Questlove Supreme: Estelle

Questloft Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. So Up, y'all. June is Black Music Pump, and every year we use this time to acknowledge something that really can't be overstated. Black music is one of the foundational forces behind modern culture. Now, back when Teams Supreme and I were doing a Questlove Supreme and now on the Quest Loft Show, we've always

Thanks Suprema, Some Suprema, Roll Call, Suprema Son Supremo, Roll Call, Supremo Son Supremo, Roll Call Suprema Some Suprema.

Roll Call Duca Earl Yeah, Milton Burl, Yeah, give it a twirl.

Yeah, London Girl, Suprema Supremo roll Call.

My name is Sugar, Yeah, what's up a stell? Yeah? You need a son? Yeah, I got one to sell. Supprimo roll Suprema something Suprema roll.

My name is Boss Bill Yeah, and I'm on my knees. Yeah, I forgot to prepare for roll call.

Yeah. Forgive me a stell pretty please.

Sup.

Supremo Role Suprema So Supremo roll call.

It's like, yeah, and my girl is Stelle. We ain't no substitutes no more. Oh she knows me well.

Supprima something Supremo role, my names and stell Yeah, and I am litty.

Yeah, I'm out here doing it.

Yeah.

In New York City.

Came something Supremo roll Suprema.

Something Suprema roll call, Suprema something something Supremo roll call, Supremo.

Son son suppering up.

I hate y'all for not taking American Boy because I wanted to do mine around that, but I was like.

Too obviously, too obvious. Did London Girl because I thought was obvious was going to do that. I was like, let me, let me go for a little bit deep. Let me go a little deeper. I'll go for pretty please. It was good.

That was good. Was you're not my substitute? Normal?

You know we gotta pay for.

That was only two seconds heart.

Yeah, so yeah, I was going to say, I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate, uh, five ft seven being the id height. It was a bladder, leave me loud, everybody, everybody against me, against me about it? You you were trying to do that.

I was just having a mumble and it made sense, and the mumbles so I can't do five for seven. So look we're doing the vibes and John is like doing the melody and he's like and.

I was like, well five seven.

It makes sense, yes, okay, But I just thought maybe the conversion of yeah, I was gonna say it like you might would have been like six. But you made a lot of low self esteem dudes, feel like you mean low.

The sure man have my bike? Sure guys guy.

Anyway, Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Quest Love Supreme. I am six ft three, Thank you. I'm six for three as well. Great, he'll tell you like eight okay, Well you wear hills all the time, Steve, my feet are size thirteen. All right, So, brought to you by the the good folk of iHeart Radio. I'm your host quest Love Jenkins. Uh, Team Supreme is with us today. We got a boss Bill in the house and sugar Steve Steve Jenkins. Yeah, sure, this is crazy. Yeah.

He gave me the other day, like I just got back from sun Dance and I'm headed to l A.

I was like, okay, he's doing movies. I'm doing movies too, but I'm here, damn. But of course Fante promised this way back in November. He was going out for cigarette So we're still waiting for Dad to come back home. Ladies and gentlemen, our guest today, of course, needs no introduction. Wait a minute, I just got that joke. Actually, after like twenty episodes about him going out for cigarettes and not coming home. Yeah, that's that's how. Yes, I understand fathers.

Yeah, and I just imagine your dad being like Steve Martin a little shopping horrors.

But yeah, that's a reference. Anyway, Ladies and gentlemen, our guest today needs no introduction. She is a Grammy Award winning singer songwriter, slash mc uh slash voice actress. Uh. Yeah, you know, I will say. And I got a lot of Stephen Universe questions because I've just recently gotten to

Welcome.

She she she hells from my other home, the West side of London, West Side. Yes, well, I don't know many black people that are from the West side of one.

There's a whole contingency of us.

We we are there, I see all right, old ladies and gentlemen, welcome my near aquarian capricorn sister. Sell to the shell.

It's it just made me crunchy as hellrib cool cool, granola crunchy.

Got it?

Yeah, I'm sorry, sorry.

Okay, I get it. How are you today?

I am wonderful. It's beautiful outside. It is really characteristically.

Nice, beautiful February. It is February. It is It's February. Yeah? Is it? Is it? Bill? It's late February. Everybody almost We're still here, Steve, please, gentlemen, Steven snapping, Well, you mentioned in your I know that we were all winging our roll call, but you mentioned New York City. But I would like to think that you are you officially here.

I'm in l A. I'm in LA officially my close of it now, So okay, that's kind of how.

But correct me if I'm wrong A few times like yeah, I used to be here. I don't want to say like a few times I dropped you off.

In the same seat and say that no no, not like his version, Tell him, no, I've.

I'm a considerate person. Anybody gets in my car, a whole bunch of people. Yeah, the last one that goes home. I dropped people off.

So trip has Estelle saying you got me at some point on a stage.

Pretty much.

I go back to like eighteenth letter pre eighteenth letter Estelle, when Estelle was saying yes and yeah.

So I remember, like, so the first time we met, period was in London.

I think I opened up you guys used to.

Be there a lot, and I think I live yeah, and I opened up for you a few times at different events and venues.

When I suggest rap, you can, I need you to explain something to me because as much as like claiming like yeah, London's or second home, London's or second home, there's one thing that no one's ever properly explained to me. Okay, so there's so and hopefully you can, you know, give some clarity to me and our listeners out there. There's so many sub genres of music that comes from urban London on ground, yeah, I mean there's grime, two step, drumming, bassed,

Here, no, Well, on the different subgenres well how all right, So.

Like I don't know the difference, Like, okay, the the is two step under the house umbrella, whereas what's grime.

Grime is like a sub genre, a subdivision of what hip hop and what the kids who weren't specifically like rappers and who were into jungle kind of made who went into UK hip hop but who were also into like dance music and jungle made grime, and like garage, it kind of came out of the garage umbrella.

So like UK hip hop was.

The founding thing, right, and that came out of dance all and all that stuff.

It's a Rodney P and M guys.

It had a really big presence and then but at the same time it was like dance music, which has always been our thing.

Like we listened to all different types of music all the time.

Right, So you've got you got us going to school and being at home listening to like reggae, dance or hip hop, right as we know, like standards genres, and you got to go to school and you listen to like dance and house and trip trippy music, right, and

Okay, So the lines.

Get blurred as far as how you do it.

But for all right, so when we first went there in ninety three, it didn't exist, right, okay, So drum and bass was just starting, all right. So to explain to our listeners out there, drum and bass is where you would take whereas like hip hoppers would take a breakbeat and take it as is. I mean, someone would chop it up and flip it or whatever. But for the most part, like what you hear on the record

Did you think about that? About?

