Questlove Supreme: Robert Glasper

Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to another edition Grand Imperial. Another.

Wait, I don't feel to encourage from you. Guys are snickering behind my back. You know that's that's words rappers say, you know, the professors. No, Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to another episode of Quest Love Supreme.

My name is Questlove. We have Teams Supreme with us snickering.

Laya, Now that makes me sound like the person that leads our world with his weak ass.

Ahead.

Yeah, I know exactly.

I'm doing good contrary to the world I'm doing No, actually, no, I'm doing I'm doing good. I'm feeling good about about life and whatnot.

That's cool.

I'm talking to you all.

Steve.

Yes, I know this is this is the highlight of you know, I look forward to these converse seasons with my friends.

Never now, Sugar Steve, how you doing, Hey, Quest, Hey, Team Supreme. Steve. I'm feeling real good right now.

You know, it's been a long time since we asked you about to Sugar Network. What's what's the HAPs of the Sugar Network? Since funny you should ask.

We just ended season three and began season We just started season four, which is the Blueberrius Network. Now Blueberry We're going to pretend after three years, you don't know how the Sugar Network works.

I'm sorry. Yes, everybody gets a season.

I'm sorry, yes, season we're on season four, but we've only been around for like two and a half years. But we're already on season four and the new founder is Blueberrius, so you can find him at Blueberrius. It's the Blueberrius Network for season four. Thank you for you're still the executive producer, right, yeah, I'm the original founder, Sugar Steve.

Yeah, it's named after you. I've seen that and Fan Tickeolo.

I'm good, brother, I'm good.

House it down yourth cacollect.

It's cool, man.

I think the governor said that they're about to do a phase what they call a phase two point five or something, so like now they're starting to open some gyms, so like gyms can open it like thirty percent capacity. I think restaurants can open it like twenty percent something.

Crazy. My ass is still in the house, so this shit needs nothing to me.

But but that's yeah, the gym's out here doing the little outside thing like they going into the parking lot too.

Yeah.

Some of the gyms are out, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, some of them were. They were actually actually my gym for a minute. They were kind of doing it outside, but I don't know. I think it kind of fell off.

But I don't know.

Just being around a bunch of people just breathing hard and sweating like that not seem like a good life playing. So yes, I just been sticking to my old man walks in the evening and.

Uh, let's here before old man walks.

Yes, yeah, just I hit my walk. Bro, still getting your tenth doll's that?

What's up? Man?

Yeah?

I'm morning still are you still every morning six o'clock?

Rick Rick Ruben put me up to the task and I'm still doing it ten thousand a day.

That's great, man, that's I'm trying to unleash my inner strict uh growing a bug and I'm actually gonna get on a plane.

Wow. Really did you coming back to see your people? See your mom my?

Mom is turning seventy and I'm like, can't missed that.

So I'm e man side actually flew from uh La. She she did that flight. She flew from l A to DC and she said it was. Actually it ain't. It ain't that bad like it was.

No, it's all good.

I make sure I eat everything I need to eat before I get on the plane. Don't drink nothing, you know, And if I do, I got my clor. I'm gonna have my gloves, I'm gonna have my mask, I'm gonna have my shield, and I'm.

Gonna you find Jet Blue.

No, I'm gonna probably do.

My Mama's my Mama's carrier, United, the one that has you know, housed and fed may for forty years.

Oh that's right, yeah, United.

I forgot, Yeah, I forgot that.

Hey, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this particular episode of Court Left Supreme is being brought to you by Mazda. I gotta say shout out to Mazda for letting me, uh test drive their c X thirty. I gotta say it's my first grown man car that I personally endrove myself.

Well, that's like one of those Cuvs, right like they got su They had SUVs, but.

Now they got the crossover. The crossover kind of that.

Yeah, but you know, like when I get in it, like my driving experience doesn't warrant a turnaround, Like, what's that? I never heard for cars that I drive, You know what I'm saying. Most cars that I drive are yeah, like the set of Pee Wee's Playoffs. But I gotta say this, this is kind of official. I enjoy driving it, and good luck and trying to get this car back from me.

My appreciate that it's comfortable.

And plus, you know, I'm on the farm, driving two hours every day to the city, and you know this is where I listened to all my favorite podcasts and my audio books and my meditation stuff.

So yeah, this this came right in time. I appreciate.

Follow you on Spotify and I saw you listening to.

Some some meditation and something.

I was like, what the hell is this a mirriage playing?

I was listening.

I forgot that Spotify actually snitches on what I listened to.

Right now, yeah, you follow me, you ain't don't see me.

This is nothing but the brand album for them.

I forgot the world can see what I'm listening to because all I'm listening to is the meditations stuff.

Yeah it, but it'd be the time too, so it'll be it's not you know, I mean, it'll be like damn two o'clock in the morning.

It'll be late.

And so I see, I'll say that from midnight till like eleven in the morning.

That's my meditation.

Now, so you got to get to the change this picture though, they got your Philadelphia Experiment picture. I don't even know who that person is.

Yeah, you know, not not you follow my see people follow always look for quest love.

No, you gotta follow my my my.

Oh, your government, the government.

Shoot, Neil K. Thompson is right there, you are, so right.

Yeah, that's how you mere.

I don't think people know this, because that's why your listeners are different.

You got okay, I know, yeah, like only only for certain people.

Now, yeah, that's on for cute link niggas.

Because exactly, only for certain for certain niggas.

That's exactly why I did that, exactly. Yeah.

No, it's good to hear that you're you're facing your fears. I too, am going to get on a plane tomorrow.

Ain't you been getting on a plane. Don't play me play lotto.

No, I've not been on a plane since. So you drove because y'all drove to the all I've been driving to Ohio since that time period.

I have questions about what y'all doing up there? Y'all doing something productive out there?

I am you mean, do you want to go with them?

I'm not just you.

I was just curious. I didn't know how to ask.

But I see all the pictures posted and I see you know, all the social celebrities, and I'm just wondering, since we know we're in an entrance in State of the World, are y'all like actually talking about things that could help you know that y'all are powerful individuals.

Well, I mean it's not G thirteen, but I will say that a good four to five hours is pretty much. I don't know when these episodes are coming to be or I don't know if it belongs to quality or Dave owns the content. But dude, I told you that's what he was doing. I told you it's about Yeah, it's at this rate, I think he has I know, Lie, I think there's about forty hours of content.

Yo, Nicol were releasing our Dave Chappelle episode that no, I'm just saying, oh man, I'm just saying.

Well, it's not that's the thing.

I don't think Dave has a platform, but this is going to go somewhere someday.

But the last time I did it.

Last time it was a really good episode, like most like basically each episode is most quality.

Dave like, they're the anchors. Those three are the anchors, and then me.

And whatever comedian Kevin Hart uh sometimes uh Kevin Hart, Bill Burr was the last time before that was John hamm Common, Tiffany.

Hattish and uh.

You know, but I will say that, yeah, and it's it's it's not just what I won't say. It's not just us. I don't want to say fluffing. No, it's it's not it's us, Yeah, it's not. Yeah, it's actually us holding people's feet to the fire. Like everything that including an hour about you know, quality's situation with the with social media and all that stuff.

Like she got real.

So I don't know when or where it's coming or how it's coming or whatever.

But I mean, I mean, besides that Dave actually has taken over his town.

I got to commend him, like he has the resources and the Governor's blessing to.

You know, Ohio is very important.

Another an you know, the another is that I was asking, especially in the election, it's very important.

Yeah, but it's Yeah, he's you know, he has medical people on standby, he's testing, testing his audience, testing his guests. And then once you do that, I mean you just yeah, it's it's rather incredible. Well, that is nice for me to go back a third time.

But I.

Also do hope that you'll figure out some other things to do, like some things like similar to what Lebron is doing. I know everybody doesn't have Lebron money, but on some levels of opening up stadiums and figuring out how we're going to get people out to vote and whatnot, comfortable places and save spaces.

Anything that could help the cause.

You know what I'm saying outside of just some good conversation, but I appreciate the conversation as well.

Well. All I can do on my end is raised money, so I can.

Tell you tell them, and then you know, working out.

Yeah, I'm certain that that's on his mind. I mean that that's been discussed. I don't know what his direct plans are for November, but you know, right now I'm a member of team. When we all vote, we're registering about thirty seven thousand people every night.

DJ SU.

That's good.

Yeah, just trying to it's a mystic.

We can win as long as we keep our heads to the sky. This whole renewed sense of optimism is what I feel.

Yes, No, I do have optimism. What I'm what I'm more worried about. I mean, i'd be lying if I didn't say that I was. I wasn't worried about the transition period like November.

I'm actually getting out from November to January.

Win or lose, Like you know he wins, Yeah, November to January as hell for the next four years as hell, but lose you know, who knows what that transition will be like for those three months borderline hoping that he I predict that he's going to I realized you can lose the presidency if you remove the.

Goalposts of the election day.

So if he moves the election day, then instantly Pelosi becomes president. And so I think in his head it's like I'd rather be removed than lose elections, right, So that's.

Going to be another that's another theory.

Oh my god, it's so saying that he yeah, he'll plan it as the crats forced me out, and like, so that's what I'm hoping for. But you know, of course, that they follow the law, but they've been lolessed ninety nine percent of the time.

So followed the ship yet why not?

Yeah? But I'm just saying I ain't getting the mailers like I used.

To, right, I got I actually got my mail today. My mail has been running pretty school.

But yeah, it's this ship is nuts.

So let's get to our episode, ladies and gentlemen. Today. Our steam guest is a is a g That's right.

He's a multi Grammy Award winning and Emmy Award winning not he I'm sorry, not ghetto, but your your your g.

I have a soul train award. Is that going there somewhere? That doesn't count your soul training award?

I have a soldier war I'm jealous, yo, from the man that was.

Still alive when I got it. Wow, I got a real one. I'm not okay that intro Ladies, Yes, I love it.

That whatever.

Brot one.

Man, I got a one month old of a girl you know quarantine? Yeah? Wow, that was.

The map that's coping season.

Wow.

Wow man, congratulations bro bro thank you man.

What's up? Steve? Congratulations? How you doing? I'm good? Kick and playing and play.

Wait let me, let's let our listeners know for those that don't know, because it will be a bunch of inside jokes and you know it'll be so literally. Yeah, our guest today is Uh, he's literally worked with the best of them. Name him Uh Tip Uh, Michell Stilla, Jill Scott.

Have we worked worked together? My fault? Did y'all did?

Y'all did?

Cover with a lot of lune.

We did? Hey? Wait, way to circle back speaking.

Our theme today is having a renewed sense of optimism, and our guests actually covered sounds Blackness, Mortal, Classic Optimistic with Brandy out right now Yes with Brandy and August Green featuring Common and Kareean Riggans and probably one of the craziest, funniest people I know. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Robert Glass.

Finally, it's been long overdue, but.

Me just for the people that's listening, we should tell them the only reason it's taking as long as because Amir always wanted to be in the studio, in a really banging ass studio with rob And that's the reason we haven't made this happened because lady somewhere.

Exactly we thought we had like hopes and dreams of like jam sessions and whatnot.

