Cost Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Part two of Kwame's interview on QLs Classic in October twenty eighteen. He went through so many stories about his.
Childhood and growing up in his father's house and working with Herbie Lovebug and you know, Atlantic Records, and.
That whole connection with Philly rappers and.
Also the idol makers with Salt and Pepper and Kid and Play and all that stuff. You know, so much crazy buked out stories. Hope you enjoy Part two of QLs Classic and Kwamedy.
Previously on West Loves Supreme, the legendary Kwame talks about growing up in Queens, discovered hip hop and rising and touring with the likes of Sony Pepper, can't play n.
W w A, all that get stuck and uh when.
You know I'm going to get into that lead thing as well. So here's part two. Of course, Love Supreme wouldn't okay, So I the one important aspect of your career that we've yet to get into, which is very vital to your career, is your sense of style and what you brought to it polka dots, the you know, two tuned hair, the crazy haircuts, and and the kind of the GQ dressing like.
You were Urban Outfitters.
I couldn't get.
I couldn't get that I had a polka dot shirt. Mama will let me get the diamond, she would She wouldn't go.
Poka shirt, wouldn't let me get the poke shirt.
Me and to Rika brothers like we basically would just share three shirts like I had. I had the Urban Outfitters love shirt.
Urban Outfitters.
She was doing it.
Yeah, Urban outfit was Me and Toric would share that shirt, the preppie Benetton, the Coca Cola sweaters and all that stuff. Like, So, I mean your style was definitely it was it was. It was preppy and kind of progressive hip like, it
wasn't street, you know, it wasn't dapper Danish. So what made you in the era where Dapper Dan was running ship and track suits and you know even with Philly, like with Alpianas and you know, the drug dealer looked like what made you like, Okay, I'm gonna go with this, Like.
I think.
Because of my influences and because of parental guidance. Actually, you know, like one of the biggest fights that I ever got into what my father was the fact that I went and I had a job at a sea town actually, and saved up my money and bought this fake fat rope, a sick giant fat rope, and my godfather, who was a cop, confiscated a beeper and gave it to me. So I had the beeper and the fat rope, and my father came downstairs and and that was just
my rapper costume. And my father came into my room, I guess to get laundry or whatever he did, and he saw the fat rope and the beeper and he threw him out. So when I came home like it was my fat rope, it was my beeper. I'm about to go to this party. I gotta look like me and my pops, Like, you're not wearing that shit outside. You're not gonna, you know, look like a drug dealer. You know, on my watch, you're not doing that.
No, but that's what I gotta do. That's that's me. That's that's that's I'm a rapper.
Said, no, you're look an idiot, you know, like that's not even you you're not. You're not from that you wear you like to wear suits, you don't even wear you like to wear shoes. You asked me for money to buy you know. I definitely was into balleys and wingtips and all this stuff.
What are you doing?
You know?
And and we got into this knockdown, drag out fight, you know, like almost physical, like my pops had to like grip me up because I was popping so much shit, like you don't go in my room, touch my shit, you shit.
Boom, you know what I'm saying.
It was like it was one of those.
Things, and it was almost like a wake up call because then I sat there and I was like, you know, I cannot afford that a dat. I don't like to be fake in any way, shape or form. So I'm walking around with this orange, yellow and white looking chain that's been turning like the earth, and it's like, you know, the beeper don't work. You can't put the four one one on the nine one one in me, So like what it's not, It's not me, you know. And and
I like to dress up. But then at the same time I know that I'm not I'm a different kid. I'm just I'm different, and I don't have a problem with expressing that there is a side of me that does like some of the hip hop things. So like if you look at like, for example, my first album, Covered Boy Genius, I'm sitting there, I have on a prepping Mickey Mouse shirt, you know, but I do have a sick cable tucked in the shirt. But and it
was a real one. But that was like saying that, Okay, look I can go here, but I choose to go there, and you know, I had my nerd Wayfair glasses on, and it wasn't necessarily a gimmick at all. It was just saying that, look, man, I got to set myself apart.
Now. The Polkadots came in three things.
One, I was like, I said, I was a super big Prince fan, and Prince used to rock these on the Love Sexy tour in eighty seven and I just thought it was cool. And I used to love the Mad House album covered with the chick with the polka dot skirt on it, and I just wanted her to be my wife, man, I just like, I know, I wanted.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I was always seeing it.
So so I was like, you know, she can be my girlfriend, and I can just you know, but I can hip hop these like polka dots out a little bit. But then I'm like an overthinker. So I'm like, you know, anytime I look at I'm a heavy comic book guy. So like anytime somebody has like on polka dots, he's either the nerd or the clown or just the weird guy. So I think I'm gonna I like that. And like how you said you would share with with Tarik, I just had one Polkada shirt I swear, and I used
that like five different ways. Was the shirt on my back of the album cover, same shirt. It was white with black dots, and I was like, I can find so many ways to match black and white.
Yeah, my pokagont shirt was black with white dots.
Yeah, So I just had my my white shirt black dots. I had a black tie with white dots, so if I had the shirt in that tie, I could just go crazy with the black and white and not spend any money. And then in the video it was my pajamas, and then on stage it was you know, my my
stage stuff. But it never went really past the first album cover and then the video until I did my first show and everybody in the audience had on Polka dots and streaks in it here, and so I was like, Okay, somebody threw a joke on me, blah blah blah, and everywhere I would go, man, it was your Polka dots. And also I would never shop at normal stores.
I was shot.
There was a store in the village called Reminiscence, and Reminiscence only did repro fifties clothes. So I bought all my Polka dot ties from Reminiscence, all my Pokodat shirts. Everything I wore were reproduction fifties outfits. And then whatever thrift store I would find whatever, I would get everything from thrift stores and not spend. I was not chasing Gucci, I wasn't chasing Louis Vatano, Dappa Dan, and that just that was it. I was like, I'm not going to
do that. I see I can buy NPC sixty instead of a fat chain. I can buy a SP twelve hundred instead of a two finger ring. And that's where it just all snowball from me.
How did you sign? Who signed you to your first deal to Atlantic?
So so Herbie Lovebug went to Sylvia Ron and so I got this kid act blah blah blah, and he, you know, the deal was met based on the fact that he was going to produce me, but Herbie was just so busy. Most of the album was already done. I'd like, saved up my money. And if anybody who's really deep into hip hop is a guy named Paul.
C see Paul your Paul Seed disciple.
Somewhat he taught.
Paul taught me how to use the sp twelve and well basically it was a music It was called the Music Building in Queens and Paul had a studio, Studio twelve twelve. And I saved my money and I found out about it from a mutual friend. And I didn't understand what Paul was doing, you know, for hip hop at the time. I just knew it was a place I can record for cheap. So I went there and I was like, I got this amount of money. How many hours can I get? Eight hours?
Cool? When can I get it? Christmas?
What?
Damn? Oh wow?
Eight hours, eight songs.
Midnight to eight o'clock in the morning Christmas Day? You want to do it? Fucking yeah? So I went and I did say, five of the eight songs on the Boy jeanis that on those eight houts because I figured that was all I'm want to get.
But that's where the line came.
That's that's how the line kind of formed itself because it was like, I gotta do this Christmas so so, but it really didn't mean anything because my father was like a devout Muslim, so I didn't really celebrate Christmas anyway. So I did did most of that album there, but gave it to Herbie. This was the second demo. Gave her the first demo he was not rocking with, so I gave him the second demo and the demo that
demo had. If anybody's familiar with the album and had the song you had the rhythm on it, the mic is mind.
Keep on doing? Yeah, the first one.
There was another song called a New Beginning that never made the album. Is another song called mind Power that didn't make the album. And I want to say one more camera that's.
Excuse me, dumb questions. So how much of your albums am I too? As soon? Did you produce everything that you wrapped on?
Yeah? So so Herbie so to Herbie takes it in.
