Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio.
What Up?
Y'all?
So fine?
Now you should have gotten into last week's episode, Part one if our sit down conversation with Skills aka Mad Skills. Now it's time to get into part too.
You ready, let's go, Steve Bro?
Can you talk about anything in twenty twenty one? Was that this past year?
There you go, classic Steve?
Yeah, you know these movies, records, anything?
Oh not really, I'll discuss Sell didn't release a record this year.
So no, the answer is no, Actually he did, didn't He.
Yeah, he's records.
But as far as pop culture YouTube, I've been watching a lot of European news.
Yeah, BBC like to be honest, I mean, I'm still an MSNBC person, but BBC World News is kind of the and I.
Don't you wanted to say BBD dropped the new album.
I also wanted to shout out the beat and see that happened in twenty twenty one the Black News Channel. My mother would be very upset if I did not mention that.
I mean, we did something special in twenty twenty one.
Man, he created a miracle. All right?
This is all I know. I was in Saint Louis. It's getting real mean up in this shit go ahead. I was in Saint Louis. You know, I've been on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame committee for like eleven twelve years now.
Remember, I get it, you're a emper, We got it. Yeah, I'm part of the committee, and I knew.
I knew that we weren't going to have anything appealing that would make Jay Z want to come and accept his award, because I mean, the thing is is that when you're paying tribute to an artist from the fifties, sixties and seventies, Yeah, you can get blah blah blah to singer Linda Ronstadt song. You can, you know, sort of get somebody to sing.
You know. Last year was like dire Straits and whatever.
But with hip hop especially, there's just some artists that I don't think are coverable or any of those things, you know what I mean, right, And I knew starting this year is.
Gonna be problematic.
Maybe if Eminem gets in next year, you know, there's gotta be someone that that he hasn't burned a bridge with already, Like, so no machine Gun, Kelly.
I don't know if they made up or whatever. But I'm just saying that.
I love to see in sync rap eminem lyrics at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Induction and.
Imagine, imagine Lance Bass coming out of the stands. I won't make that.
We on that for next year. I would make that happen.
No, it was just with this year, I knew that there's nobody that the Internet or critics or anyone, especially with jay Z with deemed satisfactory to do his material. So I had to wrack my brain out. And the thing was, I was driving back from Saint Louis. We had a gig in Saint Louis and we would in New York the next day, and I decided, well, I got fifteen hours ahead of me. You know, I'm gonna get in my bag. I'm in, you know, in my vehicle by myself. He is into Edible. And then Michael K.
Williams passed away. He and that shit fucked like fucked me up. And then suddenly the rock and roll like so I was trying to mourn that shit, and then the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame people called, was like, we got to figure out something in the next ten hours or as jay Z's not coming, and you know, I'm already in my bag and shit, you know the
Edibles about to hit it and all that shit. I was just so messed up that day, and I don't know, like I was just trying to figure out, like how can I And for some reason, I don't know why, I was on YouTube I freak, you know what it was. I was looking up the Supernatural Battle with Craig g I was looking that up and your name was on the side, and I was like, damn, what can I do?
What can I do? And the song that I referenced, that freestyle that you did at Stretching My Beadles where you kind of took everyone's line like I don't know what the proper title is called, but basically that came up and I thought, okay, this is a job for Skills. So basically I had a vision that was gonna find fifty celebrities, fifty notable people to say one jay Z line each and the way that Skills crafts his lyrics, like for him to put this ten thousand piece puzzle together in seven days.
So I thought, I'm stilling out at MC and I think that was like your worst nightmare. I believe.
When the phone call came, do you remember what you said to me?
I was high skills. I do not remember.
Hey, hey this nigga said that's had a conversation. Went hello, yo, what's up?
Yo?
When did you stop listening to jay Z? I said, nigga, what when did you stop listening to jay Z? I said, I'm heyor what the fuck are you talking about? No? No, no, I remember I remember hearing you and Reek talk like and I remember you saying one time. I remember, I'll never forget it. You said you used to be able to hear like a jay Z line, and you could quote, you can hear jay Z versus you could go to the barbershop the next day and quote the whole Ship.
I said, yeah, yeah, like yeah, that's how we all were with early, the whole Ship. He said, Okay, when did that stop for you though? I said, probably, like maybe like after like American Gangster, maybe Magna car the Holy Girl. Okay, bet all right, okay, yeah, all right, yeah, So what I need you? So he goes. He says, he says, I need you to I need a stretching
Barbado freestyle of all the jay Z Ship. But it's got to be all holds like you know, from from from you know, artists to you know, from food snickings to to hustler to thinking man to businessman, right from riggy from riggity riggedy to Shamann Hove to cover the whole basis. I said, okay, and then he goes, I need this ship in like nine days.
Yo.
