Questlove Supreme: Adam Blackstone

Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio Ladies and Gentlemen.

I'm gonna try to say this without bring up they grow up, Yes, exactly, breaking news. I don't have kids yet. I will say that I probably I heard that. I will probably say that I use my guests as an excuse to being with pride. Uh that of that of a dad watching uh his kid or an older brother watching his kid brother shine.

And in the big game.

It's it's literally because I've seen this person in his evolution. And yes, it's even scary to me, but you know, I'm gonna save as much. And this is where I get my fio. So on, y'all, if you are an entertainer or a singer, you know, worth.

Your your weight in gold or whatever.

Like, if you even think you're gonna do anything creative in this lifetime without this, gentleman, oh ho ho, you are sadly mistaken. Seriously, I can go through it. It will probably take a half hour before I say his name, Jill Scott needs work done, whatever you call Adam Blackstone, Jimmy Levado, Jonas Brothers, Adam Blackstone, Moroon five, Adam Blackstone, Algebra, Adam Blackstone and Al Green, Adam Blackstone, who's Doctor Drake

I just have to.

Say that I don't have the worry to express the pride that I have for my guess. I'm sorry, I use the entire ninety minutes to brag about our guest today, Adam Blackstone on Quest Left Supreme.

How you doing, man, I am wonderful. That was the best introduction ever.

I'm trying. Man. You know you you deserve your your past flowers. Man, you're like you're.

I think everybody needs to know that seventy five percent of the artist that you named for me came from you.

Not no, not even like your your reputation, Like I remember the day that and rest in Peace Room Five's manager Jah Jordan. Yes, when Jordan hit me up, you know about adding some spices to the group and arrangement or whatnot. I don't know, Man, Like for you, I'm I'm in awe because of all levels of creativity, I say, even though people will say, like the greatest strength of my career or my legacy, of course is the roots

Man, it's a it's a it's a beast.

Yeah, and and you know I have so many questions to ask you, so thank you. I'm glad we finally got to take time out to do this. Where you hitting me from right now?

We are in Las Vegas right now working on the Soul Train Awards. Of course left just left, which I didn't see you at. We're going to talk about that too. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Saturday.

How was it?

It was really good? Man?

Andy Lennox asked me to move to London whe her you know, don't tell my wife, but nice, nice honored the rhythmics, Jam and Lewis right and Lewis.

Charlie Simon and Eminem and Lionel Dolly Parton.

Really did Lionel perform at you guys? He did?

We did Hello easy and all night long? Was crazy?

Bro Yo?

Can I ask you Adam because you did a few up and even though you didn't invite me and Jimmy Jam did you did this nice tribute to Jimmy Jam and Terry.

I just wanted this to be in the big quest love letters. You are invited to my life?

Oh okay, well that's did.

You know about the jam session?

Layah when Jimmy Jam told me, oh after the fact, no, no, no, I went. So that's what my question was, because he did this jam section with a lot of kind of maybe unknown singers that were very dope that did like all these Jimmy and Terry songs, and I kind of wanted you to talk about that too.

Yeah, I will say that the night after. It's rare that Sean G h supermanager, Live Nation executive. It is rare that Sean Ge will ever.

The house.

That too, But it's very rare, like Sewan is a family man. But I will say that if we get a text from Sean G. Eleven o'clock East Coast standard time, like he's basically off the clock after five pm, he couldn't stop talking about how much he liked this damn legacy.

Yeah, and he called.

Exactly exactly, Yeah, that's exactly what I did. And and you know, cultivating what you Rich Nichols, you know my my father in the game, and you know Sean G have brought to me. I brought East Coast vibes to l a man and it was much needed. Like, yeah, it's interesting that you said you didn't know. But one of the things that happened with the Lily before social media.

It was word of mouth.

I'm really cultivating that I didn't post anything about Yeah, no, it wasn't.

It wasn't like a thing. It was just like, you know, one of the And.

I hope I don't get in trouble for talking about this, but I felt really bad with Jimmy and Terry for Rock and Roller Hall of Fame not getting a performance slot, you know what I mean?

Their their music has impacted me.

And culture and the global world past R and B or pop or whatever.

It's just their induction wasn't really promoted like that either. So it wasn't until he told me that, I was like, oh shit.

And so when I found that out. This is my first year MD and the whole show. When I found that out, I said, yo, I gotta do something.

You know what I'm saying. That's because like this is what they need.

When I called Jimmy, you know, we had an emotional moment because he was very thankful about what I was about to do. And we ain't know it was going to turn that into what it was, but it was. It was awesome.

Man. I gotta give people their flowers, you know.

So dude, where did you find because I've seen the clips. Yeah, And the one thing I always wonder about is the legacy like who you know? Where are where are the heads that would have been at Black Lily in twenty twenty?

Like who's that audience?

One?

How how did you find the singers? Two? How did you find the audience that would receive them as well? Got you?

So A big part of what I've been doing with this legacy experience I'm mayor, is that the narrative is that I've been on the road with everybody from Okay player tour to more recent you know Jay and JT or something like that, and so along the way, because I'm such a fan of music and vocalist, I find my own favorite singers by playing with these incredible artists. So a lot of them have either sang backup for who I've for who I've rocked with, or there'll be

At any point, somebody could walk in there.

But then you also get somebody like a new kid at the time, Blow, you know what I'm saying, or you get a new kid at the.

Time, Vivian Green or something like that.

So it's like I'm cultivating that same structure that you guys have laid in. What it is is I'm letting everybody shine in their element, but also trying to dictate the same sort of tour type of set lists that I would do if I was out on the road with a Jimmy and Terry and matching the voice with the moment. That's why we had somebody like a co Coke Jones do I guess so lonely who She's the new vibrant, sexy, you know it girl kind of doing that.

Man Like, straight up.

How many nights do you have to prepare from the moment you decide you know what I'm gonna pay, you know, pay tribute to them? How many nights do you have to prepare for such a thing?

So this is where you have taught me wrong.

Okay, okay, I have been in so many instances where it's the day of through roots, through play or whatever and it comes off without a hitch, or I would say externally without a hitch, you know what I mean, Because you know I might get a I might get a every once in a while, but a note that I've been or whatever. But yeah, so I take about a day and a half to two days. Really, curating the set list is the most thing, is the most important thing for me because people move off of energy,

Where's it?

So that's kind of what I've been doing the week leading up to and then it's like, yo, I just want to catch a vibe, you know what I mean, and let it.

Let it be a natural thing.

Okay.

So for our audience that is not familiar because I mean to the industry, you are literally the Quincy Jones. I mean, the part of Quincy Jones that I play is being a connector. I always say that Quincy Jones' telephone or his rolodex was always his best instrument his ability to reach people. But the idea of what we think Quincy Jones is, which he also is, is just to be the go to guy to get the right

But walk me through the process.

Yeah, no problem. So I used to do everything.

I was super hands on as far as like curating the set list. I would sit down with the artists. I would say, what is the story you're trying to tell, like through either this album or through this live show process. I've done it with every artist. I just want to sit down and talk. I just want to see where your head was when you were singing freaking pour it up. I want to see where your head was when you wrote Diamonds. You know what I'm saying, like, what what

Are you trying to do both? Okay? Cool?

So now I take an artist like and say, you know, how do we start, what's the middle, and what's the end. I like to build my show in what I call acts, right, because you take the listener, the audience on the journey. So that first process is about getting the song list together, no specific order or anything.

Then I kind of work backwards. I say how do we start?