Yeah, Herbie takes it in and you know, said, this is what I produced, and so she Sylvia gives me the deal. And I didn't have a problem with Herbie producing a record for me because you know, you know, I learned from him, so you know, hey, why not, well.
Seeing his name on there let me that gave me the greenline. I don't know if I've been so quick to if you were just you and your name alone. Yeah, I mean the video was dope enough to meet me buy it, but definitely see I was like, oh, I gotta buy this because back then you brought the Birds of a Feather thing.
So and then it said produced by Herbie Love Book and the Invincibles. So I was like, yo, man, I'm not gonna get no crazy no you the Invincibles.
So who was the brother's Grim.
The brother's Grim was just me and my boy A show are out. We used to like to come up with a lot of concepts, so major so so we would just sit around and come up with concepts. So just it was just like, you know, we're the brothers Grim and Grim. We we have a own We used to have our own little language, and we used to.
Tell grims Grims were.
Lies basically, So like say, for example, I'll say your Fante ninth one that said that you never wrote none of your wraps and you would be were talking about I said, no, I don't know.
I was, I was.
I was in a studio and he was just talking about talking so greasy about you. Man, I don't understand why why would he do that? And we would sit there and watch you just get heated. Oh no, no, no, I'm talking about We've had like salt wanting to go fight emt like like like we would be terrible. So those were Grims. So when you get to your hottest point, we were like grim. So so that's where the brothers Grim came from, because that's what to the point where people would be.
Like, look when they come around, don't say nothing.
No, Yeah, So that that was how so Sylvia got the first demo and I just spent days and days and days waiting for Herbie to show up to give me a record, and I was like, man, I'm just gonna finish this shit up myself. And then you know, records like and this is how I met Slick Rick. For example, sweet Thing, I did Sweet Thing, and then somebody from the studio, and the studio was out of a house. It was a regular house and racist Bayside queens like we would I'm talking about. It was to
the point where it was like old school seventies. Dudes with mullets and muscle cars.
Would get out of the town nigger and chase something.
We'd have to run into this house. And the house was owned by a man, Dave Ing, so it was like a Chinese family. So run into the Chinese house and downstairs was like the most incredible history making studio. All salt and pepper records, all kidn't play records, all of my records, day and day records.
Everything was made out of this house and.
Push it bathroom like where they did the vehicles.
Yes, it's all in the bathroom. No, No, we had a we had a vocal vocal booth.
But then there's you know between Herbie's bedroom, which was probably the push It was probably done there. But between Herbie's bedroom and this studio and Bayside called Bayside Sound, that's where everything was done. And I remember somebody calling me. It's like, yo, I think you need to get here quick, m So I'm running to the studio and I hear a beat that sounds like Sweet Thing playing, I'm like, yo,
checking my ship. And then I get into the room and then you know, we had the two inch tapes, so I saw my two inch tape next to theirs. So I'm like, oh, somebody's really jacking. So I'm beefing, like, yo, who the fuck? So this dude is in there producing his beat off the Sweet Thing. I'm like, what the fuck, man, you jacking my ship? And then Dana comes running.
No, no, that's Rick man, it's my man, Rick, slick Rick. Is your this year.
About to go crazy?
I'm like you just cause I was just seeing Flames.
Man, my album didn't even come out yet, and somebody's trying to jacket and Rick was like, nah, you know he let me hear. I didn't know, so we're not going to use this because Rick was producing a record for Dana and you know, and that's, you know, my my introduction to slick Rick. But wow, it was crazy. So so back to the question, So Sylvia signed me. I was waiting for Harvey to finish producing. I was sixteen, so I had to get like I had to go
to court and get a parental waiver. To sign the deal. And I just used to always be at the record label, just like a kid, hanging around, like anybody understandslantic records, like running into the office and chill. Not this is pre them, but running around and running into I'm at Erdigan's private office where he had made serving him breakfast and lunch, and like telling him how cool the record label is and he's looking.
At me like I don't even know who you are, You're signed here, okay whatever.
Or you know, and just hanging out with Sylvia and hanging out with the different because back then A and r's there were no an r's in our age range, in any way, shape or form. Everybody was like my parents' age, you know, Like my A and R was like the old jazz A and R guy.
Yeah you know, did you work with Craig Common at all back when he was or what about uh, who's our guy reef?
Oh uh no?
Yeah no so so my an R, Well, Sylvia was my original an R. And then there was a guy named Merlin Bob Lecture.
Yeah he was a yeah he was. He was under Sylvia. And then when Sylvia and Maryland were able to take over. When Sylvia was able to take over Electra and she changed the name to East West Maryland went with her and I felt like Mad abandoned. So then my A and R was guy named Richard Nash. Richard Nash is now the head of promotions at BMG if I'm not mistaken, But Richard Nash was the head of Atlantic and he took my He took over, and he used to always confuse me with k Solo but that's.
Fine, yeah, yeah both.
He would introduce me, this is our artist kse Solo, the opposite of you and exactly, and and said.
He was so.
I said, but see what they were doing at that time. They were hiring house DJs to be A and L. So Meryland Bob was a big house DJ. My other A and R was a guy named Kevin Woodley. He was a big house DJ, and they were bringing them in. And then the first hip hop guy that came in was Clark Kent. So then they bring Clark Kent in, but he wasn't and that's when it started to kind of start. The industry started turning over and you're starting to let people actually know the music into the business.
But it was real weird. They did not understand what to do with my records. They didn't really understand how to promote them. I was the first you know, solo male act sign. It was me, I want to say DC, but Doc was with Priorities, so it didn't really I mean ruthless, so it didn't really count. They were handling their own stuff. Mc light was with First Priorities, so
she was handling her own stuff. But I was the one guy director on Atlantic, and it was just like, you know, my my publicist was you know, in her sixties at the time.
It was just you know, it was just figure it out, man.
It was real when the record became a success.
What was it like to be sixteen years old in high school with like a hit record.
Well, it was weird because by the time the record came out, they put me immediately on a tour. So I went to like this I don't know why I went to this thing, but I went to this alternative school in Bushwick.
Brooklyn for like.
Bad kids or pregnant teens or kids that risk I have to go to work to support a family, and but I was like full blown quame at the time, so I had to go to this. After that neighborhood was crazy.
The school.
The school wasn't bad. I don't think. I don't know, because I wouldn't have I didn't see anything. I had security guards, and he locked me up in this closet to do my work. I couldn't interact with.
The kids, okay, because you were comment.
Yeah, so I had to be in I'm like, this is whack. And it was.
You know, Herbie's management company recommended it because Spinderella had to go there, so so she went there the year before, and you know, I'm like, this is kind of whack. And I remember being in my regular high school and I would show up. This is pre me realizing who.
I need to be, you know. I reverted a little bit.
I got my advance money, and then I reverted to the gold chains and everything.
I would like.
Wear my goal chains and then I would borrow Herbie's gold chain. Then I bought Herbie's brother's goal chain, and I reverted to these gold chains. And I would walk around school, and they thought I was a drug dealer, so they would have they would hire a detective to follow me around. And when I found that out, I went to the principals office and this is how foul this was, went to the principal's office and showed him the layout of my album cover. I showed him the
contract and said, well, this is what I do. I'm after school, I recall, I'm recording an album.
So the principal.
Looked at me and was like, well, if you're doing all this, why don't you just drop out?
Spoken like a true education education?
He said, why don't you just drop out? I don't know why would I do that? I'm saying because I was asking for permission to go on this nw A tour, and I was like, I know that there's a work study program. You know his name, I don't even remember. I don't remember half of my teachers. And I was like, there's a work study program. Why can't I just do that?
Now?
You're going to be a big star, right, What do you need? What do you need this for? You know, and this is not the first time a teacher has told me that. Pre that, when I was in eighth grade, my math teacher was like, why would you go to art school? Or you do is sit around and try to wrap You're never going to become an artist.
You know, you might as well just go to your own school, you know.