I was like, I'm mirror. No, no, no, you got it, you got it, you got it. I just wanted to make sure you was damn because I'm about to pitch it. To be honest, are you in? I said, fuck, yeah, man, I'm in. All right, cool, I call you back And that was it, Like it was textbook. I'm mirror. But and I'm just sitting there Tay like, yeah, this ship ain't gonna happen, like I'm not thinking of no jay z shit, I'm chilling. I'm watching TV. Three hours later,
you're gonna be Yeah. She turned it down like we're gonna have to come with something else. Three hours later. Yeah she's in. So yes, I need it, and I gotta go through holes whole fucking from from a skik can I get open to you know what I mean? And I'm just like, this is this is insane. I went to Barnes and Noble started buying books be Coded. I brought this book. I already had these clothed but I couldn't find it, so I had to buy that shit again.
Can I ask a real civilian question, just because we're not the only ones having this conversation, Like people are listening and they probably may have the same question. Yes, there's a situation like this, pay well, because I feel
like people don't understand when it comes to you. And even sometimes when I feel like Fonte and MC's like y'all who have alternative livings when it comes to what y'all do with your talents, they I don't think they get that, like, yeah, you can do this shit's yeah yeah. So that's why I'm asking. I'm not trying to be in your pocket, but I'm like, you do things like this, and I'm just curious.
I'm like.
The funny part is when when Sean hit me and was like, yes, so just you know, tell me you know what, Like I'm talking to them now, so I need something, And I was like, I don't want y'all money, I want a job, nigga, and he was like, Okay, I said, I don't want y'all money, like I don't don't want money from you our mirror. And then Sean goes, it ain't me and our mirror's money, and I was like, oh, I bet.
When a good sentence, Yeah, that was my life.
I don't needles to say good and well, yeah, yeah it was.
It was definitely. It was definitely worth my time and my effort. But but man, at the end of the day, BRO like to to see to see.
The world, to see.
Who tweet where he tweeted, Like when jay Z tweeted and jay Z don't even tweet like that, what did he tweet? He tweeted after it, Yeah, he tweeted thank you to everyone in that video package. I'm definitely gonna cry in the car when I saw that tweet, I was like.
He did oh ship he that that? That really? You know that that stuff.
It's just you know, just on my the things arguing, because the thing is I had a Christmas list of who I wanted to be in the join ye but we then but then I had a lot of mountains to.
Climb.
You know, you gotta explain to you're like Obamas people want to know who else is Emma is joined before he doesn't. You gotta explain the rock nation that this person.
Is air this year on HBO.
Right Rock and Roll Hall of Fame video.
But if we would have gotten our wish list, not saying people aren't still talking about it. If we had gotten our wish list, that ship would be like that would have wanted, that would have been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by itself.
Who else who was on the list that y'a couldn't get or didn't get?
Well, I mean initially, my my first true yes was Obama because my thing was like Sewan and I were like, if Obamas is yes, then.
Everybody else is going to everybody's up.
And so we just want to Obama to say I will not lose, and he was about to do it, and then.
Like the thing is is always like a circle of twelve. That's like, well, you know, there was like was this looking presidential?
And Obama you have a deal at Netflix, broke your content creator.
Now say had I had the previous line before I had, I had a set up so perfect, bro if he would have got to that I will not lose.
I will say that you know for me, like Letterman taking a lot like when it plays CBS. Yes, like that got such a like let for well, first of all, we were in Cleveland, so whenever Lebron showed up, that was a happy moment for them. But I'll say that Letterman stole the show in that particular setting, in that night,
Kanye would have done it. Like the thing with Kanye was sort of like he was like, all right, send me camera cru to Paris and then we sent a camera crew there and jo Bien and then he's in Italy, all right, Italy today?
And then well Fronte asked the question about.
Oh yeah, I know you said him him? Who else else?
Who else did y'all want?
Who else? I wanted Michael Jordan to say Jackson Tyson Jordan's.
He was. He was golfing.
I had I had a Jordan plug and we but there was an important golf game that we couldn't from.
And the crazy, the crazy part is so the crazy part is like like like I mere said, like once we got Obama, ain't none of y'all motherfucker's cooler than him. So anybody that says no, like you ain't cooler than Obama. So we did have one issue and I ain't gonna I'm not gonna say the person's name. But our mirror hits me blindly one day and says, Yo, can you find a line that goes with this? And I was like, I'm here, that's that's not in the that's not in the verse. Why. I was like, why you got to
say that? And he was like, Noah, no, because you know what I'm saying, So and so is here. Now that's the line they want to say. I said, I'm mirrored, make it up. Shit.
My first day is shooting was like I was trial by fire because this particular person was like already doing a long press day for the project that they had going on. Like that's we had to get in with, like if someone was doing a press junket somewhere and then like we sent our crew real quick to get them to save this one line for five minutes and whatever.
You know.
So I caught somebody at the end of like a long press junket day of like seven hours of interviews.
They want to go home. They happen to have a line.
They happen to have a line that wasn't like everyone wanted like an impactful line or to know, okay, who gets this line, who gets the punch? And there's some lines where you have to set it up so that you know someone else gets it. Someone has to set up the alley oop shot and someone shoots it in and there's just one of these moments where this particular person had an ali oop shot tossing to someone else
that gets the punch line. So they felt like their line wasn't cool, so they just decided, well, I'm gonna I'm gonna do my favorite jay Z line and y'all y'all could just work with that. And I was like, no, it doesn't work like that, like you gotta you know.