How do we end? And then I fill the middle end like that. Now with a pop artist and a lot of artists these days, but pop specifically, as far as getting the tracks and stuff together, the backing tracks, playing with a little bit of backing vocal stuff like that, I call my programming team, and I call my you know a lot of my lot of.

My how many on the programming team, it depends on what it is.

What I just did with this past super Bowl was myself, Terrence Vaughn and Derek Cobbs, and I had Omar there with me. Omar Elwer was there with me every step of the way, because in a gig like the Super Bowl, specifically, I'm going to set design meetings, I'm going to choreography rehearsal,

All right question, So all right, you just you just okay.

Now, in there's always an inside joke with musicians and we do it all the time, and that is hashtag you've been Blackstone.

And this is a real hashtag.

Whenever we joke you've been Blackstone, that always means that there's a part of the song that just has extra spice into it.

Trademarks.

But it's it's almost like the way I could just describe it to you. If you guys remember TLC's video version for Digging on.

You, Yes, yes, yes.

If if you also remember the Hovie Baby sample Dan, and there's always that element in the song that happens and always wonder will you add your trademark, like that's your version of you add the trademark.

Wow?

Oh yeah.

But when you add your trademark Blackstone eyes thing, yeah, I wonder where's that come from? But then you tell me that you are also in the meetings with the choreographers.

That's twenty seventeen and above. You feel what I'm saying. This is why this interview is so good, because these young kids ain't see the work that I put in a four or five coming off of favor and like you throwing me to Kanye and you throwing Omar to Jay and all of that, where it was like we then had to take everything we had learned for the last seven years and put it together on our own and give that same amount of energy, same amount of

I try to make my shows a movie.

You know, you are the John Williams, a musical director.

That is a really I appreciate that, but that is a great analogy because I want to take like, you know, I got a folder of sounds that's called Jurassic Park, you know, and it's just like shots, like it's like, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm in my head. I'm like, yo, if somebody, if I start my show like that, you are tuned in from minute one, and it's very different than what I what I grew up on. But I've always been a fan of pop music, and not like you know, just Britney pop, but just like

It's a live, feeling thing.

And so yeah, I've been the one to create that sound.

You know.

Now I'm able to when you laugh with me all the time, depending on who's coming on Foulan and you'd be like, did you do this?

Did you do this?

I'd be like, nah.

You know, you're you're you now have a generation of new Blackstones, and that to me is even crazy of your legacy. Wait, I always wanted to know, all right, right now in the DJ world, Yeah, there's been a new development that's happened for DJs, and most of us are using beta beta products. And the risk with with when you're using beta programming is you might get a visit from.

The rainbow will.

Absolutely And I always wanted to know, Yeah, one, have you ever been in a predicament where you've been rainbow willed, or in a predicament where I left my laptop at a hotel or it fell to the like a hard drive.

Crashed or yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, And how do you handle a situation?

Well, this is where the musicianship comes in, right, Like, don't get it twisted.

We are rocking with some.

Backing track and we got some samples and some loops in there, and as budgets get cut, I may not have a percussionist and stuff like that, so it's like whatever.

We had the guitar solo. It just come in until it so we had to.

Shut down booooooo, re runned it up, but it was like we was playing.

Is it like an eye.

Language, y'all look at each other and even acknowledge it.

Y'all just.

There is there a warning that she gets like we might have a technical difficulty or well.

I'm talking to her in her ears, or I'm talking to Justin or I'm talking to Red or whatever it might be, like, you know, give me a second, I need to like we're gonna vibe for a second. Don't worry about it, because you know, I mean, when that click cut off, we all look around like what the heck.

It's like the sound silence is the sound.

Of death when you run into it with with some backing track, but it doesn't happen often. One of the craziest things I remember is it's not that it crashed, but walking to the stage, Kanye said, oh yeah, Adam, I don't want to do the second verse tonight, and.

It's like yo four three and the lights come on. I'm like, wait, what did he just say?

And so I run over to the side of the stage with my programmer, Demetrius.

The show is Demetrious is God?

Yeah, demy is the guy. Yes, I run the show is playing on one laptop. We're editing on the next laptop for the next song, and we take the verse out of that song.

We switched to the B rig.

When it's the second song is about to come on, and then we switched back to the A rig.

So you have two computers running at the same time in case.

What we call redundant systems.

But you also walk into the stage talking to Demitrius at the same time while you walking to the stage because you just said it and you got to hurry up and evain show.

That all happens, right, he's.

On this demy is at the stage already and me and Yay are walking.

He's like, oh yeah, I don't want to do.

And I was like, wait what So I was going to ask who is your Who's been your most wild pitch client.

That's the question I've ever Kanye West after I did the Kanye West Go On to Dark Tour, I could do anything. He said, I want you to make a robot fly across the stage and score it, but I want the scoring to sound like flashing lights. I was just like, huh huh, and we bro we did it.

Do your artists have a basic general understanding that any slight suggestion they might have might be a five minute timeout.

Like a guy like Prince never had patience for his engineer.

I don't think any of the artists do right now. And a lot of that is our fault, ar Mayor, because we make it happen, you.

Know what I'm saying.

You know, five minutes, fifteen minutes, whatever, it's just like get it done, you know what I'm saying. I pride myself on making sketches ahead of time so that they know, okay yo. I was feeling that, but I'm not feeling this work on this as opposed to showing up to rehearsal or showing up to the gig and then asking for the change then because it is a stop down, you know what I'm saying.

But that's why team is so important.

Man.

When I have somebody like Demetrius, or I have somebody like Danny Chung with me, I know they like boo boo, and it's like we speak the same language, you know what I mean. But I think every artist is impatient, especially when you're on that stage, especially when you at the rehearsal studio.

It's like, yo, let's let's get this popping, you know what I mean.

I know that this is like a moment where y'all don't really get to talk that often, and we are in it. And even Amir even forgot to say our names or whatever. But Amir, you got to ask him the question that we ask everybody. We got to know, like the beginners and even y'all story I forgot to go yes, like who is the fuck Adam blaste Right.

I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Court. Love Supreme got sugar Steed, unpaid bills somewhere and making millions. No, no, seriously, y'all don't get.

This time, and y'all don't get this time. So I totally get it.

I'm so close to Adam that I'm actually having a conversation that I would have if we were actually on the telephone. You are all right, So yeah, let's let let us start at the beginning. What was your first musical memory.

My first musical memory, yes, in life? Wow, yeah, Well I remember just playing at church. And one of the high praise moments was when I was about six or seven years old and I went from drums to base to Oregon and as a kid, and they everybody was like you better playboy, Oh my god, And I was cool, got up on the played the bass boom, sat down to orgon. I don't know what I was playing, good or bad, but they hyped me up and I just

Know, banquets, all of that. He did it full time. Man. So it was like, that's one of my other early music memories.

What did he play?

My dad plays keys? My dad plays keys. As I look back at it, he was really the first MD that I saw, because I don't know if I knew what that was like, you know, getting into musical director terminology.

But he have a little TR nine O nine.

He just throw on a beat at one ten and he would play brick House, Electric Slide Macarena all to the same beat and just.

Like, hey, she's all bread all night long.

And then folks would just go crazy, like you know, like keep the party going. It's like, you know, it's electric, Like he was one of those dudes man. And as I look back at it when I became older, I was like, Yo, that's a big part of how I put set lists together for freaking justin Timberlake or Rihanna, I'm like, what's the feeling, what's gonna keep the party going? How I've done the last four Super Bowls is like, we can't stop.