So it's so it shows you like those type of teachers that didn't look like me and didn't understand what I do or what my perspective was. I was not a bad student in any stretch of their imagination. I may have been bored half the time so wouldn't show up to a class, But anybody to tell you I wasn't bad?
What was your advance at that time? How much did they give you?
Eleven? Yet that much?
The first album cost sixty thousand dollars to make and I got eleven thousand out of it.
That was my Evans eleven thousand dollars, I.
Mean compared to other eighty nine brothers we heard that was Sylvia was sort of nice.
Yeah, because Daylight solds did day three feet High? It was like twenty five dollars.
It was supposed to be a but that wasn't a major label.
Oh where did you say that?
Because I remember that Funky Divers budget was two point five million.
Wow, that was a lecture right or.
East West?
But so sixty that and the reason it was supposed to be one hundred and twenty but it was going to be an ep m HM. And I turned in the remainder of songs, and like, she didn't just give an album and say you can make it an album. We ain't giving you no more money. And I was like, I just thought the term having an EP I thought that was just whack.
And I was like, nah, I want an album.
So it was just an eight cut album supposed to be five cuts, not turned in the last three songs?
What were the last three year? Remember?
I don't I think I think the Manrion a love sweet thing. I don't even remember, to.
Be honest, because always they seemed like the dope should always come at the end.
I was it was never a beginning of the end. And it's just that I got three more songs to give, y'all. It wasn't you know. It wasn't like recorded in a certain way like oh this is the this is the hot one, It's the last song that I'm going to record. I don't it wasn't done that way.
You didn't even know, like what your single was going to be, Like the rhythm, did you know?
I had no idea? You know, we thought the man did we didn't hear. They didn't hear a commercial single off of that album. So the most. Yeah, of course they were definitely looking forward. So and I was very you know, in the beginning, I was very I was into being lyrical and telling stories and more serious about and the man we all know, One Love was a parody record technically, and I was if you look on the on the vinyl, it doesn't say it was performed
by me. It was a character that I had called he Me and he is me so so he Me. That was just like a parody of just bugging out. That was like a bug out, you know. And that was like a throwback to Prince when Prince had his little come so so HEMI was like that, and they were like, we want this to be the single. I'm like, what, that's how heem you record? That's not even supposed to be.
Like now, it's very entertaining and so you know you can visualize the and and my man Paris bar Clay, who's like in the video, right, yeah.
He directed the video.
Is he still alive?
Yeah, Paris, you know, shout to Paris, because you know Paris is dope now like he he goes in like he's responsible for sons of anarchy.
Yeah, we gotta get Paris Barkley run around the Way girl, just because I have never heard anybody talk about her in the last teen years. Anybody seemed big.
Last all the time she was at my house, not even a year ago.
She's in l A.
Yep's in l A's from my neighborhood.
I can link.
Check check check it out.
So so so Paris, you know, me and Paris came up with the idea for the man we all know in love and you know you mentioned Malcolm. Malcolm was studying under Paris to direct, and so Malcolm wanted to learn. So he came on the set and I was like, yo, you want to get in the videos? Like yeah, but
you got to let my homeboy Brian in. And so this is a random kid like in the beginning, you know, in all the faces that you know, and then there's like a one guy that you don't know and that's his home book, so you know, because Brian was trying to be an actor at the time. So you know, it was just but and that was another thing that I don't think happens anymore.
If you got win that there was a.
Video being filmed, everybody showed up, you might not be in the video. Like, for example, I remember what EPMD record this was, but I remember that we've got when that they were filming in Central Park. We got to Central Park and I remember seeing Malcolm there. I'm like, what you're doing it? I'm just here and I was like, where's the video?
Yo? It's underground?
Like what so what you're saying?
Yeah?
So we climbed down the sewer. Yeah, and everybody's in this. I'm like, how did.
Y'all get a permit in a sewer? It was like it was like a.
Whole city under Central Park, you know, and I think everybody if you found out that there was a video, everybody would show up just you know, you may get in, you may not get in it. But it was like, you know, an on set party at all times. So so so.
Wait, A question about your performance is because in sort of slick brick mode or what you were saying your Prince Camille thing, because you did these character voices, uh, sometimes using your natural voice, sometimes very speeding your high voice.
How would that come off in concert?
Because I mean sometimes you were like three you were like your own muppets almost, You're like three characters.
I would do it. I was just you know.
You you know, just saying those I wasne man, you know, it was just like you know, I would just do it, or with the aid of the audience they would know some.
Of those parts too. So so it was never I never thought about like that.
But in which a question, Oh put you on the spot, Bill, this is this has to do with the second album too, almost there anyway, So on the second album, you introduced me to an album that I actually wouldn't hear for another four years.
And I want to know if you cleared the sample on Skinny Mother.
Yeah? Wait, what how Prince you clear Bob George?
Okay, But what I.
Want to know is further, even further than that, he allowed me to use I went Prince crazy on my third album.
And I don't know, I don't.
Know who who called me two people I got like super permission from two like whoever was running Joe Bet Music. Somebody from Joe Bet called my house. My mother answered the phone, somebody Joe Bett. I'm like, wait a minute, like you know what we you know, we're like what you're doing? Whatever Joe Records you ever want to use, you can you have full I'm like all right, and
controversy music. I don't know who it was. I don't know when they called and was like, yo, man, it's not a problem, you know, and and you know, my my my experience, you know, I think you know, I know you you've had better experiences with him than I have.
I've never had. I don't think I've had a good experience with him.
But but he allowed me to use music when he wasn't allowing anybody to use.
What does that mean? I'm sorry? Does that mean I never had a good experience.
I think what it might have been because I kind of viewed you as a prince figure because you did it all and I.
Was cool with like me and Jerome Benton was super cool. Me and Marris were cool, you know. So I don't I don't know. And I know that members like Tony m and other members of the crew would tell me that they listened as a collective listen to my music. So so I guess that I was in and around.
I guess that helped out.
But like I said, my personal interactions with him personally was never like it was not a super dope experience.
Talk about Tasha, like I have, I have a thing where I just always keep tabs on, like all like obscure arm and B singers.
So Tasha, this is a very interesting story. And I never let her live it down. Man, I get her every time. So Tasha and my girl Angie Angie would later on go on to write Empire State of Matt the singing part. But Angie and Tasha Angie used to know my boy. How Angie introduced me to Tasha. I used to think she looked like Shade, and then she said she could sing. So I wanted to make like hip hop Shota records.
And they were a group.
I can't even remember the group that I named them. They were like my version of Salt and Pepper but singing and rapping, and I made like the.
Worst records for them. They were the worst.
They had a single called the mic is My Boyfriend. It was like it was like this super whack record. I don't know what I was. It was very whack. But Only Only You was made for two reasons. One, Vanessa Williams was looking for a hip hop dance type record, and I wanted to marry Vanessa Williams, so I wrote Only You for her and I only girl female singer and no no and he goes even bigger thing. T Shena Arnold. Little sister Zena went to school with me
and Zanae is a incredible singer. So Zenay I brought Zenay from school. Can you sing this song? I wrote called only You? So Zena sings only You, and I want Zena to be down. But they were very religious and their pops was not half in the secular music, not at all. So the second singer they only knew two, and the second one was Tasha.
Where you're from?
Tasha's from Brooklyn, from East flat Bush, Brooklyn. So Tasha comes in, and if you really listen to Only You, you will hear two separate singers. So Tasha singing, Tasha singing the lead, and a lot of the ad libs, but the first hook, the first hook ad libs is an A and the harmonies in A and then Tasha comes in after that. So that was and I didn't care because it was a demo for Vanessa Williams wait, so supposed to.
Say, yeah, I can't, I won't even hear that loud.
And that was comfort zone one.
This would have been giving you the benefit.
STUF was eighty eight.