That? Is the period to two to seven is the scissor period, the codine period, uh, seven to twelve, twenty seven to twelve will be saying that's the Moley period.

Yeah, well no, that's after No Molly came after two thousand.

Kind of well, I would say maybe lean. I don't know, Ti Pots.

It's funny, but it's not drum kids that.

Shout out to those Super Bowl commercials on time commercials. Twenty twelve to twenty seventeen definitely, uh, percoset period. And now I guess we're currently in between twenty seventeen to twenty twenty two, which what is the drug of the moment right now? Yeah? Wean life.

We never go out of stats.

I'm getting high on life. Aureo thins are really good. Okay. So my whole point is that the drug, the drug that somehow permeates in each era, also determines like what the music sounds like. So oh wait, no, no, no no. In North and Northeast Philly, everyone's dying from it.

That we the X K K whatever it's you know K Yeah, yeah.

It's I don't know why. The north East Philly has it the worst.

Nothing to do?

Well yeah, sorry, by property there. Sorry anyway, My point is that I felt like but the thing is is that I don't believe the people did you guys, not even did London. I don't call London ever having like a crack epidemic or.

A good question is it's like a consistent thing.

It's not that it was an epidemic more than it's just like it's so no, it's our culture is so like you could be the highest of the high. Keep calm and carry on. Yeah, this is the culture. It's never really been like the drug thing for me. The way I looked at it was like it's associated with

Right.

So it was never like, oh, your friend nixt door to you is doing drugs and you can see it.

It was never like that, like obvious everyone smokes.

Right, right.

I didn't smoke until I was thirty. I'm quite proud of myself. Merely it's so fun. It's a good time.

But wait, why are you straight snitching like.

You said it before. I don't feel the snitching if you said it before in the show.

Okay, I might have forgot that might be a symptomy back on those.

Good So it was a bit more of a like supplied the mod thing and no one really was in it like that. Now it's kind of across the board, like what you knew, Like everybody had like the drug dealer friends, but like they were also your friends.

So like what we watching that show now too on Netflix?

Yeah? Oh God, shout out to Drake in.

The best way possible, said the best way.

Bunch of money I want where like I see a YouTube show, I see a YouTube show and be like, you know what, I'm gonna give you a whole bunch of money to put this on Netflix.

I want to see this.

That's that's power, Drake. Thank you.

Yeah, I appreciate sometimes they still need.

Have you ever watched it?

I have, don't. I'm saying that because I'm comfortable with you. I'm saying that because I'm comfortable with you.

Sometimes I show need subtitles. Even with Queen Sugar Gott, we were all watching the last episode like a cliffhanger episode of Queen Sugar, and I showed my television and I forgot the subtitles on, and they even hit me on Twitter like wait, why are you subtitles on? I was like, yo, if you heard Ralph Angel speak, don't.

You dad talk about that?

King like that? Not Ralph? And that's Ralph Angel angry good morning to me.

That's fine, jealous, stop it? King Kobe.

Now you know who's not going to be on the show.

No Kobe coming, I mean he's coming.

To the show, is okay?

Yeah, you know what I'm saying, love you single? Okay, I can't even know. I know his mom.

Oh wait that means something, I think different different. He is young?

Really yeah, he's young and he's a young man.

I know we're never going to.

Get to your musical experiences because we're just gonna talk about life. It's twenty minutes later, question, do you mean.

It's a little bro I caught.

You guys, realized that there's gonna be a line of this cub period in your life.

Right clear. I'm in that space now, not yet, uite.

Literally, her next album is gonna have a cover of Millie Jackson's Young Man, Older Woman.

You know what No, it is not. That was young.

Yeah, you know, younger men for us still moved like rabbits. They like, we're not at that age where you want to stay younger yet because.

They just they still even like what are you doing? Hold, I'm not teaching you stuff?

Oh my thank you.

Yeah.

It's a fight every day all my life.

You need your own podcast, your own podcast, you don't. You don wanted to deal with I heard right exactly. Look, I wanted to get to my whole point in the whole seventeen minutes. My whole entire point was when I was there. Yeah, a lot of cats were just trying to be from New York. Yeah, aka the twenty one savage syndrome. Like I caught there was a there was an interview where like yeah, and then he said spot to you.

And we're like, wait a minute, what English?

Yes, And that's weird.

I didn't know he was from.

I didn't know.

Not like you catch somebody young enough, like they're gonna the whole accent, everything completely changes.

Right. But the thing is is that I know that you guys have been waiting for this moment all of your life. I mean, really, you're pioneering that yeah, I mean you're pioneering that the fact that not since maybe the Soul, the Soul wave or even I mean no really like with Sould the Soul having international acclaim, have I've seen, you know, like other countries lead the forefront of their movement and be accepted, not like oh, what's

Or is he's Mark Morrison? It was it's R and B.

Then is to us as pop And that's that's the reason why it's such a heavy thing.

And I said this the other day.

I was talking, I was at my friends with my friends in DC, and I said, thing is, you guys have had such a strong culture for your entire like as far back as the twenties, like it's been Black American culture, despite what you think of it. You guys have had it and we haven't.

It's been maybe since the fifties and the British.

Yeah, so like we're like looking at it like, well that seems to be the strongest thing to do.

Let's do that, you know, can I ask what it's weird?

Right?

Because then when you go to Blacksnian, right, you find out that, like the Brits were the biggest committers of the whole slavery thing.

We are in black history mother, right.

So and I asked the British actresses once. I was like, it seems like there's a disconnect between the cultures of your motherland.

Well in a way.

Too, we came over from me I knew. I know exactly where my family's from. My parents came like Senegal, Grenada, Sierra Leone, like they came in the fifties.

They came in the fifties and sixties to the UK.

So for a lot of us, that's where we start again in the European side of the world. But we do know and like, my family's big on black history. So my dad and my stepdad and my mom they teach they taught us that from from like two and one, like here's who you are. Go read these three big anthologies on sex and race. I remember my mom gave me this book set and I had to I read it.

I was a book one.

I'm still am and I read it as a kid, and I knew about you know, the Black Queens, and I knew about how we existed before coming over again in the fifties. So like my perception of myself across the border is different in general, but like that's where a lot of us came from first, and it's a big thing. Like we are taught that like in our homes, not just because they're not going to teach you to school.

You guys really have have it, Like I please, I don't know want to take this person. I used to be like, yo, how do you guys have like and.

I got to learn about Black Wall Street and YadA YadA, and then like times like soldiers, huge questions you.

Said, don't get offended. We're still asking that question, like Malcolm X.

I understand the context of it, but like at the time, I was like, what.

The like that burning down and why people felt they need to get rid of it so that you could have.

In the grand scheme of life, everything is everything.