We only got twelve minutes, you know what I'm saying.

And like a big part of that, as I look back, is my dad like curating his banquet sets or his Saturday night party you know lodge.

Yeah, straight up, you know, and he sustained less.

And did you ever join his actual.

So I did as I became thirteen fourteen fifteen, Like I played drums with him a little bit. I played bass with them a little bit. But you know that's also another detriment to like non rehearsal, but it works, so.

It's like like, oh, yeah, we don't need to rehearse.

And I think when I got a little baby budget and I was like, oh I could rehearse for a week, it was like, oh we rehearsed.

I'm tainted by questlove and my dad.

Not no man, Sometimes you just got to sink or swim with it.

You gotta go with it.

Yeah, but those are my first early memories. And then moving to Philadelphia in two thousand just changed my life, like hand, So what were you previously? Before I was in Willingborough, New Jersey. I grew up born in Trenton, you know, Willingborough was like Jan Yay and Ty Triviat and City. They were like, you know, shout out.

To Jayski poaching peace too. Yeah in Shaka Zulu.

And Stupid Yes yeah, Mike Zombie all you know Mike Zombie.

Yeah, so William bor Man And then I went to college at University of the Artists and moved to Philadelphia.

And changed what year did you go to university?

Two thousand? Make you feel old?

Yeah, man, you did.

I'll explain to our audience that you know, you know, back in back in ninety seven, late ninety seven where Richard Nichols our beloved North Star where we were trying to do this for a fourth time, and rich was sort of like, this is our do or die moment. And his suggestion was like, we gotta we gotta come up with a story for Philadelphia. This is what's not working, Like we got the critical claim and you know, we're getting slow traction, but we need a story that that

And I was like, why do we have to have a jam session?

He's like, well, one, you know, collaborators for your own record, but more than that we have to build a music community.

And because he said that.

You know, it's like we always thought we were going to be like the adopted little brothers of.

You know, the Native tongues and yeah and all that stuff.

And I mean, no, you know, they they were feeling us, but none of them were really in the mind state of doing those things that they were doing earlier in ninety one, like postsecuts and all those things. So you know, Rich was basically like, well, we could either wait for someone to adopt us, or we better just do it ourselves.

So I'm so glad he did, because you guys became the Big Brothers instant, bro Like, instantly.

We have no choice.

I walked into the five spot and I was like, I ain't never seen nobody play like this, look like, smell like this, eat like this, thing like.

This, dance like this, rap like this.

It was just a card shifting moment for me, even as a black man, because I grew up in Wilborough, very affluent African American town, you know, almost you know, Huxtable, Like, but I thought Philadelphia was so far away culturally, you know what I'm saying, And like just crossing the bridge thirty minutes. It's nothing, you know what I mean. But I thought it was so far away and it was

Well, yeah, what I was going to say was that the plan worked.

Everyone wound up getting record deals and every you know, then we wound up going on tour, and I will say that it morphed from the roots jam sessions, and then around ninety nine it became more black lily focused.

So for you, can you talk.

About just the the because even I don't know, like I would just come to the five spot to see the results of it.

But are you guys rehearsing with Joe all those times? Are you rehearsing?

And how did you get in the mix period?

How I think I stalked Larry Gold studio. I stayed there for days on end, just with my guitar. I was the big dude that played the bass, waiting for my chance, like just waiting. I got invited down by a fourteen year old Jasmine Sullivan. She did invite I love it yeah, I mean her band, you know, Darn Robertson and Aaron Draper.

Yeah, and at that time, it was like.

Aaron Draper and continues to still be the connector, like I don't care what nobody says. Yeah, Aaron Draper, you know, has has really plugged ninety percent of our generations musicians too rich to sean to my mayor to read to hug you know what I mean. Rest of Peace is like you know, Aaron Draper was that guy and he would just always say, hey, yo, come down to He wouldn't ask. He still don't ask. He's out with Adel right now. He's like, man, just come over.

Just yeah, shout out to Aaron for my ADEL discount because you know, two thousand dollars a little bit too steep.

Even for a guy with a good job like me.

So we hear now, bro, and they killing it's gonna be worth it. We out in Vegas now they over there, they cross the street. And so when I got the opportunity to go to the studio, I just sat there like yeah, like I just sat there for days and weeks and then it was a few of y'all, it was a lot of It was a lot of us and then you know, Rich said, man, so y'all were just chilling wait see waiting, and then Rich would say.

Laughing because she knows where I'm about to go with this, Like I might not have been paying attention or using the background like you were.

Not you kept a straight D line to the studio. You know how I'm gonna go.

Be like damn who these niggas all right?

Anyway, So there was a couple of times I think, like as y'all were making like this might be a little what's the album before Tipping Point.

That's when they did the jam sessions Phrenology.

That's when they started on Phrenology.

It was like, let's just get our mirror and reek some ideas like you know what I'm saying, like you know, and uh Me and Omar and and Aaron and Daryl were just and Randy and Kevin Hansen like we would just go down there and just give I like, do loopy ideas with you for with you in mind, with wreaking mind from Dice raw and stuff like that.

But at the.

Same time we didn't know that that was our audition right for Rich to actually bring us to you, because there was a vetting process. I don't care what nobody say about that back room. You if you make it to our marror's room, you made it. Hey, Am I telling the truth?

Nah?

All facts you have to If you don't know that bell door to the studio and you can go straight on.

A secret route, that's hilarious.

You don't know.

So when you go past the main door and you go to the back room, that's the audition that ain't and so and so listen and then fast forward where you make it through the big door. Right you be picking your head out like, oh y'all going in the back Yeah, no, we were in here, bro.

We we're in the j room.

In the room.

Yeah, man, so that we you know, huge, I can I can't do any interview with out big ing up Rich Nichols and his vision for us and his vision for for me and us as as a generation under you guys, where it was like we passed some of us as the test to make it to you for then you to say and James to say and and say like yo, come do black party or come do hole or come do whatever. Where it was like you guys were then to me like you know it it was hard to lock y'all down because you was on

Nother still doing the Lily too though, right, Adam, Like, so, how does that work?

When did you officially.

Like li, No, I never outgreed. I'm bringing Lily. What I'm doing now is all Lily five on my head, So.

I'm not that but I don't.

But it's like, it's like, so, so you guys got all these people and themselves as well, So let me big up to all the artists. But once somebody gets a deal, they then have to They want that same vibe that got them the deal to have row with them.

You know what I'm saying.

Let me explain all so that once this outgrew my living room and then went to the Five Spot and sometimes Wetlands in New York. Then eventually these artists started getting record deals and next thing, you know, like they would pull six band members and whatnot. There was one point where I came home and without any context whatsoever, I was walking.

Down the five Spot. I was like, Yo, that look like Diddy. And I called rich so I say, Yo, what the fuck's pop Daddy.

Doing here watching the.

New artists and literally, like you know, I've been going for like four months, and Richard's explaining to me like you don't even know, like now's the wild wild West and everybody done herd that Philly has the best musicians and they're really.

Coming down stealing.

But even even the musicians that I felt weren't even up to part on that left like everyone was getting work.

The stigma of Philadelphia alone got people a lot of work based off of this city.

Yo.

It's funny. I just had a flashback.

I'm like, I remember when Fonte had his album released at the five Spot in Philly, like Florney Change like it was.

Nah nah.

We had we had our release party at uh Fire Spight in Philly, and then when we did this is O three. I want to say, when we did the Roots, y'all did y'all Christmas Winter Break Tour, and that was when y'all you played you were playing bass for us, little brother.

