape, so I cost them like fifteen twenty minutes and they wanted it up first. So he fired me in front of

Wow?

And then that was in June of two thousand and seven. The show started in September of two thousand and seven, and by then he had heard me just talking. I would do my stories and talk out loud, and he thought I was funny, and he was like, I want you to pitch for the show, and I was like, no, I just want to write. He was like, I'm not asking you. You're gonna get on the show. And that's really how it started. That was the first time I got fired, and I was just like, I'm gonna just

For real?

I didn't. I was fired from CBS. Okay, they didn't renew my contract, so the well you're just kind of fired, you know, You're like it's like we don't we're not having you back. I had like a two year contract and I had it was the most money I had ever made. Because now I'm an official course spind and I'm doing red carpets and I made all this money and I blew it. I was buying bags. I remember I went on my first check and bought a Gucci

Do you when you left? To go back a little bit, when you left TMZ, were you seeing your news producer?

Where were you when I left TMC, I did not have a job. I quit because they did not want to pay me.

Okay, because there's always been a conversation. I don't know.

I was told this before I went there, so not even just internally, but just in the journalism world, that you had been offered news director or something like that. But they didn't want to, Like they didn't you thought you should have news director, but they didn't want to give it to you.

It was a news director. But what actually happened, I've never told anybody this. I accidentally got my coworker's check and we were sitting next to you, you know, TMZ would have the desks where there was a divider, and they said his check next to me, and I was just opening it blindly. And he was making six figures.

I was not.

I was making well under that. And I had been there and I was contributing. I was breaking stories. I was a part of Michael Jackson's death being broken. I was a part of major store is Bernie mac dyan. I was the managing editor on weekends, so it was just me and in that office in a PA. I was in there working. I only had Wednesdays off. I gave up my weekends for three years, and I was like, I put in the work.

I was.

It was my life. I didn't have a boyfriend, I didn't have friends. I wasn't going to the club, and I felt like I was old.

This money.

I think I was maybe making like fifty k Jesus and I just wanted what he was making. He was a white male, yes he was, and they were like no, And I was on every show and I was just like, y'all not gonna pay me. And we went into a little negotiation and I think maybe they offered me like ten more percent. I did not have another job. I did not have an agent, and I was like, I quit. I didn't have nothing, but I knew people liked me.

So I was like, you're not gonna pay me, but still kicking it with Nina Parker and keV on stage.

The new show Friday Night Vibes is on TBS. Was it toxic working there?

Indeed?

What I mean, listen this is I've heard. It's not like that anymore. I don't know, And this is one of the reasons you and I haven't talked because I checked out of all things TMZ. I never watched the show again. When I stopped like, I didn't, I stopped community. I didn't even I'm not commun here with people I knew, but anything like I just kind of shut that part of my braain off because I had a lot of PTSD and it was you have to think about it.

Was very new, and there there was the union. Things that come in when you have in your protection they got rid of.

That didn't exist back then. Like they had Telepictures that was the parent company that technically you could go, but you didn't know anybody there because they weren't You only knew who was in the building. So it was it was really the wild West. And I probably I mean when Michael Jackson died, I didn't leave the office for three days, like we slept there and.

That was your salary of fifty thousand dollars or less.

What I mean, I think I was still making like the PA salary thing, which was I think I had got boosted like six fifty a week. Crazy thing is when Lauren started working here.

You ever see that dog that they and I'm not comparing you to a dog, that dog that when you get out the shelter right and you put your.

Hand up to pettit.

And that's how Lauren was. Lauren was like, wait a minute, you guys just said the good job like it was. I'm like what I thought she was joking? Then I realized no, she was traumatized.

How long were you there?

How was that TMC for eight years? And when you come in you hear well from the black people there, you hear so much about you. Van was always really big about, you know, talking to me about you. He was there when I was. When I was there, so was Raquel. And then they left, and when they left it was me and I was like, what.

At least you had the camaraderie.

But then they left, right and then George Floyd and i'm o Avrey happened and it was like, oh.