I don't judge it, but like it's like you guys have it and and I've had it for so long. There's so much wealth in it and it's so much good. Despite every attempt to burn down black culture over the past two centuries in the US in around.

The world, how old were you when you discovered your voice or your singing voice? I was like seventeen, So from the age of zero to seventeen.

Time, no, no, Like I realized I was good at it. I was seven and I realized that I could actually do it. My mom made me singing my brother in church and everyone clept and I was like, oh, I don't know, this is fun.

And what okay? So what is the what's the the black experience in church in the UK compared to it's it's.

Us just as wild again everything is patterned, right, so it's just as wild. We holy go Well for me, I went to which is I went to church got prophecy, which is like essentially kojik. I was a Methodist. I was Muslim. We've been my grandma before I was born. So here's the thing West Africa culture. My grandma married a muslim man. She was Christian, so for a while she had to learn Muslim and then.

She realized that that was a very oppressive the.

Version he for a woman.

Yeah, and we're very women heavy in our family, so we've had to dabble per se just to respect it.

But I remember one time I came from so.

Here we go.

So when I was a child, did all the did all the religions, and right before we went to real Christianity, I went to Africa and we went to my granddad's village and I mem my grandma made us walk and we get to the village and it's great, but it's very Muslim and it's like Gambia. My grandma brings this guy back with us who's like the village chief or a village dude guy, medicine guy, uh, spiritual guy, and he's teaching us Arabic and they're trying to like give

I'm not doing that.

You challenge people all day?

Are you the oldest, second oldest oldest girl. So yeah, pretty much. How many nine in my immediate one older brothers, six.

Girls, second oldest. So you're okay, you're Jackie. Okay, I can be everybody.

Okay, Jackie, look good. That's good Jackie. Oh no, he's the like.

Okay, no, no, you jack natural hair.

Okay, you are correct. Mixing was terrible, that's terrible, all right, Okay, let's got a whole image.

Wait, no, my edges around, No, thise.

The butt, all right.

So he came back and he was teaching us like Arabic, and then they came to a part where it was like women must be submissive, and I just kept feeling like that was wrong, and I said to him, well, I don't agree.

I was like twelve or thirty, you know some shit like that. Wow, And I was like, I don't agree. Why do women have to not speak?

Why do we?

And I went down the line and my mom was like, what are you teaching my daughter in this lesson of classes?

No?

Huh no, not them, and she pulled us out the Arabic classes and that caused a rift in the family to a degree, and then we became real Christians. And that's where I kind of was like you know, like

It was we were oppressive Christian.

Oppressive, but also holy. It was a lot. There's a lot going down.

And then I think it's always been music that kind of shifted my trajectory though, because we were in a church choir and I remember being nineteen and we we used to remix all the words to the song, so like Brandy's best friend became Jesus is my best friend, and like things like that, and like we did the dances and stuff, and I remember one like church, we had a church Christmas concept and we were doing the whole like yere that do with that.

He's always been there friend, and the church like the pastor got mad, like like, yo.

Wait, what was he doing to listening to Brandy didn't know that reference.

Well, we were exactly make it, no, but she was more mad that, like she was more tight that we were dancing and having a good time and she ain't like my mom for some reason, and so she said she kicked us out.

The church concept, it's wild up.

This has been going on three times. I saw a church version that they performed the futures percocet. No. I don't know how that works, but it was like the Christian version, what's the words?

I don't know, but holy goes chase to christ fan sense.

Wait a second, I saw it on Freddie Gibbs his Instagram, So good a minute. This has been going on.

So they kicked us out, and my mom was like to me after that, you don't have to go back if you don't want.

I said, good, because I'm not.

And essentially I've never really been a fan of going back in the building and doing people's versions of events. I kind of I'm very spiritual, and you know, I would read the Bible and I pray a lot, and you know, crystals, and I listened and I'm in chuning and blah blah.

Blah, spiritual, spiritual, so one of those. So did you, Well, I'm assuming I have the same thing that it was hard bringing secular music inside the house. Really my whole life, Prince punishments.

All day, Prince, Like go in your room and listen to your headphones under the pillow. I had Jodysy and I had like this little like Jodasy was my thing in my teens, and I had this little black boom box and my bedrooms right next to my mom's and my bed was right next to the wall, and I would play it, but I would put it under my pillow to muffle the sound.

But that's how I.

Learned how to do harmonies for real, for real, like really meld them stuff listening.

All right, look, hopefully let them go. If you're conservative parents and you're listening to me, I'm shocked. But just let your kids listen. They're going to listen anyway, yes, let them, especially if they got their own phones. Now, yeah, it's a rat, so just let him listen. So, so you're saying that by seventeen, it was fine, Well wait, because again when I first met you, I met you as an MC. I didn't know you saning, so.

You're like, what happen?

Yeah, let go. I was kind of like wait reaped, Yeah this is but yeah, like how did hip hop affect you?

My uncle was the one that brought in our house, and it was like.

How old was he?

He was? Uncle? Was young Uncle? He's just turned like.

Fifty okay and oh thank you.

Just to fit like he's like you know, but like he was a young uncle.

He was like definitely like out in the streets doing this thing right, like wait, studs, it's crazy have family.

So what kind of was he? Was?

He playing Daddy Kane all of that era.

We would call that classic classic.

Yeah, so that was his whole thing.

The one thing I remember he brought that like was like my switch onto It was break dancing and we used to we used to really break dance as kids, like because it was the thing to age right, and my mom was like, don't break dance, no more to do it was used to like that from break it.

She like, yo, he broke his neck spinning on his head.

Before. I don't want to die.

It's like I stopped, and I realized he didn't. But like, you know, she liked me.

They must have. They must have told that to every black parents. Every I heard that one. We didn't have insurance back then, but.

That was my switch into hip hop and like and then I just like I just liked it. It was like then became cultural as a popular thing. But then it became like as I got older, it was like, yo, I can really I have a way with putting the words together. It's not about poetry for me. It's about the rhythm and the rhyme and of it, right. And then all my friends were like into it, and then like mid to late nineties, I really was doing it, Like I.

Be the only girl in the room.

We'd be writing songs and I would actually end up like finishing off rhymes or writing my own and you know, and in friends of just put the verse down, just put the verse down, and I was.

Like, no, I would put the verse down. Did I put the verse down? And it became like, well, actually I could really do it.

Oh okay, And so I did it. Well when you're I mean, when you're in the thick of it, you know, is there truly anybody to look up to. Well, first of all, as far as how you get it now, I mean, because you're in the mid to late nineties, I'm assuming that there's a lot of Tim Westwood. Yeah, seven nine, I missed to seven nine. Man, all those guys. Wait a minute, you got to explain something to me. What was the deal with the So Solid crew?

So they all right, they were good, they were like.