So he calls me. He calls me and Tay, I ain't gonna say the person name, but the line was no chrome on the wheels. I'm a grown up for real, right, So I'm sitting there looking at Nigga. I'm looking at my phone like that's not no bar like that ain't even he like, but that's what they want to say. So I go, I said, yeah, that's not in the scene that I mean, that's not in the in the
in the rast. Well, how am I supposed to tell her that I said that you tell that person that this is our movie and this is their line is script, Like nigga, you can't audition to play Bishop and then go yeah, but I don't want to get killed. But nigga, you don't want to play Mitchell. Right, So he goes with skills. I mean, what am I supposed to say to her? And I was like, I say, I said, I'm here. This is what you do from here on out. Anytime somebody looks at a piece of paper and says, yo,
man who said this line? I want to say this line, tell them Obama already said, because ain't none of y'all.
In fact, I had to do that twice, by the way, like I learned early not to show anyone in the entire script.
For them to say, you know, I want to say.
Allow me to reintroduce myself, I'm like, now you can't.
There's there's two people not talking to me now because.
There's two people not to I'll get to me now because they claim that I under used them. So and for me, but it was a trial by fire on what directing is really like.
So for me to do it and then you know, going back and forth, with our mirror over it, and we like we were really in the trenches on this ship. And then October thirty first comes and Hole. It's one thing to write something, but it's one thing to write something that I know the person that it's about is gonna see it firsthand. So when I when I hit him, I hit I saw Jay's tweet and you know, I'm on the East coast as it happened, so you know, I saw Jay's tweet and then I hit our mirror
like yo, how to go? And he was like yo, he was floored. And I'm like, oh shit, like that's good. And then I go to sleep and our mirror text me and goes, yo, Jay about to hit you, and like I wake up to a to a to a text from Hole like like I was floored. Like and don't get me wrong, I spoken to Jay a few times, but I ain't spoke a billionaire Jay in a minute.
Wow, man.
So for so for to wake up to a text message from him expressing his gratitude and how thankful he was and how brilliant he thought it well he said, he said, like, Yo, that was brilliant, Like that was dope. Like and I knew he was going through a court case at the time, like he had to go to court the next day.
Like, so speaking of gratitude mane the internet and your present and explaining Josh loves about that.
For me, it was it was very important, Like it was kind of awesome, uh seeing you and pooh wait am I am?
I correct?
And that you guys have your complete masters back from the listening and.
We got the listening the Mintel show. We don't have those that one is still under a rhino. They have them, but we've been in contact with them and we've been talking with them and like working that out, you know what I'm saying. So there, So throughout the whole process again, I had no smoke with Atlantic Records. Atlantic Records they were cool with us, Like right, they were fine.
It was abb that was.
On that funck shit. But Noah, we got our ship back.
That's dope.
Man.
I'm happy for y'all. I remember when I started tweet and uh, you put it up and said that you know, y'all were in control of those records. I knew how much that meant you as an artist. I knew how much that meant to you and pool so I was cool behind, like I you know, I think my my core was I love it when the plan come together, like yeah, I remember that.
I say, man, it was thank you.
I'm more happy than that then Daylight getting their masters back, Like I'm more happy for you guys in specifically it's a weapon.
Yeah, you know, I'm like, well, I mean, we hadn't really talked about it at all, and we wasn't you know, it wasn't anything that we was, you know, we were just kind of dealing with on our own kind of privately. And then when we woke up and saw that the uh the they had repressed the vinyl, and it was just like, oh, nigga, now you just think you're gonna play in my face with this shit, you know what I mean. And so my my immediate response, I was like about the gold fight and I was like hold up,
I hit pooh you know what I'm saying. And I said, look bro exactly, I'm like, yo, Bro, I said, how you want to do this? You want to go quiet or you want to get loud, because we can I can.
We can do it either way.
He was like, let's get loud. I said, all right, let's go So that was it and it worked.
Man. That was dope.
Man.
So in this particular situation, you and Poo are the owners of the listening.
Yeah, we took our shit back, all right, you two alone? Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
The unmentioned third factor doesn't have stakes in the game of ownership.
No.
Ninth was a He was compensated for his time in Little Brother when he was in Little Brother. But since two thousand and seven and Little Brother has creatively, contractually and financially been a duo and it will remain that way.
For your brief question, now there you go.
No, no, no, because I just didn't know. It's all good.
I'm sure. I'm sure with somebody else listening that probably wanted this, they.
Did, and it sounds like a mirror like yeah, thank.
You, I'm glad you get Now. That's dope, man, I'm happy for y'all.
Speaking of record labels, Steve, your jazz label. You've established a jazz.
Label, yes, and I do want to talk about that, but I haven't answered to your earlier question about twenty twenty one and entertainment Summer of Soul.
Come on, you ever talked about this?
We don't know that right now, you're just fucking with you, Okay, well, yes, thank you for bringing that up a mirror JMI Recordings from working on a lot of records recently.
We've got a lot of records.