And you're fighting by yourself Because there's a lot of microaggression, there's macro too, and one of the things that was hard for me was like at the time, and this was before Van even got there. I was the only black person on camera. And so you are yes, yes, the stories you tell me yourself, and you feel an obligation,

I had a I just want to say this real quick. Then we can move away from tim Z because you have moved away.

But I met.

About I met you a long time ago in LA and our interaction you weren't rude, but it just wasn't the best. And one I was about to leave, Ban was like, you should call me, and I was like, I don't think she cares for me that much, and he was really and I was like, well, and I told him, but now here in your I don't know if you even knew who I was, But if so, I'm thinking like maybe that I had nothing to do

I think that so I got to do you telling the world that Nina no I said, why would you do that?

The reason I want to say that is because now I'm sitting here and I felt your emotion just now when you're talking about your experience, and I identify with it so much, and it made me think about if I were to run into someone right in that same predicament unknowingly, I might not like, you know, do you know what I'm trying to Well.

You're reacting to the place, not the person, yes, And so you you know, it's like if someone brings up a relationship that hurts you, you're kind of like, especially if you're not in a space to like say, you're not thinking about it, and it jars you for a second where you're just like And also, I'm very media trained, right, so sometimes I don't want to speak bad on a place, and I don't know if my experience would be your experience. So there's a lot. I can't say to you without

It wasn't nothing crazy, but I just I felt your shock. I just didn't.

I didn't under Yeah, I didn't understand what I felt until this moment and you were dealing with But I didn't know because when when we hear about your journey, then we just hear.

Well, I've never talked about this is the first time. I think we always said things positively because ultimately it was a positive experience because I have never learned. You learned kind of when you're in that because it's like the army.

But I tell people it was the best boot camp I've ever been.

To, the best book camp you'll never And one thing I will say about Harvey is he, to this day probably the hardest work ethic of anyone I've ever known in the industry. But you you get a lot of trauma from it, and it's very difficult to express if you haven't been there. And then also it's like I don't want to make that my story. So you know, when I'm meeting somebody and we in a social setting, it's like it's still now. Some people say, oh, I know you from TMZ, and I cringe a little bit,

Do it anymore, because what you really wanted to say to her probably was good luck.

Yeah, what am I supposed to say if you're in it?

No?

Yeah, I mean I needed the money, but I forget what was going on at the time. But I think this was one of the times where I been wanted to quit and I just didn't. People think you're crazy to say that, and I was like, oh, I could talk to her.

And then I wish we would have been introduced through VAN because there I would have loved to have talked to you one on one, like privately and just really give you a good download, because I know that you did reach out and DM and I never even saw them because weren't I wasn't following you, and I didn't even see him until I followed you, and I was like, dang, there's DMS in here, and I didn't even see this cry out for help. This is gonna be my last

Heard.

I'm just saying that the value is not in being first anymore because this is what I have learned. It's what you're going to talk about that is valuable because you're not technically in the news place that has to be first.

And just sometimes you when you hear that, did you hear that?

A sense of urgency is what makes you special because you care and that's important. But I think people care just they want to know that these days everybody can get it anywhere correct. They want your take on it. So and you were correct and everybody else is wrong. Yeah, I know I was.

Correct.

Friday Night Vibes on TV.

We appreciate you guys coming up and don't be strange.

You could come home feel like you need a girl. I was watching too. I was like, oh my god, this is really happening. They're gonna put this on team.

But please come on, if you are in town, please come on away.

Seven years to get Kemp. So yeah, well, y'all just had him.

So this was fine.

I was fullying. I was in the coverage, tweeting fill into yes, yes, I have a I have a clothing line for plus women sizes twelve to thirty is. Yes, it's in stores, is at Macy's. It's doing very well, and so this is one of the designs. So yeah, it's do you know the multiple streams is always needed me to parking, not the little to keep a check.

It's Nina Parker kept on stage Friday night vibes on TBS.

It's the breakfast club.