The original all right, So they were the originals of them.

Yeah, pretty much. They still the only time.

I mean, as an American, there's there's a certain amount of arrogance that Americans have, and I guess like being over there, like in our mind it was like no one could ever threaten you with the accent. That nice. But the guys, you know, like we just like come on, like little accent.

That's cute.

They weren't.

It wasn't.

Don't can you settle? Not a rumor? But okay, so we know, at least for that time in the late nineties, there were absolutely no firearms. We were told there were no firearms.

In the UK, and then still I thought the UK is like the most firearms.

We're so naive so much wait really happened.

Because we was like mode on the eye gun control because the police, the police.

Don't have guns. Oh, let's stay there.

Wow. Ok, I never knew that.

It's always been okay.

So we heard a rumor that our beloved Westwood got shot. Asked by a member of that crew, I.

Can neither confirmdi deny who did.

No one will ever tell the story of why or if that happened.

It's like, you have to understand, that was the.

Realist hip hop shit ever heard coming out of London. That was it was real and he was kind of and I almost felt like it was a badge of honor for him. Yep, like I got shot, So.

I'm still here. You gotta understand why did he gets shot?

Tim Westwood is the figure from BBC that really brought a lot of classic hip hop. He was the funk master Flex of the UK. He's the voice that you hear on top of Public Enemy's classic It takes the nation of millions to hold us back. Fresh Start of the Week was the name of his his show.

So he also was a whites man just in case people, yes he's a yes.

Yeah, but I mean, but I mean he was a pioneer source of bringing those shows over and I guess, like you know, with how pirate radio was in the UK, a lot of offspring, so like cats, like when I did two seven nine, that was a pirate radio show, but it was like a real operation, like the room we're in right now. It wasn't like at that point it was the government tire shutting them down and they're just like here, keep here, keep going.

And then it became choice, and then in choice of family moved on to choice.

It was nice two seven nines legit Now seven.

Nine has been the ja I feel like he's a kiss so he was a kiss man.

He sold everybody, did everybody listen? It's no games, but put it in its context too, No, I'm trying to put so solid and the vibe. So if you got hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, which was two seven nine in Westwood, then it became this shift when all the music became mixed up right, and then because they couldn't quite get a hold on hip hop, it was

That wasn't like after after establishment the labels.

And so so solid was that, but So Solid was real, we're real dudes, Like they were like out there, some.

Of them were really out there. There's a couple of them.

Yeah right still still.

So like you know, like it was a it was a very oh you guys think this is for fun, but like you're investing in real humans and real life scenarios.

So also that.

But I don't want to pain him as them all unreally thust because Greg David also came.

From they came from that scene, but he wasn't in So Solid no parts he was before So Solid, but like they were all kind of after the two seven nine and and like Rodney p and like I was even in that more that scene than I was in the garage side and stuff. Like I was really like rapid, like I was in the ciphers. I was like doing the real uh.

So all those names at the time that I saw, like uh miss Dynamite or Dizzy Rask.

The street they came at the end of like the hit UK hip hop side of stuff, and they really ushered in that whole new garage side.

That's what it was.

That's what they came all right before so solid and then so Solid. It was came in like Wu Tang. It was patterned on hip hop, but it was just a different kind of sound.

So did you ever think in your life that there would be a breakthrough, because again, like with the culture that they had, even I was like when German Vase first came out, I was like, yo, this is gonna kill. That's why we did it. When you Got Me, like we're gonna beat everybody, and even classic we tried, and even with well then when Bombs over back Then came out and you know that was Andre's version of they went to a club one night, I heard let's do that, But I never thought.

I was yeah, because I'm here, I hear you Got Me, and everybody knows what that is. People hear bombs and people know it, but they don't like rocket difference between.

If You Got Me and Bombs over back Then, it's like like two pages. There were four hero versus.

Uh zero for versus like something from metal Heads. You know, it's like, okay, it's completely different. It's the same gundre, completely different sides of this.

Plus you just teased us anyway, I've been waiting for the continuation of what that you just teased us with the end of you Got Me, you know, you know the I'm just saying, we are still waiting for the red.

But but when you do things like that, though, especially is like it's such a jungle for us. Was our thing, Like I'm going to that after school. I'm like, I'm playing that all throughout school.

I might here like.

Jungleist, amout here losing my mind as a kid, Like that's our thing. Wherever we go in the world, that's our thing. So when we heard like, oh shit, it's on the roots, did like we lost our mortal minds, Like it was just because people would come take the music and not give it props. But you guys were there and like you got people that people loved, like I'm opening up for you, Like it was like, nah,

So it was like respect we liked to Today.

I miss it, so like why do you Well, obviously the answer is that the internet has now localized. Okay, well I'm saying do you feel as though the Internet had as colonized in a bad way? Yes, colonized well, and do you feel like the internet has colonized UK culture? Because I mean the good news of it is now you are all breakout stars and the world can get the information at the same time, whereas like there's no breakout, there's no But I also feel bad for like, like, okay,

There were other things behind the scenes that with that though, like it it's real life and it's a culture thing and you have to make a choice. And I don't know her personally in that space to say, well she chose blah blah blah or she did this, but you know, people give up on what they don't when you don't fit into a mold or you don't fit into what they think, you know, So there was stuff with.

It, you mean, the audience of the artists, the audience.

And the labels, you know, like she wasn't probably going to do a certain amount of things you know, and she had a kid bang in the middle, and at that point that wasn't the excuse. But I'm saying like, because look, I walk into a room after her right after it to get signed, and I can up front.

Someone literally said to me, well, we're just working with and she and looked at me like I can't take that risk.

And I was just like, really, I don't have a boyfriend about to say get Rightnant said us was hurt about that, and I was just like, you got the last word wild, how about it.

It's safe to say everybody in this room has heard Amy Hye House's debut album, Frank Yeah. I was working at Universal when that album was out here in the United States and it was supposed to come out here and they took it off the schedule because they didn't know what to do with it.

Crazy.

I'm like, it didn't really feel like it was a hard cell. You just listened to the record sounds.

Like me to hit and roots records and radio. I likes anything different the record in that time.

But the thing is like anybody, like anybody I played that record for like they're like, oh, what is who is that?

What is that? Did most people don't know about Frank. Most people think like to back it for good contention. People thought that that was like her debut. So when you're making uh, well, okay, what were the steps that led to uh the eighteenth.

Day my first album? I okay?

So I took the example. I've been in underground arts for my whole life. I've been like an independent on underground arts for.

My whole life.

And I was the girl that was like, I'm gonna go make these records. I'm gonna go find a distribution deal. And I read this book by yourself. Yep, no manager, I.

Know at the time.

I've had I've had managers, but I would direct them.

I'm very much the king of my castle.