I kept looking. I kept looking at my resume, like, God, damn it, am I good enough to be friends Robert? Wait time out?

Okay, so I just I pulled up your Wikipedia page. Have you seen your Wikipedia page lately?

I haven't seen what's with this photo? The photo that they got for you.

Is it with the dreads?

The dreads?

It's like his sears Roebuck catalog pose.

It's the ray Kwan You know when Ray Kwan.

Puts the temple is uh yeah, yeah, I'm not proud of that.

I'm I think we all have one of those polls that picture with that pole, because when you're deep in thought, that's exactly what you do.

Right.

I was doing my time where I was really fighting against taking photos at the piano because every time I took photos at the piano, I was like, that's corny.

I want to be away from the piano.

And that was during the time where I was like, nah, I wanted to do other stuff and I didn't know what to do, and it was weird photography.

This one.

This, I was like, this, right, is that one photographers suggested the piano to you is like photographers telling the roots. We gotta go out to the forest to take photos.

I have an idea we go up to the forest or put shackles on your feet one of the two roots exactly.

Take you next picture next to Alex Haley.

Where are you right now, Robert, I'm in LA. I'm at the LA spot.

That's right, he one of us.

Now you live out in LA right now?

Yep?

Yeah, Well I always had an l A spot in New York spot. But now I'm just here in l A for a long period of time, so I'm pretty much I'm pretty much here.

I think I'm gonna call this home. How long have you lived out there?

I had this place here for about four years, but I've never really spent you know. You come in for a week here and you know, but now I'm like staying here, you know.

So see, I always I always thought there was a stigma. Well, you know, you are a serious musician, and I always thought that LA had a stigma on serious musicians, Like there's always been this cloud of sort of pretentiousness with LA session musicians and LA jazz musicians, at least in the sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties. I don't know if it's still yea, it has held over or not.

But you know, I mean, I don't. When I'm out here, I'm not being a musician. Okay, when I'm out here, I'm producing. I'm gonna film film, I'm scoring films, you know what I mean. Like I always say, New York is where you learn how to play, and then LA is where you make money.

So that's why I moved out here one.

Per You know, I'm actually long overdue being here in LA.

Really, you know what I mean.

I should have been here ten years ago.

Yeah, yeah, man, just for the opportunities of what I want to do, because I'm not trying to be the best jazz piano player in the world anymore. That's what I've moved to New York to do. When I was the high school, I said, I'm.

Going to New York.

I'm gonna be the best jazz piano player.

And it was all about that, all about bigger musician years we were there already.

I'm over that. Yeah, you.

Want to work, work, Yeah, but that's what it's supposed to be though, that's how it's supposed to be. I had like a og tell me, like, you know, the first part of your career. It's about becoming the best, right Yeah, But then after a while it's like, Nigga, I gotta put myself in the position to make the most money.

Boom exactly.

Let me ask as a fan, does that mean that you've done everything you want to to do musically?

Like are your music goals or or oh.

No, no, no no no.

I put myself in a position where I can always go back and do that. You know, I can always make records. I don't have to do the New York grind anymore. I don't have to be in New York and beat play the clubs and play the gigs, you know what I mean. I can go to New York and play my show when I want to play my shows and stuff like that while I'm out here also doing film scores and and all that stuff.

You know.

That's why you strategized and did those those that when you had a whole residency in New York right before you left them, right, that was brilliant.

That worked.

It worked out. So that's all I got to do.

Every year, I go to New York and stay one month and do all my shows New York.

Get all your show out the way, get your quarter done and then come out out.

I love it.

I see my son. My son's in New York, so I go there.

I get, you know, those reasons I just keep my New York spot is so I can go back and see my son all the time, you know what I mean. But you know, other than that, it's it's bye bye New York.

We have a chance. Has your son had a chance to meet his sister yet?

Yeah, she's one month old? Not yet?

Oh yeah, it's just whatever.

That's it.

That's it.

Your son hilarious?

How dangerous is he as a musician? Now? Yo?

Now, dude, Now he there's not a deal of joint he doesn't know, and he there's not a deal of joint that he doesn't know how it's made. Like he's producing beats. Him and Kareem Riggins Sonny Dreams are making the EP together.

I can't.

I love it?

So Glasperriem glassper Riggins like yeah, because first of all, Kareem's son is crazy with the beer.

Have you heard his beats? No, he's like maybe thirteen. Yeah.

First of all, generation is going to kill.

Me, yo. First of all on drums, he's crazy. Like, I hire him right now, for a hip I get not even joking. We jammed, and we jammed a few times here in La I believe you killing. But then his beats are his beat so stupid. So him and Riley and my son they always play Fortnite. They're always on the playing Fortnite ship. And then they started making beats and going back and forth with the beats and ship.

So now they Riley make and yeah JM and Lewis Okay, yeah, he's literally that's what he's on now, that's literally what.

He's on, these kids with Swiss beats son and oh my god, Jill Scott her Son making beats too.

Yeah. Yeah.

They have access to the tools that we didn't like.

I mean, the technology is so, I mean, you can make beats on your damn phone now, you know what I'm saying.

So, but Riley's like, he ain't me yesterday that dad, can you give me an n PC one? Wow? I was like, uh yeah, right now. You just released the project with uh ninth correct.

Yeah, So we he's an album called we got an album called Dinner Party. Yeah, me Terry Smart and co See and Knife and yeah.

So with Felix, Felix, Felix there Felix, Man, I do.

Felix is really dope. His beats a dope too. He makes dope beachs too.

He made tracks, okay, yeah, stupid tracks.

Yeah. I just everybody making tracks. Everybody makes tracks. I know. I've never been a track. I've never been. I've never wanted to make track. I gotta make some beach right exactly.

It's like, I know, all the dopest musicians, Let's get in the room and make the dope ship. That's how I'm always like that, like pluck that. But yeah, you got to make tracks. But but yeah, so we just did a dinner party right now. We just we're just finishing up a dinner party kind of remix kind of situation where we took all the songs, but we put guests on them. So we got Corday and Snoop and a few other artist Balao on there and a few other artists on those actual songs.

Tank from Taking the Bengals. Yeah, she's dope. I love her, man, She's dope.

Uh So, yeah, finishing up that. That should be done in a few days actually, and then I'm still in the middle of working on Black Radio three as well.

Oh my god, So wait, all right, can we just real quick?

Don't you don't know I'm working on Black Radio three?

No, no, no, no, you know listen, I know, I just forget.

I just forgot it was I forgot that was coming.

So that means that you all Black Radio three.

You're supposed to be, I was supposed to be. I may be like, here's here's the thing.

I'm not playing alone.

Let me tell you.

Let me first, what had happened was to put happened.

Hey man, you can't put me on blast and don't want them to say myself, So let me set the up straight fallow. Look, we in the goddamn pandemic. I don't feel like doing ship.

I have to learn.

Let me look, I'm clar I'm in a space where I have to learn. The first like three four months of this ship was just like what the fuck right? So I had to learn how to create in this space. I knew how to create in the old world when we was out torn and moving around and bumping in each other and all that shit.

I know how to feel that creative tank.

I had to learn how to feel that creative tank in the space where we can't go.

No, fucking where. So now I'm waking up again.

I'm kind of finding it, you know what I mean, I'm kind of finding a voice again.

So now to everyone, to Robert Glass and everyone.

Now, yes, there's a big possibility I'll probably be on black radio now because I know how to create. I'm kind of finding my voice now. But at the time he reached out to me, he was like, yeah, man, I got this joint.

Send it. I'm like, Nigga just watched my aunt die on Zoom. Nigga Like what the.

Too?

Literally, oh, mom was like months ago.

I had to log into an app to watch a funeral.

Nigga, this is.

We're right now? Like yeah, wait, yeah, yeah that might be there was up.

Okay, this might be my old age, but I'm under the impression that you actually invented or pioneered.

D I wydeness when it comes as far as I know.

You have an Apple on your phone that you do the vocals on and then you just be sitting it the motherfuckers.

Yeah.

I mean when me and Nick did foreign exchange, Yeah, that was kind of the first, you know, in terms of I mean it was us doing it, and then I think before that it was the postal service with your boy from Deaf Cab, but they were actually sending it through the mail. We were sending it just you know, through I am. But even with then, I mean that was still at the time where you know, the world was open, like we were going out, I was going

So it's like you motherfucker still won't need it.

Damn rappidy rap rapidly saying and do all this ship, But I can't go to the gym right where and where's the release? Like I can't I can't go to the gym, I can't go to the movies.

You know what I'm saying, Like, well.

Apologize, I apologize, and I appreciate you for having this moment because there's so many people that will feeling the same way.

You're right, You're right, you right.

Oh yeah, but I'm coming.

But you know now, like I'm figuring out like I got I'm me and Pooven working on ship like I got ship coming, so so now I mean I'm waking up now like now I figured out so so now glass for like with joints like us being black Radio three.

Yeah, that more than like what happened, because it's.

Always I have a studio to Robert, I.

Want you on there too.

I was gonna hit you, but I had a whole idea that we'll figure that out. Yeah, I'll do it. If if doesn't do it, I'll do it.

Bars.

You can see your little brother.

You have voiceover, great voiceover.

I'm just joking, But I'm more curious about who else is because I was just curious because I was like, damn, Robert, you gotta I know people be coming at you when you do these black radio albums.

Like yeah, well you haven't even I haven't even said it out loud that I was doing it until I released a single a few days ago, one of the singles off the record with the song I did called Betty than I Imagine and with her with her and Michelle de gil Cello. Yeah, so that's that's something I was holding for Black Radio three. But I was like, fuck it, yeah, you know, because you still.

Go on the record correct, yes, yes, But I was like, I don't want to hold it any longer.

I'll put this one out, you know, just to just put it out there, because I need to put some music, just like I want to put something out, and this is a good time for it, you know what I mean. And you know, so yeah, I got to December to finish it, and I'm gonna go, come on next year.

What have you been doing the last six months? Have you been working at home or just like doing nothing?

Well? No, I learned how to do logic pretty good.

I got better, bro, That's what I do. That's all. That's where I track all my shit in.

I got.

I got better at logic. And actually I'm building a mi a terist a building a studio right behind my house right here, like literally ten steps away. There's a one apartment behind my crib and my landlord moved out of there and we took it over and made it the studio. So we'll be finished with that in like two three weeks. So that'll be a place where we can like really go work, you know what I mean. And so we've been doing that, and I've been.

About the noise.

No, you can't even they can't. It's separate. It's just no neighbor. The way it is. My landlord had it. My landlord had it built by and people from our church. It's like all sement and it stands with its own. It's like isolated.

Is dope. It's really dope.

So okay, okay, I'm curious.

Yeah, yeah, yep, you know this is we we've known each other for the longest, but we really have never had an in depth conversation. And what I always no, no, But the thing I was always curious about was that I don't think it's same way that Philadelphia had its renaissance in two thousand.

Yeah, you know, I felt that Houston.

Had that same renaissance in two thousand and six, two thousand and seven, you know, with all these musicians who at the time, like what was going on in your high school, with all these musicians that were thinking left of center, like what was what was in the air, like what was going on?