That was the first time we met. Yeah, straight up, that was the first time it was us.

Jean Gray, okay player to that's right, it was okay Player Tour, yup, oh three, And that was the first time me and you worked together and you played for us, and I just remember thinking, like, Yo, this is the happiest bass player I've ever seen in my life.

I was like, I gotta say, man, going on then, okay, Player Tour my first tour.

How was your first time?

Yeah?

As I look back at a mirror, had us there to uh he overworked us?

Right? But did I go no?

Now, this is what I want to say you you stayed on the drums the whole night too. So it's like I always I tell young kids. Now, I'm like, yo, if i'm playing too, like, I'm not, you know what I mean. I'm not telling y'all to do anything that I wouldn't do. And so I don't see it as that. What I see it as as setting the blueprint for how to work hard to achieve success and you have to go above and beyond.

And we love music so much.

I was like, I'm going to play for everybody out here that they allow me to play for because that relationship equity means more to me and anything, you know what I'm saying.

So, when was the first time that you played for a non Lily Act.

My first big gig, I tell the story was you guys did Unplugged and the big homie called Yall said, oh.

That's right, I forgot that philadelphonics.

Ladelphonics, and so he was going to retire, and it was like and it was super loose though, Bro, I don't know if you remember that, but it was like we went up to sir wait.

Faith the Black was your first big big gig, yes it? Oh three, yeah, Man, I could have sworn by then. You was kicking at Michael Jackson's house.

And I mean, you know, Vivian music, so child all that, but oh three is like, you know, that's that's that's I was.

I was nineteen turning twenty.

So that's the first time you were in like Madison Square Garden all that stuff.

Absolutely first first time.

You rarely hear me say, I mean, now I'm having fun. But that week was so fun to me, man.

So fun, Bro, so fun.

And that taught me so so much about how to curate a set. You know, at that time, we didn't know who was going on next, second, last, first, whatever. It was like, yo, I saw you put that whole thing together. But at the same time, utilize the genius people around you, and you know, young Beyonce and Mary and you know, just like this is Jay's last album and we're playing encore too, and everybody saying, oh right, yeah.

It's just like super crazy.

And that gig spawned me meeting Yay, which spawned me meeting Ree, which spawned me meeting Janet, which spawned me meeting Drake, which you know with spawn me meeting justin timulate. So that Fade to Black alone set the path for

That who they were then.

Is not who they are right now, and like they we treated everybody equally like and so you know, Beyonce then was not Beyonce now, and you know, just blazed in and Swiss and you know what I mean, arguably even you know what Jay has done the last twenty years from that show alone.

You know what I mean. Right, They didn't even let yay on that night.

Yeah, I was going to say that.

I I remember him not being able to get backstage.

Yep, you remember speaking to him.

Yeah. So one of the things that happened after that, he was.

Like, Yo, I'm working on my music too, we should work together, Like you know.

What I mean.

I just just say yes to everybody, because that's how it was for me being in Philly, you know what I mean. I was just like, you never know which opportunity is going to be the next big thing.

Okay, I'll ask you now because I know that you're older and wiser now when you are vetting and auditioning, if someone says, yeah I got this young boy, and d d d da da da da da da, Like my dad told me the audition process. He used to always make me audition musicians by playing a ballot. He would make me play the most simple He would say, no, don't do the intricate shit. He says, I'm gonna teach

They knew that intricate ship, but they couldn't play the simple shit. Well, first of.

All, are you a don't come to me, I'll come to you type of cat? Like if I say, Yo, I got this young boy, da da da da use the shit? You should use him? How how do you know how good he'll be? Do you just go to his YouTube page or like what?

Yeah?

But like you know, are we talking now, because before you know, twelve years ago, we ain't have none of that, like you know, so it was total word of mouth, and that's how I got on, you know what I mean? Like my my career spawned from people singing and hearing the music on stage, but also a word of mouth, like yo, let me get that dude's number whatever whatever.

So what I look like, I mean more or less?

Like I know that you should at least know two to three people that play the same thing. Like you'll use Klay Sears for guitar, it's not you'll use Randy Bowling. But I'm certain that there's put me in coach.

Energy always all the time.

So how do you deal with the expectation factor of the music.

And I'm sure and right now is even past Philly.

I'm sure that you know musicians worldwide Now it's global.

Man, the dms go crazy with videos and stuff like that. Now I have to be honest and say, people hiring me are hiring me for my sound.

So I'm not up.

I'm not mad at using the same twenty folks because I know I get what I get out of them, you know what I'm saying. It's very rare that, you know, even back in the day we used to just tag somebody in.

It's very rare that that happens, you know what I'm saying. And so when it.

Does happen, it's because they have a vocabulary of genre that I love, Like I love a dude to, you know, play country beat and then play a hip hop beat and it still feel very authentic, you know what I'm saying. And then just like feel timing and feel James Poyser, let me have it. The first time I played the bass show, I had a six string Ken Smith and he said, hey, yo, don't ever come in this studio with this furnit. He said it was a He said, my bass was a piece of furniture, yo, And so.

I didn't know what that meant. I went to a jazz school, you know.

I thought I was freaking Anthony Jackson at the time,

Base was a piece of furniture, bro, I was like, I saved up.

I saved up the fastest three hundred and seventy five dollars that I could to just go get a four string Fender Jazz and I don't know choice. It's still my weapon of choice. I do play five, but like that base. You know, we did Yes Sirs with We did joh Stone, That's on a lot of records.

We did Our Green you know what I'm saying.

That was the one and to the point where even Rich was like, hey, yo, where's the bring the four string in? Like, you know, like I had to learn genre specific vocabulary, not just what I hadn't known through chops or whatever. So that's even what I look for, you know, the antithesis of what I started is what I look for now.

You know what I mean? You hate the music.

I'd made a lot of money and a big living playing low on the base, Like you know what I'm saying, Like I don't have to do all that up high stuff to make it feel right for me personally, you know what I'm saying. And like, coming from a dealer record, it's like that ain't even what he was doing, coming from a from a from a slum or a voodoo place, it's like, you know, I mean, Peanut can play anything, but it's like it was really about the groove and the feeling.

So that's what I tried to hone in on for about two years.

What were you listening to growing up? Because you were saying that James and everbody were putting you on like the slum.

I had never listened to that stuff, so I was listening to the Clark Sisters gospel well, and then like a lot of now Rogers, but through samples, like you couldn't.

I was.

I was Biggie Smalls in my head. So I was like, who's hot? Who's not? Tell me.

Who got to So I was like, wait a minute, but that that guitar part is cold, Like let me find now what that is?

Edwards was your base god in and now Rogers.

Now Rogers.

And then I was like a lot of Yo, I'm gonna be I'm gonna keeping the honey. I ain't never said this out loud, but like, you couldn't tell me that Bad Boy didn't have the coldest musicians.

Before I knew they were samples. I was like no, no, no, no, no no no. I was like what I was like? Boom boom? I was like, Yo, they killing in the studio. I was twelve years old, you know what I'm saying.

So I'm listening to One More Chance, I'm listening in the warning, I'm listening to more Money, more Problems. I'm listening to hypnotized boom boom Oh. I played that at my marching BANDJO and they was like, yo, you Biggie Sall.

But that was but the way you described that album, that's the same way. That's what midnight As was for me.

Yeah, Dog, I swore you you couldn't have told me mann Mardas.

Wasn't them playing all that role?