Yeah, I direct and I listened, and I pay attention, and I work with people who are incredible. But I'm very much an instant gut person. So I was like, man, look these people out here. Every time we go to a label, they keep talking about we don't know what to do, so let's show them.

And I was like, well, let's go get these distribution deals.

And so I had the one. I went to it. I went to a bunch of labels. They were like, we don't know. I said, cool, I'm gonna sure you what to do. Got my distribution deal. We sold five thousand hands to hand and also like digitally and like not digitally but like on the internet.

At the time, right we were sending like one.

Or two CDs a week, which was great at the time, and then around Europe and the UK, but also five thousand within a month. After going to the labels and them saying we don't know what to do, had a really dope publicist and she put me on every magazine you could find a couple of covers where they were struggling to get their artists and I had no deal.

It was just me and my me and my label Stellards.

What what happened so that the whole time we were together, you was you were too short out the trunk.

Out and then and then and then the next set, the next set of times. I definitely was like on V two and the same person that was like I don't get it, was like, I guess I should sign you. I was like, just so we did the deal, and even throughout that whole period he was looking at me like, so that record free you wrote it.

I had to get the producer on the phone.

The disrespect was so thick and so real about young black artists. You could have possibly written a record that thorough off your own head and off your own heart because you're a little black girl from the hood.

How like you guys don't do that.

It was that that kind of I called the producer and I said, so, did you write any of the words or Melody said no, I just play guitar, I said, and I put a phone now, And this guy was so angry and mortified and like we just go out of his way to stop everything with the second album. And that's when I know, how did you get.

Even get to the thirteenth eighteenth day?

No, but how did you even get James and Omar? And you got John Legend on the first record?

Yeah? I just I was recording Hi Hello.

The Kanye story is real, like I really did.

I was in La recording and I love that story because because I mean, now, Kanye being who he is, you know, you would think that was a Kanye move.

It's a different gun.

Yeah, yeah, it was a different Kanye than but you would think, you know, now, knowing who Kanye is, you would go up and ask for you know Kanye's inflation, but you went up and ask for John Legend?

Yeah, because his voice is incredible, And I was I get I get my instinct again, right.

I was like, na, this guy's voice.

I think.

My boyfriend at time was like, if you don't just go find this guy because you just out here smiling. I mean, it's cute and all, but like also like I was like, no, I have to find him.

And then it was just fading.

Did you know about his education at the time, And like, I have a feeling that has a lot to do with his success.

So that's why I was like, John's a smart guy, but also he's he's the same thing. He's instinct to a degree, you know. And we met traveling and I was like, yo, I was finding all this is lovely. We're in Record Plant in l A. And I'm like, yo, I've got like two dollars to my name to get back to the hotel. Can we wrap this up type deal? Like I have to leave in a couple of hours,

I was so tight, the whole hard drive terrabike. No, I don't know. And then like I left and he called me. He was like, yeah, it's good. It's good, dude.

I've known you forever. I never knew the film and Louise ending the card jump that it took. Damn dude, how come I never did that story.

I don't have to stop time to stop and talk.

For real, write a book about all these moments.

But like.

This has been my whole I don't I don't wait for the opening. I'll just push through the door, you know. If I feel the instinct, it's like go go, go, go go, you know.

So even then, I mean, I'm almost certain it was just just to get to above water level was a goal. Not even to like it wasn't even he I'm gonna really kill this game and da da da da da. So I mean, by the time you get to the second record, what are you thinking.

By the time we got to Shine, I was grateful for John in a way that like people, you know what, I'm this person.

Very loyal, I don't care what.

John stuck his neck out for me without thinking, like everybody that is rare mine and everybody in his team at the time was like what is this Like it was smoothie Like they dissed me to my face, like.

I mean, you don't know Aretha like that. I know Aretha. I'm just not an Aretha singer.

Like and it was like a lot of different shots at me because I was supposed to be this kind of black girl and I come and rapping and singing and out of a smoother voice and I'm confident and you're not gonna tell me nothing. I came here with lubatons and I came here with my with my fashion on my vibes.

You feel me else.

I was very much like I'm not going to give you all those facts, but like also I'm not going to take it to heart. I'm just gonna do what I came here to do. And and a lot of people shout him like why you sign her, Like this doesn't make no sense, this is a terrible investment, blah blah blah blah blah. And he was like, I've seen her, I've seen her work, I've seen a girl.

Trust me. I'm just here for the ride. He literally was saying it to me like, look, if we don't need to work together in ten years, please live your best life. And essentially we did.

But you know, but he stuck his neck out for me in a way that is unprecedented, and I'm forever grateful because I went to the label that were like nah, and then like I guess I should sign you. And I said to them, after like the first two meetings of like, you don't really do this, it's a lie.

Go find your ghost writer.

I said to them, So look, next album I have John Legends he wants to except produce it. He won about five hundred Grammys. This guy is touring out the world. These albums gold at this point in the UK, Europe and the whole world. And they said to me, who's that? And I wanted to punch the wall. I said let me go. I said let me go, and they were like what I said, no, let me go, Please let me go. And then he was like, I said to him, so the second album, id ast you to exact produce,

On, this guy never happens like that, never accepting a case.

Are you the only release from that? I'm like, wait a minute.

Yeah.

He set the label up to put me out John.

School Record, John Jon's a G for that.

People don't know that part, so everyone thinks it's the A but it's John.

Wow. He did.

He did a lot as far as having my back and just support me and not really taking the credit. As far as like you know, where people like, oh, people say, oh he wrote this, and he wrote that for He's like, he's not the one out there shouting it.

People make up their assumptions. You know. He lets me, he knows, he knows my capabilities and stuff.

Have y'all reconnected, So now that y'all live in the same town, I seen him. I see him around like we call I'm good friends with the team. We're still get like that's family.

Well, yeah, true, true to how music history works. I believe that I've heard the story before. The legend of American Boy was that was it the last song made and it's just like an afterthought it was.

Will didn't believe that the record was a hit, like the music was a hit.

Because it came from yeah, right, he said, He's like, I don't think that's I said, trust me, this is what we listened to our own this is this is it, this is it.

And I was literally on the beach in Miami and song it was BB Records.

It it was the Interscope the Songs about Girls, the one that nobody.

B b in the UK. Yeah, in the UK.

It came out on Interscope here Songs about Girls, Yeah, the one that at least nobody here really did.

They had a couple of joints on when you said, rhyme over that beat or I want to.

Sing over We wrote it like three minutes. I woke with it the next day an hour and then and then but that every time we played it to people, that energy would just shoot up, like it was it was like palpable sitting in the room played the record, everyone was like, oh vibes.