So the cool thing about my high school, which you know, Art high school.

Is because you went to one of the best ones in Philly, so you went to perform in art high school.

I want to perform in ours high school in Houston High School for performing arts. And the cool thing about my high school, which I think we might be the only high school that did this. I'm pretty sure, or maybe not. You can tell me if y'all did this. My jazz director and not even just the jazz director in all the art areas, they hired teachers that didn't have degrees.

Wow. So our jazz cats that were teachers were just cats.

Wow. Yeah, they didn't.

Have degrees they design or purpose or yes.

Because the motherfuckers that have to degrees most of the time, you know. But the cats that are the cats, they're just playing. They out there playing. So they was coming to the school showing us what's hip right now because they're out there playing right now. So the cats that was over our jazz, our jazz classes, our jazz professor, doctor Morgan had a degree, but he made it so he would just hire different and sometimes we would see one dude for three months, never see him again.

But he was dope. Yeah, but it was dope.

And what one of the cool things about us school also is we had a class period called listening.

You didn't play.

You came in and we had a CD player and everybody in the class could bring anything they wanted to and you just sat there and listened.

Damn.

And part of the problem with a lot of musicians is they don't listen, and they don't know what to listen to, and they just don't listen, you know.

What I mean.

And our jazz rector made a class called listen, so I would bring stuff. It could be gospel, it could be anything, and and and all the cats to bring stuff, you know, every Mark Kelly, that's Mark about it.

It was who did you go to school with?

Like in my class? In my I went to school with Mark Kelly. I went to school with Kendrick Scott, drummer, really guitar player, Mike Marino, Beyonce, she was there for one year.

Brian, Brian Cox, he was my best friend.

Yeah, I met Yeah, I met Brian grad and he told me to come there.

We met at a talent competition Sammy Davis.

Junior Awards, and I was playing I was playing piano with a gospel group and he was singing with.

An R and B group called business or Pleasure?

What that was?

That was?

Like?

That was ninety three ninety two.

Yeah, please tell please tell me, please tell me. Measure was spelled with a Z.

I got to do so yeah. So so Brian we met at that competition. He's like, yo, man, you got to come to PBA where you were all all the cats playing this blah.

I was like, what's that? You know?

So he told me about it, and I didn't go with my freshman year because I thought I was going to be a basketball player. So I was like, nah, I want to play basketball. So I wasn't even serious about piano yet. Yeah, I want to play basketball. I wasn't serious.

How old were you when you got serious about piano?

When I got serious, Uh, I was in like tenth grade when I was like, I want to good night, But I was playing the Church and stuff I was playing. I started playing the Church. I literally started playing Canada. My mom was My mom was the musa director at church and she sang in clubs all through the week, like clubs like R and B gigs and stuff like that. She was literally like WHOOPI Goldberg my sister at all that and then on Sundays, did she have a group? Yes,

So for real.

But but but on Sundays, my mom was a minister of music. I had a small church, you know, so they allowed me to play the little broke ass organ that was in the corner. So I used to play every Sunday the pastor whose birthday is it? And when I was eleven, I was playing with one finger Happy Birthday. I figured out how to play Happy Birthday with one finger, and then they just let me every sun they just let me sit there and to figure the service out.

All the time. And so I was learning all.

That kind of songs and just and then I just I really talked, I really taught myself.

Yeah, and then I just.

You know, and then that age like yeah, maybe age fourteen, that's when I no, what's tenth tenth grade?

I don't know, tenth grade is whatever.

I auditioned with I auditioned with three gospel songsu I didn't know any jazz tuns, so there was no guy.

Wait, but up from beginnings of church to the fifteen there was nobody, got no guidance, nobody to say, but this is how you really do this?

Well, See, my mom had a band and in her band there was a piano piano player named Alan Mosley that nobody knows, one of them cats from your hometown that.

Was drunk but was really good. And you know he's a legend. You never see him.

So I used to sit next to him on the piano eventure and they would have rehearsals because we had rehearsals at our crib. We had pianos and a have rehearsals the cribs. I would sit there and watch them. So the only song I played at my audition that was jazzy was He taught me how to play the Spider Man theme in the in the in the form of a c minor blues.

So he taught me how to walk a baseline.

Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boo.

Well, so that's what I did that and I did three gospel songs, and then I.

Got in wait speaking which wait.

Robert, you remember that time I bet you that you wouldn't ah, man, this is this is the most the most devastating gig of my life.

Was Robert as a joke.

You know, I think Robert says, I'm gonna sneak the Smurts theme into this jay Z song.

All right, so it was one of them. This is one of them. It was all right.

So me and Robert Glasper were we were like, uh, paying tribute to jay Z at one of these like you know, twenty five thousand dollars plate banquet spots. And at the last minute I told Glass but I said, yo, like, you know, do something like really uh, you know, a high class for these people, like, you know, make it sound like classical stuff. And he gets at the piano and starts off like you know, you know, like Alicia Keys first came out playing for a lease.

You think of like some deep ship. So Robert goes.

And the audience like Mariah Carey, Yoka Owner, Everyone's looking and all of a sudden, this motherfucker starts playing this person.

Michaelphone. I was like, what mother fuck are you playing the smurs right now.

But then when we got up, it went downhill from there because then Tarik forgot all jay Z's lyrics in front of jay Z.

Yes, yes, man, the worst gig ever.

But I remember when we gonna stage, y'all go on the wheel, drunk on your shoes. She came to she just came threw up and just fell on me and like a hug and fell up and she was like yoga owner or her sister threw up on somebody's shoes And YO about that kid, Bro, that's like.

One of y'all's like a George Clinton story, y'all make sure I remember that.

That's so James just signed to the label. I thought he was about to get dropped. I was calling me and like, how could you guys forget his music?

Everyone knows the song? Right?

Were you always this person? Like in school too?

Were like were you always funny and like you know, outgoing or whatnot?

Where that is that the same you always?

Yeah? I was the kid that I had to sit down in the hallway. Yeah, I was way a couple of times.

That was me.

That was me the whole all the time. Yeah, Literally I ran into a girl. Dude, maybe in January. I don't know December. I was in Houston, went to a I went to a barz and Noble. Ran into an elementary school friend of mine. I met and we were in the same play. We played Hunky Hucky Berry Finn play. I played Hunckyberry Finn.

Oh wow.

In fifth grade. That was my debut on stage. That's the only thing I've ever done acting.

I played us.

Tom Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer was an Indian dude. We're we're ahead of our time. We were out there.

Oh wow.

First of my look and I met this I saw this girl. She looked at me. Oh my god, Robert.

Soon I saw her, I was like the pig, That's what I said. She was the pig in the play. She looked exactly the same, exactly and she was like, oh my god, you still haven't changed since you were in fourth grade.

This is so crazy.

I was like, damn, I have it.

I literally haven't wait. Question. Was Chris at your school as well? Chris Dave. I don't know how old Chris is. Chris, he's but he's like ninety he's ninety two.

Chris.

He's supposed to be as good as he as he's one hundred and thirteen. Chris ch goddamn Like, No, Chris went. Chris graduated from PBA in nineteen ninety.

Chris is my age. Chris is like Chris is like forty is he is? He forty seven to forty eight? Got yo because his voice make you think that he's.

He keeps bring a prodigy, because you keep thinking he's the little kid. It's old as fuck. I didn't You're like, this is thirteen year old's amazing?

How did you do that?

No, so, Chris, we know, So Chris. That was a drummernamed Mark sim before you you know, mart Mark Simmons. No, okay, so Mark Simmons was probably the beginning.

No.

Before Mark Simmons, there was the lineage of drummers at the school. There was what's the fucking dude that played with Tyer of Power anyway.

Power drummers?

Uh fucking Dave. No, not the famous one, the other guy. Maybe he did some tours never mind, yeah him not. After that. After that there was Mark Simmons, Mark Simmons. If you ever saw in the last twenty years or whatever, Algierro or fucking George Benson, he was on drums. The guy that was elect maybe a year or two order than Chris. That made Chris like really sad because he did something to Chris in high school really bad.

So Chris was.

Mad at him.

He had a been deata against him the whole time. So Chris, that's where that fire under Chris's ass.

That's what lit a fire. Have to do with the girl that made Chris go in the practice room and never come out. That's the story. All my friends that are around that time tell that story. They were like, yo, he went to practice with and they come out practice room. So and there was Eric Harlan after Chris. They went together around the same time. Maybe Chris is a senor, maybe Eric was, you know, a sophomore or something or a freshman.

Uh.

After that, then there was Kendrick Scott and then Jamiah you know, Jamiah Williams.

Yeah, Jamayer.

Yeah, they're still putting out some great motherfucker. James Francis, you know, he's he's of that Francis from Alston. His parents used to drop him off when I would do gigs in Houston. James used to do His parents used to drop him off at my soundchecks so he could watch a soundcheck because he was too young to come for the show. So I used to let him sit like right by me and stuff and watch my soundchecks because he wasn't.

Yeah, when he got to New York. Yeah, when he got to New York, I told I call poister.

I was like, yo, okay, your recommendation. I see. Yeah. Yeah.

So whenever, whenever James or Ray angry or come on, I can't do the Tonight show that James Francis. Yeah, I mean he was young boy back then, but now you know he's one of his own gigs at Blue.

Note, you know, yeah, that sort of thing. I used to sneak him in the brook Brooklyn Bowl. Now, you know, I.

Need to say, like I went to school with like these young lions, like when I was in school, like my third day of school, Di Francesco is getting pulled out by Miles Davis because like it'll be like, uh, who was Miles's keyboard play?

Was it Kenny Kirkland?

No?

Uh?

Which year before he passed away, like eighty six doing the to To era. I think one of those guys wasn't Kenny the definitely one Kenny Cartman.

Okay, I forget it was but you know, I'll be like, yo, where are you going? And he'd be like, now it's sucking up again. So Miles is sending for me. I mean there's a typical that like Christian, you know, Elis Marcellus come and take Christian now school for two weeks, you know. So like basically they were they were the young lions of my generation. But the thing was is that they were following traditional jazz right. And obviously I

Because you guys were.

Looking at the rule books and sort of just throwing it out the window, like did you have to master it? Like did you have to sneak in the house first and sort of talk their language and d and then hold them hostage once you eat at your power.

Like about that process, Klow, And you do that to that, well, I'll tell you why.

I'll tell you why because when I got to the New School and ninety seven for college. Yeah, I met Balal the first day of school and we were like one of eight black people at the school, at the New School, at the New School, like in the jazz program. Yeah, what a lot of black people. Maybe exaggerating, maybe they were at fifteen honestly, Yeah, opposition to everybody was black.

Yeah, so check it out.

Though they put out a freshman in the room and they call you at random to come on the stage. They called me and Balao on stage at random together to play a song together.

Wow, don't tell you what to play? Is just whatever y'all know.

You go there with a bunch of cat They called on drum, so and so on, piano, Robert Glass Room, vocal, Balo Oliver. We got up to play the song, we got off the stage and we looked at each other like, yeah, well do they give you a fake book? At least they're like what do you no, you just call tunes nope, it yeah, or you talk to each other and be like you know this now you know this, I don't know kind of you know, just like like you do at a jazz.