Good morning, that donkey, donkey that don't don't don't jump dunk the.

Other day, right, there's a breakfast club.

Bitches, you can call me the donkey of the day, but like I need no harm, Yes donkey, whoa why the hell I'm so loud? Scar myself?

Don'ty today goes to a Pennsylvania woman named Christina solar Meado. Christine this Solemido is forty four years old, and she did something that people figuratively talk about doing. And I wish I could cress on the radio but I can't. But just know Bicki MinID wrote the song about doing this to her ops. She called it did it on him. But that's the clean version. Yeah, let's hear some of this classic.

Can you remember this right? Yes, that's how a clean version go. No, it was okay, turn it up, let me hit it.

Okay, keep the instrumental going for me.

Uh.

Yes, See all of y'all talk about releasing snak missiles on your ops, but she never actually released the chocolate hostages.

But Christina actually did. Let's go to NBC ten Philly for the report.

Police the police chief or Prospect Park says he has seen some road reach cases during his career. Somebody cuts someone off, then the drivers might get into a heated exchange, then they typically drive away. But in this case on Tuesday, there was a little more to that, and the incident was captured on video by a bystander. That video, shared thousands of times on Instagram, shows a woman identified Thursday as Christina Solometto walking to another woman's car.

The forty four year old sits on the hood or not, showing the.

Most graphic parts of the video, including when she appeared to defecate on the car. Solometto was brought to the Prospect Park Police Department Thursday in handcuffs, offering no remarks. She faces a number of charges, including in decent exposure and depositing waste on a highway.

Imagine how mad you got to be the weaponize your own digestive system.

Okay, this is biological warfare, all right.

I respect people who can back the brown Caldillac out of the garage in public.

Okay, I'm not one of those people.

Now. I am very regular. Okay, eight thirty am every.

Morning, I'm making a tombstone in the water grave here at work. But if somebody comes in the bathroom or sits in the stall next to me, I can't do it.

Okay, I'm a cowboy fan, but I can't take the Browns through the Super Bowl if someone else is in the bathroom with me.

So the fact this woman was able to bake some butt.

Brownies in public on Q It's impressive, but I'm gonna tell you something, Christina. The reason you get in the biggest he hards because, according to the police Affidavid, you said, and I quote, I wanted to punch you in the face, but I pooped on our car instead and went home.

I would rather you punched it in the face.

Okay. It takes way more energy to pull your pants.

Down and birth a creamy behemoth in public than it does to punch someone in the face. Now, Christina allegedly told cops that it was a clean poop.

I didn't have to wipe.

True.

Quote For the record, there is no such thing as a clean wipe, okay, are a clean poop?

When you release the mud monkeys, the antal area.

Becomes soiled with stool and you gotta clean it, okay.

Fecal mata contains bacteria and other micro organisms that can cause infections, are spread if not properly cleaned the way and having residual dookie around the rim of your bookie can cause discomfort, okay, itching and irritation whenever the inside of your bonky itchin guarantees you didn't wipe properly. But there is no clean kills. When you push you out a suel snake. Okay, when you launch for torpedos, there is always a casualty.

That's all I got. Please give Christina Solar medal the biggest he hull he ha he ha.

You stupid mother.

Are you dumb the amounts of effort in which you put that presentation?

Yes, you did? You literally, boy, like you ate that I would never eat.

But what I'm saying you literally you told that story like Maya Angela.

All right, well, thank you for that donkey of the day.

Now when we come back, thank you for that douchy.

Of the day.

The Breakfast Club.

DJ n V Jess hilarious, Chela mean the.

Guy we are the Breakfast Club Laura l Rossa Field in for just today we got a special guest in the building.

Yes, indeed we have the brother Leon Thomas.

Welcome, Bro, It's good, it's good. Hey y'all feeling how you feeling? Bless Black and Holly favorite Leon. You are by far the greatest new male R and B singer doing it today.

Man, thank you so much.

That shouldn't even be up with debate.

Man, I really appreciate that.

Man, how do you receive it?