What song replaced nothing replaced it because I missed the album. Ah okay, so Herbie pretty much put me onto it, excuse me, and Herbie wanted I think Herbie wanted me to do it, and then he was going to say he produced it, and so it just didn't happen. But then at the same time, radio was doing this campaign against rap and they would do this thing called a no Rap work Day ninety nine was the first station, but it was around the country or no rap crap Yes, so.
From six am to six pm, no rap was allowed.
Wow.
So my thing was, Yo, put this record out. Don't say it's a rap record. Act like it's an R and B record from Atlantic. You know, let the arm because because Atlantic was separating, it was Atlantic Street, and Atlantic Street would do all hip hop Atlantic Proper would do like in the Vogue records and everything. So like, no, let the Atlantic Proper push this record to radio and let's see what happens. Wake up six in the morning and it goes only you. So it was just like
it was really a social social experiment. But back to Tasha, I'm rambling. So Tasha, Sylvia gave Tasha a deal. So I go in the studio and while I'm recording my second, my third album, I'm recording Tasha's album at the same time. We actually and why you probably saw me in Philly a lot.
Stone Creek Studios.
The boys Man Studio used to be a studio called K JIM, and I pretty much owned K JAM. I had a house in Manyunk and I rented, and I lived in KJM and.
You know all the owners. You know, we were all good friends.
And I was doing the two albums, was at the same time, and the album got finished. I don't know if it was good, And honestly, I can't say if it was good because.
I wasn't like my boyfriend's song scrap, but my.
R and B chops wasn't where they like they are now, so it was just it wasn't. Yeah, I would bring I would bring some you know, like I'm I can't play every instrument in the world, so I would bring people in, but you know, I would play it, you know, electronically first and then you know, have somebody come in and.
So so mainly strings, mainly horns. I don't like.
I don't like fake strings and horns for nothing, and I don't like fake guitars or bass so you know, those four elements always.
Put in.
And then after recording that album, Tasha and I were in a relationship, and during that record we stopped being in a relationship, and she became, she became and you know, she got into a high school boyfriend, high school sweetheart and later her husband, and so they're in their relationship and he's full roster.
So she becomes full roster dead in the middle of this.
What does that mean? What does that tell me?
Because you know, she starts, you know, she starts coming in locks, she starts coming in looking like Freddie from a different, different world. And and and for me, I understood that the nineties were coming in and that was the wave. But for me, I was like, yo, if it ain't GQ, it ain't strictly GQ going to fly. Nah, man, you're looking crazy out here looking them.
Yeah, I was one of them.
So you know, you know, it's like no, don't you know people were, you know, replacing flat tops for locks.
And it was like, no, you got to keep sharp. You know. It was just on my little one year dumb stuff. So so she.
And and and you know, nothing against anybody who partakes in in the Mary Jane, but I'm not. I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't want that in my environment, my work environment. I want my work environment conducive to how I live so I can have the best creative process.
That's just me.
So if you so, when.
You're full blown Rosta, you're you're your outlook is different than that. So we started clashing creatively, but we still pushed on. But then from Roster they became like super saved.
Christ that the Jeho.
Yeah, so the super like I'm talking to about.
It's quite a swing, right, but that's that's Tasha. So she knows that I'm not saying anything bad about her. She understands how teaser every I talk to her all the time. So so Tasha becomes, you know, the female Jerry Farwell or somebody. She's like, she's like a missionary, like everything is God is great, Guy is good good cool? No, no, no, she's back to so she's like a mix of everything. Now actually she's half Roster have Tasha have evangelists. So
the album is done and it's being mastered. At this point, her solo album y she called Sylvia. The Lord tells me I cannot move any further.
Oh the Lord with this literally music.
For her signature saying something different though.
I request and my church requests, let me out of my car.
So what please tell me with Sylvia?
Yeah whatever, Because you think about it like this, A lot of artists don't seem to understand there are two and I think Tasha probably fell into this category.
And you know, artists will never want to admit it or or fear that fear this, but there are certain artists that are signed just for a tax right off. A label gets a high budget every quarter, so you gotta.
You have to do.
You gotta dump that money. Man.
So if you give me one hundred and twenty grand to do Tasha's album and it don't come out, that is a write off.
That is a good thing for.
You and your your your your your quarterly balanced because it was something you spent. It didn't work cool, but it was an expense. It was a loss, and now we don't have to pay this much tax, so I think so. So you know, at that time, Sylvie had Keith Sweat, she had Gerald of Vert, she had in Vogue. Buster was coming in.
You know, It's like Tasha, you know.
And and nothing against the music that I did or Tasha, but it was just you know, it wasn't it didn't it didn't make a dent in her so with then Tasha started working for ASCAP and became head of special Awards at ASCAP. And she did that for a while.
You know, her and her husband got married at a child they opened a dope candy store and parks Little Brooklyn called rappers Delight to put a dope candy store, you know, you know, and that that lasted for a few years and then you know, she just she's living life. She you know, she sings when she feels like singing, but you know, she just she's a mom.
Okay, I have a question that concerns my group. How did you discover Kamal when he was newborn? You don't know that newborn.
They kind of had a cover of I forget their name. They sound like a law for him.
That came out newborn newborn, I mean Camal.
I'm sorry.
Jimmy, Jimmy, well he was Jimmy at the time. Dave Howard was Jimmy like fourteen.
He was fourteen, So Jimmy always stuck out.
Well, like I said, he was fourteen he was fourteen.
I was nineteen, so eighteen and yeah, I was like nineteen and the owner of k Jem Studios, my man, Kurt Kurt Sure Kurt, brought the group to me. And there was a group out of North Philly. It was a young kid at the time. He was seven years old and he was a drumming prodigy. His name is Sammy, and Sammy was he was a prodigy and his father was a prodigy, Big Sammy, and so they wanted to form a hip hop Jackson five things. So it was Sammy on the drums and rhyming, and his sister on
a keyboard, and then there was a cousin on the bass. No, there was a brother, Mike. Mike was on the bass, and then another cousin played another keyboard, and that was the group. But the music wasn't wasn't dope, and they had a deal. I can't even remember what deal. I think there was like TVT, I can't even remember what label this was. They had a deal, but it just wasn't dope. So they brought me in to clean up.
They brought me in to rewrite all the rhymes, teach him how to rhyme, redo all the ideas that they already had relativity. Relativity, yes, teach him how to do you know, redo the records? So you know, I was the cleanup man. But the father wasn't having it. He was like, I don't want to say Joe Jackson, yo. It was it was different, man. It was like that Falling in Love record that I did did very well in certain regions. So we would perform at six Flags
and I would be in the group. I would be like, how how you would have like Rashad Smith on the drum machine while the real band I would be like on my NPC playing with the band and probably a keyboard here and there, just to keep that element going. And they were so afraid of their dad that they
would perform to the side to him. There would be ten thousand people in the audience, but they would performed to the dad, and the father would be giving thumbs up and thumbs down during the performance and extremely abusive, extremely abusive, to the point where he had to get dealt with, like between me and the dad, you know, and I think my bond would Kamal was based on that because we weren't When Kamal was on the guitar so when he was brought in, he was the guitar player slash barber.
He played guitar with us sometimes before.
So Kamal and I bonded because we were the We were the outside guys. We weren't in their family. So it would be like, yo, man, did you see what the pops just did to the brother, like you know, and and and and I kind of like gripped him up like little brother, you know what I'm saying, And and and and That's how we we bonded from that group because we would go on the road like and and like Gilly the kids. Pops was down with the whole thing too, so young Gilly would be around like
eight year old kid, you know. So so it would be like and you know, rest in peace because old the Samy's dead, so I can tell the story. We would be in k jam and I remember, you know, they would getting the advance and the father had no teeth in his mouth. Father would come and like, you know, man, you know, we write these records and we do these things.
Man.