Club now because you know so and so, I think, so you figure it out. But whatever we did, you remember what it was.

I have no idea what it was. But when we got off me and we we were, you know, you couldn't separate us after that because it was like, you know, he.

Spoke a different language.

Immediately, And so we began working on stuff together. And one of the president of the school at the time, Arnie Lawrence, he passed away. He saw us and was like, you two have something. Y'all should go in and work on a demo for Balau. And we were like okay. So he said, my friend has a studio around the corner, y'all can I talked to him already, y'all can go over there and kind of come up with some stuff. And his boy was Aaron Colemas.

Aaron spend doctors, fucking spin doctors.

Men believed this story. When told me, I'm like, who were doing this?

He's and I was like what, Yeah, So we were going over there after school every day just writing songs, and yeah, a bunch of just jazz music is are on the album because we didn't know anybody that played anything else.

We just knew the cats from the school. So that was Queenham Sanity the demo.

Yeah, yes, me Quinny Sanity. Yeah, and y'all came just right. You and James came in there and redid it. Yeah, the drums.

Yeah, that was essentially when I when I heard that demo, man, I you know again, I'm I'm happy to say that my my my one record of the six demos I ever heard and listened to and became fans of, like they all became like something in the world of course, you know, Little Brothers, Jill Scott, Slum Village. But hearing that beloved demo, I don't know how it came across.

I don't know who played it for me, whatever, but I just I thought this person I remember you being about, you know, yeah, much much of my detriment.

If there's ever a recapping of the kind of Black Lily Roots jam session story like in Oral History or whatever, uh, my enthusiasm for wanting to work with belaw definitely made moan to fuckers feel a certain way where, you know, because I mean basically every.

Everyone had a job at this thing.

And it was more like, okay, I'm the money, you know, like so tour money back to the jam session, back to the you know.

And I would make appearances every now and then.

But it's like after working on you know, the stuff at the Electric Lady and then coming back to do root stuff, Like I wasn't trying to like also do five hours at these jam sessions, but here in below sing man and I was just like all right, o come.

Yeah, yeah, so you know, just ye and those those jam sessions so bloud. So we started working on the demo whatever, and me and him used to get on a bus from school and go down to Philly on Monday and Monday nights to the five spot Tuesdayesday, Tuesday we should go to the bus and go go stay at his mom's house in Germantown. That was my first time will ever go to Philly just a week and go to those jam sessions. And then y'all started coming

Uh?

Wetlands wetlands so seeing y'all play live, but I was always trying to get me to understand how to play y'all ship, and.

I didn't understand what the fuck he was talking about. He's like, you no like, yo, like play don't play it on? Play it off?

What play like?

You know how to play, but you don't know how to play?

What you talking to?

No nigga like like?

And then I saw y'all live and I saw James Poyser and I was like, so that made me. I kept going back, and then he would let me sit in with you, yo, you will let me sit in you know. I was like I was, I was jazz bread and I would sit in with y'all. And because of sitting in with you with the roots, that's how I learned how to play that ship. I didn't I'd never heard it. I didn't understand what it was.

That's so weird to me because in my mind, you and all your Hustonians just have another relationship with time, with with meter in time that is beyond anything I've done or you know, dare I say at Dyla or whatever? Like I I just i'd never seen I mean, it's like watching the animniacs run in the water tower, like you know when you see them running and help the smooth. That's a crazy analogy, That's what I mean. Like, but what I want to know is how did you force

Well, here's the thing.

I always knew that I had to make sure that I could play jazz with the best of them before I decided to do anything else, you know what I mean. I had to Like when Herbie played with Miles put his first few albums out, there was no you couldn't question Herb about ship, about can you play that?

All?

That?

That was always so litle five, There's no argument there.

So when he did Headhunters, you cannot like it if you want to, but you can't dispute him as a jazz artist, you know what I mean, as a jazz piano player, especially being black, they're so quick to want to call you a hip hop piano player or R and B really quick to not want to give you the title of that. So it was in my mind I was like, well, no, even when I before I got signed, I said, in my mind I knew I was. I want to do a few jazz albums first to

You know, like you reminded me of like the like Donald Bird. That's how I always kind of saw your career is like yeah, Donald Bird. But then you know, he did his thing.

But then when he got with the Moselle Brothers, it just became you know something, yeah, for.

Sure, exactly exactly, and that's my thing. I wanted to make sure.

So then when that happened, my thing was just grabbing all the young people because I felt like jazz whether for young people anymore.

And what made what made me get into jazz was Roy.

Roy came to my Roy Roy came to my school and when I was in eleventh grade, I'll never forget it.

He went there too, right, No, he went to the one, and he.

In Dallas with Erica, He went to the he went to the book team Washington, Yeah, Norah Jones and the whole thing.

So that was our rival.

We rivaled them off time for all state jazz competitions and shit. So when Roy came to our school when I was in eleventh grade. He was already Warhard Grove the album. So he came to the school and he had on like overalls and Tim's you know, and his band was black.

I never seen that.

I have never seen five young black guys that look like me, dressed like me, talk like me up there playing jazz. That's never You never seen that, because when you're in school, the pictures of jazz is what they give you, and it's all in black and white, and it's everybody has them a suit and it's not you know, it's nothing.

It's nothing that has anything to do with you right now, you know.

So Roy made He completely changed my whole shit. So that's literally why I am the way I am now because I feel like I'm killing the stereotype, you know what I mean. I feel like when people look at me, a lot of times they don't know, they don't know what the fuck I do, you know what I mean? And when I was, you know, selling out the Blue Note and the Vanguard and all these places, white people will walk by me.

I would be outside, hang on, my friend. They walk by me looking at me like, what are you doing here?

I'm like, well, actually.

They're coming out of the right, you know.

But them people on the bus and a lot of.

That is like, you know, they don't know.

They come to New York and get on the bus and they take you to where somebody famous is playing, you know what I mean. But they look at me and my je's and my T shirt and it's like, oh, we if I was walking down the street, you think I'm a rapper or you think I'm whatever, you know what I'm saying. Don't think I'm about to hear and play still Up by Starlight or actually play this piano the way I do, you know what I mean. And that's what I got, literally got that from Roy and

Looked like me.

So I was like, that's what I want to do, you know what I mean, I want to inspire the young cat. So I think when it came to the jazz world, I just ignored them and really went for the young people, you know what I mean, but still keeping the integrity of jazz, but making it to something where they they could identify with, you know what I mean.

And that's a wow. The jazz bar couldn't deny it anymore.

I think you have to do that though, because I think, you know, even like in all forms of music, you have to kind of, if not necessarily, appeal to the young people. You at least have to know how to communicate with them, because they're the ones that's coming next. So if you want your thing to live on, you gotta get the youngins so they can be it on, you know what I mean?

Rapper in that conversation to like in a way where like his project, I was going to ask, kind of know.

I was going to ask, there was the jazz police of likeut when Marcella's all those cats, is there such thing as the jazz police, like.

The people.

Himself that's okay?

Agent to grand jazz police?

Is that?

Oh y'all didn't see it? Y'all didn't y'all didn't see it.

Right years ago, Branford turncoat on you, nigga, hold on, Branford, put put me out. Look, this happened maybe two years two years ago, maybe three years ago. Two years ago he did a uh, he did an interview for one of them jazz magazine, maybe down Beat or something like that, and in the middle of the interview. They were like, so, Branford, what do you think about what people like Robert Glasper

Just do him all the way over.

Then he said, and Robert, I mean, I'm glad he's doing what he's doing because he's he has delimited jazz vocabulary also, And then you ask him, he'll tell you the same thing.

Those were literally his words, Si, Robert.

Do you have a.

Like what? Who?

Heartbroken?

What are you talking about? What are you talking about?

Do you not know who you are?

So?

So for the listener, if you have a limited jazz vocabulary, who hasn't unlimited?

Who is that? Yeah?

That was like, come on, bro, like that now you're now that was that was just that's reckless, that's reckless, that's like you know.

He They didn't even ask him that. That wasn't even the question. He didn't ask do you think they're jazz musicians.

Or do you think what they're doing in jazz? They said, you did bust shot Lafunk. So they were literally speaking to crossing over and he took that time, took that little platform to put us down instead of being like, oh well.

Ship Robert Glass and Black Radio that's doing. That's great. I'm happy, but something used that.

Don't use that platform to shoot down the two top black instrumental jazz.

Musicians that, you know what I mean, why would you do that?

Come on, brocom, what.

Do you think is required? I mean, you know every genre has there and they were disrespecting Branford. You know, just there's always the grumpy will go out Branford.

I know he did that.

I love him, y'all. Have you have you seen him? Y'all ran into each other?

No, but before he said that, I ran into him at the club. But we had dreams he was playing. I went to see him play. I had had a night off in Seattle.

He was playing.

Me and Chris and the few other people went down there hung out. I'll always shown Brandford love. He's always actually shown him. We've been cool every time I see him. You know what I'm saying.

But I just felt like, why not he was gonna say that?

You could have said that to my face.

You could have been said that to my face, bro, no matter. In fact, I saw him at International Jazz Day. I saw my International Jazz Day in Russia maybe two years ago something and that oh you know what, and we had a little oh you know figure.

It's all coming.

You know.

You know that is like they bring in a bunch of jazz musicians and and and then they put it. They put you in a different country every year and to promote jazz, you know, and you do a concert together and they break you up a little groups and you do like one song. So we did the Intertional Jazz Day thing and me and Brandford backstage is somebody came up and was like, so.

What do y'all think? What makes jazz jazz?

And we're talking about it, you know, and Brandford said, the space between the quarter notes.

Okay.

I was like, before it sounds, what do you mean the space between the like literally the space between the quarter notes, like the space between them.

So I was like, the space between the court.

So literally it's a mathematical thing like if you do this space this space recording does That's just we kind of got into a think about it because the answer he gave was like, come on, bro, like it sounds it sounded like witting.

I mean, no one has the true aunt like the no, we don't.

But there's nerds like me that wanted a scientific definition, and there's creatives like you that you know that will never have the right answer or whatever. Like I don't think any creative truly knows what the definition of what makes their art form tick, you know.

Right.

But then but we're having to just a discussion and I'm like, yo, we start talking about tunes. I said, so because this is not swing, we're talking about talk about rye symbol everything. And it was like, so you're you're you're now defining a whole genre by a rhythm. So because it doesn't ting today and ten to day, it's not jazz. So what's red clay?

And he was like, not jazz? Right, I said, so red clay is not nigga. So this is this is trap versus real hip hop.

I get this, this is versus long argument.

I get it.

I get it for somebody, But for somebody who made by some of the funk, I just suspected something different.

I expect a different answer. I just expect a different answer.

But that was, but again that was twenty six years ago.

That was.

And look, even though Winton went and innovated the music and then stopped, he did Black Codes and then stopped. Black Hold is such an innovative record, you know, Black Codes from the Underground, Black Codes from the Underground.

Bro.