I mean, you know, to be honest, I try to just take it one step at a time. You know, I try to stay humble with everything. But I'm glad to be a new voice in R and B. You know, it's a genre that I love. You know, I'm trying to bring back live musicianship, real songs.

You know.

Writing with the team that I have has been an amazing pleasure. And you know, just bringing like that, that organic feeling back to the live stage is like a big thing for me.

You know, for people that don't know Leon Thomas, you know you started on Broadway. Tell everybody how you got your start and your way into being this R and B star. Well, listen, I grew up in New York, started on Broadway out here. I did three Broadway plays from Lion King the Carolina changed the color purple.

Yeah, yeah, I was assembling in Lion King. And then you know, I started booking movies and TV show.

How How was that?

I just took my kids to see. You know, it was insane, was that training? Because it's a lot of.

Shows, a lot of people in it's live, so you can't mess up. No, no, no, you can't mess up. It's eight shows a week. I was ten years old when I did my first Broadway play. Shout out to my mom and my family for you know, supporting me through that whole journey. And yeah, man, I went from being a regular kid to starring on Broadway and a matter of months.

You know, Now, how was that?

Because it's not the typical thing New York kids do, right, So you're singing, you're dancing, you're doing that.

So how did you get it to.

That point of No, because you go to Broadway. I don't know anybody they went to Broway, it's very differ.

I don't know.

I had a couple homies who ended up in different plays, but for the most part, yeah, yeah, it was definitely like a bit of an anomaly for my neighborhood in Brooklyn.

It was.

It was kind of weird playing it to my homies in school, like, yeah, I was just doing a show last night.

They're like, what was going on?

Yeah, we're not from New York, from the hoods of New York.

Okay, but no, it was definitely a real pleasure, you know. But but but from there, I ended up doing a lot of TV and film.

You know.

I shot my first movie out here with Robin Williams and Terrence Howard called August Rush, which was an amazing pleasure, and that kind of brought me into a lot of a lot of TV after that with Nickelodeon and Victorious Yeah, yeah, yeah, with Arianna Grande, and you know, that was a big journey. That was the number one show on the network at the time. We were beating out American Idol and it was a way for the rest of the world to kind of really tap into who I am as a creative.

You know, my production game is pretty tight. So yeah, all purpose your lyrics like that of a rap.

But that's why when I see Freddie Gibbs on your records, But it makes so much sense to be you're still touching anybody from.

Victoria's absolutely man, you know, I'll chop it up with Ari Avan. Joe Gia is a really good friend of mine. You know, Matt Bennett, a lot of the cast. We all hang out and do lunch. It's kind of like my last two years of high school were with them, so that's like my graduating class. Essentially. We were all in school together, so we filmed, but we also went to school. So Tho was my really good friends.

To Victoria and her mom. I did a host of the New Year's Eve special with them for real.

Oh that's dope. People.

You ever wrote for a Yeah? Actually I worked with her on her first album. That was my first time on number one with an album. I did about like four songs on her first album, Yours truly Wow, So that was a real pleasure.

Yeah. Did you know you always wanted to be an R and B singer? Like?

It was that the goal as a kid growing up? You always wanted to be an actor? Like and when did you pivot? When he was like this is what I want to do.

Listen.

I feel like I did this role with Katherine Bigelow, She's an Oscar Award winning director, but I had to cut my dreads for it, and that was kind of like my last straw in acting.

You know.

I did this role for Detroit and I felt like, you know, I need to kind of tap back into who I am as an artist. You know, grew my dreads back, really got into my internal self meditating, really like tapping into who I am as a human being, and a lot of great music came out of that. You know, I always knew I wanted to be a singer, but I knew for a fact I needed to really present myself as who I truly was. It's so easy

The like the sets when you like even with like Victorious and stuff like that. What was your mom and like your parents there often or talked a lot about that too, Like parents were close.

Now they were there, they were there.

You know.