Like you know what I mean the amount of times I grew Bob Power about Electric Relaxation. Yes, even Michelle Degolchella gave like damn near her whole entire Rolling Stone interview about like qtup is the the next uh just his court structure of blah blah blah blah blah.

You buy the record like damn No.

But I mean even then to Discovery and hear it in that way, that's still genius.

So that's not to take away.

From no no, no no, but I'm just saying, like, those are the baselines that like, tell me what you want from dude.

I'm like, Yo, these dudes is cold. The Hitman is cold.

Yeah, And so you know, learning where they came from and Eld the Barge flips and and and you know Bernard flips and now slips, it was like it was mind boggling to me. So then when I finally dove into the original records and really honed in on my own tone, I was like, this is where it comes from you know what I mean, the original, the original vibe. And then like you know, a huge Ron Carter fan and you know, flipping that from tribe as well, Like was mind boggling too.

Did you commission for hamm were you?

I was more take six?

You would take sick? Okay, gotcha?

I was more take six.

Wow the generation after commission?

Right, I was, I'm being honest. I was a Fred Hammon fan.

And then it was like, oh he came from commission, so you know, I'm just being honest.

I'm just.

Church all right.

And then lastly, my uncle had a gospel group, so to me, they was like they was commissioned in New Jersey.

I was like, oh, that's they better than they like jobicy.

In my town.

I always wanted to know, have you ever been in a musical situation where it did not work out?

Well?

I don't know if this is what you mean, but I'm gonna tell this one story. We're doing Coachella with doctor.

Dre Right, right, is this the Tupacca.

He brings in, this this new young kid rapper from from from La Compton. Right, I was like, he's all right, I mean, y'all want me to arrange. He's gonna he's gonna do two songs in the middle of ourselves, Like I don't know, man, like he he okay, you.

Know what I'm saying.

I was like, you know what, i'ma I'm gonna let my man do this one because like I really want to concentrate on this pop and I'm a really, you know, I really want to get this right.

Eminem's on the way.

And it's like, nah, like yo, just you know, help the kid out. I was like, I can't do it. And I was like, all right, he comes in great energy. I was like, what's your name, man, Kendrick, And I was like all right, all right, okay.

Like you know what I'm saying. So it's like I've lost twice like that in my life.

Really wasn't really feeling it when I first heard it, and then I'm his his energy is what brought me into him, if I can be honest, you know what I'm saying.

Before the music, before.

The early music, it was like he was just like and then same thing, Sean G said, Yo, I need you to work with this kid from North Carolina. I was like, oh, you know, I'm busy, bro, Like he said listen to this he could rap.

Bro.

I was like Friday Night Lights all right, you know, ran Friday Night Lights down my throat man like yo, cold man.

Jay Cole Bro, And it was like, Yo, just let me fly you to North Carolina. I was at ninth Wonder was like, come to North Carolina and same thing. His energy is what did it for me?

Over to me?

So I got two l's for sure, I got else. Like, you know, they arguably top ten of all time right now.

Yo, But how many more Kendred shows have you been kind of forced to md anyway based off of like from halftime to award shows, Like it's been.

Great to work with him, you know, specifically yeah, last halftime, you know, And like I said, the relationship and the energy is always right. But I'm saying I've taken creative l's because I was like, I don't hear it, Yo, I don't. I don't know what to do, I don't

I do want to ask I mean, so many questions to ask you about your career.

But now with you winning the Emmys, yes, and I.

You know, I know that to be in that particular position, like it's such a teugh line air tight space where one person can monopolized the whole marketplace.

Like for the longest, I thought, what's the brother's name? A bass player?

Yeah, like I thought, like, oh god, Ricky Mine is going to own the Emmys until he's one hundred and ninety seven years old, like not ever giving up space or whatever.

But tell me about navigating your.

Way through non concert stage, non studio world, like getting into television scoring, and I mean eventually, I guess you're going to start doing movie soon.

Yeah, man, I'm looking forward to that as well. I've worked on a couple.

Big ones, Greatest Showman, I did the soundtrack in the Heights, and I just did a kid's one called Lyle Lyle Crocodile, and all of that is what our brother our Philly brothers, Binge and pop.

But yeah, you know how I got into the television space for sure.

You know, I remember two thousand and twelve thirteen be ET Awards. I had about six.

Or seven clients on.

The BET Awards and Jesse Collins was like, y'all, I'm giving this dude seven checks, Like just hire him to do the whole show. We could save some money. I'll never forget that. I just remember like showing up to meeting after meeting and they were like, Yo, you hear again, you hear again. And that was one of the things that I saw Ricky Minor do, and you know, at the time like Patreus Russian and like you know, Ray Schu of course, and from the Apollo I had been

As I did a whole show.

It was a game changer, man, And they haven't been able to, you know, like move forward from that because I give each artist an experience in that TV moment that they've never had before. I'm not just playing the record most of the time, I'm giving them that live show experience in their three minute segment, you know what I'm saying, and so that makes audiences excited, that makes

Sixty piece orchestra. It was like, Yo, I'm still learning.

But at the same time, I believe in myself so much that I know I can do anything. And if I don't know something, huge question.

Asker, So, all right, answer this question for me. Yeah, I've been dying to know for awards shows especially. Yeah, when you're doing award shows, how much leeway do you have a knowing who the winner is going to be?

Or like, what is the process?

Do you have five different sets of music on standby and they're like the winner is.

Super so you're like, all right, see dude three?

Like how so what we did for Oscars was the winner music. Specifically, I pre recorded down there in the pit each of the five nominees so that we could just trigger it almost like playback, depending on who won you know what I'm saying. They do not let me know. I want to be super clear with that. I do

Now, if I'm doing something a little more general.

Not even a ten second warning or.

Not really, man, Nah, it might flash up on the screen five seconds before you know what I'm saying. But if I'm doing something a little more general category, I might just do something super you know in that space, you know what I mean, or tempo for somebody to walk up on.

Stage or something like that.

But when it's when it's it's a direct you know, Oscars movie song thing, I'm like, yo, without us messing up, let's record all of the nominees music and let you guys pick one's or what you want to play.

So there's thirty seven categories for the Oscars.

Times five or six or seven.

Yeah, So you're trying to tell me that you have to at least prepare once like one hundred and thirty plus music cues I did.

I was at eighty seven because some of the categories weren't on TV this year. I did eighty seven music cues. Bro it was nuts and that's not also play on music when they say lazy and Gentlemen Puff Daddy or lazy and Gentlemen Danny.

Oh shit, I forgot the nominees and all that stuff.

Yeah yeah, no, it's like.

What is that in time? Like in time? How many how long is that you think Christmas?

To do the Oscars, which was April, and I work every day like straight up.

My team Dante Winslow, thank god, and Derek Hodge thank god. I brought them on first, all black conducting team. Yes, and those of you who know those two gentlemen.

Oh yeah, Derek Mann, Yeah, they don't. They don't let nothing get passed.

So it's like we pretty much divvated up and just was like, yo, you take these thirty.

I would do these thirty, but how.

Do you notate like orchestral arrangements, because even you know there was orchestra there, you.

Know, Summer of Soul, Big Winner.

It's like, you know, we took one of those records from the thing, and I orchestrated it with no vocal So maybe trumpet is playing the lead line for a BB King joint, you know what I'm saying, right, And and then I put you know, low brass and strings playing like it's an organ.

You know what I'm saying.

So well, I'm only I'm only asking because like, all right, so the year before you did it last year because of COVID, I DJ'ed.

It, you know what I mean.