It's like absolutely fucking incredible. You know, one of my favorite records of absolutely absolutely you know.

Uh went and called me go.

Ahead, oh wait, go ahead, go back to that because he calls you remember the whole nother ram.

I don't know if you want to step into it, because we want to know because it was because of the Lord Hill stuff.

Go in, come on, come on with the smoke.

No went and called me. I was in Japan and never forget it.

He called.

He texted me and was like, yo, is this Robert Glaswar. I was like, yeah, who's this? He was like this went and I was like, oh, Ship, what's up?

How you doing?

Man? It's like, hey man, you know, I just wanted to call and tell you, you know, let this Laura Hill shit go. And I was like that's his first words to you. Ever, yes, you ain't going next ever on the phone. We don't talk on the phone. I don't talk to me on the phone.

You know me Japan, this ship is costing me extra money facing my dad and talk to me for this ship.

He's like, let this Laura Hill shit go. First of all, I never drug it on.

I said I did that ready interview and I never posted about it. I never said anything about it ever again online.

You know what I'm saying.

I did that radio interview posted and I didn't put sh it on my ig. I didn't even put that radio ine on my face.

But nothing. So he hit me with that let this go. And I was like, well, I'm not doing anything, but you know, the truth is the truth. I don't really know what you want me to do.

He was just like, man, you know she's got all these followers and stuff, and you know you're not gonna win that battle.

And I just think it's best if you just battle.

I'm not battling.

I'm not.

Wait, you're missing the most important part. When Marcellus knows.

Who Lauren Hill is what, Yeah, he hairs is a whole other level too.

You say seven millionaires niggas know.

Who to definitely dude due First of all, yeah, this lord, I never thought when left this jazz bubble.

I know, I know, but that was things to bring up.

That's crazy. That's what he texted me about our first text and only text to this day.

What about iraginations on you know.

This movie?

I told him, I said, but every time I saw him, every time I see him in person, and honestly, when I go see him play, he invites me up to play. He calls me up on stage and ship, you know what I mean. So I don't have a beef for no real beef and win you know, some of the things he says. It's like, come on, bro, you know, but he's fine.

It's fine.

And he's never thrown me under the bus in some interview, you know, or tried to do anything malicious, but you know, so we were texted about that and then finally I was like, yo, every time I see him, I say, I'm gona get you on some hip hop ship. He was like, oh, bro, you know, I'm gonna just deal with the swing. I ain't down with the bitches and the niggas.

And I was like, I said that.

I said, Bro, all hip hop isn't like that. That's one little second. Different styles of jazz. That's different and I say, if you ever checked out anything I've done, you don't hear that?

He was like, you know, well I don't know.

Well, well we'll see. But he always says that every time I see him the great It's like, come on, bro, that's not Yeah, it's so.

Crazy when at one point you was a young dude like and Jack. Jazz beaks are so funny to me. They've been happening for like just the beginning.

It's just have you have you? And have you and Lauren ever talked after that? Since posting.

Radio? You know.

Racket, Well you do it? Look but look hold on and let me on.

That song so I can also oul branch that moment to too.

Yeah you got you got an you.

Help feed the fire.

Got Robert Glass, but Patty Beef, Patty chef, you changed the Twitter your Twitter handle to Robert Glass Beef Patty schem.

No healing, it's no healing, It's no man.

The Shockers with Marcel Lauren Hill. Lauren Hill known social media Twitter. This is a great day. Look I am saw her at at what is the north Sea Jazz Festival?

Just yeah right.

I literally was sitting outside and a bustuf and it was her tour of us, and all the cats came off like yo, rah blah blah blah. They were like, well, Lauren just got off at the other place. I was like, okay, cool, that would have been amazing if I'm sorry, I haven't seen them since then. But my thing is my thing is that you saw her statement she wrote after that, right.

It.

Was so many words.

It was where emojis in it, And I was like, emojis are shot and honestly, and I didn't know it was the twenty when I did that interview.

I didn't know what the twentieth anniversary of fucking that the album The Miseducation. Yes, I mean where the guy and I've never talked that. My Lauren Hill situation happened in two thousand and seven. We did this interview in what two thousand and six seven. Yeah, I've never said it out loud. On the interview, they asked me, what's the worst musical experience you've ever had? And that is the first, and that's the first one that ever comes to mind, is working with Lauren.

It was terrible.

Poison to the truth, the poison text you.

A lot of people text me, yeah, a lot of people text me like thank you, you know, thank you ship.

We can't.

I can't say that ship, but thank you. A lot of cats it was like good looks you know some of them cats you can't.

They can't. You know, I can say that ship.

I'm good fuck you know, but you know, and the other cats that she uses in that way don't have the platform and say ship, you know what I mean?

So I felt like or the power to station. And it wasn't me purposely coming at her.

It was just that's what it was.

And everything was truth, everything was fat, and everything's still happening.

You know what I mean.

So it's like you a whole gift to jazz in so many ways.

Yeah, well look I'm here. I'm serious.

I thought about this the other day. I was like, wouldn't it be.

Yeah, the government.

I thought about that though, would if would if we got her on Black Radio three.

Look man, it's twenty twenty and we're running out of space on our Bengo cards.

You produced it.

What happened? You produced it? Listen? That would be crazy, bro, it was y'all.

Come up with it, your idea.

I'm down for it, yo.

In a silly way, in a silly, weird way.

I feel like there's a possibility it could possibly happen.

I think it'd be dope. So I think it happen because as an artist, I have nothing against her. She's fucking looking credible.

You might have to extend your due date, but I think it could happen.

One it'll be, Yeah, it'll definitely. It probably won't come out to a Black Radio.

Nineteen but no, it'll be back to the theme of the show, and I'll be optimism.

You're renewed optimism. No, it's gonna get done. Noh, mirror, it's gonna get done.

Listen as as a person that believes in manifesting positive energy and.

Whatnot. Yes, we're gonna make it happen.

I would love it, I will say, Lauren Hill, we are officially putting out the Olive Branch.

Yeah.

I think the better the world was better with our artistic contributions. It's needed in the world right now.

So actually really is really is all right?

So questions while we on optimism the Lauren jail. Yeah, oh, I mean, if I'm still aloud, I got sixteen for you.

Okay, optimistic as question, Brandy, and I want to ask you specifically, what is it like tracking her in the studio, tracking her vocals?

Probably Brandy might be the illest tracker I've ever seen.

It's incredible, bro, I've never seen nobody phase himself out.

I was gonna ask you about that. I saw another interview.

Three times in one in in the in the middle of doing Optimistic, she phased herself out three times.

That's how on top of her vocal she is with.

That's how her vocal she is when she stacks her ship is so exactly alike that she fakes the computer out and it makes you think you're doing the same the track.

Again or some ship.

You're not. You know what I mean?

Because most people, when you read you, when you sing something else and you sing it again, sing it again, let's stack it, there's always something different.

It's always an imperfection.

Something and something. She's so dead on that ship. Phased the fuck out three times from the.

Bread, from the breathing, from when she cut it off where the vi bride will stop, like everything is incredible, and she.

Don't leave the booth to the fucking shit's done. It ain't like she come out and listen and vibe. She's like, no, and she won't stop with the ideas.

You have to stop her. No Brandy, no more vocal, no more stats, no harmony. Yeah, and she wants to get it.

She's so enthusiastic about getting it right and just wanting to try more and more ideas. She's not a lazy singer at all, you know what I mean. Like, it's incredible work with her. Man, she has to be one of the nicest too, you know what I mean. Like even when I did when she was on my Black Radio album before that, she paid for the studio time because she was late the other time or something like that.

She couldn't make it, and she was like, yo, she paid for the studio time.

And she you know what I mean, I didn't even know where back then. You know, she's just this is such a nice, really really nice person.

Black Radio on Black Radio two, Man, you had a record it was, It was a lot of records on the album.

I love. I really love the Emily Son sending joint that.

Yeah, I love.

That's just a great song, just the lyrics.

Yeah, that's great, dude. She wrote that ship in twenty minutes.

Are you serious?

That song? That song originally Mary J.

Blog was supposed to sing it, and whoa.

I had lyrics and everything already done, but getting with Mary just always kept, you know, we couldn't make it happen. So I had the lyrics in the song. I even had the song sung by somebody else to you know. Emily was in town and she came by the studio and I played her the song and.

She was like, I love it.

I love it. She's like, do you mind if I changed the lyrics.

I was like, no, do what you feel.

She got a pin and pad out, walked around, wrote that joint like twenty minutes, bro wow literally and put that ship down the record town for the Great Great Gatsby premiere Some ship.

Yeah, yeah, the record you did with the Nora record that Mossino.

Yeah, I love that joint.

Man, how did y'a you and Mussina like mosing the shot like family.

Yeah, and y'all's cover of God Rest You Married Gentlemen. Oh yeah, I need you to send me that.

I love it.

Yeah. For years I kept doing I would do that with different artists every year I was.

I would just pick an artist, hit them up, like, yeah, you want to do a Christmas song together, you know, and then I'll send them the music and then put some sin on it and we put it out. I did it with Dubie Power, I did it with Kim Bare, did her a few different people. Just throw it out, throw it out there for you know, for fun. But that joint, the Nora Jones joint. So me and Nora went to jazz camp together in high school in eleventh grade.

Wait, I'm a connector.

You're a connector.

You don't even know it.

So, uh, Me and Nora went to high school to jazz camp together in eleventh grade.

So that's where I knew her from then.

When I got to New York, I saw her my freshman year at she was at college in the practice room at my college at the piano.

I looked in him there. I was like, Norah and I walked in there.

I was like, what are you doing?

She's like She's like, oh, I'm working on the demo. I was like, oh dope. Next time I saw her was on TV when of all the damn Grammys. After that, After that, I sat in with the roots at Radio City. Remember you did them two nights at Radio City.

Oh crap, I forgot, dude.

That was one of the when people ask me some of my top moments being on stage of Crazy Ship.

That's right.

We did remember when.

Came Yeah, ok.

J.

He showed up. He didn't know that he.

Could play Radio City musical.

Dude, never forget that ship where yeah and they got and and I never forget in the in the in theres, you were like jay Z's here.

And we did up.

We did a boom boom.

Yeah, we started playing.

He walked out and had this back to the audience to the hoodie young and the lights is off. We started playing that on line and no one knew he was coming. When we started playing that baseline the lights flash, he pulled his hoodie up like this still with his back to the audience.

And then.

Uh dude, when they when he turned to do the amount of like it was so crazy, bro, Like, I'll never forget that moment. I'll never forget that moment. And that's where I met Dave too. That's where I met Chapelle too. I gave him piano. Listen backstage at that show.

Oh so you're the one that taught him After midnight, he's still still.

Playing that ship he played.

He did a solo piano at my Blue Note residency last October.

He went on stage by himself and played ro Midnight on my piano by himself, and thank you and walked off.

Playing that flight Twitter. He played that party like he's.

But anyway, at that show, a regularly show after it, the after party thing upstairs or something like that.

And I'm sitting on I'm sitting next to you talking or next to somebody next to you.