Coming out in twenty twenty, twenty twenty two and David Murray and UH sah Berliner and Loggate Lund a Swedish guitar player, and UH all kinds of records. JMI Recordings dot com.
We can buy records.
What's going on. I'm going to ask you what M I stands for?
Does it matter? Does it matter?
Doesn't matter?
Relation to E M I.
No, we're modeled after C T I actually and a little bit a little bit of E C M.
But we're there.
We're completely analog label. We record and UH mixed and master all analog tape and UH only print up vinyl records. And we work with the greatest artists around today, including the great David Murray.
And Quest We need, We're gonna do it.
We're gonna do an album with you next.
Year with to do the duo record with David Murray. But this is not streamable at all. You can only buy UH.
Mostly just final but we do have a few of the albums are up on streaming stuff, but we.
Don't care about it.
Just what I mean, skills, Sorry, hold on, skills took it off.
Mute, Let's let's live this up.
Hold On, I mean yeah, skills. I want to send you a bunch of the jam I stuff.
Okay, awesome, man, I would love to I would love to have some. I got your number, So all right, I cut somebody off.
Sorry, thanks. I was trying to get the light to see her. How her creative twenty twenty one was.
Oh, it was good.
I mean I picked up another podcast pick up to Jill Scott and Age Grad and dance Slur.
How's that going?
I was good. I love it.
We get to talk about some pretty cool things and so you should listen to that.
That's everywhere.
And then of course still doing Yo. You you started off my year on one of my other podcasts, which is one of my co hosts favorite moments of the year, quest Love on Love and Great because I do another podcast that.
Was a great podcast. That was a great woman.
Yeah, I appreciate that. I appreciate you a mirror that's what I'm in and I appreciate you for the compliment. But yeah, so we do another great show and then just Doe voiceover work and about this. In twenty twenty two, I will be selling two TV show ideas. Yes, that's happening. I never seen a dating show like mine before.
When we spoke last year, you were still flirting. I know that you know to to flirt with comedy, Yes, requires going out and people and whatnot.
So three, where do you Where do you land?
Where do you land on the dark board? As far as like stand up and all that, it's concerned.
Post COVID, I just say post COVID, because it's like since COVID, not the COVID is over, but post COVID, I have not really been in crowds a mirror. I really haven't even been to a show. So post COVID, I've just been kind of writing and watching and listening because understandable, I've barely been watching people's certain stand ups. I still need to watch that on Netflix. How about that one?
And I mean the material, the material that you get from this podcast alone. Yeah, these motherfuckers. One of the one of the funniest moments I ever in my life.
I forgot this.
Podcast to the show. I forgot that one of the funniest moments in my life. I alway pull over when fucking when y'all had music soul shout and music did not know that I'm mean, I mean, didn't know that music was mad at him. He didn't figure it out until half into.
One of the greatest moments quest of supreme history. I think us. I think he was mad with the wall.
It was one time when Liaiah stopped him and he was like, no, you know what I mean I was. I was outside in the car. You know what I'm saying. It was all cool. You know what I'm saying, It was cool. I just waited, you know, I mean, Leo called y'all. I just waited in the car like another ass nigga. And then Liaiah said, so, what's going on with you music? Like He's like, I mean, it is what it is. And she said like he said, well, damn nigga, are you happy about you anything.
That fucking quest hey, I had open.
He call me you called you.
I hit tay too to everybody music.
I will give anything to go back to the group chat the day that.
Oh man.
I have moments where I guess will say something off the cuff or like just out of pocket and our our chat the suddenly.
It's the best thing.
You know, Let's I don't want to sometimes I know I'm mere long enough to Sometimes when I'm just don't want to be involved in something, he might act like he's clueless. But that day you were really clue and I.
Really got a lot to be juggling, man and.
Right, and you you were like, wait, you didn't what happened again? And motherfucker was like, yeah, I was outside the car at the Solar crazy laughing at him. I just I just wanted I just the penny and me. I just wanted our mere to be like Dann you was outside in the car like the whole time she was or she was like, man, you and I want to tell you. I wanted I'm here to go. So while you were in the car, Like, did you like it was beauty?
You should have texted me. You should have texted me one four three to make it bundanly clear. Yes, Lear Cohen decided. Lear Cohen heard a rumor about the soul Quarian Vibe shoot about to happen, that that infamous photo that basically ended the click of the Twelve of Us, and Lear wanted to ambush us with an artist that we really, all of us weren't completely familiar with, Like
we were actually friends in that photo. And Lear decided that, you know, he's just going to ambush this and send his artists to shoot.
Now, just let them go to the archives.
Just let them go to the archives.
I don't think you're making it better.
I just I just want it. Was a part of me to just want it. I mean to just text him and go like, bro, like are we good? Are we just friends? Well? No? Is it all love?
I'm over here going half crazy.
This is the problem now, black man. We have to take mental health seriously in this. In a TV show, they would provide a one eight hundred number because mental health is serious and those who feel like they need to have it, they should find a number because we don't have it here.
See, me and Ted got in the same sense, We got the same sense of humor. So that's a whole nother number. Like they're gonna have to call another number for that.