You know, you know, I like the fact that you came in with your published, with your records and everything. But you know, I gotta say I wrote them records. Man, I'm like, well, first of all, you know, I'm not homie from down the block, you know, like I do have a name to myself, you know, so let's let's not forget this. Second of all, there's no way you're gonna get my publishing. Oh man, I'm getting that publishing. And you ain't gonna leave this studio without it a word.
So we get to rumbling in the studio what so like very much? So yes, I mean, you know, but but so we're we're in the studio and it doesn't turn out well for Sammy. But the funny thing is we have to go on tour the next day, so I wish I could find this video. We're sitting on the plane sam he got the busted lip. I got a busted lip. Were all sitting there like the next thing we gotta do is a six flag show. And then I was like why am I and me? And Camal's like why are you even here? Like why are
you even dealing with this? And I'm like, why are you dealing with this? And then I remember he called me up one day He's like, yo, man, being another group.
What it's like, Yo?
The roots I'm gonna be in the roots, like yeah, right, And I remember he gave me a call the day whatever whatever y'all did the yeah that because matter of fact, me and him went to see y'all at the track of Darrow I believe opening for Trot Yeah, and I was like, Yo, that is the dope group.
It's like, yeah, man, it's they do. So for them to tell me, for him to call me, it's.
Like maybe that group be seen.
You know.
I'm in that group now, and I'm like, show that's what you want to do? You know?
Is it anything like Newborn? It's like the real everybody knows how to play the music, you know, not like just one person.
So so you know, you know that's how you know we are bonders. You know a bond is that old?
Wo?
So now you know why I hang out backstage you see me.
I'm doing I proud.
I'm gonna I'm gonna ask this question from a different angle, right.
Have you and Biggie ever had a sit down or talk before?
Never?
Yes? Oh more than that what.
You made it because you made a record on him?
No?
No, never, I never made a record on Biggie.
But the video had visuals that that record was done right, It was like a year before Ready To That even came out. That record was done going through a real whack period on a real whack independent label. And yeah, it's wow.
That was that.
That experience is a movie in itself in Atlanta, Kennesaw, Georgia, and it was it was run by an old English, proper english man named John.
And John would sip his tea every day.
At four o'clock and and he would tell us what to you know, we do not want samples on this record. We would like you to like all your live instrument wrong and you know, very proper. And you know, you would go into John's office and you're like in somewhere in Surrey, somewhere. You know, it wasn't like anything. You didn't even think you were in Georgia.
It were.
He had like toy trains and weird stuff. So but so we do this at your Bond record.
And this is the Incognito.
Yes, Incognito album actually my favorite, one of my favorite productions, honestly because I was forced to learn not to sample, you know, I was forced to bring in a lot of live instrumentation and singers and just re imagine things that I could have easily sampled, and it was like, now now I'm gonna go in and actually be a producer.
That I did.
I become so so with Big I.
Never took it personally.
Somebody sent me the tape, a tape of the song like maybe six months before a record came out. I thought it was dope. I loved the record. I love Unbelievable, and I think people made it bigger than what it was because the wave changed so drastic that whatever bad Boy said or whatever death Row said was lost. So here you go somebody like me. You know, I have
no beef with nobody. You know, I'm not that type of guy in any way, shape or form, you know, for the most part, and and everything that I represented was about, you know, just being laid back, cool, fun, having fun, blah blah blah. So then you have Biggie come out say that, you know, my style life has played out like the polkas blah blah blah.
It's cool.
But then people take that literally. You know, it's like it was a literal thing. I would come some going somewhere and it's like I don't let quame in.
He's played out like, you know what, stupid shit like that. So Incognito album comes out, and.
My only way to address it because this is not like the land of you know, you can make an album.
You know, you have forty eight hours to respond.
You know, all right, that doesn't happen in nineteen ninety three ninety four. So it's like I gotta go and make a record, you know what I'm saying. I gotta make a whole full record and get it pressed up and hand it to DJ. You know, like I don't have time on money for that, you know. So the only way to respond some way is to put a Biggie look alike in the What's It Like?
Video?
And it was just him in the background and people throwing stuff at him while he was on stage and his shirt said sad boy or whatever. And the thing was, Biggie was so hot at the time. Even the extras was not trying.
To do it.
It's like, yo, man, we can't do that, man, you know, woof we come in here. They thought everything he said was like, really, he might shoot us, man, he might, you know, like they were so brainwashed and some people still are, you know, like you know, it's like he's God to a lot of people, so you know, the brainwash was serious. So there was this thing if you actually, if you listen to reasonable doubt, there's a skit and a lady named Maria Davis, and she does a thing called Mad Wednesdays.
So that's a real thing. So Mad Wednesdays.
So on Mad Wednesday, I was supposed to perform. Was Biggie supposed to perform, Dave or was he just there? Yeah, So everybody came out to see to see me perform, and big was there. Meann't say anything, but Marie just like straight instigated it.
Man.
It's like you here, Biggie's here. Why don't y'all just deal with it now?
Oh my god, you know, why don't you deal with it now?
Why don't y'all just deal with it now? You know how y'all want to do it. Y'all can take it to the stage. I can take it outside how y'all want to do it, But y'all both here. We can't have y'all both here and have this issue.
So it's so funny because it's like I'm still me, so I'm in a I remember exactly what I was when I was in a full black, like a money suit with slip slip ons and a black turtleneck looking like shaft And I remember Big in one of those nasty looking coogie sweaters and he came over and he's like five times bigger than me. I'm like only five six, he's like six two sixty three. He comes over and he's rolling like the biggest blunt I've ever seen in
my life. It was like the size of this microphone is LANs like.
You gotta fucking problem with me. I was like, no, you gotta fucking problem with So we're in there talking and I'm like, what am I gonna do with this big This big motherfucker's gonna kill me and all his boys.
And the funny thing is I know so many people from so many places, which is a good thing. Like a lot of the people that's from his area I knew. So it was like it was just weird to know that I just had a problem with this guy for.
No real reason.
Yeah a word, just like he said things like that about so many people on that album.
But I don't know how I caught that bullet.
So we're in there just popping ship to each other, and I remember little seeds came in between us.
I think that's supposed to be loving you and being and all. It's just all this commotion.
I remember the dudes that I was with, I'm naming no names. Am I gonna say? You, Davey?
Where are you there?
Where are you there? So back to yo.
I never knew that the two guys that I was with knew how to moonwalk, so well, oh my god, there was moonwalking and I saw it's just me in a suit, biggie and every person in Brooklyn, everybody in the seven one A area. Cord was right there, and I was like, this is some ship. What am I going to do?
So so so so.
Then it turned into y'all not gonna fuck this place up, Buffy, y'all get the fuck out.
So they kick him out the front.
They kicked me out the back, and luckily I knew the area very well. All angles, just Brooklyn, dudes and all. And I was like, oh man, am I gonna I can talk my way out of anything? But I don't think I could talk my way out of But I don't know if it would have came down to it, but Yo, my ninja skills was on ten billion and.
Yo, man, I there you go.
And and that was and then I think I saw And it was always weird moments like that that I would run into him. Like one time I was in his neighborhood with a girl and it was in the middle of the night. Were walking down the street by BAM music by BAM in Brooklyn, and there was like this little alley between right when you get Flatbush and Fulton, there's like a small alley, and I decided to cut down the alley.
In the alley is Biggie and his boys.
I'm like, but I knew.
I knew the car that he drove, you know, I knew that.
So his head was turned and I was just like, man, I'm.
Just not gonna deal with this man walking.
Exactly, you know.
And it was it was always something like that, or be like in a party like this. The next time, he was in the party and I'm trying to cut through the party and I go through the shortcuts, just me and him. He's like, he just it was just so fucking funny.
We just laughed and then I just walked the other way and he was you know.
It was just those kind of kind of experiences and and It's just so weird because I was super cool with puff and and and we never really addressed it, but then we ended up working together at times. You know, I've ended up working with everybody pretty much around the situation. So it was just like I think it was just more of a trumped up.
Well I thank you because at the end of the what They Do video, he was after us.