Let me be one of two people over for you, and I reached for some ice and Nora was on the other side of you, and she reached for some ice.

And that's what we were, like, Oh, what's up?

And then we got these other We changed numbers and that's how we just kept kept in connection, you know, from that, you know, but she killed that joint.

Man.

I love Nora.

I love hearing Nora in other situations. Her voice is so dope, you know.

So I really love that song.

It's really dobe Let it ride, Yeah, and was sick. She didn't want to write it. I sent it to Messina and I said, and I didn't know who was going to sing it yet. I just I wrote the song, and I was like, I need some lyrics and I said him, hey, write something to this and I need to get it done by this week. I don't know who going to sing it, but write it. And she was like, I'm really sick. I don't feel I said, write the damn song. Writ song okay, and wrote that joint and send it to me the next day.

And who have you yet to? Uh?

I guess for Phil bucket list wise? I mean, I'm sure there's everybody, but what close calls have you had with your projects that you didn't get a chance to work with yet? Don't say her name. As I was asking this question, I'm like, oh god, no, do you think I'm gonna say, Oh you don't remember the Oh.

Yeah mail the roof?

That so hard? What she does?

A man call her up?

Yeah? Before Solane came through like a champ, and.

So she was gonna do that the little Dragon cover.

Yes, Wow, what's she doing with the doing?

What we trying to make it? Yeah? Yeah, it didn't really work out, so yeah, who who else?

From?

Look?

I have a song in my computer. I did the song with the Baker.

Was yo?

Was it for the Blue Note album? That like never yes, because she.

Yeah, she did a cover of Lately by tyree which on paper sounds insane.

Wait what, bro, you never heard.

Anita Baker covered Lately by Tyresee And it is fucking amazing.

Niggas. She bodied that ship.

Oh, it's like it's the only it's like one of her only so if it's still on because you know, not none of her shit on streaming. It's like one of the only joints of hers that's like on streaming services that came out, that song came out, that song came out, that came out. Oh my gosh, she bodied that ship. Bro, I like, I was like lately she covered Lately?

Yeah, no, I was.

Uh.

It happened because we were both on Blueou at the same time and Don was was trying to hook us up, like he also hooked me up with Shaka Khan, and I was, I produced a half a record on I have four songs on Shaka, We're gonna do a whole word went in to do a whole album because he gave her Black Radio. It was like, just check this guy out to do your album. Because she was going to do a record with Blue Note. So she's like, oh my God, I love it. I met up with

I was like, what they're like, I neither.

She was like, yeah, come by the.

Studio and listen to some of the stuff I've been doing. Her son is a DJ. He goes to he at the time. He's like going to Berkeley. He's a big fan of mine. So you know that helps, you know, you know what I mean. So I went by the studio. She played me the album and she was like, what do you think? And I even fixed some stuff for keyboard parts and some stuff. She's like, you know, did some things on there. She was like, Man, if I would have known you were coming to town, I would

Song right now, said right now, right now.

She was like, I mean, but I got to turn in this album in two days.

I was like, I need it.

Yeah, bro, Look first of all, when I walked to the studio, she's making ribs. Let's just talk about this for a second. Black the blackness of us. The vocal booth was next to the kitchen. It's the same studio, same studio, same studio. She did Angel in same studio, all.

Of the same one. Because he's on Glenn Record, using that record.

That's that's what that's well back then when I did that song. That was three years ago when I did that song. When I did that, yes, so she had an.

Oven mess and everything. You hungry. I'm making some ribs.

I'm like, what.

Ribs doesn't get you better? Anita Baker offered me ribs in the studio she did Angel. I'm good so anyway, uh, but she said that. I was like, Anita, I'm gonna write something for you right now. I literally went to the piano. I swear the guy I wrote some shit and like I live and breathe me. The Baker like giving you the best that I got is that's one reason between giving you the best that I got.

Between that my mom.

Look, I mean it was like thriller.

So it's like, yeah, you and the fans always want to outdo someone. Let you know that compositions is your record.

That's the one man ship. That composition was a motherfucker.

Look between that and Luther Van Draws albums. Matt Adeley Jr. Yes, those were those sounds. Maybe want to play piano period, like, because that's all we heard. I heard that in the house a lot. Anyway, I wrote the song like ten minutes. I went over Andre Harris's crib. I said, Yo, I need you to put some ship on here.

As for thee.

The baker was like.

Cool, nigga, put drums, bass, guitar, did that shit.

About an hour. We called sir over. Sir came over to the crib and did his own ship and wrote.

The song say it down. We email her the song that night.

She learned it that night, came to the studio, sang it down in one take, wow, and then said then said this to me.

She said, only in my life three times has a song fit me like a tour address. This is the third. I didn't know where.

I didn't know what that shi it was.

That is.

All right?

Represent yeah, any she was like, I don't know what.

I was like so so.

Brother exactly that shoe pop. No, that subtle, but yeah she said that. She was like there was a thing that George Duke did for her, some kind of arrangement of something. And then I forget the other song. But she was like, this is the third. She literally sung it down on one take.

But what.

Where is it now?

Yeah?

Where in my computer?

In that computer is talking to us on my computer talking to.

Is in that one that computer and the computer with email on it, the way.

That computer with a drum bow.

Triangles triangle every six hours with my air drop.

Okay, my dream I wanted. I'm going to hit her up because I wanted to. I want to see if I could use it for Black Radio three. That's what I Yeah, yeah, I want to do it so bad. That's my hopes for George.

You mentioned George, do did you if you and him before he died? Did y'all have a hook up.

Or opened up for George? For like nine shows in Europe? He never remembered me after any of the shows. You know, people like that, they up to bed George.

You know.

And this was back in like you I don't know, oh.

Eight oh nine.

You know, I was over like three years.

So you know, I wouldn't ship really, you know, so I'm not tripping because he's George dude, you know what I mean. But after each show in different cities, I'd be like, hey, hey, misster, do.

How you doing.

Man?

He'd be like, hey, what that face?

And I'd be like, I'm a rob.

I played key keys early earlier before you start every and every every night, every night. But you know he ain't coming to the sound, you know, to the the shows before him, so you know. But then we finally got to connect in a real way at International Jazz Day, not that one I talked about, but before and it was in Turkey and me and him and Herbie like got a chance to hang out and sit down and talk and you know what I mean, chop it up

All right, so who who is the the hero figure that? All right? There you go, are you gonna say?

Herby comes Tobod Herbie?

He just about to ask you what is it like? Because I mean the last show I went to with yours, you did this whole thing.

He was like, oh, I'm about to go take a bathroom break, and he was I'm half somebody feeling for me real quick, and it was Herbie.

Headcock And I'm like, what the like, what does that feel like to be you? And that relationship with that man?

Man, he's so awesome and he loves to he loves to be around because he you know, you got that from Miles I think, you know, just like you know, wanting to soak up the younger energy and just be around.

On that that was him, That was always him. So yeah, that's my dude, man, Like I love Herbie.

He's so open and cool and he just pulls up like he always pulls up, pulls up to the shows, pulls up.

To my last record.

He's on my last record, fuck your Feelings because I he just heard I was in the studio and just.

Pull it up.

I was like, oh ship, you know, okay, cool And he pulled up to fucking Hinson and I was like, yo, but you here, you wanna no, no, no, no, you know, just speaking to your point. Me and Herbie talked maybe two three weeks ago. He said, this is the longest time he's ever gone without touching his piano. Oh wow, he said. He's in the same funk. He was like, man, I'm not even that. I don't feel like you know, He's like, I've never gone seven months or wherever long it's been when I'm touching my piano.

He's like, it's just sitting there. He's like, He's just it's just sitting there.

You know.

Wow.

You know.

So I was like, you gotta take a break, you gotta you gotta take a break and then come back to it.

I was gonna to ask.

I think it's different for keyboard players now because of the the advanced way that technology moves in your world, Whereas at least with me personally, like I'm not too interested in you know, like new drums, and you know, the company always be like, you know, these are special trees that we used in Japan to make it, you know, And.

I always tell them like, give me this trashy he the high school set. It's all in your touch anyway. It's all your touch anyway. Right.

So as far as being a are you a gear head or are you just using the same.

I am not, you know what, because when people were doing gear ship, I was just practicing on being really good at the piano.

You know what I'm saying.

I've never because my whole thing was always acoustic piano. So that's been my thing for such a long time. Even when I got signed a Blue Note piano trio, shit acoustic piano.

It wasn't even keyboards. Yeah, I wasn't even using keyboards for a while.

They're putting piano acoustic pianos and clubs for me because I didn't want to play jazz clubs anymore. I want to play cool shit hip hop venues and shit like that. And I was trying to get grand pianos in there. So Stein would put pianos in there for me and Ship, but a lot of times that sound would be fucked up. It wouldn't sound good, you know what I mean. And so I like, okay, let me get the key let me do the keyboard thing. But I've never really been

Me it always seemed like I think that's the gearhead thing.

Is more so for people who think of themselves as producers first or right, you always kind of seem like a player, you know, primarily.

Yeah, I know we need strings. I know a string player that can do that, like we did when we fucking did the twice. You know, A mir wasn't like, YO, pull up some strings sounds he called some cellos and violins, you know what I mean.

We know those guys. We don't need the patch.

I know them.

I'm always that to you know, and all the patches that're like, but it sounds real. This one sounds realer than that one. I'm like, I know real people people, but I would imagine.

Now, keep a musician's employed. That's dope.

Yeah, And obviously obviously you got to tap into it a little bit, because you can't just get musicians like this anymore, especially now. So that's why now I've been even tappingto it, tapping into just sounds and getting all the plug ins and stuff like that, even even if it's for demo demo's sake, you know what I mean. I'll do stuff like that, but I'm just such a live person.

That's just my thing, you know. I would imagine, like you know, I'll say, like maybe what Steve.

Like once every four months, the rolling guy comes in with new toys and whatnot, and we're like, oh, it's like Christmas all over again.

Like I'm certain that.

Everyyboard maker from Yamaha to like all these guys are.

Like, I off to you try our product. Well here here's the thing though.

I was on Yamaha for a long time, but they wasn't giving me that love you were talking about. I was like, hey, yeah, yeah, because I'm like, yo, why am I having to call the m D for Alicia Keys to get to the head of Yamaha Keyboards.

I'm actually a keyboard player, but.

I have R and B, Grammys and hip I'm Grammys and ship I'm here, Hey this works.

For you guys, you know.

But the m ds of the people get those people get those looks, and I'm like, yo, but I'm an actual panel player, like you know what I mean, Like I should get those looks, and I wasn't getting them. So I left and and like you said before, everybody else is like yo, for for years wanted to me. So I'm on cork now, you know, and they should me. They're great. I have to stop them from giving me shit. You're right, I do.

It's yeah, how many? Well?

The thing is is that when keyboards are manufactured and they put all those patches inside of one thing, like, does it matter how much product they make?

Like, isn't it just the same version of basically?

But for me, what interested me in keyboards initially too, was because I started needing to use a keyboard on the road when I was playing my shows, and I needed something that felt good, that felt close to a piano as possible, and that sounded as close to a

Right right right, Yeah, I remember we did that gig at that sound was a rouge ands ago and he was I think you were playing you were you playing the lead, the door, lead, the ren Yeah, I think you were.