Because I got jokes for your head so mad? Come on, bro, like, are you you the nigga that wan neo soul? Like?
What is like? What?
Like? Whatever I do have?
I do have one thing to ask you, do you have any more Soul Trained episodes? Did you get any more? Because you know I got some more. No, no, no, you know I'm saying, do you have any more?
I cannot officially let you know why I have them all, But if you can see how my year went last year, we could pretty much put two and two together about what I'm gonna be doing the next seven years. Let's talk about the seed, The seed, the scene that Detroit. Oh dude, I man, how are you the plug on the scene? Because I know I might wind up being the but I have some plug. If you are from Detroit right now, you're getting very excited about what we're
talking about. Like every every regional spot has their own local dance show, so similar to Philadelphia had Dancing on Air, which later turning The Dance Party USA, other local shows have their own like Local Little Dance, after School Dance Jawns. The Scene is probably the most unique show. If you google the scene right now, just say the scene Detroit, nineteen eighty something.
It's it explains a lot. Explains why Dyla is a genius because basically electrifying mojo pretty much raised a generation of black people on electronic music. So you know, there's a whole generation between him playing like he on his radio show look up old electrified mojo shows from like the eighties. He'll play p Funk one moment, then he'll play Gary Newman the next moment. Then they'll play Bowie the next moment, then he'll play Prince, then he'll play
depeche Mode. So you know, if you are anywhere between the.
Ages of eight to eighteen in Detroit, Michigan, between nineteen seventy eight and like ninety one, you're getting a whole nother form of musical nutrition that this This explains why Dyla was who he was. So you know, the scene was this teen dance show in which I mean they're pretty much they're just dancing to like the most crazy electro techno type of shit.
It's crazy, and so they're there's a scene and also new dance show.
There was another show Detroit.
Yes, so this is going to be a documentary about this show.
About the scene.
He answered.
The answer to your question of here is because there's a few white people who get it and know some ship.
Yeah, because the rare which we you know, it's.
Your seventeenth documentary, and when you're an Academy member, you can make seventeen documentaries.
Yeah, there's a lot, there's a lot to go.
But yes, to answer your question, I've I've fulfilled my fantasy this year and have them all watched all eleven hundred soul trains.
Damn like two.
Hundred short I'm like two hundred shorts.
It's super overwhelming right now.
That is I got to force myself to watch it past ninety three once Don left.
But you know, those are the ones I want to see. I can't wait to see fucking bow Wow and Destiny show embarrassing they so.
Yeah, Oh, this sort of feels like an episode I admitted one hip hop confession. Steve talked about his jazz label, Bill's working on two projects and a lot of things. Fante got his master's back.
You've got comedy coming.
Fonte made all in all honesty.
Fante made twenty twenty one happen those cat Maaster's back. Fantee of all the motherfuckers, made twenty twenty one count Praise to you, Fante, well done.
Thank you man.
I appreciate that. Man.
You can you explain to me the US cat situation like she so she was.
Went on geeked. I was geeked that that moment happened.
Yeah, she went on live and she was just doing her makeup and uh she was wrapping whatever you say off the listening. And I didn't find out about it until afterwards, and uh, well, my boys hit me and I was like like what.
I was like, what the fuck?
And then I saw it on Twitter. So then I actually saw the video. I was like, oh ship, and so I just threw it up, you know, retweeted it whatever, and and I was like, yeah, we're in the racial chat rooms bumping Little Brother, you know what I mean. And I knew she would get the joke. Like a couple of her fans was like, you know, why would you do? But she, I knew she didn't give a fun I knew she would get the humor, you know
what I mean. I figured, if you were a Little Brother fan, you have the ability to laugh at yourself.
You know what I mean.
So so you know, so she but she was super cool and we ended up. She ended up like then she tweeted out, made a little watch and was like, y' I'm bumping this, y'all need to check it. I was like, oh ship, and so we ended up talking for a little bit, like we ended up texting a little bit, and but nah man, she's just like super dope. And you know, it was around the time that she was the news came out that like her tour stopped, she her her coup got COVID and but uh, but.
Nah man, it was a it was a it was a moment.
I was like, word up, that's dope.
But she's she's ahead like a couple of home that knew her, like yeah, back.
Like slim Village once, and I was like the fuck. Yeah. I was just completely under the impression that even though these kids were coming from eighties parents, seventies parents, eighties parents that you know, there's gen z just had absolutely nothing but disdain for our music.
So now they was raised on this ship bro to see.
Dojah cats singing all to you for you and whatever you said.
Guy from the country either right, like she she got from l A.
Her her dad is South African. She's from l A.
He was in her dad was in Tarafina, Seraphina, Seraphena.
I remember walked.
She's actually yeah, it's a video of her like pop blocking Like but this is great.
Now, Like between this and watching her own Little Dicky, I'm a fan so.
Well on his show.
Yeah, she did.
Like a dope ass episode a Little Dicky, So yeah, I'm playing herself.
He's this show is really hilariously and nasty.