Yeah, I was going to say that probably American Boy is probably one of the few songs in this millennium now that we at least have two decades under our belt, not the age of saw too late. No, especially with the especially the way that information happens and like one song just instantly replaces another song without you know, I mean, you remember how many times you've heard Crazy bout Nols

Somebody just made a remix on I just I was like, they still make your remixes still.

Yeah, it's about about three in the past two years.

TAM's joint. Yeah, I was about to say, like that.

They trap it out, they put it on TikTok Live your Best Life, that's what we want.

I'm afraid to go there.

Foolishness is amazing.

But I gotta go there to know what what song to play.

To play, you know, Taken My Life Back, No, more social media for me jealous?

So was it ever a point where it's like tiring, like again, like, are you somewhere between Nirvana smells like teen Spirit where they refuse to do it now and day? I saw where me and myself and I where they just sing we hate the song all over the things like is it that? Or you're just like nope, I know where my bread is buttered.

And I had to reset.

I had records in the UK that people will never not let me perform, like that's ninety eighty for me and to the point where.

Oh yeah, we were down what you said ninety eight?

I'm just like, do you know the words? Because I do? To the second person, are I've forgetting?

There's so many words in my head, so many my head. I'm gonna have a telepromt the fifty five. It is gonna, it's gonna happen.

But he did. I had to.

I had to reset my energy with that because I literally pray for records like that no and I got one, and I was like, how dare I be ungrateful and saying I don't want to sing it?

And it makes me happy?

There's so many ways to sing that record and like sometimes I don't say it too and then you have to consider that.

Then I'm saying genuine that that's my new reference. He said, if you're.

Lord, this is amazing. They sing everything everywhere.

He just why, I'm just.

I'm the one in the back screaming, look by me.

It's me genuine Hi. That was this is terrible.

I was twelve singing something related to say.

That related to I'm a character on Parks and rec Thank you very much, and genuine is me and Redda's first cousin. That's revealed in the last episode show. Yes, it's yeah, you don't watch.

I didn't know what's still parks.

Everywhere. It's the mood tang of comedy.

I know everybody came from there.

It's one of the best. Yes, but one of the longest running running jokes was about her long lost brother, which they had me play. That's genuine is her first cousin.

Oh yeah, she's on a Netflix show.

That's right, Yes, exactly, genuine.

I'm going to go watch. Thank you. It's amazing.

It's shout out to my first cousine, Elgin Lumpkins for all of me, which, okay, slight side note, I'll admit it, because Bill's like, you fake motherfucker. You know, I forgot about the interlude. I totally forgot about that. So even in reuh capping your music, I was like, oh, ship, I totally forgot about that. What was your what was your What was the impetus or at least the process in creating this record?

I was going through a lot, you got. I was coming off of like Shine the American boy. All of my worlds were completely shifting. And I say that in the nicest way. Friends with Wilent. I was Wilent boyfriends.

What is that whirlwind?

Like you're not on the ground and you're trying to desperately hold onto the ground that you know, because like moving it out from under you anyway.

And with nine siblings also, how does that affect you? Oh?

It was wild?

Like my little sister. My family moved out of London because so my little sister, one of them was so hyped. It was just it was unsettling for them. And that's when I realized, I say it to people, to your success.

I got siblings too.

Not on purpose.

One of them got a little whild with it and then we had to move the whole Then the whole family moved because it was like taking my stuff to school and to do the school thing, and like all my sisters this, and people liking you for the trainers you wore or you brought that your sister's trainers, and

It was just a lot going on during the all of Me period.

And then I'm dating a dude who was just wildly trash.

We all are trash, no, not all of you.

He was used to start out that way, you know, ten years ago he was trash.

So here we are, uh, almost ten years ago, and I was going through a lot and trying to just hold onto something that looked like love or looked like home and it was all needed to go.

Is it hard navigating that? Ol? You know, I know that where most people either had is their home, but I mean you moved to the States and kind of without any stable family. Well, I don't know. For some people, getting away from the family might be the necessary.

No, it wasn't necessary more than I just knew I had to do that for my career because it was like I one, it was just tiring every three months getting on the flight and your energy just is up and down, right, you know that toured extensively, Yeah, for a very long time, and so I imagine doing that and then everyone demands all this stuff of you. So I was like, I'm just gonna move there. My mom was like, I knew it was gonna happen. Eventually, they

Just didn't have the time.

So it would be like I was so grateful for the hotel suites that I had because the whole.

Family could come.

I come crash and I just got to sit down and my mom would bring African food and we would sit down. Yeah, right, and the whole vibe and they were gone, and I have to go back to being a stellar ro.

But you know, there's a lot happening.

Actually, there's a question I do have that I'm probably certain I wouldn't be able to ask had you come on the show a year ago. Now you're dealing with Okay, where when we say the fuckery that is this current administration,

The year the return you think, wow, you really think that. I believes Gana added to that.

No, but because they have other deals with different US countries. But I feel like it was just the idea. Here's my thing that I've seen you give the energy of you scare people, You make them feel like you know what I mean, and that is that does more for people's energy than people's perception of what's going on than.

The actual thing, you know what I mean? And I think.

Ye, And it's like the fear of like, oh well, now it's gonna like can we really go there? But meanwhile, the energy at the top of it was like, we can do this. It's not as crazy as what.

So it's travel been hard for you coming in and out of the States, like like longer at.

The as soon as I saw that going I actually wouldn't apply for my passport.

Okay, I have dual citizenship, okay.

So like because I was like, nah, no, no, no, no, all my things are here, so let.

Me make sure I'm good on both sides of the of the of the war. Your family's passports, says Britain on Yeah.

But the beautiful thing is we also, like I said, I'm very clear, so to your citizenships there we have salive' seing the own passports.

We have different we could go.

You know, they've done We've done smart things, strategically smart. My brother and sisters I love them for this. They're very smart about how they handle themselves. And I'm proud of them and that, you know, they really hold their side of family thing. They don't look at me like you got to do. You know, they really are brilliant in their own rights. So I'm proud of them. They hold it down.

Five passports, never going to jail.

Okay, how about that take the heart that's too heart. Yes, it's not a game because people, he's wild. This guy's crazy.

So now now that we are where we are, and well the afore mentioned twenty one Savage being one of the one of the biggest UK I'm not. I'm still like like, oh wait, you're just finding out.

Now, No, like like whatever I found out.

Exactly so well, I'm just saying that it's you big. It's like, how do you feel about the current climate of today's artists that are coming from the UK and kind of the.

I love it.

I would love to see more of them actually do the effective work here though. Okay, Like, besides the big pop artists that they pull out the UK, I love to see like the R and B and hip hop artists do more of the groundwork because I know that everyone's always like, yo, you really did it, and I'm just like, you should be here doing the radio runs and doing the doing the like the smaller the black culture things, because it's it's like they're selling you on

And I had to do it.