My mom was never like a mamager like over my over my shoulder kind of mom, but she was also very protective of my piece and mental health and making sure that I'm just like in a good, good space while I'm while I'm trying to create something timeless, and you know, shout out to her for just always you know,

Don't say that, definitely nuts after that.

Yeah, I know, I know, you know it's crazy. It's crazy because you know, I just saw the doc not too long ago. It's definitely eye opening. And a lot of my castmates we hopped on a Zoom call. We all wanted to talk about it. And luckily during during in our seasons, it was it was very wholesome and chill. But you know, shout out to anybody who dealt with anything bad. I mean, I you know, my heart definitely goes out to them.

The thing I love about your music too is number one, I can tell you you got a sense of freedom. Yeah, but did that come with money or does that come with just how you came up? You know, with your mom doing music, so you always felt free as an artist.

I mean, you know, I think the greatest thing about being an artist is that it's a it's a great representation of being a free black man, you know, like, you know, being able to wear what I want, you know, say what I want on on record is really important to me.

You know.

I try to stay as grounded and uh as real to who I am as I can be. I mean, I think it's it's it's really easy to want to be an artist and play a character who you think people want you to be. But I'm doing my best to just like kind of just say what I want what I want, you know, when you come up.

With songs, but like I like feelings on Silent I love but songs like that, Like when I listen to it, each time I get something different from it. So the first time I listened, I was like, Oh, this is like guys just being like we keep her feelingce to herself. And then the second time I listened, I'm like, this is the trauma that they deal with because like he mentions PTSD and a bunch of other things, like how do you first of all, sitting.

Back you wrote that, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I sitting back and writing with him.

How do you be like, Okay, here's all the things that we want people to get when they hear this, or do you guys just write and whatever people get they get, Like were you dealing with something yourself then?

Or you know? The way I wrote that record was really interesting.

I was in I was in Italy actually, I was working with Ya and TOI Dollars on the Vultures one project, and I just had some lyrics kind of you know, bubbling up in my head. But I think it was one of those moments that it was just kind of stream of consciousness. I didn't really think too hard on my sections. That was like my second take that you're hearing there. It wasn't like me like kind of really punching in a bunch of different ideas. It was just

Of course Leam Thomas a singer, songwriter, producer and acting. His album Mutt is out right now, and we got to congratulate you because you gotta Grammy for your record with Sism. We tell everybody that we helped with that because we played Snooze every morning four times.

You wrote Snooze produced on Snooze.

Man.

First of all, let's clear this up. Shout out to Scissen for writing that record. We were producing in a separate room and she heard the instrumental and was like, yo, what is that? And you know, there there is something that I do where I like take my voice and I chop it up like a sample because clearing samples is really expensive and cuts into the publishing. So rather than it's like actually doing a sample, I'll just you know, red sing a little something, right.

So she really liked that and then took it into the other.

Room and wrote an amazing song and being a part of the production on that with Babyface legendary baby Face was a true pleasure man. I mean, it was a real journey to see that song go from like a crowd favorite to a Grammy Award winning r and B song Man.

That was definitely life changing for me.

You got a deduction team, right, yeah?

Yeah, the Rascal was me, Me and and Chris tians Man.

We've been working together since we were like eighteen, so it's really cool to see the growth. I mean, we started off, you know, a little shaky when it came to production, but it's nice to see us, you know, really develop into the producers we are now. We had great mentors.

Man, you have such big moments like even before that and during that, but it's like, I don't know, like when do you feel like things started like to click finally where people were like, oh shoot, Leon, like.

We get it now.

It's really interesting.

I like to call it the Drake effect when I was working when I was working with Drake, all of a sudden, label executives who have known me for years were like, eh, I think you could be an artist, you know, And I was like, okay, So I kind of peeped that, and I said, okay, well let's start

So he's he's just like kind of like, yo, try this.

Make sure the look has this, or you know, even when it came to the music, like here's how you really format an album, and I'm definitely doing a lot of studying, you know, shout out to Todd dallas Sign for sure. He definitely, you know, saw something in me that a lot of label executives were not sure about, and uh, it's cool to see it developing.