Okay, so before we check out, is there any records that I should be checking for? It's weird, man, Like, I'm legit. I'm not disappointed. But she and I had a conversation about it. I really had expectations for Yeba to really come with the promotion with her record, but you know, she wasn't wasn't ready yet.
You know, Distance was the one for me on that record. That was the one. Yeah, I just you played one right, I played.
On the whole record. I just wish. I don't know.
It's like I'm now starting to think that every artist that comes through Electric Ladies Studios why ends up going through a process that you know means a stalling or whatever, you know that sort of thing. Basically, the whole point was that like so many shows are asking for her to come, and before him, she's like not ready yet, not ready yet, like in due time and due time, and it's just like the Salange the records.
Yeah, the record's kind of over now.
Like you know, I was, I was expecting her to drink old Old Girls milkshake. That obviously is going to dominate the Grammys, you know, next year with her album.
But you know I I sort of thought this is going to happen, but you know.
Hopefully the next record A minute for Jazz and Sullivan though, Yeah, that was that.
What's getting all the flowers right now?
Twenty one.
As far as the album, I asked you, what album are you feeling?
I like to have very few albums you can listen through all the way. I mean, even with that Anderson Bruno Mars, there's like one song. But so I was just saying for those like Jasmine.
Who you only like one joint on the.
Outside of the ones on the radio. Yeah, the last one, the last song, what's it?
Breathe? That's it, that's it, that's it.
Breathing, Yeah, breathe is I thought that.
I was like, Oh, this is just getting started. I'm ready for the next one.
Oh it's over.
H oh really skills skills where you go?
No here? I just know I hope that this does wonders for for pot you know, did you work on that?
Did I offend you?
I'm sorry I didn't.
Oh no, No, I wish I worked on ship right right? I take that?
Yeah?
No.
My biggest you know I claim the fame this year was you know, I wrote for Whole Blue and Beyonce.
So there you go.
So what's the fact.
Oh, the Salt record and I felt came out. Yeah, but is there any one notable that I'm missing as far as Yeah, check out my girl be My Fiasco. She's the latest artist that we put out on e Fie Music. There you go, me tall black guys, Oh my voice and the Convader out of DC. Yeah, Devin Morrison's on it, my girl College durand Devin uh Darren Brockington. Yeah, it's it's out be My fasco where I left you did that?
Making me ummer?
That was the summer that.
Was supergroup name. I feel like y'all had to have a supergroup. But you ain't got no name.
Like nah, we just fi music.
We learned from the so Quarius don't get it tit title?
Yeah yeah, we're just collecting the song and don't. Okay, right.
All right, So skills you you're you, you may you may not do it twenty twenty one. Music wise, creative wise, What's What's what's coming down the pike for twenty twenty.
Oh man, I'm finishing up a documentary. I'm finishing up a documentary I did on the nineties girl Brunch, which is something that I did all Quarantine.
To take you for that, Thank you skills.
I'm finishing up a documentary that I'm going to be putting out, probably some new music and just some you know, still moving, you know. I'm teaching teaching. I go back to teaching in January, teaching hip hop class at the University of Richmond.
What's that been? Like?
Very very informative man, And and you know, it's a it's a it's like I'm learning to you know what I'm saying. But for the most part, man, it's like the second year we've done that. COVID knocked us out for like one year. But waiting list. Yeah, yeah, me and my part.
My part got to go to school yourself.
Yes, And I hate like you gotta choose your books and then prove it through the you know, right, like you gotta do.
College professor ship Like yeah, that's hate teaching.
Yeah, yeah, No, I you know, I feel like it's something that you know, I love to do. You know, I can talk to hip hop all day with people, So for me, it's it's been very ratifying.
Man.
I definitely can see teaching in my future and we're looking forward to doing it at other schools as well.
Do you feel your students are genuinely interested in finding it out or is it just like.
Oh yeah, nah nah. Cats come in you know, cats initially come in there thinking that they're gonna get it easy a but it ain't. It ain't that at all, you know what I'm saying. And shit, our our ages range from sixty to like eighteen, you know what I mean. So we had undergraduates in there and other other students, like it's the most popular class on campus. So shout out to you are Richmond, shout out to the Spiders. Yeah, man, I see y'all in a minute from.
An MC level, or from breakbeat level, or just from us every.
Social and a political movement, you know what I'm saying. You know, it's definitely we speak upon it as you know, as being the most popular culture I mean former music in the culture, so you know, you you are aware of it. But you might not have been that aware of the things. Like I give you an example real quick, Like one of our lessons is we play them the video for parents just don't Understand, and then we played them the video for Fuck the Police, and their assignment
is what are the similarities of these two songs? They automatically think, we're gonna be like, okay, what's the difference between these two and we go, okay, what are the similarities between these two songs? And the answers that they come up with are fucking phenomenal, Like it's it's so crazy how deep they.
They see it.
They see first the first the first one that the first one that threw me was they were like, you know, both of both of these different artists, their reputation is everything to them, you know what I'm saying, Like their reputation is everything, and you know, like with Will You Know?
With Will You Know?