Yeah, And even then, up until forty five minutes beforehand, you know, there were there are a lot of monkey wrenches. Regina King's going to now do the intro so fine to me, you know, to clear stuff like shit, we were calling Londel McMillan like a half hour before the Grammys, like, Yo, can we please clear this print song right now so I can imagine for you it's even more of a nightmare.

Yeah.

Interestingly enough, I will say about the orchestral music.

If you choose four bars.

And let's just say we're gonna vamp something or we're gonna move these four bars to a different intro because it has a similar vibe, you're able to do that, but that still comes with the preparation. I still got to do eighty nine ninety pieces to go which bars make sense for Regina Hall, and to know which bars make sense for Amy Schumer, to know which of the third set of bars make sense for Wanda.

Sikes this year, like you know what I mean. So we had to play through the whole thing.

It was I was one of my hardest jobs ever and very much like my first big, huge, huge tour with Kanye.

I feel like like now orchestral wise, I can do anything, you.

Know, and as you know, with the Oscars or Grammy specifically, we're not linked to any time thing.

So all this talk about playback and stuff like that.

No, we're rocking live, So if somebody trips or if somebody starts way.

Back you was kind of far. Oh, we had to keep.

Playing, Like I was gonna say, Matt.

One, I can say with certainty that I had the most slowest awkward walk of all time to that podium all time.

Well, who could blame you? Who could blame you?

So it's a processing thing.

Are we going to talk about this or no?

Oh wow, I'm going on record before, but.

I do want to hear from the three.

It's interesting two coming from like y'all who also share this night of being from the same area. I mean, it's just so many levels to it, right, Like.

I cried in that moment, happy for my brother.

Right.

You know something though, I will say this much.

So yes, they they because of the whole COVID situation first of all. And you know, they chose the right theater. It was the Kodak right where we at the right, so they sat us. They set the documentary people way in the back, you know what I mean.

So even then what they.

Do every year, it just happened that they got you this year.

So well, I think in normal times we would have been a.

Little closer and like a little more intimate.

And yeah, and if it were normal times, we would have been in a bigger thing and we would have been closer to the front. But they had us all spread out because of COVID and the documentary people way in the back. And so even then, I mean, three things are happening in my head. One was that was that a bad sketch going wrong, going wrong, And it wasn't until you know, and then like I'm managing my mom and she crying on my shoulder.

Whatever, So that's distracting.

And then I distinctly all right, I distinctly remember by the time I got towards the front, I was looking at the Williams sister and the look, the look they had on their face, like we're being held hostage. Then I was like, oh shit, that might have been real, right, because even then, when it's happening.

No, you go, I was in the pit bro watching it from underneath directly, and I was like, I was like, man, I'm yo, I'm mayor, I promise to God.

Like yeah, I'm like, I'm like, that's not in the script.

I'm like, right right, And even as it's happening.

Like, yo, somebody, what where was that?

Like?

Where? Right?

So one, I was doing transmeditation. When you're doing transmeditation, I mean I do all the time, even with the Grammys. Knowing I'm not going to win, I'm like, okay, and remember your mom and remember I'm like trying to remember names and ship. And only when I heard the word fucking came out. When I heard fucking twice, I looked at my mom like, Yo, that's how.

You knew it was That's how you know it was real. When the expensive started.

Right, no.

Even then I said, I said, dag, Mom, like will will Packer is allowing.

Cursing on television. Take a risks, right.

And so I'm talking to my mom, still not hearing what's happening, and there's no television monitor.

I'm way in the back.

So when I'm walking to the front, the first thing that I noticed, I was like, Ah, these bastards they're playing it.

They they're they're playing the.

J Dilla, the j Dilla sample, the fat Cat loop that was in Summer of Soul. So that was the first thing that helped me down. And then once I got closer, then it.

Was like, oh shit. And then you know, by then my mind went blank.

But I do remember at least walking to my chair to when I saw the Williams sisters, I was like, oh damn, Adam Adam chose a jay Dilla sample from Summer of Soul to bring me on to that.

I really appreciate.

It ran up there because, like I said, in my head, I'm about to go crazy because I'm like, y'all didn't tell me about this, this this.

This extra skit.

And then by the time I got in the room, I saw.

Tifa and she was just had a dejected, sad look you know what I'm saying.

I was like, oh, that was real. And then they.

Said quest love and these four of the white guys that it was just so much.

It was, yeah, I got it just was like a.

I was like, y'all should have seen us at home watching, like, oh god, yah.

Yo, I'll say I'll say this much.

I never went on a record with this before walking off stage, maybe I mentioned it obviously, you know, like once you win your award, you got to take the march to the backstage in the press room. So I

Thing like.

Yeah, I don't want to you know, I'm not even trying to lose. But it was definitely that sort of energy of like, oh my god, this entire cast of like The Godfather and Goodfellas like here in the corner, and they were definitely like.

Yeah, it was. It was. It was weird, but I will say in that moment, man like we.

Was also proud and his speech was amazing.

You honestly brought us.

Stephen Hill just text me, he said, you brought it back, and then shout out to Amy Schumer because she came in the next seven and said, man, I was in the back.

It's real heavy in here. What happened?

I just remember laughing like about that, like you know, like she was like, did I miss something?

Like it's real heavy in here right now?

So so yeah, man, but that was an amazing expert to see you represent Philly. And I felt the same way, like going up to get my Emmy, I was like, yo, like all the work that you do because listen, Summer Saul was never going to be a bad movie. I feel like the super Bowl, my super Bowl was never going to be bad. We do things in excellence, right, But it feels a different way to have the outsiders recognize it as an award winning whatever, you know what I mean, Like whether you want or not.

And I gotta say I might be easier to say this now.

Because we got the trophies, but whether you want or whether I want, it doesn't diminish the work that we did. You know what I'm saying, And that's instilled in us at such a young age that, Yo, whatever you do, I don't care if you at the five spot, I'm Meares, living Room, Wetlands, Oscars, Emmys, do it in excellence and that's what I continue to strive to try and do.

What is hard as super Bowl preparation or like award chills.

I'm gonna say award shows for me because the last four Super Bowls I've done, I've been fans of the artists, so it helps me navigate how I would want to see.

And hear it as a fan.

You know, I'm a fan of Justin Timberlake and Timberland music. And then after that, I did Shakira and j Lo, so I really dove into what that Latino sound and culture was and.

Doing is it the Weekend before? Right?

I didn't do the Weekend. I didn't think that.

That year is when I did Jasmine Sullivan, Yes National Anthem, that was yes, I raised the anthem, and then Dre last year, huge fan and then coming up now you know we got a special one.

I need to I need to know this, Adam, because for a lot of folks that don't know, like you're connected in a lot of different ways, whether you're music direction, whether you're for award show, for a tour, but then also your business, your agency with your wife. So I'm kind of curious with your history with everything that you've

I think like a couple Coachella is in a row.

I'm like looking at the lineups and I'm like, that's my folks.

That's my folks. That's my folks. That's my folks.

But I really see the fruit of it, Like Yah, when I do something like that Legacy experience where we're jam packing five, six, seven hundred people in the room, no posting, no ticket sales, and they come out and support and love on one another through the gift of music spawned by whatever I've done to create that environment. And so that's one of the times that or those are the times where I really see feel to love.

And so those moments feel really good.

I have to get more into the moment of the preparation, and I don't know if I know how to do that yet because I'm waiting for it to be over.

Unfortunately. If I can be.

Honest, I got a question I'm been drying to ask you.