Playing that night and Casey had yeah, all the million Yeah.

Yeah, I'm not.

I'm just not.

I'm not really interested in a lot of sounds. I like piano, I like roads, like a few leads and a pad every now and then. But I like to you know, I know those guys who are great at those sounds, and not even hire those guys to come do sounds.

Hey, you want to make some sounds?

You do that. It freezes me up. It freezes me up to just do what I want to do. You know.

Hey, I was just gonna ask you about the Miles Project that I was like honored fucking to be on, Like just to log into my ass cap and see a song and it's fun.

Take over and Miles Davis like.

Nigga, what you know what I'm saying like for like for real, for real, like so yeah, I mean I've told you this a billion times.

I just won't say it for everybody. Brother, thank you so much for sure, for sure.

But but now, man, I wanted to ask you, like so when they give you just carte blanche and say all right, do whatever, how I guess how much of an undertaking is that and how.

Involved is his family in that?

And you know kind of you know, making sure that you know that ship has done tastefully or whatever, like what was that process?

Like, man, just doing that Everything album?

It actually was his nephew, right, yeah, it was Vince, his nephew.

And I've been on Vince for years and he's always he's fan of the music, and he you know, he knows that I'm I shadow a lot of what Miles already did and I and I think like that and I look see what you know?

So he hit me up about it.

First.

I was already doing the score for the movie.

I was in the middle of that, right, I.

Was already in the middle of the movie.

And then Sony hit me up about doing that doing the because it was about to be his ninetieth birthday or something.

I think at that time it's gonna be his ninetieth birthday. And they were like, we want to do.

A remix album, blah blah, and I was like, I'll only do it if it's I don't want to do a remix album, Like I'm not interested in putting some Miles trumpets over hip hop, you know what I mean, Like that's been done.

I want to do that.

I said, the only way I'll do it is if you let me in the vault and let me take what I want. And they were like, okay, So they gave me eight hours.

In the vault.

Man, eight hours of the vault.

Well, I thought you been eight hours to do the album.

I was like, God, damn no, no, no, they gave me eight hours of the vault.

That's way too little, way too little.

I took as much as I possibly could in that time because they didn't want to let me in the vault.

Originally, you know what I'm saying.

But it was like a back and forth from my people there people, and then they finally like, okay, we'll give you eight hours.

You know how much unreleased Miles was in there.

I have a lot of ship. What were they what?

What? What were you?

How you doing.

Well? What?

What?

What were you taking m P three's tapes? What are you talking about? No?

P three? Ship?

Yeah?

I did.

I brought my hard drive in and they were just like, take what you want? What do you want to pull up?

Now?

What I'm gonna pull up now? But uh, you know some digitized and some stuff was to track what you can't do much with. But then they had ship that was like eight tracks, and I really wanted him cursing out.

I got so much I got Yeah, I got that.

I got him.

I got him talking ship, cussing out, talking to Ron Carter when he was trying to learn from them jazz dance.

But wait, did I share this previously?

On another I found out something that I don't think the jazz world is aware of.

What I was recently told.

By a lot of jazz I had to ask at least six of them. I did not realize that Ron Carter does not know how to solo good. So someone someone brought this up to me when I was asking my, my, my, other, my older jazz heads about stuff, and to them, they're baffled that one of the most iconic hip hop samples and they're referencing the mccourteimer sample for the Choices Yours with Ron Carter, and Ron Carter is on base doing that, and I guess the the whole thing is that they're

If anything, it was just walking solo. If there was one, it was.

Just was one like there was.

He was there just as foundations, I exactly. And then when I was like, wait a minute, why is that so? Because Ron Carter is just like he's like, no, this is y'all fault is. That's tribe, fault y'all. May y'all may be worst musicihit in Miles Davids arsenal King and I'm like this is blasphemy. But I didn't realize, like, how do you judge. Maybe I don't know, Like, how do you know if a cat is real or not?

Well, that's it depends on an instrument, because the reality is no, most people don't want to hear based solo anyway.

Thank you, thank you, Christian McBride.

You went to school with the most incredible bass soloist in the history of jazz music, so you have a different outlook on it. But most people don't want to hear.

So that's when you go to the bathroom.

Man all that that's the joke.

Yeah, No, I now I believe that Chris is I mean next amingus, Like, I feel like Chris is the god of jazz bass.

So maybe I am sported.

But period, there has no never been a soloist like Christian McBride. That's not even that's not even up for debate. There's not one person that's even close to it. Jazz based soloists like McBride is. No one gets around like that.

It's true.

No bass player makes other instruments scared to play after them, except Christian McBride when they solo. I've had this conversation with all everybody. He's the only bass player that when he solos you're like, fuck, what what am I going to play? You know what I'm saying, Like most based, most basis stay in their base range and they don't have vocabulary. Because you don't, you don't get to work out as much, you don't get to sol us much. You have the one based solo in a set at best.

You know what I'm saying. Everybody else, that's what you do.

Your job is just so without you, without you throwing your contemporaries under or your idols under. Yeah, but I always wanted like and this is where because comedians have a whole nother standard.

I I guess I have a.

You know, like when I criticize Kanye's patches, Yeah, you know, his drum patches or whatever.

And even Kanye him something now I feel like he'll tell you.

But it's just like, you know, I hear people just dismiss it as like oh you have like dog with sole ears, like you hear something that we can't hear. But you know, like when I hear a producer, I could tell like based on there, you know, the way they they chop their their patches and what they use and their arrangement and their tone and all that stuff.

You know, stuff that I can hear that the average person can't hear.

But yeah, how do you know, Like my dad would know how good a musician was based on how they play ballad.

He makes them play a ballot and he was like, I can instantly.

Tell who is good and who's not good when you play, when you give them the easiest ship in the world to play and they fall apart in front of me.

So yeah, no, that's a good one too. Especially as the piano player. When you play a ballad, you're exposed because now it's it's really about your touch and there's the space there. So what how much knowledge do you have to fill up that space? What what can you do to fill up that space? A lot of people feel and be tasteful about it. A lot of people feel like, especially piano players, they feel like when I go to ship like nam or stuff like that, a million piano players.

Everybody's trying to play.

I went on.

I went twice in my life. I had to go over again. I did a thing for Corey just read recently. I did a show there for Corey and so.

It's yeah, you already know anyway, Yeah, everybody wants to play the fastest thing they possibly can giant steps or some shit like that. And then when you play fast, you don't have to have touched, not about touch, not about this, not about that, and it goes by so fast and not paying attention. But with piano players you can, like I can sit down, I can see a piano player sit down, and in five seconds I can know

I'm not an organ player. The technique it's a different.

So that Corey does like that, you would.

Have to practice a lot to get to that.

When he plays chords, not lines is different. Like lines on organ are easy because the key is the plastic and there's no weight. A real piano has weight, so you could when you can tell somebody's real chops when they play a piano, because that's when the weight's there, you know what I mean. Yeah, if you're slow on organ, you're I can't help you because it's a plastic key. You just supposed to be fast, you know what I mean. But core, Yeah, any organ player that is really good

You know that players is another thing too, like I know, like yeah, that's a whole other thing, like.

Yeah, roses, yeah, yeah, everybody that plays piano can't play roles and vice versa and like all those the different touches and different vibes and like.

One, So what's your accordion game? Like, I'm crazy on accordion, I'm crazy on the courdy. What fucking about?

I do know one that's amazing though.

I used to see him with Jeff Tay Watts on Monday Nights at the Z Bar years ago, really accordion and tang. He was smashing. Bro wait a minute for the guy.

How how does it feel to be the person that got Malcolm Jamal Warner his first Grammy?

That's funny.

You know what's crazy about that? Though?

That wasn't supposed to have Most of my stuff on black Radio. I'll tell everybody all the time. It's like, whenever I make an album, the universe is always a co producer because it never.

Goes how I wanted to go all the way.

And I know that.

I know that going in and I'm okay with it because great things, better things have happened because the universe is like, look, nigga, this is what's gonna happen. So she'lld the fuck this is. Can't do shit about it. So when I did the Song of Jesus, Chris of America.

It was.

It was and and and old to the children of the Sandy Hill tragedy. That morning of the actual tragedy, I was doing it Stevie tribute I believe, I'm me or you came and sat in. Was it that that day or the next day? We did two nights at Harlem stage of a Stevie Wonder tribute.

Damn man, I need you around just to remind me of shit.

Yes, yes, yes, and you can and I'm mer came by. It might have been so two nights. The first night was of that day that that tragedy happened. Another night and you came one of those nights, can't remember which one. And that was my first time doing that arrangement of Jesus Chrisen of America with Laila for for for them. And there was that that day when that happened. I woke up and my good friend Jimmy, Jimmy Green, his daughter was killed in that. Oh wow, Jimmy was the first Jimmy.

She was the first grade.

Few times, yeah, she was the first grade. And so that fucked me up because I have at this point, I have a son, you know what I mean. It's like oh Ship. She hits you harder when you have kids, things that happened with kids. If you don't have kids, it's one thing. We Once you have a kid, it's whole. No, I can't even watch movies the same. You know, when you have a kid, everything's different, like.

Oh Ship.

So anyway, fast forward, when black Radio time came around, I told Layla, hey, I want to do Jesus is in America.

You know, She's like okay. She came in and as usual as she.

Did for the song.

MM cherish today was one tape. She was reading the lyrics on her phone. It was actually it was the sound check. She was right beforehand. She said, mike check one two, Mike check one two. That's why I faded it in because right before that she was checking the mic and that take you here is the sound check. So when she finished, she was like okay, I'm ready. I was like thanks, We're good.

Nah. That was it. That was it.

She had the same thing for Judas Chasing America, Jesus Chisen in America. She came in, did that shit one time, one take. I don't have bonus tracks of Laila. I don't have bonus shit of Layla because she just doesn't want to take and I'm good.

I'm like, I'm good.

And anyway, we did the song and in my mind I was gonna get Jimmy Green to do a poem for his daughter in that song, you know, in the actual song, and so I was reaching out to him and you know, trying to see if you want to do it. And my other friend, who was really close to the otis, was like, man, this is not a good time for Jimmy, you know, blah blah blah.

So he couldn't do it.

Malcolm had hit me and like, yo, I want to come hang out at the studio next time you're the studio. So I hit Matholm like, yo, we'll come hang out the studio. I'm doing something mixes of songs blah blah blah.

And we started mixing Jesus Hild in America and I told him I was like, I was trying to get a poem on here.

He was like, dude, I'm a poet, right.

I was like, I forgot about that. He was like he was like, bro, give me a stab at it. I'm gonna go I'll go write something right now. Give me a stab you don't have to use it if you don't want it. He went to the We're in We're in Westlake. He went upstairs, took it like an hour, wrote it, came down, spit it, and then that was it.

That was it, man surprise.

Yeah bro, yeah bro, But a lot of those things with black Radio. That's how black Radio actually album. The actual album. I canceled it like four times because it was too hard to make, because nobody's schedule.