N w A raps about they treat women as gold diggers. Women's are looked at as gold diggers and that's all they good for bitches and wholes. Gold is whatever will got caught up by a gold dick, you know what I'm saying, Like who happened to be a twelve year old runaway, like you know what I mean? Like their their connection is.
So much more.
I forgot right, And it's like they're both they're both very fearful of one thing, Like n w A Is fearful of the cops. Will is fearful of his parents finding out, like that was his biggest fear. Like when my mom and dad get home, this ship is a rap, you know what I'm saying? Like they it's amazing.
Man.
We started, we start to semester off with one of those exercises and it usually turns out it gives you a good gauge of how good the class is going to be.
That's dope, man, Professor.
Professor Lewis, Professor Lewis.
Ire is no skills you had mentioned earlier. I just wanted to touch on it. You were talking about your parents and you know how they've died from addiction, you know, thirty years apart.
Knowing that that's in your family history, Like how have you dealt with that?
And you know, are there any like how knowing that that's kind of there, like how do you deal with you know, any potential addictions or has that affected you in your career in anyway.
I don't. I don't know if it has. Man, Like I believe I'm addicted to too. I believe a part of me is addicted to not following in those footsteps, you know what I'm saying. So for me, you know, I understand that sometimes addiction, you know, it can be a sickness. And you know, when I was young, you know, I didn't understand why Mama just couldn't quit, like why you just can't stop? Like I don't want to hear that shit, like yo, just quit, like you know what
I'm saying. But I didn't understand how long she had been on drugs and how much you know, she felt like she needed that drug to even just get up and function, cook breakfast, take us to school. She was a very function yet she was a very functioning an addict, but she was still an addict. So for me, man, it scared me in a way that I could never
sell drugs. I could, I like, my shit could go belly up right now and I'll go work at McDonald's and y'all be like, god damn skills at McDonald's, like like happily, but happily because I I know I first hand know what it does to a black family. So I don't care how bad it gets for me. I could never go I could never sell drugs like ever. So I watched, you know, I look back at what they went through, and uh, just try to make sure
that I don't get addicted to anything. You know what I'm saying, like sugar shit, you know what I'm saying, like fucking anything. So yeah, so it's like, you know, I just I just pay attention to that because they they didn't they ain't go for nothing, Like I had to learn from that ship in some degree, you know what I'm saying.
That's real.
Yeah. My final question is, you know, besides getting out of this this dog chasing tail loop that we're in, uh, is there anything that we're really trying to achieve for twenty twenty two? The actually twenty.
Twenty right, even though it's looking like in addition now two for me, I'm finally we're finally putting the finishing up the Little Brother documentary. We got awarded, We got a grant from the Southern Documentary Fund and we were wanted a finalists that was selected for that. So yeah, man, finishing that this was harder that's it's the hardest thing I've ever done.
That go front.
But so that you put out was just a sizzle real and it's coming.
There's gonna be a full length join.
I can't wait for that.
Yeah, man, yeah, so it's yeah, it's that's just gonna be hard. But nah, just that, man, just for me twenty two, continuing just to take care of myself, take care of my health. I got down tu like forty this year, so I'm gonna just keep going and change on my eating. Were talking last time. I think I'm probably just gonna be doing mostly fish from now and I don't really do I'll do fishing my chicken, of course, but like I think my day's a rid meat.
I think that shit might be over with. Yeah, I think that's all, you know. I don't know I can do that.
Yeah, but yeah, just just trying to make changes, man, and sticking around so I keep working, doing what I love to do.
Dope, Steve twenty twenty two. Honestly more of the same.
I'm real proud of myself and everybody around me for getting through the last couple of years, and the next one is just gonna be probably just as challenging. So the Tonight show, this podcast, jam I, all the other things that we're all involved in. You know, if we just keep it moving, I think that's a blessing.
That's key, keep it moving. Why here twenty twenty two? What's up?
Twenty twenty two?
Last year I got my dad in his first museum show with his photography at the African American Museum Music, the only African American Museum Music in Tennessee.
Hey.
Next year, Hey, myself and my godmother, we will produce a book for my father of his work, his first published book. And I'm looking forward to doing that and keeping my parents super happy as the super seniors that they are. And uh and just you know, loving learning and maybe figuring out this retirement playing through these shows.
And I'm going to sell in twenty twenty two because I.
Know what's your twenty twenty two looking like?
In the words of the great Kwans Carol Habaris.
I'm kidding, Ghani Habar, Ghani, habarigani.
Uh.
Let us all have a.
Wonderful year, celebrate all skills. I love you. You look like the Steve Zisu.
Of our time. You are a friend deep pool, What hell you are skills. You are the life aquatic. Why you haven't been even.
Steven or why have you?
Why you haven't been on my Broadway show about freestyle rapping? I don't understand anyway. Yeah, skills got to come to the freestyle of supreme skills. I definitely am on Broadway in a show that makes up wraps. I know I'm white, but that's what I do, and I feel like you should be on it. In fact, Fantete, put your eyebrows away because you should be there too.
Motherfucker.
You come up with a virtual option, I'll do it.
You you're so afraid of the COVID. I don't even know anyway you get since twenty twenty two.