He's like, Yo, the nigga with the stick up.
You said that that Yo, the old with the stick.
Specified.
Wow.
So y'all never talked like y'all never like I guess squad did. It just kind of just faded away or whatever.
They just walked.
I got my my my Billy Jean jacket on my little boat time.
Okay, so before we close, because I feel like the war really doesn't know.
You didn't go anywhere. You elevate it to the next level with production. So was it just a do or die.
Moment for you? Like I used to go out like I am?
You know what I think? For me, music is just.
It's not just what I do. You know a lot of people like you don't. You know, it's not who you are, it's.
What you do.
No, for me being creative doing music in some shape or form is pretty much my full makeup.
And sir, you perplexed when people because I'm certain that people see you as carmea like, yo, what the hell you been?
Like whatever? He fell off?
And like when you say like no, I'm K one mill.
No, no is it like it's not even that because like the K one thing that that that probably lasted two records, and it was because somebody talked me into like, yo, your name is mud Man.
You gotta you gotta.
Switch all this time that you were producing under.
So it was like the Lloyd Banks on fire and I did a group of records. I did a Mary J. Blige record on her No More Drama album and uh two l O Cool J records, so four records and all in total.
Yeah. So so after after that it came.
I love her, She's amazing.
JoJo's Jojo was actually dope.
Her week and renditions.
I heard that first album, I remember we put it on like what the.
So so I think one of the the the changing points to not use K K one mill is ll When I got to the studio, He's like, why are you here? And I was like, because I'm doing the record. And like I'm on the record with him and the whole thing. He's like, wait, that's you. He's like why are you What the fuck is a K one mill? Like what the hell is that? And then you know, it was like you know what, yeah, and I'm like, you know, why am I allowing? Why am I allowing others?
And it was done. It wasn't done in malice, you know, shouts to my man Ron Lawrence because he Ron Lawrence. Yes, I'm ra, i'men rah. He he's from my neighborhood as well. And he pretty much put me back in, you know what I'm saying. He through his through his connections and his production, he put me back in. But he was like, yo, man, don't use kwame because people they associated with something old and go buy K one mill. And K one mill was a joke. Actually it was me playing around on
the microphone. I was acting like a robot. I am K one male and I'm here too.
It was that.
That's literally what I was doing was bugging out.
And so so that turned into when Ellll was saying that and didn't realize that I was there. I was like, look, man, I can't, I can't. I am who I am, and I'm not gonna allow things to cut that short. So either you're going to accept this music if you don't accept the brand, I can't. I just I guess this is not for me. But the music should be able
to speak for itself. And and I never wanted to be the producer that just did one type of genre or one type of artist, So I would you know, I'm doing say Switch from Will Smith and you know that.
Record criminally underrated.
Yeah, but it was a number one round fifteen countries, you know, what you know? And and and and.
People everybody told me, don't do that, it'll destroy your life, like it changed my.
What you know?
But so you have Switched on one side, with Lloyd Banks on the other side, and then you have tweet over here. And then then I do a Christina Aguilero record and a Pussycat Dolls record, in a Mary J.
Blige record. Then you know there'll be things for movies.
Like Step Up and you know, just little things falling in to its places.
And yeah, I remember we had music in that HBO movie Dancing in September.
That was the first thing that was the first thing that you know that was like actually like kind of like my coming trying to really really come back.
You know.
It was dominated for Emmy for.
You know, so it was a one.
It was like Bamboozoo.
Nicole Ari Parker was in.
It, and your boy that was on grades but got fired Isaiah Isaiah Isaiah Wathington.
That takes place in Baltimore.
No, she just from Baltimore.
Okay, nah, there was like a TV and we forgot something.
We skipped over something major. Okay, what poison?
Excuse me? Wait what excuse me? What are you saying? What are you saying?
You wrote that right?
I wrote?
I wrote, I wrote, I wrote, technically wrote the rhymes and then it just turned into Ronnie de Voe's rhyme.
But it was wait what Yeah? It was. The funny thing was I never told anybody.
I don't know because I know.
Ship so so me, this is the weird story. I was in l A.
I was staying in like that that that summer I lived in l A. One house party was being filmed and I ended up not doing anything but messing around with chicks. So this is one girl I was dealing with, and.
It was just it was so weird. Man.
I was like staying at this girl's house and she had a job, so I would like she would just leave me in her house with her little brother. And then her brother was like, hey, man, you're like new addition. Yeah, I guess, so you want to meet him? Sure, So he takes me to Ralph's house. Should we go to ralph house anywhere?
Wait?
What's like seven sixteen? So we go to Ralph's house. We're all in the valley somewhere. I have no idea where I'm at. I cannot because I was staying at the apartment complex called Oakwood, so Oakwood was in proper La and I was somewhere out in the valley. I have no idea because I had to wait for her to come home and take me back. So so, so the brother takes me to Ralph's house. So I spend like half the morning me and Ralph just chopping up,
getting super cool, talking and everything. And he said, hey, you want to meet the rest of the guys. So then we go to this other house in the hills and Ronnie, Ricky and.
No.
Ronnie and Ricky were living together. Mike was there. So everybody's playing sega all day. No, So then Mike was like, hey, man, you want to hang out tonight. I'm like sure, sure, i'nna let you hear some stuff because we we're all gonna be a group. Who's the group us three? We're gonna be a group, yo.
Man.
I was like get. I was like, man, what's the name of BB the Yeo? Exactly?
So, So that night, me Mike, Dana Dane, and a homeboy, Dug well In. He had a Jeep Cherokee, a brand new Jeep Cherokee were it was the dopest car in the world. And we're driving to this club called the Palladium. And he puts on the demo the Beat of Poison, and I was like, just jacked, only you. That's almost like.
Beat and.
And so I'm like, all right, yeah, me, you should write some rhymes for us. And I heard like it was like a loose singing, and I'm like, all right, this is the worst thing. And that was kind of offended because the beat reminded me only you. So I was just like, I was like, give me a napkin, so in a napkin like poisoned, deadly moving in slow, looking for a mellow f like.
Give the hard money.
Half here.
Like I was like, here, this will never come out, and I was like, play the beat. This is how you say it, you know. I said it to the beat, and it was like, hey, man, I think you got it. I think I got it. And the next year.
And you didn't ask any publishing and then like that, please tell you did.
Come on. It worked out after the but on the album it just says thanks.
But technically I have a technically can you can? You? You could live off of this this song alone.
And I already learned in previous episodes that when there's more than one, unless.
You want to publish it.
Okay, so already okay, money her money?
Did you say?
Sneak was? She was the worst example.
She really did. She waited and waited.
Do you know Ali Willis?
She wrote September. She was the black whisper, the black barbecue whisper.
Automatic.
Yeah, I love Automatic, friends the friends, No, seriously, color purple.
The lyrics to Automatic are incredible, Like I love that song.
Pointed sisters Automatic. Yes, just making sure you get a print Automatic.
Lyrics tron dance, Yeah, trying to dance to something about Automatic.
I love that.
Let me but yeah, so that's how that's how poisoning I was. I was in the video. I was at the video. I didn't get in the video.
Matter of fact, the girl I was messing with was the poison girls. I was like making sure you know, y'all, just you know you can sing about her.
But but wow, me, are there any other ghost weird stories that I don't.
Know that.
On that level? No, I don't. I don't think so, I don't know.
Do you ask the random so Vin Diesel was the cousin, but he didn't help you get out your cousin.
Yeah he's my cousin, but he's not.
But he was a bouncer the club. I thought it one time in his life.
So no, I would not. I want to call him up to fight.
Nobody different than Diesel.
But but he's in he's in the he's in my nasty video, the nasty video, but he's dancing. No, he's the boyfriend that trying to beat me up in the nasty video.
Hold on, because I mean he has hair. You know, he got to hide that from a soul.