How did you real, Tom?

How did you tie me?

I was actually working on his album as a producer on featuring Todd dallas Sign. I was like one of I think nine producers on a song with Kanye and Thundercat and a bunch of other people.

Nine producers on one record.

Yeah, because it's like when it it was like point five, like I was just there out of this or that vocal and like some bass or something. But but he had everybody play like their un least records and I played on some of my first album as like demos, and Todd was like, yo, you really You're really tight, you know as an artist, he was like man and he was originally trying to record one of the songs that I had, but I was like, nah, I want you to feature on it. And over the years we

Is it tough navigating because people are getting to know you now and everybody's fall in love with your music now, and like you have such a close association with Drake, you have to like pick and choose where you go musically and what you do musically with.

Who you know.

Honestly, can you work with Kendrick Lamar if you want to? Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, I know that's what she's asking. I mean, the way, the way I really look at it is just like on a political level, I make R and B. You know, obviously I make hip hop too, but I'm really focused on my artist journey. So I mean, Kendrick is such a huge artist. I don't really foresee us working together in the near future. And even with Drake. You know, I still want to take my steps to really build on my own two feet as an artist. So I'm doing what i have to do right now

How old were you when you realize Vibes Don't Lie? One of my favorite records, When you first realized Vibes Don't Lie?

I think that was that was definitely early twenties.

I think uh LA is filled with facades and people who are pretending to be something they aren't, people who move from their hometown and create a whole new persona. So I think for me, just really studying folks, especially a lot of the women you deal without their you know, it's really important to study their actions and not their words.

I love the fact that you are encouraging women women to keep their healthy Yes, did you ever want to be a gun of collusest?

No?

No, no, no, it wasn't on the list.

Listen, Yeah, I just listen. I just listen. Man, They tell you like, Hey, I'm feeling the best of this.

No.

I mean, I just think pH balance is a conversation and you know, I just listen.

You was very very specific. She said, uh, she only drink water. She keep that healthy.

They said on Twitter, you'd be talking crazy like that, but you sing it, so people can't be you had that conversation in real life, which your home.

Like you're not your homegrow.

I'm just big on shock value. I think songs, especially R and B songs, have gotten a bit not boring. But I think we've we've kind of already hit the the golden era of R and B. So I'm just finding new ways to make people's ears, you know, perk up and their minds move. I think social media and

I think it's important to create the drama.

You know.

I kind of see music as you know, scripting the score. So sometimes the records are just like really good dramatizations of like what I'm seeing.

You never think everybody?

But but like, why does that go for you?

Now?

I mean I don't think. I don't think it's now.

Expecting you to be like, all right, here's the check, Like how do you because you got the songs?

Like yeah, yeah, you know, I definitely got the songs. But I think it's just important to be honest with your partner, you know, communicate. But but I think it's it's a it's a pretty interesting conversation. I try to stay out of if I don't have to. You know what, No, I don't even know what that is you putting me right now?

Test a little bit, a.

Little wax on it, a little pinky, put the pinky inside of hold on what you got something?

It should be. I don't know where that is nothing that South Carolina the road thing that they do. It doesn't. I do not try that.

That doesn't Your mom never told you you got to make it.

Go drink gingerrels talking.

About people everything, not earwax. Don't listen to him.

That's what.

It's crazy.

Macarmo used to be like, go get some ginger and lay down.

Wow about we love gingerrel around here.

Did your therapist really tell you that you're too detached or that you don't commit?

Nah?

I think I think you know that bar for me. I have a colt writer, Busy Cruk, and he lives in Miami, great rapper. That was a bar that came from him. He's very deep into therapy. But I'm glad that we talked about it on record because I mean it's something I definitely did try out over the pandemic and it's something that I actually really respect you a lot for a champion and.

You know, but but but yeah, that was a that was a bar from Busy. But I thought it was important to add in there.

You know, don't try to blame Busy now.

Nah.

I mean, you know that's my code, Roger. You know, you know what I'm saying.