I'm I'm in Virginia. I'll pull up. I could come skills.
We can do Broadway, we can do, we can do, we can do Sesame Street in one weekend, and you'd be going back to Virginia.
Can people go, Bill? Can I ask you one question about freestyle and supreme all the questions. I've seen it twice here, I've seen it twice.
The show is perfectly executed, like you guys, you the whole store, the whole show's freestyle and it makes sense and it is not a have you guys ever just had a disaster night where the lyrics weren't hitting at all?
A mirror, I will, I will let you in on the truth. I'm so, I'm forty years old, forty one. Sorry, I'm forty one years old. I've been doing freestyle spince I was twenty. So that's if you do the math twenty one years, I can safely say that the first fifteen were bullshit, and then the.
Last day I saw I saw the first one.
No, oh my fucker, I'm talking about like you talked like like okay, okay, yeah, all this to be said. Skills if you ever in New York and you want to make up some raps with some white kids, come on down a meal, will show up to and it'll be great.
No, I mean every want to switch to it. It's it's a it's a well done production. Skills.
If you want to make a Broadway debut on I don't know, like a given Thursday and whatever, but yeah.
You got your ass off your and they don't be going they don't be going forty bpms.
They be going no, like we go all the way once one time on the tonight show, and he did very well.
I will send down as I promise.
I'll hit you up.
Bill.
I'm gonna get your info from.
Skills if you show up.
Amir has to show up to because that would be the greatest show that ever happened on Broadway.
Well, I was gonna ask Skills, what is twenty twenty two, what's going to be into Let's go, and then I don't.
Okay, Well I'll let you all go ahead.
Like I said, man, you know, teaching, the finishing up the documentary and uh, you know, still trying to push forward the stake my claim and this, you know, this.
Hip hop thing.
I love it. Man.
There you go, and I'm gonna come.
I'm gonna come see you and we're gonna discuss that other thing that we I got.
I love the Skills, Steve, the Skills and Waterfest all dayante out of the crib.
That's all I want, That's all I want to do.
I want to do the Truman Show.
I want to do missing the live version of this show.
What happened?
I need I need to hug. I need to hug Fonte like a like a man needs to come to his house. I will come all, d you know what you have?
What all of y'all have a standing invite to the of y'all.
The fact that we're not like setting up shop all in North Carolina Atte's house. God stress, and we should be doing. We could get we get Steve this too. He could drive Virginia schools North Carolina.
I think I don't know, but that's an eight hour drive for me.
That it's like, I'll go.
I don't care, I will go. I will go North Carolina.
Like like, yeah, that's like a thirty four hour drive for you, that's the whole thing.
Yeah, I will got it.
Well, do you let me hang out? Because I will hang the fuck out.
Your question, your schedule is to hate?
Too important?
But no, I will say right now, right now as I speak now when we we started this this uh we started this episode exactly two hours ago. During this two hours, I've gotten seven texts positive.
Telling me that they just tested positive for COVID.
Shut.
The ship is getting a little crazy.
So yeah, like literally during this conversation, the seven times I've looked away to go to in my phone, it's you know, just tested positive, You're just test Yeah, man, we gotta we gotta figure this out. It's herd immunity and we all get it, and then you know, I'm.
Gettine getting money. Yeah.
Yeah, so let's be I'm praying for well more than be safe, which is a word that I'm trying to divorce myself from and thrive like not being safe. That's what I want to try to get people away from, like the safe choice, but really be passionate.
So that's what I'm leaving it with. But skills. I thank you very much for doing this episode. O man, thank you. I appreciate it. Uh yeah.
I also want to see you do more consistent episodes of which is really the.
Reason why like this.
Your Your Your Your podcast is definitely one of my favorite hip hop podcast.
I love the fact that you don't talk over your guests in an annoying way and you get really great, engaging stories and you know, I appreciate that, so thank you, man.
I'm definitely trying to build it and keep hip Hop Confessions pushing. So yeah, let's charming on that.
Yeah, man, I want to do it. I think me and put need to come through next year. Man us.
Yeah, that'd be awesome.
Man, all the things are happening.
And boss man, you are looking towards what in twenty twenty two.
Part too.
I want people to be uh healthy, that's number one. We're going to concentrate on Black No More, which is Tarik's project.
Black Supreme Black.
But yeah, he will finally I will get on quest Left Supreme right now. He's he's off the grid. People been asking, like, HOWE left the Tonight Show?
Oh wow?
Back in October he told me the day before he was. He was like, my last day is tomorrow, about to start working on his play. So I told him as soon as they open up, I'm gonna come and see it.
Yeah, so dope, so well out of Washington, we'll see it. That's a ship. That's that's what's that's what's next. So that's beautiful.
But right now, just need the world to be more aware. I need rappers to stop also just doing basic dumb Shiita.
Please, I would like that too.
I would love that anyway, So on behalf of our man Skills and unpaid Bill and Sugar, Steve and Layah.
Thank you very much.
You already know I appreciate y'all man.
Much. Love Supreme is a production on Iheartened radio.
For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.