Yeah, okay, I know you're dealing with a new crop of what we call young boys. For instance, I saw Omar Edwards's kid that stay to the TI.

I'm like, yo, dude, I used to take you bowling when you were six, kid, and you're now twenty three.

Twenty four years old.

Yeah, yeah, twenty four you're drunk, Like what the hell?

Like you used to put them the boundaries on the bowling alley, so you're you're bowling gutter now, Like that's happening. So how are you How do you deal with mentoring? Because I know that also when you put sometimes you can put a pack together and not even step on stage.

Yes, like you could put you can.

Put Timberlake show together and not have to be on tour. So I guess it's the two part of one. How do you deal with artists that expect you to physically be there with them as opposed to you just put their jew on together? And how do you train the band? Like do they hire the band or do you also put together the band that you feel can best do it? And how do you just how do you deal with like, yo, make sure you're on time, make sure you're not late.

I think the easiest thing bro is for me with putting things together. I make sure people have seen me lead by example, you know what I'm saying, Like they see my work ethic, they see me on time, they see.

How hard I work in rehearsals.

They see I'm a no nonsense, guy, Have you got to do a little something on the side and all that, don't bring it into the rehearsal. Like there's time everybody they had their own extracurricular thing. But when we're here to work, we're here to work. As far as managing the artist's expectations, that just comes with time and comfortability and trust. If I get on the phone, I'll be just a little baby on filin right. So it's like I was in La and I'm talking to baby, and

You know what I'm saying. And I know that sounds simple, but it's like.

But have you had to have a situation where you're like, yeah, I gotta let you go and I'm sorry.

Like, yo, it's not going to work. And then I break it down and say, this is what you did. Like and mayor me and you are very similar in our countenance with people. If you explain to somebody what they did and they actually take a step back and know who we are to know that we don't want to fire them. Really, they'll be like, yo, yeah, I really jacked up. So sometimes it's not a hard thing.

You can't teach that. You know what I'm saying.

And so that's one of the one things that I would tell the young kids is like, yo, be humble, but at the same time, don't be afraid to speak and say hello, look people in the face and you know, oh yes, talk through ideas and shake hands and it's and it's all love because you remember those people who have had an impact on you.

Over there playing yo real t.

Everybody can plan and sing these days, everybody, and they playing circles around me, these young kids now. But at the same time, when I'm when I need to talk to a justin Timberlake or I need to talk to an eminem, they don't know how to do that.

I think social media has been a crutch. I've been saying that and not be.

Able to actually articulate their ideas verbally and just play, you know what I mean.

So who are five of your most pleasurable clients to work with. I'm sure you love or with everybody, but like when you're like, ah, I man, it's gonna be fun.

I can't wait for this, like no particular order at all, jay Z. I love playing his music. I'm a fan of the music as you really. As you see I'm married from three on. It's gotten more and more musical as well, you know. So I'm gonna have to say, I don't know if this is another person or slash, but puff Daddy. I did the bad Boy Reunion toward twenty sixteen, and like I said, I was talking to

Right.

That was a musty tour that year or two. I'm so mad i'.

Jenny Jackson even one verse, one verse penny, like.

One verse penny.

Listen when I smack, when I smacked, miss you much, just the chorus it's okay you It was, And she she taught me that.

She'd say like, Yo, we're just gonna get in and out.

You know, I hate that, but go ahead.

This is a this is this is a You can ask me this every day and it might change, So I apologize it.

Sharon, Okay, very musical, he's the White quest Love. He don't want no tracks.

Yeah, I was gonna say.

Every time I seen Sharing, he's on stage by himself with his guitar.

So he's been doing this looper thing all his life.

But very recently we just did Tiny Desk and we've taken that Tiny Desk show to a bunch of different things, whether it be TV shows.

Or whatever like that NFL, and so that's been really cool. Man.

Like I said, you asked me this any other day, it's gonna it's gonna change. But the last one I'm gonna say, Kurt Franklin, Marry Mary, Nicki Minaj.

Justin everybody all right? Number five is everybody.

Nick Mary Mary Justice to relate.

How does it feel, too, finally like fulfill your wish up making albums?

Yo?

I never in a million years, I'm gonna be completely honest, thought that I would be an artist.

And what took you so long?

Well, I'm gonna be honest with you man, like, well, I lost some friends through COVID, Like straight up, you know one of them. I lost a cousin forty five years old through COVID. A couple of my friends lost their parents, but specifically I lost Paris.

Bonds, who parents.

That's right, is arguably one of the greatest keyboard players and over that, one of the greatest human beings. Right, And so when I went to the celebration services, it really inspired me because I was like, Yo, Bible says like, you know, our day is are numbered, and.

It's like we don't know the time or the day.

But I don't want and this is no disrespect to anybody, but I don't want my service at the at the altar and the screens is showing.

Me at the super Bowl or like I'm on.

Support or I'm at you know that's my jam or something like that.

Talk.

I mean, I understand what you're saying. Those are all Listen, let me tell you something. Those are all positions that I'm so thankful for. People would die to be in right now. But I had to leave a legacy of something from my family, my children, and the people who know and love me to be proud of that I.

Did on my own.

I did my album in thirty days man and what me and my team have been found have been calling relationship equity right, And what that means to me is I have poured so much into people un without asking for anything in return, just because I value people in

You've had us for all this time.

And I get choked up even thinking about it, because like, nobody, nobody in twenty twenty two got the track list that I got, Perry, I don't care what maybe.

Call it all right, Like my track.

List is crazy, and it's like it's only because I've loved on these people.

I exclaim it. I'm proud of who I love.

I'm proud of the people that have inspired me, and for whatever reason, they also felt like I've inspired them, and so they returned that musical favor and we made this album called Legacy that I'm so so.

Proud of That's what took me so long.

Man, I think you know, you know, seeing loss and experiencing joy with my children. I was like, you know, it ain't nothing like having my son sing my song as one of his favorite songs, hearing him wake up and sing fly Me to the Moon.

Or I was going to ask you what made you do the singing because people know you for playing, but also on his record as special because we get to hear you sing.

Yeah, I sang a little bit.

You know, I've been inspired by big band music all my life. Tony Bennet and rat Pack and Sinatra and Sammy and Nat came Cole. You know there's I mean, they all can sing, but it was it was the swag that made them songs cool too, you know what I'm saying, Like Louis Armstrong is like the swag behind it. So I was like, you know, man, I got some swag. Let me let me throw it on a record.

Make me think I'll be sure more of a stylist.

That's what.

You know.

And even the song that I sang on at the top, So yeah, the song I sang on it is called back on the Strip, and it's a it's a not the Philly in Jersey and do it with Queen Latifa and it's going good. So yeah that I'm so excited about Legacy. And it's able to showcase many, many different like facets of who I am.

You know. This this is volume one.

I don't know when or if Volume two happens, but it's like at the same time, I had to, I had to do it.

You know. People have been great to me, music has been great to me. We blessed what.

We do and and this is my this is my olde and and thank you to the music industry.

Note for putting Lauren to Lease on there too, because everybody might not know her name, but you gonna know their voice.

I feel that's why Philly Cleveland girl right there, that the project is on their you know yeah Baylor Yeah. And then I you know, made a call to John Schofield.

He ended up jumping.

Yeah, I see you got Schofield on the record.

Scholfield on there, Kean, Harold, Wayne Burge, Run, Dante Winslow, the Truth, Jilly from Philly, spitting bars, yeah, uh, Swizzy on the backgrounds.