And the funny thing is me I was gonna. I was gonna put him he before he wanted to. Well, he was always acting and stuff. He was just a creative guy into the arts. And he's he's my he's my older cousins and he's not like we're not the same age, so they would have to watch me in types up. He has a twin brother, him and his twin brother I used to always hang out and.
Fraternal twin.
Paul.
His brother Paul, he's a he's a dope video I mean film editor, like trailers and actual films like Paul. You look them at Paul Vincent and their younger sister, Samantha. That's she's my so we used to more.
I need to see his hair text here. Hold on, I got to get one of these siblings.
Hold on.
There's a running theme on Quest of Supreme about Amere getting in trouble for records that our guests have done. But on this episode, we're gonna do a little different. This time it's me that got in trouble for a Kwame. Well what I did with the Kuame record?
Okay, what happened?
My parents got an answering machine.
Shortly after the second album came out, and if you know how you remember the first album, the second album starts starts with Kwame leaving an outgoing.
Message welcome to the bone. Yes.
One day when my parents were out, I replaced our outgoing voicemail message with kwame.
My parents were not pleased. That was stupid?
Should do it?
I mean it was the first answer machine my dad had, you know, some generic, boring outgoing messages like no, we can't be lame, like wow, we got.
To put something cool on there, and you that was your outgoing message?
Was our outgoing message? Yeah?
So what somebody call and told your mom like, yo, what is going on?
They were like what is It's on your outgoing like y'all need to change that, and so you know they did you get But I got on punishment for a while.
I got on public punishment that that ain't weapons.
You know, it's funny.
I don't I can't go back and listen to the old records, not that I don't like them, I just just don't listen to them. I don't watch videos, I don't watch old records. And the only time that the old record will come on of mind that I listened to is because it's it's it's on shuffle.
On shuffle.
I thought you're gonna it's on fresh Princes.
But you know what, I didn't see that episode till like ten years after.
Wow, I think Jeffrey's dancing to it.
Yeah, yeah, its called loving the episodes Loving the Elevator and then they use it again on another episode. But but now those checks were two pairs, yes, and I bought some milk and those there was some lean years and those those uh fresh Prince and I let Will know. It's like, let me tell you something, man Will has definitely Will shows up in my life at very pivotal points. So so the first time I met Will.
He's like the real life back of Vents.
First, the first time I met that was good was in eighty nine and where La and I met him. He hosted a show.
It was me.
Uh mc hammer, I want to say too short and Tony Tony Tone and he hosted this show. And it was actually that day I met ice Cube. He introduced, man, my name is ice Cube.
I was about to say everyone that SI could wear those love shirts, but then I came in with the black T shirt, so ruined that fantasy.
So I was Will saw me in the crowd. We used to go out into the crowd and try to get girls, and he just saw me in the crowd not being as professional as I could.
Be, so I didn't know.
I didn't know.
He's like, yo, let me pull He pulled me to side. Let me talk to you for a second. So you got to understand what you're doing.
You know, you gotta you don't act like you're better than anybody else, but you have to understand that you have to put yourself on a level and and and even if you're not on that level yet, prepare yourself for a next level. And and and prepare yourself to be on the next level. And you know, like, I'm like, that's preaching to me, and but he you know, he kept talking and you know, and it it kind of
changed my attitude at the time. And then he had like this house party and he had a house in Gladwin. I think he said that, but he has this house in Gladwin, Pennsylvania. And we went to the party and it's like, man, you know, I want to show you something, and I'm all right. So he takes me to like the living room or whatever and whatever. The Grammys he had wont at this point, I think it was like
three at the time. He's like, you know, I want you to understand why I'm showing you this, he said, because you know, I don't know if you'll ever win one, if you ever won't. But a lot of times people don't set to achieve something because they can't visualize it, they don't see it, they don't understand it. So I think that you can at some point be able to achieve this. So I just wanted you to see what's
what this is and and and understand. He was like, you know, he showed me the crib and it was like, you know, like a lot of rappers, they just try to buy chains and cars and clothes whatever. But you know, you know, should really point at real estate. You should really point looking at you know, understanding what the mortgage is. He was just doing all this real talking, you know, like preachy fatherly stuff.
And and we should to each other as well, we should pass down and he was.
Saying that and and so that was another point.
And then.
When I needed money the most, the fresh Prince of bel Air show did only you and that helped, you know, And then to bring me to another level as a producer, he shows up again and he picks switch and you know, and even recording switch just having real in depth life conversations, you know. And also he had a video so fresh and it was him and Bismarcky and I was like, at a you know, there was like I said, there was a period of time. It was nothing popping, you know, I just I did not have any paper.
You know.
He reached out and said, yo, man, get in the video. You know, blah blah blah.
Allowed me to be in a video. You know, he gave me some you know, some cool exposure. So there was always little points of points of light that that will will put down. So you know, I definitely appreciate.
Him for that. You should probably hang out with him more often, you know, calm up on the regular. Yeah.
Actually, okay, before I wind up, it's probably my last chance to have this movement to ask this question.
Oh yeah, dog, do you have any Latin Quarter stories?
I was waiting for this. I don't, finally bust it.
I don't because I was too young to get in there, so I thought, so Latin. So there was three clubs that that meant something, the Latin Quarter, the Union Square, and Red Parrot. Red Parrot that was like the Melly Mail crowd. But you know, you hear about the red Parrot. You gotta go, so I was able to. Sometimes I would tag along with Salt and Pepper and Herbie and Dana and sneaking places. But the Latin Quarter and Union Square that.
I don't know.
I'm pretty sure you've heard a million stories by when I tell you, it's like beyond the Thunderdome.
And I've been.
I've been outside the Latin Quarter.
I've been at the door and the door swings open and everybody runs out, but wait outside.
It's probably the most dance part of the more stories about outside the Latin Quarter than probably inside.
The outside was grimy, inside was grimy the eighties.
Man, like y'all don't understand New York City in the eighties. It's the Latin Quarter. That's the least of your worries, like going to a club like that, or going to the Union Square or even the tunnel, you know, early tunnel.
It's the train ride home, you.
Know, it's it's that's the that's the that's the Russian Roulette.
Yeah, it's the train ride home. It's trying to get in, it's trying to get out. It's it's kill man, And and I don't understand everybody played that Russian roulette. They get that chain, they get there whatever, Yo, you would get sliced for polo like if you had on a polo visor you would get lumped.
And you were fresh all the time, so like it wasn't risky for you to be.
Well, my fresh was thrift store fresh, so it wasn't like we don't want that. But then at the same time, like I said.
You weren't ballied out. You weren't.
There would be baallets, but then there's thrift store everything else because all the money would be at the ballot on the ballet. So yeah, So so it was never sneakers, you know. So you know like when jordan Ons came, it was like the first one hundred dollars sneaker. So it was like I was not I wasn't doing that. But outside of that, it was I'm telling you man, like a shark I lent him. Had a goose that resembled a polo goose.
It was like Polio by Ralph Cramton.
It wasn't me.
And and.
He he got sliced on the fore train from shoulder to hip and they sliced him. They sliced through the jacket and the slice was so clean. He didn't know until he got home and he's like, they were like, yo, your back is wet. The coat it just they sliced it. And I don't know what the commotion was, but it was my coat, and so I didn't put this way. He told me he got sliced, but he never told me he got sliced for my coat. And I didn't
find out for like years. I was like, when are you gonna get my coat back?
Oh? Man, my mom put it somewhere. I can't find it. He would. He was just so ashamed to tell me that that's why he got sliced, and I felt terrible. I'm lending him my gools. My mother's like, I bought you this coat and you're not. You don't wear it. I said, I don't know what al had it.
Stop lending your clothes, Alan, because we used to trade like you, you know, like you and we would trade clothes and stuff. So that's like how it was going to these clubs. So you literally, if you didn't know, if you didn't have a crew, it was like the warriors.
Man.