Like, we we write a lot of our songs together, and I really respect a lot of the perspectives he brings to a lot of my poignant records.

You know, you have some great bars for dancing with.

When I listened to Dancing with the Demons, do you ever get like Miguel references sometimes?

Absolutely, I'm like.

Oh my gosh, Like I wonder if like that, Like, are y'all do you know him?

Yeah?

Yeah, that's like my big bro. We actually did a movie together. He was in Detroit when I had to cut my hair for he was. He was an amazing, amazing mentor for me for some years. You know that bridge between R and B and rock and roll, He's traveled across that bridge many a time. I definitely look up to him when it comes to that. And you know, for me, because I played multiple instruments, you know, I definitely try to just embody a lot of that energy.

I agree with Lauren on that Miguel to me before you was the last great R and B male R and B singer. To me, I'm just talk about the new guys. You know the legend I'm talking about. He was the last one to me. And I felt the same way when I heard Dancer with the Demons. I feel like I feel like you're talking to yourself on that record. Though you said you can't seem to save yourself, never learn to ask for help going out all night

Help and so what I thought, I took it as it wasn't talking about a woman.

Point.

Well, I mean it's interesting for me, like that record. When I wrote it, I wrote it in two different days. The first day I was you know, micro dosan on shrooms, so it's a bit of a haze. The next day I listened to it and I was like, man, this is really poignant stuff. I mean, it's just really talking about being up all night and searching for a feeling,

And it could be fun.

It could be fun, for sure, But but but and then especially when you're when you're in the limelight. The second verse is more so talking about being in the limelight and trying to fill voice. Nobody really talks about the darkness that comes with the flashing lights. And yeah, that that that record was very deep and very personal for me. You know, I'm glad that people resonate with it.

Now you talk about Micaro Dosin on shrooms, but what does that put your mind and do you always do that to produce and write?

Nah?

Nah, I mean I think I think for this this album, it was an interesting opportunity to to kind of unplug. I mean, I wasn't doing as many shows around that time too, so it was really helpful to to kind of just get into my own head and try to

And at the time, I was trying to find myself, you know, micro do.

You said you were trying to find yourself. Did you find yourself?

Yeah?

But I mean I feel like that's a constant journey. That's like the whole part of finding yourself. You realize it it never stops because we're always evolving, you know, but it's it's great that I was able to do it through music that that that was like a version of musical therapy for me, And I'm glad that people are resonating with it.

You know.

I love how you're normalizing dogs on but I'm not a dog anymore.

There is a young, unhealed version of me that would have really appreciated that that record, because you make it sound so fun. It's almost like women are just gonna bring you in, like, oh, let me domesticate you.

Nah.

I mean I was really just documenting what I saw, but nah, nah nah, it's definitely.

Its definitely talks to me.

Post you know, post breakup, where where I just had to I just had to figure it out. But I think that's all a part of living, you know, you get nervous though. This is a post breakup album. Yeah, this is a post breakup album. So this is me documenting, you know, finding myself first off, like you know, you you're you're kind of broken after that, and then you got to you gotta put the pieces back together.

Her fault, Yes, No, it's not her fault.

It's it's her fault that you ended up being a dog, you went through your own I think it's very commendable to that. On the song safe place, you let the person you're dealing with, no, this isn't a safe place.

Yeah, yeah, I mean I think knowing that I wasn't necessarily ready to settle down. I think that conversation definitely came up a lot during I guess you would call them all face you know, just understanding like, yo, I'm I'm not trying to settle down. This is a this is a fun place, you know. This is a a

That's a personal because you're honest in music. But it's difficult to be face to face with somebody and be like it's very this is very difficult.

You know.

I really try my best to be as honest as I can, but yeah, those are hard conversations, man. You know, I can't sit here and say I've always done it right or I'm perfect or anything. But I try I try to be like real, you know, I try to explain myself. But even when you explain yourself, sometimes wires get crossed, you know. So I'm packing it and communicating, you know, it's an important thing later on.