Was lining up.

So I literally said fuck it, we'll do it next year or some ship four times and then out of the blue, my manager hit me, I was on tour. I was on tour with my band, and my manager hit me like, I don't know what happened, but every guest is available next week.

In l A.

And this is black Radio one or two one one one in LA.

Everybody's available. Yeah.

I was like, oh ship, so yeah, it might have been.

It might have been. It might have been everybody was February is where you catch all year.

Yeah, so it's like, oh shit, Okay, so I canceled my tour and I flew I flew in and I flew right and I went right to, uh, what's the girl?

King's house.

That was when k happened, when they had a little and I'm here, you were like talking about King and Erica. My friend Megan, she was happening to kind of be managing them at the time, and she was and I told her. I was like, man, I want to get them on the record. I think that'd be dope.

They got some fire now talking.

House moved love and I went to their house and I to meet them and to write the song. And they happened to have a washer and dryer, and I had just came from Europe. I went stretching that crib.

I got laundry, and I was like, nigger.

I wrote some chords and I said, okay, y'all finish it. I went to the laundry room and did laundry while they were writing a song. And in the middle of that, I had Loupe come over to their house to meet up with him to give him the idea I had for him to do what he's going to do.

For the record, And then I had Most come over a little bit later. So they were freaking out.

They were like, what, oh my god. You know.

Most came over a little bit later so I could tell him, Hey, this is what I'm thinking about doing blah blah blahh tomorrow when you come to you know, blah blah blah blah blah. But that's and then literally that's just how that happened. That that process was Black Radio one was a five was five days of recording, and then Black Radio two was like six days of recording.

You know, man on Black Radio two. We have to ask a guest that we had earlier, was the music Lord Jesus does music like ah, yeah, oh.

Because you don't like it what he's saying.

No, So he has a he has a very complex relationship with his back catalog. Okay, when we had it on the show, we didn't specifically ask him about this song. So no, he didn't slander. Now we didn't ask about but no, that'ship as hard as fuck. But like, what was there was it like recording that did he into it?

Or what was it he loved?

Matter of fact, last time I saw him live, I was just happen to be in Oakland and I saw he was at Yo She's and I just walked in and he was playing all yeah, he was singing he liked it, you like it?

Oh yeah, that's another universe.

That's another universe thing. Because I flew to Atlanta. I did the music already. I flew to Atlanta so he could write the song and we went to.

The studio and that's why he liked it.

The first night, the first night we were in the studio, he came up with the hook and blah blah blah. There were like we had another night. So the next day, matter of fact, you have something to do with this Fonte.

We never talked about this, okay, because I'm tired of I think I know, I think I know what this is.

If it's okay, go ahead.

I was in Atlanta and the next day you, for an exchange, was having a show at some festival or something Atlanta.

Might yo, that's right, because we hit you.

Yeah, you came on stage and I came in with y'all.

Hell yeah that She was dope as fun, I remember.

And Christe Michelle was there. I think she played after you.

Yes she did.

I stopped for seven.

First of all, I love all because that was that was shout out to Joe dene on that Joe Dene hit me, Jody, she hit me because at the time, our keyboard player and m b Zo. He had like another gig. He had something to do. It's like the only f gig you ever ever missed, And and she was like yo. Joe was like yo, So Robert, would you mind if he he just come up? I was like rob She's like glass. I was like hell, yeah, yes, yeah, that's my nigga.

Tell me to come on.

And so from that is it from sitting in with you, Chrissette saw me. It was like I saw her after that.

I was like, yo, what's up? What the fuck?

She was like, oh, my bust.

And she was like, I was gonna fly back to New York, but it was a storm in New York, really best Sandy, Hurricane Sandy or and she was like, I can't fly back to New York, so I'm gonna be here nextra day.

What are you doing?

I was like, Yo, I'm in the studio, come hang out, come by. She came by the studio and I handed her appeared in the pad. That was like right the second verse, So that's literally how oh yeah.

It came about the.

Two her being on it because originally just music, but literally came about because I came to sit in with you and Chrissette.

Was there, watch God work, Robert the Connector.

I'm like Radio two, the Bill Withers thing. Bill Withers came to the so for a random for some random reason.

Casey when we set up at the studio, was like, yo, let's do Let's play Lovely Day for the sound check. And I was like, okay, we literally never played Lovely Day A right, Okay, what's the.

Changes the game?

He showed me the change. I'm like, cool. So we just took then one take down Lovely Day. Boom.

That's literally what you hear on the fucking album on the on the extended version. There's a Black Radio two then as extended. So anyway, one of the guys there was like, Yo, I know Bill, I'm gonna call up and tell him you did that.

I was like, okay, we cool. Call Bill. Everybody didn't call Bill.

He called Bill, put me on the phone with him. He was like, yeah, young man, I wish I could come to hear your song, but you know, I'm feeling a little sick or whatever.

I was like, oh, okay, no problem, man, Honor, honor that you even took the time to talk whatever.

Cool.

So fast forward next day, uh, who's that?

I was gonna comment and uh, Macy Gray I think the next day and Rosh was riding his rhyme and he ended up having like a writer's black in one part. So we were just upstairs chilling, kind of talking shit or whatever, and up walk up up the stairs Bill Withers walk there.

Wow, Like what dude?

He walks in and he's like, well, let me hear this song. Oh shit, okay, So we go to the downstairs the studio.

I play on the song.

He's like, yeah, I like the song, like what.

Y'all did with it?

Buam and then talk to us for three hours straight. Stories just stories and stories.

And stories, got all video story and story story from that. Rashi was sitting behind him with a pin in the pad writing some of what Bill was writing down singing so Rosshia's second verse when I stand Alone from Blackbird Too really is a lot of Bill Withers words.

Oh wow, I'm gonna listen to it.

Yeah, yeah, a lot of He's.

One of our bucket lists.

Man.

I hate we never got a chance to get him for your past. I want to QLs.

So Rob, are there any like is there any I mean besides the eventual collaboration now you'll do with your son, YEP, for sure.

Are there any bucket list projects that.

You you have yet to you know, are you going to do a forrae into classical music?

Will you?

You know what?

Guitar and I don't know.

I would like to hear Robert Glass would take on like a Brazilian love affairs My Lady cover app not covering that, but you know something in that you know your own ship, but.

Just that like the movie, like the movie Lady, My Lady is Cuban. Okay. So I went to Cuba hits we have a kid, and she took me and be in the Cuba.

But she took me to Cuba in November to see the vibe and go to see the music of the clubs and everything. It was so fucking inspiring, bro, Like the musicians out there are fucking incredible.

You got to see like the whole Apro Cuban, all of.

It, all, all of it. I even got cool with Chucho because of that.

I've been to chu Cho's crib and we hung out and plays, you know what I mean, like crazy, So I want to do like a I definitely want to do a like a a project like my ship meaning.

Cuba, you know what I mean, like.

Red Hot back in the day.

You know Red Hot?

Wow?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I definitely want to do something like that where it brings that that that sound together because so many people take from Cuban musicians, but you don't see the musicians because the motherfuckers can't come over here, you know what I mean?

You know what I mean that part.

So it's like, yeah, man, I was learning so much from her about the culture and everything, and so it's so deep and rich and so dope, you know what I mean. But also I thought a Brazilian one too, bro, Like I want to do something just like you know the chords in Brazilian music. You just be like, oh, you know, just over the things. I have so many, Yeah, yeah, I have so many, But I have so many projects in my mind. That one that I want to I want to get done, you know what I mean. But

How I got into it because I wasn't. I wasn't playing hip hop when I was in Houston.

I just start playing hip hop until I got to New York and but I'll started taking me to y'all jam sessions.

And my first time playing hip hop with the band was with you, you know what I mean?

Like, so I got a chance to play with the roots a lot, which trained me in that in that world and to sit there and watch James Poyser and you know, and watch June. You know what I mean, play You know what I mean, like dumb Cats and mirror that that really train That's part of my part of my whole ship.

You say nothing by the word, Let's do it.

And don't be looking out to glass. We'na be hitting you up. We're in the process. I was putting the buggy here now since you're in l A. We're trying to figure out somehow trying to write a sketch for season two of Sherman Showcase.

And we want we want you to be we want you to play Thelonius month.

We don't know.

Yeah, so.

Ready Sherman showcase.

Yo, can I just a little suggestion for the Emir Robert Glassford thing. I don't know if you recall, Robert, but there was a Roots picnic about what was that side six years ago that you performed at in the morning? Okay, so you remember telling me. I remember I was talking to you and Marsha and I asked you, like, you know what what was you like? As far as Bruce pic he was like, I would really like to perform when it gets dark outside people.

I was.

Just like for you to also take this moment. I'm like when the Bruce Picnic come back outside.

Said look they were setting up tables and ship like.

Performed for the food truck man.

I was like, Robert, even I don't attend the first Route picnic I ever attended.

Was really it was that, Yeah, no, none of the cat hadn't even got none of the cabinet.

So let everybody seem to be like, yo, you're playing.

I was like, I played nine hours earlier, baby, all there.

On Front Street.

Because I'm like, in a way too, I don't know how much he's gotten a real live, great Black radio live.

I was just saying, what if we could like recreate something.

Were you not part of the the joint I did with Esperanza or was that not you? Okay, because that was probably ramming.

See see I had to go on a good path.

So back to the throw under the bus on my own show, this is this is no.

No, no, we're doing something. Come on, build this picnic for twenty twenty one.

Robert Hill in the studio first, and then we'll we're sign in the next Rout's picnic and then President out of the office.

So that way we can have a roots picnic. Oh there you go. Yeah, exactly, there's that that part part to twenty one. I said twenty all right, well it's it probably will be twenty two.

But yes, whatever, I just I wanted Ribaby class in the roots.

I was just saying, boom, let's do it, let's go yo, I'm here. Whatever happened to that? Did that thing ever come out that we did in Dallas with the orchestra?

You know what? You know, it's weird.

Shaka's portion made it on YouTube. I don't you're your guess is as good as mine. I think you whoever like underwrote that like put it out for quarantine entertainment.

But that's a good question. No, it hasn't officially come out.

But that too.

I think I did a piece with Erica. Yeah, we did Erica, You, Sakka Khan and the Roots in the Dallas. Uh yeah, yeah, it was dope.

We did some amazing stuff together. So you know, Dog, you know you're my favorite. Absolutely, we're going to do ship together.

Let's go.

Let us go, yo, Rob, We thank you for doing Questions. Fine, you're two parter.

Yeah, so on behalf of Sugar Steve, Laya Fangelo and uh unpaid bills somewhere. We also like to give a shout out to our our pals at Mazda and they're glorious X thirty No, thank you very much, Rob.

We appreciate it.

Again.

On you on your daughter, man, I have what.

What's her name is? Lola? Oh lol, Lola? Oh yeah, may Riley. He's even going forty three, going off forty three exactly for sure. All right, y'all, this is quest Love and we'll see you on the next go round of Quest Love Supreme. M hm.

Hm.

What's Love Supreme is a production of iHeart Radio.

For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart radio, app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.