It's just you know, it's it's fire man. I'm so so thankful.

We just kind of went through your whole like crazy days and times. What does the rest look like? When do you end your day? Is your week seven days a week? What are the barriers that you put on for your own self and your family?

That is that is a great question I'm still learning at forty years old, like where to say no?

Where to draw the line. One of the reasons I think I haven't said no is, first of all, I grew up with the roots.

But at the same time, we are and I'm mayrior you can attest possibly, but I'm so much further along in my head in my career than my dreams could ever imagine. So sometimes when I get an offer to do, I'm be completely honest. Like Stevie called me to day and was like, Yo, I need you to mdy his house of toys. I can't do it.

That's the craziest thing for me to say.

I was going to say, what prestigious person.

It just happened to me today. It just happened to me today, and it happens all the time. But I'm speaking of today because Yo, I got I have Super Bowl rehearsal right, and I've already committed and I would wear myself in my thirties or twenties be like I'm doing it all.

But at the.

Older I get the more responsibility that these prestigious gigs have as well. So the responsibility for me to be at a meeting is different than me going to another gig.

You know, the workload is higher when you like overseas.

Higher up I get, the more responsibility that workload is on. It falls on me, and my team is incredible, do not get me wrong. But at the same time, at some I gotta show face and I have to implement my own knowledge into what makes this show what it is. So I had to say no to Stevie, and I think that that is is crazy, but it's also a testament to being a stand up person and what you've already agreed to, and then also knowing the time that I spend with my family and my children and my wife.

That's what makes me a better.

Musician, because we've all had that moment where you get that nod in your stomach and you like, I can't even perform today. I'm jacked up. I don't know what's going at home or or whatever. The you know, personal case may be in some of our lives. But it's like, as long as I make sure that routine and that home is straight, I'm a better person for the rest

I've been blessed to be able to. I've been blessed to be able.

To the last two three four years have people that want to pour back into me in certain gigs and that, and that is a blessing to me. It's a blessing when I can say, yo, I need a break, or I can't do this, or I got to get home, or my son got a soccer game or my daughter got swimming lessons. I promise you it's going to be okay. I'll be right back. They say, oh, man, we got you.

It's okay.

You know what I mean.

So those are the moments that matter to me, which in turn supports what why I do what I do for them this legacy.

You know, Adam, if there were a versus for mds, whoa.

Whoa who would be the Adam Blackstone versus.

For and someone that you didn't and I don't mean like, bro that.

Do you about the this is that's really good?

No know, well who's an MD out there? That's like okay,

No?

so I see you.

I mean, listen, you know my West Coast brothers fifteen hundred and nothing they're.

Doing they Yeah, I got like Rant and Mars.

I got Mars.

So that a lot of my influence in pop music came from Kevin and Tunes. Okay, I'm not sure if people are familiar with him, but he did every boy band in the nineties, So Backstreet, Incent Id Degrees, Bretty Spears, Christina Aguilera, them, Jurassic Park Sounds and all that.

Like the in Sync was doing that. You know what I'm saying.

Remember when the TVs came over their heads at Massive Squirrelark, So like Kevin and Tunes would be another one. And then I'm just inspired by so many others. You know, Ricky Minor with what he did with Whitney Houston. I took a lot of that catalyst and tried to bring it to Jill.

You know what I'm saying.

It was like, our live versions of this music is almost just as good or hopefully better experience than some of the record joints.

That's how you feel about Whitney. You know what I'm saying.

He was doing when Ricky was doing Whitney, and so like we Jill loved singing live, you know what I'm saying, And at that time I hadn't experienced somebody that was.

Like, Yo, let's go on the stage and were just gonna vibe.

And it's Jill is such a you know, a class act when it comes to that and commanding that stage.

She taught me so much of how to just be.

In the moment.

I got a lot of that from watching Ricky and with Whitney and all the other TV things he has done.

And Jill still use colorful metaphors when she wants something.

I need, I need, I need.

Yeah, yeah. I sent her a song for my album that this sounds like that tying down. She said, it's not yellow enough.

Yo, dog.

Every Jill is the most song rejecting person I know in this lifetime.

And it's always a metaphor.

It's gotta be green. It's like.

She's big on synesthesia.

Yeah she gets it, but but let me write that word down.

Say what now?

Synesthesia?

Synesthesia that's when you hear music or sounds, and it makes you think of a color. That is all. That is all Jill Skoy is about. Yes, and he wanted like strawberry moon.

Yeah, and her wanted and her genius allows her to convey it right in a way where you like, oh, this sound, this chord.

This feeling, whether you're.

You're I'm gonna make this up, whether you're a synesthetic or not, you understand what she's saying back.

To right, we play. We can do that, all right? So I learned a lot this episode.

Also listen, I gotta I gotta do this man. I gotta give my man quest love his flowers. I continue to say in every interview, every problems, I just gotta say this, Like every MD also has an m D and a mere quest love. Thompson is my forever m D. I he can or cannot. I set three in the morning and I say, Yo, what you think about D D D D D or what the cord for this?

Or how should I do this?

Or like I'm still asking and gaining knowledge and and and hopefully you know, you know, bro that what you've spawned in me is so many other Now the people you say I've inspired, they got to know that where I get it from. And so between you and James and Rich and and and just the whole crew, it's like, I appreciate you for taking a chance on me. Literally Philadelphia changed my life and you know here we are QLs.

Well, thank you very much, thank you. Yes, I'll take these damn flowers.

Thank you.

Now you know what I learned. You know what I learned this episode.

And I was quasi joking when it came to me, but now realize, like, damn, Adam's right, like I gotta control my my deaths is a real Yeah. I don't want nobody showing that damn Like every time I go to sports events, they always show the damn Justin Bieber drum battle.

Yeah you like you know, listen, I gotta say.

Man, like, no offense is just to biberm only.

No, no, we're not talking.

It's not about Beber, but what we've done in our lives that what has made the you know, the impact on.

People, because you don't you know that casket.

Man is real and we don't want to be like, oh he was an asshole, look at him up there with like you know what I'm saying, like that, ain't we want to. We want to know when you freaking started playing drumming jungle and drumming based on you got me? Like, whoa how? That just was like what the like? Those are the things? You know what I'm saying, that's.

My moment to Adam, that's my favorite quest.

It's called a legacy.

Legacy, Baby, it's.

Called a legacy left that you've yet to do that you want to do.

Winning that in me, bro let me know that Egot was was stop playing very much was very much a real thing, and it's attainable. It's very much attainable. Watching you get two in one year, it was like okay and there you go and inspira And sometimes we just need to see our own whether it's our own color, or our own people or our own friends, like do

Thankful music.

Music has the power to take to do anything and heal and take us anywhere.

Inspire and grown ups to just so you know a lot of us.

Yeah, well you gave question Love all his flowers. Now to tell everybody who your favorite you.

Is Mandell Mix, don't get in trouble'd be right.

That's a hard question, a rough question.

About the day.

We are chilling and ship everybody.

We love every God No, Adam, I yo, man, I couldn't be more proud of you man and I and just to see your growth, this is awesome.

I thank you for doing this and it's it's amazing to see your work.

I can't see what you have in the future.

And thank you for spending this time with us on behalf of Unpaid Bill who's working on his umteeenth Tony and Sugar Steve, our favorite person of all time, voniglo.

An inside joke between me and.

Adam and and my year. This is another great episode of Quest Love Supreme. You know we will see you on the next go round, all right? What's Love Supreme? Is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.