No woman want to hear that.

She just lets you hit wrong.

Yeah, it's it's yeah, it's not as a woman ever said that to you when you were trying to like create, like all right, maybe this is like a thing and she's like, yo, I.

Don't want to do that.

Yeah.

Actually yeah yeah. In my in my early twenties, I was talking to this amazing artist. Uh and yeah she was just like listen baby, the same safe place kind of thing.

You know, anybody know that. She's like, no, no, no, I don't think you got it up a little bit. Yeah no, no no.

It was all good for me at that point. But yeah, yeah, you know, it was definitely you know, it was definitely a realization for me. I was like, oh, it can happen on that side too. I was like twenty maybe twenty.

One, you know. Yeah, yeah, so I was like real young green like, oh okay, alright, cool.

So you're all looking for a relationship now if the right person, Yeah, yeah, I'm definitely I'm definitely.

In that mode.

Right now?

Are you would you date other like artists celebrities or do you like, how does that work? Are you doing?

It's just hectic.

I mean, you're kind of inviting the media into your life like the one safe place you have. But I mean, who knows if I really catch a vibe with somebody who happens to be fans. I mean, I don't really care about that side of things. You know, I've been in the game a long time. I've met some beautiful women who are amazing artists. But it's just about the human being and it can be tough to to really build something if both of your schedules are super hectic.

So I don't know.

I don't want to have a question two about another record on far Fit. Yeah, you said, because he was having a big conversation this week about Tricken Because you know, Skip Bail is a legedly, Oh my god, for somebody one point five million, and you say paid for my mistakes and benes and diamonds two fifty fronted like you was my autist. Five g's just across the Atlantic. We sat in silence for almost two hours.

Yeah, that's a horrible BACA quarter million dollars.

Yeah, benzes and diamonds.

Well, listen, when I wrote that record, it was not for me. That was not a joint that I was originally gonna use for me. It was for somebody really famous and really rich. But I just love the way it sounded, and I was like, well, you know what, I love to speak in a world where I can actually afford that.

Why not let's manifest that.

No elucid dreams. You talk about your significant other leaving things behind.

Yeah, that was That was a fun record with Maseego after a breakup. Why do you think that the topic is taboo?

I don't really consider it taboo necessarily, but I think it's just like it's just funny because for me, I was living with my ex for like a couple of years, so she just had like a closet filled with clothes at my crib and it had been like a year and a half since we were broken up. Uh, So we were in the studio talking about different things.

Uh.

The guitarist and producer on that song Freaky Rob his girl left a flat screen at the house that he had to use to watch Netflix. He was like, man, when is she gonna take this flat screen? And uh, you know, Masago also had a similar situation like that at his crib with the couch. So we were all just kind of using all of our different experiences putting it into a song and you know, just locking it in.

It's different when it's closed.

Yeah.

Did you clear you cleared out the class Yeah, definitely clears out the h Yeah, clear.

Out the closet.

Did you move out of the apartment or you just cleared out the closing.

Nah, I'm still at the crib, you know what I mean, still at the crib.

You know, there's definitely a certain interior design choices I'm gonna switch up, so but it's like real reason Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

The album is out right now. Make sure you pick it up. And we appreciate you.

For joining us. Thank you so much for having me man, it's a big opportunity. Thank you so much.

It's Leon Thomas the album What is out now and it's The Breakfast Club. Good Morning Warning, Everybody's team Jay and v Jesse, Larry Challaman, the guy we are The Breakfast Club's time to get about.

They show them and you get a positive note down.

A positive noteice simply this, I swear because we were talking about this earlier, about not being able to say no. We were talking about a glorilla when the girl walked up to her asking her for money, you know, for her tuition. Nothing has caused more problems for me and my life than my inability to say no or turn people down. Soft and empathetic nature cost you a lot. Remember that and know is a complete sentence. Have a blessed date?

Oh my god, Now I like that.

When drive a queen's bone for that? Because this man is right, breakfast cup, you don't finish her, y'all dump