And that's the stuff that I think that people miss when they say like, oh, you're you're big around the world, You're going America, You're gonna clean But you know, Joe In and in Champagne Illinois don't know you. You know, and it's like and you know, and maybe it's over there and Mississippi has no clue.

Just not.

My grandmom.

It's true, like but like real folks who are just like in the same way that, like I was.

Going to say, yeah that it just hit me.

I don't know, so in.

The same kind of way, like look, it might be the poppingist thing and you might look like, but go and do the world my grandma and grandmama, like, you know, like.

I was going to say, so, that's that was smart of you to yo, you're just hitting me now.

And nobody else has followed. Nobody's looking.

I can't name it mountain times that we performed in Mississippi or Alabama or you know, I mean, at least in the last I mean, we don't do miss the down South states as much as we do our regular because y'all.

Were built on colleges too, though, don't you think so? Because of the foundation in a way.

Yeah, but then you also have a different way into people's spirits with TV, so it's a different you know.

Yeah, but you still got to get the black vote.

I mean, well, but still.

Black people populating in that audience on Jami in this research and that.

Kids put them because all our families are big in this for tickets.

Has nice super Bowl commercial.

Boss, thank you, you know.

Matter what they got to do that, I still am just like I want to see a Georgia Smith come here and do that run and I want to see like I want to see miss Banks coming here and do you know?

And I said, and it's that fine line of you you don't have to, but you should, you know, I said to Sims.

I was like, you don't have to move here, but you should come here and stay for a while or come whatever you want to do, like but you don't have to, but you should for a while.

Come.

You can't sell somebody or tell someone that you get their culture if you're not hearing it, you know, not the same way like like you went to the UK and you lived it, you could talk to it.

Not for nothing. Well, I mean we did it because like we knew they would accept us. But not for nothing. When you're when you're fine and okay, you have a potential second chapter as a manager, or at least that of like almost Carroll Lewis like an agent, because I don't think that your average when when when a person comes from uh, from where they are to the United States.

I had to physically do it. That's why I know it works.

You know, like once you see them, don't you see your stuf? Like once you see them and you go to their town, they love you for life.

They love you for life. Look, I went to Selma and sang Conqueror on the on the not on the next day when TV wanted the special and I met Tremaine Hawkins. Two to me is like the garden arm in gospel things like that, and she knew my record, and my.

Whole heart exploded, like wow.

Like things like that like lose I lose my mind about things like that because it's like this is who I grew up listening to as an eight nine ten year old in my mom's kitchen and I'm sitting there going what and She's stand in front of my face singing Conqueror And I almost collapsed, Like but you don't.

It's been wildly lonely for a very long time being me and Marsha, Right.

It's just I tell people all the time, show you have to build a tribe, like there has to be nine at least nine like minded people.

Yeah.

Well I started my label like on that because I was like, well, I have all of this to give and I want I want to be able to leave this legacy, like do the work and you know, come here and put time in and you're not going to sleep for like twenty years, but it's all right.

It'll be okay.

Yeah, you know, I have fun when you're dead, man, that's like the only option you'll have.

Like, so, also, do you like LA now? I like it? Do you like it as a single lady?

No?

Okay, I don't think I wanted.

To clarify because you part is. But here's the thing.

Okay, okay, I have to change my energy about all that things, all that stuff because I potential. It's definitely has a couple of potentials out there. I definitely in La. Yeah, it's like two three.

I think it's around.

Yes, people don't know that that's hard in La.

This is hard.

This is the podcast I'm about navigating the single life.

Short version is trash. No, no, it's not trash. It's just my friends always say to me, Look, as hard as you.

Work on your music and your life and your career, you have to work on your love life.

Exactly.

It's hard.

So I had to change.

But wait and you to come out of town. They have to come from outtown.

And then she gave you the speeches she gave me about listen, like you have to open your mind when you come to l A.

Angela Nizzle.

She was like, Angela Nizzle and Don were like, listen, you got a day outside your race.

I was like, but they don't, they don't. I tried. It was it was.

It was interesting, right, It's just not the same, Like why go for the second if you want.

It is the accent.

I know accent, it's no what I.

Want, what I want and the day I mean I want to.

I want what I want, you know what?

But like l A has opened me out though, like I am a lot more like I see two sides of everything.

I balanced.

It's how is that person feeling when they like, I'm not human because I can't be a judge baptist.

Like I've done too much.

I've been through too much to like put anybody you on anything, for anything, on anybody and say well that's that, And you know, I just kind of I'm open, but also like I want I.

Want compromise on something. Every day I have to sit and be like.

I mean, you know something you do sometimes chameleonize yourself into another person. Slight confession. Okay, so when I went to Smart, Black and Funny, it took me eight minutes to realize I was sitting with you and Melanie Fiona.

Are you serious?

I didn't hear a trace of accent, and I was like, oh, these girls are so nice to me.

That's wow. We said that I probably had different hair too, and.

Then Melanie caught me, yeah, your hair was changed. I was sitting behind you at first, and then Melanie said something. I said, wait, I feel like I know this person and her hair was different, and then your accent came out.

Oh fuck, look.

Because this is this has been my I've been learning American accents too, because every time I go so I'm doing acting more acting job.

I want to Cynthia Rea. But go ahead, get to it. You know that's the thing.

A mirror coming over here. They give me acting jobs.

You know you're in.

I've been doing it, let me tell you.

But like, the thing is, they keep giving me these rolls A laugh for my bad is your bike? Because I'm just like, first of all, what so they keep asking me to be strippers, and I keep being like.

Where I don't see it.

I don't have enough you walk away? You know what more, I don't have enough for this, okay, and looking like.

I had to. I had beef with one of my agents.

Yo, stop sending me in these damn like we know, no, bro, better say I guess the hustlers.

Relax. No, I didn't get that well, I should got that one. Not even fun.

I could have learned how to actually strip, but I didn't want to bend on the super Bowl.

But I have a mild I'm just joking because I love her.

Wait, I love by the way.

I had. I had a time. It was no stripping story.

Sorry.

I was in the strip club first time I heard my song outside in Atlanta.

No magic, magic American boy, yeah ship.

No, it was onyx On and we went there to treat the guys because like life on the road. And I was like, let's go to trick left there, no right, how they gotta go wings, Sure, let's.

Go yes, based on their wings, shout out, shoutouts.

All right, listen, you can't even get the names out fast.

And I know it's so many good strip clubs, good food.

No, no, no, I'm I found Wait, there's a good.

I love it. It's good because I was like, well, here we are, and the other day I was like, here we are. This is interesting.

What is it.

It's Sam Sam Browse or something like that.