It's like that's the best way to describe it. Like you know you and your six guys got together. What we're gonna do tonight. We're gonna go to Latin quarters. Yeah, ready for this. We'll listen to some songs, we may meet a girl, we may dance, but you don't know that we are fighting our way out and it's gonna be we have to be one for all on this train.
So it would and then you know, like I said, my age, I'm fifteen, you know, fourteen fifteen, Well when Latin Cols is really popping, so there's no way I'm gonna get in. I wasn't savvy enough for the fake idmember like the Fat Boys, right.
Everyone.
I couldn't do that.
And Herbie was like, no, man, I can't subject you to this like you're you're a little kid.
You can't do it, man. So we would just sneak around.
But you know from okay, that's a non Latin courter of story enough to warrant this, anything to warrant that's so.
It's a terfect conclusion community. That's great.
Man.
Wow, this is way beyond my expectations for this man. It was life lessons, it was a.
Journey, It was everything that year old dream come true.
Man, I don't know's it's Kayso you knowk he talks about how I you were his favorite rapper and stuff, like me and him we talked abut it, and like, I just want to just thank you man, Like you really you were like just the memories I have of my childhood of like buying your tape. You were my first. You were like the only music that my pops ever bought. You.
Remember when we first met was this sean Berg Center, Harlem.
No weed, it was this was was it that thing that it was like a form or something? Stop the violence?
You know, really because there was violence in two thousand and six.
No, it wasn't.
It was like it was like shows when we get together to talk about like images and media.
But like I got super cool at night from then, you know, I always thought that y'all was like super You know. My thing is it's cool to meet people on a musical level, but I'm more on a personal level on how people are as as people. You know, what we do is what we do, you know, and it's it's always a matter of opinion to whoever listens to it. But when you meet people on a personal level, I think that's dope. I just wanted to dropped out.
Oh man, thank you brother, much appreciated.
Man.
The same to you, like just just thank you for the music you will certainly inspiration and.
Some beautiful music together. Every song is a hit.
Thank you.
You know that's you know real quick.
I know you want to wrap up, but you know, luckily, you know, I always wanted to control my own music and control the fate of my music. Being a producer, you just get a check and you don't know which if you're number one on the album or number seven on the album, and you don't know if it's going to be single or not. And if it is a single, you don't know. You don't know the ins and out. So I have a label, Make Noise, and it's distributed
through Caroline Capitol Records. And the first artist on that label is Vivian Green from Philly, and and the way that turned out was it's weird because it turned out me trying to suggest that she makes a certain type of record and she's not being with it at all, and I'm sending her tracks and song ideas and everything. And we called this one record called get Right Back
to My Baby. On over with Frankie bevery s and I just threw it out there without her knowing, and you know, it became it became a barbecue type hit record, you know, the piggyback off of the original record, and and it spawned the whole label deal and everything.
So so you know, I enjoy.
I'm at a point in my career that I don't know where things are gonna go. I don't know if it's gonna be a super hit record or whatever. But I'm also at a point where my concern isn't there. As long as I have an outlet to put something out creative, I don't know what's gonna happen. So like with the Vivian Records, you know, each record that we put out for the charts that she's on the UAC charts, we're like number ten five two, you know.
So so we do well in that space, and it's cool. We do great.
You know, I perform with the band, you know, it's it's it's great. You know, we do arenas, we do clubs.
We do and she's doing more than ballots, so that's good.
Yeah, And that's another thing. It's like I like I like live energy. I like live musical energy. So so it just gives me an outlet to to do that amongst you know, the other artists that i'll have coming later. But you know, there's another artist out of Philly named Michelle. She's out of Bucks County that that more of a pop pop, electro artist. So that gets me to explore that side of production as well. So that's that's the next situation coming Michelle.
Yeah, just Michelle. She didn't want to change going.
To be a search engines exactly.
It's the way your spelling is am I S H E l O jesus. Hey man, you know what psychological exactly? The question deep?
What can you do?
Man?
It's like, you know, I think a name, a name definitely is very important. And I think an artist before they come out has a million names. So if it's Michelle, now, I'll go it could be poo poop poop by the end, by the end it comes out, you know. And and and I'm glad you guys are saying that. I'm glad you guys are you're you're saying what you're saying because sometimes artists need to hear that. You know, there's another rapper, there's another rapper that I work with, now phenomenal rapper,
but the stuff isn't out yet. You know, he his name is, he goes by the name of Bobby J. So it's like, why are you using why are you saying that there's nothing against him? Because you are a great lyricist, You're a great MC. But sometimes artists feel like they are married to a name for a certain reason, and sometimes it works. Sometimes we'll hear a name and be like what, but it still works. Like when I heard Lady God Got for the first time, I was like, what is that?
You know?
And it but it worked when I seen her, I was like so so so.
You never know where it falls, but it's always good for that constructive criticism to hit you, you know, because I could have been Jazzy kg Q and y'all have not been talking to me.
Would you be quest for love?
What was it?
Yeah? Brother?
Question rhythm? Well, first I was a sample.
And then I was another name that divine technician and brother, you know you know, yeah, but but you yeah, you know that's why he left K one.
Thank you?
Your name is your name?
Yeah? Because you know, like you know and.
Twelve is out now you don't want to be affiliated?
Yeah, you know.
K twelve is the ship just killing niggas in d C. Oh, that's the new drug.
Is the mountain that they.
Yo.
If you ever see somebody in real life on that run, eat your face. This we did. We did a show in d.
C and these firemen were It was like, you want to show you something, man. We had to stop this guy on K twelve, and he showed me the video.
This dude was butt.
Naked in the middle street doing this crazy dancing, then starting to roll around. He thought monsters were eating him. That's something real. It's definitely like me.
Once on.
I accidentally had Brownie two. I told no, I just guess.
Yeah, it was bad, So I have a Brownie experience. Everything happens in l A.
Man.
I swear.
I got this weird cookie and I swear like I thought aliens were coming to get me. I thought Feds were coming and get me. I thought it was like I was driving home and I was super paranoid.
I was like, if they stopped me, they can check my DNA.
I wanted to go.
I can't so bad man. I was like, I don't know what is the car actually drive?
I was so fucked up, man, face The same. I want to cookie what.
They won't do it, Steve, It won't do it for you. That's for them because they're you know, like weight, what's wrong that is there a three story? You got that Bnton jacket all because.
Barcelona.
I'm sorry, but you got it in?
Come on you?
What about that weight?
What about the hat though? Where can we get one of the hats?
Actually with the logo what I'm doing, it's gonna be a thirtieth anniversary of boy Genius coming up next year.
So all the like paraphernalia like.
Dad caps, fitted pins, buttons, you know, like exclusive Letthermon jackets, all that, even a BMX bike we're doing.
Yeah.
Yeah, and the desktop that was on the front of you, I mean that yeah, oldboard.
Everything all right.
You can find let me say, my social media. I think that's everything.
So at at Kuwame Vision on Instagram and Kwame did it on Twitter, and and I'll post I post a lot so but I'll post, you know, information about the paraphernalia and all that kind of stuff.
Okay, we will definitely, yeah, you will make sure that the socials get all the information.
Uh br Like I said, it's been real.
Thank you man. Thank you for having me. It's real.
I still getting over poison.
I where's that napkin?
Instagram and blue checks playing?
Yes, tell you know what Instagram said that I was not worthy of a blue check.
Let me let me vouch, let me know. I'll make some phone call.
I got you, I got you all right, you have company.
Yes, I was just saying thank you for accompanying me on all those school bus rides.
There you walk, man.
Yes, I'm having a moment. Yeah, I feel was that dude for me? Back to the day man? Straight up? Yeah?
Anyway, Steve and the Sugar Networks, why are you hating I'm sorry? Yeah, say that out loud. Uh, it's like you.
It's still like you.
Uh, Boss Bill, unpaid Bill, and thank you very much. We will see you on the next go round of Quest Love Supreme. My name is quest Love and this is Pandora. See you later.
Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.