It's downtown and well I didn't eat the food, but the girls, the ladies were love me. And so here's the thing. I go in there and I'm just like, again, I'm not judging.

I don't care.

They'll be your best life, right, And it was just always weird when they play my record and the dude set it up like we.

Got some so remember.

You had you had Lloyd in the house, you had like Lloyd and this is this is years ago Lloyd bow Wow and a few other singers right early singers, R and B singers, and they're like that side of the club and I'm just like, oh, ship, oh this like ah and I'm just in there trying to like okay, but I'm meet over.

And then the guy, my girl, my assistant.

Had told the dude that I was there, and she's like, yeah, we got real singing in the house.

And I was like.

Ship, and then he puts the regular I do too.

My fan is and I was just like in bask and he goes to me, y'all sing the song and then I'm singing American Boy, It's gonna and she's like she's major and I'm just like, oh, that's pretty good. Comes down and then she's like I just love you, you just so do You're so cute, you so like you're so classy.

And I was like yeah, okay, and then she hugs me and it's like is that weird? Awkward? Yeah, you know, and then it happened again.

It's stadium with thank you with stadium and ship was no. They played break my Heart and then they all came come up to me in a line like a.

Greeting with me and Greek line.

I was like church, they didn't dance for you, so but they were like coming to be like nice. So it was like no, you're you like, no, don't. I will put money in the in the dancer's hand.

It just considering it.

It's not gonna happen. I'm an all up. I am the killer of vibes. No, I'm like amazing.

TV story. I had a wild and crazy life.

No, no, no, Mike, Mike knew about this story. Now, the guys hadn't set me up. We were on the road and I said to myself, I tweet something like, yo, me be like when you I'll be quiet. When I'll be quiet when he leaves, I'll be talking again about when the first come up on the show, when it was first on the show, And I tweet that and then team were I was like, yo, what if he

She come on the roade and.

She's like Yo.

I was like, Steve, we're having this whole breakdown and our soul right, And stevee J comes.

In the room and I'm just like, I got ask him if this is real? I says, yo. He's like, comes up, he say, Yo, get to meet you sis. And I'm like hi, and he's like, I said, wait, you have to tell me is that real? Like do you really be? Is this real? Like the face and the face date baby?

And he does the face and I'm like, okay.

It gets worse, it gets worse.

So we end up in the strip club with stebe J and my whole team is trying to find a way for me to have an interaction with STEVJ and the stripper and they're just doing this for their pure ships and giggles.

They're doing this because.

They're doing this so they can laugh at me and so we.

So I like it.

No, I didn't have, but I was like weird. I go to the bathroom. On the way back, he grabs me and he pulls me to the stage and I'm just like, oh, what's gonna happen. I'm really my soul like oh. And he calls me and it's like a big lady and she's like go in and like she's going in that boot He's up and no, and she's like this girl is uncomfored. I'm just like yeah, And so if I'm standing, if her bootie's facing the audience, I'm standing with my right side.

I remembered it. And he's facing me and he's like, yo, look at him.

Man.

I was like what He's like, yo, look at her?

Looking at her?

And he says worse things. I'm just like, oh, it's all right, she's doing great, Like look at him, ty, I'm traumatized. Why are you going to the strip club?

You don't?

I don't, but it's fun and.

Check it out.

I gave her the money and I thank you.

It was so great. She was like keep but I feel like they appreciate I don't throw at.

Them, and I feel you if look where in Vegas we're gonna go. We're gonna go to the expeerimid Rhino because they have the best French fries ever.

Okay, I had been there.

We had a wild belvet, and I've been all the ship clubs and the most polite I.

Can give you a structured breakdown on the best foods.

I actually I'm very interested in.

That in Atlanta. Atlanta is actually the bestrip club in Atlanta is actually Follies. Like the best dancers. Yes die no, not literally they killed. No, they really want to dance at Folly because they have a good rate.

There, like the old Gold Club I got you.

Well, yeah, because the owner lets them keep their money. Uh, at least more than most do. No, no, no, some will tax the ship. He makes a killing off of the bar and more importantly the water, which I don't want to give a secrets away charges for water interesting, yes, well, but he has a great deal on bottle water. I don't know. Maybe a friend of ours, a friend of his, a friend of ours, but yeah, yeah, fell off the truck. But yeah, Follies. It also has great food.

And commercial to do like a little book. This is this is a John said you're not allowed to do those.

I mean that would be fun, like I would. I'd want to know or do a site. I don't know. We're looking for someone they have a green book for entertainment.

Serious at least they start breakfast after, you know, like four.

No, real life, I have to talk to you about this.

Why has he ever been Steve? I'm nominating myself for this job. So oh god, all right, so we gotta wrapped this up, y'all. We we done talked about the church in the UK and immigration and pancakes at Folly's. So okay, so in love in l A. Yeah, So for you, what what is your what is your hope for this year? We're already in February, Like, what do you?

I'm really like, So my main thing is the label goes up.

I have a new artist that I really really really like, will go for like in the same way John went for me. She's incredible, She's a great singer. She just my thing is, I'm not investing in anybody who I have to pull from the ground up. I'm investing in people who are doing the work and who want to actually learn the business and be sustainable on their own.

You know.

So where's she from.

She's from Illinois.

Okay, she's really Illinois, so respectable. What about Chicago?

Illinois?

Family in Chicago and like it's she's been working, you know, and she's been really trying to do this. So yeah, Jamie Woods, that's a hard Jamie Instagram. But she has a beautiful voice. She just stands and things. I believe she's going to be incredible. You're going to see it. But she also knows the business and is learning it quickly,

Touched folks paying it for it.

That's happening. Yeah, And essence is she is going and like we're going again. We have the batchman, the dancer or the soca. I think I feel like I don't know if I spoke too soon about that, but I got so every year you no essence, it's like, yeah, it's not.

We are, it's diaspora. Yeah.

Last year we did it with them, and it was the first year we sold out. It was the highest rated like performance, and so this year we're doing it again. And my thing was to make sure that whenever we touch down and you understand the diasporas here, it's not just about it's it's definitely black culture, but also here we are because that's where I come from. Like we

So we're doing that way sence, and that's what we do. Yeah, hell you shut it out. We're strong and we get it down. We're getting it down there.

You go, yeah, all right, well sell we thank you very much. Uh, we're coming and speaking to us. Yes, yes, yes, yes Love All all of your product is now streamable. Yeah, I see in your local record store a track.

There new records coming this year.

So beautiful. That's great to hear. All right, well on behalf of the team Supreme, sim Steve Boss Bill.

Club.

Yes, we're going to strip club right now. Sorry f Tickelo you're still smoking cigarettes and all right we will see you next week on the next go round of Quest Love Supreme. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.